HERMISTON
HERALD
Wednesday, July 27, 2022
EasternOregonMarketplace.com
HIGH HEAT PROMPTS
GO! EASTERN OREGON
JULY 27–AUG. 3, 2022
HermistonHerald.com
WWW.GOEASTERNOREGON.COM
Slice into
Watermelon
Festival
PAGE 3
Enjoy
Music on
the Deck
PAGE 7
Festival
All aboard
Take a
train ride
FUN
PAGE 12
NORTH POWDER HUCKLEBERRY
FESTIVAL EXPANDS TO TWO DAYS
The Observer, File
Willie Thompson, a member of
The Peak team, returns the ball
at the mud volleyball competition
during the 2021 North Powder
PAGE 8
Huckleberry Festival.
Arts & Events in
Eastern Oregon
Popular magazine spotlights the best in local
entertainment. Inside, for subscribers only.
SCHOOLS
Yasser Marte/Hermiston Herald
Opportunity
National conference gives special chance to
Hermiston students. A6
MORROW COUNTY
Two ambulance
services fight it
out on Facebook
BY PHIL WRIGHT
Hermiston Herald
Morrow County Health District and Boardman
Fire Rescue District on Monday, July 25, threw so-
cial medial jabs at each other over who can handle
emergency calls for ambulance service.
Morrow County Health District in a post on
Facebook contended the Ambulance Service Area
Plan for the county designates the health district as
the ambulance service provider for all of Morrow
County, and Boardman Fire has been ignoring that.
“BFRD is engaging in a practice known as call
jumping, where multiple providers responded to
a single incident,” according to the health district’s
post. “In Oregon, call jumping is illegal. The state of
Oregon has determined that this practice presents
risks to the public and patients that do not outweigh
the benefits of the action.”
The health district and the Morrow County EMS
Advisory Committee on April 27 even issued a de-
termination against Boardman Fire and Rescue
District Chief Michael Hughes’ request to change
the plan and allow Boardman Fire to respond to
all calls within its district, which covers an area of
330 square miles. That determination also called
out Boardman Fire District for “a failure to adhere
to appropriate protocol and procedure,” which in-
cluded “patient confidentiality violations in public
forums,” members of the fire district “disparaging
health district ambulance crew in public” and “en-
gaging in a public campaign to undermine the rep-
utation” of Morrow County ambulance staff and the
health district board.
See, Ambulances/Page A9
STATE OF
EMERGENCY
Hermiston’s highs to reach 110,
112 and 111 on consecutive days
BY JOHN TILLMAN
Hermiston Herald
Gov. Kate Brown issued a state of emer-
gency Tuesday, July 26, for most of Oregon
“due to extreme high temperatures causing a
threat to life, health and infrastructure.” The
declaration covers Umatilla and Morrow
counties.
The day before, the National Weather Ser-
vice issued an urgent excessive heat warning
through July 29 at 11 p.m.
Temperatures that could range above 100
degrees for the next six days have been fore-
cast across the state. High temperatures July 26
for Pendleton could exceed 100 degree while
Hermiston could reach 107. The Weather Ser-
vice also forecast highs in Hermiston of 110 for
July 27, 116 for July 28 and 111 for July 29.
Top: Children splash and swim Tuesday, July 26,
2022, at the Hermiston Family Aquatic Center.
Gov. Kate Brown issued a state of emergency
July 26 for most of Oregon “due to extreme high
temperatures causing a threat to life, health and
infrastructure.” The declaration covers Umatilla
and Morrow counties.
Yasser Marte/Hermiston Herald
Hermiston plans no cooling centers, but
urges residents to beat the heat in the library,
235 E. Gladys Ave., open daytime until 7 p.m.,
Assistant City Manager Mark Morgan said.
See, Heat/Page A9
Police nab Hermiston man in connection to burglary
Demus Montez was last
of three suspects police
were looking for
BY DICK MASON, ISABELLA CROWLEY
AND SHANNON GOLDEN
EO Media Group
The arrest of a Hermiston man
who is the suspect in an attempted
burglary in Union County and police
chase brought an end to a dramatic
manhunt.
Demus Montez, 36, evaded offi-
cers following the events July 17 that
started in Island City. Police finally
caught up with Montez during the
early morning hours of July 19. Mon-
tez was identified by a motorist who
reported seeing an individual wear-
ing a black hooded sweatshirt crawl
out of a field outside Elgin, accord-
ing to Union County Sheriff Cody
Bowen. Police scanner traffic indi-
cated the caller reported the individ-
ual was walking on Highway 82 near
the Elgin Stampede grounds.
Deputies arrived, took Montez
into custody and booked him into
the Union County Jail on charges of
attempted murder, first-degree at-
tempted robbery, unlawful use of a
weapon, felon in possession of a fire-
arm, criminal mischief, reckless en-
dangering and misdemeanor fleeing.
BUSINESS & AG
Montez joined Jessica Spalinger,
31, of Walla Walla, Washington, and
Ashtin Romine, 26, of Clarkston,
Washington, who were arrested
around 10 p.m. July 17 in connection
with the episode that began with the
attempted burglary July 17 of Bulls-
eye Muzzleloader’s and More, Island
City.
“I’m glad that they got him,” Bulls-
eye owner Rick Gorte said. “He was a
danger to our community.”
FENDING OFF TWO MASKED MEN
Gorte was cleaning up shattered
glass July 17 following a break-in at
his gun store the night before.
He said around 2:30 p.m. two
masked men attempted to enter the
shattered glass door of his store. He,
four family members and two friends
with him in his shop yelled at the
men who then fled. The two ran and
entered a white sedan — later identi-
fied as a 2005 KIA Spectra — parked
west of the gun shop. Gorte’s daugh-
ter, Randi Jo Shafer, stood in front
of the sedan to stop it from leaving.
Its driver, identified later during an
interview with Oregon State Police
detectives as Spalinger, attempted to
run over Shafer, Gorte said, but she
leaped onto the hood of the sedan
before being thrown off as the vehi-
cle’s driver sped away.
See, Burglary/Page A9
OUTSKIRTS
Boardman
Dairy
Easterday Dairy sues to get out
of deal to buy Boardman farm.
A7
Echo
Column from Echo high schooler
on what makes her town special.
A8
GOOD SHEPHERD HEALTH CARE SYSTEM
Summer is here! Make sure kids
learn these 5 water survival skills:
n
Step or jump into water over their head and return to
the surface
n
Float or tread water for one minute
n
Turn around in a full circle and find an exit from the water
n
Combine breathing with forward movement in the water
n
Exit from the water without using the ladder
Reach out to Good Shepherd’s
Community Health & Outreach
Department for more information
or to be fitted for a FREE Children’s
Life Jacket: 541-667-3509 or
healthinfo@gshealth.org
www.gshealth.org