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VOL. 93. NO. 34
HEPPNER, OR.
Thursday, Oct. 7.1978
10 Page
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Jail facilities driving
sherriffs out of town
By WHPhlnney
The city of Heppner and the county of Morrow are between
a rock and a hard place. Really hard.
It is obvious that a two man sheriffs department can't
adequately cover all of Morrow County. But couple that with
indecent, even pathetic jailing facilities, and you have even
worse possibilities.
Acting Sheriff Larry Fetsch works days, long days. Kip
Morris, the lone deputy, works nights in North Morrow
County. Long nights, too,
"If both men work 60 hours a week, it s still falling short of
full time police coverage," Dennis Doherty, Morrow County
district attorney said. ' That's when they Just do police
work."
But with no jail in the county, much, possibly half or more
of the officers' time is devoted to transporting the people that
are criminally charged. The county sheriffs rely on the
jailing facilities in Wasco County at The Dalles, the
Ilermiston Safety Center and the Pendleton jail.
Two weeks ago. a man Morrow County was holding In the
Wasco County jail was subpoenaed to court in Heppner. He
traveled to The Dalles and brought him back to Heppner . . .
about five hours on the road. When he got here, after his
appearance In court, there was no place to hold him legally
except In the sheriff s office. The sheriff had to feed and
watch him all day. For the night, he was transported to
Ilermiston. The sheriff came back to fulfill his duties here.
The next day. he had to appear in court again. A trip to
Ilermiston and back, the appearance in court, then back to
The Dalles.
The transportation time Just chopped the sheriff's day into
mincemeat.
At the least. Doherty says, the county needs some sort of
lock-up facilities. Some sort of adequate lock-up facilities.
No-host dinner
Candidates fair slated
The opportunity for local
voters to hear and talk with
Mustangs remain first
A slim, double overtime victory over
Riverside, 26 20, Insured Heppner of their
first place stand In the Columbia Basin
Conference, still tied with also undefeated
Umatilla at 4 0.
The River
side clash left
Dave Allstott.
...I.a niiMpffll-.
back, sidelined I J3
for the remain- ' i
ing season with I "-'",
a dislocated I I -
shoulder. I
Bruce Yotinj
ig l
will lake over
tonight at Wes
ton McE wen.
Umatilla
toppled Con
don In Blue
Devil terri
u;,.ry, . to
maintain their
undefeated
Davo Allstott
many polities' candidates at a
Candidates Fair is set for
ranking.
In other contests, Weston McEwen blasted
Wasco County. 30. and Sherman County
stomped Pilot Rock. 50. Oregon Trail was
dumped by Burbank, WA. In a nnn -conference
game, IS
Heppner facet Weston McEwen this week.
The game tonight could either leave Heppner
and Umatilla knotted at SO, providing
Umatilla takes Oregon Trail, or It could leavt
Umatilla alone in first ith Weston McEwen,
Heppner and possibly Sherman County, tied
at 4 1.
The game time Is I p m tonight In Athena.
Columbia Basin Conference
L - "
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HEPPNER 4 0 I0M
Umatilla 4 0 two
Weston -McEwen 3 I 7W
Sherman County 1 I 667
Oregon Trail I 111
Condon I 3 20
piMR.uk I a
Wasco County 1 1 M
Ri venule J 0,10
m 9
?,V! ) Is;. -
The rock and steel building behind the courthouse is not
adequate, according to anyone that sees it and according to
the minimum jail standards bill of 1973.
That bill provides that a local jail has to maintain 24 hour
supervision; it must maintain personal inspections each
hour; it provides that three meals must be served every day
inside the Jail; it provides that the county must adopt rules
and regulations that govern correspondence, visiting,
discipline and prisoner behavior; it provides that the facility
must be safe and secure according to the uniform building
code of the International Confederation of Builders; it
provides that the county must formulate and publish plans to
meet emergencies such as in the case of possible escape,
riots, assaults, fires, rebellions and any others; it provides
that the county must formulate policies and regulations for
operation; it provides that the county officers are not
permitted to administer any physical punishment to any
person at any time.
That's what the bill says. Morrow County's facsimile of a
jail doesn't come close to meeting these standards. And
Doherty knows, Fetsch knows it . . . anyone who has been
through the Jail knows it.
The county can t maintain 24 hour sc-vice. A thick concrete
wall stops anyone from seeing into the jail. Personal
inspections are a risk. "You're walking in cold." Doherty
83 id
Two big doors open into the main portion of the cell. It's
wide open and there are many chances for a hostile prisoner
to take revenge.
A safe building? The cell doors have no view panels; there
is no workable segregation to separate a pair of hostile
prisoners, except to lock them into two small rooms, only big
enough to turn around in.
(Continued
Tuesday evening. October 19.
in Heppner.
V '
on Pace Z) J
19th
The American Association
of University Women has ar
ranged a no host dinner and a
public appearance and ques
tion period for county and
state legislative and Judicial
candidates which will begin at
the new Roger's restaurant,
W est of the W illow, at a ft p m.
dinner.
At I p m at the Junior High
Auditorium each candidate
will be atlotted two minute to
speak Then list of pre
determined questions will be
presented for the candidates
to answer. Finally questions
from the floor will be per
mitted. A A U.W.'i legislative
chairman. Kathy Peck, Lex
ington, will moderate the fair.
She will be assisted by Anne
Doherty as timekeeper.
The speaking and question
part of the fair will be followed
by a coffee time hosted by
area A A U.W. members
which will permit informal
Visiting with the candidates.
The iwmct of thme can-diliii-
bo H attend the
dinner H'l H-ak at the fair at
the Junior Hnih will be an
h,Hiiifd .ihcid ol I ho IVMi-r
it if
u n i
Center faces closure
Tear filled eyes lit up a bit
late Tuesday afternoon when
officials of the Heppner Child
Development Center learned
that Kinzua Corporation
would put up $600 and Mur
ray's Drug $200 to help the
center find $1,200 by October
29 to keep its doors open.
Linda Johnson, Anne Do
herty and Monica Swanson
appeared Monday night be
fore the Heppner Common
Council, seeking some finan
cial relief for a perplexed
child care budget.
Ms. Johnson told the council
that the center was "hurting
right now in our budget" and
were "hoping to find financial
help from the city."
The center has slipped to
$5,423 below its budget. It
needs $1,200 by October 29 if it
plans to continue operation.
U-turn stays
'Dragging gut' to
continue in Heppner
Young Heppner motorists will continue to
"drag the gut."
A proposed no-U-turn sign to be put up at
the junction in front of the courthouse was
squelched by the Heppner Common Council
Monday night.
Dean Gilman, Heppner police chief, asked
the council to consider placing a no left turn
sign on S. Court. Students, the council was
told, travel up and down main street: to the
north, turning around near the Union 76
station, back up main street, turning left at E.
May Street. They then travel up to the
tri-street junction, turning right onto S. Court
before flipping a U:turn and heading back
north on E. May to start the trek all over
again.
The councilmen agreed that the turn
around spot was a hazardous one. but also
agreed that it is probably still the safest.
"I think we should live with the traffic
; .
s ;
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f. ,
Heppner dance team entertained Impressively during
halltime of the Riverside triumph Friday (C-l Photo)
$1200
At present, the center has a
total budget of $33,983. Aver
aging 20 children a day at $4.50
per child, the center is coming
up with $23,760 annually. Add
$4,800 that the United States
Department of Agriculture
grants them and it still leaves
the center short of their
budgeted total by over $5,000.
Almost 50 per cent of the
children at the center have
been from families that live
inside the city limits of Hep
pner. Thirty-one per cent are
from families that work at the
mill, 44 per cent are from
government and merchants'
families.
The center's $4.50 charge is
among the highest in the
areas. An increase, according
to Swanson, coordinator of the
program, would make the
center "unaffordable."
--
needed
Many people believe the
center is totally funded by
federal grants, but that is not
true. The federal aid that the
center gains through Com
munity Coordinated Child
Care (4Cs) only pertains to
low income families.
Parents must prove their
income, Swanson said, and
very few qualify for the funds.
The total check from the
federal government last
month was only $273, not even
enough to pay a part time
employee for a month.
Private sitters in the area
are charging $4 a day,
Swanson said, but noted that
the center provides a more
in-depth care program.
Swanson told the council
that the staff was "grossly
underpaid" and said they
make a "little better than
problem." Jim Rogers said, making the first
move for the student drivers. But all the other
councilmen joined in.
They agreed that the turn around, although
not particularly safe, would be safer than
channeling traffic up N. Court and turning
near the grade school or up into residential
areas.
"It's a mess, but it's not the kids' fault,
Larry Mills said. "We're better off the way it
is than having them drive by the grade school.
We're not going to pass an ordinance keeping
the kids from cruising the streets."
"Let it be," Ray Boyce said. "It's part of
growing up."
Students do the majority of their "dragging
the gut" in the mornings, at lunch, after
school and in the evenings. Saturday night,
one councilman said, is an especially good
evening for cruising.
minimum wage."
"They are so dedicated,"
Swanson said, that "without
them, we would have been
closed a long time ago."
Swanson maintained that
the center was an "important
asset to the community." The
council agreed, but could not
find any way to help the center
out with funding.
The council said the only
possible chance would be for
the center to apply for a
supplemental budget in Janu
ary when federal revenue
sharing monies are available.
Swanson said the center was
trying "to tap everybody in
town. I believe so strongly in
the center that I don't want to
see it close."
Tuesday morning, the samey
reply came from the courV
house after the center's hopes
were aroused last week by
budget figures.
Last week, the center
spokespersons said, the coun
ty was prepared to recom
mend a $12-1,500 supplemental
budget for the center through
federal revenue sharing money-
But Tuesday, after four
hours of lengthy discussions,
the answer was a crisp "no."
The budget committee voted
5-2 against any donation.
Swanson told the Gazette
Times at noon Tuesday that
$1,200 had to be raised by
October 29 or the center would
shut its doors. Even if the
money is raised, rates will
increase, she said.
She said the county came up
with excellent suggestions,
but that they would only be
applicable if the $1,200 is
raised.
Swanson said the center ex
pected a large population of
children this summer, but
blamed poor harvest and mill
vacations for the poor at
tendance. At noon, one of the center's
officials was prompted to
term the center's chance of
gaining the $1,200 as "zilch."
But Kinzua came through and
Murray's Drug was close
behind.
The center is asking for
Immediate community sup
port. Swanson said the doors
would be closed November 1 if
the money is not gained and
the center would hold a yard
sale to pay all its debts.
The center sent out 77 letters
of appeal earlier in Septem
ber. Only one came back.
Anyone willing to contrib
ute, Swanson said. Is urged to
do so immediately.
Fatality
A 26-year-old Bosrdmsa
man was killed late Monday
night In a ear accident Immed
iately east of the city near ihe
Junction of !0N and Hry.
730.
Lecpi'.do Ftores Erpoia
pronounced dead at the scene.
He was an employe at Gour
met Food Product. Inc.
Two other persons la tae
ear received neck and intern
injuries. They were Francuwo
Cobaruby Msdraao. 84.
Bordmn. and Thorns N
srelte. 22, IWdmm. They
were Uken to Good Shep
herd l!piu! by HermUtoe
ambulance.
All three were ptnjcr
in s rar driven by SWno
Recendii Maria, 24. P.O. Dot
1161, UmatilU.
baft S -- -