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About Hermiston herald. (Hermiston, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (March 28, 2018)
EASTER WEEKEND | MIXTURE OF EGG HUNTS, RELIGIOUS SERVICES ARE SLATED » PAGE A4 WEDNESDAY, MARCH 28, 2018 HermistonHerald.com $1.00 INSIDE SLOW DOWN WESTLAND ROAD HAS A NEW SPEED LIMIT FOR THE NEXT YEAR. PAGE A3 Dramatic re-enactment shares easter story SHOWDOWN TWO BULLDOG TEAMS FACED OFF IN SOFTBALL, BUT HERMISTON PULLED OUT THE WIN. PAGE A9 SPARKY AWARD GRETCHEN ERICKSON RECOGNIZED FOR HER WORK EDUCATING STUDENTS ABOUT FIRE SAFETY. PAGE A13 BY THE WAY Construction work has begun on a new traffic sig- nal at the intersection of Elm Avenue and North- west 11th Street. The project, which also includes some re-design of the intersection, is being handled by the Oregon Department of Trans- portation in partnership with the city of Hermis- ton and Good Shepherd Health Care System, and will also include a traffic signal added to the inter- section of Southwest 11th Street and Orchard Avenue. While it might not seem like installing traffic lights would take very long, the amount of electrical work involved means the project isn’t slated to be complete until November. Between now and then expect that there are times traffic may be delayed or re-routed. • • • Hermiston’s Dylan Westfall was elected Monday as the vice presi- dent of Oregon FFA. Elections took place on the final day of the 2018 Oregon FFA state con- vention at the Deschutes Fair & Expo Center in Redmond. Nearly 1,500 FFA members — or “blue jackets,” as they call themselves — from 102 chapters attended the convention to com- pete in career develop- ment events, attend work- shops and network with colleagues. Westfall and the rest of the leadership team will See BTW, Page A18 FILE PHOTO Portraying Jesus, Ricardo Mendoza lies on the ground at the seventh station where Jesus falls for the second time during the 2016 “Way of the Cross” re-enactment. This year’s event is Friday at noon in Hermiston. By TAMMY MALGESINI COMMUNITY EDITOR T FILE PHOTO Actors portraying Roman soldiers participate in the 2015 production of the “Way of the Cross.” Presented by Our Lady of Angels Catholic Church, this year’s event is Friday at noon. he “Way of the Cross,” a re-enactment of the events leading up to the crucifix- ion of Jesus Christ, offers a stirring visual reminder of the biblical story of Easter. Staged mostly by youths from Hermiston’s Our Lady of Angels Catholic Church, the dramatic presentation features scenes from Stations of the Cross — a series of images that portray Jesus on the day of his crucifixion. In its 21st year, the event begins Friday, March 30 — Good Friday — at noon in the church’s parking lot, 565 W. Hermiston Ave., Herm- iston. The live actors will travel along the streets acting out the scenes, beginning with the First Station when Jesus is condemned to death by Pontius Pilate, who then orders the Roman soldiers to crucify him. The bi-lingual pre- sentation also includes the sing- ing of hymns and prayers. The final few scenes take place on the top of the Hermiston Butte where two crosses will have been erected for the presentation. The person who portrays Jesus car- ries his cross for the nearly 1-mile route from the church to the butte. Roman soldiers then place Jesus on the cross and erect it between two others that, according to the Bible, are occupied by a pair thieves. The public is invited to attend, following the entourage as they make their way to the top of the butte. Boards are set up at the beginning of each scene, which See RE-ENACTMENT, Page A18 New districts will impact services, taxes for some By JAYATI RAMAKRISHNAN STAFF WRITER In May, Umatilla and Morrow County voters will decide whether to add two new districts to the tax rolls, which would fund support staff and operations for the Oregon State Uni- versity Extension Service. If passed, the districts would add 33 cents per $1,000 to taxpayers’ bills. In Umatilla County, the tax would yield about $1.7 million, and in Mor- row, about $700,000. For a $150,000 home, it would add about $49.50 to an annual tax statement. As the vote approaches, locals are looking at how the district will impact their tax bill, as well as the services it would provide. Mary Corp, the Extension Ser- vice’s regional administrator, has been discussing the tax with various groups in both counties. If passed, the tax would go toward increasing edu- cation programs such as 4-H and hir- ing field support staff for the exten- sion service, as well as some structural improvements. “You can only use supplies and defer maintenance for so long,” she said. She said so far, reception for the idea has been fairly positive. “People have been very receptive and interested in learning more about the idea,” she said. She said there has been some con- cern about compression, and how add- ing a new taxing district would affect See DISTRICTS, Page A18 HH FILE PHOTO Ryan Graebner, with Oregon State University, passes around potato samples affected by nematodes during field day at the Hermiston