NEWS
A10 • HERMISTONHERALD.COM
WEDNESDAY, JULY 15, 2020
Jobs:
POLICE LOG
Continued from Page A1
Health District in Heppner,
added up to another 408
jobs.
The C&D Drive-In, like
many restaurants, didn’t
show up on the list because
it had borrowed under
$150,000. Leighton said
she was pleasantly surprised
by how easy it had been to
apply for the money during
the first round authorized by
Congress.
“I filled out the paper-
work on a Thursday or Fri-
day, and by Monday the
funds were already depos-
ited in our account,” she
said.
The real test, she said,
will be whether it is as easy
to get the loan forgiven. If
businesses follow the rules
for the PPP loan, they can
get all or part of the loan
forgiven. The rules include
not laying off any workers
or cutting hours or wages
during the 60-day period the
loan covers, and only using
the money for payroll, utili-
ties and rent.
Renee Grace of Mid-Co-
lumbia Title Company also
said that for her, she felt
she couldn’t give a proper
review of the Paycheck Pro-
tection Program until she fin-
ished the process by apply-
ing for loan forgiveness.
So far, she said, it had
been a “great program” that
was easy to apply for and
helped keep the business
running smoothly despite
lost revenue caused by the
pandemic. But recipients
haven’t been allowed to
apply for loan forgiveness
yet, and there are still a lot of
questions that haven’t been
answered about it, including
how long a business would
be given to pay back the
loan if it isn’t forgiven.
“There are just too many
variables left,” she said.
She said after the busi-
MONDAY, JULY 6
Staff photo by Ben Lonergan
Felipe Olvera fills orders at C&D Drive-In in Boardman on Tuesday, July 14, 2020.
ness received a PPP loan,
she didn’t apply for other
grants they might have qual-
ified for because she didn’t
want to use up resources that
might help a business that
was hit even harder.
“These people who had
to close down completely
and have no income, I didn’t
want to take away from
them,” she said.
Melissa Lindsay, chair-
womaan of the Morrow
County Board of Commis-
sioners, said she was hear-
ing from some hard-hit busi-
nesses that were in serious
need that they were strug-
gling to access grants from
local government or Busi-
ness Oregon. Some of those
businesses, she said, had
gotten a very small fed-
eral PPP loan or Economic
Injury Disaster Loan during
the first round of funding,
and then regretted it after
seeing how many other pro-
grams were only for busi-
nesses that had not been able
to access the PPP before it
ran out.
“Now they’re saying, ‘I
would give back my $2,500
if I had known,’” she said.
Lindsay shared that mes-
Partnership aims to
create early warning
system for drought
By GEORGE PLAVEN
CAPITAL PRESS
A regional collabora-
tive group wants to hear
from Northwest farmers
and ranchers about how
drought is affecting crops
and livestock.
The Pacific Northwest
Drought Early Warning Sys-
tem includes state climatolo-
gists and U.S. Department of
Agriculture representatives
from Oregon, Washington,
Idaho and Western Mon-
tana. Its mission is to pro-
vide timely information for
communities to better antici-
pate and manage drought-re-
lated impacts, such as water
shortages and wildfires.
Part of that effort is gath-
ering on-the-ground reports
of drought conditions from
local agricultural producers.
Scott Oviatt, snow survey
supervisor for the USDA
Natural Resources Con-
servation Service in Port-
land, said feedback is cru-
cial to updating the U.S.
Drought Monitor, which in
turn is used by the federal
agencies to trigger a num-
ber of emergency programs
— such as crop insurance,
loans and support for spe-
cific commodities.
“We’re just trying to get
information out there, num-
ber one,” Oviatt said. “That
will help represent those on
the ground, real-time condi-
tions on the Drought Moni-
tor itself.”
While areas of Wash-
ington and Northern Idaho
have received near-average
precipitation for the water
year dating back to Octo-
ber, parts of Oregon are in
much rougher shape, Ovi-
att said. The Drought Mon-
itor shows a little more than
90% of Oregon is in some
stage of drought, and a little
more than 6% is in “extreme
drought.”
Gov. Kate Brown has
declared drought in 11 coun-
ties, mostly in Central and
Southern Oregon. They
include Coos, Curry, Jack-
son, Josephine, Klamath,
Douglas, Deschutes, Crook,
Jefferson, Wasco and Gil-
liam counties. Another two,
GET INVOLVEDT
To report local drought
conditions online to
the Pacific Northwest
Drought Early Warning
System, visit:
https://survey123.arcgis.
com/share/b87db006f-
28c4b4698f53ffe5942d-
9af
Morrow and Wheeler coun-
ties, have applied for a
drought declaration.
Statewide, Oregon has
received 83% of average
precipitation for the water
year, Oviatt said. That
ranges just slightly above
average in Northeast Oregon
river basins to 69% of nor-
mal in the Klamath Basin,
and 72% of normal in the
Rogue and Umpqua basins.
Oviatt said the DEWS
is already hearing ver-
bal reports of wheat fields
stunted due to drought in
some locations, and ranch-
ers who may have to change
their normal grazing rota-
tions.
Mountain
snow
melted rapidly beginning
in mid-April, in some cases
one to three weeks ahead of
schedule, which likely will
mean lower streamflows
later this season.
“We’re already seeing
those impacts,” Oviatt said.
“Some streams are very well
below normal. We expect
that to continue.”
The U.S. Drought Mon-
itor has been around since
2000, but its authors are
in North Carolina or Lin-
coln, Nebraska, which Ovi-
att said makes it difficult to
accurately reflect conditions
across the country.
In 2006, Congress autho-
rized the National Integrated
Drought Information Sys-
tem, or NIDIS, combining
multiple federal agencies
and the National Drought
Mitigation Center, which
operates the Drought Moni-
tor. Under NIDIS, there are
nine regional Drought Early
Warning System groups,
including one for the Pacific
Northwest that formed in
2015.
sage with Rep. Greg Smith,
R-Heppner, during a recent
virtual town hall, and said
she has suggested to other
state leaders that it would be
helpful to allow businesses
that had received under a
certain amount of PPP or
EDIL funding to still apply
for state grants.
Torie Griggs, director of
the Boardman Chamber of
Commerce, said she was
seeing the same frustrations
from businesses still in need
of assistance as the pan-
demic drags on. She said the
chamber and organizations,
such as the Boardman Com-
munity Development Asso-
ciation, were working to
help people find alternatives
they qualified for.
Statewide,
Oregon
employers received 62,775
loans, according to the
Small Business Administra-
tion. More than 300 Oregon
lenders are qualified to han-
dle the loans.
The Hermiston busi-
nesses on ProPublica’s data-
base of large PPP loans
that were contacted by the
Hermiston Herald either
declined to comment or
did not return messages
Melons:
Continued from Page A1
help with harvest during
the summer, plus their
contract labor from Atkin-
son staffing, he has had the
help he has needed.
He said the first water-
melons to ripen haven’t
been as large has he was
looking for, but people can
still look forward to a good,
quality taste.
“I’ve been happy with
the flavor of the seedless so
far,” he said.
Jade Mueller of 3rd Gen
Farms said the wind storm
and subsequent days of
strong winds broke many
of the farm’s watermelon
starts, so their crop will be
about half of what it has
been some years.
She said their smaller
melons, such as Gallia mel-
ons, have already been for
left for them. But the list
shows most businesses were
agriculture-related.
The list includes sev-
eral farms, trucking com-
panies, food processors and
farm supply companies. It
also includes several con-
struction companies, Herm-
iston’s major car dealerships
and some medical and veter-
inary clinics.
Leighton said as peo-
ple continue to patronize
businesses that have been
affected by COVID-19, she
hopes they remember that
these businesses have been
hit hard by declining rev-
enue and new regulations.
She said some customers
had been rude to employees
when asked to wear a mask
or follow social distanc-
ing guidelines, even though
the rules weren’t made by
the business and those same
rules make it harder on
employees to do their jobs,
too.
“We’re working twice
as hard to put out a product
right now,” she said.
To access the searchable
database from ProPublica,
visit
projects.propublica.
org/coronavirus/bailouts.
sale at Alive and Well and
said they were planning on
starting to sell watermelons
the week of July 13. 3rd
Gen Farms also has a stand
at the Maxwell Market in
Hermiston most weeks.
Patrick Walchli of Wal-
chli farms said the uneven
temperatures this summer
slowed down the ripening
process, and the farm plans
to start harvest July 20.
“I think the crop looks
really good so far, it’s just
been set back a little bit
from normal,” he said.
He said since June he
has gotten plenty of peo-
ple asking when they can
get their hands on a Wal-
chli watermelon, and it’s
always a nice feeling to
know people are excited for
their product.
“It makes you feel good
that people think of it,” he
said.
RECYCLE!
CARDBOARD • NEWSPAPER • GLASS • TIN • ALUMINUM
EIGHT LOCATIONS TO SERVE YOU!
9:35 a.m. — A burglary was
reported on East Jennie
Avenue.
1:13 p.m. — A hit-and-run
was reported on Southeast
Fourth Street and Highland
Avenue.
4:35 p.m. — A caller reported
that her ex-husband moved
out months earlier and took
all of his belongings with
him, but continues to enter
her home without permis-
sion and take items.
8:37 p.m. — A disturbance
was reported on South High-
way 395 involving a male
and female verbally fighting
about underwear.
TUESDAY, JULY 7
9:18 a.m. — A domestic
disturbance that got physical
was reported on West Juni-
per Avenue.
12:09 p.m. — A hit-and-run
was reported on North First
Street.
2:45 p.m. — A domestic
disturbance was reported on
East Autumn Avenue.
3:17 p.m. — A disturbance
was reported on Southeast
Sixth Street.
6:38 p.m. — A hit-and-run
was reported on West Harper
Road.
7:04 p.m. — A disturbance
was reported on East Sand-
stone Avenue.
7:49 p.m. — A hit-and-run
was reported on Southeast
Fourth Street.
10:04 p.m. — A disturbance
was reported on North First
Street.
was reported on East High-
land Avenue.
11:21 a.m. — A fight was
reported at McNary Street
and East Cherry Avenue.
3:20 p.m. — A caller reported
a transient lying sprawled
out on the sidewalk in front
of a restaurant on North First
Street.
4:47 p.m. — A domestic
disturbance was reported on
West Highland Avenue.
5:03 p.m. — A caller re-
ported a cold hit-and-run
she thought might have
happened at Walmart.
5:46 p.m. — A disturbance
was reported on West High-
land Avenue.
7:32 p.m. — A disturbance
was reported on Northeast
Second Street.
SATURDAY, JULY 11
12:32 a.m. — A man was
reportedly punching a male
relative on West Orchard
Avenue.
12:53 a.m. — A domestic
disturbance was reported on
Northeast Eighth Street.
9:47 a.m. — A bomb threat
was reported on North First
Street.
5:17 p.m. — A domestic
disturbance was reported on
Southwest Ninth Street.
6:45 p.m. — A power line
was reported down on West
Hermiston Avenue.
SUNDAY, JULY 12
8:55 a.m. — A domestic
disturbance was reported on
West Hermiston Avenue.
8:59 p.m. — A domestic
disturbance was reported on
Northeast Third Place.
1:47 p.m. — A hit-and-run
was reported on North First
Street.
10:44 p.m. — A domestic
disturbance was reported on
Southeast Sixth Street.
12:35 a.m. — An armed sub-
ject was reported on West
Joseph Avenue.
9:45 a.m. — A disturbance
was reported on Southeast
Fifth Street.
5:39 p.m. — A disturbance
was reported on North First
Street.
6:04 p.m. — A drunken driver
was reported on Southwest
Eighth Place.
6:09 p.m. — A hit-and-run
was reported on East Ridge-
way Avenue.
10 p.m. — Unauthorized en-
try into a motor vehicle was
reported on South Highway
395.
THURSDAY, JULY 9
MONDAY, JULY 13
2:13 a.m. — A hit-and-run
was reported on South High-
way 395.
10:42 a.m. — A disturbance
involving two females was
reported on Southeast Sixth
Street.
11:23 a.m. — A caller advised
he had been standing on
street corners wearing armor,
and wanted to know what
his rights against tyranny
were and if he saw someone
burning an American flag,
what rights he would have to
stop that.
11:44 a.m. — A disturbance
was reported at the Hermis-
ton Police Department.
7:42 a.m. — A disturbance
was reported on Northwest
11th Street.
9:42 a.m. — An assault was
reported on West Oak Drive.
10:55 a.m. — Someone asked
to speak to an officer about
a crash they were involved in
two days prior. They said af-
ter they rear-ended another
vehicle the other driver said
“It happens” and drove away,
but now the other party is
complaining that they were
injured.
3:28 p.m. — Someone
reported a burglary on North
First Place that happened in
2019.
5:10 p.m. — A motor vehicle
accident was reported on
North First Street.
WEDNESDAY, JULY 8
FRIDAY, JULY 10
1:25 a.m. — A disturbance
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PROPERTIES - HERMISTON, LLC
1. Hermiston - 220 W. Harper Rd.
2. Stanfield - W. Wood (by Grange Hall)
3. Echo - across from park (at City Hall)
4. Umatilla - Hwy 730
(next to Columbia Harvest Foods)
CHERYL BOLLES
ART KEGLER
TAMI REBMAN
Principal Broker
GRI, Owner
541-720-2020
realtorart@centurytel.net
Principal Broker
541-720-1758
tami.rebman@gmail.com
Principal Broker
GRI
541-561-8615
Bolles@gmail.com
SHERYL NEWTON
ELVA PINTO
Broker
CRS, GRI, ABR
541-571-4141
sherylnewton@msn.com
Broker
541-571-6476
pintoe23@gmail.com
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ROXANNA
HUNTSINGER
5. Umatilla County - Hwy 395 N.
(next to transfer station)
6. Umatilla County - 81144 N. Hwy 395
7. Irrigon - 198 W. Columbia Lane
8. Boardman - SE Front Street
Broker
541-272-1022
huntsinger58@yahoo.com
INSTRUCTIONS FOR RECYCLING:
Newspaper - loose or placed in grocery sacks. (no plastic sacks)
Cardboard - flatten all boxes (sorry, no waxed cardboard)
Bottles & Jars - Give ‘em a rinse (labels are OK to leave on).
Separate them by color - clear, green or brown (sorry, no
Pyrex, china or window glass)
Aluminum - cans, TV trays, foil, etc. are acceptable. Please
flatten cans to save space.
Tin - Rinse cans. Remove both ends, flatten can. Lids also
accepted.
WE’RE
OPEN!
DEAN KEGLER
MIKE BOYLAN
Broker
541-377-6402
dkegler2002@yahoo.com
Broker
541-561-7017
mikesboylan@gmail.com
Sanitary Disposal, Inc.
320 South Hwy 395 Hermiston, OR
541-564-0888
Hermiston/McNary Hwy • Hermiston
541-567-8842
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