WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2017 COMMENTARY LETTER TO THE EDITOR Changes needed at highway intersection To the Editor: Recently I witnessed a potential accident that haunts me still today. I was stopped at the light on Highway 395 waiting to turn East onto Elm Street. A flatbed semi and trailer was slowly turning East onto Elm Street. At the curb there were two girls, probably middle school age, waiting to cross Elm Street northward. One of the girls seemed engaged in texting. As the semi part of the truck combo passed, the girl texting stepped off the curb. The truck stopped and the other girl grabbed her texting friend and pulled her back. The truck then proceeded slowly with the rear tires missing the curb by inches. If the truck driver had not been so alert, I feel quite sure I would have witnessed the third fatality at this intersection in the past couple of years. After the second fatality at the intersection of Highway 395 and Elm Street the children of the first fatality made an impassioned plea for the Oregon Department of Transportation to route trucks away from the Diagonal/Elm Street route to a designated truck route following Highway 730 and Highway 395. This route would increase travel only 4 miles. It would remove trucks from the Diagonal Road which is primarily residential and place them on the 730/395 route which is mostly commercial. It would also make it possible for children along the Diagonal Road to once again be able to use bicycle lane ODOT promised them when they improved the road and placed lanes along the route. After the second fatality I spoke with an ODOT official about the likelihood of ODOT requiring trucks to use the 730/395 route. His response was they had spent a lot of money improving the intersection of Elm Street/Highway 395, and he doubted they would be interested in making this change. He did say that ODOT had been known to make changes if enough pressure was brought to bear. After this conversation I wondered at what level of mortality would it take to have ODOT move the trucks off the Diagonal/ Elm Street route to the Highway 730/395 route. We know that two deaths in the past couple of years have not done it. Would the death of a child have made any difference? CARLISLE HARRISON HERMISTON, OR Age 60+? Need legal help for: HERMISTONHERALD.COM • A7 So long, Buckaroos, it’s been great T here are many ingredients to a great sports rivalry. First, something has to be at stake. The pride of winning carries some weight, but there has to be an extra motivation. A perfect example are the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics, two teams from opposite coasts whose ongoing rivalry was borne solely out of both teams’ excellence. They’ve faced off 12 times for NBA titles and both boast deep Hall of Fame rosters. Proximity is a helpful ingredient, though not necessary. If two teams are based near each other then a win is more than just a “W” in the sports pages. It’s a merit of accomplishment a fan can bring up over (and over) in mixed company, and people who live in the area are well aware are often forced of the decades to pick a side. of frustration Think Duke/ through most of North Carolina, the 20th century, two college but that era basketball certainly made powerhouses the first few separated by Daniel about 10 miles of Wattenburger Hermiston wins even sweeter. road. So it’s a shame that And for a rivalry to we’re going to have to be truly great, there must close the book on this be some parity. Nothing rivalry after Friday. The in sports is as exciting as reasons are clear and regular clashes between understandable — the two teams that defy the odds and expectations each schools are no longer really in the same size time out, and can bring bracket, and Hermiston is a even non-sports fans into better fit with the Tri-Cities the fray. and Walla Walla than Bend By these standards, and East Portland. But the Hermiston/Pendleton football rivalry has become it’s still hard to picture a a great one in recent years. football season when the Bucks and Bulldogs don’t There have been surprises and upsets, twists and turns face off. We will still see our as the teams have traded cross-county friends home fields and bragging (foes?) in other athletic rights. Hermiston fans arenas as the rivalry will continue to play out in non-league action. But we won’t see, at least in the next four years, a do- or-die game where both teams are playing for their postseason lives. We won’t have the reason to travel to Pendleton on a cold October night, or welcome their buses to Kennison Field and get together to cheer on our team. Maybe there’s a natural rival for Hermiston somewhere in the Mid- Columbia League. I sure hope so. But for now we’ve got our purple on and our banners ready for one more trip to Round-Up Stadium. We hope it’s one for the ages. ——— Daniel Wattenburger, a former sportswriter, is the interim editor for the Hermiston Herald. Say “yes!” to iPhone 8 for $0. Say “no!” to hidden fees. Switch to U.S. Cellular ® and get iPhone 8 for net $0 when you turn in your old phone. Plus, get a stronger signal in the Middle of Anywhere. Keeping your income ▪ getting medical care ▪ moving into or out of a care facility ▪ housing problems ▪ utility shut-offs ▪ stopping abuse ▪ contesting a guardianship? For referral to an attorney, call toll-free: 1-855-673-2372. 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