NEWS
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2021
HERMISTONHERALD.COM • A3
Good turnout for Turkey Day 5K
Annual run draws
around 80 participants
to Hermiston
By ERICK PETERSON
Hermiston Herald
Before gobbling down
Thanksgiving meals, around
80 people decided to begin
Thursday, Nov. 25, with a
run on Hermiston’s Oxbow
Trail in the Turkey Day 5K.
After much preparation
from organizers and volun-
teers, the runners lined for
the 9 a.m. start, and 17 min-
utes later the winner crossed
the fi nish line.
“I feel tired, but great,”
Samuel Wick said, still huff -
ing and puffi ng from his
victory.
A track and fi eld ath-
lete and cross-country run-
ner in high school, he said
he wanted to run this race to
honor his old coach, Jacob
Puzey, and fellow runner,
Marissa Worstell, who died
recently. He said he trav-
eled back to Hermiston from
New York City to help his
sister, who just had her sec-
ond daughter. Meanwhile, he
was conditioning himself for
future runs.
Getting himself back
in shape was no small feat
for Wick, who said he had
come down with COVID-
19 in February, in New
York, at the end of the lock-
down. This was before vac-
cines were available for him,
and the disease had a lasting
eff ect, he said.
He said he felt he was
wheezing following his
recovery from COVID-19.
By winning this race, he
proved to himself he still
could be competitive, which
made him glad, he said.
Wick and other runners
had been checked in at the
start of the race by employ-
ees of the Hermiston Athletic
Club. Aspen Fiander, man-
ager of the gym and event
organizer, said it was the fi rst
year for this run. Based on
the good turnout, she said it
should return next year and
many years to come.
Fiander,
who
said
Thanksgiving Day run-
ning was her personal habit,
said proceeds from this run
would go to Agape House in
Hermiston. Agape House is a
food bank for people in need.
One of the people work-
ing alongside Fiander was
Auri Miller, Hermiston Ath-
letic Club assistant general
manager. Taking a break
from seeing to the needs of
runners, she credited local
sponsors for helping to make
the Turkey Run a success.
Four Seasons Paint Co. and
Daily Fix Nutrition were a
couple of the sponsors, she
said.
After everyone else fi n-
ished, and once any left-
over mess was cleaned, she
planned to also run, she said.
It is a family tradition, she
said, as she and her husband
started running on Thanks-
giving nine years ago and
have been doing it ever
since. This year, she planned
to run with her daughter in a
stroller.
She was smiling, but not
the only happy person at the
Turkey Run.
BRIEFS
New doctor joins Good Shepherd
Primary Care Clinic
Good Shepherd Primary Care Clinic has a
new family medicine physician.
Good Shepherd Health Care System in a
recent press release announced Dr. Nicole
Patching has joined Dr. David Shanley, Angie
Hayes, family nurse practitioner, and JoDee
Williams, doctor of nursing practice, at the
clinic at 620 N.W. 11th St. Suite M-103, Herm-
iston. Patching is certifi ed by the American
Board of Family Medicine.
Patching was born and raised in Winnipeg,
Canada, where most her family resides, accord-
ing to the press release. She obtained her doc-
tor of medicine at Saba University School of
Medicine in Saba, Dutch Caribbean. Patch-
ing then completed her family medicine resi-
dency at Hennepin Healthcare in Minneapo-
lis, Minnesota.
“My strong points are making sure that my
patients understand what I am doing,” she said
in press release. “Communication and trust are
key in helping my patients understand what is
happening with their health.”
For more information, call 541-
667-3830 or visit www.gshealth.
o rg / g o o d - s h e p h e r d - m e d i c a l - g r o u p /
primary-care-clinic.
Good Shepherd Sleep Solutions
receives program accreditation
Good Shepherd Health Care System in a
recent press release announced Good Shep-
herd Sleep Solutions in Hermiston recently
received program accreditation from the Amer-
ican Academy of Sleep Medicine.
To receive and maintain accreditation for
a fi ve-year period, a sleep center must meet
or exceed all standards for professional health
care as designated by the AASM. These stan-
dards address core areas such as personnel,
facility and equipment, policies and pro-
cedures and patient care. Additionally, the
sleep center’s goals must be clearly stated
and include plans for positively aff ecting the
quality of medical care in the communities
it serves.
The American Academy of Sleep Medi-
cine accredited a sleep disorders center for
the fi rst time in 1977. Today there are more
than 2,600 AASM-accredited sleep centers
across the country.
Dr. Jakdej Nikomborirak directs Good
Shepherd Sleep Solutions, 610 N.W. 11th St.,
Suite E-19, Hermiston. For more information
visit www.gshealth.org/sleep-medicine.
Hermiston police say SUV strike on
local off ender ‘intentional’
Hermiston police Monday, Nov. 15,
arrested Carlos Barragan in connection to a
felony theft case, and now police are looking
for the suspect who smashed into Barragan
with a Hummer H2.
Police Chief Jason Edmiston reported the
collision took place at 6:39 p.m. Nov. 17 while
Barragan, 43, was riding his bicycle on West
Orchard Avenue near Southwest 11th Street
(Highway 207).
“I can say based on video evidence, this
was not accidental, it was clearly intentional,”
Edmiston said.
An ambulance took Barragan to Good
Shepherd Medical Center, Hermiston, accord-
ing to Edmiston, and later an emergency craft
fl ew him to Legacy Emanuel Medical Center,
Portland, for his non-life-threatening injuries.
Police do not know who was driving the
large SUV, but the department issued an
attempt-to-locate notice for a yellow Hum-
mer H2 with possible front-end damage.
Edmiston also said the hospital reported
on the morning of Nov. 18 that Barragan was
stable and awaiting surgery.
Barragan is well-known to local law
enforcement. Capturing Barragan on Nov.
15 at his father’s home while he was trying
to hide in a crawl space marked the 15th time
Hermiston police arrested him, Edmiston said.
And Barragan in 2009 helped set up the
largest illegal marijuana crop in Grant County.
— EO Media Group
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“It’s a fun day,” Miguel
Moreno said.
A fi tness specialist at
the club, Moreno said he
was glad to be gather-
ing with other runners. He
referred to his co-workers
as his “other family,” and
he expressed happiness that
he was with them on the
holiday.
Hermiston High School
runner Alexia Serna was
also at the event as a par-
ticipant. Ahead of the run,
she said she had recently
run a 5K at a meet, and her
time was under 20 minutes,
which she expressed hope
of matching.
Nov. 25 was her fi rst time
running on Thanksgiving,
she said, and she planned to
follow the race by eating a
big meal. Mashed potatoes
and ham were her favorite
Thanksgiving foods, she
said, which she admitted
were too heavy for a pre-
run meal.
Another
HHS
run-
ner, Zach Turner was at
the event. He was with his
dad, Mike Turner. The high
Ben Lonergan/Hermiston Herald
Runners navigate the Oxbow Trail on Thursday, Nov. 25, 2021,
during the Hermiston Athletic Club Turkey Trot in Hermiston.
schooler said he started
running in middle school
and fell in love with it ever
since. On Thanksgiving,
then, he wanted to express
his gratitude.
“I’m thankful that we get
to come out here as a com-
munity,” the younger Turner
said. “And I’m thankful
to the organizers who put
this on.”
Law enforcement looking for
missing Boardman woman
Hermiston Herald
Multiple sheriff ’s offi ces in Eastern
Oregon are on the lookout for a woman
missing from Boardman.
Frontier Regional 911 in Condon
reported the sheriff ’s offi ces of Wheeler,
Morrow and Grant counties are look-
ing for 22-year-old Autumn Jones of
Boardman.
Jones is 5 feet, 10 inches tall, weighs
300 pounds and drives a bright red 2014
Volkswagen Jetta Wagon TDI with an
expired Washington state temporary reg-
istration in the rear window. The vehi-
cle also has dealer plates from “All-Star
Cars” on the rear plate area, according to
the notifi cation.
Jones was wearing a black Riverside
T-shirt, black sweatshirt, black tennis
shoes and possibly wearing a black Car-
Frontier Regional 911/Contributed Image
Frontier Regional 911 in Condon reports
Autumn Jones, 22, of Boardman, is missing.
She drives a bright red 2014 Volkswagen
Jetta Wagon TDI. The sheriff ’s offi ces of
Wheeler, Morrow and Grant counties are
looking for Jones.
hartt coat. Her last known location was
on Highway 19 east of Spray at about
1:30 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 28.
If you have had contact with Jones or
have seen the vehicle, call the non-emer-
gency Frontier number, 541-384-2080.