WINNER OF THE 2020 ONPA GENERAL EXCELLENCE AWARD
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2022
HermistonHerald.com
EasternOregonMarketplace.com
Antonio Sierra/Hermiston Herald
CRASHES
ON THE
MOUNTAIN
Emergency crews respond to the scene of
a mass crash involving 170 vehicles Monday,
Feb. 21, 2022, on Interstate 84 about 21 miles
east of Pendleton.
Series of crashes stretched 1.75 miles along Interstate 84
in Eastern Oregon, involved more than 170 vehicles
T
he Hyatt family on Monday, Feb. 21, was heading west on
Interstate 84, bound for their home in Yelm, Washington,
when they became involved in one of the biggest traffic
smash-ups in Eastern Oregon in years.
Marjorie, a kindergarten assistant, her
husband, Carter Hyatt, a vocational ther-
apist, and their son, Jacob, a sophomore
in high school, were returning from a trip
to Utah, where they were a part of their
daughter’s engagement, including pick-
ing out her dress and ring.
“We had a wonderful weekend,” Car-
ter said.
On the way back in their Nissan Path-
fi nder, they stopped in Boise to spend
the night of Feb. 20 with Jacob’s brother,
SHIP shapes up, grows
By ANDREW CUTLER, DICK MASON, ERICK PETERSON, ANTONIO SIERRA,
ALEX WITTWER and PHIL WRIGHT
EO Media Group
then headed out the morning of Feb. 21
for the fi nal leg of the trek home.
Marjorie was asleep, Jacob was in the
backseat watching one of “The Lord of
the Rings” movies and Carter was driv-
ing. He said they were going to stop at the
rest area at Deadman Pass, near milepost
229, when he saw jackknifed semitrailers
on the road ahead.
“I kind of swerved,” he recalled. “I
was able to miss a couple of cars and
trucks.”
But he tapped the brakes, he said, and
lost control of the car.
The front of their Nissan smashed into
the rear driver’s side of an Amazon semi-
trailer. The collision tore apart the front
of the car, and the engine ended up on the
asphalt.
But the Nissan’s safety features
worked well, Carter said. The air bags,
seat belts and crumple zones protected
the family.
“We’re all pretty much fi ne,” Marjo-
rie said.
The Hyatts were part of a series of
See Crashes / A8
Explosion, fi re at Shearer’s Foods
South Hermiston Industrial Park gets an expansion
By ERICK PETERSON
Hermiston Herald
Hermiston’s SHIP is a lot like the Millen-
nium Falcon from Star Wars — it might not
look like much right now, but it’s got it where
it counts.
That was the gist Wednesday, Feb. 16,
from Hermiston Assistant City Manager
Mark Morgan, who said the expansion of the
South Hermiston Industrial Park will mean a
great deal to Hermiston.
The $2 million expansion extended paved
road, water and sewer lines and upgraded
electrical power to the site west of High-
way 395 near the Walmart Distribution Cen-
ter, making the park shovel-ready. Parcels
range from 1.5-20 acres, depending on mar-
ket demand.
Morgan said this is the kind of develop-
ment businesses are looking for when they
consider moving to Hermiston. They want
INSIDE
ground, lots of it, he said. Sometimes, they
even want land for their suppliers to locate —
and this land should include infrastructure.
“As a healthy economic region, we want
to make sure that we can accommodate
large-scale industrial development as well
as smaller stuff ,” he said, and SHIP sets the
stage for such accommodation.
Early success
The city is holding a grand opening of
the expansion complete with ribbon cut-
ting March 4 at 12:15 p.m. at Cook Ave-
nue off Southeast 10th Street.
Though the SHIP expansion started
with a groundbreaking July 7, 2021, plan-
ning for the project took place in 2017 and
work began in 2018.
Morgan pulled out a map of the area
and described the planning. He said the
A3 Morrow School District bond
to be put on the ballot
See Industry / A8
Ben Lonergan/Hermiston Herald
Fire departments from throughout the area combat a blaze Tuesday afternoon, Feb. 22,
2022, at Shearer’s Foods off Highway 207 in Hermiston. The Umatilla County Sheriff ’s Offi ce
reported an explosion in a boiler room set off the blaze. Good Shepherd Medical Center,
Hermiston, reported receiving seven patients from the emergency, and none were in critical
or serious condition. For the latest version of this story, go to www.hermistonherald.com.
A6 Nazarene church plans fun
run to get diapers for those in need
A7 Neighbor Dudes crowns
popper royalty
A9 Hermiston seeks input on
broadband