WEDNESDAY, APRIL 5, 2017
HERMISTONHERALD.COM • A3
LOCAL NEWS
Umatilla airman dies in Syria
Hermiston Herald
had been her son’s plan
Staff Sgt. Austin Bieren, from a young age.
“He was amazing, kind,
25, of Umatilla died Tues-
smart, always want-
day, March 28, while
ed to join the ser-
serving as an Air
vice,” she wrote in a
Force security forces
brief message to the
airman in northern
East Oregonian.
Syria.
She said he leaves
The Department
behind his wife of six
of Defense released
years, Rachel, sister
Bieren’s
name
Brianne Bieren and a
Thursday,
March Bieren
nephew Jaren, “who
30, and stated that
he appeared to have died he adored,” as well as par-
from natural causes in a ents Tracy and Jody Finck
and John and Amber Bieren.
non-combat situation.
His mother Tracy Finck His identical twin brother,
said joining the military Thomas, died at age 14.
Air Force Base’s Facebook
page said Bieren “was a
valuable and beloved mem-
ber of our team and will be
sorely missed. His dedica-
tion to his country was evi-
dent in his actions – he was
a superb Airman.”
Rep.
Greg
Smith,
R-Heppner, led the Oregon
House of Representatives in
a moment of silence Thurs-
day in honor of Bieren.
A celebration of life ser-
vice for Bieren has been
scheduled for Saturday,
April 15, at the Umatilla
High School gymnasium.
Finck said Bieren played
basketball and football as a
Umatilla High School stu-
dent.
According to AirForce
Times, Bieren is the sec-
ond American serviceman
known to have died in
Syria. There are currently
about 900 U.S. troops there
providing support to Opera-
tion Inherent Resolve in the
fight against ISIS.
Bieren was assigned to
the 21st Space Wing at Col-
orado’s Peterson Air Force
Base.
A post by the Peterson
PHOTO CONTRIBUTED BY JON MISHRA
Barns being raised at EOTEC
By JADE McDOWELL
Mishra accepts job
with Waitsburg
School District
Staff Writer
Construction on barns
at the Eastern Oregon
Trade and Event Center
has gone vertical.
Now that the snow
is gone and the ground-
work laid, contractors are
working to raise the three
large barns, adding their
silhouettes to those of
the event center and ro-
deo arena on the EOTEC
grounds.
“It’s starting to look
like a fairgrounds out
there,” board member
Larry Givens remarked
during the EOTEC board’s
Friday morning meeting.
John Eckhardt of Knerr
Construction said work on
the barns is going well so
far. He expects paving for
the commons area where
vendors will set up shop
to be completed this week.
They are also working on
the donor wall, restrooms
and landscaping.
Eckhardt said securing
enough water to irrigate
that landscaping, in ad-
dition to all of the other
water that will be needed
at EOTEC for fair week,
Jon Mishra, who served as the Hermiston School
District’s director of Special Programs, has accepted a
job as the superintendent of Waitsburg School District
starting in July.
By JAYATI
RAMAKRISHNAN
Hermiston Herald
STAFF PHOTO BY JADE McDOWELL
Work has begun on the barns at the Eastern Oregon Trade and Event Center.
continues to be a chal-
lenge. The third well that
was dug did not pan out,
and well number four is
producing only 50 gallons
per minute. He said there
were other options avail-
able besides wells, how-
ever, that EOTEC chair
and Hermiston city man-
ager Byron Smith contin-
ues to work on.
Board member Dan
Dorran said he and Uma-
“substantially complete”
and they are working
to add things like ADA
ramps and the gold buck-
le area. Fabrication of the
bleachers is about 90 per-
cent complete, he said.
“We’re on, if not ahead,
of the schedule we’re
shooting for,” he said.
———
Contact Jade McDowell
at jmcdowell@eastorego-
nian.com or 541-564-4536.
tilla County Fair board
chair Gay Newman looked
at the pens and panels be-
ing ordered for the barns
and they are very pleased
with the design.
“I’ve seen hog panels
across the U.S. ... and
these are pretty slick,”
Dorran said.
On the rodeo arena
side, Carl Hendon of Hen-
don Construction said the
concrete arena itself is
Roberts sworn in as battalion chief
Umatilla County Fire
his career in Roseburg, and
joined the Hermiston Fire
District 1 saw a changing
Department in 1991. He has
of the guard last week,
served as battalion
from retiring
chief since 2008.
battalion chief
Jeff Adkins to the
“Jeff was a major
influence in helping
swearing in of the
newest battalion
plan and shape the
future direction
chief, J.W. Roberts.
of the district and
Adkins was
its personnel,” the
honored at a
ceremony Thursday Roberts department said in
a press release. “He
afternoon, and
was passionate about his
Roberts was sworn in
‘fire family’ and the fire
Friday morning.
service traditions that went
Adkins served with
with it.”
local fire departments for
Roberts, a Hermiston
nearly 26 years. He began
Hermiston School Dis-
trict’s executive director
of special programs, Jon
Mishra, has accepted a
position as the superinten-
dent of Waitsburg School
District in Waitsburg,
Washington, and will be-
gin his new job July 1.
Mishra will leave the
Hermiston School District
after eight years, and mul-
tiple positions including
principal of Sandstone
Middle School and Di-
rector of Operations and
Business Services.
This will be Mishra’s
first superintendent po-
sition, and he said he’s
looking forward to the
next step. Waitsburg
School District has about
300 students.
“I started in a district
that size, and I always
thought it’d be good to
in Hermiston full time
in 2003. He is the EMS
coordinator for Eastern
Oregon.
native, has volunteered for
both Hermiston Fire and
the Umatilla Rural Fire
District, and was hired
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get back to that,” Mishra
said. “As I interviewed, it
seemed like a good fit.”
Mishra has worked in
education for 26 years, in-
cluding 10 years in Wash-
ington.
He said that he looks for-
ward to using his varied back-
ground to lead the district.
“With a small district,
you’re wearing multiple
hats,” he said. “Special
ed, and I have a back-
ground in human resourc-
es as well — that’s part
of what drew me to this.
I had multiple positions in
Hermiston, so I appreciate
being able to do that.”
Mishra said he will
miss Hermiston and the
connections he made here.
“You leave pieces of
your heart wherever you
go,” he said. “Those rela-
tionships are invaluable,
and I look forward to con-
tinuing those throughout
my career.”
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