TWO The Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon. Thursday, August 9, 1979
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The Heppner
GAZETTE-TIMES
Editorials o Columns
WDinPDDOcL? Letters From Readers
Amtrak depot at Hinkle
reeds some attention
That Amtrak may continue to
operate the Pioneer, the passenger
train that runs between Seattle,
Portland and Salt Lake City, is good
news for Eastern Oregon. The train
is popular among travelers and in
recent months, its traffic has gained
because of the energy crisis and the
shortage of gasoline supplies.
Train travel provides a very
satisfactory alternative to buses and
the private automobile. The cars are
comfortable, people can move
about, and there is food and bar car
service available even it it's not in
the dining-car elegance of old.
The Pioneer, in particular, has
developed into an important trans
portation link connecting Morrow
and Umatilla County communities
with other regions. On many runs
this summer, every seat on the train
has been filled.
For the confirmed rail traveler,
it may be enough that the Pioneer is
even 'operating. As many people
realize, Amtrak is often an un
welcome tenant- of the privately
owned railroads over whose tracks
the trains operate. On some routes,
Amtrak has been able to utilize
existing depots with their waiting
rooms, ticket offices and other
conveniences for the public. Along
the Pioneer's route, Amtrak has
installed prefabricated shelters,
such as the glass-enclosed waiting
room at Hinkle. According to a
posted notice, the waiting room
doors have been electronically
timed to unlock one hour before the
train's arrival time, and then be
locked again one hour after the
train's departure. In the event of
power outages, the timing may be
off and passengers must wait
outside the shelter.
This has happened this summer.
If a similar malfunction should
occur in the winter, the exposure to
weather could be very uncomfort
able for the unsheltered waiting
passengers particularly if the
trains should be running behind
schedule.
Perhaps Amtrak or its landlord,
Union Pacific, could keep a 'more
constant eye on the waiting room at
Hinkle .for the protection of those
eager to ride the Pioneer.
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Sheriff himself shows up
at fairgrounds picnic
Ullman gets a question
from 'the other side9
A surprise visitor at the Sheriff Clarence Bauman
Appreciation Day Sunday at the Morrow County Fairgrounds
was the Sheriff himself. The Morrow County Search and
Rescue Unit transported the long-time Sheriff to the picnic
from the Pioneer Memorial Nursing Home where he was
greeted by VFW Commander Jim Launer and helped by a
niece. The event, sponsored by the American Legion, VFW
and County Sheriff's Posse drew about 200 friends to the
chicken dinner in his honor.
Congressman Al Ullman, an
Oregon Democrat who was to be in
Heppner on Friday, is the subject of
a news release from "the other side"
that is intended to put him on the
spot.
The item concerns his vote in the
House of Representatives last month
not to consider expelling a Michigan
Democratic congressman, Rep.
Charles Diggs, who had been
convicted of taking salary kickbacks
from his staff.
The story emanates, in fact,
from the National Republican Con
gressional Committee. Its heading,
"From the Other Side," refers no
doubt to the G.O.P.'s position on the
other side of the political aisle from
the Democratic majority. But it
brings a curious sense of deja vu of
Editor's
Notebook
A man now living in Salem is looking
for family roots in Morrow County. He is
H.R. Muhs, who wrote to the Gazette
Times that his parents were divorced in
Sheridan County, Wyoming, sixty years
ago. After his mother remarried, he
adopted his stepfather's name. His
family refused to divulge any informa
tion about his real father, he said, partly
because he was "considered quite a
'rounder'."
The only records that Muhs has for
his father are a marriage license (1913)
and a divorce certificate (1919), both
issued in Wyoming. These records show
that the father was 25 years old on Nov. 1,
1913, and his birth to have been in
Heppner, Oregon. His name was Richard
N. Wade. Does it sound familiar to any of
the families that go back three or four
generations in the area?
With his subscription renewal comes
a note from Glenn A Ball of Yakima. He
is 86 years old and enjoys the news of
Morrow County, where he was born. He
moved to Yakima in 1934. With his
current renewal, he'll be receiving the
Heppner Gazette-Times until May of
1981.
Thank you, Mr. Ball.
the sad era of American conflict in
Vietnam when the Administration in
Washington would refer to "the
other side" since there was no
official enemy in an undeclared war.
Of course. Republicans aren't the
enemy but the loyal opposition.
However partisan the issue, it
seems a valid question to ask of
Congressman Ullman: Why did he
vote to table debate on Diggs's
possible expulsion, when he was
convicted of taking more than
$40,000 in kickbacks from his staff to
pay personal expenses. Diggs was
re-elected following his conviction,
and in June of this year pleaded
guilty to some of the charges against
him. Diggs agreed to accept censure
from the House and to repay
$40,031.66, a compromise which the
House Committee on Standards of
Official Conduct agreed to accept
and recommend as his punishment.
Censure would carry no penalty
other than the member must stand
before the House while the censure
is read. It sounds like hardly more
than a slap on the wrist.
We hope Rep. Ullman will stand
up and be counted on this issue. He
won't be in Heppner because of a
knee injury but his aides may heed
the question.
LETTERS FROM JOUR READERS
Lawmaker asks to hear voter's concerns
Editor:
The 1979 legislative session is over.
With the passage of over 950 measures, I
am sure that you may have concerns
over the issues or others that may arise.
Even though the next session will not
begin until January of 1981, I am
available to assist with problems or
concerns that the people of District 55
have during the interim.
My address is Rt. 1 Culver, Oregon
and my phone number is 546-6911. I am
very willing to help with your concerns.
Please contact me if I can be of
assistance.
. The property tax relief program was
one of the major pieces of legislation to
come out of the 1979 session. Many of you
have' filled out the application from the
county assessor's office and will receive
the property tax relief directly in
November through your property tax
assessment and billing. If you did not get
the application into the assessor by
August 1 you will still be eligible for the
property tax relief. However, you will
receive a check from the State Revenue
Office, instead of an offset on taxes owed.
You can get the necessary form from
the county assessor's office or the
Department of Revenue in Salem. This
will need to be done by December 31,
1979.
I hope that I will have the
opportunity to visit with you during the
next 18 months.
Sincerely,
Billy C. Bellamy
State Representative
District 55
Court 'runs scared9 on hospital issue
Editor:
Wednesday, August 1, I visited with
Morrow County Court re hospital
problems. I wish to share that visit with
you and your readers.
First: I asked about the rumor that
the hospital board might re-hire Mr.
Byrnes as administrator as soon as the
hospital levy passed. Judge Nelson said
that the board could not do this. I asked
what was to stop them. Judge Nelson said
the County Court would not allow it. I
asked how the Court would stop the
board, as the Court does not feel it wants
to replace any of the present hospital
board? To date the Court has been very
much for doing nothing about the
hospital. The hospital did get an excellent
survey from Northwest Medical, which
oriPA
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The Official Newspaper of the
City of Heppner and the
County of Morrow
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GAZETTE-TIMES
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$8.00 In Morrow, Unatilla, Wheeler & Gilliam County; 110.00 elsewhere
Jane H. Sheldon, Co-Publisher
Jerome F. Sheldon, Publisher
Terry M. Hager, General Manager
Eileen Saling, Office Manager
Melissa Scoll, Composition
Justine Weatherford, locol Columnist
Jim Hackett, News Editor
Gayle Rush, AdvertisingComposition
Cindi Doherty, Office
seems to have antagonized Chairman
Martin and board member Alice Bartlet.
The Court has sat back and taken the
abuse and criticism for its action in
requesting this survey instead of
following up on same.
I feel this is one reason our hospital is
in trouble.
My impression during my visit with
the Court was that Commissioner Krebs
and Judge Nelson are running scared at
the idea of the hospital's being closed.
They asked me what we would do if it
closed? My answer was that we now have
so much more than when we built the
hospital. Example: We have many
excellent nurses that live in our
community, we have an experienced
ex -administrator that is a resident of our
community, etc.. etc. I feel we are
so fortunate to have so many resources in
our own community for having a good
healthy hospital. We need more doctors.
We had four practicing doctors when we
built the hospital. We do not want to
overburden our Dr. Tibbies and Dr.
Wolff, as we want them to continue to be
a part of our community for a long time
to come. Neither do we want to kill off Dr.
Gifford just because he is young. He is
carrying entirely too heavy a load and we
want him, his wife, Linda, and their two
adorable children to be a part of our
community for a long time to come.
Dr. Carpenter did tell Jim and me
when he was filling in for Dr. Gifford that
he and his wife would like very much to
come back to Heppner to live and set up
practice. If we once again have a hospital
board that will be responsive to doctors,
hospital employees, hospital patients and
care, I feel confident we will once again
have good health care in our community.
I agree with the people of Irrigon and
Boardman. I do not see why they should
be asked to support Pioneer Memorial
Hospital when they have hospitals so
much closer that will be the hospitals
they will use.
I did ask the Court why we could not
cut off the tax request at the baseline for
the hospital levy. I feel this would be
much more' realistic. I do not see any
reason that the hospital has to be
supported on a county-wide basis, since
the Court has taken the hospital out of the
county budget. We are "stuck" with a
county wide school system, which Mr.
Fred Martin supported. Perhaps it is Mr.
Martin that is pushing for county wide
hospital tax support. I did not receive a
satisfactory answer to this question from
the Court.
The Court did seem very concerned
how I planned to vote on the hospital
levy. I repeated, as I have so many
times, that I did not feel that I or any
voter could vote intelligently on the levy
until we were given a report on last
year's budget that we did vote for the
hospital. I have requested this for months
from Mr. Fred Martin and the County
Court. To date I have not seen same.
I am as much in support of Pioneer
Memorial Hospital as we were when we
worked so hard to get it built. Just a
hospital is not the total answer to health
care. Doctors have to come first as the
hospital cannot give us even an aspirin
without it being prescribed by a doctor.
I would like to see more of you visit
the County Court re hospital. Also, I
welcome any and all comments from
each of you to me re solutions of our
hospital problems.
Sincerely,
Jewel Hager
Heppner
Sifting
through
the
TIMES
1929
Fifty years ago, the Gazette-Times
reported that the peak of the wheat
hauling season had not yet been reached
at Heppner and reports were incomplete.
The north part of the county is generally
through harvest while the south Eight
Mile and Hardman sections are just
getting well underway. The Blackhorse
and Heppner flat districts were now well
along and will be finishing inside of two
weeks.
Averring that diversion of water
from Willow Creek for the use of the city
of Heppner Water Department had cost
them several thousand dollars since the
installation of the pipe line from the
mountains and the city had failed to
make good its contract with some
ranchers, Frank Wilkinson, R.I. Thomp
son, W.H. Cleveland and Frank Monahan
appeared before the council to request
the city to leave the water in the creek for
a period of 50 years for irrigation
purposes.
With surfacing underway on six
miles of the Heppner-Spray road from
the junction with the John Day highway
four miles above Spray, the route into the
interior began to take on the form of
actuality, says Jasper Crawford, who
made the trip last weekend on the trip to
Bend.
J.B. and Miss Bess Huddleston also
traveled the highway.
On Tuesday, morning, train no. 129
wrecked, leaving the track six miles west
of lone. The trouble was caused by a
sun-kinked rail. No one was injured.
In the Gazette's editorial column, the
editor congratulated the O.W. R and N
Company for its handling of passengers
and mail on the local branch. The
sun-kinked rail caused a spread of some
32 inches in the track and repairs were
completed in time to allow scheduled
connections the following night.
1954'
Twenty-five years ago, Jack N.
Angel, 37, of Yakima was named by the
board of directors of Pioneer Memorial
Hospital as the new administrator,
succeeding John Ernsdorff . Angel was a
former administrator at John Day.
The city of Heppner was visited by a
distant relative of Henry Heppner, the
man who gave his name to the town when
it was founded. The visitor, Karl P.
Heppner, a manufacturing jeweler and
engraver from Richmond Hill, New York
and his wife were on a vacation trip into
the western part of the United States and
extended their trip to look over the town.
The Heppner District Ranger Station
said it had no forest fires reported so far
in the season within its territory but
Supervisor Wayne West urged travelers
and workers to use extreme care in the
woods.
Fair buttons went on sale at a special
chamber of commerce meeting. The red
and white buttons cost $1.
County elevators reported this week
that the peak of wheat and barley harvest
has passed in this section though there
were still many farmers in the higher
elevations around Hardman, Heppner
and Eight Mile who are just getting
started.
A Spray pilot was forced to make a
landing in a wheat field after hitting a
power line owned by Columbia Basin
Power while spraying grasshoppers on
Balm Fork. About 3,400 acres had been
sprayed in the county up to August 12.
1974
Five years ago, Police Chief Dean
Gilman said it's been difficult finding a
police officer to locate in the city because
of the housing shortage and asked the
city council if he had any jurisdiction to
either purchase an older home for a new
police officer or if council members knew
of any rentals.
Kinzua Corporation began produc
tion of plywood at its Heppner plant this
week.
The plant is a - completely new
sheathing plywood plant with monthly
production goals of 12 million feet of ths
inch plywood at a cost of $4 million. One
hundred and twenty men and women will
be employed in the new facility.
The interagency committee has been
coordinating a doctor recruitment effort
for South Morrow County and settled on
the title of Medical Services Committee.
Willow Creek Dam cleared one more
hurdle in its 40 odd year fight for
existence last week when the U.S. Senate
cleared it on a voice vote. The matter
now goes to the House of Representatives
where a push for approval is strongly
expected.
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