Image provided by: Morrow County Museum; Heppner, OR
About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (April 29, 1976)
Page 2. THE GAZETTE-TIMES. Heppner. OR, Thursday. April 29, 1976 Mayor of llardmn nm m mm. ,,.,. fx ,A'!)ii- vtlNlftritF.Sx During last Tuesdays elections in Morrow County, an estimated 50-55 registered voters in the Heppner district did not have the opportunity to vote on the Blue Mountain Community College levy. The election board ran out of ballots. According to reports the ballots for the Heppner district were mis-sent to another location and when election officials noticed they were running short of ballots they sent to Lexington for more ballots for the voters. With the large " turnout of voters at the polls, before the ballots could be delivered to the Heppner polls, between the hours of 7-7:30, the board did not have any ballots. Although the levy passed by a majority of 392 votes in Morrow and Umatilla Counties, the vote in Morrow County ended in a tie vote. However, the final results of the voting is not the issue. The important issue is that registered voters were denied the right to vote. Some of the people questioned regarding the lack of ballots reported they were not notified by election officials and after voting on the other issues went home, only to discover they had not voted on the BMCC levy. Some voters contend they were notified of the absence of the ballots and were asked to remain at the polls until the ballots arrived from Lexington and then vote on the levy. This newspaper contacted the Secretary of State and talked with the Superintendent of Elections Dick Banton and notified him of the situation. Banton said. "One ballot should be prepared for each registered voter of the area." In some instances one precinct may run out of ballots. When this happens voters may cast their vote on sample ballots or other pieces of paper, but they must be allowed to vote. He further stated that any voter in the county could file a petition with the circuit court questioning the validity of the election. To do this a lawyer must be engaged. The court would then decide if the violation had any impact upon the election. Should the court rule in favor of the petitioner, the petitioner would be reimbursed for the court cost and the entire election could be declared null and void. Voting is one of the few privileges the American people can exercise and I feel the right to cast a ballot cannot be denied a single person. Regardless of the reason for the shortage of ballots and the cost to the county to hold another election the only pertinent issue is 55 regisiered voters went to the polls and were not able to cast their ballots. Perhaps the cost of holding another election w ill tend to make election officers a little more wary of their duties and prevent this from happening in the future. Agri-business approved for EOSC Beginning next fall. Eastern i i -un State College w ill offer a new degree in Agri-Busi-ih- The program, approved ! the Oregon State Board ol Higher Education, has also Urn reviewed and approed by !he Educational Coordinat ing Council. Development of the new major was coordinat ed i!h Oregon State Univer sity and the Eastern Oregon community colleges of Blue Mountain. Pendleton and Tre aute Valley. Ontario The Akin-Business program, the need- for which were idenniied b EOSC's Regional Agricultural Advisory Com niii'if. will offer student a broad background in business and eiom-jr.iis. and agricul ture to prepare them lor career in both agriculture and agriculturally -related bu mec El ISO Preident Rodney r.riggsaylhenew program. "i an attempt to meet a !ti.ior need in eastern Oregon m obilizing eastern Oregon n.t'tiral resource baed econo my It deigned to provide the education and skills for a pradi'ioner in Agri business that can move into both wholesale and retail agricul turally, tclaied businesses in -a! rrn Oregon, the inier ni.Hini.nn area of (regon. .ihmi:ton and Idaho, and. I thrnk. could (ill nome oppor tunities for national employ ment as well." EOSC will accept its first 4-year students in the pro gram this Fall However, through a cooperative arran cement with Blue Mountain and Treasure Valley Com munity Colleges, those com munity college students will h' able to enroll in the program at the junior level this Fall. Students at other community colleges who wih to tranlT lo the Agn Busine Program should contact EiiSC to determine the Iran rahiliiv ol credits Located in the agricultural ly-rich Grande Ronde Valley. F.OSC i ideally situated In conduct an Agn Busine Program. Students will not only take course work a' EoSC,' mil will work directly with farm and ranch opera turn, agriculturally -related butnee. and the agricultu ral experiment stations at t nioiiand Pendleton. Oregon Slate University faculty at the experiment stations w ill asit wi'h instruction in the lechm cal applications nl agriculture through a cooperative arran getneti! brtween OSU and Knsc Student mlere'ed in the new program hotild rnniaci the Office of Student Develop men!. Eaiern Oregon Slate College. I -a Grande. OK This new spaper is published, and rather successfully, loo. without regard to race, color, creed, national origin, age. marital status, physagogu addiction, professional ability, religion, physical handicap, medical condition, pigmentation (hair anior skim, political persuasion, literacy, previous condition of servitude, citizenship, criminal record, club member ship, ancestry, inc entry, outcettry. gnoy ,no box ! Sex." THE GAZETTE-TIMES MORROW COUNTY'S NEVWAPER BWI.IIeppr.OR.rt3 RutxrripOo rate: M per year la Ore goa. 17 el here. Prortl V. Joiner. PtMUaer Frwle Cereta. Fdilor Published every Tkartday and entered a sera4Us matter al the al Heppner, Ot(m. amlrr the act March 3. I7. SerM4lM pUe paid al Heppner, Orel, "...And When The Pie Was Opened..." The mail pouch EDITOR: It is now 1:30 a.m. I have just finished witnessing the dog that has been my children's pet for over three years die a hideous, convulsive death from poison. I onlv wish the person who cares so little about others that he could poison a pet. would have to face my children tomorrow and tell them their dog is dead. How do you explain to a seven year old the inhumanness of others? 1 am writing this letter in the hope that maybe next time when these people reach for the poison they will stop and think about the child who is going lo lose his pet in such a violent manner. Perhaps he might even witness its horrible death. A person who has so little maturity as to leave poison for an animal not knowing w hether the animal or possibly a child will find it and eat it is a menace to our society. If an animal " is causing damage to your property there are many recourses open to you. You can attempt to find the owner or contact the authorities. If these proper recourses fail and you feel compelled to protect your properly there are certainly more humane ways lo destroy an animal. I feel we as a society are making a grave mistake by making lethal poison readily available to adults who have no conscience. If a child kept straying to your property making a pest of himself, would you poison him too? JAN EVANS. Irrigon EDITOR: Our Slate Legislature gave to seven political appointees the power to control land use in Oregon. Thereby, peoples' historic right lo enjoy their property has been taken without Iheir consent. A measure lo repeal this tremendous power can be put lo a vole of the people this November Needed are 46.235 valid signatures on the Initiative Petitions which are distributed throughout the Stale. Every registered voter can help in two or three ways. First, find and sign a petition (every Grange has some); second, gel from us your own petition and complete it with 40 or more names; third and most importantly, please urge all petition carriers lo complete and return Iheir petitions as soon as possible lo the: Balanced Conservation & Development Committee care of Cliff Everett. Chairman Dexter. Oregon 97411. EDITOR: As you may have expected. I feel il is necessary to provide some answers lo several questions raised in Pat Wright's letter which was carried in the April IS issue of your paper. Sev eral of the questions and comments contained in the teller are quesiions lhal have ben raised by other residents of Morrow County and I hope this explanation will provide some rationale for the operation of Blue Mountain Community College District. The poinl I have heard expressed most frequently regards the fact that il would be cheaper for Morrow County to w iihdraw from the college district than lo pay the full cosls of education for the students who attend from Morrow County. In answer to thai question, my response is that when the formation of Blue Mountain Community College was being discussed, there were residents from both Umatilla and Morrow counties Involved in the planning and formation of this district The state had established minimum population figures and minimum true cash value figures for the formation of community college district. It was necessary for the two counties lo combine to meet the necessary minimum figures to obiain slate approval for a community college district. The voters of both I'malilla and Morrow counties evidenlally recngmed the need for a community college In this area and the combined vote for formation of the district was belter than five lo one in favor of ill formation. The vole was affirmative In both I'malilla and Morrow counlies. The need for the community college It evidenced by increased enrollments both In the day and evening division program and by the support it has been provided In budget elections over the years. In Pal Wright s letter, the stales that the agrees with the community college concept and believes Blue Mountain Community College is doing a great job I think It is importanl to recogniie thai the Blue Mountain Community District boundaries art contiguous with those of Umatilla and Morrow counliea. The point Is lhal Morrow County Is a part of the Blue Mounlain Community College District, tt Is really one district and no! (wo separste county I districts within the Blue Mountain area. Law requires that the tax levy throughout the total district be equal. Pat Wright refers to the fact that the levy is II 93 in I'malilla County and $1.91 in Morrow County. The reason for the two cents per $1,000 discrepancy is that Morrow County has some tax offsets that reduce that levy by the two cents. By law and by our levy distribution the levy should be equal in both I'malilla and Morrow Counlies. The college could not provide a lower lax rale in Morrow County even if they felt it were desirable. In the very early years of the college operation, the board did recognize that it was much more expensive for students in the outlying areas to attend the college and the qualization payments were established in an effort to help offset those costs. It should be pointed out that at no time were equalization payments intended to fully relieve the additional cosls to students in the outlying areas. It was rather an altempl to help reduce those discrepancies. I should point out that there are three other community colleges in the state of Oregon that cover larger geographic areas than does Blue Mountain. However, Blue Mountain Community College is the only one that makes equalization pavments to those students who reside more than ten miles from the campus. Two of the colleges provide a reduction in tuition costs for students who live long distances from the campus.. However, the tuition reduction amounts to a maximum of $25-35 per term, w hile our equalization payment in the Heppner area amounts to approximately $140 per term. So. I submit to you that while Blue Mounlain does not provide full equalization of cosls. it does a much belter job than any other community college in the slate of Oregon. This same point can be raised in most rural school districts and in the Stale System of Higher Education in the stale of Oregon. As an example, people in the Heppner area pay exactly the same property tax dollars to support Oregon Slate University as do the residents of the Corvallis area However, if you send a student to OSU, that siudent pays exactly the same tuition as a Corvallis resident, and In turn, they also must pay the full expenses for board, room, and other costs associated wilh living outside the Corvallis area To a lesser degree but in the same principle, the residents who live in the rural areas of Heppner are also faced wilh added cosls if their youngsters participate in activities thai preclude Iheir riding the school bus and they are also faced with added cosls when il comes to attending school functions. I am Irving to point out thai this is simply a problem that has existed since school districts were formed and will continue lo be a problem in the future. There is no way thai Blue Mounlain Community College could be or could have been located within closer distances to all of the residents it serves. Pal Wright does make a good poinl regarding the small increases in the equalization payment over the years. When the equalization payment was first created, it was based on Iwocents per mile, then two years ago it was increased to two and one half cents per mile. I think, perhaps, the board should look at the two and one half cents per mile payment and consider an increase in that figure. However, it should be emphasized that il is probable thai the Increase would not be sufficient to cover all the costs for students In the oullying areas. The final poinl made in Pat Wright s letter was thai access lo college classes, other than those offered In the Heppner Lexington area, were not accessible lo her. nor was it possible for her to take advantage of the new athletic facility, plays, concerts, etc.. that were offered on campus. Wt recognize that this It a problem. However, we do not tee thai (here is solution to that problem because there is no way lo provide some of the services In an area that does not have sufficient population to obtain an adequate enrollment for the classes. While we would be very happy lo schedule tome of our athletic activlliet and plays In the Heppner area, it is Impractical for us from a financial standpoint to do that wilh any great frequency. We would, however, be happy to discuss this point with clubs and service organization! in the Heppner area. Our beard Is very conscious of the fact that th rfcidwt In Morrow Counly do not have Ihe tame accett to our services and facilities and they are continually looking for ways lo Improve in this area Our board would be very happy to hold a public meeting In Heppner, Lexington, or lone to discust Ihe points raised in Pal Wright's letter and we would like lo have an Invilalion for such meeting and have II sponsored by a local organization so lhal we could be assured some attendance In that meeting We scheduled regular board meeting In the Heppner area this year, hoping for some cillren Input lo our operation. However, the only people to allend the meting were Bob and Marian Abrams and Jim Bier. If there Is sufficient Interest. t would be very happy lo schedule a special meeting In Morrow Counly lo discuss I bene Issues. RON DANIELS President. Blue Mounlain Community College s DEAR MISTER EDITOR: I was late gitting to the country store Saturday night on account of mv old ladv's almanac. She had read where Ihe signs w ere right fer beans and wrong for vines, so natural she had me out there digging. That woman depends more on that book printed a vcar ago than she does on the weather reports give over Ihe air ever hour on the hour. And it usual works out fer her Last v car. fer instant, she warned me to w ait to plant potmen til the sign got in Ihe foot. I planted em anyhow and II could of put in mv hal Ihe potaters we got. But if we had baled the vines we could of fed the stink through the winter. So. usual. Mister Editor. I pay attention to her and her signs. Like the old preacher said, it can't hurt and it might help. He was talking about listening to Ihe word from Ihe Good Book, and when my old lady reads from her almanac it amounts lo Ihe same kind of reliable source, as (hem column writers say. In both cases, I've learned not to argue with success. When I got to the store late, Ed Doolitlle must of gone through most of the agender, Inlernalional and national items had been handled, and stale and local guvernmenl had been left lo shift fer theirseifs. The discussion had worked down to wimmens feet, and Clem Webster had the floor. Clem reported thai he had saw this piece where wimmen have bigger feet now. He said Ihe feller that wrote the Hem claimed il was on account of all the open toed and open heeled shoes Ihev wear, but the fellers was general disagreed. Zeke ., Grubb allowed lhal he could believe Ihe average size shoe fer wimmen had gone from six lo seven in Ihe past to year, but lhal don't mean Iheir feet is bigger. Ail It means is they're buving bigger shoes. General speaking, declared Zeke. that's a good sign. Wimmen are waking up lo Ihe idee that being comfortable over the long haul is better than being in fashion fer a couple of months. Fer to long, went on Zeke. one woman would buy the shoes every one was buying, and they'd all buy em (wo sizes to small ' Now thai all of em is wearing panis where nobody pays much attention lo Iheir feet, they have look to buving what feels good, was Zeke's opinion. He said this was the first move he has seen in styles that has practical value to it. but fer his money he'd go back to skirls and cramped feet. When wimmen get practical they git ornery, was Clem's words, cause they want lo shape up their men in Ihe deal The fellers was" agreed with Clem that a practical woman can be as aggravating as a reformed drunk when it comes lo spoiling everybody 's fun. but Clem said we need both like we do a spring ionic. Fer instant, Clem said his old lady says she likes lo carry around just enuff problems to keep her happy. She claims the right kind of worrying keeps her wanting to do better, and her small burdens makes her thankful she ain't loaded down wilh big ones. Yours truly. MAYOR ROY. Church or Bed By Rev. Edwin Cutting lleppner-Erho United .Methodist Church People who attend a Sunday worship service in a Christian House of God" are of various ages and experiences, of differing levels of emotion and slates of health. Some are there because they've had a tough week and seek renewal pf strength. Some are there because things have been going great and Ihey desire to pratseGod for the bWsmgs He rendered The chief reason lo worship God is to give Him the recognition and Ihe glory. A TV program is looked al. or a ballgame is attended for its entertainment value- the viewer is the recipient of Ihe actors or ball player's efforts, in Christian worship God is the recipient of the worshipper's efforts; whether the church goer gels much benefit from attending is a lesser Issue In worship. God is honored by our taking lime lo go lo a church service, by our thinking aboul and praying lo Him and listening for Him to speak through the preaching of the Word If our cup gels refilled in the serv ice bless God all the more! Il is recorded that Jesus "went lo the synagogue (church i. as his custom was. "to be in God's house. He undoubtedly knew , as did an old Biblical writer, that "a day in thy temple is belter than a thousand spent elsewhere." Archelogical ev idence indicates worship services in Jesus' day were not very exciting The procedures of Bible reading, praying or spiritual instruction did not determine regularity of his attendance Jesus went in order that his spirit might commune with God's spirit, that he might honor God. that he might be fortified lo face Ihe coming week He came because Ihe house of God was viewed as man's spiritual fortress, a place lo be close lo ones' Creator and Suslainer. Probably Ihe last thing to have entered Jesus' mind was to "sleep In" on Ihe Sabbath Day Worship declares Ihe worth of God. with a giving of all the praise and honor due His name. Not lo altend church service is to show that one has nothing to remember about God's concern, or is not thankful for what God has done, or thai one is not very interested in committing his life lo Ihe care of the Almighty. A person worships because relationship with God is vital One worships, not because he or she is so very good or thinks oneself is. but because one knows thai he is not as good as he ought lo be It is impossible to worship God without pleasing Hun and being helrx-d In some degree ourselv es God calls his people lo be true worshippers and wc are asked lo respond instead of "sleeping in." Quarterly report for First National Bank First National Bank of Oregon reported a decline in earnings for Ihe first quarter ending March 31, I97A Strong deposit growth and a small increase in loans were report ed compared with a year ago, announced Robert F. Wallace, hank chairman Total deposits w-ie $2,274,913,000 on March 31, compared with $2.l24.027.ox. representing a 7 I per cent increase ov er Ihe lirsl quarter P.I7S Total loans at First National offices were $l.:iH.'.3,i7.(Mi. a gain of 0 1 per cent from Ihe ll.3ftl.6ll.uiw listed on Ihe same dale In 11173. Total resources wrre ' $2.924 .9B5.om. up from 12.fi02.3tfi.titt on March 31 last year Income before securities transactions for Ihe first quarter amounted to H.'M.mi. or Rfi cenls per share, down 12 6 per cent from $V227.oi. or ft cents per share recorded during Ihe first quarter of 1971 Net Income, after securities trans actions was $4.Su6 ooo. or V cents per share This compar es lo $5,240 or 99 cents per share last year. The Heppner branch report ed deposits ol $12,073,000 and .Mik of $IOSMoio as of March 31 Comparable totals for Ihe branch a year ago were j'lUTfiono in deposits and $m tiC ixio in loans. FRIENDSHIP CARD U.fB MEETS The Friendship Card Club met Thursday evening at Ihe home of Sharron Bell In Fossil. Mrs Shirley Orr won high and Patsy McMinn won second high, Pinochles were won by Ieena Held and Glcnda Homer. Others enjoy ing the evening play were ( isty Shaffer, Dinah JacM"n and Edith Pell
