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TWO The Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon, Thursday March 1, 1979
The Heppner
GAZETTE-TIMES
Wis
Disaster area?
Big deal
Question: What's the difference between a
county that has been officially designated a disaster
area, an one that hasn't?
Answer: Apparently, nothing.
Nearly two weeks ago, Gov. Atiyeh granted
disaster area status to the flood-stricken counties of
Morrow, Umatilla, Sherman and Crook. Shortly
after the governor made the announcement, a
spokeswoman for the State Emergency Services
Division contacted the Gazette-Times with a news
release stating, among other things, that represent
atives of the Small Business Administration,
Farmers' Home Administration, Soil Conservation
Service and other appropriate agencies of state and
federal government would be dispatched to the
flood sites.
Once on the scene, the government representa
tives would survey damage, meet with county
officials, and be on hand to help residents fill out
forms to receive relief, mainly in the form of
low-interest loans, the Emergency Services
representative indicated.
If any of the promised government agency
representatives has yet set foot in Morrow County,
no one in the Courthouse is aware of it.
Now, three weeks after the floodwaters have
subsided, the county is still faced with the problem
or repairing the $500,000 (a very conservative
estimate, county officials acknowledge) worth of
damages done to local roads, schools and cropland.
At the same time, the county receives a steady
stream of inquiries from citizens wondering where
to turn for aid, and is placed in the awkward
position of not being able to give satisfactory
answers.
The result? A continued erosion in the faith of
the citizens towards their government's willingness
to meet their needs in time of crisis.
If the act of granting 'disaster area' status is
merely a token gesture, devoid of substance, why
not lay the cards on the table? We won't waste your
time, if you stop wasting ours.
Up for a vote?
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Recent action by the Heppner City Council in recommending that the Willow
Creek Dam issue be put to a vote of the people could be a giant step
backward for Heppner residents. Unless voters are well informed of the
implications of the flood plain currently designated for Heppner an emotional
desire to not spoil the landscape with a rock-fill dam could override
practicality. The flood plain puts severely restricts development and in most
areas of the city flood plain management would prohibit construction.
LEI EEIS 'ROM READERS
Maas cites 'misunderstanding9 over
Northwest Medical Foundation remarks
Editor:
After talking to a woman last week who was very
concerned over what I'd asked about Northwest Medical
Foundation, I'm convinced there's a real misunderstanding
about my motives in regards to the Foundation specifically
and the Seventh Day Adventists in general.
I am not anti-Adventist. Nor am I working to keep them
out of Heppner. Nor have I ever intended to attack their
abilities as a medical group or integrity as a religious
denomination.
My comments, as fairly accurately reported in the
paper, came in the context of a fact finding workshop in
reaction to data the Hospital Board President had given me.
I raised the question about what kind of evangelizing
would take place through the medical foundation for three
reasons :
1. In the Northwest Med. Foundation annual report, the
Adventist Union President reported a five year evangelism
program was under way to increase Adventist congregation
al membership by 21,000, stating that the N.W.M.F., their
doctors and dentists are the right arm in reaching that goal.
2. I had no prior experience with the medical arm of the
Adventist denomination.
3. My job as a hospital trustee was to maintain high
quality, total community medical care for a non-religious,
county hospital. Part of that includes investigating
organizations and their products that we are considering
purchasing. Not knowing how the Adventist medical arm
operated I had to ask the question how else could I find out?
No organization should use a county operation for private
expansion, should they? I knew that some religious hospitals
had pushed their doctrines in the past. Until I found out this
was not the case with the Adventists from someone who knew
Adventist medical practice, I would have been negligent of
my Board reponsibilities not to ask the question and seek the
answer.
My question was information-seeking only,- nothing
more. It certainly was not intended as an accusation in any
sense of the word.
And it needs to be noted that I had that question
satifactorally answered within two days of seeking the
information a full week before the quote ever appeared in
the newspaper.
I'm sad that such a negative interpretation was placed on
an honest search for truth. I held the past Adventist Pastor in
high regard, and the present Bill Poole seems to be of the
same quality. It's sad that people's assuming the worst may
put my relationship with him in jeopardy.
I would have made this statement two weeks ago if I
would have realized that my questioning was so
mis-interpreted.
Thanks for the opportunity to speak. Good luck to Dan
Sweeney and the Board, and thanks to the Court for the
opportunity to serve.
John Maas
Heppner
SUBSCRIPTION RATE
$8.00 In Morrow, Umatilla, Wheeler & Gilliam County; $10.00 elsewhere
The Heppner
AZEHTE-IIME
Morrow County's Award-Winning Weekly Newspaper
The Official Newspaper of the City of Heppner and the County of Morrow
Published every Thursday and entered as second-class matter at the Post Office at Heppner, Oregon, under the Act
of March 3, 1879. Second-class postage paid at Heppner, Oregon.
(0
G.M. Reed, Publisher
Rick Steelhammer, News Editor
Gayle Rush, Composition
Dolores Reed, Co-publisher
Eileen Saling, Office Manager
Melissa Scott, Composition
Ron Jordan, Printer
Terry M. Hager, Managing Editor
Justine Weatherford, Local Columnist
Cindi Doherty, AdvertisingOffice
Hospital trustee takes
issue with Cantin letter
Editor:
I would like to quote from Mr. Cantin's recent letter to
the editor: "It has been brought to the board's attention the
run-down condition and apparent lack of maintenance of our
hospital.1'
When he presented the Northwest Medical Foundation
report Mr. Blair was very complimentary about the
maintenance of the hospital, which says: "In consideration
that the facility is close to 30 years old the finishes show a
high degree of maintenance. ..boilers and heating system
have been well maintained and are in good condition...
General condition of the electrical equipment and system
was found to be in good condition. ..Though the building is
about 28 years old, it is in very good repair. Apparently it has
had both good care and light use." Mr. Cantin obviously
disagrees with this part of the report.
Mr. Cantin refers to budgeted items that have not been
purchased. I assume he refers to the capital expenditure
section of the budget. Approximately 75 per cent of this
money has been spent or committed. The rest will be
purchased if funds are available and the need for the
equipment continues to exist.
Financial reports of income, expenses, and balance
sheets are furnished to the board and the County Court
monthly. It should not be difficult for Mr. Cantin or any
member of the public to find out "how and for what their
money is being used."
L.E. Dick
Doherty praises lone
cleanup volunteers
Editor:
It is difficult to give enough credit for the tremendous
effort put forth by the citizens of the lone area in cleaning up
in the aftermath of the recent flood which caused such heavy
damage at the school and in the community.
Volunteers spent days in the school cleanup, furnishing
their labor, equipment and supplies. Everything from
shovels to trucks were made available from citizens for the
task.
This tremendous effort resulted in a loss of only three
actual school days.
The Citizens and the school staff working shoulder to
shoulder in the deep mud showed a kind of determination and
dedication which is a credit to the community.
The Morrow County School District also wishes to thank
the many businesses who assisted with equipment and
personnel and the individuals from other communities who
volunteered their service.
All of this helped to get our educational program rolling
with the least amount of lost time.
Sincerely,
Matthew P. Doherty,
Superintendent,
Morrow County School District
the TIMES
Fifty years ago this week, the Gazette-Times reported
that "the advent of several state prohibition officers at
Heppner this week has caused no little consternation among
those inclined to dabble in the forbidden spirits."
The state officers' visit proved to be a fruitful one, with
six local men charged with selling illegal alcohol, and each
receiving fines ranging from $100 to $150 in Heppner Justice
Court.
While the week was a bad one for the six local
bootleggers, it was even worse for three farm families,
whose homes burned to the ground.
The F.E. Everson home southwest of lone was
demolished by flames when a defective flue stopped up,
sending fire through the walls. An overheated flue on a cook
stove was blamed for a blaze the following day that destroyed
the farm home of William and John Clark below Lexington.
The Clark brothers were in the midst of the lambing season
activities when fire destroyed their home.
The Hinton Creek farm home of Mr. and Mrs. J.I. Hanna
went up in smoke after the couple's daughter attempted to
start a fire in a cook stove using a more than adequate
dousing of coal oil. When the coal oil ignited, it sent flames
into some nearby curtains then spread through the rest of the
house. Not even a change of clothing was salvaged from the
home. Luckily, no one was injured in either of the three
blazes.
Thirty years ago this week, the Lexington Jack Rabbits
earned a district playoff berth by defeating Boardman 31-29,
and Fossil won its district crown by defeating Moro,
Parkdale and Condon during tournament action in Arlington.
During the same week in 1949, Heppner City Council
members rejected a proposal to give themselves token
payment for their services, but passed an ordinance setting
the salary of the mayor at $50 per month.
Both lone and Heppner had basketball teams in district
playoff competition during this week 25 years ago. Both the
Cards and the Mustangs won their first games, with lone
edging Mount Vernon 56-52 and Heppner beating St. Marys
44-35.
lone, winner of 22 consecutive games at that point,
managed to advance to the semifinals without the aid of
ailing starting players Dennis Swanson, Tom White and Herb
Peterson.
During the same week in 1954, Morrow County Sheriff
C.J.D. Bauman was trying to track down the thieves who
jimmied a door to the Boardman Post Office and made off
with more than $300 in cash, not to mention a large quantity
of stamps.
Ten years ago this week, Heppner High School students
Jerry Healy and Sue Ellen Greenup were named the winners
of the Heppner Elks scholarship contest.
Also in the news that week 10 years ago was H.H. Miller
of the Vitro Corporation, who told a public meeting in
Heppner that a nuclear power plant in Morrow County is "ten
years away."
Heppner's Karla Weatherford won local competition to
advance to district finals in the Oddfellows' sponsored United
Nations Speech Contest, and the Heppner Mustangs
advanced to district basketball tournament action for the
fifth consecutive year.
The U.S. Forest Service purchased an option from O.W.
Cutsforth to acquire a 655 acre tract of land in the Kelly
Prairie area in order to develop a 200 acre lake, and
then-Governor Tom McCall re-appointed Heppner's Jerry
Sweeney to a two year term on the State Board of Funeral
Directors.
Eighth grade science students at Heppner Elementary
were preparing to launch "Operation Egg Drop" at the
Lexington airport during this week in 1968.
Class members packed raw eggs in packages of their
own design, in the hopes that the eggs would not be damaged
after they were dropped from an airplane operated by Jack
Sumner. The exercise was designed to show students the
problems scientists encountered in creating a landing craft
for a soft descent on the moon. Students could not attach
parachutes to their landing packages, since parachutes
would not be feasible in a lunar landing, due to the absence of
atmosphere on the moon.
Inez Meador, the eight graders' teacher, predicted that
the event "could be a smashing success."
Five years ago this week, the Morrow County School
Board adopted a budget for the coming school year that
exceeded the six per cent limitation by more than $1.07
million.
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GAZETTE-TIMES
676-9228