NEWS
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2019
HERMISTONHERALD.COM • A9
IN BRIEF
Sarah Bushore, an employee of the United States Census Bureau, explains on Oct. 15 the list of
questions to be asked and how to properly count people living at more than one address, such as
children with split custody or exchange students.
The Umatilla County
2020 Census Complete
Count Committee aims to
count every person it can for
the 2020 census. And most
of that effort will go toward
counting members of “hard-
to-count” groups.
The Complete Count
Committee kicked off with
a brainstorming session last
week at the Pendleton Con-
vention Center involving
around 40 civic leaders, pub-
lic offi cials, employees and
others. Bob Waldher, Uma-
tilla County planning direc-
tor, said about 70% of peo-
ple comply and report census
data. But reaching 100% is
the goal, and that takes fi nd-
ing strategies to reach the
“hard-to-count”
groups,
including seniors, children
younger than 5, migrant
workers and even renters.
Sarah Bushore with the
Census Bureau told the crowd
A veteran’s town hall meeting and
open house will provide an opportunity
to visit with offi cials from the Walla
Walla Veterans Administration.
Veterans and community members
can learn more about future healthcare
options and the new Mission Act. The
free event is Friday from 10:30 a.m.
to 1:15 p.m. at the Port of Morrow,
2 Marine Drive, Boardman. Lunch
and cake will be provided by Morrow
County Veteran Services.
For more information, contact Linda
Wondra, Walla Walla VA public affairs
offi cer, at 509-386-1117, linda.won-
dra@va.gov or visit www.wallawalla.
va.gov.
Due to a forecast of inclement
weather this past weekend, Blue Moun-
tain Wildlife postponed its open house.
The free event is this Saturday from
1-4 p.m. at 71046 Appaloosa Lane,
Pendleton. The open house will feature
tours, live music, a falconry demon-
stration, raffl e prizes, refreshments and
more.
For more information, contact rap-
tor@wtechlink.us, 541-278-0215 or
visit www.bluemountainwildlife.org.
The Blue Mountain Community
College Veterans Resource Center wel-
comes Vincent Vargas.
The
Hollywood
actor-writer will speak
Friday at 1 p.m. in
ST-200 in the Science
&
Technology
Building on the BMCC
Pendleton campus. The
Vargas
event is free and open
to the public. In addi-
tion, a free lunch will precede the pre-
sentation at noon.
Known for his role in FX’s “The
Mayans,” writing and acting in the
short fi lm, “The Long Way Back” and
the TV series, “Dads in Parks,” Vargas
will share about his transition back from
military active duty to civilian life.
Vargas is a 15-year veteran of
three combat deployments to Iraq and
Afghanistan with the 75th Ranger Reg-
iment’s 2nd Battalion based at Joint
Base Lewis-McCord, Washington. He
has vaulted to fame as an actor, writer,
producer, blogger, podcaster, poet, busi-
ness entrepreneur and social media per-
sonality by publicly sharing his Army
work and personal experiences with
brutal honesty. His presentation will
focus on his transition back from active
duty to civilian life, and the challenges
that came with that.
For more information, contact Casey
White-Zollman, vice president of col-
lege relations & advancement, at 541-
278-5839 or cwhitezollman@bluecc.
edu. For more about Vargas, visit www.
vinnyroc.com.
Umatilla County reaching for
‘hard to count’ during census
the Constitution requires a
count of all people residing
in the country, not just of all
citizens. Establishing resi-
dency is a crucial component
of the count, she said, and
the rules of residency cover
fi ve pages. But she said the
bureau relies on two rules for
most situations.
The fi rst: Where do you
stay most of the time? And
when that does not work,
where did you sleep April 1?
Working in small groups,
the participants came up
with ideas ranging from get-
ting churches to encourage
parishioners to take part in
the census to staffi ng tables
with English and Spanish
speakers at local Walmarts to
get the word out.
“We probably had like
a hundred different ideas,”
Waldher said last Wednesday.
Next month, the commit-
tee will meet to determine
which of those are the most
viable, which could mean
which are the most afford-
Blue Mountain Wildlife changes
open house
Actor and writer Vincent Vargas
to speak at Friday BMCC
Staff photo by Ben Lonergan
By PHIL WRIGHT
STAFF WRITER
Veterans town hall provides
healthcare information
able. He said the commit-
tee has a budget of about
$10,000.
County
Commissioner
George
Murdock
also
attended the recent session.
He said during a recent trip
to Washington, D.C., with
the National Association of
Counties he learned the cen-
sus helps the federal govern-
ment distribute more than
$1.5 trillion.
“That’s $4,000 per per-
son,” he said, and thus a major
reason to get as accurate a
count as possible. In addition
to the the federal funds, Ore-
gon also stands to gain a sixth
representative in Congress.
Murdock also told par-
ticipants Umatilla County is
not just leading Oregon in
preparing for the census, it’s
leading the nation. Out of
500 county commissioners at
the meeting in D.C., he said,
Umatilla County was among
the 10 which could say its
county has a complete count
committee.
Heppner Outreach rolls out Fall
Festival
Carnival games, craft projects, trac-
tor rides, a vendor market, food and a
beer garden are all featured during a Fall
Festival in Heppner.
The Heppner Outreach Committee
invites people to come out for the fam-
ily-friendly celebration. The event is
Saturday from 3-9 p.m. at the Morrow
County Fairgrounds, 74473 Highway
74, Heppner. Admission is $2 per per-
son. Also, don’t forget to get a bite of
apples donated by First Fruits and Dean
Rill.
The evening includes live music
from 6-9 p.m., which will be provided
by Dallin Puzey and Cory Peterson.
Bucknum’s will be offering up cider and
beer, including Ordnance Oktoberfest,
Ordnance Fresh Hop IPA, Ordnance
White Crow, as well as Coors Light,
Two Towns Pacifi c Pineapple Cider and
more.
Also, a haunted house will be avail-
able from 5-8 p.m., with the fi rst hour
featuring a kid-friendly version with
lights on and a no-scare walk-through.
For more information, call the Hep-
pner Chamber of Commerce at 541-
676-5536 or search www.facebook.
com/heppneroutreach.
IMAC serves Saturday breakfast
A hearty home-cooked meal is avail-
able during the Irrigon Multicultural
Arts Center fundraising breakfast.
The event is Saturday from 7:30-
10:30 a.m. at Stokes Landing Senior
Center, 150 Columbia Lane, Irrigon.
The cost is $4.50 per person.
The group is dedicated to preserv-
ing Irrigon’s 1921 school building and
developing a regional art venue. For
more information, call Peggy Price at
541-561-1737.
Introducing James Whittum, MD
Orthopedic Surgeon
Good Shepherd Medical Group’s Advanced Orthopedic &
Sports Medicine Institute is excited to announce the addition
of new Orthopedic Surgeon, James Whittum, MD. Dr. Whittum
is devoted to the diagnosis and treatment of disorders of the
bones, joints, ligaments, tendons and muscles, and brings over
25 years of experience to our community.
“
I’m excited to join Dr. Jeremy Anderson in an established clinic
and be an integral part of the growth of this community.
”
Welcoming
New Patients
Advanced Orthopedic and
Sports Medicine Institute
541.289.7075
620 NW 11th Street, Suite 201
Hermiston, OR 97838