Image provided by: Morrow County Museum; Heppner, OR
About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 8, 1977)
TWO The Gazette-Times, Heppner, Ore.. Thursday, September 8, 1977 C EDITORIAL LETTERS Sifting through the COMMENT it I '1 'I 4 S i Tough decision The Heppner City Council this past Tuesday took action on a matter that would leave them "damned if they did and damned if they didn't". The decision to terminate City Foreman Don Penney's employment was made with the citv's best interests in mind. QTORIAL It is unfortunate Penney had a work-related injury shortly after coming on the job in the spring of this year, but the City of Heppner needs a working foreman now more than ever before. With the budget defeat earlier this year the city is virtually without funds for street repair and maintenance, water and sewer works, not to mention capital improvements to the city's utilities. If residents of the City of Heppner think conditions of street and utilities are deteriorating now, wait until next year after the winter when the effects of the budget defeat will really be felt. We commend the council for taking positive action on a sensitive matter and we wish Mr. Penney a speedy recovery. Support urged Residents of Heppner will soon be asked to approve a special serial levy in the amount of $18,000 for construction of a new Morgan Street bridge EDITORIAL The reason for needing the special levy again, the budget defeat earlier this year. Through state and federal grants the city will receive $103,000 for construction of the bridge, providing the city can come up with $18,000. Now that's an offer hard to refuse. Morgan Street is the main route to our high school; a facility that will be in use for many generations. It would be foolish to pass up the opportunity to acquire decent access to that facility. This issue of the Gazette-Times has a complete story on the serial levy and in future issues, as we have in the past, we will keep residents informed of the bridge and the levy. We urge you to study the bridge, its low cost to residents of Heppner, and give your support to the serial levy. tmh COLUMN by Terry Hager Our All-Star Fleet-of-Foot-and-Mind Award this week goes to a Heppner businessman who was given a challenge he couldn't refuse. Putting the rubber to the road, our friend hopped on a skate board at the urging of neighborhood youngsters and proceeded down the Lott-Rasmus-sen hill from his home. Informed sources say he looked like a belly dancer on a beach ball but on he went to the bottom of the hill. COMMENT It was on reaching the bottom of the hill that Robb Ramjet found the going tough the gravel had the same effect on the skate board wheels as a stick put through the spokes of a bicycle wheel. Skate board in hand, up the hill he trudged, then to the hospital where it wasn't so funny. A gash cut clear through to the nerves in his elbow-forearm, fortunately with no permanent disability. We understand a new product is coming of the incident, though wide track, recap elbow and knee pads. Is it necessary to have an exchange casing? We apologize to some of the sponsors of the Livestock Auction that were inadvertantly left out of the 4-H and FFA "Thank You" ad in last week's Gazette-Times. The entire ad is running again this week and includes Central Market, Farm Equipment Headquarters, Oregon Potato Incorporated, Hep pner Nor-Gas, Sabre Farms, Morrow County Grain Growers, Union Oil, Turner-Van Marter & Bryant, Morrow County Farm Bureau, Pioneer Implement and Pat Cutsforth. 5Ci " HI 't: t '-i s 3 A; 0't i 1 VS- Letters to the Editor Not happy with fair coverage Editor: From first glance at last week's paper, one would scarcely know that Morrow County had concluded it's annual fair and rodeo. To me, it was a week of many note-worthy events. My college journalism is indeed antiquated. Feature articles and interviews then came behind the news.. Headlines included train wrecks and disasters. Perhaps not stopping for a cow on the tracks would make more news than not stopping for non-existant passengers or freight. Historic buildings should be preserved, but so should some of the events which happened during the week, never to be seen again. The architectural structure of said depot fails to catch my eye for its photographic qualities. If Joe Blow is promoted to Chief Dog Catcher or if I rate the title of "Local Sounder Off-er of the Year" do either of us receive equal coverage? To me, a timely story would have been Kinzua's twenty-five years of sponsoring a hand-made saddle for local calf roping contestants and it's present recipient featured. School events- should be this weeks news. Maybe new teachers would have preferred the surprise element to help include students to come forth. The excellent coverage of sports is as important as the accumlative effort of a year of work and activities climaxed at our fair. Though it's impossible to record everything major highlights which represent much effort include champion animals, prize-winning demonstrations, skillfully-designed garments, award winning foods, champion showmanship, eye-catching floats, booths and the sweepstake winners of crops, produce, arts and crafts from this county. Every parade needs a band and Jim Ackley is to be commended on his efforts. Years past it was always assumed the band would be on parade not only here but at Pendleton and in full dress. Our grand marshal and queen and court must really feel put down with the quote, "the band high-lighting the parade." Perhaps in years to come the rodeo should budget space to cover court activities. My hat is off to a hardworking group who did their smiling best to get out and promote our fair and rodeo. In addition were present to host, welcome, speak, make visitors welcome and present all the awards throughout the year. Agriculture certainly takes a beating these days both price-wise as well as from nature and surely our fair and rodeo should at least come to front in our own county paper. My hat is off to the great community effort that makes this all possible. Merlyn Robinson TIMES Excitement from the Fair and Rodeo was gradually subsiding this week in 1967 and the area was experiencing the transition from summer to fall. A sure sign of autumn's arrival was the opening of football season and the Times featured a picture of Heppner coach Ed Hiemstra, his assistants Adrian Cook and Dean Naffziger and a few of the Mustang stars such as Dave Hall, John McCabe and Al Drake. Along with the grid outlook came the report that county schools were opening for the 1967-68 school year with 1,112 students. Although the totar was slightly down from the previous year, Heppner High School topped the 200 mark for the first time. In other news of the week, the Times reported that "Ken Wright, an outstanding member of the Heppner High School chapter of the Future Farmers of America during his high school days, has been chosen for the American Farmer degree of the national organization of FFA". Moving back another 10 years to this week in 1957, big business was in the news as the Times reported, "The Morrow County Grain Growers last week completed the purchase of the former Archer-Daniels grain elevators at lone which the co-op has operated for two years under lease. The purchase was made from W.E. Melena and Sons of lone for $175,000. "The three elevators which are operated as one unit have a combined capacity of 420,000 bushels and give the MCGG total storage of 2,950,000 bushels in its nine elevators. The co-op is now the second largest county elevator operator in Oregon, being exceeded only by the Pendleton Grain Growers." At that time the co-op had a membership of 375 county farmers and a crew of ten regular employees. Meanwhile, back in town... "Directors of the Bank of Eastern Oregon late last week awarded a contract to Mid-State Construction Co. of The Dalles for the construction of the bank's new Heppner branch building. "Officals said the contract calls for completion of the new plant within 120 days, but it is hoped that it can be occupied prior to that time. The building is to be located on the former McClintock property on Main Street and the bank is now operating from temporary quarters in the Empire Machinery building next door." The following distiller's lament was found in the Times pages this week in 1947: Police records fail to reveal any undue hilarity or other disturbance attributable to the cup that cheers during the Rodeo. According to records in the sheriff's office, where city charges as well as county cases are filed due to the jail service, only two men's names were entered on the docket and they were merely locked up to sleep off their jags. Ample policing was provided by the sheriff's office and the city and from all accounts the crowds were kept in line throughout the Rodeo period. A look at this week in 1937 brings some names from the past for all you horse fans. "John Tubbs' mastery of Dillinger, the outlaw hitherto unconquered, featured strongly in his winning the bucking crown of the 16th Rodeo. The Spokane tophand rode Dillinger Thursday, conquered Walla Walla Friday, tamed Bald Hornet in the semi-finals, and did a nice job of riding Jump-Off Joe in the finals. "Herb Owens of Kennewick placed second with his ride on White Pelican while Kenneth Depew of Salem rode Alcatraz and Gene Pruett of Yakima rode Tollgate to split third place." This week in 1937 the Star Theater was advertising an upcoming showing of the "Offical Dempsey-Sharkey Fight Film, direct from ringside, showing the disputed knockout in slow motion." Picture credit City of Heppner crews have neglected Main Street Dog gone! What's humane treatment? Editor: In response to William D. Baker's letter in your paper, I would like to say, if I had the money, there is nothing I would like to do better than provide for and take care of all underpriviledged and abused old people, children and helpless animals. That, of course, most certainly would not include him. Anyone who has the stupid audacity to say as his wife did, "My dog is an outside dog and gets water once a day and needs no more shade than the hot box he is chained to," should be getting pamphlets on animal care. When the very small watering kettle has been turned bottom side up from morning until night several times, it sounds like he doesn't THE GAZETTE-TIMES Published every Thursday and entered as a second-class matter at the Post Office at Heppner, Oregon, under the Act of March 3, 1879. Second-class postage paid at Heppner, Oregon. The official newspaper of the City of Heppner and the County of Morrow. G.M. Reed, Publisher Dolores Reed, Co-publisher Terry M. Hager, Business Manager Jim Summers, Editor Eileen Saling, Office Manager Justine Weatherford, Local News Laura Craig, Composing Patti Saling, Composing even get water once a day. The day I checked on his dry kettle and filled it with water his wife reminded me that he didn't need any more care, "that her husband just must have forgotten to water him that day." I'll wager a bet that no one in Morrow County has more orphan dogs of all sizes and Heinz 67 varities than I do and they all stay a lot of places. They stay home and don't chase the neighbors stock; they stay out of my unfenced garden; they stay out of the flower beds on all four sides of my new house; they stay out of my new rock garden project that takes in the whole hillside above my house. They have beaten paths around these areas where I work but no tracks through them. Perhaps with a little kindness and compassion he could train his dog to not need to be on the end of a chain in the hot sun and far from the house at the end of the field so he wouldn't have to hear him bark for mercy and companionship. My nine dogs visit back and forth with the wildlife that comes down our canyon to explore around but they are not allowed to chase them. That is another worthwhile form of holding with no chains attached. For the hot weather I built a lean-to sort of breeze-away (open on both ends) and covered it with old quilts and bed spreads. Then wheeled in wheelbarrow loads of soft dirt and turned the hose on the whole works inside and out to keep it wet and cool. They all dig and rearrange their beds each day to suit their fancy and our two cats even join them for cool snoozes. I'm sure his bit of effort rewards me with helping them to understand the no-no areas on our shoe string farmstead. I would also like to add that our new renter Lowell Jones has a big black lab that stays around the door step of his unfenced yard and never leaves to bother any neighbors in any shape or form. They have just returned from a three day vacation and you can bet he was right there to greet them with a joyous outburst of barking. On their return is the only time he lets out a bark. Kindness sure pays off in many ways. Mr. Baker I hope you found time to read the copy of Oregon Law ORS 653.315 on animal care that the sheriff took you. You failed to mention that pamphlet of literature. We feel gratified that our former neighbor dog short-legged Herman Rickert misses us enough that he hikes the three miles from town to visit us and our four-legged creatures quite often. No dogs that I have baby sat with or taken care of have ever had to be chained to keep them from running away. Kindness is an investment having no limit in dividends. Most Sincerely, Lois Winchester Thanks for the help Editor: As members of the Morrow County Fair and Rodeo Board of Directors we would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who helped put on the 1977 Morrow County Fair and Rodeo. To the numerous individuals who volunteered their time to put on the Fair and Rodeo and parade we offer particular thanks. The numbers of hard working hours put in by these people is unbelieveable. A fair and rodeo would be impossible without them. We wish to thank all those who lent support to the entire show by donating funds and items. We also wish to thank all of you who came to the Fair and Rodeo. We hope all of you had a good time this year at the Morrow County Fair and Rodeo. We are always ready to listen to your suggestions to make next year's show even better. Sincerely, Virginia Grieb Paul Hisler, Chr. Zearl Gillispie Floyd Jones Liz Curtis, Sec.-Treas. George Luciani 4 k p - - h .mm.4iH i . -m ist, .ft;.. .m.
