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