A2 • HERMISTONHERALD.COM
THREE MINUTES WITH …
COMMUNITY
WEDNESDAY, JULY 14, 2021
HERMISTON HISTORY
Hermiston rejects invitation to bid on prison
25 YEARS AGO
July 16, 1996
Thanks, but no thanks.
That’s Hermiston’s answer to an
invitation to bid for a prison site in
Hermiston.
The Oregon Department of Cor-
rections is looking for additional
sites on which to put more prisons
and Hermiston, Stanfi eld and Uma-
tilla were looking at becoming one
of those sites. The three towns were
testing the community waters to
see if it was something that citizens
would be interested in pursing as a
sort of west-county project.
The results are in for the city
of Hermiston and the answer is a
resounding “no.”
“Nobody wants it,” said Mayor
Frank Harkenrider. “He said that
about 20 calls had come into city hall
and six letters were received Mon-
day, all against having a prison.
Hermiston Herald, File
Tomlinson’s Dari-Mart opens in Hermiston in 1971.
FREDY VERA
Fabricator at N.W. Metal
Fabricators and Irrigon High
School baseball coach
When and why did you move to
Hermiston?
I’ve been living in Hermiston for a year and a
half. I moved here because it was time for me
to get away from living in Irrigon.
Where is your favorite place to eat in
Hermiston?
Tacos Y Mas
What do you like to do in your spare
time?
Barbecue and hang out with family and
friends.
What surprises you about Hermiston?
The amount of people there actually are in
this town.
What was the last book you read?
I don’t read many books, but I really enjoy
reading sports articles.
What website or app do you use most
other than Facebook?
I spend a lot of time on Twitter.
If you could travel anywhere, where
would you go, and why?
Paris would be a beautiful place to visit.
Always been on my bucket list.
What is the funniest thing that’s ever
happened to you?
No idea.
What is one of your goals for the next 12
months?
Travel some more and win a league title and
beyond for baseball.
What is your proudest accomplishment?
Giving back to the Irrigon community, and
being able to coach baseball at Irrigon High
School.
50 YEARS AGO
July 15, 1971
The dock strike of several days’
duration, which has severely aff ected
Portland shipping terminals, could
cause a critical situation to Oregon
farmers, in the opinion of Robert
Estoup, manager of Feedville.
“From all indications,” Estoup
said, “the strike could drag on for
quite a while and, while we hav-
en’t really felt the eff ects yet in our
shipping of grain, it could present a
problem.”
Umatilla County, which is
expected to produce a record crop
of grain this year, ships the bulk of
its produce to Portland terminals on
barges from the Port of Umatilla.
Don Cook, Pendleton, manager
of Pendleton Grain Growers, Inc.,
said, however, that he felt that Uma-
tilla County would not be as severely
aff ected by a prolonged strike as
some other areas might.
“We don’t like the strike,” he said,
“but Umatilla County has the advan-
tage of being one of the earliest in
the state to harvest, and while there
is only one terminal open to unload,
they are more or less accepting ship-
ments on a fi rst-come, fi rst-served
basis.”
Hermiston Herald, File
West Umatilla County Mosquito Control District staff work in 1996.
75 YEARS AGO
July 11, 1946
The Barbers union with juris-
diction over Pendleton, Pilot Rock,
Hermiston and Umatilla voted at a
meeting held in Pendleton to raise
the prices of haircuts in the four cities
to one dollar eff ective Wednesday.
No increase was voted in the
price of shaves, which remain at fi fty
cents.
In announcing the increase in
haircuts, it was stated that most of
the other cities in Oregon have been
charging $1 for haircuts for some
time.
100 YEARS AGO
July 15, 1921
Lorenzo E. Dole, of Florence,
Oregon was sentenced to four
months in the Multnomah County
jail by the Federal Court here on July
11, for willfully setting out fi res in
the forest in 1920.
This case has attracted a great
deal of attention both on account of
Hermiston Herald, File
Cars race at the Umatilla Speedway in 1971.
the unusual conditions of the case as
well as the unusual character of the
defendant. On May 17, 1921, a fed-
eral jury sitting at Portland brought
in a verdict of guilty against Dole for
maliciously setting a fi re within the
Suislaw National Forest on May 16,
1920.
According to statements of for-
est offi cers, Dole had long been sus-
pected of setting forest fi res and
eff orts had been made year after year
to secure evidence against him with-
out success.
From the statement of witnesses,
Dole’s method of work was origi-
nal and only an unusual combina-
tion of circumstances brought about
his conviction. It seems that by
long practice he could fl ip a burn-
ing match into brush along a road or
trail, even from horseback.
Forest offi cers say that he tried
this once too often, for on May 16,
1920, as brought out in the evidence,
once of the witnesses was that day
trying out a new telescope by casu-
ally watching through the glass occa-
sional passers-by on a road some
few hundred yards distant, and hap-
pened to see Dole deliberately strike
matches and fl ip them while still
burning into the dry ferns and brush
along the roadside.
BY THE WAY
Fire calls continue increasing at record pace
Umatilla County Fire District #1 sets another
monthly record with a total of 529 calls for the month of
June. For the fi scal year of July 1, 2020, to June 30, 2021,
the district ran a record 5,372 calls for service.
On Sunday, July 4, 2021, it ran 27 calls with seven of
them fi re responses. Several calls on the Fourth of July
were fi re calls with some being started with fi reworks.
Some tips for protecting your home:
• Keep your lawn hydrated and maintained.
• Keep natural grasses mowed down around your
property.
• Remove dead vegetation from under your deck and
within 10 feet of your house.
• If you have trees, prune so the lowest branches are
6 to 10 feet from the ground.
• Clear leaves and other debris from gutters, eaves,
porches and decks.
• • •
The Farm-City Pro Rodeo has two contests for all
Hermiston businesses. One is a window painting contest
and the other is for billboards and banners. Local busi-
nesses can participate in the 2021 “We’re Back” window
decorating contest. Painted windows must be completed
by July 29 and a picture sent to offi ce@hermistoncham-
ber.com by July 30. The winning business will get a full
box seat for Friday night of the rodeo.
The reader board/banner contest must be completed by
July 22. Business will take a picture of the board/ban-
ner and send it to offi ce@hermistonchamber.com by July
22. The winning entry gets a full box seat for Thursday’s
rodeo.
• • •
While donors across the country have rolled up a sleeve
to give this summer, the need for blood and platelets
remains crucial for patients relying on lifesaving transfu-
sions. The American Red Cross continues to experience
a severe blood shortage and donors of all blood types,
especially type O and those giving platelets.
The Red Cross needs to collect more than 1,000 addi-
tional blood donations each day to meet current demand
as hospitals respond to an unusually high number of trau-
mas and emergency room visits, organ transplants and
elective surgeries.
To thank donors who help refuel the blood and plate-
let supply this month, all who come to give July 7-31 will
receive a $10 Amazon.com Gift Card via email and will
also receive automatic entry for a chance to win gas for
a year (a $5,000 value). More information and details are
available at rcblood.org/fuel. Also, all those who come to
donate throughout the entire month of July will be auto-
matically entered for a chance to win a trip for four to
Cedar Point or Knott’s Berry Farm.
Hermiston blood drives listed on the American Red
Cross website include:
• Monday, July 19, from 12:45-5:30 p.m. at Good
Shepherd Medical Center.
• Thursday, July 22, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Eastern
Oregon Trade and Event Center.
• Friday, Aug. 6, from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at First
Christian Church.
• • •
Oregon gas prices have risen 3.2 cents per gallon in
the past week, averaging $3.65 per gallon as of Monday,
according to GasBuddy’s daily survey of 1,307 stations
in Oregon. Gas prices in Oregon are 23.8 cents higher
than a month ago and stand $1.05 higher than a year ago.
According to GasBuddy price reports, the cheapest
station in Oregon is priced at $3.23 while the most expen-
sive is $4.04, a diff erence of 81 cents per gallon.
The national average price of gasoline has risen 0.5
cents per gallon in the last week, averaging $3.13. The
national average is up fi ve cents per gallon from a month
ago and stands 93.7 cents per gallon higher than a year
ago.
• • •
The Harkenrider Senior Activity Center menu for
Thursday, July 15, is pork loin, stuffi ng, veggie and des-
sert. The menu for Tuesday, July 20, is biscuits and gravy,
sausage patty and fruit.
For a Meals on Wheels delivery in Hermiston, call
541-567-3582 before 10 a.m. to place an order. To pick
up a meal from the center at 255 N.E. Second St., call
the same number before 11 a.m. Meals are $4 and can be
picked up between 11:30 a.m. and noon.
The Boardman Senior Center now is providing meal
delivery. Meals are $4 paid upon delivery. Call 541-481-
3257 to order.