The Gazette-Times, Heppner, Ore., Thursday, Feb. 3, 1977 THREE
Low snowfall endangers
summer water supplies
Record low snowfall in
much of the West is en
dangering next summer's
water supplies, according to
the U.S. Department of Agri
culture's Soil Conservation
Service (SCS).
In surveys conducted Jan. 1,
SCS found there was less snow
in many parts of the West than
at the beginning of any Jan
uary in the past 40 years.
Normally, nearly half the
year's snowpack has accumu
lated by this time.
Throughout the region,
many snow survey sites were
News
Morrow art sought
Blue Mountain Community College's annual review of the
arts is now open to all residents of Morrow and Umatilla
counties, according to co-editors Dave Peterson, Astoria, and
Chris Simmons, Bonanza.
The publication was formerly restricted to BMCC students
and staff.
Submissions are now being accepted in poetry, creative
and non-fiction writing, photography, and art work that can
be reproduced. A $15 prize will be awarded for the top entry
in each category.
Material should be submitted to Jim Burgess, Room 216,
Pioneer Hall, or mailed to Runes, P.O. Box 100, BMCC P-216,
Pendleton, OR 97801. Deadline is Mar. 4 for written material
and Mar. 11 for other. A stamped self-addressed envelope
should be enclosed to insure return of material to the sender.
Heppner woman appt.
Heppner City Library trustee Myrna Johnson has been
appointed to a two-year term on the Oregon State Advisory
Council on Libraries. The 13 members of the Advisory
Council include librarians, trustees, and representatives of
the library-using public.
The Advisory Council is responsible for planning for the
development of library service throughout the state of
Oregon. It also evaluates all requests for federal public
library fund grants and recommends applications for
funding.
PGE 80
Pacific Northwest Generating Company (PNGC) is now a
10 per cent participant in the Boardman Coal Plant as the
result of an agreement signed recently with Portland
General Electric company.
The $500 million project is now under construction near
Boardman, Ore. It is scheduled for completion in July 1980
and will have an output of approximately 530,000 kilowatts.
PGE is sponsoring the project and has an 80 per cent share.
Idaho Power Company is also participating and owns 10 per
cent of the project.
The contract is subject to approval by Public Utility
Commissioner Charles C. Davis; his staff has the matter
under consideration.
"PNGC members are experiencing an extraordinary load
growth on their systems," said PNGC president Russ
Dorran, Manager of Umatilla Electric Coop. "As a result,
our energy needs are not being completely met by our
participation in the Washington Public Power Supply System
nuclear projects. So we have decided to participate in the
Boardman project."
In addition, Dorran said, "PNGC members are currently
considering other resources to meet their needs, including
possible participation in the Pebble Springs nuclear
project." Fifteen per cent of the Pebble Springs units is still
available.
Hay cubes
An agreement to ship 24,000 tons of alfalfa hay cubes to
Japan has been announced by Boardman Feed and Seed. It
will be the largest single order of hay cubes ever shipped
from the Pacific Northwest and one of the largest in the
country. The order is worth more than $2 million. The
operation will run from June 1977 to June 1978, employing 10
people in two shifts.
Budget committee
The Blue Mountain Community College budget committee
will meet at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 8, in the first of a series
of public meetings to review budget requests and prepare a
budget for public vote. Since the college has no tax base, the
entire amount must be approved by the voters each year.
College President Ron Daniels will present his budget
message at the first meeting, to be held in the college board
room. All budget meetings are open to the public.
The budget committee is composed of the college Board of
Education and seven additional members appointed by the
board, including Homer Hughes of Lexington and Ralph
Skoubo of Boardman. Bob Rietmann, lone, is a board
member.
bare and most others had less
than 30 per cent of their
normal Jan. 1 snowpack.
Nevada had no snowpack.
New Mexico, Oregon, south
ern Washington, and much of
Idaho had 5 to 15 per cent of
their average Jan. 1 snow
pack. ' Utah had 5 to 25 per
cent, and Colorado, western
Wyoming, western Montana,
and the northern parts of
Washington and Idaho had
only 25 to 40 per cent. No Jan. 1
survey was conducted in Ari
zona. Storms would have to yield
briefs
owner
ordered
nearly double their typical
snowfall between January and
May to prevent summer water
shortages, according to the
conservation agency. Snow
pack accumulated during win
ter and spring provides about
70 per cent of the western
water supply.
Farmers, small communi
ties, and others who depend
directly on streamflow for
water supplies would be most
severely affected by a light .
snowpack.
Although reservoirs in most
western states are full, the
The legal beat
Jury findi
in wheelc
Robert Allen Hughes, 22, of
Lexington, was found guilty
Tuesday of second degree
theft in 6th District Justice
Court at Heppner. Hughes was
given a six month suspended
sentence and placed on in
formal probation.
The three man, three wo
man jury deliberated about 45
minutes before returning the
verdict. Hughes was charged
in connection with the alleged
Sept. 10 theft of an emergency
room wheelchair at Pioneer
Memorial Hospital. Hughes
testified that he had been
drinking and could not re
member his actions during
various periods of the after
noon and evening in question.
Hughes also received a six
month suspended sentence on
a charge of failure to appear.
He changed his plea from
innocent to guilty.
Hughes was alleged to have
taken a wheelchair from the
, hospital and loaded it into the
back of a pickup. The wheel-
chair was unloaded at a local
apartment house and later
used by another party to ride
through a local bar.
District Attorney Dennis
Doherty and defense attorney
Mike Sweeney tried the case
before 5th District Justice
Court Judge Ernie Jorgensen
after Sweeney moved to dis
qualify Justice Court Judge
Dee Gribble on grounds of
prejudice. The defendant had
appeared before Judge Grib
ble on a previous occasion.
In other court and police
action, Lawrence Barnes, age
approximately 30, of Board
man, has been bound over to
the grand jury following
arraignment on a charge of
first degree theft. Barnes,
charged Dec. 30 in connection
with an alleged shotgun theft
from a parked vehicle in
Boardman belonging to Mark
Docken of Boardman, is free
on $1,005 bond.
Sentenced
On Thursday in 6th District
Justice Court, Rick Dean
James, 20, 14021 SE Stark St.,
Portland, was sentenced to 120
days in jail on a charge of
driving while suspended. It
was his second conviction on a
like charge. James is serving
his sentence at Wasco, Judge
Gribble said.
Morning arrest
Billy Lawrence Beatty, Jr.,
22, of Heppner, was arrested
about 5 a.m. Jan. 29 and
charged with first degree
criminal trespass and third
degree assault. Beatty is free
pending arraignment on the
charges in the next 60 days,
according to District Attorney
Dennis Doherty.
The arrest was made after
an altercation was reported in
progress at a Heppner apart
ment. Reports to authorities
alleged that a man had
entered through a window into
an apartment occupied by a
Heppner man and woman,
after which a fight between
the two men ensued.
Police, fire calls
Heppner firemen answered
a call at 300 Chase Street at
7:43 p.m. Jan. 27 and ex
tinguished fire in a frying pan
on the kitchen range. No
injuries or damage were
reported.
Chris Davis of Heppner
reported having an auto acci
dent near Ruggs about 2 a.m.
supply meets less than half the
summer irrigation needs of
the region. In California, last
year's record drought left
most reservoir supplies de
pleted. SCS, in cooperation with
other agencies and organiza
tions, is responsible for eval
uating snowpack conditions at
1,600 sites throughout the West
and Alaska. The Service
issues summer water supply
forecasts each month from
February through May for
irrigators and other water
users.
ng guilty
hair case
Jan. 29. A second weekend
accident wrecked a pickup
belonging to Kevin Hague
wood of Heppner. Another
weekend accident heavily
damaged a third auto. Injuries
were reportedly confined to a
cut eye for one of two pas
sengers in the Haguewood
vehicle.
Reports to the Sheriff's
Office in Heppner during the
past week include the theft of
four sprinkler motors from
Campbell Ranches. The items
were stolen sometime be
tween the first part of De
cember and Jan. 27 of this
year. The four motors were
valued at $650.80.
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Playing hide and go seek with a possible house fire wasn't
exactly Heppner fire fighters' idea of fun and games. But,
nonetheless, that's what happened in the great fry pan fire
Thursday night.
Firemen were beckoned to a possible house fire on Chase
Street. The trucks went one way, but the fire was the other. The
trucks and firemen ended up knocking on doors on South Chase
Street, trying to run down the report.
When all the knocking failed, they radioed back and received
word to try the other end of Chase. Even when they finally found
300 Chase Street, it didn't look like much of a fire.
The firemen went in, one by one, numbering almost a half
dozen, and emerged moments later carrying a smoking pan.
The hoses were rolled up onto the truck and the firemen went
home.
The smoking pan caught fire on a stove and evidently caught
the occupant of the house napping.
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County gross farm income
estimate set at $64,083,000
Gross farm income for Morrow County in 1976 has been
estimated at $64,083,000, according to statistics compiled by
the Extension "rv'ie.
Total gross ta .n a.les, according to the estimate, are down
$4,665,000 when compared with the 1975 gross sales of
$68,748,000.
Gross sales of all crops showed a decrease from 1975
according to the estimates. In the livestock sector, swine and
other livestock sales did not keep pace with 1975, but beef
cattle, sheep and lambs, and dairy sales were slightly higher.
In keeping with the national supply and demand picture, all
hay and silage in Morrow County showed an increase,
jumping from $3,957,000 in 1975 to $7,203,000 in 1976 with 4,500
acres in final production.
MORROW COUNTY
1975 1975 1976 1976
Agricultural Commodity Acres Gross Sales Acres Gross Sales
Potatoes 20,150 $ 32,803,000. 25,325 $ 30,337,000.
Wheat 191,100 23,291,000. 221,500 19,139,000.
All Hay & Silage 25,300 3,957,000. 20,800 7,203,000.
All Feed Grains 13,400 1,383,000. 5,500 447,000.
All Other Crops: Dry Beans, 3,780 1,637,000. 1,950 1,062,000.
Watermelons, Tree Fruits
TOTAL CROPS 253,730 63,071,000. 275,075 $ 58,188,000.
Beef Cattle $ 4.730,000. $ 4,897,000.
Sheep & Lambs 463,000. 477,000.
Dairy 374,000. 450,000.
Swine 53,000. 31,000.
Other Livestock 57,000. 40,000;
TOTAL LIVESTOCK $ 5,677,000. $ 5,895,000.
TOTAL GROSS FARM SALES $ 68,748,000. $ 64,083,000.
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1976 ESTIMATED
The primary county crops of potatoes and wheat
experienced a decline, although more acres were in
production.
The estimated gross sales for wheat for 1976 were placed at
$19,139,000 on 221,500 acres. This compares with 1975 gross
sales of $23,291,000 on 191,100 acres.
Gross sales of potatoes for 1976 are estimated at $30,337,000
on 25,325 acres, compared with 1975 gross sales of $32,803,000
on 20,150 acres.
The accompanying 1976 estimated gross farm income
estimate for Morrow County was prepared by Harold E. Kerr
and Michael E. Howell, Morrow County Extension agents,
and Stan Miles, Extension economist in agricultural
economics, Oregon State University, Corvallis.
GROSS FARM INCOME
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