INSIDE SPORTS
BULLDOGS TO PLAY ACROSS THE BORDER IN 2018
Hermiston
Herald
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 7, 2017
HermistonHerald.com
$1.00
INSIDE
NEW TO
THE BOARD
MARK GOMOLSKI WINS
WRITE-IN RACE FOR HERMISTON
SCHOOL BOARD SEAT.
PAGE 3
THE MAN WHO
WEARS A STAR...
RECORD
NUMBERS
HERALD FILE PHOTO
Graduates from the Hermiston High School class of 2016 participate in commencement ceremonies in this fi le photo from one year ago.
HERMISTON GRADUATING CLASS TO BE BIGGEST EVER
By JAYATI RAMAKRISHNAN
Staff Writer
Hermiston’s population has
spiked over the last decade,
and with it, so have Hermiston
School District’s graduating
classes.
This year’s graduating class
is 332, the largest in Hermiston’s histo-
ry, and an increase of 91 students from
last year. They will walk at 10 a.m. on
Saturday, June 10.
Tricia Mooney, Hermiston School
District assistant superintendent of hu-
man resources, said there were a few
reasons for the sudden increase.
“First, our senior class this year is
about 40 students larger than last year,”
Mooney said via email. “Second, and
more exciting, is that our staff have
been working really hard with our stu-
dents this year and we are anticipating
an increase in our graduation rate.”
While an increase of that magnitude
in just one year is unusual, the overall
growth of the district’s student popula-
tion has been consistent. According to
data on the district website, the district
has added an average of about 100 stu-
dents each year since 2005, with 5,609
currently enrolled. The trend is ex-
pected to continue through the decade.
Hermiston was the second-fastest grow-
ing district in the state as of 2015-2016,
according to the Oregon Department of
Education.
“We’re going to have to continue
to look at how to accommodate that,”
Mooney said. “Right now the three
smallest classes in the district are at the
LOCAL JUDGE PROMOTED TO
ONE-STAR GENERAL AND
NATIONAL GUARD BUREAU POST.
PAGE 7
STEPPING DOWN
BULLDOG BASEBALL COACH
LANCE HAWKINS STEPS DOWN.
PAGE 9
IN BRIEF
Wyden
holds
town hall
June 10
Hermiston Herald
See GRADS, A14
HERALD FILE PHOTO
This fi le photo shows some of the approximately 240 Hermiston High School graduates who received diplomas in 2016. The graduating class for
2017 will set a new record for seniors receiving diplomas this weekend.
U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden,
D-Ore., is coming to Umatil-
la County for a town hall on
June 10.
The public event will be
held at 1 p.m. at Nixyaawii
Community School, 73315
July Grounds Lane in Pend-
leton.
He will also hold a town
hall later that evening at 6
p.m. on the Wheeler County
Courthouse lawn, 701 Adams
Street in Fossil. There will be
another town hall in the pub-
lic park in Condon at noon on
June 11.
Wyden has pledged to
hold at least one town hall
meeting in each county in Or-
egon each year. This will be
his second in Umatilla Coun-
ty this year.
“It’s clear from the in-
credible turnout at my 42
town halls so far in 2017
throughout Oregon that
there’s unprecedented in-
terest in issues such as cli-
mate change, healthcare and
the Russia investigation,”
Wyden said in a statement.
“With such strong evidence
that participatory democracy
is alive and well in our state,
I want Oregonians to have
every possible opportunity to
share their views with me.”
Got a place for your stuff? New storage units coming
Hermiston residents will have
an easier time getting mini-storage
units after two new projects.
EZ Mini Storage in Hermiston,
located at 2315 S Highway 395
across from the Wal-Mart Distri-
bution Center, is in the process of
adding 195 units to the 479
currently there. Sizes will
range from fi ve by 10 feet
to 12 by 30 and the units
should be available by the
end of the summer.
Owners Bill and Mary
Cole of Bend said there is a
critical shortage of mini-stor-
age units in the Hermiston
area, leading to a waiting list at EZ
Mini Storage and other units around
town. The Coles’ project will help
ease that shortage, as will a project
by Steve Richards of Eastern Ore-
gon Development, LLC.
Richards has applied for a con-
ditional use permit to build a mini
storage unit at 1330 Highland Ave-
nue south of NW 11th Street that will
include more than 300 units. A pub-
lic hearing in front of the Hermiston
planning commission will be held
June 14 at 7 p.m. at city hall.
• • •
Umatilla County Fire Dis-
trict 1 Chief Scott Stanton
will now wear two hats: fi re
chief and statewide board
member. Stanton was re-
cently nominated to serve as
a director on the Oregon Fire
Chiefs Association board.
“It’s kind of an honor,” Stanton
said. “I’m the only one from East-
ern Oregon, so I get to represent the
entire area.”
BY
THE
WAY
See BTW, A14
STAFF PHOTO BY GARY L. WEST
Brig. Gen. Daniel J. Hill (center) poses for a photo with current and former
Circuit Court staff, including Roy Blaine, trial court administrator, Judge Eva
Temple, Judge Christopher Brauer, and former judge Jeff Wallace after Hill’s
military promotion ceremony on Sunday.