After months of negotia-tions, highly publicized de-bates and communityreaction, Good ShepherdMedical Center and the Ore-gon Nurses Association havereached an agreement on athree-year union contract.

“In any negotiation there’ssignificant give and take onboth sides.That’s why a ne-gotiation of this complexitycan take several weeks,”Good Shepherd Public Rela-tions Director MarkEttesvold said Wednesday.“We feel that it’s a good bal-ance between our responsi-bility to our valuable nursingstaff and our responsibility tothe community to control the

cost of health care.”The new contract affects

all of the medical center’snurses -- about 25 percent ofthe facility’s staff. Tuesdaynight, the nurses “over-whelmingly” approved thenew agreement recom-mended by a negotiationteam.“There are changes,”

Ettesvold said. “Certainlywe’re going to increase the

hospital’s contribution to-ward health insurance premi-ums — by more than 20percent. There’s enhancededucation support and corescheduling improvements.”The agreement also in-

cludes pay increases in cer-tain work areas, such asweekend differential pay —nurses are paid a little morefor working on the weekends

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ARGICULTUREFINLEY’S FRESH PRODUCE SET FOR CSA REGISTRATIONPAGE B3

Routine traffic stop produces pot bust in Hermiston

A traffic stop in Hermistonon Monday resulted in an ar-rest for what police believe tobe a substantial amount ofmarijuana.Hermiston police arrested

Hermes Garduno Garcia, 19,following a traffic stop initi-ated by Officer Josh Roberts.Roberts stopped a 1994

Honda near E. Elm Street andN.E. 10th Street. A 16-year-old driver and Garcia wereinside the vehicle, and duringthe course of the stop, OfficerRoberts discovered approxi-mately seven ounces of whathe believed to be marijuana.Roberts took both the

driver and Garcia into cus-tody. Garcia was chargedwith unlawful posession ofmarijuana, endangering aminor and permitting the un-lawful operation of a motorvehicle.The driver of the car was

charged with operating amotor vehicle without a li-cense, carrying a concealedweapon (brass knuckles) andfailing to drive in the lane oftravel. The police have sentthe leafy substance to theOregon State Police Crime

Lon and Sheri Wadekam-per will almost certainly befirst in line to voice theiropinions during the publiccomment period that justopened for the City of Her-miston’s proposed recycledwastewater pipeline project.The Bureau of Reclama-

tion is seeking comment ontheir Draft EnvironmentalAssesment for the project.The comment period endsJan. 20.If the proposed plan is put

into action, the Wadekamperscould have a 1.5-mile stretchof their LGW ranch con-demned and taken under em-inent domain. The city hasplans to cut a 20-foot swathfor a new pipeline across theWadekamper ranch that willdeliver wastewater to theWest Extension IrrigationCanal. The Wadekamperswould also likely lose up to200 acres of pasture for theirbeef operation due to the city

LUKE HEGDAL PHOTO This is the proposed pathfor the City of Hermiston’srecycled water pipelineacross the Wadekampers’ranch. The land wouldlikely be taken under em-inent domain. The land ispart of the Wadekampers’ Anguscattle operation.

Publiccommentopens onpipelineproposalRancher could haveland condemned, losewater for irrigationBY LUKE HEGDALHERMISTON HERALD

BY HERALD STAFFHERMISTON HERALD

The City of Hermiston is inneed of a new wastewatertreatment plant, and the pricetag isn’t cheap.

In order to update the plantso that it can produce ClassA wastewater, the city willneed between $20 millionand $25 million.City officials are hoping

for a Bureau of ReclamationTitle 16 grant that wouldcover 25 percent of the cost.

The grant is by no means asure thing, however.“It’s a difficult process,”

said Brad Bogus, an engineerworking on the project. “It’sone we believe eventually wewill get funds from.”Hermiston City Manager

Ed Brookshier was less con-

fident. The bill authorizingthe project for Title 16 did notpass the U.S. House floorduring the last congressionalsession, and the political cli-mate has changed somewhatfor 2011.“We won’t probably know

until this spring,” Brookshier

said. “We’re just not surewhere we’re going to be.”Additionally, in April

2010, Kira Finkler of the Bu-reau of Reclamation told aSenate subcommittee that thebureau does not supportfunding for the project.

“Exciting.”“OK.” “Great— and nohomework!”A sea of students shouted

reactions to their first dayback at school as they pouredthrough the hallways Tues-day afternoon at the newWest Park Elementary.Despite some confusion —

“Which way do I go?”“Where’s the flagpole?” —the students quickly foundtheir way to yellow schoolbuses or teacher-monitoredparent pickup lines. By 2:35p.m., 15 minutes after thefinal bell rang, West ParkPrincipal Shane Pratt re-turned to his office and tooka seat for the third time thatday.“I’ve been in and out of

classrooms, making sureeverything is going OK, talk-ing with students, parents,teachers,” he said, turning to-ward his computer monitor.“Wow, that’s a lot of e-mails.”Pratt spent most of Tues-

day in and out of the class-rooms, walking the hallwaysand answering questions.With a moment of free time,the principal declared the firstday a success.“I think today went very

well. Our students were ableto interact with the buildingand get to know the building,and it was a good day,” hesaid. “We have high expecta-tions for our kids. We expectthem to achieve, and now wenot only have the staff but thetools to make that so muchmore accessible.”In addition to technology

and structural improvements,the new school brings in-creased technology to theclassroom: A Promethiumboard, projector and voice liftsystem, which projects theteacher’s voice through over-head and surround speakers,is installed in each classroom.Pratt also dedicated some

time Tuesday morning to

New elementaryschool opens togood reviewsBY JENNIFER COLTONHERMISTON HERALD

Good Shepherd, nurses reach agreement

BY JENNIFER COLTONHERMISTON HERALD

Both sides express satisfaction with new deal

JENNIFER COLTON PHOTOStudents move down the hallways of the new West Park Elementary on Tuesdayafternoon after the first day of school in the new building.

JENNIFER COLTON PHOTOStudents wait to be picked up in front of West Park Elementary on Tuesday afternoon.

JENNIFER COLTON PHOTOA student smiles as he walks down the hallway of the new West Park Elementaryon Tuesday.

Without grant, price of pipeline could go upBond measure might benecessary to pay for projectBY LUKE HEGDALHERMISTON HERALD

SEE SCHOOL/A6

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