My desk is about as messy as it ever is. My cell phone, a digital recorder, a notepad and a loose pen are all carelessly strewn about it. Some scrap paper lies there, too, and I haven’t dusted in days. But, hey, I’ve been busy.

As busy as I am as editor of the Hermiston Herald, though, there are people and organizations who are even busier. We covered those people in a recent issue of the paper. This week, I’d like to give them a shout-out.

When the Shearer’s Foods plant in Hermiston burned, Val Hoxie was one of the people who jumped into action. Her Hermiston Chamber of Commerce teamed up with the city of Hermiston to organize a job fair.

Meant to help the 231 plant workers who were laid off from Shearer’s, the fair attracted nearly 50 employers.

Not only were there former Shearer’s workers at the fair, many other unemployed people attended. Hoxie estimated up to 300 people were in attendance, though the actual number could have been higher.

Seeing the effort that people put into this fair was heartwarming.

This was not the only positive work being done in town, though.

Held in the Hermiston Community Center, the same building that housed the job fair, the Hermiston City Council approved a new housing project.

Called The Hayfields, this new development will add 1,300 new homes to Hermiston.

As anyone in Hermiston can tell you, the area is in desperate need for housing. Rents are going up, as is our population, and there are people who are being priced out of here.

The Hayfields, when completed, will give us a variety of new homes, including apartments. We also will receive new parks and schools.

Also in the news, Mathew Combe was selected to succeed Dirk Dirksen as Morrow County School District superintendent. Combe is a familiar face, as he is a school principal in the district.

We wish him well in the position, and hope that he can keep his desk cleaner than mine.