WINNER OF THE 2020 ONPA GENERAL EXCELLENCE AWARD
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2021
HermistonHerald.com
‘Worse
than
any
fl u I’ve
had’
Umatilla man
experiences
breakthrough
case of COVID-19
INSIDE
EasternOregonMarketplace.com
EXPANDED EMPLOYMENT SECTION SEEKS
TO LINK EMPLOYERS WITH JOB SEEKERS
Area libraries, bookstores
celebrate Banned Book Week
By ERICK PETERSON
Editor/Senior Reporter
Two weeks after con-
tracting COVID-19, Uma-
tilla resident Andrew Morris
is sick and feeling more than
a little frustrated. He said he
did everything right, includ-
ing getting vaccinated, and
he still became ill.
Morris is one of the
unlucky few breakthrough
cases, people who were vac-
cinated but came down with
COVID-19 anyway.
“This is worse than any
fl u I’ve had,” Morris said.
He had trouble recalling
a comparable illness. After
some thought, he compared
it to Epstein-Barr virus
infection, which also was
painful.
With COVID-19, Mor-
ris’ body aches. He cannot
taste his food, he cannot
smell and his throat is sore.
He spends most of his days
and nights in bed, as even
walking to the bathroom is
diffi cult.
Bedridden, he contin-
uously questions himself:
“What did I do wrong?”
Joe Fiumara, Umatilla
County Public Health direc-
tor, said roughly 1 out of
every 50 people hospital-
ized with COVID-19 since
January in the county were
vaccinated against COVID-
19, or approximately 49
of 50 hospitalizations in
the county this year were
unvaccinated.
Morris received his fi rst
shot of the Moderna vac-
cine in March, when it was
fi rst available to him, then
followed up with his sec-
ond jab in April. Even after
the fi nal shot, he continued
to wear masks most of the
See Breakthrough, Page A8
Erick Peterson/Hermiston Herald
Kellie Lamoreaux, library aide, Susie Sotelo, library director, and Arianna Strong, library aide of the Umatilla Public Library, stroll Thursday, Sept. 16, 2021,
along StoryWalk at Hash Park in Umatilla. The StoryWalk features the banned book “The Story of Ferdinand.”
ning the books on the ALA
list include sensitive top-
ics, profanity and even an
author’s behavior.
During Banned Books
Week, book lovers cele-
brate “the freedom to read,”
as well as the “value of free
and open access to infor-
mation. According to the
ALA, this year’s theme is
“Books Unite Us. Censor-
ship Divides Us.”
By ERICK PETERSON
Editor/Senior Reporter
Activities and displays
around the area are promot-
ing “Banned Book Week,”
Sept. 26 to Oct. 2. The path
at Umatilla’s Hash Park is
just one example of the cel-
ebration. The path is lined
with frames which con-
tain pages from one banned
book, “The Story of Fer-
dinand” by Monroe Leaf,
this month’s StoryWalk
selection.
Hermiston Public Library
Banned books
When many people think
of a banned book, they think
of books that are forbidden
or removed by an institu-
tion, or maybe even burned.
Though this can be the case,
Mark Rose, Hermiston Pub-
lic Library director says a
“banned” book has a diff er-
ent meaning for his library
and other libraries.
People may “challenge”
a book, asking for it to be
removed, Rose said. Once
the book is challenged, the
book is “banned” regardless
of whether it was removed
Erick Peterson/Hermiston Herald
Arianna Strong and Kellie Lamoreaux, library aides, and Susie Sotelo, library director of
the Umatilla Public Library, on Thursday, Sept. 16, 2021, read pages from “The Story of
Ferdinand,” a banned book. It is on display at Hash Park in Umatilla.
from the library or not. It
is then added to a banned
book list, cautioning other
libraries “that they might
also experience a challenge
or concern from their local
citizens.”
Though people are
responding
negatively
when they initiate a ban, the
ban can end up having the
opposite intended eff ect. A
ban, then, can be a badge of
honor for a book as subver-
sive or even important.
The American Library
Association released a list
of the most challenged
books in 2020. This list
included “George” by Alex
Gino; “Stamped: Racism,
Antiracism, and You” by
Ibram X. Kendi and Jason
Renolds; and “Something
Happened in Our Town: A
Child’s Story about Racial
Injustice” by Marianne Cel-
ano, Marietta Collins and
Ann Hazzard. Classics,
such as “To Kill a Mocking-
bird” by Harper Lee, were
also on the top-10 list.
Some reasons for ban-
“This can be a divisive
topic that I have seen cre-
ate incredible problems for
libraries in the past,” Rose
said. Still, the Hermiston
Public Library will move
forward with Banned Book
Week. Staff at that library
will select materials and
items to highlight. Rose
said the library has been
creating banned book dis-
plays since he arrived, just
over fi ve years ago.
“It’s often a tradition in
libraries to create these dis-
plays at this time of year,”
he said.
See Books, Page A8
Hermiston farmers market continues past closure
By ERICK PETERSON
Editor/Senior Reporter
Erick Peterson/Hermiston Herald
Kraig Mueller, of 3rd Gen Farms, plays with his son, Kolton Mueller, on Thursday, Sept. 16, 2021, at a market
in Hermiston.
INSIDE
A3 Part 3 of series looks at work-
ers in manufacturing and hospitality
A6 Lemonade Run brings
clothes to foster kids
Two farms on Thursday, Sept.
16, tried to make up for a farm-
ers market that did not happen in
Hermiston. They intend to attract
others for a bigger market in fol-
lowing weeks.
The Maxwell Market in Herm-
iston is a weekly farmers market in
Hermiston at the Maxwell Event
Center & Pavilion. The Thurs-
day afternoon market, which can
attract a dozen to 20 farm booths,
sells local produce.
The event, though, was can-
celed, as organizers cited staff -
ing problems. This market, and
the remaining two markets of the
2021 season, would be cancelled
because it could not fi nd workers
for it. The COVID-19 pandemic
has created this lack of staff .
A Facebook post for the Max-
well Market states, “Hope to see
you for the 2022 season!” So orga-
nizers intend to return next year.
A7 Pokemon and comics big for
Umatilla shop
Still, a couple of local farms
were undeterred by the market’s
closure. They got together and set
up their own market in McKenzie
Park, outside and across the street
from the event center. With only
two vendors, it was not as large as
the planned Maxwell Market, but
the participants were glad to have
a place to sell their produce, honey
and baked goods.
Kraig Mueller, 3rd Gen Farms
owner, grows cucumbers, lettuce,
melons, carrots and other row
crops. A Hermiston resident, he
has four fi elds in Hermiston, nine
acres spread out “in all corners of
Hermiston.” He wanted to see the
market continue.
After all, markets are how he
makes his income. With the money
he earns at markets, he buys seeds
and equipment.
“We’re market farmers, market
gardeners,” he said. “We’re farm-
ers, this is our income.”
See Market, Page A8
A9 Judge Hill on short list for
promotion