WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2017
HERMISTONHERALD.COM • A3
NEWS
Hermiston sophomore
stable after tree mishap
By JAYATI RAMAKRISHNAN
STAFF WRITER
Community members
are raising money for a
Hermiston girl who was
hit and injured by a falling
tree.
Jordan Larson, a 15-year-
old Hermiston High School
sophomore, was taken to
Kadlec Regional Medical
Center, Richland on Friday
afternoon after a tree fell
on her. She was then trans-
ported to Seattle for further
medical treatment, where
she remained as of Monday.
Ivy Coons, Larson’s
mother, said her daughter
is doing better after two
surgeries immediately after
the accident.
“They’ve been able to
remove the tubes from her
throat,” Coons said. “She
had to have two blood clots
removed from her head.
They have removed the
drain tube from her chest.”
Coons said her daugh-
ter’s eyes were swollen
shut, and she initially had to
be restrained to prevent her
from touching her face and
head. Larson was in and out
of consciousness.
She said doctors told her
that her daughter may be
moved out of intensive care
by the end of the week.
Coons said her daugh-
ter was taken to Good
Shepherd Medical Center,
Hermiston, and immedi-
ately flown to Richland for
treatment on Friday. From
there she was taken to Har-
borview Medical Center in
Seattle.
“The first surgery she
had, I was on the road,”
Coons said, adding that it
took place within an hour of
her daughter arriving at the
hospital and was to remove
a blood clot in her brain.
That surgery, she said, re-
vealed a second blood clot
which required a second
surgery.
Coons said her daughter
is now responsive and rec-
ognized her.
“She just asked me for
root beer,” Coons said by
phone on Monday after-
noon, from her daughter’s
hospital room in Seattle.
A friend of the family
has set up a GoFundMe
page for the family, to help
them with medical and util-
ity bills.
“Ivy’s a single mom,”
said Irene Zaragoza, who
set up the page with a goal
of $5,000. “She’s not work-
ing now, she had to take
time off.”
Zaragoza said things are
looking better than they
were the first few days.
“She was really fighting
for her life,” Zaragoza said.
“Ivy said it’s a long tunnel,
but there’s a light at the end
of it.”
Coons agreed.
“Friday was the worst
night of my life,” she said.
Coons said she does not
know much about how the
accident happened.
“I don’t know whose
house it was, I don’t even
know who gave the report,”
she said.
She said she found out
when she was at work, and
one of her daughter’s friends
sent her a message telling
her she needed to come to
the emergency room.
According to Umatilla
County Undersheriff Jim
Littlefield, property owners
in the 2000 block of North-
west 11th Street were clean-
ing up their land around 1
p.m. Friday, and there was
an old shed supporting a
tree with rotten roots.
Littlefield said when the
people on the property tried
to remove the shed, the
tree gave way and fell on
Larson.
STAFF PHOTO BY JADE MCDOWELL
Umatilla County Fire District 1 personnel load a patient into
an ambulance in the 2000 block of NW 11th St., Hermiston,
Friday afternoon.
Residents don’t need to
winterize water meters
HERMISTON — Herm-
iston water customers no
longer need to pack their
water meters with insulation
to protect them from winter
weather.
The city is nearing the
end of a project to replace
every customer’s water me-
ter with a new model that can
be read remotely and pro-
vide more detailed reports
of water usage throughout
the month. National Meter
and Automation, the compa-
ny installing the meters, has
placed insulation around the
meters as they are installed.
The insulation, con-
sisting of a pink fiberglass
wrapped in blue plastic, can
be left in the meter boxes
year-round because the me-
ters can now be read with-
out physically inspecting the
meter. The city requests that
people leave the insulation
in place all year.
CONTRIBUTED BY LUKES PHOTOS
Members of New Hope Community Church and others from the community work on a clean-up effort as part of the on-
going “I Love My City” campaign Saturday near the Hermiston Butte.
I Love My City spruces up Butte
About 75 people
work on trail,
pick up trash at
Hermiston park
By TAMMY MALGESINI
STAFF WRITER
Efforts to beautify
Hermiston and let peo-
ple know they care about
their community continued
this weekend as another “I
Love My City” event was
held around the Hermiston
Butte.
The campaign started
in the fall of 2016 when
members of the Hermiston
Assembly of God wanted
to do something to help the
healing process after the
community was rocked by
tragedies. New Hope Com-
munity Church, Templo de
Fe Esperanza y Amor and
other community members
have since joined the ef-
forts.
Tim Beal, pastor of
family ministries at New
Hope, said there had been
discussion among the
congregation about doing
something to reach out to
the community.
“When we saw what
Hermiston Assembly was
doing we thought that was
a similar vision to what we
had in mind,” he said. “It
seemed like an easy thing
CONTRIBUTED BY LUKES PHOTOS
Community members participate in an “I Love My City”
clean-up effort Saturday in the vicinity of the Hermiston
Butte.
to partner in and do togeth-
er.”
The different churches,
Beal said, head up com-
munity service projects
and activities several times
a year and also get togeth-
er to work on a larger out-
reach effort.
Organized by New
Hope, Saturday’s event
included about 75 people
of all ages — including
babies in backpacks, Beal
said. Although smaller
children sometimes slow
down the progress on proj-
ects, Beal said it’s import-
ant to include all ages as a
way to encourage giving
back to one’s community.
“When parents and
adults model the selfless
and giving attitude ... it
leads to a stronger commu-
nity and a stronger sense
of community support,” he
said.
Using wheelbarrows,
shovels, rakes and even an
all-terrain vehicle, partici-
pants helped in picking up
trash, providing trail main-
tenance near the Butte and
painting equipment at Fun-
land Park. Beal said they
chose the particular proj-
ects after talking to Larry
Fetter, director of Herm-
iston Parks & Recreation.
Fetter provided a list of
possible projects that vol-
unteer groups could do to
help the city.
Heidi Gray, along with
her children, Nattalie,
14, and Luke, 12, helped
during a past event as well
as Saturday’s clean-up day.
She said it was fun to par-
ticipate in an activity with
family, friends and neigh-
bors.
“We have talked about
how if you want to see a
change in the community
around you it often takes
getting out and doing
something about it,” Gray
said. “So in a small way
we did that today.”
Also, Gray said it of-
fers a way for kids to take
ownership in their town.
Youths, she said, might be
more aware of the impact
of littering after spending a
day picking up after others.
“And this way, they
learn leadership begins
by getting the dirty stuff
done,” Gray added.
Many
participants
donned red “I Love My
City” T-shirts. Beal said
the shirts stand out and
some people have asked
what they are involved
with.
“We just believe God
calls us to take care for our
city,” he said. “For me, it
makes me more invested
in the city with pride and
ownership.”
A larger “I Love My
City” project is planned in
April, Beal said. Informa-
tion will be available as the
date nears.
Attempted dog theft leads to stabbing
One man arrested,
another treated at
hospital and released
A Hermiston man was arrest-
ed Sunday night after he allegedly
stabbed another man during a dis-
pute over a dog.
Jason Simpkins, 30, is accused
of cutting Jona-
than Sager, 30, with
a knife, causing
non-life-threatening
lacerations to his
back. The incident
happened on the 900
block of Southwest
Simpkins
11th Street. Accord-
ing to the Hermiston Police Depart-
ment, Simpkins was trying to take a
dog belonging to Sager, a transient.
CONGRATULATIONS
TO HHS HOMECOMING QUEEN 2017
Simpkins and Sager know each oth-
er, officers said.
Police took Simpkins into cus-
tody several blocks from where the
incident happened. He was charged
with assault, robbery and crimi-
nal mischief and held in Umatilla
County Jail on $105,000 bail.
Sager was taken to Good Shep-
herd Medical Center, Hermiston, for
his injuries and released the same
night. He still has the dog with him.
November 3-4-5, 2017
COURTNEY WHEELER
22nd Annual Christmas
OUR YOGURT SLAYER!
MOFE HD CHANNELS,
FASTEF INTEFNET AND
UNLIMITED VOICE.
• Speeds up to 60Mbps
• Unlimited data – no data caps
SPECTFUM INTEFNET™
AS LOW AS
29 99
$
/per mo.
for 12 mos
when bundled*
Blazing fast Internet is available and can be yours with Spectrum Internet™ With speeds starting at 60 Mbps
125+ CHANNELS
SPECTRUM TRIPLE PLAY TM
TV, INTERNET AND VOICE
UP TO 60MBPS
UNLIMITED CALLING
89
$
from
97
/mo each
for 12 mos
when bundled*
CONTACT YOUR LOCAL AUTHORIZED RETAILER
855-613-2321
*Bundle
*Bundle
price price
for TV for
Select, Internet and Voice is $89.97/mo. for year 1; standard rates apply after year 1. Available Internet speeds may vary by
address.
address.
WiFi: WiFi:
Equipment,
Equipment,
activation
activation
and installation
and installation
fees apply.
fees
Services
apply subject to all applicable service terms and conditions, subject to change.
Services
Services
not available
not available
in all areas.
in all areas.
Restrictions
Restrictions
apply. All apply
Rights Reserved. ©2017 Charter Communications.
3 0
th Anniversary
OVER 150 NORTHWEST eRTISeNS
Celebration!
WEEKLY DRAWINGS!
n i g ht
Grand Prize - 3
trip to Las Vegas & $500 gift c
a rd !
OPEN HOUSE NOV. 16
541-567-4305 • Hwy 395, Hermiston
www.cottagefl owersonline.com
FINE eRT | HeND CReFT | SPECIeLTY FOODS
URNOT OWNER AND
FROM TERRY JO
UNTRY YOGURT!!!!
TEAM AT YO CO
TRAC Center
Pasco, WA
FREE PARKING
F Friday
r i d a y 10
1 0 AM —88 PM
Saturday 9 AM —6 PM
Sunday 10 AM —4 PM
edmission $ 7 | Kids 12 and under free!
Mon-Sat 8am-6pm • Sun 12pm-5pm
Promotion ends Nov. 11.
*No purchase necessary. Must be 21 years of age to enter. One entry per day.
CusterShows.com
509.924.0588