County court, local lawyers oppose bill for
joint Umatilla-Morrow district court
The Morrow County Court
and local altornies went on
record this week as opposing a
bill to be submitted to the
Oregon Legislature that would
establish a joint district court
for western Umatilla and
Morrow counties.
The bill, proposed by Sen.
Mike Thorne, D-Pendleton
and Rep. Jack Duff, R-Adams,
would establish a district
court to serve the Hermiston
area and all of Morrow
County. In the process, justice
of the peace courts in Herm
iston, Heppner and possibly
Irrigon would be abolished.
"It is a poorly written bill;
not very well thought out,"
said Heppner attorney Mich
ael J. Sweeney, "because it
leaves Heppner and possibly
Irrigon without a court to act
on bail, arraignments and
search warrants during the
evening hours, on weekends,
and whenever the district
court judge is not available.
The bill does not specify how
many days a week the district
Cindy Kerr spends time
with KA TV news crew
Life before the floodlights
and cameras of a television
news studio is not all that
glamorous, a Heppner High
School senior found out first
hand this week, but it can be
exciting for an outsider, at
least.
Cindy Kerr spent Monday in
the newsroom and studios of
Portland's KATU-TV, ob
serving how television jour
nalists went about earning
their keep. The trip was the
high point of Cindy's Career
Education project at Heppner
High.
"The news director told me
that the glamour wears off
after 15 minutes, then it's off
to work," Cindy said. "And
the reporters don't see their
jobs as being glamorous...
They spend most of their time
pounding on typewriters."
Cindy started off the day in
the studio audience of the
"A.M. Northwest" program,
then spent the morning in
Channel 2's newsroom, learn
ing the basics of the TV news
game from KATU reporters
Chris Thomas, Kathy Smith
and others. Experiences there
included watching the report
ers edit their film, watching
reporter Thomas apply make
up and tape a "Common
Sense" segment from the
control room, and seeing
former Governor Tom McCall
arrive in the studio to tape his
commentary spot.
St. Patrick's to screen 'Oh, God!9
The movie "Oh, God" star
ring George Burns and John
Denver will be shown March
3-4 at St. Patrick's Parish
Hall, sponsored by the Adult
Discussion Group of that
church.
W.WSpoper Clashed
, " brings ureat
Q Q
c
T
court judge would sit in
Heppner, nor does the bill
specify distribution of reve
nues received by the court.
Hermiston attorney John
Smallmon, who was re-elected
in November to a six-year
term as justice of the peace in
Hermiston, would be appoint
ed to the district court
judgeship by the bill. General
ly when a district court is
formed, the Governor ap
points a judge, to sit on the
bench until the next general
election. The bill states that
Smallmon would serve out his
current six-year term at the
district court level before
having to seek re-election.
"The County Court is op
posed to to the bill the way it is
stated," Judge D.O. Nelson
told the Gazette-Times.
"Originally, we were told
the bill wouldn't abolish the
justice of the peace court
here," said Nelson, "and with
the traffic and criminal cases
we have it's imperative that a
court be located in Heppner."
"They were all really help
ful," said Cindy, "and they
acted like normal, everyday
people... It was really exciting
for me. It's about the neatest
thing I've ever done."
The television reporters
"write their own copy," Cindy
noted, and appear in theoffice
from time to time between
stories to check their assign
ment board for their next
tasks. Anchorman Richard
Ross, she noted, is reputed to
be a ral stickler for correct
spelling.
As the daily afternoon
deadline draws near, "by 4:30,
being in the newsroom is like
sitting in a popcorn machine."
Although reporters admit
ted that television newsbiz is
currently a tight job market,
Cindy indicated that she
wouldn't rule out the possi
bility of giving it a try. "I've
always been interested in
work in that field. Now I'm
really excited about it," she
said.
Back in Heppner, Cindy
plans to write a paper on her
experience and give talks to
the high school's journalism
and film and television
classes.
No matter what turn her
career eventually takes, the
KATU experience left Cindy
feeling that "I'll never watch
news the same way again."
The film will be shown at
7:30 p.m. Saturday, March 3
and again at 1 p.m . on Sunday,
March 4. Minimal admission
will be charged to cover the
cost of the film.
Adverted
Resotte!
Sen. Thorne was quoted in a
Hermiston Herald story as
saying that he doubted
whether western Umatilla
County would be able to justify
a district court. ..but by com
bining the two counties, he
expressed certainty that a full
caseload would be assured.
In response to that thinking,
Sweeney stated, "We don't
particularly like the idea of
coat-tailing Morrow County to
Umatilla County for justifica
tion of their expanded services
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Judge Nelso said District
Attorney Dennis Doherty was
working up caseload figures
on the Heppner justice of the
peace and circuit courts to
determine the feasibility of
establishing a separate dist
rict court for Morrow County.
"We'd like to have a district
court located here at least
part of the time but we can't
support the bill before the
Legislature," concluded
Nelson.
The Heppner
GAZETTE
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676-9228
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Alternative proposed for Dam by
Value Engineering Team
Conf. from page I
we backfill up to the property
line, many would actually
have more usable flat land."
Mainlaenance of the chan
nel would be performed by the
Heppner Water Control Dist
rict. Swensen indicated hebe
lieved the alternative plan
could be implemented at a
cost comparable to the $25.8
million pricetag carried by the
proposed Willow Creek Dam.
In addition to studying the
The Heppner
GAZETTE-TIMES
SECTION TWO-PAGE NINE
Thursday February 1, 1979
PAYMENT
Name:
Address:
City:
Mail Coupon fo.-
mg ih. ir ii-i
ir 111 itn.-
ci-h .lu.irj
winniTv t
.w-i ' i
Sumner wins election suit;
general election questioned
loss
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three dam flood channel
approach, the value engi
neering team is studying ways
to save money on the dam
project as currently proposed.
Slight adjustments in the
dam's configuration and the
rock, rather than earth for fill
are being studied as ways to
improve the structure and
save money, Swensen said.
The Corps of Engineers,
however, is not required to
follow recommendations by
HJimfloclk tine
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The Heppner
GAZETTE-TIMES
1 47 WEST WILLOW 676-9228
HEPPNER, OREGON
the value engineering team.
When asked if federal fund
ing would be jeopardized by
opting for the alternative
project, rather than the single
Willow Creek Dam, Swensen
noted that the dam "lis not in
the 1980 budget, anyway.
What's everybody excited
about?
Should the community opt to
go with the three dam
floodway concept, Swensen
suggested that the $500,000
that has been allocated for the
dam be put to use for core
sampling and charting the
course of the concrete flood
channel.
"It's been my experience
that when you actually start
work on a project, eventually
it will be funded."
The value engineering
team's report on the Willow
Creek Dam, including the
alternative approach, is due to
En a p peon Sim
Call
676-9228
Today To
iiibscFipf ion
Times
Zip:.
: ; Farm-City Band
coming on Dec.
I'ort expet'led lt iui
be completed in mid
February. The team will be
meeting with city and county
officials and citizens prior to
that time, so that "we can get
som indication of how the
people feel about this
(alternative)," Swensen said.
Ambulance
drivers to
meet
AH current and prospective
ambulance drivers and at
tendants in the Heppner area
are encouraged to attend a
meeting Tuesday, Feb. 6 at 8
p.m. in the Columbia Basin
Electric conference room.
dlooir
urn manager
l.iJ