A8 • HERMISTONHERALD.COM
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 24, 2018
NEWS
Hermiston School Board to vote
Feb. 12 on spring break schedule
City to facilitate dialog between
courts, minority groups
Changing to the
dates Washington
uses is considered
A local circuit court
judge and some Hermis-
ton residents are putting
together an event to start
a conversation between
the courts and minority
communities.
The event, called “Cafe
with a Judge,” was spear-
headed by circuit court
Judge Eva Temple, along
with a local group from
Hermiston that has been
putting on multicultural
events.
Temple and circuit
court judges Dan Hill and
Jon Lieuallen will be pres-
ent at the event, which
takes place Tuesday, Feb.
27 at 6 p.m. at Blue Moun-
tain Community College
campus, 980 S.E. Colum-
bia Drive, Hermiston.
Alex Hobbs, a mem-
ber of the group, said they
have been trying to deter-
mine the best way to gather
information from minority
groups in Hermiston about
their relationship with and
view of the court system.
By JAYATI RAMAKRISHNAN
STAFF WRITER
The Hermiston School
Board will vote at next
month’s meeting to decide
whether to keep Hermis-
ton’s spring break schedule
in line with the rest of the
state, or to switch over to a
schedule aligned with Wash-
ington schools. If the board
approves the change, spring
break would be the first
week of April 2019, instead
of the last week of March.
On Monday, members
of the Education Council, a
group of staff members rep-
resenting each school and the
district office, recommended
that the board to switch to a
Washington schedule.
Sandra Rice, who rep-
resents the district office
on the council, said they
weighed many factors.
“Concerns ranged from
scheduling conflicts, to (con-
cerns) that staff were not sur-
veyed on moving the spring
break,” she said.
Delfino Osorio Garcia, a
Hermiston High School staff
member on the council, said
they considered the people
the change would impact.
“Ultimately, we decided,
‘What’s best for kids?’”
Osorio Garcia said. He said
with Hermiston’s move to
the Washington athletic
conference starting next
year, they decided aligning
the vacation schedule with
Washington’s made the most
sense.
“We knew it would have
an impact on learning if we
didn’t go with Washington’s
spring break,” Osorio Gar-
cia said.
But several teachers who
were present at the meet-
ing did not feel the change
would be in the best interest
of all students.
Josh Linn, a teacher at
Rocky Heights Elementary
School, had also spoken at
a previous meeting about
his concerns with a schedule
that didn’t align with the rest
of the area’s school districts.
“The district reps say
(the schedule) is good for
kids,” he said after Mon-
day’s meeting. “But only
for high school sports kids.
It doesn’t benefit the ele-
mentary schools. It screws
up our testing schedule,
and it removes us from the
community.”
Linn said he and many
other teachers had con-
cerns, and that he planned
to speak up against the pro-
posed schedule change at
the school board meeting on
Feb. 12.
Altrusans lend a helping hand
HERMISTON HERALD
Members of Altrusa
International of Hermiston
helped in giving back, both
locally and internationally,
while working on projects
during the Martin Luther
King Jr. Day of Service.
A number of the club’s
members gathered in the
morning to make sand-
wiches and snacks in prepa-
ration for an American Red
Cross blood drive in Herm-
iston. The women then
served the snacks and cof-
fee, as well as checking in
donors for the Jan. 15 event
at Good Shepherd Medical
Center.
Later in the day, members
worked on an International
Relations project. With fab-
ric and sewing supplies, the
Altrusans created colorful
personal hygiene kits, which
will be sent to girls in Haiti.
Altrusa clubs around the
world are active in service
in an effort to create better
communities. The Herm-
When a car swerves off
the road but a Breathalyzer
shows the driver has no alco-
hol in their system, police
have to determine if the per-
son is under the influence of
something else and what is
causing the impairment.
To answer these ques-
tions, most agencies have
trained drug recognition
experts, officers who use a
12-step protocol at a hospital
or police station to recognize
when someone is impaired
by a substance other than
alcohol.
Sgt. Josh Roberts, one
of two such experts for the
Umatilla County Sheriff’s
Office, said officers have to
go through a lengthy training
program to become certified.
After applying to the posi-
tion, candidates spend a few
days dedicated to basics.
“We make sure the can-
didates can appropriately do
and interpret field sobriety
tests,” Roberts said.
Through a two-week
course, candidates review
how drugs affect a person’s
brain and body and study
the specific effects of seven
categories of drugs. Those
include cannabis, prescrip-
tion drugs, methamphet-
amines and cocaine.
The candidates also have
to study a matrix that details
symptoms and identifiers for
the different drug categories.
At the end of the class, they
take an exam, which includes
recreating the matrix from
memory.
The matrix will allow
them to eliminate certain
substances based on behav-
iors symptomatic of a certain
drug.
Officers search for hor-
izontal gaze nystagmus
(HGN), an involuntary jerk-
ing of the eyes.
“If I don’t see HGN, I can
rule out CNS depressants,
inhalants, and dissociative
anesthetics,” Roberts said.
“If we see HGN, we look at
Dan Hill (left) and Jon
Lieuallen (right)
“We hope to get the
conversation going about
how local minority com-
munities perceive the
courts system, and how
they have been treated
by the courts,” she said.
“Have their experiences
been negative or positive?
Who do they talk to when
they need help?”
She said the goal of the
event is to offer a safe,
informal forum for peo-
ple to learn about the
courts system and share
their experiences. She said
translators and child care
will be provided.
If the event is success-
ful, she said, they hope to
host more like it.
WORSHIP
COMMUNITY
CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
During the Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service, Karen Sherman, Ann Fialka and Edith Holt,
members of Altrusa International of Hermiston, make snacks to serve at the American Red
Cross blood drive at Good Shepherd Medical Center.
iston group is promoting
“New Hands in the New
Year” to welcome potential
new members interested in
helping with service projects
and making new friends.
For more information,
contact the local group via
hermistonaltrusa@gmail.
com, visit www.districtt-
welve.altrusa.org or search
Facebook.
Officers trained to recognize drug impairment
By JAYATI RAMAKRISHNAN
STAFF WRITER
HERMISTON HERALD
those three categories as con- tiple drugs, or if a person been pulled over, but there
tenders for impairment.”
has been using drugs that is some incentive to agree
Once they’ve completed may have quickly left their to further tests. If an officer
has reason to believe a per-
the course, Roberts said stu- system.
dents have a field certifi-
“You see a change in how son is impaired, they will still
cation training in Portland the body reacts over time,” he be required to submit a urine
where they work on identify- said. “Some drugs are really sample.
Edmiston said police
fast-acting,
like
ing people who are
inhalants. We look at spend an inordinate amount
impaired.
things like pulse rate, of energy on DUIIs.
Often times, Rob-
“There’s often more time
how eyes are mov-
erts said, the people
ing. If there’s invol- and resources dedicated to
who volunteer are
untary jerking of the one DUII investigation and
homeless.
eyes, we put them arrests than for many felony
“We give them
through the same crimes and arrests,” he said.
a sandwich and a
He said while the drug
field sobriety tests.”
soda,” Roberts said.
Other
tests expert positions are helpful in
“We’re not threaten- Josh Roberts
include whether a identifying impairment, they
ing anyone with jail,
person can divide their atten- still pull officers from their
they’re total volunteers.”
He said while they occa- tion, and the degree to which duties.
He said in the past sev-
sionally find people in pos- a person’s eyes are dilated.
session of drugs during the They will also check the per- eral years, all Class A mis-
exercises, they typically son’s vital signs, and examine demeanors, including DUIIs,
their muscle tone and skin for have gone to the courts,
focus on the task at hand.
which means pulling officers
“We always use officer signs of injection marks.
Capt. Travis
Eynon off their beats and paying for
discretion,” he said. “If we
find a residual amount, now pointed out that getting fur- medical analysis.
And he is not aware of a
under the new law it’s a mis- ther testing from a drug rec-
demeanor. Often, we’ll just ognition expert is volun- Breathalyzer equivalent for
tary for someone who has other drugs.
give them a warning.”
Roberts added that the
field exercises are easier to
conduct in Oregon, because
there is no law against the
consumption of drugs —
only against possession.
“If you’ve ingested it, it’s
LOCAL, INDEPENDENT AUDIOLOGIST
not technically a crime,” he
Working within the community of Pendleton,
said. “That gives us the free-
our clinic provides a variety of hearing healthcare
dom to walk around and ask
services including hearing assessments and
people to volunteer.”
rehabilitation, education, and counseling.
“The volunteers we get are
really vital to the process,” he
FULL SERVICE CLINIC
said. “It would be really diffi-
Our clinic also fi ts and dispenses sophisticated
cult to hold field certification
hearing aids and related devices to suit all types
otherwise.”
of hearing loss and life styles. Renata Anderson
The final step of training
is a certifi ed licensed audiologist with over
twenty years experience.
is to confirm students’ eval-
uations with toxicology tests.
SERVICE YOU CAN RELY ON!
“Each student has to have
You can trust Renata to provide a complete
at least 80 percent of the eval-
hearing evaluation and a professional diagnosis
uations confirmed, that what
of your specifi c hearing loss. Call for an
they called is actually con-
appointment with Renata today and start
firmed in the toxicology test,”
hearing what you’ve been missing.
Roberts said.
The drug expert program
has been around since the
1990s, according to Herm-
iston Police Chief Jason
Edmiston.
Pam Wagenaar,
Roberts said over time,
Renata Anderson, MA
Administrative Assistant
the drug recognition experts
2237 SW Court, Pendleton
learn to look for signs that a
541-276-5053 • www.renataanderson.com
person may have used mul-
WE HEAR YOU!
First Christian Church
“Proclaiming the Message of Hope,
Living the Gospel of Love”
Sunday School 9:15am
Worship Service 10:30am
Children’s Church 10:30am
567-3013
775 W. Highland Ave., Hermiston
NEW BEGINNINGS
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
Grace Baptist Church
555 SW 11th, Hermiston
567-9497
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.
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”
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
Seventh-day
Adventist Church
Community Church
Saturdays
Sabbath School........9:30 a.m.
Worship Service......11:00 a.m.
English & Spanish Services
Echo
21 N. Bonanza Street, Echo OR
567-8241
855 W. Highland • Hermiston
Phone: (541) 376-8108
Sunday School • 9:30am
Worship • 10:45am
Children’s Church • 11:15am
Potluck & Communion ~
First Sunday of the Month
LANDMARK BAPTIST
CHURCH
The Full Gospel
Home 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
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
St. Johns
Episcopal Church
Join Us
On Our Journey
With Jesus.
Scripture, Tradition and Reason
Family service 9am Sunday
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