FROM PAGE ONE
A8 • HERMISTONHERALD.COM
Libraries:
“Patrons were allowed to
pick out books but were not
allowed to sit. Computer
sessions were not allowed.”
It was not until Sept. 8,
2020, that the library began
allowing 30-minute com-
puter sessions.
“We increased usage to
60 minutes July 7, 2021,”
she said.
As regular services were
ceased or reduced, the
event and program sched-
ule also was limited. The
libraries canceled all in-per-
son events and programs,
including monthly adult
craft programs, story times
and teen nights. Use of the
public meeting room, which
had been used an average of
30 times a month, in Irrigon
also cam to an end.
“We canceled in-person
summer reading programs,”
Street said. “We changed to
a virtual summer reading
program.”
Now, activities and pro-
grams have resumed, but
there are limits to some
activities.
Continued from Page A1
when he starts making all of
the chairs and tables avail-
able again.
“We’re looking into
that,” he said.
Morrow County
Kathy Street is the direc-
tor of the Oregon Trail
Library District, which
includes three libraries —
in Boardman, Heppner and
Irrigon. She also said the
road to reopening has been
long and hard.
The district’s librar-
ies in 2020 closed March
16 through April 28. On
April 29, the library still
was closed to the public
but began off ering curbside
service for materials, cop-
ies and faxes. And in June
2020, the library opened for
“Grab and Go” service.
“We were limited to 10
people inside the buildings
to accommodate for social
distancing,” Street said.
“We have no plans to
return the toys to the chil-
dren’s area,” Street said,
explaining the library is
limited in space and has no
place to disinfect toys.
“We have not brought
back all of the chairs we
had in Boardman. But, we
plan on doing that soon,”
Street said.
Still, she reported low
attendance at programs
and events. She said other
libraries also are report-
ing the same decrease in
attendance.
“Overall usage of the
library has not met pre-
COVID usage,” she said.
“We adjusted our sched-
ule and are open 32 hours
Tuesday to Friday. We
used to have 32 hours
Tuesday to Saturday.”
To help people adjust to
a new situation in which
they are isolated and away
from library services, her
district is circulating Wi-Fi
hotspots for patrons to
connect to Wi-Fi at home.
crime/suspense novels and mem-
oirs. He also is a world traveler and
journalist, who has made his home
in Mexico.
According to Keith, the fi rst
thing Cope asked Armstrong was,
“Have you been published yet?”
Shortly after his talk with Cope,
Armstrong submitted his work for
publication.
Keith also complimented Arm-
strong’s “never quit” attitude,
which Keith said he believes Arm-
strong gets from his father, Jeff
Armstrong, a frontline paramedic
fi refi ghter who recently survived
COVID-19.
At the event, Jeff Armstrong
said he was “absolutely” proud of
his son. In addition to being a moti-
vated writer, Ben Armstrong also
is an avid hockey player.
Jeff Armstrong said he, too,
likes telling stories. The father said
he has long told his son stories of
military service from his own life.
Also, Jeff Armstrong introduced
his son to the “Lord of the Ring”
series of books when he was very
young.
Jaclyn Armstrong, Ben’s step-
mother, said she is looking forward
to his next stories. This latest story
is terrifi c, Jaclyn Armstrong said,
and she credited the teen for being
able to “draw you in” to a story.
“The progression, watching him
grow as an author and being pub-
lished, I’m just so proud of him,”
she said.
Writing has “always been Ben’s
thing,” Hermiston High freshman
Amy Armstrong said about her
brother.
“I’m glad he’s going further in
it,” she said.
Though more of a sporty per-
son, she has helped her brother as
a proofreader. As such, she knows
his work very well. She said, this
Story:
Continued from Page A1
Armstrong, in contrast to older
writers, has the benefi t of technol-
ogy. He is able to fi nd markets for
his writing more easily than people
who did not grow up with the inter-
net, Fields said.
Armstrong and his story, evaluated
At the event, Armstrong agreed
people often see horror writers as
dark, brooding individuals. That is
not the case for him — at least not
all of the time.
“Maybe when I’m alone,” he
said. “When I’m around people, I
try to be gleeful.”
Armstrong’s mother, Jennifer
Keith Armstrong, boasted of her
son’s creativity. While she likes his
story and is proud of his accom-
plishment, she does not usually
enjoy scary stories.
She said she asks him “to write
a story where everyone is happy
and no one dies.”
While Armstrong has not writ-
ten the saccharine tales his mother,
a nurse practitioner, might like
best, he has written historical fi c-
tion, which she enjoys. One such
story is about drummers in the
American Revolutionary War.
He has been writing such stories
since early in elementary school.
She also noted her son is a thinker,
always considering and dissecting
books and movies he consumes.
Mark Keith, Armstrong’s step-
dad, also has much respect for the
teen. Keith said he has enjoyed
watching Armstrong grow as a
writer, doing such things as meet-
ing author Gordon Cope on a trip
to Mexico.
Cope, whose most recent book
is “The Hotel Seamstress,” writes
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2021
Candidates:
Continued from Page A1
Nearly 85% of the money
Bower has spent so far has
been with Lori Roach of
Heppner and her business
Studio 6 Designworks LLC.
Roach also is a contracted
employee for Eastern Ore-
gon Business Source, where
she works as a community
development consultant.
Bower said Roach’s work
with Eastern Oregon Busi-
ness Source is separate from
her work on the campaign.
With the latter, Bower said
Roach has provided web
design and graphic work in
addition to ordering cam-
paign material.
Timmons, who co-owns
Marv’s Glass Shop in Mil-
ton-Freewater, has raised
nearly $3,000 while spend-
ing a little more than
$2,500. Like Bower, Tim-
mons expected to do a
mixture of self-funding
and fundraising and she
expects her campaign to
be fi nancially in-line with
recent history. Early donors
include Charles Danforth
and Paul Seaquist, both of
MIlton-Freewater.
Timmons said it was
early to start campaigning,
but one of her largest expen-
ditures, a booth at the Uma-
tilla County in August, was
“worth every penny.”
“When you have a booth
at the fair, you have access
to everyone,” she said.
Commissioner Dan Dor-
ran, the newest member on
the county board, got an
early start on fundraising in
his successful eff ort to win
the open Position 3 seat in
2020. He opened his cam-
paign account in Novem-
ber 2019 and would go on
to spend more than $26,000.
But in 2018, Position 2
Commissioner John Shafer
didn’t start raising money
until February of that year.
He still managed to raise
nearly $22,000 to unseat
incumbent Larry Givens.
Shafer has fi led to run for
reelection in 2022. No one
has fi led to run against him
so far and he hasn’t reported
any contributions or expen-
ditures in 2021.
With Murdock of Posi-
tion 1 retiring at the end of
the year, Bower and Tim-
mons are also joined by
Alvin Young, a manager at
Elmer’s Irrigation & Sup-
plies in Hermiston. Young
does not have a political
action committee registered
with the Oregon Secretary
of State.
Candidates have until
March 8, 2022, to join the
race for either Position 1
or Position 2. Should the
Position 1 race retain all
its candidates or grow fur-
ther, then all candidates
will run in the May 17 pri-
mary. The top two vote-get-
ters will advance to a run-
off during the Nov. 8, 2022,
general election. Should any
of the races feature two or
less candidates, the races
will skip the May primaries
and county voters will cast
ballots on the candidates
during the general election.
strong deals with informative texts
on rhetoric. Ben thinks outside of
the box and writes enjoyable takes
on the material, the teacher said,
such as adding fl air to the use of
rhetoric.
Larson also had high praise for
the story.
“I love it,” Larson said. “I think
it’s great.” He added that “Sleigh
54,” is “creepy,” but it fi ts in with a
horror anthology.
Another teacher present at
the signing, Erica Hearne, also
was happy with Armstrong’s
achievement.
“At this age, having (a story)
published in a national publication
is huge,” she said.
Into the future
Kathy Aney/Hermiston Herald
Hermiston High School student Ben Armstrong poses with some admirers
before signing copies of an anthology in which his story “Sleigh 54”
appears. The book signing took place on Armstrong’s birthday, Wednesday,
Oct. 20, 2021.
latest story, “Sleigh 54,” is some-
thing he wrote years ago and has
reworked since. He has many other
tales to tell, Amy said.
Cali Simmons, Ben Arm-
strong’s girlfriend, also attends
Hermiston High School. She said
she likes his stories, which she said
makes him “unique.”
Kalvin Colpitts, Ben Arm-
strong’s friend and classmate,
called him a “nice guy” who loves
writing and history. Though he had
not yet read the story, he was sure
it is great and he was looking for-
ward to it.
He bought a copy, and had his
buddy autograph it with a “Star
Wars” reference. “Force choke
is not a dark side ability,” Arm-
strong wrote inside the book
above his signature.
Coleman Hill, another class-
mate, also had good things to say
about his friend.
“You don’t see someone like
this every day,” Hill said. He read
“Sleigh 54,” and Hill credited the
story with a gruesomeness that was
suitable.
The writer as a student
Armstrong said he is a good stu-
dent, though maybe not a “scholar-
ship, straight-A student,” like some
other students he knows.
Teacher John Larson, who stood
in line for Ben’s autograph, is his
Advanced Placement language
teacher, and he disagreed with the
student’s self-assessment. He said
Armstrong stands out as a student.
“He’s a great student,” Lar-
son said. “He’s very imaginative,
very creative.”
Larson said his class with Arm-
The young author said he
expects to expand into novellas
and then novels. Not limited to
horror tales, he also writes histor-
ical fi ction and other genres.
Inspiration, Armstrong said,
comes from other writers, espe-
cially historical fi ction novel-
ists, such as Alan Gratz, and fan-
tasy novelists, such as George R.R.
Martin and J.R.R. Tolkien.
Armstrong said he wants to be
a history teacher. He said he fi nds
the American Civil War intriguing
and likes to read and write about it.
“When I was younger, I was
mostly interested in the battles
and fi ghts,” Armstrong said, “but
now I lean more toward the time
period and setting. I write stories
of meaning.”
Copies of “What Remains: An
Inked in Gray Anthology,” are
available for checkout at the Herm-
iston High School library and can
be purchased on Amazon.com, as
well as other online retailers. More
information is at the publisher’s
website, inkedingray.com.
Committed to excellence for our readers
First Place
HermistonHera
ld.com
WEDNESDAY,
UPDATES
AUG. 12, 2020
EasternOregon
Marketplace.co
Umatilla
County
opens
COVID-19
relief
small
business
program
Editorial Column
Jade McDowell
HERMISTON HERALD
Small busine
Umatilla Count sses in
a $5,000 grant y can get
from the federa as money
ment’s COVI l govern-
D-19
package contin relief
ues to
trickle down
to Umatilla
County.
Umatilla Count
y Eco-
nomic
Devel
announced the opment
start of a
new small busine
ss
relief
program in
press release, a Aug. 6
Katelyn Griffi
n takes a mome
county intend stating the
Show on Tuesd
nt with her lamb
s to distrib-
ay, Aug. 11,
prior to havin
ute $5,000 grants
2020 at the
g her picture
Eastern Orego
to qual-
taken on the
ifying busine
n Trade and
fi rst day of the
sses propor-
Event Cente
Staff photo by
2020 Umatilla
r in Hermiston.
tionately throug
Ben
County Fair
hout the
Modifi ed Youth Lonergan
county.
Livestock
According to
the
city
of Hermiston,
partnering with the city is
the county
to provide
m
place.co
extra funds
Market
for the progra
EasternOregon
m from the
city’s portion
2020
1,
JULY
SDAY,
the fed-
eral CARES of WEDNE
Act, reserv-
ing a total of
VSHFL¿FDOO\IRU+ $745,000
HUPLVWRQ
businesses.
By JADE MCDOW
ELL
The count
NEWS EDITOR
that eligible y states
busine
sses,
including sole
Fair week
propri-
etors, must
County Fair for the Umatilla
be directly
affected by
everything else kicked off, like
the
state’s
COVID-19
unprecedented in 2020, in an
through a closur orders,
Tuesday, Aug. way at 6 a.m. on
For more pho
11.
mandated chang e or other
There were
tos
business. Busin es to the
from the fair,
rides, no conce no corn dogs or
see
also be headq ess must
there were still rts or jugglers. But
uartered and
this story at
animals.
operating in
Youths (or
and employ 50 the county
hermistonhe
showed up early their parents)
people or
rald.
fewer.
ing with their Tuesday morn-
com.
lambs, sayin
A business
goodbye for
g
can only
submit one
the animal they the week before
DQG QRQSUR¿ application
mer raising was spent the sum-
have fun hangi
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weighed, photo
ng
eligible.
graphed and
Kendall Coop out,” he said.
-
sent
er, 17, an FFA
The deadline
Youth Livestock off to await the
VWXGHQW IURP
is Aug. 26 and to apply
end of the week Auction at the
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busine
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.
Other
owners can apply
anima
will get their
ket hog for the \HDU UDLVLQJ D PDU
turn throughout ls
fair. She said
grants at www. for the
week.
hog, a Yorkshire-H
the Juliann
her
Bruce leads
county.net/grants. umatilla-
ampshire cross
her lamb to
named Belle
Blake Betz,
Staff photo by
the 2020 Umati
Paper
the
Ben
,
was
livesto
an
Lonerg
applications
18-ye
an
ck check-in
lla County Fair
FFA student
ar-old Aug.
and should make looking good
on the
Modifi ed Youth
who
11, 2020, at
able at local are avail-
the Eastern
Livestock Show fi rst day of
mals at the fair has shown ani-
She said when weight.
Oregon Trade
on Tuesday,
every year since
where they can city halls,
the FFA stu-
and Event Cente
KH ZDV ¿UVW
dents got their
also be
r in Hermiston.
ROG
anima
submitted.
ls
in
would miss the HQRXJK VDLG KH
March
school had just
shut down and ,
Kimberly Nevil
of fair week, usual experiences
they had an
so
Photo contributed by
even though
inkling that
Psychiatric
he
got the exper
if they
went through
tion’s new Aspen Springs
ience of raisin still
steer, Lil’ Smok
g on for the opening of the organiza
mal to show, with raising an ani-
y. at a celebrati his
the ribbon
cut years
to “In
wouldn’t look fair week probably
previo
Hoekstra, center, prepares
forward to seeing us I’ve looked
Lifeways CEO Tim
they were used exactly the same as
n.
to.
friends from
Hospital in Hermisto
other towns
Coop
er said
that I don’t
usual
get to see, and
the week, partic normally during
get a week off ly
Youth Livestock ularly during the
and
— Kendall Coope
r6WDQG¿HOG
making conne Auction, she is
ctions with peopl
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  HA PP Y
HermistonHerald.com
UPDATES
State health
plan website
will be
unavailable
July 2-5
during
upgrade
HERMISTON HERALD
m
Y 
IN DE PE ND EN CE DA
An early good
bye
Youths drop off an
imals for a socially
distanced county
fair
Online
The Oregon Depart-
ment of Human Ser-
vices and the Oregon
will
Health Authority
eli-
be upgrading the
gibility system Ore-
gonians use to apply e
for health insuranc
coverage.
tran-
that
of
part
As
sition, the online appli-
cation for the Oregon
be
Health Plan will
unavailable from July
2-5 while the upgrade
is being put into place,
according to a news
See Fair, Page A12
state.
the
release from
Any application that
is started before then
by
but not submitted
will
4 p.m. on July 2
the
facility
not carry over to
opening” period, the tem-
will
“soft
new system and
By JADE
people
16 spots
,
offer MCDOW
ELL for
will
care
need to be restarted
NEWS EDITOR
in need of 24-hour
in the next few
porarily
years. They cited
RI¿FLDOVVDLG
By JADE MCDOWELL
while they are in crisis. be Eastern overcrowding that
People can still mail
had pushe
The Herm
NEWS EDITOR
staff into other
main focus
or
“Our
iston will
Counc the
buildings, and d
in paper applications at
authorized
be serving
will City
il lack of wheel
we sale
but
the
a
Oregon,
Umatilla
phone
the
hen
of
chair
apply over
million state,”
said. up to $9.6
she to
City Manager accessibility.
entire in bonds
County Com-
pay of
for
for beds
1-800-699-9075 during
city
a
new
hall
shortage
told
and renovation
Oregon’s
the council that Byron Smith
missioner John
that time. Both options
has of been
lower level ic of patients
based on pre-
the a liminary
worked
multi-
psychiatr
the
in
e
Herm
design
Shafer
state,
availabl
iston
s,
are
lic Librar
ArchitectsWest
across the Pub- had given
during their
topic of y concern
for the Umatilla
a “high-level”
Oregon.
Mond
ple languages.
Aug. 10
Eastern
ay,
in
rly
estima
meeti
of
particula
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$9
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te
but
ng.
million for the
County
According to
The a city
project, but
commissioner, Shafer the $9.6
county
plans
As
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to asked
million appro
build him
during
the new Oregon ONE
a new,
larger, three-
LII¶V 2I¿FH KH VD\V middle of
val would
people
give some wiggl
to
said when story
the
city Umatilla
Coun-
hall on the
system will continue
site his
too many people in who ended
of the
came in highe e room if costs
current what
campaign
city hall
was no
be upgraded, in phases,
there
at 180
N.E. ty’s
a mental health crisis
Secon
Smith said they r than expected.
Jail
top d problem
St. The is, interio
The city
through February 2021.
the Umatilla County
expect to have
the previo
it was inadequa
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up of in Hermi
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city mind
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Staff photo
ing’s health.
beds for them
n will
HVAC system
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t for senior citizen 8 acres of land,
in Hermisto
near the
Hospital
ent Paying off $9.6 millio
in state
city’s wastewater Lonergan
Decem
residents will be able
governm
s. Psychiatric
2019, but He
tal health facility.
ber bonds
n in
the criticized
treatment
jail into a Aspen Springs
a mental health crisis.
council had
would require
to apply for all of their
s of y mental
“They’ve turned our our cor- beds for people experiencing
set a goal
a $470,
thousand alread
annual paym
cutting
for to
start worki
and
ent, Smith 000
ng towar the
cash, child care, food
building
mental health facility,
including
d Blue
a new beds,
said,
health
mental health
city hall
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rections staff are not
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one place.
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He also said
See Council, Page
professionals,” he said. A3
Herald
Pendleton in 2014.
A12
a “humon-
i-
“This upgrade is just
said there is masks
health-or
into newspapers inserts
Shafer
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the state needs a mental
ic hospital
mailed to
subscr
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gous need” for psychiatr
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the
is
A7 Chamb
Council race
ing the way
, which focuses
beds in the state, which
er puts land
Program
and
vestment
up for
County now
sale
fund-
delivers health
m by
A11
excited that Umatilla right in the
School distric
on reducing recidivis on and
human services ben-
has those beds located Psychiat-
l supervisi schoo sup-
l names down t narrows new
Springs Administrator
additiona
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people who are released
,”
Hermiston.
state to do ports for
and their families
ric Hospital opens in
few more days for the
from prison.
at 1212
area resi-
DHS director Fariborz a
The 16-bed hospital
June 24.
OLFHQVLQJ VXUYH\ EHIRUH
He said he has heard to send
by Lifeways, day,
who
excited to LWV ¿QDO
Pakseresht said in
Linda Avenue is run
“We’re just really ity,” said they can start taking patients
say they were afraid
mental health
statement.
an acute men- dents
the commun
Inc., a community
cover start serving Administrator Jana are experiencing need inpatient
See Healing, Page A8
provider whose services
tal health crisis and
and Idaho. Aspen Springs
wn
scaled-do
brief,
a
parts of Eastern Oregon tting cel- Flatau.
take a care. After
Lifeways held a ribbon-cu on Thurs-
She said it should just
ebration for the facility
“IT’S SUCH
A VITAL THING
THAT
THE COMMUN
ITY IS NOT JUS
GOING TO FO
T
RGET ABOU
T IT.”
Hope for healing
Personality Feature
Jade McDowell
2020 Oregon Newspaper
Publishers Association
Better Newspaper Contest
Awards
Business or Economic Issue
Jade McDowell
Second Place
Coun
t care
OKs
tien cil
pital will off er inpa
in bonds fo $9.6 million
r
Aspen Springs Psychiatric Hos
new city ha
ll
W
be Eastern
“Our main focus will
serving the
Oregon, but we will be
entire state.”
INSIDE
COVID-19 cases rise
in Umatilla County
WLYH FDVH
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been
as someone who has
FDVH RI
FRQWDFW ZLWK D FRQ¿UPHG showing
and is now
a record COVID-19 but their test results
s,
Umatilla County hit
zations for symptom
new number of hospitali June 30, have not yet come back.
29, the
COVID-19 on Tuesday,
On Monday, June GHDWK RI
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according to Umatilla
FRXQW\ UHSRUWHG LWV The patient
lic Health.
nt a COVID-19 patient.
ld man with under-
The county health departme
Umatilla was a 74-year-o
tested
announced that eight COVID-19 lying health conditions who
died at
County residents with zed. Over- positive on June 21 and
in
are currently hospitali county has Good Shepherd Medical Center
all, as of June 30, the UPHGFDVHV Hermiston on June 26.
we are in
KDGDWRWDORIFRQ¿
“We recognize that
presumptive
with an
and currently has 42 county, 267 a very abnormal situation such,
as
cases. According to the and there unknown endpoint and
d
anxiety
and
stress, fear
people have recovere
counting increased
are 252 active cases when SWLYH
Staff photo by Ben Lonergan
See COVID, Page A8
ERWKFRQ¿UPHGDQGSUHVXP nt cur-
positive
g plant have tested
The health departme
its Hermiston processin
By JADE MCDOWELL
NEWS EDITOR
ed on June 29 that
Shearer’s Foods announc
for COVID-19.
INSIDE
six employees of
make adjust-
A3 Local churches
COVID-19
ments in the face of
A6 Students honor
school teachers
their middle
A7 Dr. Robert Rolen
practice.
retires from
rs study
A9 HAREC researche
pollinators.
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