FROM PAGE ONE
A10 • HERMISTONHERALD.COM
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2019
Staff photo by Ben Lonergan
Staff photo by Ben Lonergan
Michelle Morrison straightens folded ballots after removing them from their envelopes at the
Umatilla County Elections Division in Pendleton Tuesday afternoon.
By The Way
Continued from Page A1
comedy with zombie bat-
tles, musical numbers and
backup dancers as Herm-
iston High School pres-
ents “The Hamlet Thrill-
Ma-Geddon.” Written by
playwright Don Zolidis, the
production will be staged
Nov. 15-16 & 22-23 in the
HHS auditorium. See next
week’s Hermiston Herald
for a story and photos.
• • •
The Hermiston School
District announced Friday
that the fi fth home built by
the Columbia Basin Stu-
dent Homebuilders was
sold for $404,000.
The home, with 2,376
square feet, is in the Field-
stone Crossing subdivision.
It was sold to Hermiston
resident Denny Whitsett,
according to a press release
from the school district.
Students from Stanfi eld,
Umatilla and Hermiston
participate in every aspect
of homebuilding for the stu-
dent-built homes, including
design.
City
Continued from Page A1
Library Board or Parks and
Recreation Committee, meet
once a month to discuss rec-
ommendations for the city
council on their allotted sub-
ject. Others, like the Bud-
get Committee, meet once
a year for a specifi c pur-
pose. And some committees,
such as the Rebuild Fun-
land Committee, exist only
temporarily to see a specifi c
project through.
Often committees do the
legwork for the city council
in researching and develop-
ing projects, before asking
for the council’s approval
on the plan. One of the city’s
most infl uential committees
is the Planning Commission,
which rules on zoning, con-
ditional use permits, plats
and other land use decisions
that can make or break a
building project.
Volunteering to sit on a
committee can be a good
way to step up participa-
tion in local government
— somewhere in between
Proceeds from each
home sale go to the next
homebuilding project. Con-
struction for the sixth house
in the Fieldstone Cross-
ing subdivision is currently
underway, and expected to
be complete in Spring 2020.
• • •
The National Weather
Service extended its air
stagnation advisory for the
region through Wednesday
at 4 p.m.
The federal agency’s
offi ce in Pendleton released
the advisory during the
weekend, covering much
of Umatilla and Morrow
counties as well as nearby
areas in Washington and
through the Columbia River
Gorge. Marc Austin, mete-
orologist with the National
Weather Service in Pendle-
ton, said the extension came
after checking with state
and regional partners.
“It’s just looking like this
weather pattern is going to
hold into the weekend,” he
said.
The poor air quality
may cause issues for peo-
ple with respiratory prob-
lems. The air stagnation
advisory indicates pollution
“votes once a year” and
“running for mayor.” Often
candidates for city council
started out on a city commit-
tee, and those who win a seat
on the council can continue
to sit in on that committee as
a council liaison.
“I think if people vol-
unteered more, they would
have more knowledge of
city happenings,” Alar-
con-Strong said.
Mayor David Drotzmann
said committees help bring
a diverse perspective to the
city council and increase
transparency, creating the
opportunity for input from
50 to 60 people instead of
just eight city councilors and
the mayor.
“We vet a lot of concepts
and ideas through these
committees,” he said.
He said joining a com-
mittee is a great way to have
an infl uence on city gov-
ernment without taking the
“heat” that the city coun-
cil does on high-profi le
decisions.
City committee openings
are kept up to date on the
city’s website at hermiston.
levels will increase during
this period due to lack of air
movement.
Air quality agencies rec-
ommend not to burn out-
doors during the stagna-
tion and limit residential
wood-burning as much as
possible. People should
check with their local burn
agencies for restrictions in
their specifi c areas.
Austin said the Pendleton
offi ce will continue to moni-
tor the conditions and adjust
the advisory as needed.
• • •
Thursday’s menu for the
Harkenrider Senior Activ-
ity Center is meat loaf, au
gratin potatoes, green beans
and dessert. Friday is clam
chowder, coleslaw, gar-
lic bread and dessert. Mon-
day is meat loaf sandwich,
salad and dessert. Tuesday
is baked chicken, mashed
potatoes and gravy, veg-
etables and dessert. Next
Wednesday is pigs in a
blanket, baked beans and
dessert.
— You can submit items
for our weekly By The Way
column by emailing your
tips to editor@hermiston-
herald.com.
or.us/volunteer, and applica-
tion forms can be printed off
of there or picked up from
city hall. The city performs a
background check on appli-
cants. If more than one per-
son applies for the same seat
on a committee, the Com-
mittee to Review Committee
Vacancy Applications will
interview candidates before
making a recommendation
to the city council.
Hermiston isn’t the only
city that is continuously
working to fi ll seats on com-
mittees. Pendleton also has
a wide range of commit-
tees, listed on the city’s web-
site. Some, like the Planning
Commission, are universal
to cities in Oregon. Others
such as the Arts Committee,
Historic Landmarks Com-
mittee and Air Quality Com-
mission are different than
Hermiston’s chosen com-
mittee topics.
Information about each
committee and forms to
apply for committee vacan-
cies can be found online at
pendleton.or.us/commit-
tees-boards-commissions or
picked up at city hall.
Samantha Cobarrubias, 17, prepares chicken for a teriyaki dish during an evening event
highlighting Hermiston High School’s Career and Technical Education program Monday
night at the high school.
CTE
Continued from Page A1
According to Roger
Berger, CTE coordinator at
the high school, these mis-
haps are part of a much big-
ger picture.
“The focus of CTE is
on careers which would
be high-wage and high
demand,” he said. “It’s
kind of a proud tradition
that we have these techni-
cal programs.”
Berger said that CTE
programs have been with
the district since before
he started teaching there
around 19 years ago. But
if someone were to survey
the room Monday night,
they’d notice some tech-
nologies that were still in
their infancy or not yet on
the market back then.
That includes a weld-
ing simulator that allows
students to practice metal-
working virtually and a 3D
printer that kids can pro-
gram to print custom prod-
ucts. The district is also
considering purchasing a
construction simulator, but
Berger said they’d like to
consult more local profes-
sionals in the construction
industry before investing
in that.
“Some people might
ask if we really need
some of this stuff,” Berger
said.”There is a real need.”
He said that CTE pro-
grams prepare the students
not just for higher learning,
but also for careers right
after high school if they so
choose.
The goals is to get stu-
dents to feel perfectly com-
fortable around new tech-
nology or complicated
tasks, so that when they’re
settling into their fi rst jobs,
they’re not surprised.
“The main thing is
that kids are confi dent,”
he said. “Some of these
kids, they’ve built a house.
They’re not afraid.”
Berger was referring
to the Columbia Basin
Student
Homebuild-
ers group, which builds
houses in Hermiston
using a CTE grant. The
group is currently work-
ing on their sixth stu-
dent-built home.
There are also the stu-
dents in the Advanced Busi-
ness Procedures class, who
work to run the school’s
coffee shop, Java Dawg.
Nazly Chavez, 17, is
a human resources man-
ager at the shop. She
took courses in business,
accounting and hospitality
before taking on the role for
class credit.
“I have to make sure all
the workers are trained,”
she said. “Every day I fi nd
something new I need to
work on.”
The printing facility,
dubbed “Dawg Tags,” is
also run by business stu-
dents. Both facilities were
funded with a state grant
over a decade ago.
Senior Jazlyn Romero,
17, said she just started
working at Dawg Tags at
the beginning of this school
year. Monday night, she
was helping people print
letters onto lanyards as part
of a demonstration.
“We learn a lot pretty
fast,” she said.
Romero spent hours out-
side of class printing t-shirts
for the school’s ASB lead-
ership. She said that the
more work you put into
the program, the higher the
chances you’ll be awarded
a scholarship.
Other programs featured
Monday night included a
community mural from the
visual arts department, a
walk-through of caring for
infant-simulators from stu-
dents in the teaching pro-
gram and concessions from
Boomer Bites, which is run
by the Generation College
Club.
They use the conces-
sion funds to fuel college
visits and pay for college
applications.
Last year, 150 students
graduated after complet-
ing one or more of Hermis-
ton High School’s 10 CTE
programs. The district is
currently working to add a
health science program to
the list.
“We have great students
with great big dreams and
this is a way to get started
without being intimidated,”
Berger said.
The High School will
continue its CTE show-
case on Wednesday from
4:30-8:30 p.m.
“We want people to
know what’s going on, and
for everyone to feel good
about what we’re doing
here,” Berger said.
Hearing loss can sometimes make the
holidays feel isolating or stressful.
Make the most of your time with family
and friends this holiday season.
Contact us and let us help you hear what
you are missing.
Renata Anderson, MA
Pam Wagenaar,
Administrative Assistant
2237 SW Court, Pendleton • 541-276-5053
www.renataanderson.com