BULLDOGS STRIKE BACK DURING DOUBLEHEADER |
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 3, 2019
HermistonHerald.com
A8
$1.00
INSIDE
GOOD NEWS
Middle school students
surprised an Armand Lar-
ive staff member battling
cancer with the proceeds
from their penny drive.
PAGE A3
ENTERTAINMENT
The Blue Mountain Old
Time Fiddlers will highlight
the Harkenrider Senior
Activity Center’s spaghetti
feed.
PAGE A4
NEW CLINIC
Good Shepherd Health
Care System opened the
Good Shepherd Family
Health Center on Tuesday.
PAGE A5
BY THE WAY
School district
offers online
registration
Hermiston
School
District will offer online
kindergarten registration
this year.
Online registration is
available from April 8
through April 22, for the
2019-2020 school year.
Students must be fi ve
years old by Sept. 1 2019
to register. If parents do
not have a computer at
home, they can go to the
district offi ce on Thursday,
April 18, from 7:30 a.m.
to 7:30 p.m. to register.
Parents must bring chil-
dren’s birth records, proof
of residence, and immu-
nization records. Spanish
translation services will be
available. For more infor-
mation, visit https://www.
hermiston.k12.or.us/apps/
pages/enrollment.
• • •
Next week the Herm-
iston Herald will be tack-
ling the topic of suicide
prevention as part of a
statewide effort to break
the silence that often sur-
rounds the issue. If you
would like to share about
resources that have helped
you or a loved one, please
email us at editor@herm-
istonherald.com.
• • •
Incoming high school-
See BTW, Page A2
Staff photo by Jade McDowell
Larry Fetter, Hermiston
parks and recreation
director, directs a driver
with a load of plastic
pallets during last year’s
free recycling event in
Hermiston. This year’s
event takes place April
2013.
SPRING
CLEANING
By JADE MCDOWELL
NEWS EDITOR
Whether your inspiration is Marie Kondo or
the warm weather, now is the perfect time for
Hermiston residents to do a little spring cleaning.
City and area businesses are providing oppor-
tunities to get rid of everything from paint to
yard waste this month.
At Sanitary Disposal, Spring Cleaning Week
is in effect through Sunday. Area residents can
drop off loads up to 2.5 cubic yards for free, and
cash customers can get $14 off larger loads at the
transfer station at 81444 N Highway 395. Hours
are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Friday and 9 a.m.
to 5 p.m. Saturday-Sunday.
Tires are billed at the regular rate, but Uma-
tilla County residents can get rid of old tires for
free the next week on April 13. That day, the
city of Hermiston will be hosting its annual free
recycling event in the Umatilla Electric Cooper-
ative parking lot, 750 W Elm Ave., from 9 a.m.
to 3 p.m.
“We always get tons,” Parks and Recreation
Director Larry Fetter said. “Last year we got
nine tons of tires.”
Fetter said the list of what residents can drop
off for free to be recycled is similar to last year.
It includes cardboard, paper, plastics, undam-
aged car batteries, unbroken pallets, electronics,
appliances (including those with freon), scrap
metal, compost, upholstered furniture, concrete
without rebar, latex and oil-based paints and
stains, clean wood and tires.
They will not be accepting pesticides and
other hazardous materials, paper that needs
shredding or motor oil. Even though the city will
not be collecting motor oil, Fetter said they will
provide people with a list of which area busi-
nesses do collect it. He said the city is not plan-
ning to provide shredding at the event, but Old
West Credit Union is planning a shredding event
for June.
The free recycling event on April 13 is for
Umatilla County residents only and cars with
Washington plates will be turned away.
For anyone who has an old vehicle (includ-
ing cars, board, motorcycles or RVs), they can
donate it to the Good Shepherd Community
Health Foundation. The foundation will arrange
for free pick-up, and the donation can be used as
a tax write-off. To donate, call 541-667-3419 or
visit www.gshealth.org/foundation.
Local thrift shops such as those operated by
Goodwill, Desert Rose Ministries and Pet Res-
cue accept donations of used clothing and other
household items year-round.
As for clean-up efforts around the city, the
annual “I Love My City” cleanup event will
take place May 18 this year from 9 a.m. to noon.
Volunteers will meet at McKenzie Park and be
assigned areas of the city where they can sweep,
pull weeds, pick up trash and otherwise spruce
up the area.
See SPRING, Page A12
Union Pacifi c layoff s at Hinkle yard in Hermiston draw safety concerns
By JADE MCDOWELL
NEWS EDITOR
8
08805 93294
2
Union Pacifi c is asking Hermis-
ton employees to do more with less
after recent layoffs, and some have
expressed concern about safety.
The railroad company declined
to release specifi c numbers relat-
ing to its workforce reduction at the
Hinkle rail yard near Hermiston.
But two current employees who
spoke to the East Oregonian off the
record, due to concerns about how
speaking to the media might affect
their employment, estimate about
80 employees have been let go
since October.
Spokesperson Tim McMahan
said in an email that when Union
Pacifi c announced a workforce
reduction in October, the company
“indicated it was the fi rst of what
likely will be additional workforce
reduction initiatives through 2020.”
When asked last week if Union
Pacifi c planned to run fewer trains
through Hinkle or make other
reductions in workload to compen-
sate for having fewer employees on
shift, McMahan said no.
Current and former employ-
ees shared concerns that expect-
ing fewer workers to get through
the same number of inspections
and maintenance tasks is affecting
the safety of workers and of Union
Pacifi c’s entire operation. One said
fi ve employees per shift are now
trying to inspect the number of
trains nine used to handle.
See LAYOFFS, Page A12
HH fi le photo
Rail cars roll down the hump and into the yard at the Union Pacifi c Railroad
Hinkle Locomotive Service and Repair Facility and Freight Classifi cation Yard
near Stanfi eld on May 1, 2012.