A16 • HERMISTONHERALD.COM
EMPLOYMENT
Continued from Page A1
ton’s regional water system,
which the city implemented
in the mid-1990s, with mak-
ing many of Hermiston’s
major employers possible.
And when people move into
town to work for one of the
largest employers, it often
creates a trickle-down effect
of more jobs in areas like
retail and education.
“The formula is pretty
simple around here: Just
add water, and you will get
jobs,” Morgan said.
The city continues to
“add water,” extending the
system to the yet-undevel-
oped Cook Industrial Site
south of town and starting
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2018
FROM A1
the groundwork for a new
water tower on the northeast
side of town.
The water tower project
is more to encourage hous-
ing development than indus-
trial development, but more
housing means more work-
ers for potential employers
to consider when moving to
town.
Finding employees can
be hard. Shearer’s Foods
expanded in Hermiston in
2014, adding 114 jobs. The
company is holding a job
fair Friday at Worksource
Hermiston, 950 SE Colum-
bia Drive Suite B, from
9 a.m. to 1 p.m. to recruit
for positions ranging from
reach truck operators to
mechanics.
Worksource Oregon is a
statewide network of pub-
lic and private partners that
provides employers and
employees a one-stop shop
to help match job seekers
with open positions created
by turnover or by new job
growth.
Manager Tara Morrell,
with the Oregon Employ-
ment Department, said the
recruitment events at Work-
source Oregon’s Hermiston
site can help area employ-
ers come into contact with a
diverse range of candidates
in a few hours, which they
would have otherwise taken
weeks to vet. Events like the
one for Shearer’s on Friday
have been a successful strat-
egy in the Hermiston area,
she said.
“We customize recruit-
ment strategies to fit the
needs of the employer,” she
said.
She said the success of
Worksource
Hermiston
depends on maintaining a
good relationship with local
employers.
Agencies
at
Work-
source Hermiston also help
job seekers, offering assis-
tance with applications and
résumés, free workshops,
skill assessments, copy/fax
machines and free internet
access for job-hunting.
According to the employ-
ment department’s data web-
site qualityinfo.org, unem-
ployment in Eastern Oregon
hit a record low of 4.7 per-
cent in July. That was down
from a high point of 11.2
percent in May 2009.
TREATMENT
Continued from Page A1
be in court in Hermiston.
Koski said that’s the kind of
structure she needs so she
can’t get into her “comfort
zone” and give in to using.
The structure also pres-
ents challenges. Some of
the clients don’t have vehi-
cles or can’t drive. Primmer
said Thursday afternoons
mean a hectic series of calls
to make sure someone can
bring the clients to court.
Those clients are crimi-
nal defendants who pleaded
guilty to drug charges to get
into treatment court, but this
is not your usual criminal
proceeding.
The treatment team of
counselors and court staff
sits in the jury box, and
rather than weigh guilt or
innocence, the team gives
thumps up and applause
when clients meet a goal,
such as submitting a per-
sonal essay about how drugs
affected their lives.
That may seem corny,
Primmer said, but it encour-
ages the clients to keep
working and the team to
look for the successes.
Roy Blaine said wit-
nessing those personal suc-
cesses is what he likes about
STAFF PHOTO BY E.J. HARRIS
Judge Heidi Van Kirk speaks with a candidate in treatment court, not photographed, on Friday
in Hermiston.
the court. Blaine is the trial
coordinator for the circuit
courts of Umatilla and Mor-
row counties.
Attorney Heidi Van
Kirk of Pendleton serves as
the treatment court judge.
She said the program’s
multi-discipline approach to
treatment attracted her to the
oversee the court because
addiction is often multi-lay-
ered. She spent most of Fri-
day’s proceeding asking the
clients how their week went
and what stresses they were
dealing with.
One woman said she was
scared about the health of
her unborn child, and an
ultrasound appointment ear-
lier in the week assuaged
some of those fears. She
said the doctor called her
baby “beefy” but healthy.
“We’re all looking for-
ward to meeting Mr. Beefy
when he’s born,” Van Kirk
replied, drawing chuckles in
the courtroom.
Treatment court also
offers a big carrot for the
defendants who complete
the 18-month program:
Wiping off their drug con-
viction from the court
record.
Koski said just watching
from the front row Friday
made her feel positive, “like
I have a whole crew of peo-
ple behind my back.”
BY THE WAY
BTW
Continued from Page A1
2016, will be making an
appearance in Pendleton
on Oct. 9.
Huckabee will be
speaking at the Pendle-
ton Convention Center
to promote Pregnancy
Care Services, a Pendle-
ton anti-abortion nonprofit
that provides counseling
services, parenting classes,
and other resources to
expecting mothers and
fathers.
Pregnancy Care Ser-
vices Executive Direc-
tor Laura Jensen said the
event where Huckabee will
speak, “Unite for Life,”
will not be a political rally.
Pregnancy Care Service’s
goal is to raise $100,000
from the event and use it
as a launch pad to raise
more money toward their
expansion project within
the next 3-5 years.
The Pendleton Con-
vention Center seats 500,
but Jensen said last week
there were only about 300
free tickets left for the
event available to the gen-
eral public. Tickets are
available on a first-come,
first-serve basis through
Pregnancy Care Services
(541-276-5757).
The dinner will start at
6:30 p.m. and Huckabee’s
speech at 7:30 p.m.
• • •
There are more pages
to turn these days at the
Umatilla Public Library
— thanks to a grant
from the Oregon State
Library. Director Kel-
lie Lamoreaux said the
library recently received a
$3,000 Refreshing Youth
Collections Grant.
The money is being
used to purchase a vari-
ety of materials to enhance
the collection for younger
readers, including picture
books, early chapter books
and young adult books.
Funding for the grant was
provided by Oregon’s
Library & Technology
Services Act Program,
which is administered by
the Institute of Museum
and Library Services,
Lamoreaux said.
The Umatilla Public
Library is located at 700
Sixth St. For more infor-
mation, call 541-922-5704.
• • •
Area students recently
cashed in with their good
grades. During the eighth
year of Community
Bank’s Earn While You
Learn Program, 704 stu-
dent-customers in East-
ern Oregon and southeast
Washington area earned
$16,777.
Students in first through
12th grade presented their
end-of-the-year
report
cards during the months
of June and July and were
rewarded with $1 for
every top grade received.
Students can earn up to
$50 annually through the
program.
CEO Tom Moran said
the program encourages
the academic success of
young people and assists in
teaching students the value
of saving. Since the pro-
gram’s inception in 2011,
a total of $96,385 has been
paid out, said Leah John-
son, the bank’s marketing
manager.
Community Bank has
11 branches in Eastern
Oregon, including Herm-
iston, Heppner, Pendleton
and Milton-Freewater. For
more information about
the Earn While Your Learn
Program, visit www.com-
munitybanknet.com.
———
You can submit items
for our weekly By The
Way column by emailing
your tips to editor@herm-
istonherald.com.
Visit us online at
www.HermistonHerald.com
Thank you to the volunteers and
community partners who made our August
Adolescent Wellness Events
in Hermiston and Milton-Freewater a success!
We saw
Umatilla County Public Health would like
to especially thank the following provider
team from Columbia River Health
for volunteering their time:
Meet our newest
pediatrician
Lina Castillo, MD
As a Pediatrician Dr. Castillo
brings with her compassion
and a desire to care for
your children. In addition
to caring for the general
pediatric needs of children,
newborn to 18 year olds,
she also specializes in
gastroenterology and
hepatology.
“
Welcoming
New Patients
Good Shepherd
Medical Group
Pediatrics
541.667.3740
600 NW 11th Street
Suite E-33
Hermiston, OR 97838
I wanted to become a pediatrician
because it brought me joy to know
that by making a positive impact
on a child’s life it could positively
impact our world for generations
to come.
”
Alysia McDonald, PA-C
Austin Higginson, PA-C
David Collins, PA-C
Michael Sermon, PA-C
Nathan Lystrup, FNP
And thank
you to Hermiston High School and
Central Middle School for hosting these events!
297 students!!
