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Saturday, June 02, 2012

Why we left Hermiston

Real estate is expensive.  Here is an example. 

▼Property Details

Price: $375,000
Beds: 2 Bed
Baths: 2 Bath
House Size: 1,570 Sq Ft
Lot Size: 9.97 Acres
Year Built: 1975

 
I paid LESS money for a new 3700 sqft house on 5 wooded acres that has a 40x40 ft shop instead of a tiny old farm house and a POS single-wide.

 
Another reason we left Hermiston is this:  AYP scores, formerly known as "NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND" 
 
2010-11 Final AYP Report (Public)


District and School Designations

AYP Designation

District: Hermiston SD 8 NOT MET

School(s): Armand Larive Middle School NOT MET

Desert View Elementary School NOT MET

Hermiston High School NOT MET

Highland Hills Elementary School NOT MET (The best elementary in town, where Grace attended)

Hilltop Jr/Sr High School NOT MET

Rocky Heights Elementary School NOT MET

Sandstone Middle School NOT MET

Sunset Elementary School NOT MET

West Park Elementary School NOT MET


And then there is this:  The gangs are arriving.

UPDATE: Three Suspects Arrested in Hermiston Shooting

By Collin Sullivan. Published Wednesday, January 11th, 2012

Hermiston Fatal Shooting

The Hermiston Police Department has confirmed that three arrests, two adult and one juvenile, have been made in the fatal shooting of a 22-year-old man at the Gotta Stop gas station which occurred on Monday.

Jason Edmiston, Acting Chief of the Hermiston Police Department, and Dan Primus, Umatilla County District Attorney, said information about who was arrested has not been released.

It is unclear, however, if all the three suspects are still in custody.

Primus said that one of the suspects has been released since his arrest, while Edmiston believes all three of the suspects are still in custody.

Primus has identified Salvador Valencia, 22, as the victim in the fatal shooting at the Gotta Stop gas station that took place in Hermiston on Monday.

Primus said that there are also a few people that checked into the Good Shepherd Hospital in Hermiston with wounds related to the shooting on Monday, but no details have been released about the exact amount of people and what type of injuries.

A spokesperson for Good Shepherd said security has been heightened in the emergency room as a result of the incident on Monday.

Valencia was killed Monday afternoon in a shooting outside of a Hermiston gas station and convenience store called Gotta Stop.

Workers at the Gotta Stop said the incident happened around 3:30 PM when a group of men started fighting in the parking lot.

The workers said a man, believed to be Valencia, ran into a SUV to get away, but was shot and killed.

Primus said there is still a lot of information authorities are looking for, and for now he will not say if there are any suspects in custody.

Steve Cline, Hermiston, lives close to the gas station where the shooting took place, he said he was very surprised by the incident.

I received a text from a neighbor that said there was a shooting, there was a death," Cline said. "I thought, wow, small town for that...pretty close by."

Authorities will neither confirm nor deny yet whether or not this incident is gang related.

 


Landscaping


Landscaping around the house - final report:  This stuff is gone.  The pile of heavy concrete sticks are buried.
 

I am not sure what these things were used for.  They were heavy-gauge PVC filled with concrete, and they had a braided steel cable running through them... odd items that I had no use for.  They are now buried.
 
 

Truck bed full of junk.  Gone.

Thanks for the help getting rid of the concrete sticks, Charlie!!!

And the front of the house went from this: (Love all the gravel on the grass that got shoveled along with the snow!!!)



To this:

Time to start sharing photos of the basement repaint.

Friday, June 01, 2012

More wildlife

Closer to home this time!  This poor little fellow was quite gaunt, considering the time of year.