FARMERS ENDING HUNGER RAMPS UP DONATIONS » PAGE A4
HermistonHerald.com
Wednesday, april 1, 2020
$1.50
UPDATES
Confirmed cases of COVID-19
in Umatilla County: 5
Morrow County: 1
Oregon: 690
United States: 180,000+
Oregon deaths: 18
U.S. deaths: 3,700+
The new normal
If you have symptoms of
COVID-19 such as cough-
ing, fever and shortness of
breath, call your primary care
provider for guidance before
showing up to a hospital or
medical clinic. For emergen-
cies, call 911. For questions
about COVID-19, dial 211.
BY THE WAY
Blood drives
announced
The blood drive sched-
uled for April 3 at the
Hermiston VFW hall
has been moved to the
First Christian Church,
775 W. Highland Ave.,
Hermiston. The event
will take place from
10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.,
as previously planned.
The American Red
Cross is setting a goal of
at least 18 pints. In order
to meet their goal, it’s esti-
mated that 25-30 appoint-
ments should be scheduled
to cover donor disqualifi-
cations or no-shows.
Hermiston
Parks
and Recreation also
announced blood drives
at the Hermiston Com-
munity Center, 415 S
Highway 395, on April
15 from 12:30-5:30 p.m.
and April 16 from 10 a.m.
to 3 p.m. Contact james.
martinez@redcross.org
or 509-713-4430 for more
information or to set up an
appointment to donate, or
schedule an appointment
online at www.redcross-
blood.org.
According to the
American Red Cross,
healthy donors are des-
perately needed to pro-
vide lifesaving blood to
patients. There is a severe
shortage due to the can-
cellation of numerous
collection events because
of COVID-19. Eligible
blood donors must be at
least 16 years old, weigh
a minimum of 110 pounds
and be in good health at
the time of the donation.
See BTW, Page A8
staff photo by Jade Mcdowell
Hermiston School District will hand out Chromebooks Thursday to families that still need digital devices to learn from home during the
school closure, which the Oregon Department of Education said Monday may last the entire school year.
Remote learning, telephone counseling sessions among many changes
By JADE MCDOWELL AND ALEX CASTLE
STAFF WRITERS
As the country faces unprecedented
challenges, local institutions are forging
ahead the best they can.
On Monday night, the Oregon Depart-
ment of Education announced what many
Oregonians already suspected: There is a
good chance that students are not going to
be returning to a physical classroom for
the rest of the school year.
State superintendent Colt Gill sent
superintendents across the state a 30-page
packet of information meant to help guide
districts regarding a “Distance Learning
for All” effort statewide to set up each
child in the state to continue their educa-
tion outside a brick and mortar classroom.
“Of course, education without face-
to-face interaction between students and
teachers will look and feel different and
cannot be fully replicated across a dis-
tance,” he wrote. “It will not and cannot
happen overnight. We need the grace and
patience of our state’s leaders, our com-
munities, our families, and our educators
as we learn together to move powerfully
to ensure care, connection, and continuity
of learning happen in entirely new ways
for our students.”
Hermiston School District was already
moving in that direction Monday after-
noon. The district checked out about 510
Chromebooks to students who needed
electronic devices to access distance
learning opportunities. In a letter to par-
ents, Superintendent Tricia Mooney said
that the devices are only half the battle —
the district must now work with internet
providers to find a way to provide inter-
net access to students who don’t currently
HH file photo
Lifeways is now offering appointments via telephone and telehealth technology to
ensure that people can still receive mental health services even if they are isolating
themselves at home.
INSIDE
Community garden delayed, Page A2
High school graduation requirements
affected by coronavirus, Page A3
summer festivals in question, Page A5
local farmers markets face challenges,
closures, Page A6
have it at home.
The district is also handing out paper
packets of learning materials as staff hand
out lunches every day on buses that stop
around town. Mooney said quickly build-
ing a district-wide distance learning pro-
gram from scratch will not be easy, but
the district is committed to offering all
students the best education possible under
the circumstances.
“It will not be perfect; while every
effort is being made to provide a rich
learning opportunity to our students,
we also recognize that remote, at-home
learning does not replace the experience
of a student engaging with the teacher and
their peers in the classroom,” she said.
“We will do our best to create a thought-
ful and meaningful experience for our
students.”
The district announced Tuesday
See Normal, Page A8
Love in a time of COVID-19
By JADE MCDOWELL
NEWS EDITOR
8
08805 93294
2
It seems unimaginable that just a
few weeks ago, details like the color
of the napkins or flavor of the cake
seemed important for a wedding.
Now, with the world on lockdown,
couples are struggling to get married
at all.
“When we got our license before
all this craziness started, we had no
idea it was going to get as bad as it
has,” Stacie Ketchum of Hermiston
said.
She and her fiance Michael Bor-
gaard had planned an intimate wed-
ding with family and a few close
friends for April. They got their mar-
riage license, good for 60 days, on
March 2, more than a week before
Gov. Kate Brown banned gatherings
of more than 250 people.
Now, with even a small gather-
ing out of the question, the couple
is trying to decide whether to invite
everyone to watch them get married
over video chat, or to postpone the
wedding, let their license expire and
apply for a new one at some unknown
future date when people feel comfort-
able traveling and gathering again.
“I haven’t been able to get ahold of
anyone at the courthouse to ask about
extending our license,” Ketchum said.
Some counties aren’t even issu-
ing marriage licenses right now, with
their courthouses on lockdown. The
Umatilla County records department
has posted a notice online that mar-
riage licenses are available if a cou-
ple pre-applies online and then calls
to make an appointment to sign it.
Ketchum said the plan had been
for her dad to marry them, so now
she is researching if it would be pos-
sible for him to marry the pair over
video chat, with friends bearing digi-
tal witness, and then mail the certifi-
cate for the needed signatures.
April Torres-Wittmeyer, who
graduated from Hermiston High
School in 2002 and now lives in
Gresham, also ran into marriage
license problems. She and her fiance
have canceled their big destination
wedding on the beaches of Maui, but
plan to still get married on May 11
See Weddings, Page A8
“I HAVEN’T
BEEN ABLE TO
GET AHOLD OF
ANYONE AT THE
COURTHOUSE
TO ASK ABOUT
EXTENDING
OUR LICENSE.”
Stacie Ketchum, who had
planned an April wedding with
family and friends. She and
her fiance are considering an
online ceremony.