BESSIE WETZELL
U OF ORE
NEWSPAPER LIB
LUGENE OR 97 40 3
J 7 ;"'
They call It money
I71ay Trrainals aren't'
caught or Imprisoned
"Why aren't more criminals
going to lain"
That question is asked on
every street corner and coffee
shop every day in Morrow
County. The answer is
money or rather, the lack of
money.
Morrow County has $7,500
budgeted for taking care of
jail prisoner:. Since the coun
ty jail has been condemned it
has been necessary to trans
port prisoners to Pendleton for
confinement. The daily rate
for keeping a prisoner recent
ly went from $7 50 to $15 a day.
Last Friday a felony case was
reduced to a misdemeanor.
The judge sentenced the man
i who had been charged with
rape but had his rase reduced
to sexual molestation, a mis
demeanor) to one year in jail.
There went $5,475 of the
county's annual budget just to
house and feed one convicted
of a misdemeanor crime. Had
the charge of rape stuck In this
instance the state would have
shouldered the expense rather
than the county. Only two
rases of this kind could wipe
out a year' budget for
prisoner Jail rare.
District Attorney Dennis
Doherty told the Gazette-Tim-es
Tuesday that Increased
costs of keeping prisoners has
Sheriff John Mollahan "shop
ping around" for better jail
rates. He found a bargain at
The Dalies, where Morrow
County can house Its prisoners
for $7.50 a day.
School budget wins approval
LFXINGTON-The School
Budget Commillee of Morrow
County Monday night approv
ed 1978 77 budget ' of
$2,659,540. This represents an
Increase of $368.8.18 over last
year's budget and includes the
bond Issue.
Cost to the taxpayer would
be an added 50 rents per $1,000
of assessed valuatkm over last
year's $9 10 tax rate, or $9 60
per $1,000 for the 1978 77
prrkid.
Aflef three meetings the
original proposal of $2,631,361
THE
Vol.92, No. 51
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"This lack of funds inhibits
law enforcement and the
courts," said Doherty. "It
doesn't muke for the best in
law enforcement and the dis
pensation of justice when both
(he lawmen and the courts
know that in some instances
the amount of justice to be
meted out depends largely
upon how much money is left
in the budget."
He said this results in plea
bargaining (reducing a char
ge in exchange for a plea of
guilty.
Doherty said it costs $450
just to bring a jury into the
court house. The justice court
has a budget of $1,000 for
jurors and witnesses; the
circuit court is $3,500.
"And if people want to know
what the sheriff is doing
instead of chasing criminals,"
Doherty said, "take last
Friday as a good example.
The 4 man sheriff department
kept busy shuttling prisoners
from Heppner to Pendleton
and The Dalles, and return.
Then the sheriff must go
either to The Dalles or Pen
dleton jails to take the
prisoners out to see their
attorneys, which saves the
county money because the
lawyers charge $.10 an hour to
visit their clients in the jail,
and it's much cheaper when
the sheriff takes the prisoners
to the lawyers' offices. Then
he has to go hark and pick up
these prisoners for arraign
was Increased by $18,179
These increases are the result
of the new Social Security rate
Increases recently announced
by IVesident Ford. Morrow
County School Board of Trust
ees will now receive the
budget prowal.
The budgets for each section
of school operation are as
follows: A C. Houghton.
$133,181; Heppner Elemen
tary. $381,871. Heppner Junior
High. $153,252. Heppner High,
$445,604, lone Elementary.
$169,391; lone Junior High,
GAZE
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Heppner City Police Chief Dean Gilman stares at two of the
twelve marijuana plants recently confiscated in Heppner. At
the base of the plants are some marijuana seeds used to
cultivate the plans.
ment, and (hen returns them
to their cells in Pendleton or
The Dalles."
And that's why the sheriff
isn't out chasing criminals,
Doherty said.
And the reason more people
aren't going to jail is because
there isn't enough money to
put them there.
A total of 59 felony cases
were prepared and filed by the
district attorney's office for
the 1975 year ending Dec. 31, 8
of which involved juveniles.
Most of them involved proper
ty crimes; except for 6. There
were 19 burglaries and 19
thefts in the total of 59
charges. Of the 59 crimes
committed 36 were committed
by persons residing in North
ern Morrow County. Five of
the convicted felons were sent
to state prison. 17 of the cases
involved transients or persons
from other counties. About 52
cases for driving while under
the influence of intoxicating
liquor were reported to the
DA's office, and of this num
ber IS went to trial and the
rest pleaded guilty. 14 cases
involved bad checks and 10
were habitual traffic offend
ers.
Doherty said the average
criminal case, with a full court
trial, costs an average of
$4,500 Two such cases a yoar
would exhaust the funds set
aside in the budget to prose
cute them.
$5,795; lone High, $174,639.
Kiverside Junior High,
$123,110, and Kiverside High,
$314,623.
Transportation of students
for the coming year will cost
$2.10.933 if the school board
and the voters approve the
budget as presented. Operat
ing costs for the district office
are projected at $f5,8:fl.
After study and approval by
the school board this budget
will be presented to Morrow
County voters for approval.
I
Morrow County's Newspaper
rrrvrr
11
Heppner, OR, Thursday, Feb. 5, 1976
. r I
Annual meeting
-at Lexington
The 4lh annual meeting of
the Morrow Soil and Water
Conspiration District will be
held Tuesday, Feb. 10. 7:30
p.m. at the Lexington School
district of tire.
Following the introductions
and a business meeting fea
turing Dan Wilson, Oregon
Stale extension economist,
project coordinator of the
Stanfield-Westland project
will address the members.
Area engineer El in Host
will also speak on toil loss in
Morrow County tenuis quality
standards.
Jernstedt
honored
Slate Sen. Ken Jernstedt,
Disl. 28, was named Hood
River County 's First Citizen of
1975. The presentation was
made at the annual Hood
River County Chamber of
Commerce awards banquet,
Jan. 29
A resident of Hood Kiver for
30 years. Jornslcdt was cited
for his many diversified com
munity services, for leader
ship in his church and for his
work in the Lions Club. His
(Jons Club activities have
included club president and
deputy district governor for
easlern Oregon.
Jernstedt was a Marine
Aviator and served in China
under General Claire Chenn
ault and the Flying Tigers
(AVID. He was Oregon's only
Flying Tiger pilot, one of the
groups lop aces, Oregon's first
ace and the recipient of two
decorations from Madame
Chiang Kaishek for bravery in
action.
Now In his second term as
state senator, Jernstedt pre
viously served as a Hood
River Councilman, Hood Riv-'
rr mayor and stale represen
tative. He was especially
commended for humani
larianism including his con
tinued interest in legislation to
benefit fregon's handicapped
citizens.
CC Guest
speaker
Bob Addleman, district con
servationist, will be the guest
speaker at Heppner Morrow '
Chamber of Commerce Mon
day. He will present a slide
program entitled, "In Touch
With The Und " .
i rrn
A faulty muffler triggered a
string of events here Saturday
that landed two young men in
jail charged with driving with
a suspended drivers license,
cow-killing and growing mari
juana. It all started early in the
morning when Chief of Police
Dean Gilman was making a
routine check of the town and
noticed a car with a faulty
muffler. He stopped the car
with the intention of issuing
the driver, Michael John
Palmer, 18, Hermiston, a
warning citation to repair the
muffler.
Gilman noted blood on the
oun
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JCi
c
nempioymen
Morrow County has achiev
ed the lowest unemployment
rate of any Oregon county
during December with 5 9 per
cent.
This figure was only 0.4 per
centage points above Novem
ber, but considerably below
the reading of 8.9 in December
1974. The civilian labor force,
although down 90 from Nov
ember, was 850 above the
corresponding level of a year
ago.
Non-agricultural wage and
salary employment for Mor
row County increased slightly,
to 2,060 workers in December.
A slight increase in food pro
ducts; transportation and uti
lities; finance; insurance and
real estate more than made up
for the declines in trade and
con'ract construction. The
total is 530 above a year ago.
$9 billion gas line
project outlined
'The proposed Arctic Gas Transmission Pipeline will be
larger than the oil line in both length and cost." Ross
Woodward of Pacific Gas Transmission Co. told the Chamber
of Commerce Monday.
The proposed gas line will begin at Prudhoe, AK. and
continue to Calgary, picking up the gas at the MacKenzie
Delta. The transmission line will split at Calgary with mains
going to California and another the East Coast.
Throughout the area of permafrost, north of 60 degrees
latitude, the gas will be refrigerated at each compressor
station to maintain a temperature below 30 degrees
Fahrenheit. This chilled gas line concept will allow the
pipeline to be fully buried along its entire route without risk
of damage to high ice-content permafrost.
Compressor stations, using jet aircraft type engines, will
be located at 50-mile intervals when full capacity is reached.
The surface over the pipeline will be revegetated to provide
thermal insulation for the permafrost and to arrest alluvial
erosion. t
The Arctic Gas decision to build the pipeline follows more
than five years of technical and environmental studies
costing more than $70 million. Pure environmental studies
alone cost more than $12 million, resulting in publication of 29
volumes ol original research, with more to come.
Experts on mammals, birds, fish, soils and other areas
were employed to make extensive and comprehensive
studies.
The information was used to plot the route and design the
pipeline and ancillary facilities. The studies also served as a
basis of the monumes! environmental report submitted to
the Department of the Interior and the Federal Power
Commission and counterpart agencies in Canada.
(Continued on Paee 1)
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Gary McKinney, left, area superintendent and Rosa
Woodward, right of way agent for the Pacific Gas
Transmission Company.
TTT yJTTrn
iivii
ailed in
vehicle and on Palmer's
trousers. He asked for Palm
er's operating license, which
he found to be a suspended
one. Gilman checked the trunk
of the car and found the
freshly butchered front and
hind quarters of a cow.
Gilman and an Oregon State
Police Officer said Palmer
admitted killing the cow. He
and a friend had intended to
kill a deer, but not finding one,
they killed a cow belonging to
Terry Thompson in Lunchford
Canyon, south of Heppner.
The officers and the suspect
returned to the scene of the
cow-killing to find that Thom
Much of the yearly job
increase occur ed as expected
in food products, lumber and
wood products and trade.
Latest reports indicate that
Portland General Electric
Company is expected to begin
ground site preparation for
construction of its coal fired
generating plant near Poverty
Ridge in Morrow County by
mid-February. Water storage
for plant cooling and irriga
tion purposes will be develop-
cd by construction of the Carty
Reservoir at the site. Up to 70
workmen are expected to be
on the site after the first three
months.
PGE has indicated it hopes
to eventually have a cluster of
six generating plants at Carty,
possibly four of them nuclear.
The proximity of the U.S.
Navy's Weapon System
ty
n
15c
cow ki
pson had just discovered the
remains of the butchered cow.
Later the same day Palmer
implicated another youth as
his accomplice. Shortly after
noon the officers arrested
Joseph Donald Mattison, 18,
Heppner, in his apartment on
W. Willow St. An investigation
of Mattison's apartment re
vealed 12 small pots, each
containing a marijuana plant.
Mattison admitted to officers
his role in the butchering of
Thompson's cow.
Palmer was taken to Uma
tilla County jail charged with
theft in the first degree and for
driving with a suspended
lowes
rate
Training Facility, however,
prevents development for nu
clear reactors at Carty now. If
and when the Navy moves its
bombing range out of Morrow
County, PGE officials hope to
expand the power complex in
this technological direction.
Although minor revisions
ere still to be made to 1974-75
labor force statistics, it now
appears the annual average
for Morrow County will be in
the neighborhood of the fig
ures given below:
Morrow County Labor For
ce Summary by place of
residence for 1975: civilian
labor force, 3,190; unemploy
ment, 180; per cent unemploy
ed, 5.6; total employment,
3.010.
Recently the Center for
IVIlO EiOS
the plans ?
The loss of numerous sets of
approved sewer plans appear
ed to be the main topic of
discussion at the Heppner City
Council, Tuesday night.
Builder Randy Lott asked
Mayor Sweeney why the
common council had not
approved plans for a sewer he
had installed. Mayor Sweeney
replied that neither he nor any
member of the council had
seen (he plans, nor had the c
council given their approval of
the plans. Loll remarked he
originally had six sets of plans
made of the proposed sewer
line and that after having
I hem signed by a registered
engineer he had sent two sets
of plans to the State for its
approval. Upon the approval
of the plans. Lott claims one
set was forwarded to the city
Contract rejected
The Morrow County school
advisory committee met
Tuesday evening at the Hepp
ner Elementary School to
discuss the renewal of the tea
chers contracts for the coming
year.
- Approximately 60 persons
attended the meeting, some
with petitions asking the
contract of Dean Naffziger as
athletic director and as bask
etball coach, not be renewed.
Le Padberg, presented a
petition containing 38 signa
tures requesting the dismissal
of Naffziger.
Head football coach Chuck
Starr presented a petition In
favor of Naffziger bearing less
than 10 signatures.
The school advisory com
mittee then railed an execu
tive session and interviewed
all ol the people who had
signed the petition. The Inter
views were thorough with the
executive session lasting more
operators license. Mattison is
charged with theft in the first
decree and cultivating drugs.
He is free on bail. Both the
men are to appear for
arraignment Tuesday in jus
tice court.
Monday morning Oregon
State Police were called and
further information given on
the slaying of the cow. Impli
cated was a third suspect,
Michael James Pine, 22,
Heppner. Pine is charged with
shooting the animal and is
charged with theft in the first
degree. He is lodged in the
county jail in lieu of $2,505
bail. '
Population Research and
Census of Portland State
University released its July
1975 population estimates for
Oregon's 36 counties and 240
incorporated cities. These es
timates are used by state
agencies in establishing dis
tribution levels to county and
city governments for revenues
derived from liquor profits,
gasoline and cigarette taxes.
Population for selected muni
cipalities in Morrow County
are given below along with
county totals.
Morrow County
Boar dm an
Heppner
(one
(rrigon
Lexington
5,190
695
1,600
405
370
245
for approval. Awaiting appro
val of the plans, Lott claims
one set was forwarded to the
city for approval. Awaiting
approval of the city council.
.Lott installed the sewer line
and connected the main to an
existing manhole.
After the project was com
pleted the city notified Lott
that his plans have never been
approved by the council and if
a set of plans can be produced
the city will accept his line,
otherwise, according to the
city engineer Steve Anderson,
the sewer line will be consi
dered a private line.
Lott appeared before the
city council Tuesday night and
told the council that of the six
sets of plans one can be found.
While claiming the city has
(Continued on page ()
than three and one-half hours.
Following the executive
session the committee return
ed and the motion was made
and seconded that Dean Naff
ziger's coaching contract not
be renewed for the coming
year. The motion passed by a
unanimous decision.
A spectator asked the fol
lowing question from the floor,
"Does this mean that Naffzig
er will still continue as athletic
director?" The rommmittee
replied. "There was only one
petitioner Interviewed during
the executive session who
asked for the resignation of
Naffziger as athletic direc
tor." The advisory committee
will present its recommenda
tion to the school board for tht
final decision. The next regu
lar meeting of the school
board will be held Feb. 18, 7:30
p m. at the Heppner Elemen
tary School.