BESSIE WETZELL U OF ORE N E W S P A P E R LIB U Z N E OR 9 7 4 0 3 Jim Lankford and Dave McLachlan were honored as the top playeri in varsity basketball with Lankford winning (wo awards, Most Improved and Most Inspirational Player and McLachlan winning the Most Valuable Player award. The presentations were made Tursday night at the Heppner High School Cafatorium honoring all of the playrs in the winter sports competition. Dean Naffziger, Athletic Director made the presentations to the varsity basketball team and gave brief narration about each of the players; i i . i i- ' " At Chamber If you think prices are high in Oregon, how would you like to pay SI 50 per gallon of gasoline or $200 for the instal lation of a phone with a charge of $60 per month for the use of the phone These are costs for luxuries in the Island of Tahiti, according to Brian Maxwell and his wife Viviane Viviane w as born and raised in Tahiti and before coming to the United States to marry Brian last July, she was a school teacher In Tahiti. Viviane told the Chamber of ' i ! ; ! ' .pry' '' - .1 A 1 ; r..;y ' , v TV".. . : V !. " X f MR AND Heppner .J. i ; ' I I Heppner's top athletes, Jim Lankford and Dave McLachlan. Couple relates life Commerce Monday that stu dents in Tahiti are required to study Spanish, German and English in school, as French and Tahitian are spoken at home. I'pon completion of secondary school if student choses to attend college h? must travel to France and attend college there as there are no colleges in French Polynesia Tahiti, the largest island of French Polynesia lies in the Pacific Ocean, midway be tween Australia and Califor- u MRS. BRIAN MAXWELL THE Vol. 93, No. 6 High . Dave McLachlan, a fine athlete who placed on the second all conference team; Clayton Wilson, did an outstanding Job as a member of the squad; Rob Eckman, scored high in percentage from the free throw line; Jim Lankford, did an outstanding job, placed 15th in the league in scoring; Keven Haguewood, did a fine job, although he did not get the chance to play as often as he wanted to; Carl Christman, had bad luck during the season, when he resprained an ankle he had previously broken and was only able to play toward the end of the season; David Allstott, did an outstanding job all season. 4 f inT ma; approximately halfway between Tokyo and Santiago. French Polynesia covers an ocean area about the size of Kurope i without Russia) but the total land area amounts to square miles. Tahiti covers 402 sqjare miles and has a population of 30.000 people. The first European to dis cover Tahiti was the English Captain Samuel Wallis in 1767. followed in 1768 by Captain Bougainville, Captain Cook in lTfiUand Captain Bligh in 1788. the controversial character of "Mutiny on the Bounty." Tahiti became a French colony in 1R80 and in IM7 French IMlynesia became French Overseas Territory. The Legislative body is the Territorial Assembly consist ing of 30 members elected by popular vole; it elects the S councillors who compose the Government Council. French Iolynesia also elects mem bers for the French Senate, French Parliment and the French Economic and Social Parliment. Brian Maxwell was called to serve missionary for a tw o year period for the Church of the Latter Day Saints. He Attended Brigham Young rniversity and studied French and Tahitian for two months then was sent to Tahiti in January 1973 until November of 1974. He said. "The French gov rmment will m4 allow the people to speak Tahitian In school and many of the natives have forgotlen how to read Tahitian. One of my primary duties was to teach the Tahilians how to speak their language. The Tahitian alpha bet has only 11 letters and all of them are pronounced. Most words end with a vowel and lo Illustrate this Brian showed the members Bible written in Tahitian. ahiti Morrow County's Newspaper Heppner, OR, Thursday, Mar. 25, 1976 Schoo . hi The largest industry in Tahiti is the tourist trade, however.he shell industry is on the rise. Shells are used for ornamental purposes. While there are a few new hotels on the island the French Government controls the con struction of all high rises as they do not want Tahiti to become another Hawaii, so construction is limited. Brian told of eating some of the native food and the abundance of bananas in the country. There are approxi mately 13 different varieties of bananas in the island and they are used for cooking, eaten raw and in various dishes. With the mention of eating raw fish most people shirk at the thought, however the fish is first marinated in lime juice and the acid in the limes tends to cook the fish. The coconut tree is used for virtually everything in the Islands. The branches are used to construct either the roof or the sides of a house. The oil is extracted from the coconut and is axed for lotion and the dried cocanut is used as feed for chickens. Brian commented, "if you want to eal something that is tough, eat a Thili chicken," There are few dairies on the islands, so the natives have very little milk, ice cream or dairy products. Medical attention on the islands is not up to American standards and the children are being taught dental hygiene It is not uncommon to see pretty 13 yearold girl with no front teeth. Teachers are currently teaching children how to brush their teeth after each meal. When the students are In school, after they finish eating the teacher will take the students and have them brush their teeth to prevent further decay. (Continued on page 3 1ljd 21 honors received Honorable Mention All Conference and placed 14th in league for scoring; Dennis Peck, was brought up from the ranks of the JVs and did a fine job; Dave Campbell, performed an outstanding job as trainer and manager. JV basketball coach Chuck Lutsch, praised his players for their performance during the season. Players mentioned by Lutsch were: Ray Cate, 5th in scoring; Jerry Cutsforth, a good ball handler; Ken Grieb, outstanding player, scored 249 points to be second in scoring; Mark Huddleston, provided the team with a lot of hustle; Don McEwen, always played his best; Sam Myers, good ability as a player, rated 4th in scoring from the field and 2nd from the free throw line; Jay Papineau doesn't get all the credit he deserves, a fine guard; Mark Piper, always does a fine job of hustling; Chris Rauch, hard worker ; Mike Smith, came in 2nd in free throws and led the team in rebounds; Curtis Sweek, fine athlete; Bruce Young, fine player; Neil Maxwell, a good player. Frosh basketball coach Dale Holland congratulated the members of his team saying, "Freshmen sports is one of the first transitions the players receive in high school as they will be playing the same players from the same schools for the ' next three years." The team finished their season with a 9-6 ! record, as we defeated most of the teams we will continue to play. They are a good solid team and played good ball. Ellen Nussbaum praised the dance team for making all of their own uniforms and paying for them with their own money. Jim Ackley coach of the girls freshman team commented that coaching the girls was a unique experience. "The team . finished with an 8-2 record, the best in the school," said Ackley. They have a lot of desire and did a fine job all through the season losing to Pilot Rock in both encounters. "I was proud to coach the girls and they always did their best," said Ackley. He named Shelly Thompson as the player with the most hustle and Wendy Myers as the most improved ' player. Girls varsity coach Kathy Wilson, said "This year we finished the season with a 9-6 record, losing to Hermiston, Dayville and Pilot Rock. I feel this season will carry a lot of memories as we finished the season in tournament play in Pendleton. It was the first time the girls played before a large crowd and fan fare atmosphere. It was an exciting experience." During the beginning of the season two freshmen girls joined the varsity club, Maureen Healy and Jackie Mollahan. Maureen added height and quickness to the team as did Jackie and her quickness and ability to steal the ball helped the club. There are two sophomores on the team Lori Rhea and Janice Healy. Lori worked hard and did her best all .season, however, she missed part of the tournament because , of the flu. Janice was the leading rebounder averaging 9 per game. She has been named to the Girls District All Star Team. This was the first year for Teresa Peck. She has a lot of ability and is quick to get the ball, but lacks the experience of playing before. mnCNTENNlAI. WAGON THAINS ROLLING They are rekindling a pione ering spirit and reawakening a sense of history, and they are proving to be fun for everyone along their trail. Bicentennial Wagon Trains are rolling eastward along the nation's highways and biways, recreating in reverse the westward movement of the nation in the 1800s. Currently, four contingents of the Bicentennial Wagon Train Pilgrimage to Pennsyl vania are on the road. The covered wagons are authentic replicas of the ones that carried pioneer families in an earlier time. Each train includes a Cone stoga Wagon and a chuck wagon from the Common wealth of Pennsylvania, spon sor of the official Bicentennial project. Prairie Schooners representing the various states, plus a number of privately owned wagons. The largest train on the road reached Truth or Consequen ces. NM February 24. It started rolling in Southern California on New Year's Day with wagons from California and Hawaii and since then has been joined by Anzona and New Mexico wagons. A second train which got underway in Houston. TX January 4. is now moving through Oklahoma, and the Louisiana wagons have cross ed the Mississippi. A Florida contingent will cross into Ala bama March 1 Other trains will leave the Great Lakes and Eastern Sea board states in April and May. and at that point. 0 wagons from 50 states will be on trail. The trains will all converge on Valley Forge July 3 and remain in encampment there for three months. In most communities, local dance groups, bands and other entertainers augment the offi cial show. The wagons are rolling with the cooperation and support of National Equine Advisory Council, which represents the nation's or gam mi horsemen. The American Revolution Bicentennial Administration (ARRA) has designated the Wagon Train Pilgrimage to Pennsylvania as a national Bicentennial event. athletes MEETING The Morrow County School Board will hold a special meeting on Monday. March 29. 8 p.m. at Riverside High School in Boardman. Bob Smith, the district architect from the firm of Smith and Hasagawa of On tario will be present to discuss final plans for school buildings to be constructed soon on Morrow County School sites. Included in the plans are four classrooms at Riverside High School. Boardman; eight classrooms at A C. Houghton Elementary School. Irrigon: and shop buildings at lone and Heppner High Schools. TTORKY C;FNKRI. iti i.Im; AFf kits school The Morrow County School District calendar for 1976 77 w ill have to be returned to the drawing board following a ruling from the Attorney General's office which indi cates that Washington and Lincoln's birthdays are legal holidays for schools and schools must be closed on those days. The Morrow County School Board had adopted the school calendar for the coming school year at Its regular meeting in March. The calen dar did not include holidays on W ashington and Lincoln's bir thdays as Oregon schools have not observed these dates as holidays for a number of years .' The Attorney Generals rul ing appred w'y days after the board had acted to adopt the calendar Superintendent Matt Doher ty said, "that traditionally the Morrow County School Dis trict had started school for students after Labor Day and had not had students attending school in June. However, with two additional holidays to be inserted Into the calendar, it may be necessary to have students return to school during the first week of June in order to satisfy the number of required days of attend ance." A number of schools throu ghout the state are currently holding school during the first two weeks of June. 15c Darla Cooper was another rookie we had on the team and she played center. Although she lacked experience from the start, she progressed during the season and was the best shooter we had from the free throw line. Vicki Edmundson was the teams leading scorer with an average of 7.5 points per game and she did a fine job rebounding for the team. Guy Kenny suffered an ankle injury a year ago and is back on the team. She really improved defensively and learned to control her fouls. Deb Holland played forward position and was our third leading rebounder. She played a fine game in the district playoffs as she dominated the boards and played one of her best games. The two seniors on the team, Kimee Haguewood and Molly Pierce were the teams leading scorers. Kimee scored an . average of 6 points per game and Molly scored 6.5 points per game. Both of these girls had a lot of drive and added to the success of the team. Behind each team stands a manager, however, this year I had two, Patti Lott and Linda Bier. Patti was the handy man making sure everything was ready for the game. Linda was the scorekeeper and statistician and really learned a lot this year. Wilson then named Deb Holland as the Most Improved Player, saying ' She has the ability although she was a slow starter she finished the season with her best performance." ! r i I f1 I - ii ' I F'r' : vi iTf I ' 1 -m"" i i 1 I ?'"PfT . , ' ! if' i Heppner Fillies 2nd place Dam (n) project downed Last Friday nights town hall meeting with the Corps of Engineers came to an arupt halt when Heppner's Mayor Jerry Sweeney told the audi ence, 'i personally feel we have been led down the prim rose path, the corps has used the city over and over and I will not be led down that path again." Mayor Sweeney continued, "this is nothing more than a political football. The corps has spent $660,0XI on surveys and studies; this dam you have proposed has no irriga tion facilities, in fact it is smaller than the one vetoed by President Ford in 1974." Col. Nelson Conover. U.S. Corps of Engineers. Walla Walla. WA was introduced to the audience by Mayor Swee ney in the absence of Morrow County Judge Paul Jones. Col. Conover told the audi ence. "The problem hasn't gone away, the basic problem is still here." If a flood as the one of 1903 came and the present flood warning system didn't work, it would be the same as the flood of 1903." "The flood problem is dif ferent in Heppner as floods start at various times of the year, usually caused by thun derstorms." said Col. Conov er."and while I flood warning system has been installed, it is not the solution, a permanent solution would be the con struction of a dam on Willow Conover then explains the corps has changed plans from the project vetoed by President Ford in 1974. Since then, the size of the dam has been reduced from 1 1 .500 acre feet of storage to 8.000 acre feet. The vetoed plan had a benefit to cost ratio of 13 while the new proposal benefit lo cost Is .71. "There has never been flood anywhere In the I'nited States that has taken 240 live, however, this happened in Heppner in 1903 and there has never been a cost determined for the loss of life "I am not here to cram anything down your throats," he said, but I have seen the pictures of Heppner before trophy in Class A basketball. and after the flood of 1903. and the potential for such a flood still exists." The proposed dam would provide protection from a sudden flood. It is estimated that 36.000 cubic feet of water came through Heppner when Balm and Willow Creeks joined. While an estimated 13.000 cubic feet came during the flood of 1934. , During the discussion, pro posals were made to Col. Conover for the enlargement of a channel through the City of Heppner to carry the flood waters, to use part of the funds to combat soil erosion on watersheds of the four creeks , passing through town and for the construction of a retainer dam on Balm Fork which feeds into Willow Creek. Stephen Thompson, owner of a home and farm land which would be innundated by the pool behind the dam re quested a 25 year moratorium be placed on construction of the project. He stated. "This project should be analyzed from all cost benefit ratios there have been in the various campaigns. Irrigators below Heppner have voted against the dam. One of the weakest features of the dam is that Willow Creek has never caus ed any damage to the City of Heppner. It is easy to condon something without a solution, however, channel improve ments would help the City. He moved th! a 25 yr morator ium be placed on any con struction of a dam saying, "I have been harassed for the past years by the Corps. 1 have hesitated during those years to remodel or paint my home always (taring the Corps would flood my land." Col. Conover remarked, "If this project is not supported by the people of thi com munity I will report the findings to my superiors and tell (hem of the decision of the people. Following the statement of Mayor Sweeney. Col. Conover said, "I have come there to get the message of the people, tonight there are 38 people all opposed to the dam,"