A16 • HERMISTONHERALD.COM
WEDNESDAY, MAY 2, 2018
FROM A1
IN BRIEF
Construction crew causes gas leak
HERMISTON — Residents of five homes had to
evacuate for about an hour Tuesday afternoon due to a
gas leak in Hermiston.
Jimmy Davis, a battalion chief for the Umatilla County
Fire District, said a construction company was working in
the area of West Orchard Avenue and 13th Place when
they hit a two-inch gas line around 1:48 p.m.
Davis said the department had people in a 300 to 400-
foot perimeter of the leak evacuate due to the smell and
a gas cloud.
He said Cascade Natural Gas had the flow of gas to the
leak area stopped by 2:56 p.m.
COMING EVENTS
WEDNESDAY, MAY 2
STAFF PHOTO BY TAMMY MALGESINI
Cousins Luciano Silva, Nadine Ortego and Alexis Silva pose for a photo before riding in the Kid Car Combo at the carnival
during the 2017 Hermiston Cinco de Mayo celebration. This year’s event features an expanded carnival, which opens Friday
with Buddy Night at EOTEC.
CINCO
continued from Page A1
and more. Entertainment
also features Aztec Danc-
ers and Ballet Folklorico. In
addition, there will be a bat-
tle of the bands, marching
bands and a Saturday eve-
ning dance.
Be sure to bring a hearty
appetite. In addition to sev-
eral food-eating competi-
tions, there will be numer-
ous food vendors.
Contestants for Miss
FACTORY
continued from Page A1
Stoolman said they plan
to recruit in waves. They
have already hired some peo-
ple, including a few bilin-
gual recruiters, to help with
training and development.
Brian Jackson, Lamb
Weston’s project manager
for the new facility, said con-
struction started in February
2018, and the factory will be
similar to the existing one
but with the newer technol-
ogy for processing potatoes.
Stoolman said the new facil-
ity will produce 300 million
pounds of french fries per
year.
The company was the
first recipient of Hermis-
ton’s long-term rural enter-
prise zone agreement, and
Hermiston Cinco de Mayo
include Ana Ramirez, Itzy
Uriarte, Lizet Romo, Lorena
Sandoval and Sonia Coria.
Organizers of the cele-
bration are excited about the
growth of the event. In addi-
tion to the nonprofit orga-
nizing committee, Lopez
said they have received
support from Hermiston
Parks & Recreation and the
city’s Hispanic Advisory
Committee.
Although a separate
event, the Coastal Farm &
Ranch Challenge of Cham-
pions Tour also is Saturday
at EOTEC. Presented by
Bonney’s Ag & Auto Repair,
it pits professional bullriders
against some of the best bulls
on tour. The event kicks off
with a pedal tractor pull-off
for kids ages 4-11 at 6 p.m.
Each class winner receives a
pedal tractor valued at $400.
The bullriders vs. bovines
starts at 7:30 p.m. Advance
tickets are $14 at Bonney’s
Ag, 81600 N. Highway 395
or www.challengeofchampi-
onstour.com. Kids 5-and-un-
der are admitted free. Tick-
ets purchased at the gate are
$17.
Another activity held in
conjunction with the Chal-
lenge of Champions is an
open house Saturday from
10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Bonney’s
Ag & Auto Repair. It features
free hot dogs, test drives and
other refreshments.
For more information
about the Cinco de Mayo
event, visit www.facebook.
com/HermistonCincoDe-
Mayo. For more about the
Challenge of Champions
Tour, call 541-922-1213.
was given a 15-year tax
break. Instead of property
taxes, the company will pay
$1 million per year, to be
split evenly between the city
of Hermiston and Umatilla
County. That $15 million is
about 42 percent of what the
company would have paid
without the agreement.
Brown said this was
her second visit to a Lamb
Weston facility, and that she
was excited by the develop-
ment in Eastern Oregon.
“We’re all seeing the
potential in potatoes,” she
said.
Brown
stressed
the
importance of giving stu-
dents the opportunity to
graduate high school with
skills that they can use in the
workforce, if they choose to
go that route.
“The same challenges
I’m hearing from employ-
ers in the valley, central
and southern Oregon are
the same ones I’m hearing
here,” she said. “They’re
looking for a skilled, quality
workforce.”
Hermiston assistant city
manager Mark Morgan said
it’s difficult to compile a list
of the biggest employers in
Hermiston. That’s because
many, including Lamb
Weston, are outside offi-
cial city limits but still in the
Hermiston ZIP code.
He noted that unlike most
of the jobs at Hermiston
Foods, which closed in late
2017, those at Lamb Weston
would be permanent, full-
time positions.
He said one stipulation
of the 15-year tax exemp-
tion is that the salaries paid
to workers had to equal the
countywide average, which
he said is about $38,000.
But he said that only
applies to the workers hired
at the new facility.
“While this will require
them to pay the county-
wide average to new work-
ers, if they pay less next
door, there’s gonna be some
internal strife,” he said, add-
ing that those were issues
the company would have to
consider.
Some of the other large
employers in Hermiston pay
comparable wages.
Jennifer
Gregerson,
HR office manager for the
Walmart Distribution Cen-
ter, said the starting sal-
ary for any warehouse job
is $16.80, and that the DC
employs about 800 to 850
people, depending on the
season.
FRIDAY, MAY 4
IRRIGON FFA PLANT SALE, 9 a.m.-3
p.m., Irrigon High School, 315 E.
Wyoming Ave., Irrigon. Support
local FFA students and get
some great plants for spring.
(541-922-5551)
PRESCHOOL STORY TIME, 10:15
a.m., Hermiston Public Library,
235 E. Gladys Ave., Hermiston.
For children from 3-6 years old.
(541-567-2882)
STORY AND CRAFT TIME, 2 p.m.,
Echo Public Library, 20 S.
Bonanza, Echo. (541-376-8411)
VFW BINGO, 6 p.m., Hermiston
VFW, 45 W. Cherry St.,
Hermiston. Doors open at 6 p.m.,
games begin at 7 p.m. Everyone
welcome. (541-567-6219)
THURSDAY, MAY 3
SPRING COLLECTIVE GOODS SALE,
7:30 a.m.-5 p.m., Good Shepherd
Medical Center conference room
1, 610 N.W. 11th St., Hermiston. A
good selection of books, toys,
gifts, games and unique items.
Proceeds help buy medical
equipment and fund medical
scholarships for local students.
(June Rosenberg juner1942@
gmail.com)
HERMISTON SENIOR MEAL SERVICE,
12 p.m., Our Lady of Angels
Catholic Church parish hall, 565
W. Hermiston Ave., Hermiston.
Cost is $4 for adults, free for
children 10 and under, $4 for
Meals on Wheels. Extra 50 cents
for utensils/dishes. Bus service
to parish hall by donation. (541-
567-3582)
BOARDMAN SENIOR MEAL SERVICE,
12 p.m., Boardman Senior Center,
100 Tatone St., Boardman. Cost is
$4 for seniors 55 and over or $5
for adults. (541-481-3257)
SENSORY STORY TIME, 12:30 p.m.,
Boardman Public Library, 200 S.
Main St., Boardman. For children
SATURDAY, MAY 5
PANCAKE BREAKFAST, 7-10 a.m.,
Stanfield Community Center,
225 W. Roosevelt, Stanfield.
Costs $6 for full breakfast/$3
for light meal. (Rose Emerson
541-449-1332)
YARN CLUB, 10 a.m.-12 p.m.,
Hermiston Public Library, 235 E.
Gladys Ave., Hermiston. (541-
567-2882)
HERMISTON CINCO DE MAYO, 10
a.m.-10 p.m., Eastern Oregon
Trade & Event Center, 1705
E. Airport Road, Hermiston.
Live entertainment, food
vendors, beer garden, carnival,
activities and a bullfighting
competition in the rodeo arena.
EARTHLINK INTERNET
HIGH SPEED INTERNET
Enjov big-time Internet speeds without spending big bucks!
Get Connected for as low as
Get Connected for as low as
14.95/mo.
BY THE WAY
from birth to age 4. (541-481-
2665)
YARN CLUB, 5:30 p.m., Hermiston
Public Library, 235 E. Gladys Ave.,
Hermiston. (541-567-2882)
THE ARC UMATILLA COUNTY BINGO,
6-10 p.m., The Arc Building, 215
W. Orchard Ave., Hermiston.
Doors open at 6 p.m., seats may
be held until 6:30 p.m., then all
seats first come, first served;
games begin at 7 p.m. Proceeds
benefit Umatilla County citizens
with developmental disabilities.
18 years or older, must have
proof of age and photo I.D. Basic
pot $20, prizes range from $20-
$750. (541-567-7615)
FIDDLER’S NIGHT, 6:30-8:30 p.m.,
Brookdale Assisted Living, 980
W. Highland Ave., Hermiston.
Enjoy light refreshments, listen
to some favorite oldies or join
in the jam session. All ages
welcome. (541-567-3141)
ECHO FFA PLANT SALE, 1-5 p.m.,
Wednesday through Saturday,
Echo School District, Garfield
Street, Echo. Prices start at
$1. Flowers include petunia
and Calibrachoa hanging
baskets, color bowls, Easy
Wave petunias, Double Mad
petunias, Portulacas, Gazinias
and more. Vegetables and
fruits include tomatoes, lettuce,
kale, cucumbers, squash, green
beans, sugar snap peas and
more. (Brooke Vander Veen
541-376-8436 ext. 6227)
ADVENTURE TIME STORY TIME,
2-3 p.m., Hermiston Public
Library, 235 E. Gladys Ave.,
Hermiston. Stories and activities
for developmentally disabled
children and adults. Free. (541-
567-2882)
TOUR OF KNOWLEDGE, 7-8 p.m.,
Eastern Oregon Higher Education
Center, 980 S.E. Columbia Drive,
Hermiston. Discussion of public
hearings, meetings and events
relevant to the area, and reports
on sites and facilities that impact
natural resources and places
of historical interest. Free and
everyone welcome. (Eileen
Laramore 541-303-3872)
$
CONTACT YOUR LOCAL AUTHORIZED RETAILER
49.99/mo.
For the first 3 months (Offers varv bv speed & location)
first 12 months
HyperLinkh High-Speed Internet
Satellite Internet
Connection speeds up to 75 Mbps*
What you get with HughesNet Satellite Internet:
! 50X faster than DSL!!** ! High speed with fiber optic technology
! Fast speeds up to 25 Mbps ! Available everywhere
! Fast download time for streaming videos, music and more!
! Larger data allowance (up to 50 GB per month)
855-977-9436
Speed performance allowing vou to stream & download shows, music, photos, large files and more on multiple devices
BTW
continued from Page A1
• • •
Members of Altrusa
International of Herm-
iston recently enjoyed a
royal time. With their annual
spring brunch falling on
Queen Elizabeth’s birth-
day, the group decided to
add a crowning touch to their
April 21 celebration. The
decor featured everything
from English telephone
booths to British flags and a
life-size cardboard cutout of
the queen. Many of those in
attendance shared about tak-
ing trips to England, as well
as donning crowns and prac-
ticing the queen’s wave.
In addition to having fun,
Altrusa clubs around the
world are active in service
projects in an effort to cre-
ate better communities. To
learn more about becom-
ing involved, contact the
local group via hermiston-
altrusa@gmail.com, www.
districttwelve.altrusa.org or
search Facebook.
• • •
As part of an Earth
Day project, Girl Scouts
of Oregon and South-
west Washington Service
Unit 22 worked with the
U.S. Army Corps of Engi-
neers to clean-up a pond in
West Park at the McNary
National Wildlife Refuge.
Participants from Uma-
tilla, Morrow, Gilliam and
Wheeler counties worked on
the April 21 project — clean-
ing up the area, planting
coyote willows and cotton-
wood trees, and removing
invasive Russian olive trees.
Afterwards, they traveled to
Bechtel National Planetar-
ium at Columbia Basin Col-
lege in Pasco to hear a pre-
sentation about the life of
trees.
In addition, more than
80 people, including from
Boardman and Irrigon, par-
ticipated in activities at
Camp Arrowhead, located
near Stevenson, Washing-
ton. They worked on trail
restoration and planted
trees, including a Douglas
fir, mountain hemlock and
a Western red cedar to com-
memorate Earth Day and
celebrate 70 years of out-
door skill-building, friend-
ships and appreciation for
nature at Camp Arrowhead.
Allie Roberts, GSOSW out-
door program manager, said
thousands of girls have par-
ticipated in activities and
made memories at the camp.
For more information
about local Girl Scouts pro-
grams, contact Sarah Shipe
at 503-977-6861, sshipe@
girlscoutsosw.org or visit
www.girlscoutsosw.org.
• • •
It’s a good weekend to
party in Hermiston, with
Cinco De Mayo and bull rid-
ing at the Eastern Oregon
Trade and Event Center, a
late model race at the Herm-
iston Raceway on Saturday
night and beautiful weather
in the forecast.
Hermiston police will be
out and about, too, conduct-
ing DUII patrols through an
Oregon Impact grant.
Capt.
Scott
Clark
reminded locals and visitors
alike through the Hermiston
Police Department’s Face-
book page to be safe and
responsible (and that DUII
applies to legal and illegal
drugs as well as alcohol.)
• • •
The Arc of Umatilla
County was recently rolling
in the dough, raising $1,850
during a bowling tourna-
ment at Desert Lanes in
Hermiston.
Twelve teams, including
60 bowlers, participated in
the April 21 event. After two
games totaling 1,937 pins,
the top team was Focus,
which included Zaaron
Allen, Selena Allen, Jerry
Vaughan, Steve Hoffman
and Richard Hoffman.
Coming in second was the
Hole-in-1 team with 1,559
pins. A team representing
Desert Lanes placed third
and Jilli’s Silly Bowlers
came in fourth.
The
evening
also
included a raffle featuring
a quilt donated by The Arc
president and tournament
co-chair Michele Keitzke.
Also, multiple businesses
and individuals supported
the event with team and lane
sponsorships.
A nonprofit organiza-
tion, The Arc advocates
on behalf of children and
adults with intellectual and
developmental disabilities.
The majority of the money
raised from the tournament
will be utilized to provide
an inclusion summer camp,
said Kristi Smalley, The
Arc vice president and event
co-chair.
For more information
about The Arc, call 541-567-
7615 or visit www.facebook.
com/arcofumatillacounty.
———
You can submit items for
our weekly By The Way col-
umn by emailing your tips
to editor@hermistonherald.
com or share them on social
media using the hashtag
#HHBTW.
HughesNet is a registered trademark of Hughes Network Systems, LLC, an EchoStar company. The HughsNet Gen5 service plans are designed to deliver download speeds of 25 Mbps and
upload speeds of 3 Mbps, but individual customers may experience different speeds at different times of the day. Speeds and uninterrupted use are not guaranteed and may vary based on
a variety of factors including: the configuration of your computer, the number of concurrent users, network of Internet congestion, the capabilities and content of the websites you are
accessing, network management practices as deemed necessary, and other factors. When you connected to HughesNet service using Wi-Fi, your experience will vary based on your proximity
to the Wi-Fi source and the strength of the signal. *Speeds may vary depending on distance, line quality and number of devices used concurrently. Subject to availability. Some prices shown
may be introductory offers. Equipment fees, taxes and other fees and restrictions may apply. **Speed comparison based on 1.5 Mbps DSL.
Imagine The Difference You Can Make
DONATE YOUR CAR
1-844-533-9173
FREE TOWING
TAX DEDUCTIBLE
Help Prevent Blindness
Get A Vision Screening Annually
Ask About A FREE 3 Day
Vacation Voucher To Over
20 Destinations!!!
Wildhorse Resort &
Casino presents the
6th Annual
Mammoth Cup
Golf Tournament
Friday, May 18
Wildhorse Resort Golf Course
Great tee prizes, lots of side
bets, free lunch and awards
banquet! Register your
team today!
FIRST FRIDAYS
ARE FREE!
Thank you to Pepsi, CHI St. Anthony Hospital,
Aristocrat, Wenaha Group, Byrnes Oil Co., NW Public
Affairs, Clover Island Inn, Scientific Games, AGS,
Ainsworth, Gordon’s Electric and Media partners East
Oregonian and Port of Kennewick
5.175 x 5
Open Mon-Sat 10am-5pm
541.429.7700
www.tamastslikt.org