WINNER OF THE 2020 ONPA GENERAL EXCELLENCE AWARD
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2020
HermistonHerald.com
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UPDATES
New
COVID-19
deaths
announced
HERMISTON HERALD
The Oregon Health
Authority reported two
new deaths of residents
who tested positive for
COVID-19 in Uma-
tilla and Morrow coun-
ties on Tuesday, Oct.
27, according to a press
release.
The death from
Umatilla County is the
45th reported since
the start of the pan-
demic. According to
the Umatilla County
Public Health Depart-
ment, the resident was
62-year-old man who
tested positive for the
virus on Oct. 4, and then
died Oct. 21 while at
Kadlec Regional Medi-
cal Center in Richland,
Washington.
The death from Mor-
row County is the sev-
enth reported since the
start of the pandemic,
according to the Oregon
Health Authority. The
resident was a 52-year-
old man who tested pos-
itive Aug. 25 and died
Oct. 24 while at Legacy
Emanuel Medical Center
in Portland.
In an earlier press
release, OHA also
reported the death of a
53-year-old Umatilla
County man who tested
positive Sept. 7 and died
on Oct. 19 at Legacy
Meridian Park Medical
Center in Tualatin.
There have been 664
people who have died
after testing positive for
the virus in Oregon.
Between Oct. 21-27
Umatilla County Pub-
lic Health reported 96
new confi rmed cases
of COVID-19 among
county residents.
As of Oct. 27, the
health department
reported there were also
173 presumptive cases
of the virus, defi ned
as someone who was
showing symptoms of
COVID-19 after being
exposed to a case of it
but has not received a
test result to confi rm or
disprove the diagnosis.
Seven Umatilla County
residents were hospital-
ized with COVID-19 as
of Oct. 27.
Jade McDowell/Hermiston Herald
The Hermiston Warming Station plans to open Nov. 23, 2020, but will have to reduce capacity to meet COVID-19 standards.
Out in the cold
Warming Station capacity may be reduced due to COVID-19
By JADE MCDOWELL
NEWS EDITOR
The Hermiston Warming Sta-
tion is preparing to open for the
winter season on Nov. 23, but its
capacity is likely to be signifi -
cantly reduced due to COVID-19.
Sandy Francis, the warming
station’s new board chair, said the
board is in consultation with Uma-
tilla County Public Health on what
will be allowable and how best to
protect guests and volunteers at the
nonprofi t emergency shelter.
“We’re looking for different
ways we can do 6-foot distancing,
but still maximize the space we
have,” she said.
Since it moved to a house at
1075 S. Highway 395 in 2016, the
warming station has had a capac-
ity for about 22 people per night.
Francis said they have a sleeping
room for men, one for women and
one for families. But she said if
cots must be 6 feet apart this year,
capacity will be more like eight
guests.
“Usually we have enough space
for 22 people, and we’ve had some
nights where we’ve had to turn
people away because we didn’t
have room for them,” she said.
Francis said they have looked
for a bigger space to use this year,
VOLUNTEER
TRAININGS
Jade McDowell/Hermiston Herald
A sign on the back door of the Hermiston Warming Station give directions
for people wishing to drop off donations.
but so far haven’t found a via-
ble option. She said they are con-
cerned about that, and concerned
that fears of COVID-19 will pre-
vent people from volunteering for
shifts. Last year, the station had to
close several times on cold nights
because there were not enough vol-
unteers available to staff the site.
Volunteers will be required to
wear masks, hand sanitizer sta-
tions will available and the board
has swapped out fabric furniture
for items more easily sanitized,
and other precautions will be taken
to ensure safety. The board is cur-
rently looking at installing plastic
dividers between cots.
Even if the warming station
doesn’t have enough volunteers to
staff the shelter overnight, Francis
said, they are committed to at least
The Hermiston Warming Station
is off ering the dates listed
below for volunteer trainings.
All volunteers must be at least
18 years old, have completed a
training and passed a back-
ground check. Please RSVP in
advance through the warming
station’s Facebook page.
Wednesday, Oct. 28,
7-8:30 p.m.
Friday, Oct. 30, 6-7:30 p.m.
Sunday, Nov. 1, 12-1:30 p.m.
Tuesday, Nov. 3, 7-8:30 p.m.
Thursday, Nov. 5, 6-7:30 p.m.
Saturday, Nov. 7, 11 a.m. —
12:30 p.m.
Saturday, Nov. 7, 6-7:30 p.m.
Monday, Nov. 9, 7-8:30 p.m.
Wednesday, Nov. 11, 12-
1:30 p.m.
Friday, Nov. 13, 7-8:30 p.m.
Sunday, Nov. 15, 12-1:30 p.m.
Tuesday, Nov. 17, 6-7:30 p.m.
Thursday, Nov. 19, 7-8:30 p.m.
Saturday, Nov. 21, 11 a.m. to
12:30 p.m.
Saturday, Nov. 21, 6-7:30 p.m.
See Warming, Page A14
This is Breast Cancer
Awareness Month
By KATY NESBITT
FOR THE HERMISTON HERALD
Hermiston Herald, File
Claire Miller, a nurse at Mirasol Family Health Center, pauses during a Breast Cancer Awareness Walk at the clinic
in 2018. Many of the fall breast cancer fundraisers have been canceled this year because of the pandemic.
INSIDE
A3 Columbia Development
Authority reverses previous vote on
industrial land
A6 Christmas Express is full
steam ahead despite obstacles with
school closures
In honor of October’s desig-
nation as Breast Cancer Aware-
ness Month, Umatilla County
organizations and cancer survi-
vors are sharing their stories to
encourage early screening and
give hope to those battling the
disease.
The members of the Umatilla
Police Department know about
the battle fi rst-hand.
Kylie Baker, public informa-
tion offi cer, said fi ve years ago
the department’s administrative
specialist, Jan Zita, was diag-
nosed with breast cancer. More
recently, Chief Darla Huxel was
A7 Work is underway on a new
subdivision in Boardman
diagnosed as well.
“Our whole department has
been involved, to a degree, in
their treatment and recovery
journeys,” Baker said.
Every year since Zita’s diag-
nosis, Baker said, the depart-
ment staff members have fol-
lowed a tradition of sporting
breast cancer awareness pins
during the month of October
in honor of her, and now Chief
Huxel, for Breast Cancer Aware-
ness Month.
“This year we took it a
step further and all the offi -
cers received a pink patch shirt
to wear in honor of the Chief,
See Cancer, Page A13
A8 Morrow County School Dis-
trict reopens schools to all students
who want to return