LOCAL
A6 • HERMISTONHERALD.COM
New city manager takes
the reins in Stanfi eld
Burgener was born and
raised in Utah, but said he
was drawn to the Stanfi eld
Stanfi eld has a city man- job because he had previ-
ager once again.
ously spent some time liv-
Ben Burgener started the ing in Corvallis and was
job about three weeks ago, interested in returning to
and said he was excited to Oregon. His wife and three
be chosen to help
daughters moved to
the city in its next
Stanfi eld with him.
chapter.
He was busy Fri-
“This is the per-
day livestreaming
fect spot, with a lot
the grand opening of
opportunity,”
he
Mama Bear’s Quilt
said. “Stanfi eld is
Shop on the city’s
primed for growth.”
Facebook page. Bur-
Burgener
has
Burgener
gener said he hopes
an
undergraduate
to be able to help
degree in recreational man- Stanfi eld attract new eco-
agement and a master’s in nomic development, partic-
public administration from ularly on the land just south
Brigham Young University. of Interstate 84, which the
He most recently served as city recently brought into its
a city administrator in Ada, urban growth boundary.
Minnesota.
“It’s a great spot, and
By JADE MCDOWELL
STAFF WRITER
being able to develop that
will be fun,” he said.
He said an Oregon
Department of Transporta-
tion project to revamp Main
Street should help revital-
ize downtown, and he also
hopes to see more housing
projects come into Stanfi eld.
He plans to use his expertise
in recreational management
to develop new parks and
recreation offerings in town.
Burgener replaced for-
mer city manager Blair
Larsen, who resigned in
May to take a job in Sweet
Home. He said he hopes
people will feel welcome to
give their input as he gets
settled into the new job.
“I have an open door pol-
icy,” he said. “I’d love to
talk to people about their
ideas.”
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 16, 2019
Saturday crash kills one,
sends two to hospital
HERMISTON HERALD
A two-vehicle crash on
Saturday afternoon left a
Washington man dead,
according to Oregon State
Police.
Lynn Dale Hiatt, 73, of
Pasco, Washington, was
pronounced dead at the
scene after the crash at the
Interstate 84 and US 395
interchange in Umatilla
County.
A preliminary inves-
tigation revealed that the
pickup driven by Hiatt had
been traveling westbound
on I-84 about 2:15 p.m.
Courts
Continued from Page A5
Schools warn students to think
twice about honors invitations
By JESSICA POLLARD
STAFF WRITER
The invitations come on
high-quality paper, sealed in
gold. But that doesn’t con-
vince biology teacher Shelle
Bixler that National Society
of High School Scholars is
the real deal.
Bixler, who also advises
the National Honor Society
at Pendleton High School,
is one of a few area educa-
tors who are warning stu-
dents to be wary of presti-
gious-seeming organizations
that look to recruit students
for a fee, like NSHSS.
“Our high school does
not recognize NSHSS or
allow students to wear cords
from them at graduation,”
she said.
The National Society
of High School Scholars is
listed as a nonprofi t orga-
nization. They have a web-
site and tout the motto “Be
Honored. Be More.” They
recruit by sending mail and
emails to students, asking
them to accept invitations
to the society for a one-time
payment of $75.
The organization adver-
tises that in return, students
will gain access to schol-
arship opportunities and
exclusive events at differ-
ent college campuses. High
schoolers have the opportu-
nity to become ambassadors
for the organization as well.
“It’s always a mystery to
us how they get their mail-
ing list,” said Liz Marvin,
Project College Bound coor-
dinator at Hermiston High
school. “Over the years,
many students have brought
in their letter and asked what
it is.”
Marvin and Bixler both
seem troubled by the orga-
nization’s recruiting tech-
niques, standards for qual-
ifi cation and the fact that it
requires payment to join.
Marvin said that the
National Honor Society
is more credible and has
tighter requirements. Both
schools have NHS advisors,
HH fi le photo
The 2019 Bulldogs tassel
hangs from graduate René
Ceniceros’ mortar board at
the Hermiston High School
commencement ceremony in
Kennewick in June.
so the application process is
done in conjunction with the
schools.
Nationally, the NHS has
a GPA requirement of 3.5,
although different schools
are allowed to increase that
requirement. Schools look
at the pool of students who
meet the GPA requirement,
and offer candidacy based
on demonstration of lead-
ership and service at the
school.
Selected candidates may
then apply to be part of
NHS, but not all are granted
membership. Last year, the
Hermiston High School
NHS chapter inducted 27
new members.
According to Karen
Kane, director of communi-
cations and scholarships at
NSHSS, the society offers
membership to students if
they meet one of the orga-
nization’s seven criteria,
such as a 3.5 GPA, an SAT
score of 1250 or higher, or a
score of four or higher on an
Advanced Placement exam.
Kane said the organi-
zation offers fee waivers
to interested students who
can’t afford the payment,
so they can gain access to
the events and scholarship
information NSHSS offers.
She said she feels the orga-
nization is misunderstood.
“There’s a network here
to support students. The
membership fee helps us
stay in business so that we
can be a functioning entity,”
she said. “Every day, I read
scholarship
applications
and get to communicate.
The impact we’re having on
these kids is profound.”
She said that NSHSS
encourages students to be a
part of other honor societies
as well, and that the orga-
nization is much different
from the NHS.
Bixler compared the
NSHSS to the Who’s Who
of American High School
Students, an annual pub-
lication that at one time
published the names and
achievements of high school
students, which people
could purchase. The com-
pany behind the product,
Education Communications
Incorporated, shut down in
2007, according to the Aus-
tin Business Journal.
“Some of my students
say they receive emails from
NSHSS almost monthly,”
Bixler said. “From what I
understand, colleges and
universities do not seem to
put much value in member-
ship because (the) standards
of eligibility are low and
because students must pay
for the honor.”
Marvin said parents and
students should keep in
mind what college prepara-
tion opportunities and hon-
ors exist already at their
school at no cost. She said
over the years, she’s seen
various honor societies and
groups that recruit students
for a fee.
“To be a good candidate
for their next steps, students
should get involved in their
high school and their com-
munity,” she said. “And
really be involved. Don’t
just get involved because
you want the name. Go to
the meetings, participate, do
volunteer work.”
Motorsports: seeks $8,800.
•Credits Inc. vs. Kevin M.
Chapman of Irrigon: seeks
$9,566.88.
•Credits Inc. vs. Courtnie Y.
Hurford of Umatilla: seeks
$705.18.
•Credits Inc. vs. Stephanie
R. Payne of Umatilla: seeks
$912.52.
•Credits Inc. vs. Sylvia Virgen
of Umatilla: seeks $1,723.16.
•Ray Klein Inc. dba Profession-
al Credit Service vs. Katherine
House of Stanfi eld: seeks
$1,222.31.
•Credits Inc. vs. Luis Alberto
Navarro of Boardman: seeks
$1,138.57.
•Credits Inc. vs. Stormy Mc-
Cartney and Patrick Barnes of
Irrigon: seeks $7,728.33.
•Credits Inc. vs. Nicolas Qui-
roga and Briseida Vargas of
Boardman: seeks $1,363.52.
•Credits Inc. vs. Janette Rivera
of Hermiston: seeks $619.60.
•Velocity Investments LLC
vs. Jackqueline K. Abbott
and Richard A. Brooks: seeks
$1,685.33.
•Quick Collect Inc. vs. Juanita
and Daniel Sinnett of Board-
man: seeks $1,355.19.
•Credit Acceptance Corp. vs.
Briann Lancaster and Zyna
Richardson: seeks $11,359.23.
and had taken Exit 188
and failed to negotiate the
turn onto US 395 north-
bound. He went across the
southbound lanes of 395,
hitting the left-hand side
of a semi-trailer.
That driver — Andrei
Ceban, 30, of Vancou-
ver Washington — was
attempting to get on I-84
heading westbound, OSP
said.
Hiatt’s passengers —
Remedios Hiatt, 76, and
Lucia Casey, 54, both of
Pasco, Washington —
were both transported
to Good Shepherd Med-
ical Center by ground
ambulance.
Ceban was not injured
in the crash.
The I-84 westbound
off-ramp,
westbound
on-ramp and US 395 mile-
post 12 was closed for
approximately two hours
during the investigation.
The crash remains
under investigation. OSP
was assisted by the Uma-
tilla County Sheriff’s
Offi ce, Stanfi eld Police
Department,
Oregon
Department of Transporta-
tion and Umatilla Fire Dis-
trict 1.
•Midland Funding LLC vs. Wil-
liam Laff en of Umatilla: seeks
$1,580.82.
•Crown Asset Management
LLC vs. Edith Trujillo of Stan-
fi eld: seeks $2,086.14.
•United Finance Co. vs. Omar
Luna Guijarro of Boardman:
seeks $2,081.92.
•Credits Inc. vs. Shawn C.
Fitzgerald of Umatilla: seeks
$1,226.55.
•Credits Inc. vs. Belinda S.
Jackson of Stanfi eld: seeks
$1,985.41.
•Credits Inc. vs. Travas R. and
Christy Kammerzell of Herm-
iston: seeks $646.61.
•Credits Inc. vs. Chelsea and
Dustin Rogers of Hermiston:
seeks $949.88.
•Credits Inc. vs. Inez Tenorio of
Hermiston: seeks $3,693.49.
•Credits Inc. vs. Heather D.
Tuning of Hermiston: seeks
$8,374.14.
•Credits Inc. vs. Brandon L.
and Alana Wilson of Umatilla:
seeks $2,205.20.
Judgments
PENDLETON — The follow-
ing judgments have been
rendered in Umatilla Coun-
ty courts (interest, court
costs and fees not listed):
•LVNV Funding LLC vs. Karen
Mendoza of Hermiston: judg-
ment for $1,983.28.
•Portfolio Recovery Associ-
ates LLC vs. Morgan Barner:
judgment for $3,183.11.
•LVNV Funding LLC vs. Cindy
McCallister: judgment for
$2,237.13.
•Synchrony Bank vs. Karol
Westfall of Hermiston: judg-
ment for $748.27.
•Velocity Investments LLC vs.
Dominick Bush of Hermiston:
judgment for $8,865.71.
•Portfolio Recovery Associates
LLC vs. Tim Nolan of Hermis-
ton: judgment for $1,083.90.
•Credits Inc. vs. Richard K. and
Annette Stanley of Umatilla:
judgment for $688.44.
•Credits inc. vs. Todd M. and
Barbara Abercrombie of Irri-
gon: judgment for $466.66.
•Credits Inc. vs. Dylan Tadlock
of Hermiston: judgment for
$3,482.49.
•Credits Inc. vs. Angela M.
Wilson of Umatilla: judgment
for $5,782.82.
•Credits Inc. vs. Maria G. Na-
varro of Hermiston: judgment
for $562.48.
•CSO Financial Inc. vs. Paige
Rushelle Lyons of Hermiston:
judgment for $1,095.37.
Divorces
PENDLETON — Divorce de-
crees were signed in Umatil-
la County Courts for:
Meagen E. Lemmon of
Stanfi eld and Benjamin M.
Lemmon of Spokane; David
Fulton Burton of Johnson
City, Tenn., and Faith Miranda
Burton of Hermiston; Efren
Jaime Lopez and Marie Ville-
gas DeLopez of Stanfi eld.
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