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About Hermiston herald. (Hermiston, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 26, 2018)
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2018 HERMISTONHERALD.COM • A3 LOCAL Heat, smoke may not diminish potato harvest Early season yields are looking about average thus far By GEORGE PLAVEN EO MEDIA GROUP Months of intense heat and smoky skies are not expected to diminish Ore- gon’s potato crop, with farmers across the state pre- dicting average to above-av- erage yields heading into the bulk of harvest. Bill Brewer, CEO of the Oregon Potato Commis- sion, said the overall impact of wildfire smoke is yet to be determined in spuds, but he has not heard of any major setbacks or problems with quality. Hot weather can be hard on certain potato varieties, such as Russet Burbank — the gold standard for french fries — though in general, Brewer said he anticipates a roughly average harvest statewide and good quality potatoes. “The higher heat during the summertime has been a bit of an issue, only on select varieties,” Brewer said. “So HH FILE PHOTO Potatoes ride a conveyor belt into a cold storage facility outside of Hermiston in 2014. far, I have not heard any other negatives about other growing conditions.” About 70 percent of Ore- gon potatoes are grown in the Columbia Basin around Hermiston and Boardman. Potatoes ranked as the sev- Lost Valley Farm founder jailed Friday on drug charges te Velde and Cook for the drugs and booked them into the Umatilla County The founder of Ore- Jail, Pendleton. Officers gon’s second-largest also seized the $7,400 and dairy found himself Fri- cited te Velde for driving day in Hermiston police while suspended and fail- ing to drive on the right. handcuffs. Hermiston police “This arrest was the arrested Greg te Velde, start of the weekend for 60, on accusations of fel- the team of officers that ony methamphet- was late shift,” amine posses- Edmiston said an sion. The resident in email. “Our of Tipton, Califor- officers were nia, was not alone. extremely busy Police also arrested making several Sarah Cook, 38, drug and DUII of Hermiston on arrests. We are Greg te Velde accusations of fel- aware Mr. Tevelde ony meth posses- is facing numerous sion as well. charges from more Officers con- than one entity. We tacted the pair late have been in con- sultation with the Friday during a Umatilla County traffic stop in the District Attorney’s parking lot near her Office.” apartment com- plex at 630 S.E. Sarah Cook Court and Sixth St., accord- police records also ing to Hermiston Police use the name Tevelde. Chief Jason Edmiston. Te Velde founded the “Officers discov- Lost Valley Farm, near ered suspected metham- Boardman, plus two dair- phetamine and smoking ies in California — GJ te devices in plain view,” he Velde Ranch in Tipton, stated, and te Velde was and Pacific Rim Dairy in in possession of $7,400 Corcoran. He also got him- cash. The police chief also self into a slew of financial, reported te Velde “admit- personal and legal trou- ted to buying and using bles, including accusations methamphetamine earlier of drug use and patroniz- in the evening with Cook.” ing prostitutes. Officers detained the The California bank- pair and searched the vehi- ruptcy court in Septem- cle, where they found ber wrested control of the several grams of what farms from te Velde and appeared to be metham- appointed a trustee to over- phetamine. Police arrested see their operations. By PHIL WRIGHT STAFF WRITER Improving the way you live outdoors 541-720-0772 FREE Estimates! License #188965 10% off Patio Covers Pergolas · Sunrooms · Solar Shades · Solar Screens· Awnings & More! Expires - 9/30/18 www.mybackyardbydesignor.com 102 E Columbia Dr. Kennewick, WA 99336 LIVING WELL WITH DIABETES Whether this is a new diagnosis or not, this class will assist you with learning more about diabetes and its effect on your mind and body. Six FREE weekly classes. Attend alone or with support person . Thursdays, Oct 4 thru Nov 8 2:30 – 5:00 pm Good Shepherd Conference Room 3 & 4 Information or to register call (541) 667-3509 or email healthinfo@gshealth.org www.gshealth.org enth-most valuable agricul- tural commodity in the state in 2017, raking in $176.9 million. Marty Myers, general manager of Threemile Can- yon Farms near Boardman, said the growing season got off to a good start with warm weather early in the spring. Crews began har- vesting early season pota- toes on July 10, and Myers said yields have generally been very good. Threemile Canyon Farms grows 9,000 acres of mostly conventional and some organic russets, all for local food processors. Myers said it is still too early to tell if triple-digit heat and smoke in July and August has impacted full season potatoes. Harvest just began Sept. 12, and will likely run through Oct. 20-25. “Early season was very warm, and things looked pretty good,” Myers said. “Then summer heat comes in like it does every year and knocks us back a little bit. ... We always know it’s going to get hot over the summer, and at periods we’re going to have smoke.” Brewer said he believes the smoke does have an effect on potato production, blocking sunlight needed by the plants and possi- bly altering taste, but more research is needed to back up anecdotal evidence. Dan Chin, who runs Chin Family Farms Organic out- side Merrill in the Klamath Basin, theorizes the smoke actually helped his potatoes this year by lowering the heat and causing the plants to put more energy into the tubers. He started harvest- ing Sept. 12, and said both size and quality are looking good. “Just looking at it last year and this year, we’re seeing a little trend that the smoke didn’t really hurt our sizing and yield as much as we thought it might,” Chin said. That being said, Chin said they definitely do not want smoke every year, which makes it harder for employees to work outside. Mark Ward, chairman of the Oregon Potato Com- mission, farms 160 acres of potatoes on the north edge of Baker City. He is tar- geting Sept. 24 to begin harvest, and like others, expects to see solid yields. Ward exclusively sup- plies potatoes to Simplot for making french fries. He said this summer’s heat, includ- ing five days of triple-digit temperatures, may increase the likelihood of sugar ends, a defect in potatoes that results in unappealing brown ends. “We won’t know that until we deliver some pota- toes,” Ward said. “If you were managing your water properly, you should be OK.” Mooney will be appointed Hermiston superintendent By JAYATI RAMAKRISHNAN STAFF WRITER The Hermiston School Board will appoint a full- time superintendent on Wednesday. The Hermiston School District published an announcement after the board’s work session Mon- day that it will hold a special meeting Wednesday, and will appoint interim Super- intendent Tricia Mooney to the full-time position. The district held a meet- and-greet with Mooney on Monday, where community members were invited to hear her talk about her back- ground in education and the Hermiston area, and ask her questions about her vision for the district. Several district staff members and administrators were in the crowd of about 30, as well as some parents and community members. She said in addition to addressing capital needs, she hopes to continue mak- ing the district a focal point of the community, for sporting events and other activities. “I believe the district will play a pivotal role in the economic development of the community,” she said. Audience members focused on Mooney’s plan Tricia Mooney to handle a growing student population and overflowing facilities, as well as her plan to get a bond passed. Mooney said with the rate of growth the district has been experiencing, the schools will always have some modulars. But she said the district is also looking at boundar- ies, as crowded classrooms mean some students have had to go to schools other than their “home” school. A community member also asked Mooney about her plan to improve grad- uation rates in Hermiston, which, as of the last assess- ment in January, was at 66 percent, 10 points behind the state average. Mooney said the dis- trict has been changing its approach, and cited the hire of a graduation coach to help keep freshmen on track, as well as learning how to reach parents and get them involved in their students’ educations. The board was set to meet at 8 a.m. Wednesday to vote on the appointment. Mooney has been serv- ing as interim superinten- dent since July 2017, when then-superintendent Fred Maiocco, a brigadier gen- eral with the U.S. Army Reserves, left for active duty expecting to be back in January 2019. Maiocco resigned in August 2018, after informing the board that his term of service had been extended until January 2020. The board also has a new vacancy, after it accepted the resignation of one of its members at Monday’s work session. Jason Middleton read a letter informing the board that he was resigning imme- diately, saying that personal and work commitments would prevent him from devoting time to the role. He added that he had recently been elected to the Oregon Wheat Commis- sion, a group that advocates for wheat issues at the state level. Middleton, a region man- ager for United Grain Cor- poration in Pendleton, has served on the board since 2008. He was first appointed to a position vacated by Roger Bounds. He praised the district and its teachers, and said he was glad for the opportunity to observe the work teach- ers do. “Being a school teacher is probably the most noble profession there is,” he said. The board is accept- ing applicants to the vacant position until Friday, Oct. 5. They will review the appli- cations and interview candi- dates at their regular school board meeting Oct. 8, and appoint a new member on Oct. 22. 5 Theater Cineplex Check wildhorseresort.com for showtimes $5 Matinee Classics Every Wednesday Credit & Debit Cards accepted Cineplex gift cards available 541-966-1850 Pendleton, OR I-84 - Exit 216 MEDICAL DIRECTORY URGENT AND FAMILY CARE HERMISTON FAMILY MEDICINE & PEDIATRIC DENTISTRY Call Today! URGENT CARE 541-289-5433 Sports & Dot Physicals • Minor Injuries • Family Care • Minor Surgeries We accept Medicare & some Advantage Medicare plans (across from Good Shepherd Medical Center) NO APPOINTMENT NECESSARY Office Hours: Mon-Fri 8am-4pm HOURS: Mon.-Sat. 7:30am-7:00pm 541-567-1137 1060 W. Elm, Suite #115, Hermiston, OR www.apd4kidz.com 236 E. 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