DAWGS POST
HUGE WINS
AGAINS WA-HI,
KAMIAKIN »
PAGE A8
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2019
HermistonHerald.com
$1.00
INSIDE
HISTORY
City leaders were discuss-
ing a new park next to
Hermiston High School 50
years ago.
PAGE A2
REMEMBERED
A Hermiston High School
student is remembered
as a ‘beautiful soul’ after
being killed in a car crash
PAGE A3
SHOWTIME
See photos of Hermiston
students backstage during
opening night of “The
Wizard of Oz”
PAGE A13
Snow
Day
BY THE WAY
Carol Frink
retires
Blue Mountain Com-
munity College’s Small
Business Development
Center will be looking
for a new director after
Carol Frink of Hermiston
announced she is retiring
March 31.
The regional center,
which operates on a mix
of federal and state funds
and support from BMCC,
offers free assistance to
business owners or pro-
spective owners looking
to start a business, expand,
retire or make other
changes.
According to a news
release from the college,
Frink greatly increased
the center’s productiv-
ity during her three-year
tenure. In 2018 the cen-
ter served 418 clients,
resulting in 29 new busi-
ness starts, 91 jobs cre-
ated, 12 jobs retained
and $1,783,803 in loans
obtained.
• • •
American Pickers is
coming to Oregon in April.
The History Channel
show features Mike Wolfe
and Frank Fritz, who
travel the country looking
for valuable and unique
collections of antiques.
The show is looking
for leads on collections
that could potentially be
See BTW, Page A14
Heidi Zumwalt, 3, screams as she sleds
down the hill behind Hermiston Public
Libary Monday afternoon. (Don’t worry,
she was having fun)
By JADE MCDOWELL
AND JAYATI RAMAKRISHNAN
STAFF WRITERS
A
February snow storm can
be good news or bad news,
depending on who you are.
Drivers weren’t loving the
snow when it started falling, but sled-
ding enthusiasts and children who got to
stay home from school on Tuesday didn’t
mind it.
As snow fi lled the air Monday after-
noon, some Hermiston families wasted
no time grabbing their sleds after school.
Mara Kelly said her kids Dominic
Kelly, 7, Adrick Kelly, 7 and Tiago Kelly,
10 were eager to go sledding after school.
The family didn’t wait until the snow
stopped falling to head to the hill behind
Hermiston Public Library.
“We like being out in the snow when
it’s snowing,” she said.
Olivia Bands and Nick Meeks bundled
up Zaylynn Bands-Meeks, 6, in a light
blue coat and snow pants and brought her
over to the same hill to fi t in some sled-
ding Monday afternoon as well before the
hill got too trampled.
“We have to get it while it’s fresh,”
Bands said. “She loves anything water
related, including snow.”
Amelia Zumwalt, 5, and Heidi Zum-
walt, 3, zoomed down the hill on sleds
over and over again as the falling snow
quickly covered up their tracks. It didn’t
take long for more families to arrive at the
hill, which is one of mostly-fl at Hermis-
ton’s few good sledding spots.
According to the National Weather
Service, Hermiston accumulated fi ve to
six inches of snow, and Pendleton had
accumulated three to four inches.
Tuesday left plenty of time for chil-
dren to play in the snow after Hermis-
ton, Umatilla, Stanfi eld, Echo and Mor-
row County school districts all canceled
school. For Hermiston students, it was
a temporary reprieve — they now have
to make up the day on Friday, Feb. 15,
which they originally had off school.
On Tuesday the hill by the library was
covered with kids of all ages having fun,
with some attempting to stand up on their
sleds, or pile six people onto one inner
tube. Other sledders took to Butte Park.
While kids were celebrating the snow,
it was bad news for anyone trying to drive
in it, particularly on the interstate. Inter-
state 84 and 82 were littered with wrecks
throughout Monday and Tuesday, and
Interstate 84 was closed on the west-
bound side from Pendleton to La Grande,
then Baker City and fi nally Ontario on
Monday.
Josh Smith, a paramedic with Uma-
tilla County Fire District, said crews have
only responded to three weather-related
wrecks in their coverage area since the
snow started falling on Monday. He said
no one has been seriously injured in any
of them.
Hermiston Police Department Capt.
Travis Eynon reported offi cers responded
on Monday to seven vehicle crashes.
He posted a message on the depart-
ment’s Facebook page urging drivers to
go slower than usual and plan for longer
See SNOWDAY, Page A14
Latino Business Network provides connections, skill building
By JAYATI RAMAKRISHNAN
STAFF WRITER
8
08805 93294
2
Hispanic and Latino residents
make up about a quarter of Uma-
tilla County’s population, but busi-
ness ownership in the county doesn’t
refl ect that number. Some local orga-
nizations are working to make own-
ing and operating a business easier
by overcoming cultural and language
barriers.
The Latino Business Network is
one such organization. Run through
the Hermiston Chamber of Com-
merce, the group was started about
six years ago by chamber members
and Latino business owners.
The group brings in speakers each
month, including fi nancial advisors,
lawyers and medical providers. They
also aim to bridge the gap some
Latino business owners may feel
when operating businesses.
“Some business owners have
mentioned how they feel a little bit
of distance, or a barrier with the
city,” said Jonathan Lopez, a mem-
ber of the Latino Business Network.
He said for some businesses, there’s
a language barrier which can limit
them from asking questions about
laws or codes for their businesses.
“It can be tough if they have ques-
tions or concerns and don’t know
how to go about that because of a
language barrier,” he said.
Lopez said local business own-
ers have come to the Latino Business
Network with a variety of requests
— from questions about codes to
physical issues with their businesses.
“There was a gentleman not too
Staff photo by E.J. Harris
See BUSINESS, Page A14
Martin Villanueva, owner of El Rodeo Club restaurant, has been part of the
Latino Business Network for a couple of years.