We made a decision this week at the Herald that didnt come easily.

We have decided not to use any more guest opinions from local entrepreneur Mike Mathisen after it came to our attention that Mathisen had been using extensive material from other sources without providing proper attribution.

Thats serious stuff. We expect our writers both on staff and from the outside to follow closely the ethics of journalism. We want to be factually correct, we want to provide good information and we want our readers to know where that information comes from.

We do not take our task lightly. We believe its a privilege to produce your newspaper, and we know that our credibility must never be compromised. When someone attempts to pass off the work of others as his own, that damages our credibility to the very core.

Mike provided a strong local voice with quality opinions. Thats something we encourage. The trading of ideas in the ever-growing marketplace of information is something we believe we should be doing regularly, and we hope to grow our list of contributors.

But the failure to correctly identify the work of others cant be condoned.

Sometimes, its an honest mistake. Sometimes, in the rush to produce a column or story, a writer can slip up. But we cant allow it to become a pattern of behavior.

We want local voices in the Herald. We want a variety of opinions. We want every constituency possible in this wonderful community to be represented.

And we want those voices to be those of our writers, using their words.

We apologize for the recent problem, and we promise to be more vigilant in the future. Our job is to inform readers, not mislead them.

We hope you will continue to read.

Back to lighter subjects …

Bumped into local pro steer wrestler Travis Carnine over the weekend. The Stanfield bulldogger, who had a top-40 finish in the national rankings last season, heads back out on the circuit in early January with an eye on moving up in those rankings this year. His first stop will be the SandHills Stock Show in Odessa, Texas, in mid-January.

But Carnine will be taking a little detour before he competes in Texas. The admitted die-hard Oregon Ducks fan somehow wrestled up a ticket to the Jan. 10 BCS national championship game in Glendale, Ariz. So, hell go to Texas to practice, scoot to Arizona to catch the Oregon-Auburn game, then head back to Texas for his first competition of the year.

I asked Carnine what the secret was to a successful pro rodeo career. He didnt hesitate with his answer.

An understanding wife with a good job, he said with a laugh.

Carnines wife, Kyle, fills the bill on both counts. Shes a wonderful lady who also happens to be the executive director of the Morrow County Farm Service Agency in Heppner.

This, by the way, is the last issue that youll see the name of Herald reporter Mitch LeClair on our pages, as Mitch is leaving us to move to Minnesota. In his short stay here, Mitch did a solid job and made his name known in the community. Hell be missed.

Hermiston was well-represented over the weekend in the Cable Bridge Run in Pasco by names youll probably recognize.

Hermiston High School cross country coach Jake Puzey took the 10K honors, finishing the icy course in 35 minutes, 55 seconds. In the 5K competition, Bulldogs standout Jose Macias finished fourth in the overall mens results, clocking 18:38, while HHSs Katie Markwick was ninth in the womens race in 24:01.

Eddie Strickler of Seattle was the mens 5K winner in 17:32 while Richlands Caitlin Parker won the womens 5K in 21:22.

The closure of the old West Park Elementary to make way for the opening of the new facility is the latest reminder of Hermistons strong commitment to schools and education.

No doubt, that commitment isnt cheap were all footing the bill but that kind of investment in education produces tenfold the revenue down the line. In an era when schools all over the nation are suffering, Hermiston has reason to be proud.

There is lots of information out there about the new tax bill signed last week by President Obama. Ill leave it up to someone a whole lot smarter (granted, not a tough task) to explain all the details.

But there is one part thats relatively easy to understand. Most of us will be getting a one-year cut on our Social Security taxes, from 6.2 percent to 4.2 percent. Thus, for every $100 we get in our paychecks, there will be an extra couple of bucks in our pocket. If you add that up over the span of a year, someone making $35,000 annually will pick up an extra $700 this year. Thats not chicken feed.

The latest update from the Umatilla Chemical Agent Disposal Facility can be found elsewhere on these pages, and its worth a look. The folks there do a good job in outlining the progress they are making, and what we can expect in the future. Take the time to see whats happening.

Received a peek at the list of upcoming speakers at the Hermiston Rotary Club, and its a good one. It includes a report from Hermiston Police Chief Dan Coulombe (Jan. 13) and a State of the City update from City Manager Ed Brookshier (Jan. 20). Well try to pass on what they have to say.

And finally, our very best to you and your loved ones for the holidays. Because the post office is also taking Christmas Day off, we wont have an issue on Saturday. But we will be back next week with two more issues (a day earlier for the weekend edition). In the meantime, have a great weekend and at the risk of offending the PC police have a very Merry Christmas.

 Know of something we need to be reporting? A piece of news youd like to see in the Herald? Drop me a note at nwoelk@hermistonherald.com or call me at 541-564-4533.