NEWS/OPINION
B10 • HERMISTONHERALD.COM
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2019
Going out of business
W
hen a local business
dollars per year to the cause.
announces they are
Running a business is expen-
sive. People who have never done
closing their doors for
good, the announcement is often
it don’t understand the behind-
greeted with a fl ood of comments
the-scenes costs run far above the
from people sad that it is closing.
actual product they have in their
I’m sure the heartbroken busi-
hand. When you pay for food at a
ness owners wonder where all
restaurant, you’re not just paying
J ADE
those people were when they were
for the food, you’re paying for the
M C D OWELL
struggling to attract enough cus-
rental costs of the building, utility
EDITOR
tomers to stay open.
bills, servers, cooks, dish washers,
I know I’ve been guilty of it —
managers, bookkeeping, adver-
when Crazy Mike’s Video closed
tising, equipment to handle credit
a couple of years ago I complained along
card transactions and more.
with everyone else that Hermiston would
As a newspaper editor, I can sympa-
no longer have a video store. But when
thize with that. At least people expect to
I was honest with myself, I knew I only
pay something for the food at the restau-
used them for rentals once or twice per
rant — many people are outraged at the
year. It wasn’t fair for me to expect the
mere suggestion they should pay for our
business to stay open for my convenience
product at all.
when I was only contributing a handful of
Having never gained fi rsthand expe-
rience running a business themselves,
they believe that because they access the
news on a screen instead of on a physical
piece of paper in their hands, there is no
cost to produce it. The articles just mag-
ically appear, without anyone being paid
to research, interview, write, edit, photo-
graph, sell advertisements, post it to the
web and print it. Not to mention overhead
costs such as publishing software and cam-
era equipment.
Others understand the general idea of
running a business but don’t know any-
thing about the economics of the news-
paper industry, making suggestions such
as “just sell more ads” as if the idea had
never occurred to us before.
And so we join that great struggle
that every local business owner knows:
Crunching the numbers over and over
again to see where we might be able to
scrape up more revenue, rejoicing in the
“good months” that allow us to continue
serving the community and tightening our
belts through the bad.
Communities get what they pay for in
terms of shopping options. If you have a
favorite restaurant, shop or service pro-
vider who you would miss terribly if they
were gone, do them a favor and put your
money where your mouth is. Good rec-
ommendations can be valuable, but at the
end of the day words don’t pay the bills.
Money does. Your money.
Shop local and eat local this holiday
season. The three extra dollars that you
spent by doing so instead of buying online
or in the Tri-Cities just might help save
someone’s business.
Jade McDowell is the News Editor of
the Hermiston Herald.
Sen. Hansell fi les for re-election
HERMISTON HERALD
Oregon State Sen.
Bill Hansell, R-Athena,
announced Tuesday that he
will seek re-election to the
Oregon Senate for another
four-year term.
Hansell, a former Uma-
tilla County commissioner,
is reaching the conclusion
of his second term repre-
senting District 29.
“There is still work that
needs to be done and I am
ready to return to Salem
to continue where
elected as a senator
we’ve left off,” he
in 2012 and previ-
wrote in a state-
ously served as a
ment. “Represent-
Umatilla County
ing Senate District
commissioner for
29 in the Oregon
30 years.
Senate has been
A press release
Hansell
an honor and I am
states
Hansell’s
ready to serve for
accomplishments
another term.”
during his time in the Sen-
Senate District 29 ate, including funding for
includes Wallowa, Union, vital irrigation projects in
Umatilla, Morrow, Gil- the Umatilla Basin, fund-
liam and Sherman coun- ing for a pair of health cen-
ties and part of Wasco ters in Elgin and Enter-
County. Hansell was fi rst prise, funding to restore
the Wallowa Lake Dam,
funding for the FARM II
Project at Blue Mountain
Community College and
funding for a mental health
crisis wing at the Umatilla
County Jail that will serve
all of Northeast Oregon.
Hansell said when Rep.
Greg Walden of Oregon,
a senior Republican on an
infl uential House commit-
tee, announced he would
not seek re-election in
2020, he considered a run
for the vacant seat.
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Thanks from the Rotary Club
“After talking with
family and friends, I have
decided not to seek the
Republican nomination as
the next congressional rep-
resentative for our area.
It is humbling to have
received calls and e-mails
from people encouraging
me to run,” he said. “Greg
leaves big shoes to fi ll and
I am confi dent that the vot-
ers of the 2nd District will
elect a representative who
will continue where Greg
has left off.”
Bentz announces plan to run for Walden’s seat
EO MEDIA GROUP
Oregon state Sen.
Cliff Bentz, R-Ontario,
announced last week that
he’s running for the seat
in Congress being vacated
by retiring Republican
Rep. Greg Walden.
Walden, who was fi rst
elected to Congress in
1998, announced Oct. 28
that he would not run for
re-election in 2020.
Bentz said in
Representatives
a news release
as the Republi-
he was surprised
can state represen-
to learn that
tative from Dis-
Walden
would
trict 60, and almost
not be running for
two years in the
Bentz
re-election.
Oregon State Sen-
“Congressman
ate as the Republi-
Walden has done (and is can state senator for Dis-
still doing) a great job as trict 30. Bentz said that
Oregon’s only Republican experience was critical
congressman,” he said.
in preparing him to rep-
Bentz served 10 years resent the people in the
in the Oregon House of state’s 2nd Congressional
District, a sprawling dis-
trict mostly in central and
Eastern Oregon.
“The challenges in
Washington, D.C., are
great,” he said. “How-
ever, based upon my years
of working as a rancher,
farmer, attorney, and as
member of the Republican
Party successfully passing
legislation in a Legisla-
ture controlled by Demo-
crats, I feel confi dent that
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I can adequately repre-
sent the people of the 2nd
Congressional District of
Oregon.”
Knute Buehler, another
high-profi le Republican
in Oregon and former
state lawmaker, tweeted
earlier in the day he was
considering running for
Walden’s seat. Buehler
ran for governor in 2018
but was defeated by Gov.
Kate Brown, a Democrat.
To the editor:
We would like to thank all
of those who helped make the
Rotary Youth Exchange Golf
Tournament such a success. Even
though it was cold, we had quite
a few teams participate.
For over 75 years, students
and host families have broadened
their horizons through Rotary’s
long-term and short-term Youth
Exchange Programs. For more
information, please visit the Dis-
trict Youth Exchange at https://
www.youthexchange5100.org.
A very special thank you to
our hole sponsors, team sponsors,
teams and to our local businesses
that donated prizes for this event.
Your love for your community
and children shows.
Thank you to Janet Williams,
Christina Engelbrecht, Janci
Spoo, Hermiston High School
golf teams, Hermiston Rotary
Exchange students for your help
and to Big River Golf Course for
your gracious hospitality.
We look forward to the next
Youth Exchange Golf Tourna-
ment in 2020. Announcements
will be sent out as soon as a date
is chosen.
Sincerely,
Hermiston Rotary Club
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From the archives of the Athena Public Library, City
of Echo, Milton-Freewater Area Historical Society,
Pendleton Round-up, Tamástslikt Cultural Institute
and Umatilla County Historical Society