NEWS
A12 • HERMISTONHERALD.COM
Schools
Continued from Page A1
it placed on parents and
other caregivers.
“To all the moms and
dads, I can’t imagine what
you’re up against, balancing
parenting during this very
scary crisis while I know
many of you have either lost
a job, or are a fi rst responder,
or are trying to work from
home with your kids there,
all the time worried about
education and fi guring out
homeschooling,” she said.
Brown also announced
long-awaited
guidelines
on what the development
will mean for high school
seniors, just months away
from graduation.
Seniors who were on
track to graduate as of March
13 will automatically receive
a passing grade on this
semester’s classes. The state
is leaving it up to individ-
ual districts to address with
seniors whether they will
continue their studies despite
already passing.
For seniors who still
needed to make up credits
or were failing their classes
as of March, Brown asked
school districts to focus their
efforts on fi nding “creative”
ways to help get those stu-
dents “across the fi nish line”
by Aug. 31.
She said Oregon’s public
universities are committed
to considering all incoming
freshmen “fairly” in light of
the disruption to their educa-
tion, and also said that none
of those universities would
take students’ acceptance
away, as long as the students
graduated.
The state’s ”Distance
Learning for All” guidelines
provide further instructions
regarding questions about
dual credit classes, individ-
ualized education plans and
other concerns. Districts are
being urged to create “alter-
nate” plans for graduation
ceremonies, such as holding
an event online.
Hermiston School Dis-
trict released a statement
Wednesday letting students
and parents know that dis-
trict staff are reviewing each
senior’s classes and will be
reaching out to them individ-
ually to discuss their status.
“As the situation contin-
ues to evolve and the dis-
trict has guidance regarding
students in grades 9-11, the
district will communicate
further at that time,” the doc-
ument stated.
The district will continue
to provide breakfast and
lunch to students via its bus
routes, and has checked out
Chromebooks to families in
need of a device for their stu-
dent to continue coursework
online. Students without
internet access can fi nd free
Wi-Fi hotspots around town
by visiting https://wifi .xfi n-
ity.com and searching for
their ZIP code.
Details such as when stu-
dents will be able to collect
their personal items from
their lockers and desks are
still being worked out, and
the district will communi-
cate those decisions with
parents and students in the
future.
“Thank you to the Herm-
iston community for its con-
tinued support and under-
standing
through
this
unprecedented public health
crisis,” Superintendent Tri-
cia Mooney said in a state-
ment. “It is during trying
times such as this that we
see the true strength of a
community.”
She said in-person classes
are expected to resume on
Aug. 24 for the 2020-21
school year.
At the statewide press
conference, Brown thanked
all Oregonians for comply-
ing with social distancing
orders, which have reduced
the spread of COVID-19 in
the state.
“I know how hard this is
on every single Oregonian
and I thank you for your sac-
rifi ce,” she said. I also know
that the measures we have
put into place are necessary
actions right now to save
lives. I wish I could make
it easier for everyone and I
wish I could eliminate the
frustration that so many of us
are feeling right now.”
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 15, 2020
Staff photo by Ben Lonergan
A sign at Simply Divine Salon & Day Spa in Hermiston advises drivers to stay home and stay healthy. Gov. Kate Brown
announced her framework for reopening Oregon during a press conference on Tuesday morning. Brown refused to say
when it might happen, but said that “it will not be easy.”
Economy
Continued from Page A1
Kelly McPhee, vice president of
communications for Banner Bank,
said its branches have received 11,482
inquiries from businesses about get-
ting one of the loans.
She said Banner Bank is one of
the top lenders for the Small Business
Administration in Oregon, and usu-
ally processes 250 applications in a
year. In the fi rst four days of the PPP,
they did 443.
She said banks started processing
things a little slower than they do for
some types of loans because they had
to create a brand-new process basi-
cally overnight, while social distanc-
ing, and it is crucial that everything be
fi lled out correctly so that businesses
can get most or all of the loan forgiven
after eight weeks.
“We defi nitely don’t want to mis-
step,” she said.
Banks have rules about how much
money they can lend out in comparison
to their balance sheets, and McPhee
said while Banner Bank is not in that
position yet, some other banks in the
area have already exhausted their abil-
ity to extend PPP loans to customers.
Businesses impacted by COVID-
19 can also apply for a low-inter-
est Economic Injury Disaster Loan
directly from the Small Business
Administration.
Umatilla Electric Cooperative has
“WE ALL WANT TO GET BACK TO WORK
AND RETURN TO LIFE AS NORMAL AS
QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE, BUT THE TRUTH
IS THE BEST PATH FORWARD IS A
CAUTIOUS ONE — A PATH THAT PRO-
CEEDS GRADUALLY, INCREMENTALLY
AND CAREFULLY. A PATH THAT RELIES
ON SCIENCE AND FACTS TO DETERMINE
EACH STEP FORWARD.”
Oregon Gov. Kate Brown
set up a new resource for businesses
interested in applying for both federal
programs.
The Umatilla Electric Coopera-
tive Business Resource Center opened
Thursday at 1475 N. First St. in
Hermiston.
Staff include Emily Cecil as the
lead business advisor and Ashley Gar-
cia Sandoval as the business intake
counselor. They will be available to
provide free assistance to area busi-
ness owners in applying for federal
grants and low-interest loans avail-
able to businesses experiencing nega-
tive effects from COVID-19.
CEO Robert Echenrode said in a
statement that UEC was pleased to
announce the resource for local busi-
nesses during “this period of uncer-
tainty.” Board member Bryan Wolfe
stated while the cooperative cannot
change what is happening globally,
they can work on improving the eco-
nomic viability of the community.
Gregory Smith & Company man-
ages UEC’s revolving loan fund for
economic development. Smith, the
new business center’s executive advi-
sor, said UEC was able to put together
the new resource in less than a week
after the idea was hatched. The cen-
ter is open to anyone needing help, but
UEC will also be reaching out to all of
its business accounts to inform them
of the opportunity.
For more information, call the cen-
ter at 541-289-3000. Staff are avail-
able to advise businesses by phone,
video conferencing or at the offi ce
from behind a glass divider to protect
from germs. Offi ce hours are Mon-
day-Friday from 8-5 p.m., with a clo-
sure for lunch from 1-2 p.m.
OREGON'S 2ND
OREGON'S 2ND
CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT
CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT
REPUBLICAN
DEMOCRATIC
CANDIDATE FORUM
CANDIDATE FORUM
Get to know the Republican candidates
for U.S. Congress without leaving home.
Get to know the Democratic candidates
for U.S. Congress without leaving home.
Primary election is May 19
Primary election is May 19
Forums will be video recorded without audience
due to COVID-19 concerns.
Forums will be video recorded without audience
due to COVID-19 concerns.
Streaming live on this newspaper’s
Facebook page:
Streaming live on this newspaper’s
Facebook page:
Saturday May 2, 2020 • 5 p.m. & 7 p.m.
Friday, May 1, 2020 • 6:30
Watch after the event on this
newspaper’s website or on EOAlive.tv
Watch after the event on this
newspaper’s website or on EOAlive.tv
Submit your questions in advance by email to:
CD2forum@eomediagroup.com
or on Facebook Live during the event.
Submit your questions in advance by email to:
CD2forum@eomediagroup.com
or on Facebook Live during the event.
Moderated by Chris Rush - Regional Publisher,
EO Media Group
Moderated by Chris Rush - Regional Publisher,
EO Media Group
Live stream and video by EO Alive TV
Live stream and video by EO Alive TV
• A forum for the Democratic candidates
will be held on May 1 •
• A forum for the Republican candidates
will be held on May 2 •