COMMUNITY
A6 • HERMISTONHERALD.COM
WEDNESDAY, JULY 6, 2022
Wyden welcomes end to
proposal to reduce care for
Eastern Oregon Veterans
Hermiston Herald
Hermiston Herald, File
Gabriella Osario Ursua, Anjelica Osario Ursua, Cydnee Landing, Alejandro Osario Ursua and Yesenia Ursua
enjoy lunch on June 13, 2014, during the summer food service program at Victory Square Park, Hermiston.
Hermiston Parks and Recreation in 2022 is coordinating Food, Friends & Fun, which offers a free mid-day
meal during the summer months to youths at several Hermiston parks.
U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden an-
nounced the proposal to make
the Jonathan M. Wainwright
Memorial VA Medical Center
in Walla Walla an outpatient
clinic is coming to an end.
Wyden
in a press
release
Wednesday,
June 29, said
he welcomed
the news this
week that
Wyden
Senate Vet-
erans’ Af-
fairs Committee Chairman Jon
Tester, D-Montana, U.S. Sen.
Patty Murray, D-Washington
and a bipartisan group of sen-
ators will block the veterans
Asset and Infrastructure Re-
view Commission’s proposals
to reclassify the Walla Walla
veterans facility as a communi-
ty-based outpatient clinic and
to move its 31-bed residential
rehabilitation treatment pro-
gram 180 miles north of Walla
Walla to Spokane.
This comes as Wyden has
been pressing the Veterans
Administration through town
halls he hosted for Eastern Or-
egon veterans, their families
and veterans service providers
to ask top VA officials about
proposed VA cuts and service
changes that would have gone
to the AIR Commission for
consideration.
Wyden shared Eastern Or-
egon veterans’ concerns at a
June 4 town hall about VA rec-
ommendations to the Walla
Walla VA medical center.
“What I heard earlier this
month from veterans in
Umatilla, Union, Wallowa,
Baker and Morrow counties
was their deep and well-justi-
fied concern about how these
proposals would undercut
the quality and accessible
care they earned with their
service to our country,” said
Wyden, who also wrote a let-
ter last month to the VA de-
tailing the rural Oregon vet-
erans’ concerns. “The end to
the process that could have
led to poorer and more dis-
tant care for Eastern Oregon
veterans is good news, and
I’ll continue to advocate for
these rural veterans to ensure
these ill-considered propos-
als don’t resurface.”
Former Hermiston School
Free summer lunch program
District employee sues
feed youths at Hermiston parks
over pandemic mandates
Hermiston Herald
Hermiston Parks and Recre-
ation is partnering with the Or-
egon Department of Education
to coordinate Food, Friends &
Fun.
The free mid-day meal sum-
mer food service program
is available to those 18 and
younger on a first-come basis.
The meals are provided during
the summer months Monday
through Friday at four loca-
tions:
• 11:30 a.m. to noon — Sun-
set Park, 1100 N.E. Fourth St.,
and the Hermiston Family
Aquatic Center, 879 W. Elm
Ave.
•12:15-12:30 p.m. — Butte
Park, 1210 N.W. Seventh St.,
and Victory Square Park, 150
S.W. 10th St.
With the pandemic waiver
expiring, “grab and go” meals
are not available. The pro-
gram guidelines require that
lunches are eaten onsite. For
more information, call 541-
667-5018.
█
Contact community writer
Tammy Malgesini at tmalgesini@
eastoregonian.com or 541-564-4532.
OBRC, Oregon BottleDrop website
announce 2022 Hidden Bottle Hunt
Hermiston Herald
The Oregon Beverage Re-
cycling Cooperative is hosting
the 2022 Hidden Bottle Hunt
from Wednesday, July 6, to Fri-
day, July 10, by hiding six com-
memorative bottles in parks
and trails throughout the state.
Clues for the statewide hunt
will be available daily on the
Oregon BottleDrop website,
www.bottledropcenters.com,
leading treasure hunters to the
final hiding places.
“Last year’s Hidden Bottle
Hunt was the first of its kind,
hosted to celebrate the 50th
anniversary of the Oregon
Bottle Bill,” said Eric Cham-
bers, external relations direc-
tor for OBRC, the not-for-
profit cooperative that serves
as the operational steward of
the Bottle Bill and operates
the BottleDrop network. “It
was so much fun and was so
successful at raising awareness
about the legacy of Oregon’s
Bottle Bill that we decided to
do it again.”
Like last year, the 2022
Hidden Bottle Hunt com-
prises six separate, simulta-
neous hunts, geographically
dispersed in parks and trails
across Oregon. OBRC will re-
lease one clue per bottle per
day, leading hunters to the
final hiding spots. The lucky
winners will get to keep the
commemorative bottle and
select a BottleDrop Given
on profit partner to receive
a $1,000 donation through
BottleDrop’s Containers for
Change program. More than
5,000 nonprofits across Ore-
gon raise funds for their or-
ganizations through Bottle-
Drop’s Give program.
July marks the 51st anni-
versary of the Oregon Bottle
Bill, which Gov. Tom McCall
signed into law July 2, 1971.
It established the nation’s first
beverage container redemption
system, and it has helped keep
Oregon clean and litter free for
more than five decades. Ore-
gon’s Bottle Bill also is among
the most successful in the na-
tion. In 2021, OBRC’s redemp-
tion rate was 83.9%, with Or-
egonians returning nearly two
billion containers for Grade-A
domestic recycling.
“Our Hidden Bottle Hunt
will be a fun opportunity for
individuals and families to get
outside and connect closely
with the Bottle Bill’s mission
of protecting public spaces,”
Chambers said. “Best of all,
the winners get to ‘redeem’
their bottle for a nice dona-
tion to one of over 5,000 par-
ticipating nonprofits serving
communities across Oregon.”
BY ANTONIO ARREDONDO
Hermiston Herald
A former Hermiston School
District employee is suing
the district for more than
$300,000, claiming discrim-
ination for having to wear
a mask due to pandemic
safety measures.
Jennifer Morrell of
Hermiston, who worked
for the district for nearly
20 years, cites emotional
damages and lost wages as
reasons for the lawsuit. At-
torney Brent Smith of La
Grande filed the complaint
for Morrell on June 17 in
Umatilla County Circuit
Court.
According to the docu-
ment, Morrell notified the
school on Dec. 7, 2020,
about a medical condition
that prevented her from
wearing the state-required
face mask. She and the dis-
trict agreed she could wear
a face shield instead, and
Morrell did so for nearly a
year.
This changed in August
2021 when the Hermiston
School District required
vaccination for all employ-
ees, of which Morrell had
“sincerely held religious be-
liefs which prevented her
from receiving a COVID-19
vaccination,” according to
the complaint, which also
questions the efficiency of
COVID-19 vaccinations.
Medical studies have re-
peatedly demonstrated the
vaccines are effective in
preventing COVID-19 or
decreasing the severity of
the disease’s symptoms.
Following meetings dis-
cussing her religious be-
liefs, the lawsuit accuses
the district of offering only
demotions in return. Mor-
rell, who had recovered
from COVID-19, claimed
the response was not in line
with the treatment other
unvaccinated employees re-
ceived. The lawsuit asserts
the district’s actions “were
not motivated by health or
safety concerns but were re-
taliation” against her due to
We have
Honor Trees
as Memorials
HERMISTON FAMILY MEDICINE
& URGENT CARE
Give a lasting memorial or tribute in
remembrance of someone you love.
Name a tree in his or her honor.
Call 541-667-3419
Associates
CLINIC CLOSING JULY 15TH
Please come get refills, medical records
and pay accounts
DOG AND KITT
E
N
FOSTERS NEED
ED!
DIRECTORY
St. Johns
Episcopal Church
Join Us
N.E. Gladys Ave & 7th, Hermiston
541-567-6672
JOIN OUR INCLUSIVE
CONGREGATION
ON OUR JOURNEY WITH JESUS
Services 9:00am Sundays
In-person or streaming
on Facebook or Zoom
Our Lady of Angels
Catholic Church
565 W. HERMISTON AVE.
LANDMARK BAPTIST
CHURCH
NEW BEGINNINGS
125 E. Beech Ave. • 567-3232
Sun. Bible Classes...................10:00am
Sun. Worship Service..............11:00am
Sun. Evening Worship..............5:00pm
Tues. Creation Club (Sept-May)..4:30pm
Wed. Prayer & Bible Study......5:00pm
Worship Service 10:30 AM
Sunday School 9:00 AM
Pastor J.C. Barnett
Children’s Church &
Nursery Available
700 West Orchard Avenue
P.O. Box 933
Hermiston, Oregon
www.hermistonlmbc.com
541-289-4774
Iglesia Católica Nuestra
Señora de los Ángeles
First Christian Church
565 W. HERMISTON AVE.
“Grow Your Faith Through God”
Pastor David Dever
Fuzzball is also in need
of KMR kitten formula
and kitten food.
Small and Large Animal Care
Mon: 8-6
Tue - Fri: 8-5
Sat: 8-12
Emergency Service
541.567.1138
80489 Hwy 395 N
Hermiston
www.oregontrailvet.com
GOOD SHEPHERD
COMMUNITY HEALTH
FOU N DATION
Church
New
Ownership Family
under Health
Mark Sargent, DVM • Brent Barton, DVM
Robert Thonney, DVM • Jana Parks, DVM, cVMA
her medical conditions and
religious beliefs.
Morrell left the school
district under an extended
Family and Medical Leave
Act in November 2021 and
remained on leave until her
resignation on March 22.
The lawsuit also claims
during her time with the
school district, the district
“did not make a good-faith
effort” to accommodate
Morrell’s beliefs. Once
vaccinations became re-
quired, instead of allowing
her to continue wearing a
face shield, the document
claims the district required
Morrell to wear an N-95
mask.
In addition to $4,950 in
lost wages, Morrell seeks
an additional $300,000 in
damages for “emotional
pain and suffering, inconve-
nience, mental anguish and
loss of enjoyment of life.”
Hermiston School Dis-
trict reported it does not
comment on pending liti-
gation.
Due to the
COVID-19
pandemic, animal
shelters need
our help more
than ever. Please
donate to your
local shelter, or
offer to foster an
animal in need.
If interested please go to fuzzballrescue.com and fill out an application.
If you are not able to adopt, but would like to foster or donate, visit fuzzballrescue.com
or you can mail in donations to Fuzz Ball Animal Rescue, PO Box 580, Hermiston, OR 97838
CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP
Sunday School...9:00 am
Worship Service...10:30 am
567-3013
775 W. Highland Ave., Hermiston
Seventh-day
Adventist Church
Saturdays
Sabbath School........9:30 a.m.
Worship Service......11:00 a.m.
English & Spanish Services
541-567-8241
855 W. Highland Ave.
Hermiston, OR 97838
COME WORSHIP
WITH US AT THE
COUNTRY
CHURCH
Sundays at 11:00am
32742 Diagonal Rd.
Hermiston, OR
To advertise in the Church Directory, please contact
Audra Workman 541-564-4538 or email aworkman@eastoregonian.com