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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
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VOLUME 114 • NUMBER 4
Chris Rush | Publisher • crush@eomediagroup.com • 541-278-2669
Jade McDowell | News Editor • jmcdowell@eastoregonian.com • 541-564-4536
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Tammy Malgesini | Community Editor • tmalgesini@eastoregonian.com • 541-564-4539
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Jeanne Jewett | Multi-Media consultant • jjewett@hermistonherald.com • 541-564-4531
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Dawn Hendricks | Circulation assistant • dhendricks@eastoregonian.com • 541-564-4530
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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.
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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.