LOCAL
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 30, 2022
HERMISTONHERALD.COM • A3
Hermiston starting to feel the eff ects of rising gas prices
By ERICK PETERSON
Hermiston Herald
As gas prices rise, some East-
ern Oregon government offi cials are
starting to take notice.
In Hermiston, regular unleaded is
creeping up around the mid-$4 per
gallon for regular unleaded. Diesel
is around a dollar more per gallon.
The AAA Gas Prices website,
gasprices.aaa.com, listed the aver-
age price of gas in Umatilla County
as between approximately $4.39 to
$4.58 per gallon, lower than most of
the state.
The average price for regu-
lar unleaded in Oregon on Friday,
March 25, according to the web-
site, was approximately $4.72 per
gallon. The same website listed the
per gallon price for the same gas as
approximately $4.01 a month ago
and $3.16 a year ago.
“From a straight city operations
perspective, we’re certainly tak-
ing those things into account in our
budgeting for the upcoming year
for fuel costs of operating vehicles,
Erick Peterson/Hermiston Herald
Ezekiel Murguia drives a truck as he works on a project at the Hermiston
Municipal Airport. Laborers were milling and grinding the old asphalt at
the airport on a $2 million project Thursday, March 24, 2022. This project
“will certainly see some cost escalations” because of rising fuel prices,
according to Mark Morgan, assistant city manager.
but where we’re really feeling it the
most is in some of our capital con-
struction projects,” Mark Morgan,
Hermiston’s assistant city manager,
said.
He explained that the city was
recently notifi ed of a diesel fuel sur-
charge for asphalt for the foresee-
able future.
Projects like paving, he said,
are very oil-intensive and are “cer-
tainly seeing more infl ation than
others.”
“One of the ways that we man-
age that is that if we start to feel
pressure on a price is that we will
break a project down into compo-
nent parts, and try to identify what
are the most critical parts, then when
we bid the project, we will list some
of the smaller parts as alternatives,”
he said. “That way, we have the abil-
ity to complete the core project on
budget by just jettisoning some of
those extra components that might
be able to be pushed off for some-
thing in the future.”
He added that, when taking this
approach, “you also always have to
be cognizant of whether that part
that you’re pushing off to the future
may actually come down in price
in the future, or you may be shoot-
ing yourself in the foot by making it
more complicated and more expen-
sive in the future.”
Gas prices, then, are a growing
consideration for the city. Accord-
ing to Jason Edmiston, Hermiston
chief of police, his department, too,
is aff ected, though he added that
offi cers “have not changed our prac-
tices or services per se.”
“I have encouraged our offi cers
to be more cognizant about vehicles
left running for extended periods,”
he said.
“We take great pride — as the
larger expense to the City General
Fund — to ensure we are under
budget each year,” the chief stated.
“As of today, we are 6.4% over bud-
get in fuel which equates to roughly
one month of usage. This year will
be the fi rst in a long time where I
will be requesting a supplemental
increase to off set that defi cit.”
Hermiston police are not the only
ones thinking about pump prices, as
Umatilla’s police chief is paying
attention, too.
“All I have done with my staff
is to make them aware of the ris-
ing costs and asked them to mini-
mize usage when they can but right
now our operations have not been
aff ected,” Darla Huxel, Umatilla
Police chief, said.
Merkley speaks to Umatilla County at virtual town hall
Health care and Russia were
among the discussion topics
on March 22
By ANTONIO SIERRA
Hermiston Herald
COVID-19 may be transition-
ing to an endemic phase, but health
care still was on the top of many
Umatilla County residents’ minds
at a Tuesday, March 22, virtual
town hall hosted by U.S. Sen. Jeff
Merkley.
“I am sick and tired of COVID.
I’m hoping we’re at the end of the
tunnel,” he said. “We thought this a
year ago and it turned out omicron
was waiting for us.”
Good Shepherd Health Care
System CEO Brian Sims said
he was concerned rural hospi-
tals wouldn’t have the infrastruc-
ture to handle the next health cri-
sis should it occur. Merkley said he
was pushing legis-
lation that would
direct
money
toward preparation
for further muta-
tions of the virus.
“I feel like
Merkley
it’s carrying an
umbrella,” he said.
“(When you) carry an umbrella, it
won’t rain. I’m hoping if we pre-
pare right, we won’t get a danger-
ous new mutation.”
In addition to housing and
aff ordable child care, Cathy Put-
nam, a board member for Agape
House, said there were plenty of
county residents in need of men-
tal health services but not many
places to provide them.
Besides hiring more school
counselors, Merkley said he would
like to see a public education cam-
paign about the negative eff ects
of electronics, which he said were
preventing youth from developing
social skills.
Greg Goad of Pendleton told
Merkley that Pendleton was suff er-
ing from the eff ects of pharmacy
consolidation. With Bi-Mart clos-
ing its pharmacy last year, Pendle-
ton has only three pharmacies, and
Goad said wait times for prescrip-
tions had increased signifi cantly
since then.
“What about next year if they
do it again?” he said. “If we get
down to one supplier, I’m afraid
that costs are going to go through
the roof.”
Merkley said he needed to study
the issue more closely to determine
why pharmacies were closing, but
he added the economy was becom-
ing too centralized among large
corporations.
Briana Spencer, an enrolled
member of the Confederated
Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Res-
ervation, asked Merkley what he
would do to advance treaty rights
Hermiston principal a fi nalist
for Pendleton superintendent
Hermiston Herald
Kevin Headings, the
principal of West Park Ele-
mentary School in Hermis-
ton, is a fi nalist for the top
job in the Pendleton School
District.
Four months into its
superintendent search, the
district is down to two
candidates.
On Thursday, March 31,
the district will host fi nalists
Headings and Kim Casey to
introduce themselves to the
community. Each fi nalist
will get 45 minutes to talk
about themselves and fi eld
questions from the public
3:30-5:15 p.m. at the district
offi ce, 107 N.W. 10th St.
Headings got his bach-
elor’s degree from Bethel
College in Kansas, where
he also started his teach-
ing career as a middle
school teacher. He soon
transitioned his education
career to Oregon, working
as a teacher in the Leba-
non School District and for
Western Mennonite High
School in Salem.
Headings started his
career in public school
administration as a K-6
principal in Stanfi eld in
2005. Headings ascended to
the superintendent position
in 2009 and led Stanfi eld for
several years before mov-
ing to West Park in 2013,
where he’s remained ever
since. He holds a master’s
degree in educational lead-
ership from the University
of Oregon.
Casey is the principal of
Grandview High School in
Grandview, Washington.
Casey is based out of
Grandview, a town of nearly
11,000 people situated half-
way between Kennewick
and Yakima. She got her
start as a high school busi-
ness education teacher,
but also taught at the post-
secondary level through
stints as an adult education
teacher at Yakima Valley
College and as an adjunct
professor at Eastern Wash-
ington University.
Casey transitioned to
administration in 2013
when she became prin-
Headings
Casey
cipal of Compass High
School, Grandview’s alter-
native high school, and then
took over Grandview High
School two years later. She
holds bachelor’s and mas-
ter’s degrees from Central
Washington University, a
master’s degree in business
administration from the
University of Phoenix and is
and ensure the Confederated Tribes
of Warm Springs had long-term
access to water. The Central Ore-
gon tribes recently issued an emer-
gency conservation order after a
fi re shut down its water treatment
plant.
With prices remaining high after
a recent surge, Umatilla Mayor
Mary Dedrick asked what Merkley
is doing to lower gas prices.
In the short term, Merkley said
there’s not too much that can be
done. While the U.S. is releasing
oil from its strategic reserve, it’s
unlikely to make a dent in prices at
the pump since the market for oil is
set globally. Long term, the surge
in gas prices should provide the
country with an impetus to transi-
tion away from fossil fuels, a move
that could potentially hurt Russian
president Vladimir Putin.
“If the world gets off of fossil
fuels, they won’t be able to make
nearly so much money,” he said.
“Russia would never have under-
taken this invasion of Ukraine
if they hadn’t built up a massive
foreign reserve based on selling
petroleum.”
Merkley spent a good portion
of the town hall criticizing Putin
for the invasion of Ukraine and
he also fi elded a question from
Spencer about Brittney Griner, the
WNBA player who was detained
by Russian authorities while play-
ing in the country and has yet to be
released.
Spencer wanted to know how
Americans should balance draw-
ing attention to the situation with
trying to ensure her safety while
she remains detained.
Merkley said drawing attention
to Griner’s detainment could fur-
ther damage Putin’s reputation, but
noted the kind of man the U.S. was
dealing with.
“I doubt he’s inclined to be very
helpful,” he said.
Road rage killer gets 25 years in prison
By PHIL WRIGHT
Hermiston Herald
working on her superinten-
dent credential from Wash-
ington State University.
The Pendleton School
Board will deliberate about
the candidates following the
fi nal round of interviews and
could make a decision on
April 1 at the earliest. The
board expects to formally
hire a new superintendent at
its April 11 board meeting.
Both Headings and Casey
are vying to replace Super-
intendent Chris Fritsch,
who announced his impend-
ing retirement in November.
The new superintendent is
expected to start their posi-
tion on July 1.
The Washington man
who murdered a driver
near Hermiston in June
2020 is going to prison for
at least 25 years.
Jaime Farfan, 26, of
Mesa, Washington, on Feb.
23 pleaded guilty to sec-
ond-degree murder in the
shooting death of Tracey
Scott Medows, 29, of Hood
River. Circuit Judge Dan
Hill on March 23, in Uma-
tilla County Circuit Court,
Hermiston, sentenced Far-
fan to 25 years in prison
before he will be eligible
for parole.
Umatilla County Dis-
trict Attorney Dan Primus
said Farfan killed Medows
out of road rage.
Medows on June 20,
2022, was driving on Inter-
state 84 when he called 911
to report the driver in front
of him was brake-checking
and driving erratic, Primus
said. Medows tried to get
away and pulled off at I-82
and Lamb Road.
Umatilla County Sheriff
Terry Rowan said Medows
provided
dispatchers
descriptions of the vehi-
cle and suspect and also
used his cellphone to video
Farfan.
Officers
found
Medows’ body after 8:30
that night following a
report of a man need-
ing medical attention. He
died from being shot.
The sheriff ’s offi ce
advised local law enforce-
ment about the scenario,
and police in Washing-
ton arrested Farfan within
hours. Tri-Cities news out-
lets reported Farfan was
involved in a road rage
incident June 7 in the Rich-
land area.
Primus explained Far-
fan’s guilty plea came out
of a settlement conference,
and the sentence is as harsh
as Oregon law allows.
“That’s the max sen-
tence for murder in the sec-
ond-degree,” he said.
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