Image provided by: Morrow County Museum; Heppner, OR
About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 2, 1979)
The Library University of Or: 1 J! tj ' . J'. Vw IS ,"' - ? "Volunteer lookout ii&ans Tamarack VX ' U2 if.;';... :' Throughout the nation's for ests, the lookout system is being replaced by aerial detection with observers riding in small planes which pass over forested lands three or four times daily. Not so in the Heppner Ranger District of the Umatil la National Forest which has two lookouts manned at Madi son and Tamarack. An unusual feature about the Tamarack lookout is that it is manned this summer by a volunteer lookout, Kelley Moore, a graduate of Ed monds High School near Seattle. The District's Fire Manage ment Officer, Larry Bowman said at the start of the season, there were not enough funds available to hire a full-time lookout at Tamarack so through an advertisement by the International Backpack ing Association, Bowman found Ms. Moore was willing to volunteer her summer serving as an important link in the Forest Service's fire detection system. During fire observations and thunderstorms when the importance of the lookout's observations become most critical to controlling fires, Ms. Moore is paid for her time. But her daily working hours in the 6 by 6 ft. lookout High station perched 110 ft. in the air, are 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. A small house is provided at the base of the tower for her , off duty hours. Interviewed last Thursday from her high observation point, Ms. Moore says she enjoys her view of the mountains from the steel tower. On a clear day, she is able to see Mt. Jefferson, the Wallowa Range, Strawberry Mountains near John Day, Kimberly, Spray and Tupper , Cont. on page 10 view A visit to the volunteer lookout at Tamarack in the Heppner Ranger District requires not only driving over back roads but a trip up 110 ft. of small wooden stairs leading to a 6 by 6 ft. compartment perched high overhead. While she's on duty during the daytime, Volunteer Lookout Kelley Moore, a graduate of Edmonds High School near Seattle, doesn't make too many trips up and down. She uses her portable radio to report any fires or lightning strikes. f 'KV " ' F . ,' ij f f t : lf-;- 'J Is J f I , ,? I J . . - y'y ' j . M " j "JT ' - .... ' ' . - V ' ' " i x " "v. ' - - i X ' - . i milii i iiiin-iii MJ-tai.ii. .-rH ,, . . ., . .s. v - - VOL. 97, NO. 31 The Heppner i i i si ii ii n a I 1 1 f . N I I II I i jrJmJllm Li 11 11 Morrow County's Award-Winning Weekly Newspaper TUME HEPPNER, OREGON THURSDAY, AUGUST 2, 1979 20 cents mmmmm Voters urged to turn out for August 9 hospital levy decision Special day Sunday to honor Sheriff Clarence Bauman In an effort to stimulate more voter interest in the Thursday, August 9 Hospital Levy vote, Hospital Board Members Fred Martin, Ed Dick and County Court Judge D.O. Nelson presented a budget talk at Monday's Heppner Chamber of Com merce at West of Willow. "I don't want it to close. We have to make a concerted effort to get out the vote," Judge Nelson told chamber members. Nelson said there is a feeling among north end residents that they won't support the upcoming budget and that someday, a hospital district may have to be formed. He praised the hospital board for "a great deal of effort and working hard on solutions." Hospital Board Chairman Fred Martin said there have been changes made in the August 9 levy from the previous two levies which failed to gain simple majori ties. The levy amount outside the six percent limitation is $506,474, and the levy rate request is $1,125 per $1,000 in assessed valuation, $.10 cents per $1,000 lower than the request submitted to the voters June 6. Martin said $38,737 has been trimmed from the previous levy request, citing $15,000 less in cash carryover, an increase in laboratory income by $6,000, telephone calls charged directly against pat ients, $2,300 and what he called the major change a reduction in physician ser vices from $139,000 to $88,000 and reduction in hospital revenue from $94,976 to $56,232, which included dele tion of $5,000 from physician relief, reducing the guaran teed physician's salary from 12 to 9 months. Board member Ed Dick said communications about the upcoming levy has been a problem and said people don't seem to understand that the hospital has no tax base. He is hopeful that the recently initiated planning process will improve com munications. Dick told the Chamber he didn't hear the request by another board member, Dan Sweeney, asking the County Court for changes in the hospital administration. The Gazette-Times reported that proposal made in public session of a County Court session. After discussing the issue briefly, the court ad journed into executive session where according to state law, discussions are not allowed to be reported. Dick quoted articles written in a hospital magazine, men tioning the attraction of physi cians to rural based hospitals with salary guarantees and the desire for new physicians to have facilities close to the hospitals. Martin said later in the meeting that $15,000 was reserved in the budget to run on until we had another vote. "When that is expended, I don't know how we would operate. We can't run on a deficit," Martin said. Concern was expressed by Judge Nelson that if the levy's third voter test is unsuccess ful, County Assessor Greg Sweek would have to be asked by the County Court to approve a fourth election this year. Cont. on page 3 Young crash victim in serious condition An 11 year old Spray girl, Bobbi Jo Medlock, was re ported in serious condition Monday at the University of Oregon Pediatrics Intensive Care Unit in Portland after sustaining injuries in a car accident on the Heppner-Con-don highway near Ruggs Saturday about 5:15 p.m. She was taken by county ambulance to Pioneer Mem orial Hospital, then transfer red to the Portland Hospital by small aircraft at the Lexington Airport at 7:30 p.m., according to a hospital spokesman. The driver of the vehicle, Ronny A. Green, Spray and another passenger, Marcia Troxell, 15, Spray were also injured in the car rollover. Green sustained a knee injury and concussion and Marcia Troxell was treated for an arm injury and abrasions. The Morrow County Sher iff's Department reported the accident occured when the vehicle was westbound, the driver lost control of the vehicle and it rolled over and struck a barbed wire fence. The 11 year old girl was thrown from the vehicle. In another accident about the same time Saturday at 6:15 p.m. on Ione's Main Street, Timothy Arends, 29. lone sustained a broken leg when the motorcycle he was riding was involved in a collision with a car driven by Debra Lou Petit, 19, Lexing ton. Arend's vehicle struck the hood and his body hit the windshield of the car. There were no injuries to Petit and two other passengers in the car. Arends was taken to Pioneer Memorial Hospital. In another accident report, Carla Miles, a competitor in Sunday's 4-H horse show, suffered a broken arm when she fell off a horse in the parking lot. Navy's practice bombs ignite 4,500 acre blaze A fire which occured Thurs day at the U.S. Navy Bombing Range has been revised down wards from the original esti mate of 15,000 acres burned to 4,500 acres, according to a U.S. Navy spokesman from the Naval Weapons Training Facility, Boardman. The spokesman, who de clined to be identified, said the first estimate was based on Weather Hi Low Tues., July 24 90 53 Wed.. July 25 90 50 Thur., July 26 93 54 Fri., July 27 93 56 Sat., July 28 84 62 Sun., July 29 90 55 Mon.,JuIy30 90 52 observations from the fire line. The revised estimate was made after a flyover by a Navy plane. The fire was caused by two practice bombs dropped on the range from U.S. Navy A-6 aircraft from Whidbey Island Naval Air Station located on Washington's Puget Sound. The spokesman said cartrid ges in the tip of the bombs let off a puff of smoke upon impact and it is not infrequent that small fires are caused. The Navy has a 6 man fire crew on duty to fight the blazes which occur but ac cording to the spokesman, shifting winds pushed the fire out of control after its initial outbreak on noon Thursday. Fifty firefighters from the Cont. on page 12 A special day honoring long-time Morrow County Sheriff Clarence John David Bauman is Sunday at the Morrow County Fairgrounds. A picnic will be given in his honor from 12:30 p.m. to 2 p.m., sponsored by the Hep pner VFW Post and Auxiliary No. 4184, American Legion and Sheriff's Search and Rescue Posse. Bauman served the county for 38 years as sheriff and served in two world wars. He is a resident of the Pioneer Memorial Nursing Home and recently transferred there from the Blue Mountain Con valescent Home in College Place, Wash. Proceeds from the catered chicken dinner will go towards establishment of a fund for aid to veterans and their families. Tickets are on sale at several business locations in Heppner, lone, Lexington and Board man. They may also be purchased from members of the sponsoring organization. The Sheriff Clarence Bau man Appreciation Day is being organized by three organizations to show how much the community feels about Sheriff Bauman's dedi cation to his country and years Of service as the chief law enforcement officer of Mor row County. Jim Launer, VFW com mander, said by Monday, over 200 tickets to the dinner had been sold and expected a good turnout at the Sunday picnic. Mayor Jerry Sweeney has issued a proclamation, offic ially declaring Sheriff Bau man Day. Sheriff Bauman was born in Akron, Ohio June 6, 1893, enlisted in World War I in September 1917 and dischar ged in February, 1919. He served as Morrow County Sheriff from 1928 to 1943, then enlisted in the Navy in World War II, February, 1943, leav ing the service January 1, 1946. He again served the county as sheriff from Feb ruary, 1946 to January, 1969. Gazette-Times sold to former Alaskan weekly owners G.M. and Dolores Reed, publishers of the Heppner Gazette-Times, today announ ced the sale of the newspaper to Jerome and Jane Sheldon, formerly of Palmer, Alaska. The Sheldons owned and published the Frontiersman, a community weekly newspaper serving the Matanuska Susitna Valley in Alaska, for more than four years until its sale last year. The Reeds, who also publish the Hermiston Herald, have owned the Gazette-Times for the past three years. They said, "The Sheldons have had a wealth of exper ience in operating weekly newspapers and we believe they will give the people of Heppner and Morrow County an excellent newspaper. By living in the community, something we were unable to do, the new owners can become involved and be a part of this great area." Their purchase of the Gazette-Times represents for the Sheldons a "return to Ore gon," for they lived in Roseburg in the late 1940's, when Jerome Sheldon was employed there as a news paper reporter and where their children were born. Since leaving Oregon, they have lived- many years in California and Alaska. The Sheldons said they would make no major changes in the newspaper. The present staff will remain. New owner G.M. Reed, former co-publisher of the Gazette-Times, extended his congratulations to Jerome Sheldon, the new owner and publisher of the paper Tuesday in anticipation of the publication's change of ownership Wednesday, August 1. Jerome and his wife, Jane, the co-owner, are for mer owners of the Frontiers man, a community weekly newspaper serving the Matanuska-Susitna Valley in Alaska for more than four years until its sale last year. "The Gazette-Times will continue to stress the concerns mm wto wnx-qpt . . . ppc atf rat r, ! . ft " y rf- ft of Morrow County and its people," the Sheldons said. r 1 S. IIP 1 vt :Y 1 1 if ; r - .. . 1 y 1 it - - r tear Mt V saw"
