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About Hermiston herald. (Hermiston, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 27, 2017)
A16 • HERMISTONHERALD.COM FROM A15 WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 27, 2017 HH FILE PHOTO Rachel Bieren, wife of Staff Sgt. Austin Bieren, 25, who died in March in Syria receives her husband’s ashes April 14 after they were flown home and transported by hearse to Umatilla. HH FILE PHOTO HH FILE PHOTO Hermiston head coach David Faaeteete hugs AJ Fernandez after the Bulldogs’ 38-35 win against Churchill in the 5A state championship game on Nov. 25 in Hillsboro. Secretary of Energy Rick Perry, McNary Dam operations manager Dave Coleman and Rep. Greg Walden, R-Ore., tour the McNary Dam on August 14 in Umatilla. 2017 Maiocco returns. DEATH OF AN ICON: Frank Harkenrider, known as Hermiston’s number one fan, died July 24 before see- ing the completion of the Harkenrider Center named after him. Harkenrider was a Herm- iston city councilor or mayor for five decades in Herm- iston before retiring from the council in 2014, and was known for his passion- ate dedication to Hermis- ton football. He helped hire Hermiston’s first city man- ager, and started the tradi- tion of bringing Hermiston watermelons to give away in Portland each summer. Family wore pins, his Hermiston Bulldogs jacket with his name on it and other items in his memory as they cheered the Bull- dogs on to a state champi- onship in November. NEW DIGS FOR COUNTY FAIR: The Umatilla County Fair and Farm-City Pro Rodeo had their much-anticipated first year at the Eastern Oregon Trade and Event Center in August. Finishing touches on the multi-million dollar project literally came down to the last minute, but dedicated volunteers and paid contrac- tors working nearly around the clock managed to pull it off. The new location gave the previously-cramped fair room to grow, and fea- tured perks like an air-con- ditioned building for booths and 4H displays, while the new rodeo arena offered expanded seating and extra box seats. After the fair and rodeo wrapped up Hermiston Energy Services superin- tendent Nate Rivera stepped up to manage the center on an interim basis and helped the EOTEC board choose venue management com- pany VenuWorks to run the Continued from Page A15 remembered as fun-loving, a good leader and dedicated to family during a memo- rial service in Umatilla later that week, and a moment of silence was observed in his honor during the Oregon Legislature and several local government meetings. SENIOR CENTER RISING: Ground was bro- ken on the Harkenrider Cen- ter on April 26, starting a transition that will move Hermiston’s senior cen- ter from the former Uma- tilla County fairgrounds to downtown. The building on the fair- grounds was torn down in September, as part of the Hermiston School District’s acquisition of the property, and the senior meal program will operate out of Our Lady of Angels Catholic Church until the Harkenrider Center is complete. The new center is expected to open March 2018, and so far the city says it is on time and on budget. It will be 7,000 square feet with a 4,000 square foot unfinished basement, com- pared to 5,000 square feet of space in the old building. Much of the building was paid for by a $2 million fed- eral grant and money from the city of Hermiston’s gen- eral fund. SCHOOL BOND FAILS: A school board campaign to pass a $104 million capital improve- ment bond failed on May 16, with 59 percent of vot- ers saying ‘no.’ The bond proposed construction of a new elementary school, new buildings for Rocky Heights and Highland Hills elemen- tary schools, and significant upgrades and expansions to the high school. Board members said they would reassess, and even- tually come back with a new proposal. The district last passed a bond in 2008, which rebuilt Sunset and West Park elementaries, and Armand Larive Middle School. WESTLAND WATER PROJECT DRAINED: The Westland Irrigation District announced it would abandon years of work to secure additional water from the Columbia River in order to defend a law- suit filed by patrons alleging “massive misappropriation” of senior water rights. The Northeast Ore- gon Water Association’s “Central Project,” as it was called, would have cost about $14.4 million, financed by patrons who agreed to buy the water, and added production power to farms in the district. NOWA is now looking for other groups to pick up the cost of the project. The lawsuit, filed by a group of senior water rights holders, was dismissed from fed- eral court earlier in 2017 but continues in circuit court. The plaintiffs are seeking $2.9 million in damages for what they claim is a misap- propriation scheme favoring L&L Farms, Eagle Ranch and Amstad Farms — three operations with junior rights and more than 5,000 acres of farmland. MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND HOMI- CIDE: A Hermiston man died as the result of a gun- shot wound at a Hermiston apartment complex on May 27, but the suspect in the case was not arrested until two weeks later. Tyree Houfmuse, of Hermiston, was initially listed as a “person of inter- est” in the death of James Cragun, but when offi- cers arrested him on June 12, Hermiston Police Chief Jason Edmiston identified Houfmuse as the suspect in Cragun’s death. Houf- muse had a settlement con- ference in December, but no settlement was reached. He is still waiting to go to trial. Houfmuse had previously been arrested for shoot- ings in both Kennewick and Hermiston. STATE DOLLARS FOR HERMISTON ROADS: The Oregon legis- lature passed a $5.3 billion transportation bill on July 6, setting the state up for bil- lions of dollars in upgrades to infrastructure from high- ways to railroads. Hermiston walked away with a piece of the pie thanks to negotiations by Rep. Greg Smith. While each city and county will see a general increase in gas tax money for streets, some projects were also specifi- cally earmarked to receive extra funds. Projects that will receive grants include paving Ott Road and widening Air- port Road around the East- ern Oregon Trade and Event Center, a road project at the Port of Umatilla, a rail proj- ect at the Port of Morrow and an overhaul of North First Place in Hermiston, including widening the road and re-designing its inter- sections with Orchard Ave- nue and Highland Avenue. MOONEY STEPS IN FOR MAIOCCO: Herm- iston School District Super- intendent and Brigadier General Fred Maiocco was called to active duty, leaving to serve 15 to 18 months with the U.S. Army Reserves. Maiocco was deployed to Kaiserslaut- ern, Germany, and is coor- dinating logistical support to U.S. forces in Europe, Africa and the Middle East. In his absence, the school board selected the dis- trict’s assistant superinten- dent and HR director, Tri- cia Mooney, to serve as the interim superintendent until entire project starting next year. S O M E T H I N G SMELLS: A Stanfield potato dehydration plant sent a stench into the air, sending residents rushing inside all summer. The 3D Idapro facility had been having issues since a fire burned its air purification system. Complaints to the city and DEQ were so per- sistent, representatives from the factory’s Midwest office came to Stanfield, imple- menting a 3-step plan to mitigate the smell. A few months later in Hermiston, citizens off Highway 207 in Hermiston raised a stink about a vege- table waste recycling facil- ity. Owner Luke Dynes was fined $435 for violating the city’s nuisance code, and ordered to abate the smell. GRADUATION OUT OF TOWN: After months of discussion and a delayed vote, Hermiston School Board members decided on Oct. 2 that Hermiston High School’s Class of 2018 will graduate at the Toyota Cen- ter in Kennewick. The deci- sion was born of a concern that the burgeoning student population had outgrown the high school gym where Hermiston had long held graduation. The decision was contentious, with many worried about moving a quintessentially local event across the river. The board said they would revisit local graduation options next school year. VISIT FROM ENERGY SECRETARY: Rick Perry, the U.S. Sec- retary of Energy, visited McNary Dam on Aug. 14 as part of his duties as an appointee to Presi- dent Donald Trump’s cabi- net. It was Perry’s first trip to the hydroelectric dam, which he toured with Rep. Greg Walden (R-Oregon) and Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-Washington). After the tour, Perry asserted he was in favor of hydroelectricity and renew- able energy, and contin- ued his tour at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation and Pacific Northwest National Laboratories in Richland. HERMISTON FOODS CLOSES: The ninth-larg- est employer in Hermis- ton closed its doors on Nov. 13, laying off nearly 200 employees. Operations for Hermiston Foods, a vegeta- ble-processing plant, were consolidated with the oper- ations of a plant in Quincy Washington. NORPAC, Hermiston Foods’ parent company, opened the facil- ity in Hermiston in April 1990. The facility processed peas, sugar snap peas, eda- mame, lima beans, carrots and asparagus. Future use for the facility has not yet been announced. BULLDOG CHAM- PIONS: In their last sea- son playing in the Oregon School Activities Associ- ation, the Hermiston Bull- dogs left with a little part- ing gift: a football state title. The Bulldogs beat the unde- feated Churchill Lancers 38-35 in a thriller on Nov. 25 at Hillsboro Stadium. It was the second title in program history, the first coming in 2014, and it was the first for head coach David Faaeteete. Hermiston will join the Washington Interscholas- tic Activities Association in the fall of 2018 for all sports and play in a league with Tri-Cities and Walla Walla teams. The move, which had to be approved by both states’ athletic associations and member schools, was deemed necessary because of Hermiston’s enrollment growth and travel distance to like-sized schools in cen- tral Oregon and the Portland area.