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About Hermiston herald. (Hermiston, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 23, 2020)
NEWS A8 • HERMISTONHERALD.COM WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2020 OLCC makes liquor Family hopes T-shirts will aid in delivery rules permanent fi nding missing Hermiston woman By JADE MCDOWELL NEWS EDITOR HERMISTON HERALD Family members of Graciela Gar- cia, who went missing from Hermis- ton in November 2019, are ramping up their efforts to help locate her. Gabriela Bautista, Garcia’s daughter, said the family has cre- ated T-shirts and bumper stick- ers that have Garcia’s photo and details, such as her height, in hopes that the items will help keep Gar- cia’s case fresh in community mem- bers’ minds and possibly spur a tip that will fi nally lead to new infor- mation. People can also purchase a bracelet with the letter G on it in her memory. Bautista said her family is des- perate for information about her mother, but have not received any new information from Hermiston Police Department in months. She said proceeds from the sale of the item will be used to aid in the fami- ly’s search. “We’re looking to hire a lawyer, an investigator, whatever we need to fi gure out and do,” she said. The items are for sale until Oct. 31 and will be shipped immediately after. Bautista said the family plans to hold a candlelight vigil for Garcia sometime after that and hope people who purchased shirts and bracelets will wear them to the event. The last confi rmed sighting of Garcia, a hair stylist, was on Nov. 8, 2019. She was reported missing on Nov. 11, and the Hermiston Police Department has stated her posses- sions were left behind. According to a news release, the department “considered her disappearance sus- picious from the time of the ini- tial report, and immediately opened an investigation” aided by Oregon State Police and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Bautista asked anyone with information about Garcia’s dis- appearance to call the Hermis- ton Police Department at 541-567- 5519. Items sold by the family can be found online at etsy.com/shop/ JusticeForGraciela. Contributed photo Graciela Garcia, 49, of Hermiston, was last seen on Nov. 8, 2019. Oregonians will be able to get hard liquor delivered directly to their home even after the pandemic is over. Earlier this month, the Oregon Liquor Con- trol Commission voted to make rules allowing deliv- ery and curbside pick-up of distilled spirits perma- nent, after voting in March to temporarily allow those options during the state’s pandemic shutdown. The OLCC did adjust the time frame for those deliveries, however, requiring they stop at 10 p.m. instead of 2:30 a.m. Those delivering the alcohol must be at least 18 years old and must check the identifi cation of the customer receiving the delivery or curbside pick-up to make sure they are at least 21 years of age and not visibly intoxicated. Brad Irwin owns Ore- gon Spirit Distillers in Bend and is president of the Oregon Distillers Guild, which includes Oregon distilleries, such as Oregon Grain Growers in Pendle- ton. He said allowing curb- side pick-up makes a lot of sense even after concerns about COVID-19 aren’t prevalent. “That’s kind of where retail is going anyway,” he said, referencing grocery stores’ grocery pick-up options that were put in place before the pandemic. He said delivery makes sense too as an option for people who might have a disability that makes it dif- fi cult to get in and out of a car, or lack transportation. Addiction advocates in the state have criticized the delivery options. After Plan for Peace of Mind BURNS MORTUARY Boardman Senior Center to start offering meal delivery By JADE MCDOWELL NEWS EDITOR Boardman Senior Center will start delivering meals to Boardman seniors on Tues- days and Thursdays starting Oct. 6. Seniors age 55 and older can call the senior center at 541-481-3257 to have their name and address put on the delivery list. Meals are $4 apiece and payment is on delivery (those older than 90 eat free). Barbara Hug, operations manager for the senior cen- ter, said they are working on putting a menu together now, which will be pub- lished in the Hermiston Herald and North Morrow Times. “We’re going to have a cook and a helper prepare the meals, and they will be fully masked,” she said. The senior center used to offer meals at the center on Tuesdays and Thursdays, but stopped that practice when everything shut down for the pandemic. Hug said the Red Cross did pay them to make and deliver some meals to families displaced by the heavy wind storm that damaged homes in May. She said seniors she has spoken to have really missed the meals and are excited to at least have the option of delivery, even if they can’t sit down together. the OLCC fi rst allowed delivery of hard alcohol in March, Oregon Recov- ers Executive Director Mike Marshal released a statement saying the pan- demic had already created an atmosphere diffi cult for those recovering from addiction, as social dis- tancing disrupted recov- ery meetings and isolated people from their support networks. “Recent efforts by the Oregon Liquor Control Commission to increase alcohol sales during the crisis have potentially added fuel to the fi re, which will have dire impli- cations for our emergency departments and hospitals at the worst possible time,” he said. Irwin said he under- stood the concerns, but pointed out that people had already been able to order other alcoholic bev- erages, such as beer. He said members of the Ore- gon Distillers Guild were reporting deliveries made up an average of 1-2% of sales, with higher percent- ages in large metro areas and lower delivery sales in rural areas. He said although alco- hol sales overall went up during the early months of the pandemic, people have mostly stocked up on “value brands” and distill- ers have been struggling fi nancially as the restau- rants and bars they stock have been closed or had limited operations, and people have avoided tast- ing rooms. “Yes, people bought a lot of liquor, but they bought a lot of Absolut and Jack Daniels,” he said. “They didn’t buy a lot of Oregon brands.” “I think they miss the vis- iting and the camaraderie” she said. Hug said now that Mor- row County is in Phase 2, she hopes that the senior center will be able to start serving some meals at the center again at some point in the future, in a group of 20 people spaced 6 feet apart. For now, however, meals will only be available for delivery to those who have called and placed an order. of Hermiston & Hermiston Crematory 685 W. Hermiston Ave. Hermiston, Oregon (541) 567-6474 www.burnsmortuaryhermiston.com PET OF THE TAMÁSTSLIKT CULTURAL INSTITUTE W EEK We’re Reopening! Sausey is a precious boy who is approx 10 months old. He is good with cats and dogs. He will be ready for his forever home at the end of the month. Tuesday, Sept. 22 11am-2pm MEET SAUSEY Mark Sargent, DVM • Brent Barton, DVM Eugenio Mannucci, DVM, cVMA • Jana von Borstel, DVM, cVMA Small and Large Animal Care Mon: 8-6 Tue - Fri: 8-5 Sat: 8-12 Emergency Service 541.567.1138 80489 Hwy 395 N Hermiston www.oregontrailvet.com Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, animal shelters need our help more than ever. Please donate to your local shelter, or offer to foster an animal in need. We are opening the Museum Store and Kinship Café for limited hours, Tuesday through Saturday, 11am-2pm. The permanent exhibits are not open. Kinship Café is offering take-out orders only, with a limited menu. Call 541.429.7702 to have your order ready upon arrival. Please note that safety measures will be in force with masks and social distancing required. We look forward to seeing everyone again! Museum Store, Kinship Café Only Open limited hours: Tues-Sat, 11am-2pm Exhibits remain closed Pendleton, OR | www.tamastslikt.org | 541.429.7700 If interested please go to fuzzballrescue.com and fill out an application. If you are not able to adopt, but would like to foster or donate, visit fuzzballrescue.com or you can mail in donations to Fuzz Ball Animal Rescue, PO Box 580, Hermiston, OR 97838 NEW 4x4 BRANSON 2515R 2200 Loader Lift Capacity Tractor with Loader - $ 16,500 OR Tractor Loader Backhoe w/ Thumb - $ 23,500 SPECIAL INTRODUCTORY PRICING! M ILIT A RY DIS C OU NT S A VA ILA BLE RUGGED, RELIABLE, RED... AND THAT’S NO BULL!!! 81600 N. HWY 395 Hermiston, OR Open Monday - Saturday WWW.BONNEYSAG.COM 541-922-1213
