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About Hermiston herald. (Hermiston, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 7, 2018)
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2018 HERMISTONHERALD.COM • A3 LOCAL Hermiston School Board selects a new member Brent Pitney has two children at Hermiston High By JAYATI RAMAKRISHNAN STAFF WRITER STAFF PHOTO BY JADE MCDOWELL Hermiston Senior Center volunteers Gary Riesland, left, Virginia Beebe, center, and Darlene Riesland, right, helped a Meals on Wheels patron get help after she spent three days on the floor unable to move after a fall. Senior center volunteers save woman after fall By JADE MCDOWELL STAFF WRITER A Hermiston woman might owe her life to Meals on Wheels. When volunteer Gary Riesland knocked on Glenda Wilcox’s door a couple of weeks ago to deliver a meal, he heard her shouting for some- one to call her daughter. He did, and Pam Lincoln arrived to find that her mother had fallen and been lying on her living room floor, unable to move, for more than 72 hours. “He truly did save Mom, because she couldn’t have held out much lon- ger,” Lincoln said, adding that her mom looked “like a zombie” when she found her. Wilcox was severely dehydrated and spent three days in the inten- sive care unit before being moved to another unit at Good Shepherd Medi- cal Center for additional care. Lincoln said she had visited her mom that Friday and Wilcox fell on Saturday night. Lincoln hadn’t been planning on stopping by again until the next Thursday, but Reisland was there Tuesday afternoon. Riesland said he and his wife Dar- lene have been delivering meals for the Hermiston Senior Center for more than 30 years. They started when his mother, who took her meals at the senior cen- ter at the time, asked them to consider helping out with delivering meals to homebound seniors who can’t make it to the center. He said they enjoy chatting with people who don’t get many visitors as they drop off meals, and in some cases even return on their own time to visit with people or help them out with small things around the house. During his time delivering meals, Riesland said he has found people who have fallen, and in some cases after he has alerted family or the police that someone didn’t answer the door, the person has been found deceased. He has also reported cases of elder abuse that have led to law enforcement getting a senior out of a bad situation. In the most recent case, Wilcox didn’t come to the door as usual but he could hear her yelling from the living room. She didn’t answer his questions but repeated over and over again, “Call Pam!” “I knew something was wrong,” he said. The Rieslands returned to the senior center and told vice president Virginia Beebe, who happens to be Wilcox’s cousin. She got in touch with Lincoln, who rushed over to find her mother on the floor, weak and dis- oriented, and called an ambulance. Beebe said volunteers will always follow up with emergency con- tacts if someone doesn’t answer the door when they were supposed to be home. It’s a service that can be just as important as the food provided on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Lincoln said she is grateful that someone besides her is helping keep an eye on her mom after Lincoln’s father died about two months ago. “It’s more than just delivering meals, they deliver friendship and safety,” she said. She said their family will be com- ing up with better protocols to make sure her mother stays safe while main- taining her independence, and urged other families with elderly members living alone to discuss medical alert bracelets, daily phone check-ins or other safety precautions in case of a medical emergency. The Hermiston School Board selected a new board member at its Monday night meeting. Brent Pitney was sworn in, and immediately joined the rest of the board for an executive session to dis- cuss Superintendent Tricia Mooney’s contract. Pitney was selected from a pool of five candidates, all of whom applied for the spot vacated last month by long- time board member Jason Middleton. Pitney, a lifelong Hermiston resident, works for Knerr Construction and has two children at Hermis- ton High School. He said he was excited to be selected, and decided to apply for the position because he wanted to give back. “I’ve been in Hermiston 41 years, and I have kids in the system,” he said. “I want to be part of the school and help out.” He said he would fill whatever role the board needed him to, but said he hopes especially to be an asset when it comes to pass- ing the next school bond. At his interview last month, Pitney answered several questions from the board, stating that he did not know the exact role and responsibilities of a school board member in the com- munity, but would learn if he was appointed. Each board member is “adopted” by one of the dis- trict’s schools, and attends events there throughout the year. Pitney said he will likely be taking over that role for Highland Hills Ele- mentary School. “I already do that with work,” he said. “I’ll try to be positive, be a voice.” Board members voted 5-1 to appoint Pitney to the seat, with only board mem- ber Mark Gomolski vot- ing against. Gomolski nom- inated Mike Todryk for the spot. Three others also applied for the position: Kris Lerten, Mark Millard and Trish Rossell. The board also voted unanimously against an amendment to a state school board bylaw, which would preserve one voting posi- tion on the OSBA board of directors and legislative pol- icy committee for a mem- ber of the OSBA Members of Color Caucus. The reso- lution, which will be voted on by school boards that are members of OSBA, and uses a weighted system based on student enrollment, stated that the Members of Color Caucus has been supported by the OSBA board of direc- tors since 2016, and has elected officers, regional and at-large representatives, and bylaws. Board vice-chairman Josh Goller made a state- ment about the proposed amendment. “I don’t believe this is appropriate,” he said. “I believe it is divisive.” He said he felt it set an unteneble precendent for OSBA, and that it may encourage other groups to distinguish themselves and ask for specialized treat- ment. He said that anyone has the opportunity to run for a position on the school board, regardless of race. The motion failed 6-0. New traffic signals go live STAFF PHOTO BY JADE MCDOWELL Hermiston man dies in motorcycle crash HERMISTON HERALD A Hermiston man died in a motor- cycle crash early Thursday morning. Oregon State Police Sgt. Seth Cooney said the driver was Michael James Wilson, 62, of Hermiston. Although there were no witnesses, Cooney said officers think around 1:55 a.m., Wilson drifted off the road- way and drove into a ditch where he struck a culvert and was ejected from the motorcycle. Wilson was traveling southbound on Highway 207 when the wreck hap- pened at Milepost 19, near Butter- creek Road. Cooney said that area is known for being a high-traffic area for deer crossing, and there have been other crashes there due to deer. Cooney said about 10 minutes after the crash another driver came by and saw a headlight on in a nearby field from the motorcycle, but it took a bit longer to locate Wilson. Wilson died at the scene. Oregon State Police received help from Mor- row County Sheriff’s Office, Uma- tilla County Sheriff’s Office, Ione and Boardman fire departments, Uma- tilla County Fire District and Oregon Department of Transportation. MCKAY CREEK ESTATES Are you worried about falling? McKay Creek Estates 1601 Southgate Pl. • Pendleton, OR 97801 www.PrestigeCare.com Hermiston drivers are getting used to two new sets of traffic signals that went live last week. The Oregon Depart- ment of Transportation has installed new sets of lights at the intersection of Elm Avenue and 11th Street, and Orchard Avenue and 11th Street. As part of the project, the department also added a new left turn lane on 11th Street into Good Shepherd Medical Center’s parking lot and made improvements to pedestrian crossings. The approximately $1.6 million project was completed in partnership with ODOT, Good Shepherd Health Care System and the Want Year Around Outdoor Space? W e’ve Got Solutions! 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Call (541) 704-7146 today to schedule your FREE FALL REDUCTION EVALUATION. A car moves through the intersection of Elm Avenue and 11th Street in Hermiston. Pendleton, OR I-84 - Exit 216 License #188965 Free Signs Available When the copy was submitted for today’s ad there was no way of knowing the election results. But, win or lose, we’ve been involved with this election for eight months and I want to thank my wife, my family, and everyone who has been involved in this adventure. The one thing I do know is that I have signs in every corner of Umatilla County. Creative Signs tell me that these signs are made of the highest quality materials and could be used for insulation, roofi ng, patching holes, as souvenirs, or for a variety of other uses. The Bird rescue people are interested in using some of them to keep birds from pecking one another. Some people even re-purpose them for garage sales and include the metal holders. There are probably endless uses but none include putting them back in our garage or in the barn at the ranch. Every single one of my signs is up for grabs! Rush out today and claim yours and feel free to take as many as you want. George Murdock – Umatilla County Commissioner
