TWO The Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon, Thursday, August 23, 1979
The Heppner
GAZETTE-TIMES
7DEUEPlCTi7
Editorials o Columns
Letters From Readers
Question of a split
over the hospital
Should Morrow County be split
into separate hospital districts
serving the north and south ends?
That apparently is the viewpoint
prevailing in Boardman and Irrigon
where about 88 per cent of those who
went to the polls in the recent special
election voted 326 to 48 against the
levy to support the Pioneer Memo
rial Hospital in Heppner.
The levy passed, in the third
election held on the issue, because of
its support in the south county.
While Boardman and, to a lesser
extent, Irrigon would benefit from
the hospital levy because of the
North Morrow Clinic in Boardman,
only a small portion of the funds
would support that service.
The clinic would receive about
$30,000 of the $506,000 to be raised.
The Hermiston Herald, in a recent
editorial, calls it a poor investment
for the northern district, inasmuch
as that area has 60 per cent of the
assessed valuation of Morrow Coun
ty, so in effect will be paying $300,000
in medical taxes and getting back
only about one-tenth in services.
That newspaper feels that the
Pioneer Memorial Hospital is cer
tainly of benefit to the people of
south Morrow County, and if they
want it they alone should pay for it.
Apparently reflecting the view of
some Boarman and Irrigon officials,
the Hermiston Herald suggests the
Morrow County Court should act
within the coming year to place the
financial support for the hospital
where it belongs. Otherwise, the
taxpayers of Boardman and Irrigon
would be justified in looking to the
legislature for relief.
Certainly this is a matter for study
and the solution may indeed lie in
the creation of a hospital district.
Well see you at the Rodeo
It's rodeo time again in Morrow
County, and the cowboy sport will
Editor's
Notebook
The country-western singers, Jess and
Dave Rucilez, at the Morrow County Fair
last Saturday were performing as much
for their mom and dad as for the crowd in
general. Occupying front-row seats in the
fairgrounds grandstand were Smokey and
Velma Rucilez of Reno, Nev.
They had driven up through Klamath
Falls and Burns, where they had met their
sons who had come down from Anchorage,
Alaska. After their engagement in
Heppner, the boys were to return to Alaska
for scheduled appearances.
The parents were proud listeners as
their sons and two accompanying musi
cians performed on a flatbed trailer in
front of the bleachers. Jess introduced
them, demonstrating part of his agreeable
flair for showmanship. Later, Velma
Rucilez explained that Smokey had been a
guitarist for years with Bob Wills and now
has a band of his own in Reno. He is a
full-blooded Choctaw, she said.
The boys were both born in Waco,
Texas. They grew up in Southern
California. Ten years ago the family
moved to Reno.
From Alaska, their mother said, the
boys had planned to go to Hawaii but they
cancelled their tour and arranged a
reunion in Oregon.
"They would have been gone for seven
weeks," she said. "I couldn't have stood
it!"
Smokey and Velma drove a truck here
and planned to return home with some of
the amplifying equipment that the band
normally travels with.
draw spectators to the fairgrounds
at Heppner.
The rodeo is a continuation of the
late-summer activities inaugurated
by the annual Morrow County Fair.
The fair was held last weekend
a commendable display of honie
crafts, agriculture, and other exhi
bits. It was a good fair and the rodeo
promises to be as interesting,
drawing as it does contestants from
all over the Northwest and Canada.
Whoever hasn't thrilled to the
sight of a steer roping event, wild
cow milking, bareback riding or bull
dogging he doesn't know the
excitement he's missing!
We'll see you at the Morrow
County Fairgrounds this weekend.
Service Charges
In case you missed it, the Department
of Energy, in a stroke of bureaucratic
bumbling, said service station operators
could charge for cleaning windshields,
checking batteries, filling tires with air, or
for the use of credit cards.
The fact that customers are there
primarily for gasoline had totally missed
the mark with the business amateurs at
the Department of Energy. The idea was
withdrawn after some congressional
reminders that charging for the use of the
credit cards was illegal.
It's a good thing too, because other
enterprises caught in the inflationary
spiral might have been encouraged to copy
the ideas of the DOE.
The practice of government employ
ees who are totally without experience
telling the American business community
how to run their affairs should come to an
end.
Channel 2 editorial
The Official Newspaper of the
J City of Heppner and the
H OXjl?A County of Morrow
Oregon Nwspapr
Publishers Auociotlon
The Heppner
GAZETTE-TIMES
Morrow County's Awird-Wiftniig Weekly Newspaper
U.S.P.S. 240-420
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.
Office and commercial printing plant at 147 West Willow Street. Telephone,
(503) 676-9228.
Address communications to the Heppner Gazette-Times, P.O. Box 337,
Heppner, Oregon, 97836.
SUBSCRIPTION RATE
$8.00 in Morrow, Umatilla, Wheeler Gilliam counties; $10.00 elsewhere.
Senior Citizen Rate, $5.00
Jerome F. Sheldon Publisher
Eileen Saling, Office Manager
Melissa Scott, Advertising, Composition
Justine Weatherford, Local Columnist
Ron Jordan, Printer
Jane H. Sheldon, Co-Publisher
Jim Hackett, News Editor
Cindi Doherty, Office
Chloe Pearson, Composition
A ...
W V Ul vfWt
"id'' mff m ' i
John Nordheims Lance and Chicken won the Limit Working
Hunter division, 20 and over, in Sunday's Wrangler Horse
Show at the Morrow County Fairgrounds! The prize, a mug
donated by Morrow County Grain Growers, was presented by
Fair and Rodeo Queen Debora Palmer.
ill
inn LrnL Mprai; iJT
Legislative Report trom the State Capital
EXCLUSIVE to Oregon's Weekly Ncwspa
pers trom Associated Oregon Industries.
Salem
Scene
By Jack Zimmerman
Oregon's business community appears
overwhelmingly in favor of nuclear power
and construction of additional nuclear
powered electrical energy generating
facilities in this state.
That conclusion is based on results of a
statewide survey conducted among mem
bers .of Associated Oregon Industries ian
oYgafctzattorf of"' some" x 250(1 'private'
employers providing jobs for more than
half the state's privately employed
workforce.
Launched in late July, the survey
attracted more than 500 responses from all
types of business people and produced
results significantly different from opi
nions assumed to be embraced by a
majority of Oregonians at large.
A total of 450 respondents reported
they favored maintaining nuclear power
generation as a source of electrical energy
in this nation. Thirty-five responded
negatively and 24 were undecided. On the
question involving construction of addi
tional nuclear powered plants in Oregon,
429 were in favor, 35 opposed and 34
Equally significant were answers to
questions regarding ' concerns- - business
people have about nuclear powered
generators. Slightly more AOI members
(203) were concerned about construction
lag time for new plants than operating
safety (192). Biggest concern was pro
blems involving storage of spent fuel (339),
while 130 listed cost of the plants as a
major concern and only 44 expressed
concern about reliability of the generators.
LETTERS to the EDITOR
Tape on lock 'fixes' door at
Amtrak's Hinkle depot
(The following letter was submitted
lor ptihliciition as a Idler to the editor.)
Mr. K.C. Clauson
National Railroad Passenger Corporation
King Street Station
303 S. Jackson
Seattle. Washington 98101
Dear Mr. Clauson:
For your information I am enclosing a
copy of an editorial recently appearing in
the Heppner Gazette-Times, regarding
upkeep of the Hinkle Amtrak depot
facilities.
Last week I inspected the facilities
myself, and found that the lock mecha
nism on the door of the glass depot had
been taped across by an inventive
individual so that the door no longer locks
itself. I am sure you will agree that this is a
satisfactory solution to the problem of the
lock timer getting out of proper time
synchronization. Personally I do not see
any great need for the door to be locked
anyway, as there is nothing to steal inside
the depot, other than the seats.
I wish to thank you for your help in
finally getting a telephone installed at the
Hinkle station and, of course, for the
installation of the long-overdue shelter.
You will be pleased to know that there
have been many good comments from
Amtrak passengers about the upgrading of
this facility. All that is lacking now is a
restroom and water fountain. These
items particularly the restroom are
urgently needed, and I would like you to
put these on your list of improvement
projects if possible. The UP building
opposite the Amtrak shelter is closed to the
public, so people cannot use their
restroom. The closest public restroom is
over a mile away at a small gas station.
When the Pioneer runs late (10-14 per cent
of the time) it makes it extremely bad for
women and children especially who need
to use a restroom. I recognize that the
installation of a portable restroom would
he expensive, but I believe that it would be
worth it from a public relations standpoint.
I have recently conducted several
surveys of passengers abourd the Pioneer,
and as soon as I get the results tabulated I
will forward you a copy.
Sincerely,
Rod Aho
No consideration
for 20 people
Editor:
On Monday night. August 13, the city
planning committee meeting was sche
duled at 7:30 p.m.
There were 20 interested people
and three from the planning committee.
We were informed that there HAD to
be four of the committee there for a
quorum at 8 p.m.
Where was the rest of this city's
planning committee? Don't they know
that every second Monday there is a
meeting to attend? If they are too busy to
attend all or most meetings
they should not he on any committee.
Don't they have any consideration
for the 20 people who were informed that
if they weren't at the meeting, their
proposals would not be considered?
Yours truly,
Frances Crook
(one of the 20
interested people)
In light of overwhelming support for
the nuclear power concept, the large
number of respondents expressing con
cern about spent fuel storage likely
reflects awareness technology exists to
solve that problem but little is being done
by the federal government to implement a
solution.
AOI members also were asked to
indicate concerns about availability of
specific energy sources. Gasoline drew 305
responses, diesel 204, electricity 180, oil 173
and natural gas 145.
When asked how increasing energy
costs were affecting their businesses, 7
reported prohibitively, 272 substantially,
197 within reason and 51 minimally.
A total of 11 firms reported they were
retrofitting equipment and facilities to
increase efficiency and alleviate the cost
problem. Sixteen reported they were
reducing production, hours, etc. A total of
350 indicated they were conducting active
conservation programs and 116 indicated
they have taken all steps possible to ease
the rising costs of energy.
Firms also were asked whether they
favored relaxation of current federal
mining standards if coal is to be used as a
major fuel for electrical generation. Some
368 favored relaxation of standards, 68
were opposed and 67 undecided.
Similar answers were given to a
question regarding relaxation of environ
mental standards applied to the use of low
sulfur western coal for generation of
electricity. Four hundred favored relaxa
tion of standards while 43 were opposed
and 53 undecided.
Firms responding to the survey are
widely dispersed throughout the state. But
a preponderance, 48 per cent, are located
in the Portland metropolitan area. Slightly
more than 28 per cent are in the
Willamette Valley, 7 per cent in Southern
Oregon, slightly more than 5 per cent each
are located on the Coast and Central
Oregon and a fraction more than 4 per cent
are Eastern Oregon firms.
The bulk of responding firms, 79 per
cent, fall into wide-ranging categories
involving mostly manufacturing and
service-oriented businesses. Thirteen per
cent are retailers and 8 per cent are
involved in the manufacture of forest
products.
Survey results are interesting in light
of recent legislative action invoking a
moratorium on certification of new
nuclear plants in Oregon until Nov. 15,
1980. At the same time anti-nuclear
activists are expected to launch an
initiative petition campaign to place some
sort of permanent ban against new plant
construction on the Nov. 4, 1980 general
election ballot.
An AOI spokesman, attempting to
interpret the heavy support for nuclear
powered generators among its members,
suggests the business community may be
less wary than the public at large because
it is more aware of the pressing need for7
electrical energy in order to meet
consumer demands for goods and ser
vices. Another factor, he said has to be
recognition of the energy requirements
necessary to maintain a healthy economy
and provide jobs for Oregonians.
Results certainly suggest members of
the business community are more
informed on the need for energy than the
public at large, have, more faith in
technology and are willing to accept
comprises necessary to maintain a
balance between livability and livelihood,
he concluded.
Sifting
tftmugh
, ; the
TIMES'"
1929
Fifty years ago, it was announced
,that Mrs. R.L. Bengeof Hpnejrjwasa
member of a statewide committee of
Oregon mothers" holding a campaign to
raise $50,000 for erection of an infirmary;
building on the campus of the University
at Eugene. ;
Eighty tons of grain hay, a straw
stack and considerable range were:
consumed by fire at the O'Connor Bros.,
Skinner Creek farm. Sunday afternoon."
The range fire also spread to the Frank
Wilkinson land adjoining.
F.H. Weymeyer, charge of the local
district of the Umatilla National Forest,
while in town Tuesday, reported that so
far this season his district has been
exceptionally free from fires. The latest"
fire covered 35 acres on Butter Creek.
Weymeyer was personally acquain
ted with two men missing in the Lake
Chelan fire.
A car driven by Crocket Duvall, a
north Lexington wheat farmer was
reported to "have run amuck" wrecking
two automobiles besides his own and
driving a number of cars off the road
between Lexington and Heppner.
When asked about the cars he had
wrecked, Duvall said "God will take care
of them."
Turner and Van Marter announced
completion of their combining of wheat
on the Higgs Ranch of Cason Canyon.
1954
Twenty five years ago, it was
announced that fair week activities
would get underway in Heppner Friday
evening with the annual Dress-up Parade
under the direction of the Lions Club,
followed by the coronation of Queen
Grace Miller.
Members of the , vigilantes or
members of the Lions Club, will be
operating during the dress-up parade and
plans called for a short kangaroo court to
be included as part of the evening
program.
Some land damage was caused
Thursday night when a thunderstorm
dropped heavy rain fall on limited
sections of the county reaching propor
tions at Sand Hollow, upper Blackhorse
and North Lexington and covering the
Lexington-Hermistion Highway.
Two Morrow county educators were;
appointed to committees of the Oregon.
Education Assocation for the coming
year. Among those participating from;
Morrow County were: Mrs. Bessie
Barnett, credentials, and rural education
and school reorganization, Gene Inskeep.
1974
Jerry Eyestone, Corps of Engineers
project coordinator for the Willow Creek
Dam, told the Heppner Chamber of
Commerce, the estimated cost of the
project was $14,700,000, which included
two lakes of different elevation, the one"
at the lower elevation serving as a silt
basin with facilities proposed for
recreation and picnic area and the
possibility of fish hatcheries. In case of a
flood, a 5 by 7 foot conduit connected to
the spillway dam would permit flood
waters to flow down Willow Creek.
Bernard Merle Padberg, 46, of
Lexington, died August 17 of an apparent
heart attack while operating a combine
on the Terry Thompson Ranch. ;
It was announced that top
professional cowboys would be in town
for the Morrow County Rodeo in
Heppner, August 24-25. Bob Ragsdale,
Rodeo Cowboys Assn. President from
Chochill, California .and a National
Finals Rodeo qualifier in calf roping was
expected to be in attendance. I
Legislation was proposed by Conj
gressman Al Ullman to make the John
Day Fossil Beds a national monument.
Two units of the monument would be in
Wheeler and in Grant County.
Clubs &
Organizations
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