Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Hermiston herald. (Hermiston, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 7, 2018)
WRESTLING » BULLDOGS PULL OFF BIG WIN AGAINST PENDLETON // SEE PAGE SPORTS, A10 WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2018 HermistonHerald.com $1.00 INSIDE DEPOT DELAY Frustrations rise as locals wait for portion of former Umatilla Chemical Depot PAGE A3 SAFETY FIRST Fire safety educator teaches students to use their voice PAGE A6 HERMISTON HEARS A WHO TEACHERS ARRESTED Two Morrow County teachers charged with sex abuse PAGE A8 BY THE WAY Breakin’ bricks for cancer patient Brick by brick, board by board, students at East- ern Oregon Family Tae- kwondo raised $4,451 on Saturday to bene- fit Maddy Thomas, an 11-year-old Echo girl with a brain tumor. The studio was packed all afternoon as more than 200 bricks were shattered in the marathon fundraiser. Erwin Watson, owner of the martial arts studio and business, said they also went through far more boards than bricks. Watson’s taekwondo students solicited dona- tions of $5 per board and $10 per brick to help cover the medical costs for Thomas, who has pilo- cytic astrocytoma, a brain tumor. She had surgery in October to remove part of the tumor and is under- going chemotherapy to shrink the rest. Home Depot donated the boards and bricks, and Watson said the bricks pro- vided quite the workout. Watson said the hard work — and soreness — were worth it, and he plans to soon present Maddy with the check. More donations also could come in, he said, so the final tally could be even larger. • • • Umatilla County and Good Shepherd Medi- cal Center are offering a series of suicide preven- tion courses on Thursday, February 22. STAFF PHOTOS BY KATHY ANEY Kyle Ketchersid, who plays the part of the Cat in the Hat, sings during a rehearsal of “Seussical” at Hermiston High School. By TAMMY MALGESINI COMMUNITY EDITOR J Horton (William Kern) studies a flower during a rehearsal of “Seussical” at Hermiston High School. ordan Bemrose-Rust’s face was animated as she stood swaying to the music during a Friday night dress rehearsal of “Seussical the Musical.” The Hermiston High School choir director, who’s also in charge of choreography, worked on a small-scale ver- sion of the popular Dr. Seuss-themed musi- cal several years ago while teaching in Ione. “Seussical She convinced drama director Beth Ander- son — although it didn’t take much convinc- the Musical” ing — to take on the production. •Feb. 9-10 and “This has big dance numbers. I wanted to Feb. 16-17; 7 p.m. go big,” Bemrose-Rust said. “When you do •Sunday, Feb. 18; 2 p.m. choreography with 30 people, it’s a lot more •Hermiston High School grand.” It’s been a team effort to produce “Seus- •$10/adults, $8/senior sical” — HHS band teacher Sean McClana- citizens,$5/students han is directing the orchestra pit and Kathy Vore is the technical director. And, the excitement is contagious — from student performers to parents and community members who have stepped up in lending a hand. See WHO, A16 See BTW, A16 Military investing millions in Camp Umatilla Former chemical depot will be National Guard training facility By JADE MCDOWELL STAFF WRITER The former Umatilla Chemical Depot may not look like much now, but the site manager for Camp Uma- tilla thinks it can become the Oregon Military Department’s premier train- ing facility. “We will stand this up to any facil- ity in the state,” said retired Lt. Col. Fritz McReynolds. The Oregon Military Department has spent $2 million on infrastructure upgrades since the U.S. Army signed over 7,500 acres of the former depot for an Oregon National Guard Train- ing Center known as Camp Umatilla in November (the local Columbia Development Authority is still wait- ing for the Army to transfer their por- tion, which will be used for private economic development and a wildlife preserve). The department plans to spend another $25 million in the next three years for remodels, demolitions and new construction. After that, they will build a $39 million infantry train- ing schoolhouse. They have their work cut out for them. The chemical weapons may be gone but asbestos, mold, broken pipes and hantavirus-carrying mice plague some of the 1940s-era build- See CAMP, A16 PHOTO BY E.J. HARRIS The original Umatilla Depot post headquarters building at Camp Umatilla is currently abandoned but plans are in the works to retrofit the old building and reopen it. The Oregon Military Department plans to create a representative “historical district” inside Camp Umatilla with about 12 buildings preserved with as much historical authenticity as possible.
