Image provided by: Morrow County Museum; Heppner, OR
About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 30, 1978)
The Library University of Oregon Euer.e. Or 97403 For iiicrofila lit A f-Twi fpri e T'T35! '. ; . I t .J M F :L.A " I I .1-1 r 1 ( St I Morrow County's Award-W inning Weekly Newspaper VOL. 96, NO. 48 THURSDAY, NOV. 30, 1978 HEPPNER, OREGON TWO SECTIONS 14 PAGES 20 cents t j V V V JFe are the champions Sumner general Defeated District 55 Rep. Jack Sumner last week won his lawsuit charging Demo cratic rival Chuck Bennett with making false campaign statements. Sumner's victory in Marion County Circuit Court has opened the door to a bid by the Heppner Democrat to invalidate Bennett's pri mary nomination, possibly negating the outcome of the More patients needed... Hospital audit shows loss While revenue taken in for patient services rose 20 per cent from the previous year, rising health care costs and other considerations resulted in a net loss of $45,782 for Pioneer Memorial Hospital at the end of fiscal year 1978 on June 30. The financial information was made available Tuesday night by accountant Glen Finch of Beaverton, in presenting the annual audit report to the hospital's board of trustees. Hospital services cost patients a total of $366,600 during FY 1978, up from $344,497 the previous year. Nursing home care cost $88,292 during the fiscal year recently ended, up from $69,746. Costs for providing services totaled $387,533 at the end of FY 1978, up from $323,367 the previous year. The financial report showed that the hospital's nursing home charged 10 per cent less than the amount required to cover expenses, accounting for a deficit of roughly $22,000. The daily base charge needed to break even for nursing home care was estimated at $29.41. Finch estimated that at the end of the 1979 fiscal year, the daily break-even rate would rise to $31.79 per day. The hospital's nursing home rates have come under fire for being too high during recent meetings of the hospital board. Finch indicated to the board that it would make sounder financial sense to raise rates to come closer to meeting costs. Welfare agencies currently pay a maximum of less than $23 per day for nursing home residents of the hospital. Hospital administrator Bob Byrnes reported that admissions to Pioneer Memorial were down 48 per cent from a year ago, with the average rate of occupancy down from 43 per cent to 26 per cent "the lowest it's been in years." Finances received for patient care at' the hospital in recent months have been "far from encouraging," Byrnes told the board, stating that "the only thing that can turn it around is an increase in patient activity." Costs for several other hospital services besides the nursing home also showed they were operating at a loss. According to the audit report, delivery and labor room 7 wins election suit; election questioned November general election as well. Legal and political observ ers can only speculate on whether Sumner may be able to retain his seat in the Oregon House of Representatives, since there is no legal pre cendent for the issue. The matter would likely have to be settled in the Oregon Court of Appeals. m n i 5 .1 Ione's Head Coach Gordon Meyers turns on a winning smile as he holds aloft State Class B trophy following win over MacLaren Saturday. Cardinals captured the state crown in a dazzling . display of high-performance football that characterized Ione's' unblemished grid season. More photos and story on Card victory appear on page nine. Although the Marion County jury ruled in Sumner's favor last week, the Morrow County politician did not receive as sweeping a judgement as he was seeking. Sumner had filed for $10,000 in general damages and $25,000 punitive damages from Bennett, who defeated him during the May primary. The jury awarded only $147 in general damages and no charges to patients covered only 54 per cent of the expenses involved. Lab charges covered 92 per cent of costs, and nursing service charges covered 88 per cent of costs. Hospital services showing profits included x-ray work, which made 20 per cent above costs; drug sales, 27 per cent above costs, and emergency room service, 19 per cent above costs. Finch's accounting firm recommended seven points of change that would serve to improve hospital financial operations and controls. The recommendations included steps to avoid duplication in patient accounts records, the bonding of all business office personnel, and requiring supervisors to initial payroll records. Byrnes told the board that he had already initiated most of the recommendations. The audit noted that the hospital's "accounting, statistical and reporting procedures have shown considerable improvement over the prior year," and that "our review disclosed no weaknesses that we considered significant in relation to the audit of the financial statements." In other developments Tuesday, the hospital board voted to approve a grievance procedure for employes, that would include establishing a "hospital relations committee" consisting of three non-administrative employes. The committee would attempt to resolve disputes between workers and management that cannot be handled at the supervisor-employee level. The committee would also be charged with meeting periodically with the hospital board to advise management on employee sentiment on various hospital issues. However, one group of hospital employes has opted for another method of handling grienvances. The hospital's non-licensed workers those who are not nurses, doctors, or in management voted earlier this month to be represented by the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Union. The union will cover about 20 hospital workers. ,v money in punitive damages. According to the Salem Statesman-Journal, the jury deliberated for more than seven hours on 12 statements Bennett was alleged to have made before ruling that two of them constituted violations of election laws. The two state ments involved Bennett's un- Cont. on page 2 County schools will seek money; staff for new schools is reason It now appears a sure bet that Morrow County tax pavers will be voting on a request for more money for the county school system sometime next year. Just how much more fund ing will be sought remains unknown. School board offic ials are in the earlv stages of a budget planning process, with Superintendent Matt Doh ertv's budget address not scheduled to take place until earlv Januarv. The school board is also in the midst of contract negotiations with its employees. But the need for more money is already clear, as outlined during a Monday night meeting of the Morrow County Board of Education. At the center of the need for more monev is the need to hire new staffs to operate the new Irrigon junior high and Board man elementary schools. The schools are expected to be open for classes in Januarv of 1980 midway through the school year. In a proposal submitted Monday night, the Boardman school would require hiring eight teachers, a principal, a clerk-secretarv, head custod ian, library aide, assistant cook, and half-time bus driver. The Irrigon junior high would require hiring three teachers, a principal, clerk secretarv. head custodian, custodian, library aide and assistant cook. The proposal calls for food to be transported into the two new schools during their Farm-City coming on The annual Farm-City Banquet bringing together city folk and their country neighbors will be held Satur day, Dec. 9 at St. Patrick's Parish Hall. The banquet is sponsored by the Morrow County Livestock Growers Association and the Heppner-Morrow County Chamber of Commerce. The banquet will be at 7 p.m., preceeded by a social hour at 6 p.m. Awards for Conservation Man of the Year, Cattleman of the Year, 4-H and FFA carcass winners, and Cham ber of Commerce awards will highlight the banquet. Keynote speaker for the banquet will be Arliegh Isley, Klamath County Extension Agent, who will give a talk on the "absurdity of government regulations." Birdine Tullis, home exten sion agent for Morrow County, Port expected to name new manager The Port of Morrow Com mission will meet Friday, Dec. 1 at l p.m. for a regular business session at which time the announcement of a new Port manager will be made. Commission Chairman Le Roy Gardner said enactment of an ordinance authorizing opening months, in order to cut down on costs of preparing meals-on-site. Dohertv indi cated he mav propose that architects change plans for the new buildings, to make cafeterias serving facilities, rather than food preparing sites, in an effort to save monev. The food would be prepared in cafeterias at A.C. Houghton and Riverside. Total cost for the new staffs for the schools was estimated at $212,000 for the first year, Dohertv told the school board. The cost mav prove even higher, since the salary esti mates were based on the existing schedule, with a new schedule now under negotia tion. Included in the staffing request for the coming year were a new business and a new science teacher at the ever-growing Riverside facil ity; a three-fourths time home economics and art teacher at lone High, and a half-time physical education teacher at Heppner Elementary. The two new schools would also require hiring full-time music, art and PE teachers to serve on the staffs of both facilities. Some of th new employees would be hired earlier than the opening dates for the schools, in order to organize and perform preparation work. Dohertv stressed that there was no fat to be trimmed from the staffing proposal, stating "I feel it would be difficult to give vou a cheaper package." The board voted to include the staffing proposal as pre sented for budget committee Banquet Dec. 9 is organizing a style show featuring Heppner busines sesfor the banquet. The Livestock Growers and CowBelles will hold afternoon business meetings that day. Livestock Growers will meet at the Parish Hall at 1 p.m. with a featured talk by Michael Heffner of Portland, dealing with estate planning and insurance management. In attendance at the afternoon session will be Oregon Cattle man's Association President Bill Ross and Executive Secretary Don Ostensoe. Bill Johns of the Oregon Beef Commission will also be in attendance. The dinner is sponsored jointly by the Cattlemen and Chamber and the cocktail hour is hosted by the North west and Pendleton Produc tion Credit Associations and the Federal Landbank of Pendleton. issuance oi pollution control bonds for the Boardman Coal-fired Plant will be delay ed until later in the month. The appointment of a new Port manager follows the release of former manager Rupert Kennedy by the com mission two weeks ago. action. In another money matter, the board reviewed capital requests for the coming bud get vear totaling $60,715, for an assortment of maintain ance, repair and equipment replacement projects. The largest single item in the list was a $10,000 request for replacing the roof covering of Heppner junior high building. Capital requests for the new budget year totaled about $10,000 more than the amount approved last year. The capi tal requests were left intact by the board and sent on to the budget committee for consid eration. Board member Irv Rauch suggested that the budget committee give prior ity to funding maintainance programs, rather than to new purchases. The board voted to approve creating a third Riverside junior high boys basketball team. Officials of the school explained that rising North Morrow enrollment resulted in 94 boys turning out for basketball. Rather than cut Parent-teacher group organizes Drug abuse, communication between parents and teachers, truancy and attendance were major concerns voiced by those attending an organizat ional meeting of Concerned Parents and Teachers Mon day evening at Heppner Ele mentary School. Barbara James and Paul Sumner, organizers of the group, told the audience of more than 35 persons they visioned "a parent-teacher group to work on all problems affecting the school system." Mrs. James said primary areas of concern were "a lack of discipline in the schools and drug abuse" which included both consumption of alcohol and marijuana. Sumner was elected presi dent of the organization, with Chamber outlines lighting contest Heppner residents and churches are invited to participate in the Chamber of Commerce Christmas Lighting Contest but those interested in having their displays judged must return a coupon that appears in this week's paper. First, second and third place cash awards will be presented by the Chamber to winners in a residential category and the same for three area churches. The cash awards are $30, $20, and $10 respectively for first, second and third place. To be eligible for a prize, interested persons should clip the coupon that appears on page 10 of this week's Gazette-Times and return it to the Chamber at the address given on the coupon. Judging will be done on Sunday evening, Dec. 17 and entry forms should be returned to the Chamber before Friday, Dec. 15. Displays in the residential division should be on the exterior of the home or in plain view of the street if displayed in a window. Entries will be judged on originality and uniqueness as well as overall attractiveness. Weather by Don Gilliam ting dozens of youths from the two existing teams, they suggested creating a third team. The current coaching staff would handle the direct ion of the new team, so no new personnel would be hired. The , only additional expense would involve bus transportation. In other action, the board accepted resignations from lone home economics teacher Monica Swanson and from Heppner Elementary teacher Rachel Dick. Marcia Macom ber of lone was hired to replace Mrs. Swanson as home economics teacher at IHS, and to teach art part time. W.E. Nelson Construction Co.' of Boardman was low bidder for the new Riverside shop building. The Boardman firm submitted a bid of $323,560 for the project, for which the board had budgeted about $330,000. A round of bidding on the project earlier this year failed to bring a bidder willing to perform the work within the budget limitations. Mrs. James serving as vice president and Marie Struth ers, secretary. Two commit tees were also formed one to begin work on the drug abuse problem and a second to meet with the School District's advisory committees for Southern Morrow County schools. Rod Aho, chairman of the drug abuse committee, will arrange a program for the next meeting at which school administrators, juvenile auth orities and a local attorney will be present to answer questions. " The next meeting of the group will be Tuesday, Dec. 19 at 7:30 p.m. in the library at the elementary school in Heppner. The public is encour aged to attend. High Low Precip. Tue.. Nov. 21 25 19 11 Wed., Nov. 22 35 21 Thu., Nov. 23 38 22 Fri., Nov. 24 35 26 Sat., Nov. 25 33 27 Sun., Nov. 26 29 17 Mon., Nov. 27 42 15 T Tue., Nov. 28 49 32 .28
