Image provided by: Morrow County Museum; Heppner, OR
About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (June 29, 1978)
0ii f f f p- f m t r ? f t f '''"" V f: ' f T f T f F 0 p. . J,- .v 9-.jr fv .--ft 0f 0 -0 0 " - ' 0 P p- -? . ir--' ff VOL. NO. 1 iiUiUU11MLiLiaaiMMiMMi' ifiiiiiii'ulniffciWTffi-" iw:hxuUiiwuMijiijitiiiiiiM ilmk" "lfr "ft' ' " MT'r-aiitMm-it The Heppner high school Rodeo team brought home the State Championship from Redmond last weekend. Team members pictured are Ron Currin, Lawrence Rice, Jack Yocom, Wade West, Tony Currin, Dan Van Schoiack, Janice Healy, Cindy Doctors will quit practice ere oil Drs. Richard A. Carpenter and Joseph H. Diehl made official Monday, the an nouncement last week that they would discontinue their practice at the Heppner Medi cal Clinic in August. The doctors said they would discontinue practice at the clinic on August 1, 1978. Patients may arrange for transfer of their medical records to another physician by contacting the clinic at Post Office Box 1109, Heppner, ' Oregon 97836 or by phoning 676-9148. In a separate interview with The Gazette-Times this week, Dr. Joe Diehl took time to explain some of his reasons for leaving his practice here; some thoughts for the com munity in attracting new doctors; and to take exception to some attitudes expressed at a meeting concerning . the situation held last week, also expressed in a Gazette-Times editorial. "It wasn't an easy decision for my wife Marilyn and I to make," opened Diehl, explain ing the move of his family from Pendleton to Heppner a year ago. "We came here with every intention of staying for a long time, raising our children," said Diehl. "The problem is that the practice situation promised, hasn't material ized." Diehl explains that a clinic in Boardman was promised by July 1, 1977 which made viable a three-man practice be tween the existing Heppner clinic and the new Boardman clinic. At that time three doctors were partners in the practice. At that time Dr. Joe Gifford was also a partner in the practice. "Well, the clinic wasn't finished by December. ..it wasn't even finished by March of 1978," said Diehl, "which i , BESS I E WET2EIL U OF CHS NEWSPAPER LIB EUGENE OR 97403 w 26 HEPPNER, OREGON, Heppner High Rodeo Club best team in state JFe are tfce Champions... An gut 1 left three doctors with a two-man practice." "After Dr. Gifford left, Dr. Carpenter and I still felt that we had a committment to the staffing of the Boardman clinic and proceeded in that direction," continued Diehl. "We hired an x-ray techni cian, bought office equipment that we still have and all we got was adverse publicity... the people in Boardman made it abundantly clear they didn't want affiliation with Heppner physicians or Pioneer Memor ial Hospital." "We feel that we went well over half-way in meeting our committment in regards to the Boardman clinic," concluded Diehl. Along the same lines, Diehl takes exception to the implica tion that he is walking away from clinics that were built for him. "No one's given me a nickel since I've been here," said Diehl.' "We've paid our own way, all the way." Diehl explains that he was not involved in the initial promotion of either clinics and that he was in fact, recruited here Drs. Gifford and Carpen ter. Asked about the "30-day notice" given the community, Diehl said he thought it was fair and all that was required by the standards of his profession. "It's not what I'd like for the people, but we were in a position that a decision had to be made. ..with consideration given to our family, the children and school," said Diehl. s Looking to the future of medical services in Morrow County, Diehl echoed the sentiments of Hospital Admi nistrator Bob Byrnes and others concerned with health care services in recent weeks. , That is : Morrow County is at a A xff Morrow Dougherty, Maureen Healy, Mary Daly, Jana Steagall, Marie Yocom and JoLynn Daly. Janice Healy was named All Around Cowgirl, in addition. critical point in determining what level of health care and services will be available. That end decision lies with the people of the community, Diehl feels. "There has to be an attitude of cooperation rather than isolation both within the county and in respect to health care facilities outside Morrow County," said Diehl. As health care costs spiral, the hospitals providing that care become stratified as to the level of care offered in relationship to the size of the community. An example would be the high levels of care available in the Tri-Cities, major hospi tals; fewer services and specialities are offered at hospitals in Walla Walla, but more than what is offered in Pendleton. The Pendleton hos pitals in turn, provide more Dryland wheat yields expected to average 30-31 bushels; farmers wrestle set-aside issue Dryland wheat yields in Morrow County during the upcoming winter wheat har vest are expected to average 30 to 31 bushels per acre, according to County Exten sion Agent Harold Kerr and Morrow County Grain Grow ers manager Larry Mills. Favorable growing condi tions this growing season are responsible for bringing an expected four to five bushels per acre bonus to the average acre of dryland wheat. The 10-year average yield for dryland wheat is 26 bushels per acre. Both Mills and Kerr expect that harvesting in the county The Heppner IH w County's Award-Winning Weekly Newspaper THURSDAY, Story on Page 9., i services than does a hospital in a town the size of Heppner. "The hospital is a big problem. It's not adequate and doesn't or won't meet govern ment and insurance regula tions," said Diehl, continuing, "which leaves the community . to decide what it needs in a hospital." " In response to a question as to how the community might go about attracting doctors, Diehl said he thought it more important to sell the commu nity to the doctor than provide him with financial help or guarantee. "Medical journals are full of advertisements offering doc tors everything, including lar ger, more attractive practice areas," said Diehl, "therefore I feel it is most important that the people here sell the community to the doctor." will not begin until the week of July 10. The north Lexington area has traditionally been the site of Morrow County's first wheat harvest activity. Barley will begin meeting the combine probably during the week of July 4, Kerr said. Mills noted that barley plant ings in the county include less acreage than in recent years. Many growers are now grappling with the decision of whether or not to plow up required set-aside acres in order to qualify for the federal wheat support program. Growers must plow under 20 per cent of their wheat plantings in order to partici tea I 1 A iiL JUNE 29, 1978 Voters split on levie The California-born taxpay ers' revolt made its presence known in Morrow County Tuesday, as two of three budget levies facing county voters failed to pass. Voters took the scalpel to Pioneer Memorial Hospital's operating levy, cutting down that ballot measure by a 460-568 margin. County of ficials were uncertain as to what course they should pursue in the wake of final vote tallies that showed the Morrow County general oper ating levy deadlocked in a 513-513 tie. Only the Blue Mountain Community College budget received a clear margin of voter approval on its third time at the polls, and after considerable trimming. Mor row County voters passed the BMCC budget 566-467, with Umatilla County voters giving the measure even clearer support 3,774 to 2.416. "We'll have to sharpen the pencil, and start shaving costs wherever we can," said Pio neer Hospital administrator Bob Byrnes, indicating that the levy measure, in a reduced form, will be put before voters again this fall. The exact date for a new hospital budget election was uncertain. Byrnes said he did not know how long the hospital could Weather by Don Gilliam pate. They must decide whether income lost for de stroying the wheat to take part in the program will be worth the deficiency payments they would receive. The deficiency payment is based on the difference be tween the wheat target price, currently set at $3.40 per bushel, and the national aver age price for the first five months of marketing from June to October. "My guess is that the majority of growers will not choose to participate in the program this year," said Kerr. if,i s ate! TWO SECTIONS iL Pioneer Memorial defeated; BMCC gets approval; County budget vote ends in 513 tie continue to operate without a supplementary levy, since the medical facility has been operating at a loss for some time. "I don't know where the bottom of the bucket is," he said. When voters face a new hospital operations levy later this year, "it will boil down to whether you want it (the hospital) or whether you don't." Despite Tuesday's vote, Byrnes was not without opt imism. "We're facing a crisis that I think will turn into a plus factor," he said. The current taxpayers' re volt, spawned with the pass age of California's Proposition 13 "had a good deal to do with" the failure of the county's general operating levy to pass, said Judge D.O. Nelson. - "I think there's a general feeling now to vote taxes down," he said. An official recount of the county budget votes was scheduled to start today, June 29, in hopes of resolving the ballot deadlock. Nelson said he was un certain what course the county would follow should the recount result in the levy's failure or remain a tie. "We're in a state of limbo," he said. "Itis not often that you have a tie vote." Turnout was fairly heavy at the polls in Heppner Tuesday. Heppner voters cast in favor of the hospital levy by a 244-233 margin and approved the BMCC measure 242-234. However, Heppne'rites turned thumbs down tp the county budget, voting 231-245 against it. HI Wed., June 21 Thurs., June 22 Fri., June 23 Sat., June 24 Sun.. June 25 Mon., June 26 Tues., June 27 LOW 82 80 74 64 73 77 85 PREC 53 45 48 50 50 45 48 .04 .06 .35 .08 CBEC names new manager, Fred Toombs Fred Toombs of Wheatland, Wyo., will take over duties as general manager of the Colu bia Electric Cooperative start ing Aug. 7. The Wyoming man will fill a vacancy created by the May 26 departure of former mana ger Dave Harrison, who left Heppner to become an insur ance agent in Washington. Lonnie Williams of Heppner has been filling in as interim manager for the power coop erative. Toombs, 42, has been serv ing as general manager of the Wheatland REA Co-op in Wyoming. He plans to bring his wife and four children to the area. 14 PAGES Only about one in seven registered voters turned out at the polls in Irrigon, where vote finals were 56-63 against the county budget, 30-89 against the hospital levy, and 55-64 against BMCC. While Irrigon voted against all three issues, lone voters gave approval to the three levies. Ionians passed the county levy by a 96-61 margin, voted 93-63 for the hospital and 102-58 for BMCC. Irrigators warned to keep water off roadways Morrow County's irrigated farms are the subject of an announcement this week from the County Court, concerning sprinklers that are allowed to hit the road with water. County Judge D.O. Nelson said numerous complailnts have been received from travelers about water on state and county roads from sprinklers. Nelson said Oregon law prohibits farmers from letting sprinklers hit the roadway with water. Morrow County will advise violators of the infraction by letter from the County Roadmaster when complaints are ' received. If the situation isn't corrected, Nelson said the farmers in violation would be cited. Morrow Republicans to elect officers tonight The Morrow County Republican Central Com mittee will meet at 8 p.m. Thursday, June 29 at the Grain Growers conference room in Lexington. Avon Melby, chairman of the committee, said the meeting will be organizational in nature with election of new officers for two-year terms. Monday will be a holiday for some businesses Monday, July 3 will be a holiday for some, while others in Heppner put in their regular 8-to-5. Open for business as usual will be Central Market, Murray's Drug, Gardner's Men's Wear, Peterson's Jewelers, Jerry's Mobile and Mini Mart, the financial institutions and the Heppner Gazette-Times, as well as most service stations. Closed Monday will be the Shoe Box, Kroll's Department Store, Cole's House of Fashion and Posy Patch, Case Furniture, Court Street Market and the Lebush Shoppe. City, county and state offices will be open for business as usual on Monday. All businesses will be closed on Tuesday, July 4. Early deadlines at G- T Because the Fourth of July falls on Tuesday this year, the Gazette-Times will establish early deadlines for all news and advertising. Advertising copy and general news items should be at the Gazette-Times office by 5 p.m. Friday, June 30. The office will be open Monday, July 3 and classified ads will be accepted until noon that day. The Gazette-Times will be closed Tuesday, July 4. Farmers must report acreage by July 3 The final date for farmers to certify 1978 acreage for harvest is July 3, according to Judy Buschke, executive director of the ASCS in Morrow County. "It is important for all operators to report their acres to insure the opportunity to fully participate in future programs," said Mrs. Buschke. For the farmer's convenience, the ASCS office will be open on Thursday, June 29 and Monday, July 3 from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. 20c PER COPY Lexington voters turned down all three levies, voting 69-81 against the county bud get; 73-78 against the hospital measure and 72-79 against the BMCC levy. Boardman voters were overwhelmingly opposed to the hospital measure, casting 105 negative votes to only 20 in favor. The county budget lost by a scant 61-63 margin in Boardman, with voters there approving the BMCC levy 95-32. fc 0 0 -4 j 0 0bm-0 -0 0
