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About Hermiston herald. (Hermiston, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 3, 2018)
A6 • HERMISTONHERALD.COM WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 3, 2018 LOCAL ANNIVERSARY The Jessens in 2016 STAFF PHOTO BY JADE MCDOWELL. Greater Hermiston Area Chamber of Commerce executive director Debbie Pedro shows off the reception area of the chamber’s new offices. Chamber opens new office By JADE MCDOWELL STAFF WRITER The new year comes with new digs for the Greater Hermiston Area Chamber of Commerce. The chamber opened their new offices in the Cor- nerstone Plaza, 1055 S Hwy 395 Suite 111, on Tues- day. There were still some moving boxes to be seen on opening day, but execu- tive director Debbie Pedro said it wasn’t stopping chamber staff from serving customers. “We’ve already had quite a few people in this morn- ing,” she said. The chamber had to move out of its offices at the Hermiston Conference Cen- ter — now being re-branded as the Hermiston Commu- nity Center — by the end of 2017 after the city of Herm- iston decided to take over management of the center and move its parks and rec- reation department into the space. Pedro said the cham- ber would love to own its own building eventually but for now they are excited they found a space visible to travelers on Highway 395. Racks of information for visitors, plus pamphlets and business cards from cham- ber members, line the walls of the reception area of the new office, which used to be a photography studio. There are also individual offices for chamber staff and an open space that will act as a conference room. The chamber is renting stor- age space elsewhere. Phone numbers will remain the same as before the move. Pedro said the chamber will continue to do every- thing it did before — includ- ing acting as Hermiston’s visitor center and providing services for members such as educational classes — besides running the confer- ence center. Giving up that duty will free up the cham- ber to spend even more time focusing on new ways to serve chamber members and the community, Pedro said, and she was excited about some new initiatives that will be announced in the coming months. The new address has also provided incentive to start work on updating the cham- ber’s website and other offerings, and to find new locations outside of the con- ference center to hold things like the chamber’s Busi- ness to Business luncheon, which is being revamped in 2018 to a longer event held quarterly. “There are a lot of part- nerships being formed, and partnerships that have been longstanding that will con- tinue,” Pedro said. Over at the community center, the parks and rec- reation office was still in the middle of unpacking on Tuesday morning, but is expected to transition staff over from city hall on Wednesday. Phone numbers for the parks and recreation department will also remain the same despite changing locations. County gets funding to fight opioid abuse Jarry and Dixie Jes- sen of Hermiston are cele- brating their 50th wedding anniversary. They were married Jan. 5, 1968, in Stirling City, Calif. Jarry retired from Union Pacific Railroad in 1991. He enjoys hunting, fishing and the great out- doors. He also loves to putter around his shop, and spend time with his chil- dren and grandchildren. Dixie’s main claim to fame is her enjoyment in taking care of her yard and garden. She also spent many years bowling. She looks forward to spending time with family whenever Though opioid abuse is an epidemic across the nation, locals may have rea- son to take heart: four East- ern Oregon counties are receiving federal funds to fight opioid abuse, in a part- nership with the Oregon Health Authority. Umatilla, Union, Baker and Malheur counties will receive $200,000 over two years, which health depart- ments in those counties will use to target prescription drug abuse in the area. “I’m sorry to say, our four counties are a priority,” said Jim Setzer, Umatilla Coun- ty’s Public Health Director. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Pre- vention, deaths from opioid overdoses have quadrupled nationally since 1999. They also reported that rural areas are now seeing higher rates of death due to drug over- dose than urban areas. But often, treatment is more dif- ficult to access than in cities. Along with Mike Sten- srud, the new prescrip- tion drug overdose preven- tion coordinator for the four counties, Setzer is aiming to target several areas of opioid addiction: prevention, treat- ment and risk reduction. In addition to community STAFF PHOTO BY E.J. HARRIS Epidemiologist Jim Setzer comes to Pendleton from Namibia to direct Umatilla County Public Health. forums and education, the program will aim to increase local participation in Ore- gon’s Prescription Drug Monitoring Program, a data- base that lets pharmacies and physicians document and monitor patient pre- scriptions, and potentially spot and stop opioid abuse. Stensrud, whose position is funded through the grant, said Umatilla and Malheur counties are two of about 10 in the state that are “high-in- tensity drug trafficking areas,” which he attributed to their location — close to major transportation corri- dors, like I-84 and I-82. The others in the state, Setzer said, are along I-5. Stensrud noted that Umatilla man threatens family with ax Kasey Shawn Pan- key, 26, of Umatilla was arrested Friday night in Hermiston for threatening to kill members of his fam- ily with an ax during a fam- ily meal. The Umatilla County Sheriff’s Office was called to the disturbance on Bax- ter Road at 10:46 p.m. after family reported Pankey had become upset and was making threats. One fam- ily member fought to take the ax from Pankey. No one was injured. Deputy Nathan Rankin responded took Pankey into custody on six domes- tic violence counts each of second-degree attempted assault, menacing, coercion and recklessly endangering. around the holidays, peo- ple can be at an even greater risk of opioid overdose. “It’s a time of high relapse risk that can arise from not having family to spend the holidays with, or experiencing a ‘trigger,’ such as seeing an old friend or family member you used to get high with,” he said. Stensrud said it’s even more important during the holidays to keep prescrip- tion opioids locked up, to prevent guests from taking medications, either acciden- tally or on purpose. He said there are a few hotlines substance abus- ers can use for immediate assistance — they can call Lines for Life at 800-923- 4357, or text RecoveryNow to 839863. Treatment options Stensrud and Setzer said one of the program’s goals is to see more medical provid- ers prescribing Suboxone. The medication for medical- ly-assisted therapy is a com- bination of Buprenorphine and Naloxone. According to American Addiction Cen- ters, Buprenorphine is a “partial opioid agonist” that produces a milder form of the effects that opioids have. It gives the user the same effect as an opioid without the same high, which makes it more difficult to abuse. Naloxone blocks the effect of opioids. “There’s no risk of over- dose as with a straight opi- oid,” Setzer said. He said that unlike other treatments, such as meth- adone, Suboxone can be prescribed by a doctor and administered at home. While it’s an effective treatment option, Setzer said there’s a lack of providers that prescribe Suboxone. Chuck Hofmann, a doc- tor at New Directions North- west, an integrated mental health and substance abuse facility in Baker County, said many providers don’t prescribe Suboxone because of the time involved to get certified. POLICE LOG COMMUNITY Echo Community Church 21 N. Bonanza Street, Echo OR Phone: (541) 376-8108 Sunday School • 9:30am Worship • 10:45am Children’s Church • 11:15am Potluck & Communion ~ First Sunday of the Month POLICE Continued from Page A5 driver was reported on S Highway 395. MONDAY, JAN. 1 12:04 a.m. — A fight was reported on Diagonal Boule- vard in Hermiston. 1:05 a.m. — A fight was reported on W Hermiston CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP Worship Service 10:30 AM Sunday School 9:00 AM Pastor J.C. Barnett Children’s Church & Nursery Available 700 West Orchard Avenue P.O. Box 933 Hermiston, Oregon 541-567-8441 First Christian Church “Proclaiming the Message of Hope, Living the Gospel of Love” Sunday School 9:15am Worship Gathering 10:30 am Children’s Church 10:30 am 567-3013 775 W. Highland Ave., Hermiston Seventh-day Adventist Church Saturdays Sabbath School........9:30 a.m. Worship Service......11:00 a.m. English & Spanish Services 567-8241 855 W. Highland • Hermiston LANDMARK BAPTIST CHURCH 125 E. Beech Ave. • 567-3232 Pastor David Dever Sun. Bible Classes...................10:00am Sun. Worship Service..............11:00am Sun. Evening Worship..............6:00pm Wed. Prayer & Bible Study......6:00pm www.hermistonlmbc.com First United Methodist Church Hermiston 191 E. Gladys Ave , Hermiston OR Sunday Worship 11am • 541-567-3002 Nursery available Check us out on Face Book Worship Livestream at herfumc.com Open Hearts, Open Minds, Open Doors Rev. Dr. Jim Pierce, pastor Our Lady of Angels Catholic Church 565 W. HERMISTON AVE. DAILY MASS: Monday-Friday ...............................English 7:00 am Thursday...............Spanish 6:00 pm SATURDAY:.........English 5:00 pm ...............................Spanish 7:00 pm SUNDAY:..............English 9:00 am ..........................Bilingual 11:00 am ..............................Spanish 1:00 pm Offi ce..............................567-5812 The Full Gospel Home Church 235 SW 3rd Phone 567-7678 Rev. Ed Baker - Rev. Nina Baker Sunday: Sunday School........10:00 am Worship...................11:00 am Evening Service........7:00 pm Wednesday Service..7:00 pm “Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.” 1 Pet. 5:7 Grace Baptist Church 555 SW 11th, Hermiston 567-9497 Nursery provided for all services Sunday School - 9:30 AM Worship - 10:45 AM 6:00 PM Wed Prayer & Worship - 7:00 PM “Proclaiming God’s word, growing in God’s grace” St. Johns Episcopal Church Join Us On Our Journey With Jesus. Scripture, Tradition and Reason Family service 9am Sunday Ave. 11:27 a.m. — A burglary was reported on E Newport Ave. 8:47 p.m. — A posible burglary was reported on E Gladys Ave. 11:36 p.m. — A caller reported two people were placing graffiti on a metal shed on E Dogwood Ave. in Hermiston. possible. The couple has three children: son Stacey Jes- sen of Heppner and daugh- ters Kathi Keefer of Hono- lulu, Hawaii, and Kelli Biecker of Pendleton. They have seven grand- children: Kevin, Tyler, Gunner, Maycee, Elijah, Jared and Tresten; and one great-grandson, Daniel. WORSHIP NEW BEGINNINGS By JAYATI RAMAKRISHNAN STAFF WRITER The Jessens in 1968 N.E. Gladys Ave & 7th, Hermiston t. PH: 567-6672 We are an all inclusive Church who welcomes all. 1520 W ORCHARD AVE Sunday Worship Service 10:30 am Classes for Kids @ 9:15 am SEEKING JESUS, SHARING LIFE, SERVING PEOPLE www.hermistonnazarene.org To share your worship times call 541-278-2678