E E S S I V.' T Z E L L
U OF ORE
r; e v: s p a p R LIB
E U GFIWE OR 97 403
Schools, BMCC and City ofHeppner
get nod from County voters
If 1 XSX1 I V - " III
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VOL. 97,
3U
New manager at lone
Bill Johnson feels right at
home in his new role as
manager of lone Chevron.
For one reason, he has been
involved with the service
station business far some 24
years, starting out pumping
gas for his father. For
another, he is a former
resident of the area, having
graduated from lone High
School in 1966.
For the past eight years,
Johnson had lived in the
Salem area, involved in the
automotive business there.
When he heard the lone
Chevron station was up for
grabs, he had little difficulty
Boerger loan officer at
First National Bank
, ,1 J mF' a I
Heppner banker helps at
OSU career day program
Bradley Christensen, Bank
of Eastern Oregon, recently
assisted at Oregon State
University's "Project:
Career." Along with other ,
Oregon State graduates now
active in finance and banking,
he talked with groups of
students interested in this
field, answering questions and
Sorority sponsors Ruggs to lone Bike
Plans are underway for the
annual Ruggs to lone Bike-A-Thon,
to raise funds for St.
Jude Children's Research
Hospital.
The 22-mile bike route will
provide youthful cyclists to
convert peddle power into
cash for the internationally
known medical facility,
thanks to pledges from area
residents and businesses.
81
borrow
NO. 14
SIN ESS
I (U l
in making up his mind to
return.
"It's the people that brought
me back," said Johnson. "It
First National Bank of
Oregon has assigned Richard
Boerger to the Heppner
branch as a loan officer to
replace David Dollarhide, who
was promoted to assistant
manager of the Baker branch
after four years at Heppner.
Boerger joined First Nation
al as a management trainee
last November, and recently
completed his training. He is a
1976 graduate of the Univer
sity of Idaho with a degree in
agricultural economics.
presenting practical advice.
Christensen, formerly a
Roseburg resident, has been
in Heppner since early 1978.
He is active in the Lions Club,
attends the Chamber of Com
merce, and is beginning to
spend pleasant hours golfing
at the Willow Creek Country
Club.
During the past two years, the
Heppner and lone communi
ties have raised nearly $3,000
to aid in the research of
catastrophic childhood dis
eases. The Bike-A-Thon is sponsor
ed by Epsilon Sigma Alpha
international , sorority,
through its local chapters,
Beta Omega in lone, and
Alpha Theta in Heppner.
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County s Award-Uhvainf; weekly rwsoavr
HEPPNER. OREGON
&
Chevron
seems like they're friendlier
here. And I like the area. ..it
seems like there are more
opportunities here."
Prior to moving to the
. Willamette Valley, Johnson
worked for George Sherman
at the Lexington Chevron
station, and found time to take
photos for the Gazette-Times.
Johnson specializes in im
ported car maintenance and
repair a field he's had a lot of
experience with during his
stint in the Valley. "I try to
offer a service that's not found
in the other gas stations in the
area." he said.
Under Johnson's manage
ment, lone Chevron is open
from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday
through Saturday.
Nancy Bruch is
new County Fair
Secretary
Nancy Bruch of Heppner
has been named secretary for
the Morrow County Fair. She
will handle all fair correspon
dence. If you have an item for
Business Week, call the
Gazette-Times at 76-9228.
Epsilon Sigma Alpha has
donated more than $1 million
to St. Jude's during recent
years, and hopes to contribute
another $1 million this year, in
honor of the sorority's 50th
anniversary.
Beta Omega and Alpha
Theta members will be giving
presentations on the Bike-A-Thon
and St. Jude's to
students in area schools prior
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! I
Willow Creek Dam favored by
majority ofHeppner voters
Heppner voters indicated by
a 188-135 margin last Wednes
day that they favored con-
struction of the proposed
Willow Creek Dam.
The dam has been the
subject of an ongoing local
controversey since it was first
proposed more than a quarter
century ago.
While the first phase of the
project has been authorized by
Sheriff
probes
arson
Morrow County Sheriff's
deputies are investigating
what is suspected to be an
attempted arson of the Lex
ington home of Frank Robin
son last Thursday.
When returning from a
walk, Robinson heard the
sound of breaking glass as he
approached his double-wide
trailer. Suspecting a possible
burglar, he went to a neigh
bor's home to contact the
sheriff's department.
When deputies arrived at
the scene, they found furniture
piled up in the front room. The
furniture had been heavily
doused with gasoline, and
windows had been broken out,
apparently to speed com
bustion of a fire.
Sheriff's department invest
igators suspect that the person
or persons intending to torch
the home were surprised by
Robinson's , return, and fled
the scene.
No arrests had been made
by Tuesday.
- A - Thon
to the April 28 running of the
bike ride.
Much of the research on
cancer and other catastrophic
diseases to children being
performed at St. Jude's the
largest children's research
facility in the world. Since
opening in 1962, St. Jude's has
treated more than 3,000 child-
Cont. on page 10
Morrow County voters were
apparently in a generous
mood this past week, passing
levy requests for the county
school system, Blue Mountain
Community College, and the
City of Heppner.
The county schools levy 24
per cent higher than the levy
approved by voters last year-
Morrow County voters smiled on levy election requests from
the City of Heppner, School District R-l and Blue Mt.
Community College this past week. Election board members
Garnet Huddleston, Margaret Evans and Claudine Warren
were all busy at Heppner City Hall although the vote in the
April 3 election was lighter than usual. Heppner voters also
cast their ballots in favor of construction of the Willow Creek
Dam and city and county officials will relay their support of
the project to Oregon's congressional delegation.
THURDSAY. APRIL 5, 1979
Congress, an uphill battle may
cti ! have to be fought in order
see the dam through its
:,i construcrion-, :- according to
representatives of the Army
Corps of Engineers. The dam
must meet a cost-to-benefit
ration, in which property that
could be saved by a potential
flood would at least equal the
cost of the dam. Last month,
Corps officials said the ratio
fell below the necessary
one-to-one level.
During public hearings
earlier this year, Corps offic
ials stated that local support
District Court
now in hopper at Salem
Hermiston's justice of the
peace won't automatically
become the new district court
judge if the Legislature ap
proves a measure for a new
district court for Umatilla and
Morrow Counties including
.XV. -JWWSV fi--- :r-- ta fv
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was approved by a 539-390
margin, according to unof
ficial results. Support for the
levy was strongest in the
county's north end, where
much of the increase will be
spent to staff a new Boardman
elementary school and an
Irrigon junior high.
Boardman voters approved
20 cents
for the project was mandatory
in order for Congress to back
further funding. City council
men were reluctant to rei
firm Heppner's official sup
port for the structure without
some indication of the public's
sentiments on the matter.
Therefore, they scheduled the
vote.
During Monday's council
meeting, city attorney Bill
Kuhn was directed to send the
Corps a letter detailing the
outcome of the vote on the
dam, and affirming the coun
cil's support for the project.
propsal
the amendments proposed by
the biir sponsors.
The first hearing on Senate
Bill 387 was held this week
before the Senate Judiciary
Committee.
Cont. on page 8
At the sound of the starter's gun Heppner's Mike Jones gets off the blocks in fine form in the first
leg of the 440 relay. The Mustang team of Jones, Mary Kincaid, Bryan Marlin and Maureen Healy
tied for fourth place. Spring sports are underway at all Morrow County schools with more pictures
and stories on pages four and five.
the levy by a whopping 170-48
margin, and in Irrigon, the
levy passed 104-66. It was a
different story in southern
Morrow County, where in
Heppner, the levy was defeat
ed 164-144. In Lexington, the
vote was 43-27 against the
levy, while lone voters cast
94-69 in favor of the budget.
A count had not been
completed on the vote that
would change the structure of
school board representation,
but with three precincts tabu
lated, it was passing by a
substantial margin. The
measure would give the Irri
gon, Boardman, lone and
Heppner areas one school
board representative each, in
addition to two at-large board
members. Heppner currently
has three representatives on
the board.
The county schools levy up
nearly $850,000 from last
year will cost taxpayers an
estimated $8.40 per $1,000 of
property, down from the
current rate of $9.59. The
reason for the decrease in the
millage rate is the fact that
Morrow County's taxable
value has risen to an esti
mated $450 million up sharp
ly from last year's total of $326
million. Construction at the
Carty coal-fired power plant
performed during the current
fiscal year alone is expected to
account for nearly $140 million
of the county's increase in
value.
Of the $850,000 increase
approved by voters on Tues
day, approximately $360,000
will go towards staffing and
equipping the two new north
end schools.
County Schools Superinten
dent Matt Doherty said the
vote on the school levy was
"encouraging. We have a
definite need for more funding
next year for new students and
new schools. The results of the
election show that the people
are aware of that need."
Occupational program
before school advisors
The Morrow County Schools
Advisory Committee will meet
next Tuesday, April 10, in the
Heppner Junior High home
economics room, starting at 8
p.m.
The meeting will include a
presentation by home econom
ics instructor Liz Curtis on the
school's occupational versatil
ity homemaking program.
In the only contested race
for a position on the school
system's advisory committee,
Judy Wright defeated incum
bent Dean Wright for the seat
from the Hardman-Ruggs
area. The vote was 185 to 177.
Voters in both Morrow and
Umatilla counties approved
Blue Moutain Community Col
lege's 10 per cent budget
increase. More than half of
that increase will go to pay for
a nine per cent wage increase
for the college's teaching
staff.
All but two Morrow County
precincts approved the BMCC
levy. In Heppner, the levy was
defeated by a 159-147 margin,
and in Lexington, the levy
went down 48-24. Support was
strongest in Boardman, where
the vote was 155-65 in favor.
Unofficial totals for Morrow
County showed the vote pass
ing by a 508-424 margin, while
in Umatilla County, the vote
was 3,532 yes to 2,772 no.
John Hansell of Hermiston
retained his four-year, at
large seat on BMCC's board of
directors.
Last Wednesday, Heppner
voters approved by a 197-123
margin the city's request for
an additional $95,000 in prop
erty tax money for the coming
fiscal year. The city actually
trimmed some $12,000 from its
operating budget, but a sub
stantial decrease in cash
carryover resulted in the need
for more funding.
In another election Tuesday,
all four incumbent Port of
Morrow commissioners were
re-elected to new terms. The
lone challenger was Board
man businessman Mark Dock
en, who polled the least
amount of votes.
Charles Kyd, one of the four
commissioners re-elected, suf
fered a massive heart attack
on election day. He was
rushed to Kadlec Hospital in
Cont. on page 10
The advisory committee will
also hold a preliminary dis
cussion on the rehiring of
classified employees. The
committee will make final
recommendations on rehiring
the employees next month.
Also on the agenda is a
discussion on the district
boundaries for representation
on the advisory committee.
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