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About Hermiston herald. (Hermiston, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 12, 2018)
A2 • HERMISTONHERALD.COM WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2018 THREE MINUTES WITH ... HERMISTON HISTORY KRISTIN CONNELL General Manager, Express Employment Professionals When and why did you move to Hermiston? I was born and raised here. What is your favorite place to eat in Hermiston? Hales — we’ve been going there a lot lately. I love their French dip. What do you like to do in your spare time? I don’t have a lot of spare time. I have two kids that keep me busy with sports and dance. I’m coaching basketball for my daughter right now. But when I have time by myself, I love to read. What surprises you about Hermiston? How big it’s gotten. Since I was born and raised here, the changes are just crazy. What book are you currently reading? “On Fire” by John O’Leary. I’m re-reading it. It’s probably my favorite book right now. What app or website do you use most often? I’ve been using Instagram a lot, or I use sports apps for my kids’ games. If you could travel anywhere, where would you go? I’d love to go to Ireland. What is the funniest thing that’s happened to you? When I was in high school, I fell down the bleach- ers after a game. There were lots of people around. It was pretty embarrassing. What is one of your goals for the next 12 months? What everybody wants at the beginning of the year is to lose weight and exercise more, but realistically, as a parent and a working mom, I would really like to get my house organized. What is your proudest accomplishment? Obviously my children, but also, I’ve been in this job about 25 years. I’m very proud of being able to stay, and make a career for that long. In this indus- try, that’s really unheard of. Printed on recycled newsprint VOLUME 112 • NUMBER 49 Jade McDowell | Reporter • jmcdowell@eastoregonian.com • 541-564-4536 Jayati Ramakrishnan | Reporter • jramakrishnan@hermistonherald.com • 541-564-4534 Tammy Malgesini | Community Editor • tmalgesini@eastoregonian.com • 541-564-4539 Annie Fowler | Sports Editor • afowler@eastoregonian.com • 541-564-4542 Jeanne Jewett | Multi-Media consultant • jjewett@hermistonherald.com • 541-564-4531 Audra Workman | Multi-Media consultant • aworkman@eastoregonian.com • 541-564-4538 Dana Tassie | Offi ce Coordinator • dtassie@eastoregonean.com • 541-564-4530 To contact the Hermiston Herald for news, advertising or subscription information: • call 541-567-6457 • e-mail info@hermistonherald.com • stop by our offi ces at 333 E. Main St. • visit us online at: hermistonherald.com The Hermiston Herald (USPS 242220, ISSN 8750-4782) is published weekly at Hermiston Herald, 333 E. Main St., Hermiston, OR 97838, (541) 567-6457. ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTION RATES Delivered by mail Wednesdays Inside Umatilla/Morrow counties ........... $42.65 Outside Umatilla/Morrow counties ........ $53.90 Periodical postage paid at Hermiston, OR. Postmaster, send address changes to Hermiston Herald, 333 E. Main St., Hermiston, OR 97838. Member of EO Media Group Copyright ©2018 CORRECTIONS It is the policy of the Hermiston Herald to correct errors as soon as they are discovered. Incorrect information will be corrected on Page 2A. Errors commited on the Opinion page will be corrected on that page. Corrections also are noted in the online versions of our stories. Please contact the editor at editor@hermistonherald.com or call (541) 564-4533 with issues about this policy or to report errors. SUBMIT A LETTER TO THE EDITOR Letters Policy: Letters to the Editor is a forum for the Hermiston Herald readers to express themselves on local, state, national or world issues. Brevity is good, but longer letters should be kept to 250 words. No personal attacks; challenge the opinion, not the person. The Hermiston Herald reserves the right to edit letters for length and for content. Letters must be original and signed by the writer or writers. Anonymous letters will not be printed. Writers should include a telephone number so they can be reached for questions. Only the letter writer’s name and city of residence will be published. OBITUARY POLICY The Hermiston Herald publishes paid obituaries. The obituary can include small photos and, for veterans, a fl ag symbol at no charge. Expanded death notices will be published at no charge. These include information about services. Obituaries may be edited for spelling, proper punctuation and style. HH fi le photo Detective Poncho Rio directs West Park Elementary School fi rst graders in loading cans of food headed for the Hermiston Police Department’s Christmas Express in 1993. iston fi re departments answered the call but were too late to save the build- ing, but were instrumental in keeping the fl ames from spreading to the nearby gasoline and fuel oil stor- age tanks. 25 YEARS AGO DEC. 14, 1993 It took the tie-breaking vote of Mayor Frank Har- kenrider to pass a motion at Monday’s city council meeting to reopen Hodge Park during weekdays. “Dick and Lorna Hodge donated Hodge Park not for the grownups, not for the high school kids; they donated it for the little kids,” Harkenrider said. “It is Stoner Park and will continue to be,” said Councilor Gary Quick. “I don’t give it a week and we’ll be back with more of the same problem.” The council closed the park — reputed to be a cen- ter of illegal activity — in October in the wake of a rash of violence at or near the high school. City administrator Ed Brookshier recommended that the council consider reopening the park as a “good neighbor” gesture to the Hermiston Plaza, which has been beset by young people who used to congre- gate at the park. 50 YEARS AGO DEC. 12, 1968 Mrs. Robert (Betty) Pitzer of the Hermis- ton Veterinary Clinic says the number of local dogs treated at the clinic for dis- temper each week brings the frequency to a near epi- demic level. During the past six weeks, approximately 10 to 15 dogs have been treated weekly for this disease, which could have been pre- vented with simple vacci- nation shots which are quite painless to the animals. Most of the dogs die from the disease, says Mrs. Pitzer, and if they do sur- vive they quite often suffer permanent brain damage or partial loss of muscular control. • Al Frost, Jaycee chair- 100 YEARS AGO DEC. 14, 1918 HH fi le photo Hermiston High School’s Keith Johnson pulls away an off ensive rebound in 1993. man in charge of having Santa make calls to local children in the area, says Santa has been making calls fast and furious every evening this week from 7 to 9 p.m., and although tonight was scheduled to be the last night for San- ta’s pre-Christmas calls, the response has been so over- whelming that Santa will stay for another day and make calls for an additional evening. 75 YEARS AGO DEC 16., 1943 Residents who hap- pened to be looking out of the window Wednes- day morning were startled to see through the fog and haze a large building go rid- ing down the street. Upon observation it was discov- ered that workmen had cut the Sterr grocery building, located west of the tracks, in half and were moving it to a vacant lot just east of Hermiston Auto Co. Here it will be placed on a concrete foundation. Although Charles Hodge, owner of the Herm- iston Auto Co., is out of the city, it is understood that he has purchased the building and vacant lot and plans to sell International trac- tors and farm machinery, including parts for same. • A damaging fi re of some unknown origin razed the loading docks and offi ces of the U.S. Army oil terminal at Uma- tilla Tuesday evening about 4:30. The fl ames spread so quickly that absolutely nothing was saved from the offi ce, including all equip- ment, fi les, records and two dogs which could not be released. The Umatilla and Herm- Mr. and Mrs. R.A. Stew- art, northeast of town, have received the following let- ter from their son Carl: My Dear Folks: You will notice that my address is changed and I am now with a division that is much talked of lately and has a fi ne reputation on the front. The boys are a fi ne bunch and I expect to have a very pleasant time, if one can possible say war is a plea- sure, although I can imag- ine life under such cir- cumstances far worse than this. Since I started this I received your letters of August 16th and 20th and was indeed most pleased to get them. Well, Austria is out of it and before you read this everything will be over, and as I write this Nov. 3rd it looks as if I might be home for Christmas. With best love, I am your son Carl. • Ora, the nine-year-old son of Mr. and Mrs. John McElroy, Minnehaha dis- trict ranchers, came might- ily near having his left eye torn out Saturday while playing buzz saw with a string and button. While buzzing the but- ton the string broke, thus releasing the button, which, still revolving, struck the eyeball, lacerating it so severely that the parents were compelled to take him to Pendleton to an eye specialist, who had to take a stitch to close up the wound. While uncertain as to the outcome of this acci- dent, it is thought by the specialist that the sight will not be impaired. Debbie Pedro to leave Hermiston Chamber of Commerce By JADE MCDOWELL Staff Writer Debbie Pedro is step- ping down as president and CEO of the Greater Herm- iston Area Chamber of Commerce. In an email to chamber members Tuesday after- noon, she wrote that there are “other opportunities professionally and person- ally I am looking forward to sharing with you soon.” Her last day with the cham- ber is Dec. 21. After sending out the email, Pedro told the Hermiston Herald she was touched by the response to the announcement. “My phone has been ringing off the hook, I can’t keep up with my text mes- sages, I’m getting emails galore,” she said. “It’s so sweet.” While she couldn’t share where she is going yet, she said it was a opportunity she was excited about and one that would allow her to File photo Debbie Pedro speaks after being named the Woman of the Year during the Hermiston Distinguished Citizens Awards Banquet in 2016 in Hermiston. continue with partnerships she has formed over the years in the region. While the board searches for a new chief executive offi cer, board chairman Paul Keeler and marketing/ communications manager Kelly Schwirse will over- see chamber operations. The chamber board was notifi ed in November of Pedro’s decision to leave. “Debbie has been an invaluable, motivated leader for our organiza- tion and Hermiston,” Kee- ler said in a statement. “Her ability to advocate for busi- ness, build partnerships and drive the organization for- ward serves as a model for those who follow. While we are sorry to see her go, we are so very fortunate to have benefi ted from Deb- bie’s leadership, and we wish her every success in her new position.” Pedro has led the Herm- iston chamber since Janu- ary 2001. She has overseen a variety of changes and new endeavors during that time, including a recent move of the chamber’s offi ces from the Hermis- ton Community Center to the Cornerstone Plaza. In February, the chamber was awarded $1 million in the state legislature’s cap- ital construction bill for new offi ces and and a visi- tor center, which are still in development. Pedro said she looks forward to the chamber’s continued progress, par- ticularly the new building, and the chamber has many exciting ventures coming up in 2019. “It’s exciting times for the chamber,” she said.