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About Hermiston herald. (Hermiston, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 31, 2018)
UMATILLA COUNTY FAIR » New grand marshal, entertainment acts and more announced for 2018 | WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 31, 2018 HermistonHerald.com PAGE A3, A17 $1.00 INSIDE CRUISE TIME Beach & Beef dinner will raise money for classroom grants • PAGE A4 HERMISTON SCHOOL DISTRICT RED ALERT Illnesses and weather push blood shortage to critical level • PAGE A6 (10 POINTS BEHIND STATE AVERAGE) DUAL MEET Hermiston wrestlers best Hood River in hard-won matchup • PAGE A12 BY THE WAY HPD Facebook post shows off humor Hermiston Police Department’s recent- ly-expanded use of social media has been prompt- ing some extra attention for the department lately. A recent post on Facebook was shared more than 250 times. “Have you been ripped off by your drug dealer? Are you running out of space to store sto- len property? Have you done something horrible, and feel like you should tell somebody? The Hermiston Police Depart- ment, in business since 1907, may have the solu- tion for your problem,” the post read, before offer- ing up variety of services including “trained opera- tors” answering calls 24/7, house calls and free eve- ning and weekend service. The department has leveraged the increased attention on Facebook to call attention to more serious matters, includ- ing unsolved robber- ies, resources for vic- tims of sexual assault and advice about deterring car thieves. • • • Highland Hills Ele- mentary School stu- dents were using porta- ble toilets, bottled water and hand sanitizer Mon- day after a rusted pipe sprang a leak outside the school. Water was turned off during the afternoon so that city crews could fix the problem, and by 3 p.m. the leak had been fixed. Umatilla increases rate by 10 percent, touts follow through from principal By JAYATI RAMAKRISHNAN STAFF WRITER T he 2017 graduation rates are in, and Hermiston’s are show- ing room for improvement. Hermiston School Dis- trict’s graduation rate of 65.8 percent — a slight up-tick from the previous year — is more than 10 points below the statewide gradua- tion rate of 76.6 percent, according to figures released by the Oregon Department of Education on Thurs- day. The figure is derived from the percentage of students who receive a diploma four years after they begin high school. Stanfield, Echo and Umatilla were all above the state average, with a 10 point jump for Umatilla over its 2015-2016 rates. Hermiston School District Hermiston’s rates have been lower than the state average for the last few years, and this year was the low- est rate in Umatilla County. Overall, their rate is the 21st worst in the state. Hermiston administrators acknowledged that the rates are not where they had hoped. “I would love to at least hit the state average next year,” said Herm- iston High School Principal Tom Spoo. “And that would be a huge jump. The state average has been steadily climbing.” See GRAD rates, A18 STAFF PHOTO BY KATHY ANEY Members of the 2017 Hermiston High School graduating class celebrate at the end of Saturday’s graduation ceremony. “I would love to at least hit the state average next year. And that would be a huge jump. The state average has been steadily climbing.” TOM SPOO | Hermiston High School Principal See BTW, A18 Festival street construction begins Thursday Street will be closed until Memorial Day, altered to host outdoor events By JADE MCDOWELL STAFF WRITER The street in front of Hermiston City Hall will close Thursday and not re-open until Memorial Day as contractors trans- form it into a festival street designed to host events. Moreno & Nelson Construction of Walla Walla will begin work on Northeast Second Street between Main Street and Gladys Avenue this week. An ad-hoc com- mittee of business owners helped create the street’s design, which was then final- ized by city engineers Anderson Perry & Associates. CONTRIBUTED IMAGE See STREET, A18 This concept image shows the proposed Hermiston festival street improvement project.
