HERMISTON -- Optometrist David Drotzmann was sworn in as the new mayor of Hermiston this week.
Three new city council members also were sworn in. They are Manuel Gutierrez, John Kirwan and Doug Primmer.
Drotzmann, who became mayor-elect after a spring primary election, is replacing Bob Severson, who served as mayor from 2001 until his death in December.
HERMISTON -- The Hermiston City Council unanimously agreed this week to name the new playground being built at Victory Square Park the Mayor Bob Severson Memorial Playground.
The recommendation is in recognition of Severson's many years of community leadership and his service as Mayor since 2000, according to a release from the city. Severson, who died in December during his final month in office, was known to be a champion of parks and recreation and arts in Hermiston.
The new playground is set to open April 20 after a dedication ceremony and neighborhood work party.
Three newly elected Pierce County Superior Court judges will be sworn in Friday.
Vice President Joe Biden was officially sworn into office for a second term Sunday morning at his official residence, the U.S. Naval Observatory, in front of about 120 family members and friends.
HERMISTON -- A Umatilla County grand jury has ruled that Hermiston police officers were justified in fatally shooting a bank robbery suspect they had followed into a liquor store.
County District Attorney Dan Primus has said that 55-year-old Gregory Shafer of the Hermiston area pointed what appeared to be a pistol at two officers on New Year's Eve.
Shafer reportedly had a realistic looking BB gun. Still, the grand jury found that deadly force was justified.
Reps. Larry Haler and Brad Klippert and Kennewick Mayor Pro Tem Sharon Brown topped local Republicans' list of potential replacements for Jerome Delvin in the state Senate on Thursday.
The Benton County GOP met in Richland to narrow the field from six candidates to three, with the Benton County Commissioners having the final choice on whom to send to Olympia.
Haler, R-Richland, is the senior 8th District representative to the state House of Representatives, having served in the position since 2004.
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