A16 • HERMISTONHERALD.COM
Big fines for driving distracted ST. PETER’S
Continued from Page A1
By JADE McDOWELL
STAFF WRITER
Answering a text mes-
sage while driving could
cost you a pretty penny af-
ter Oregon’s new distract-
ed driving law takes effect
on Oct. 1.
The more important
thing, Oregon State Police
emphasize, is it could cost
you your life.
That’s why starting in
October, using a handheld
electronic device while
driving will cost you $260
to $1,000 for your first
offense, $435 to $2,000
for your second and up to
6 months in jail for your
third.
“I think the message
is very clear that the state
takes distracted driving se-
riously,” OSP Sgt. Michael
Berland said.
Previous
distracted
driving laws in Oregon
only covered texting and
talking on the phone.
Since those laws were put
in place, however, drivers
have come up with an in-
creasingly long list of rea-
sons to take their eyes off
the road. They send photos
of the scenery via Snap-
chat, search Google for
nearby restaurants, scroll
through a playlist for their
favorite song, send work
emails or post updates to
Facebook.
The legislature took a
comprehensive approach
this year by passing a bill
banning all use of mobile
electronic devices while
driving. Just holding a
phone in your hand while
driving is a violation,
even if you’re not active-
ly using it when an officer
spots you. You can use it
if you’re legally parked on
the side of the road, but
not while stopped at a red
light or stuck in a traffic
jam.
More than 3,100 peo-
ple die every year in cell
phone-related crashes, ac-
cording to the Centers for
Disease Control. Under
the law that takes effect
Oct. 1, a first-time offender
who did not cause a crash
would face a Class B vio-
lation, with a presumptive
fine of $260 but a maxi-
mum fine of $1,000. Those
first-time offenders could
have their fine suspended
if they complete a course
of safety classes within
four months, but the vi-
olation will stay on their
record.
Second-time
offend-
ers face a Class A traffic
violation, carrying a pre-
sumptive fine of $435 but
a maximum of $2,000.
Any additional violations
become a Class B mis-
demeanor, resulting in a
criminal record for the per-
petrator and up to a $2,500
fine and 6 months in jail.
541-567-0272 • 2150 N. First St., Hermiston
Sept 24th - 29th
FALL
Fashion Show
SEPT 26TH • 7:30 PM!!!
Simply Noelle, Charlie Paige & Mud Pie!
Partnering with Higher Power Fitness!
MOMMY & ME FASHIONS
for everyone who attends!
30% OFF Show Special!
Enter to WIN 1 of 3 Gift Cards up to $50!
Enter to WIN 1 of 2, 30 Day Team Training Sessions
REFRESHMENTS!!!
tours will be available by
Berry, secretary of the Fort
Henrietta Foundation, with
assistance from Kiwanis
volunteers.
Also, a volunteer work
party is Saturday at 8 a.m.
Duffy invites the public to
grab a pair of gloves and
show up to help.
“Here we are 20 years
later ... what will become
of it?” Duffy pondered.
“We intend to give a nudge
for serious fundraising.
We want to see this go for-
ward.”
Berry said preservation
and restoration should be
important to everyone. For
Echo, she said, the old St.
Peter’s church is an icon
and an important symbol in
telling the story of Echo’s
unique Azorean Portu-
guese, the early sheep in-
dustry and the significance
men like Joseph Cunha and
his contributions to the re-
gion’s history.
“We as a community
feel that our history and
our heritage represented
by our historic buildings
and sites is what makes us
special and unique,” Berry
said.
Now, for the old St. Pe-
ter’s church it comes down
to focusing on the project
and financing the work that
needs to be done.
“It’s a treasure, you can’t
replace it,” Duffy said.
For more information,
contact Duffy at 541-303-
5730, echokiwanis@cen-
turytel.net or Joe Ramos at
509-366-3980.
vice group is needed for
canteen duties for the De-
cember drive. For details,
call Perkins at 541-571-
5372.
• • •
Have you noticed that
the windows at Bealls
Hermiston Plaza are cov-
ered up with plywood? That
is due to damage caused by
some vandals several weeks
ago. Store manager Leanne
Turrietta said about three
weeks ago, she got a phone
call around 11 p.m. from
Hermiston Police, saying
someone had shot out the
window of the store with
BB guns. Turrietta said the
store’s security cameras
did not catch the vandal.
She said the windows were
damaged, but were not shat-
tered.
• • •
You can submit items
for our weekly By The Way
column by emailing your
tips to editor@hermiston-
herald.com or share them
on social media using the
hashtag #HHBTW. Follow
the Hermiston Herald on
Twitter at @Hermiston-
Herald.
from the community en-
hancement reserve fund,
Hermiston Urban Renewal
Agency and transient room
tax.
Myers said Hermiston’s
origins as two separate cit-
ies on either side of the
railroad tracks created a
gap through the middle of
town, but in recent years
he has worked to close that
gap. Myers owns Nookie’s
Restaurant and Hermiston
Brewing Company next to
the tracks, sold land to build
the Holiday Inn Express and
recently opened the Max-
well Siding Event Center.
The Maxwell Marketplace
will be the latest project that
Myers said will help tie both
sides of downtown together
and bring more people and
business to the downtown
district.
“I think the future is
bright for downtown,” he
said.
Work on the parking por-
tion of the project will begin
this fall, with a ground-
breaking for the pavilion
in the spring and a goal for
completion by June 1.
———
Contact Jade McDow-
ell at jmcdowell@eastore-
gonian.com or 541-564-
4536.
STAFF PHOTO BY E.J. HARRIS
BY THE WAY
BTW
Continued from Page A1
ter in Hermiston. In all, 32
units were collected, said
volunteer Patti Perkins.
The Hermiston Eastern
Star Club provided the
canteen. The next blood
drive at Good Shepherd
is Monday, Oct. 16 from
noon to 6 p.m. Perkins said
walk-ins are welcome, but
it’s helpful if donors sched-
ule an appointment. To
schedule an appointment,
call 800-448-3543. A ser-
SKATE PARK
New Fall Fashions Featuring
FREE GIFT
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2017
FROM PAGE A1
Continued from Page A1
stretch.
One of the city’s commu-
nity enhancement goals was
making the area along the
railroad tracks more visual-
ly appealing. The agreement
between Mitco and the city
also requires Mitco to land-
scape the parcel that will
contain the Maxwell Mar-
ketplace, and requires an
8-foot right of way through
the property to be main-
tained for a future extension
of Hermiston’s trail system.
The $220,000 will come
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