OPINION READER’S FORUM
Founded in 1906
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 23, 2021
A4
EDITOR’S DESK
A new chapter begins for Herald editor
N
ext week’s Hermiston Her-
ald, on June 30, will be my
last as editor.
I am moving to Salt Lake City to
start a new career path in advertising,
after nearly eight years of reporting
on Hermiston. I do not yet know who
will replace me as editor, but I do
know the company is working hard
to fi nd the best possible
candidate. In the interim,
I hope you will be patient
with the East Oregonian
staff as they pitch in to
keep the Herald running.
Jade
When I was a kid, I
McDowell
always said I wanted to
NEWS EDITOR
be an author. By high
school, I had decided that
I might pull a steadier paycheck by
channeling my love of reading and
writing into journalism. I headed off
to college with the intent to test the
waters with a couple of journalism
classes and, well, the rest is history.
It turned out journalism was about
more than just getting paid to write.
For a teenager who loved learning
and had always been a bit of a know-
it-all in school, a job where you’re
expected to know everything about
everything and tell everyone about it
was the perfect gig.
I delighted in my time at the
school newspaper, known as the
Daily Universe. It didn’t matter that
my very fi rst published article was
about research on worms in Antarc-
tica — watching students browsing
Ben Lonergan/Hermiston Herald, File
News Editor Jade McDowell, center, can be seen taking notes at a Umatilla City Council
candidates’ forum at Umatilla City Hall on Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2020.
the paper with my byline in it as they
waited for class to start was a thrill.
Since then, journalism has taken
me on some strange and wonderful
journeys. My summer internship for
the New York Daily News involved
everything from covering a failed
car bomb attempt in Times Square
to showing up to the townhome of
famed director Spike Lee to ask him
a question about the Boston Celtics
(he wasn’t home, but his wife said
she would give him a note from me
with my editor’s contact information,
and he did call).
During my two years at The Dalles
Chronicle and my career in Hermis-
ton afterward, I have gotten to meet
all sorts of people and cover interest-
ing events or exciting breaking news.
I have sat with people as they have
tearfully described to me the very
best and the very worst days of their
lives.
Much of the work has been incred-
ibly fulfi lling, and given me a way
to — I hope — improve the world
around me. I am grateful for each of
you who trusted me with your stories
over the years.
But journalism is also a diffi cult
job. It’s a high-stress position that
gets more stressful with each pass-
ing round of cuts that place more
work on the dwindling crew remain-
ing. There is an emotional toll to
COLUMN
COLUMN
Malgesini pack off ers howling
good time ... when separated
W
ith dog ownership, there’s a
learning curve.
A friend recently shared
about things her puppy destroyed. Rais-
ing several dogs over the
years, John and I understand
her situation. I told her cute-
ness goes a long way in our
pack. However, we found the
chewing of our belongings
decreased signifi cantly when
we began crate-training from
Tammy
puppyhood.
Malgesini
As a dog owner, you have
to anticipate possible situa-
tions and puppy-proof your environment.
It’s a given that you have to allow young
dogs time to learn things — and even then,
they’re going to test the limits.
And sometimes, no matter how much
training you think has been provided, that
delicious-smelling human food that’s sitting
within reach is going to be too tempting.
So, part of the learning process is changing
my behaviors, too. After Biko helped him-
self to my La Palma leftovers, I now push
things to the back of the counter.
We’re still trying to fi gure out Biko’s
little idiosyncrasies. A 9-month-old Ger-
man shepherd/Siberian husky mix, my doc-
tor likened him to a German shepherd with
attention defi cit/hyperactivity disorder.
During a recent pack outing to the
river, I was entertained by Biko’s exuber-
ant energy. While the General, my nearly
9-year-old German shepherd, constantly
vocalizes his excitement in a high-pitched
yelp, Biko runs like lightning from one end
of the shore to the other — periodically tak-
ing a dip in the river and hopping like a
gigantic jackrabbit.
A real head-scratcher, though, is Biko’s
howling. Yes, I mean full-on, nose-to-the
sky howling.
I fi rst noticed the behavior when John
left Biko roaming freely downstairs by him-
self. Normally, John would put the little
guy in his crate while taking the General
for a morning walk. However, as Biko has
gotten older, he began testing his level of
trustworthiness.
While I was still lounging on the day-
bed, Biko suddenly appeared in the mid-
dle of the room, sat down and proceeded to
howl. I tried to reassure him that Papa and
brother would be home soon, but the pierc-
ing sounds continued. I fi nally put him in
his crate where he was quiet and content
until John and the General returned.
I then did a Google search about howl-
ing. I learned that one of its purposes is for
a pack member to communicate their loca-
tion to packmates.
John tested Biko a couple more days and
then waited a few weeks before doing it
again. Each time the result was the same —
Biko came trotting upstairs, plopped in the
middle of the fl oor and began howling.
Biko appears to feel more secure in his
crate when his Papa and brother are gone.
Even though we don’t fully understand
why, we’ll follow Biko’s cues to help him
feel comfortable — that’s part of being a
pack.
———
Tammy Malgesini, who recently returned
as a Hermiston Herald community writer,
enjoys spending time with her husband and
two German shepherds, as well as enter-
taining herself with random musings.
More foster homes needed
O
ne harsh reality
of the pandemic
often goes unno-
ticed: the continued need
for foster parents.
Similar to many regions
across the
state, Eastern
Oregon faces
a critical
shortage of
foster homes
for youth in
need. Unlike Adam
many other
Rodakowski
areas, how-
ever, these rural and fron-
tier communities have a
history of joining together
to address complex chal-
lenges facing their most
vulnerable populations. We
don’t see it as an “agency”
problem to fi x but rather
fi nd support through com-
munity collaborations and
from the care of foster
families.
In Oregon, an average
of 7,345 children are in
foster care on a daily basis,
according to state data
from 2019. Greater Oregon
Behavioral Health, Inc.
has a Foster Care program
that provides homes for
youth in local communities
involved in the Child Wel-
fare system or for those
youth being supported
by their local community
mental health program.
CORRECTIONS
Printed on
recycled
newsprint
VOLUME 114 • NUMBER 24
Andrew Cutler | Publisher • acutler@eomediagroup.com • 541-278-2673
Jade McDowell | News Editor • jmcdowell@eastoregonian.com • 541-564-4536
Kelly Schwirse | Multi-Media consultant • kschwirse@hermistonherald.com • 541-564-4531
Audra Workman | Multi-Media consultant • aworkman@eastoregonian.com • 541-564-4538
Tammy Malgesini | Community Editor • community@eastoregonian.com, 541-564-4532
To contact the Hermiston Herald for news,
advertising or subscription information:
• call 541-567-6457
• e-mail info@hermistonherald.com
• stop by our offi ces at 333 E. Main St.
• visit us online at: hermistonherald.com
The Hermiston Herald (USPS 242220, ISSN
8750-4782) is published weekly at Hermiston
Herald, 333 E. Main St., Hermiston, OR 97838,
(541) 567-6457.
reporting on tragedies and being so
immersed in the news. Salaries are
low, the personal attacks from mem-
bers of your community are high, and
the news does not stop for evenings
or weekends or holidays.
And so, like so many journal-
ists right now, I’m taking a step back
from newspapers to try something
new. The venture is one I’m excited
about, with a company that special-
izes in representing nonprofi ts and
public health and safety campaigns,
and I’ll get to be closer to family and
friends in Utah.
I’ve poured my heart and soul into
keeping the Hermiston Herald going
this year through pandemic cutbacks,
and it is a wrench letting it go. But I
also know that the paper can bene-
fi t from a fresh pair of eyes with new
story ideas, a diff erent writing style
and schemes to revamp some fea-
tures that might be getting stale.
Please, please, please don’t take
this paper for granted. The reason
you see fewer reporters’ bylines in
the Herald and EO, and the papers
print fewer days a week, than when I
joined the staff in 2013 is because of
declining fi nancial support from the
community. If that trend continues,
someday there won’t be anything left
to cut.
Advertise. Subscribe. Donate.
Let the journalists you like know
that their work is appreciated. Those
things matter to the future of the
community.
Periodical postage paid at Hermiston, OR.
Postmaster, send address changes to
Hermiston Herald, 333 E. Main St.,
Hermiston, OR 97838.
Member of EO Media Group Copyright ©2021
It is the policy of the Hermiston Herald to correct errors as
soon as they are discovered. Incorrect information will be
corrected on Page 2A. Errors commited on the Opinion page
will be corrected on that page. Corrections also are noted in
the online versions of our stories.
Please contact the editor at editor@hermistonherald.com or
call (541) 564-4533 with issues about this policy or to report
errors.
SUBMIT A LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Letters Policy: Letters to the Editor is a forum for the
Hermiston Herald readers to express themselves on local,
state, national or world issues. Brevity is good, but longer
letters should be kept to 250 words.
No personal attacks; challenge the opinion, not the person.
The Hermiston Herald reserves the right to edit letters for
length and for content.
Our agency certifi es fos-
ter families and works in
partnership with the Ore-
gon Department of Human
Services Child Welfare to
provide additional support
services to youth and our
foster families.
The ongoing need for
foster families is well
known. However, the pan-
demic has increased uncer-
tainty for both youth in
foster care, and foster fam-
ilies. Despite this chal-
lenge, the people caring
for foster youth are making
remarkable accomplish-
ments in the lives of youth
every day.
These families make
lifelong positive impacts
on the youth they serve,
and are crucial to the suc-
cess of our communities.
I’m honored to work
with and support our foster
families. Whether the child
they serve stays with them
for a few days or becomes
a permanent member of
the family, foster families
have the unique ability to
be the stable, supportive,
adult during a challenging
time in the life of a child.
That leads us to the com-
mon question: How does
the system work?
GOBHI is licensed by
the state of Oregon to cer-
tify and provide homes for
youth in local communi-
ties who are involved in
the Child Welfare system,
or are receiving care from
their local community
mental health program. We
certify homes for children
and teens ages 4 to 17.
In 2019, we certifi ed 54
homes in 18 counties.
The positive impact
that a foster parent can
have on a child lasts a life-
time. We often hear stories
of children who may have
spent less than six months
in a foster home but later
in life contacted their fos-
ter parent to express their
gratitude.
If you have wanted to
fi nd a way to help chil-
dren — especially children
in your own community
— this is a way to do so.
You will be ensuring that
all kids in Eastern Oregon
know they are wanted and
safe during a very scary
time in their lives.
If you have even con-
sidered fostering, please
reach out. Everyone can
help in ways small and
large. We welcome any-
one who’s ready to make a
change.
———
Adam Rodakowski is
the director of GOBHI’s
Therapeutic Foster Care
program.
Letters must be original and signed by the writer or writers.
Anonymous letters will not be printed. Writers should include
a telephone number so they can be reached for questions.
Only the letter writer’s name and city of residence will be
published.
OBITUARY POLICY
The Hermiston Herald publishes paid obituaries. The
obituary can include small photos and, for veterans, a
fl ag symbol at no charge. Expanded death notices will be
published at no charge. These include information about
services. Obituaries may be edited for spelling, proper
punctuation and style.
Obituaries and notices may be submitted online at
hermistonherald.com/obituaryform, by email to obits@
hermistonherald.com, by fax to 541-276-8314, placed via the
funeral home or in person at the Hermiston Herald or East
Oregonian offi ces. For more information, call 541-966-0818 or
1-800-522-0255, x221.