PHOTO CONTRIBUTED BY JUDY FORDICE Hermiston assistant city manager Mark Morgan presents a donation from the Hermiston Rotary Club to Virginia Beebe and Irene Miller of the Harkenrider Senior Activity Center.

Hermiston will be missing a holiday tradition this year after the Hermiston Seventh-Day Adventist Church announced it will not be holding its live nativity Journey to Bethlehem this year.

The church at 855 W Highland Avenue was gutted by a fire in June, and an announcement on the church’s Facebook page stated that the event would be canceled this year as a result.

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The annual holiday concert of the Inland Northwest Musicians is Saturday, Dec. 8 at the Echo Community Center. “The Carols of Christmas” features the orchestra and chorale performing holiday music, including traditional and contemporary songs.

Although there is no admission charge, due to the popularity of past holiday concerts, it is highly recommended that people make reservations. Contact 541-289-4696 or inwm@machmedia.net. See next week’s Hermiston Herald for a story about the event.

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Representatives from the Harkenrider Senior Activity Center graciously accepted a $5,000 donation during its Nov. 13 senior lunch.

Mark Morgan, Hermiston’s assistant city manager and a member of the Hermiston Rotary Club, presented the check on behalf of the club.

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Midwife Catherine O’Brien, DNP, CNM has joined the Good Shepherd Women’s Center team.

O’Brien has been a nurse for more than 30 years and has a Master of Science in Murse-Midwifery and a Doctor of Nurse Practice degree, according to a news release from Good Shepherd Health Care System.

She was living in Spokane Valley, Wash. previously and said she chose to come to Hermiston because she always had a desire to serve women in a rural community. She joins Kelli Stephenson as the women’s center’s second midwife, and said the fact that Stepenson also studied at Frontier Nursing University was another factor in her decision to move.

O’Brien is welcoming new patients to the Good Shepherd Women’s Center located at the Good Shepherd Medical Plaza at 620 NW 11th Street in Hermiston. To schedule an appointment call 541-667-3801, or established patients may request an appointment through your MyHealth Patient Portal or app.

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It’s the season of giving — and of taking things that belong to someone else.

Law enforcement is warning people who ordered holiday gifts online or are sending them to loved ones via mail to beware of package thieves, who are out in force this time of year. Hermiston Police Department posted tips on their Facebook page for foiling criminals, including a recommendation to install a home video surveillance system if possible.

Major shippers, such as the U.S. Postal Service, UPS and FedEx all offer tracking services that can help keep a valuable package from being left on a porch unattended for long. The apps, accessible by smartphone or on the shippers’ website, in some cases allow you to choose when a package is delivered, get notifications for when a package is delivered and provide delivery instructions. When possible, ask for packages to be left somewhere less visible, such as behind a fence or inside a shed.

Other tips for preventing package theft include requiring a signature on delivery, shopping local, purchasing a lockbox and having a package delivered to a more secure location such as your place of work or a trusted friend. If you’re sending someone a package, make sure they know it’s on its way.

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The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife announced it will host another wolf plan meeting on Tuesday in Pendleton.

The meeting is from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Oxford Inn and Suites, 2400 S.W. Court Place, and professional facilitator Deb Nudelman will lead the meeting, which is about the wolf plan review and update. The state’s Fish and Wildlife Commission earlier this year postponed the final adoption of the plan to conduct more outreach to get more consensus from stakeholders.

ODFW invited stakeholders “deeply involved” with the update to attend. The meeting also will be open to the public, though seating is limited.