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About Hermiston herald. (Hermiston, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 22, 2020)
COMMUNITY A2 • HERMISTONHERALD.COM THREE MINUTES WITH ... WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 22, 2020 HERMISTON HISTORY MICHAEL GORMLEY Co-owner at Neighborhood Books & Gifts When and why did you move to Hermiston? I worked for the military, and was transferred from California to the army base. I was part of the crew that got rid of the chemical weapons at the Uma- tilla Chemical Depot. HH fi le photo What is your favorite place to eat in Hermiston? The Midway; my daughter works there. We go there once a month to say hi to her. Eric Schmitz, 15, waits for a fl ock of geese while behind him offi cials from the Oregon State Police and Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife admire a gander bagged by another hunter in 1995. What do you like to do in your spare time? At home working on things, being with my grand- kids. Years ago, I was much much younger and more adventurous. There are less things I want to do. Bomb accidentally dropped on Stanfi eld Tavern What surprises you about Hermiston? The big surprise when I got transferred from over here, was that I was able to see things left out. Not like in California. There’s a lot less crime. I just keep seeing that, still. It is getting a little worse here. A shot rang out, then a man stum- bled, clutching his chest. Fearing the worst, a passing motorist promptly reported a shooting to the police. Fortunately, this scene was an illusion, sparked by a back-fi ring car and a jesting passer-by. Unfortu- nately, it created a very real response that police do not want repeated. About 10 a.m. on Thursday, a motorist on Sixth Street in Umatilla heard a loud bang, then saw a man on the sidewalk grab his chest and appear to stumble as if shot. Using a car radio, the driver immediately called the police. “It was a reasonable assumption on his part,” said Travis Eynon, chief of the Umatilla Police Department. Police quickly proceeded to the scene. Not only Umatilla offi cers, but also Hermiston and state police responded to the call. Emergency crews from the Umatilla Fire Depart- ment were also dispatched. Meanwhile, the “shooting” vic- tim entered a tavern near the incident, where he was surprised by the arrival of police. Offi cers quickly learned the man was merely inspired by a back-fi ring car to put on an act. “It wasn’t very funny when we got there,” Eynon said. What was the last book you read? I’m reading “Star Trek: Time for Yesterday” by A.C. Cripsin. I like sci-fi , it’s more visual. Before that I read “Yesterday’s Child,” also by Crispin. If you could travel anywhere, where would you go? I would love to see my family in Ireland. That’s where my dad and mom’s parents are from. I went when I was 16. I’d like my wife and kids to go. What is the funniest thing that’s ever hap- pened to you? I was talking to a guy at a restaurant, and my hand hit this glass of water on the table. I quickly threw my hand around it while it was tipping over. I caught it, didn’t spill a drop. I’m not saying I could do it again, it’s just I was that quick. Now I’m a lit- tle slower I bet. What is one of your goals for the next 12 months? I’d like to de-junk my life. I’ve got too many things I haven’t used. But I think the minimalist ideas can go too far. I believe minimalists don’t have respect for the item at hand. What is your proudest accomplishment? Looking back on my life, I’ve done some stupid things and I was fortunate not to have certain con- sequences in my life, with God’s help. I mean I can’t leave him out of it. Printed on recycled newsprint VOLUME 114 • NUMBER 4 Chris Rush | Publisher • crush@eomediagroup.com • 541-278-2669 Jade McDowell | News Editor • jmcdowell@eastoregonian.com • 541-564-4536 Jessica Pollard | Reporter • jpollard@eastoregonian.com, 541-564-4534 Tammy Malgesini | Community Editor • tmalgesini@eastoregonian.com • 541-564-4539 Annie Fowler | Sports Editor • afowler@eastoregonian.com • 541-564-4542 Jeanne Jewett | Multi-Media consultant • jjewett@hermistonherald.com • 541-564-4531 Audra Workman | Multi-Media consultant • aworkman@eastoregonian.com • 541-564-4538 Dawn Hendricks | Circulation assistant • dhendricks@eastoregonian.com • 541-564-4530 To contact the Hermiston Herald for news, advertising or subscription information: • call 541-567-6457 • e-mail info@hermistonherald.com • stop by our offi ces at 333 E. Main St. • visit us online at: hermistonherald.com The Hermiston Herald (USPS 242220, ISSN 8750-4782) is published weekly at Hermiston Herald, 333 E. Main St., Hermiston, OR 97838, (541) 567-6457. ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTION RATES Delivered by mail Wednesdays Digital + e-Edition .............................. $39/year Full Access (print and digital) ............. $49/year 25 YEARS AGO Jan. 24, 1995 50 YEARS AGO Jan. 22, 1970 Following nearly two hours of dis- cussion on what to do about Hermis- ton’s streets, the city council at a spe- cial meeting Monday night instructed the city attorney to set a date for a spe- cial election for a serial levy. The city’s present streets that were paved prior to about 1961 have dete- riorated so badly that normal main- tenance cannot keep them in shape, bringing the need for a special pro- gram to bring them up to standard. 2) Not that anyone needs to be told, but winter came on with a ven- geance Friday, Saturday and Sunday, dumping about eight inches of snow on Hermiston Friday night and then covering it up with well over half an inch of freezing rain on Sunday and Monday. Even with all that, the Hermis- ton area fared much better than did many others around. While Hood River, Walla Walla and the Tri-Cit- ies were variously suffering major power outages from Friday through Monday due to freezing rain, Hermis- ton Pacifi c Power and Light manager HH fi le photo Gene Jones, Hermiston High School’s assistant wrestling coach, wrestles with his sons Paul, a senior; Stephen, a junior; and Daniel, a freshman, during a practice in 1995. Chuck Bailey told the Herald Tuesday, “We really lucked out. Unbelievably, we didn’t receive one call because of downed lines the whole time.” 75 YEARS AGO Jan. 25, 1945 A practice bomb struck the roof of the Stanfi eld Tavern and likewise the ceiling, bursting through the fl oor near the front door, and exploded in the ground below about 7 p.m. on Mon- day night. It is thought to have had about four or fi ve pounds of powder and some fat, and no great harm was done. there were only three ladies in the front of the building and 12 men were at the card tables in the rear. Offi cials from Walla Walla airport and Ordnance came at once. However, visitors were numerous. The same night a time machine was stolen from the W.L. Scalf pool hall. The following statement has been issued by Lt. Col. Patrick W. Hayes, executive offi cer at Walla Walla Army Air Field: “A practice bomb, fi lled with sand and enough black powder to cause smoke, was dropped accidentally from a Walla Walla based bomber on a tavern owned by Clyde T. Kenison, Stanfi eld, about 7 p.m. Monday. The place was on a routine training mis- sion to a range near Stanfi eld. Prop- erty damage but no injury to persons resulted.” 100 YEARS AGO Jan. 24, 1920 Since it has now become a fact that the question of whether or not the practice of hanging is to be restored in Oregon will be referred to the peo- ple at the special election in May, an Anti-Capital Punishment crusade of statewide signifi cance has been inau- gurated in Portland. Noticeable among the members of this new organization is the name of one of Boardman’s most prominent men, Col. Emmett Callahan, who has been named on the lecture board and will tour the state in the interests of defeating the measure drafted by the legislature last week. 2) In a few days the Liberty Bak- ery will have in full operation an insti- tution that Hermiston has long felt the want of, and which should be patron- ized liberally to the exclusion of all foreign bakery goods. Everything is practically in readiness for the grand opening, and an expert baker will be on the job to supply the public with Butter Crust bread of such a delicious fl avor that all Hermiston and sur- rounding country will likely become steady patrons of the institution. The bread will be labeled and wrapped in the most sanitary and modern style. Periodical postage paid at Hermiston, OR. Postmaster, send address changes to Hermiston Herald, 333 E. Main St., Hermiston, OR 97838. White tailed deer die-off reported in Umatilla County Member of EO Media Group Copyright ©2020 By KATY NESBITT FOR EO MEDIA GROUP CORRECTIONS It is the policy of the Hermiston Herald to correct errors as soon as they are discovered. Incorrect information will be corrected on Page 2A. Errors commited on the Opinion page will be corrected on that page. Corrections also are noted in the online versions of our stories. Please contact the editor at editor@hermistonherald.com or call (541) 564-4533 with issues about this policy or to report errors. SUBMIT A LETTER TO THE EDITOR Letters Policy: Letters to the Editor is a forum for the Hermiston Herald readers to express themselves on local, state, national or world issues. Brevity is good, but longer letters should be kept to 250 words. No personal attacks; challenge the opinion, not the person. The Hermiston Herald reserves the right to edit letters for length and for content. Letters must be original and signed by the writer or writers. Anonymous letters will not be printed. Writers should include a telephone number so they can be reached for questions. Only the letter writer’s name and city of residence will be published. The death of roughly 2,000 white-tailed deer in Umatilla County is being blamed on a virus spread by tiny gnats. Greg Rimbach, dis- trict biologist for the Ore- gon Department of Fish and Wildlife Pendleton fi eld offi ce, said die-offs found between Milton-Freewa- ter and Pilot Rock due to Epizootic hemorrhagic dis- ease occur every couple of years, but for the most part it goes unnoticed. “A die-off to this degree, in the county at least, is very rare and may have never happened before,” he said. “This year was a whopper.” In fact, Rimbach said he is unaware of such an occurrence being recorded in Oregon. In October, Rimbach said his offi ce started receiving calls from farmers and ranchers reporting dead white-tailed deer in creek bottoms and drainages. “They were fi nding 10, 12, 15 dead deer,” he said. Rimbach said he believes the late summer and early fall weather con- tributed to the spread of the disease. “My opinion is it was a perfect storm for biting midge production,” Rim- bach said. “Starting with archery season, we had a lot of moisture and warm tem- peratures and there were puddles everywhere.” The outbreak seems to be somewhat limited to Umatilla County, but Rim- bach said wildlife managers in Southeastern Washington also reported seeing fewer white-tailed deer this fall. White-tailed deer num- bers are on the rise in East- ern Oregon, but the die-off has the state wildlife depart- ment determining whether to reduce the number of deer tags or cancel hunts in the Walla Walla, Mount Emily and Ukiah hunting units. The state agency reported it will inform hunters of any changes by April 15 so they have time to change their controlled hunt application choices before the May 15 deadline. “It’s unfortunate, but the only thing we can do is manage our hunters,” Rim- bach said. If Rimbach does decide to cancel some of the tags in the Walla Walla, Mt. Emily and Ukiah hunting units, he said it won’t affect buck deer rifl e hunting. Meat from game with EHD is consumable and the disease is not transmit- table to humans, according to the wildlife department, but experts recommend thoroughly cooking any meat from animals from an infected area. Well-cooked venison, Rimbach said, would be just fi ne. “I would eat it,” he said. ——— La Grande Observer Editor Phil Wright contrib- uted to this report.
