Autumn brings cooler weather, fewer hours of daylight and, of course, festivals. And this week Community Editor Tammy Malgesini brought us a preview of the 10th annual Harvest Festival in Boardman that’s happening Oct. 7. The festival is expected to feature “high quality, regionally produced agricultural goods and handmade artisan crafts” from about 30 vendors.

Tammy also covered Stanfield Elementary School putting to use its $7,575 grant it got from the Wildhorse Foundation for a Renaissance Accelerated Reader Program. The program helps students assess their reading levels and assists them in selecting books that interest them and on their comprehension level.

And while on the subject of schools, Reporter Daneli Atilano gave us a story about the Hermiston School District Board of Education’s special meeting Monday night. At the meeting, the Portland-based Hacienda Community Development Corp. presented a housing development idea to serve Hermiston’s low-income population. The Hacienda CDC is a nonprofit that specializes in providing affordable housing. 

And affordable housing is something the next Hermiston mayor will probably have to deal with. But for now, people considering running for mayor, or for municipal judge, can file their candidacies for the May 21, 2024 election. The mayor’s term is four years from Jan. 1, 2025 to Dec. 31, 2028. The judicial term is Jan. 1, 2025 to Dec. 31, 2026.

But not all the news is on the lighter side. I wrote a story about a 16-year-old juvenile who received minor injury in a shooting on Friday, Sept. 22, near the 1500 block of N.E. 10th St. The shooting involved one vehicle shooting at another. Unfortunately, witnesses did not give much cooperation to Hermiston police.

Daneli also provided an update on a 73-year-old Umatilla man whom Hermiston police arrested recently for sexual abuse and sodomy charges. He pleaded not guilty at a Sept. 20 preliminary hearing and was still being held at the Umatilla County jail.

And with the Umatilla mention, I wrote a story about the Umatilla Police Department preparing for an unclaimed property purge. The UPD has given people until Oct. 9 to file a claim on property in the UPD’s possession. Any unclaimed property will either be destroyed, trashed or sold at auction.

It’s all part of the Hermiston Herald’s efforts, both in print and online, to keep you informed about the latest happenings throughout Umatilla and Morrow counties. As always, if you have a news tip to share or want to ask a question about our news coverage, drop a note to me at tsnell@hermistonherald.com.

And, finally, let me take this opportunity to thank our subscribers: We simply would be unable to do this vital work without your support. 

Travis Snell is the editor for the Hermiston Herald.