A6 • HERMISTONHERALD.COM
LOCAL / RECORDS
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 4, 2018
POLICE LOG
Tuesday, March 27
12:13 a.m. — Four people were
fighting, with no weapons, at North
First Street, Hermiston.
4:58 p.m. — Police responded to
a woman at Umpqua Bank who said a
male in her car had forced her to take
him to the bank to get money out.
Police Chief Jason Edmiston said the
incident was a woman with demen-
tia, and the man in the car was her
husband. She recognized him when
she came out of the bank, but didn’t
recognize his voice.
8:27 p.m. — There was a fight at
Newport Park on East Newport Ave-
nue. There were three males in a car,
and one male in an SUV. One of the
males from the car broke out the
window of the SUV with a bat, and
the male in the SUV fired a gun at the
car several times. The three males
fled. Officers are still investigating
the incident.
PHOTO CONTRIBUTED BY JUDD NOLAND
Jason Blankenship, left, with his son Makiah, nephew Jordan, and brother-in-law Ben Cook.
Loss of coach shakes community
By JAYATI RAMAKRISHNAN
STAFF WRITER
Of the many ways Jason
Blankenship was woven
into the Stanfield commu-
nity, perhaps the most sig-
nificant was his love for his
home team.
Blankenship, 40, died on
Tuesday, March 20 when
his motorcycle was rolled
over by a semi truck on the
Stanfield-Echo overpass. He
was on his way to watch his
daughter’s softball game.
Blankenship’s longtime
boss at Noland Doors, Ron
Noland, said the community
is still trying to process the
loss.
“Everybody leaned on
Jason,” Noland said last
week. “He was Mr. Every-
thing to everybody.”
Noland recalled Blanken-
ship’s mechanical ability,
and his willingness to help
anyone in the community.
He recalled his love of hunt-
ing and motorcycles, and
memories of Blankenship
from when he was a child.
“He started kindergarten
with my oldest son,” Noland
said. “We have pictures of
him and my son jumping
motorcycles over ditches,
stuff you shouldn’t even try
to do.”
Judd Noland, Ron’s son,
was Blankenship’s best
friend, and said from child-
hood on, the two spent much
of their time together.
“The only thing we could
really disagree on were the
Seahawks,” Judd said.
He said recalling the
many happy times the
two shared “takes the pain
away.”
“That’s what he was good
at doing,” Judd said. “He
always found a way to make
good out of hard times.”
But Ron Noland said
Blankenship’s greatest leg-
acy would be his work
with the young athletes of
Stanfield.
“There wasn’t any sport
he wasn’t right there in the
middle of,” he said.
Kent Barnes, a Hermis-
ton teacher who taught and
coached Blankenship when
he was a student in Stan-
field, recalled his dedication
as a parent and coach.
“He coached junior base-
ball and Little League, he
coached my daughter in
softball,” Barnes said. “A lot
of people put time into his
athletics, and he was willing
to give it back.”
He said while many par-
ents find it hard to make it
to away games, Blankenship
was rarely absent.
“We put a lot of miles on
our Suburbans together,” he
said.
Curtis
Blankenship
recalled his brother’s love
for his children, and said he
took a lot of pride in coach-
ing and supporting them.
“He just gave them
every opportunity, tried to
give them the life any child
should have,” Curtis said.
Noland said his friend’s
life was not without chal-
lenges. When he hired him
15 years ago, he said Blan-
kenship had recently gotten
clean after some problems
with drug use.
“He was a great kid
growing up, and he made a
couple of mistakes. When
he came back, he just hit
it out of the park,” Noland
said. “That was big to me.
After he’d wrecked and got-
ten back on track, he was
such a positive influence to
these kids.”
Curtis said his brother
found that opportunity as a
coach, and always told the
kids that if they were strug-
gling in life, they could
overcome their issues and
be successful.
Curtis said his brother
had a deep love of hunt-
ing and fishing, which he
enjoyed sharing with his
children. The two brothers,
their father and a friend had
also just started a company,
Outback Customs, which
builds custom motorcycles.
“We’re absolutely going
to keep it going,” he said.
“We’re supposed to have a
bike built by Pendleton Bike
Week, and we’re sure going
to try.”
Wednesday, March 28
9:32 a.m. — A drunk driver was
reported at East Newport Avenue,
Hermiston.
4:36 p.m. — The driver of a blue
Ford Explorer was drinking at West
Ridgeway Avenue and Northwest
Seventh Street, Hermiston.
Thursday, March 29
1:57 p.m. — A male customer
came into a store on West Highland
Avenue and tried to start a fight.
10:47 p.m. — Someone reported a
drunk driver at North First Street and
East Beebe Avenue.
Friday, March 30
12:34 p.m. — On East Francolin
Avenue, a caller said his daughter
was being harassed over the phone.
3:08 p.m. — Three 14-15 year-old
males were reported tagging a house
on West June Avenue.
9:03 p.m. — Someone was
arrested for theft at the customer
service counter of a store on North
First Street.
Saturday, March 31
4:55 a.m. — A suicidal subject was
reported at Southeast Fourth Street,
Hermiston.
7:05 p.m. — On West Highland
Avenue, a caller said their girlfriend’s
sister is intoxicated and trying to take
the girlfriend’s kids.
Sunday, April 1
2:50 p.m. — An intoxicated male
was harrassing someone at West
Joseph Avenue and Southwest 11th
Street, Hermiston.
9:08 p.m. — Child abuse or
neglect was reported at East New-
port Avenue, Hermiston.
Monday, April 2
11:57 a.m. — A fight was reported
at Northeast 10th Street, Hermiston.
2:11 p.m. — A woman reported
that someone cut off her lock on her
storage unit and put another one on.
WORSHIP
COMMUNITY
St. Johns
Episcopal Church
Join Us On Our Journey With Jesus.
Scripture, Tradition and Reason
Family service 9am Sunday
Umatilla County
Year of Wellness
N.E. Gladys Ave & 7th, Hermiston
PH: 567-6672
We are an all inclusive Church who welcomes all.
LANDMARK BAPTIST
CHURCH
125 E. Beech Ave. • 567-3232
Pastor David Dever
First Quarter: April - June 2018
YOW MISSION
MONTH’S THEMES
The Year of Wellness strives to increase
community engagement at health related
events and programs throughout the
county in an eff ort to educate and promote
healthy lifestyle choices that can be easily
adapted by all county residents.
April Environmental Health
May Physical Health
June Nutrition
WIN A PRIZE!
Attend any YOW event to enter into a
raffl e to be chosen at the end of the
quarter. The more events you attend the
more chances you have to win!
1st Draw - $200 Echo Bike & Board
Gift Certifi cate, Pendleton
2nd & 3rd Draw - $50 Scott’s Cycle &
Sports Gift Certifi cate, Hermiston
THIS QUARTER’S EVENTS
FREE Passport to Wellness Health Fair
April 14th • 9 AM - 2 PM
Pendleton Convention Center
www.hermistonlmbc.com
Community Clean-Up Day
May 3 • 12 PM - 3 PM
Pilot Rock
Cinco de Mayo Celebration
May 5th & 6th
EOTEC, Hermiston
Landing Day
June 22nd & 23rd
Umatilla City
Farmers Market
First Friday of the month, Pendleton
Last Wednesday of the month,
Milton-Freewater
SPONSORED BY
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”
Our Lady of Angels
Catholic Church
565 W. HERMISTON AVE.
May Madness 3v3 Tournament
May 19th • Saturday
Downtown Pendleton
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
First Christian
Church
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
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
First United
Methodist
Church
“Proclaiming the Message of
Hope, Living the Gospel of Love”
Hermiston
191 E. Gladys Ave , Hermiston OR
Sunday School 9:15am
Worship Gathering 10:30 am
Children’s Church 10:30 am
Sunday Worship 11am • 541-567-3002
Nursery available Check us out on Face Book
567-3013
775 W. Highland Ave., Hermiston
Worship Livestream at herfumc.com
Open Hearts, Open Minds, Open Doors
Rev. Dr. Jim Pierce, pastor
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
To share your
worship times call
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Visit: www.umatillacountyyow.com
Like: @UcoHealthYOW on Facebook
Email: meghan.fi eld@umatillacounty.net
Sun. Bible Classes...................10:00am
Sun. Worship Service..............11:00am
Sun. Evening Worship..............6:00pm
Wed. Prayer & Bible Study......6:00pm
The Full Gospel
Home Church
844.724.8632
www.sahpendleton.org
541-278-2678