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About Hermiston herald. (Hermiston, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (April 10, 2019)
UMATILLA COUNTY FAIR ANNOUNCES CONCERT LINEUP FOR 2019 | A3 WEDNESDAY, APRIL 10, 2019 INSIDE WATER RATES City of Hermiston staff are hearing complaints after a water and sewer rate increase to pay for new projects around the city. PAGE A3 EOTEC The Hermiston city council will take a closer look at a proposed strategic plan for the Eastern Oregon Trade and Event Center after an RV park project gets bogged down. PAGE A10 HermistonHerald.com $1.00 Chamber announces Kimberly Nevil as new director BY JAYATI RAMAKRISHNAN STAFF WRITER The new CEO for the Greater Hermiston Area Chamber of Commerce is no stranger to help- ing businesses thrive. Kimberly Nevil was announced as the organization’s new chief executive offi cer on Tuesday, and will step into the role April 22. Nevil, a Hermis- ton native, is currently a business and employment specialist with the Oregon Employment Depart- ment. In that role, she helps peo- ple looking for jobs in applying and preparing for work, and helps employers with hiring and human resource tasks. Nevil said she is excited to start the new job. “Hermiston is in an era of growth, and I look forward to working with the Chamber’s highly capable board and staff in helping businesses succeed,” Nevil said in a press release from the chamber. Nevil will manage a staff of three people, which coordinates membership for 428 businesses and organizations. She will over- see the activities of several cham- ber committees, as well as the development of a new chamber offi ce and workforce develop- ment center on South Highway 395 and East Evelyn Avenue. Chamber board chairman Paul Keeler said Nevil’s energy and skill set will be an asset to Herm- iston as the community continues to grow. “She’s the right person for the Chamber at the right time,” he said. “Kim is engaging, energetic and passionate about our commu- nity, and we’re thrilled.” Nevil, a Hermiston High School graduate, earned a bach- elor’s degree in business admin- istration from Eastern Oregon University. She is a member of Hermiston’s chapter of PEO International, and enjoys sports and outdoor activities. Nevil succeeds Debbie Pedro, who was the Chamber direc- tor for 18 years. Pedro resigned in December to take a job with the Columbia Development Authority. Contributed photo Kimberly Nevil will begin her new role as Hermiston Chamber of Commerce executive director on April 22. GOAL!!! Hermiston boys soccer team wins its fi rst game in the Mid-Columbia Conference. PAGE A11 BY THE WAY Water Park Wyden schedules town hall for Sunday Sen. Ron Wyden will be in Boardman on Sun- day for a town hall. The town hall will be at noon at the Port of Mor- row offi ces, 2 Marine Drive in Boardman. The town halls are open to all and will have time for public comments and questions. Wyden has promised to hold at least one town hall in each Oregon county per year, and according to a news release from his offi ce has held 933 town halls since making that promise. • • • There’s still time to get ready for taco Tues- day, taco Wednesday and taco Thursday by purchas- ing a Tastiest Taco stamp booklet. The United Way of Umatilla & Morrow Counties is hosting the Tastiest Taco fundraiser April 12 through May 5. The booklets are $10 and provide one featured taco at 10 participating vendors, including six locations in Hermiston and See BTW, Page A2 Staff photo by E.J. Harris Flood waters from the Umatilla River inundate Riverfront Park on Tuesday in Hermiston. Heavy rain and snow runoff has caused fl ooding throughout the region. See A15 for more fl ooding photos. Flooding hits Umatilla County The Umatilla River was overfl owing its banks at multiple locations around the county on Tuesday. The river covered the parking lot, play- ground and large portions of the walk- ing trails at Riverfront Park in Hermiston, causing the city to close most of the park for the day. The river water fl owed into a channel along the Oxbow Trail, creating a temporary creek through the sagebrush and trees near the trail The city’s parks and recreation depart- ment said in an email that Riverfront Park fl oods about once every four years, but the park and the Oxbow Trail are both built to handle such fl ooding. Other portions of the county also expe- rienced fl ooding Tuesday, as predicted by the National Weather Service. Fore- casts call for more showers Thursday in Hermiston. Weather icon design by vecteezy.com Students hope for less silence on suicide By JAYATI RAMAKRISHNAN AND JADE MCDOWELL STAFF WRITERS 8 08805 93294 2 For many, mental health and suicide are taboo topics that can be uncomfortable, or even scary to talk about. But according to a group of students at Hermiston High School, the fear of open discus- sion is part of the problem. In their English class, juniors Karyssa Fisher and Ericka Wells were asked to write opinion pieces for a class assignment. Both ended up writ- ing columns about suicide and mental health — issues that have affected their student body every year since they’ve been in high school, as students have died by or attempted suicide. But while their class has been impacted by the issue, the students said they feel it has not been properly addressed in school. The girls wrote about different angles of the issue (you can read their columns on A8), but both said that they wish students were more encouraged to seek help, and discuss their feel- ings openly. Along with a few other classmates, they discussed some resources they’d like to see for students. “I feel like we could learn from this — there are better ways to treat people who are depressed,” Wells said. Through dealing with the tragedies that have fallen upon their class, Wells said she hopes they will better learn how to support each other. “I feel like having an incident like this brings the student body closer together, and makes us more aware of what students may be going through,” she said. That can include acknowledging a range of issues and needs that students may have. The stu- dents said while their school does offer some ser- vices, they would like to see them better publi- cized, and geared more toward everyday mental health, rather than a reaction to certain incidents. “I think we should announce more where See STUDENTS, Page A14