BESSIE WET2ELL
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NEWSPAPER LIB.
EUGENE OR 37403
The Heppner A n I
GAZETTE-TIMES 'cSSr
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Morrow County's Award-Winning Weekly Newspaper Everyone I
Nation ltmw Wtk Oct. 7 1, 197t 1
I VOL. 97 NO. 41 THURSDAY, OCTOBER 11, 1979 20 cents 12 pages . - HEPPNER, OREGON I
Former Sheriff Mollahan
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nominated, county judge
Mike Smith rips apart a car at the Lexington dump with the jaws-of-life extrication machine.
Glenn Miller awaits his turn.
Jaws is here
Security boosted
at coal-fire plant
Jaws is here in Heppner.
No, there is not a movie out
entitled, "JAWS THREE."
This jaws is the jaws-of-life
extrication machine which
can rip apart an automobile in
seconds without much move
ment of the vehicle. In this
way, a person who is trapped
in a car can be removed
without much movement so
any injury to the person wii
not become worse.
The piece of equipment
consists of a motor and a giant
pair of scissor-shaped jaws
made of heavy metal and
weighing approximately 80
pounds. The jaws-of-life cost
about $5,500 and is the new
property of Morrow County
along with the new ambulances.
Jernstedt files for re-election
State Sen. Ken Jernstedt has
filed for re-election to his
fourth term in the State
Senate.
Jernstedt, a Republican,
represents District 28, which
includes Morrow County.
Jernstedt 's candidacy was
the seventh official filing
accepted by Secretary of State
Norma Paulus, the Sen. Bob
Smith of Burns, the Senate
Minority Leader predicted
that the number 7 would be "a
lucky number for Jernstedt."
The veteran lawmaker be
gan his service in Salem as a
member of the House in 1967.
He was elected to the Senate
in 1968, and has been re-elected
since. No one has yet
expressed an intention of
running against Jernstedt.
Jernstedt, the assistant mi
nority leader, was nominated
for Senate President last
January, and drew the solid
support of his Republican
colleagues.
Senate President Jason Boe,
D-Reedsport, recently praised
Jernstedt for his hard work
and contributions to state
government.
Anexplosion at the Portland
General Electric 's Carty coal
fired plant injured six people
and spokesman Tom Kingston
saidfoul play is expected to be
the cause but the company is
not involving the police or
county sheriff's office in the
search for the culprit.
"Our main concern is to
keep it from happening
again," Kingston said. "Our
own security people at the
plant are taking care of it but
they haven't found anyone yet
and no one is saying any
thing." "They are watching and
keeping an eye out," he said.
"We do not want to involve the
police because it was not that
serious. There is no need to
involve the police if we can
keep it from happening again.
The injuries to the workers
were not that serious. All but
one of them returned to work
the next day."
Kingston said he did expect
someone who worked inside
the plant was behind the
explosion but PGE has about
1,300 workers at the construc
tion of the plant.
The explosion occurred Oct.
2. A tool shed filled with
acetylene exploded when a
workman went to light an
. acetylene torch near the shed.
The six men were taken to
Good Shepard Hospital in
Hermiston and all but one of
the men were released.
An inspection into the explo
sion showed that it may have
been sabotage and not an
accident. Four tool sheds in all
were found filled with acety
lene gas and valves had been
left open. Investigators said it
was a strong possibility the
gas was leaked intentionally.
Only one of the tool sheds had
exploded.
Security has been increased
at the plant and inspections
will be made more often.
Injured in the initial explo
sion were Clifford R. Hyde of
Boardman, Raymond Fisher
of Boardman, Dennis L.
Johnson of Vancouver, Wa.,
Pete W. Fetha of Richland,
Ruchard Quinn of Phoenix and
John Elliott of Orofino, Id.
Former Morrow County
Sheriff John Mollahan was
nominated last Thursday by
the county Democratic Cen
tral Committee to be the new
county judge.
The final decision on who
will replace Judge D.O. Nel
son will be made sometime
next week by Oregon Gover
nor Vic Atiyeh.
Shirley Woodrow, the gover
nor's assistant, said Atiyeh
will not select Mollahan auto
matically but he will take the
ex-sheriff's nomination into
serious consideration. She
said the governor will look at
all of the applicants who went
to the Democratic committee
and any other qualified candi
dates who may be interested
in the job but did not seek the
: committee's recommenda
tion. ' ' - ' -
Mollahan was chosen by the
committee instead of Daniel
Creamer, a retired tug boat
captain from Irrigon. Pat
Wright, county public health
nurse, turned down her nomi
nation for the job because she
felt she could not spend that
much time away from her
fifth grade child.
Mollahan, 44, was born and
raised in Heppner and atten
ded school here. His education
after high school was limited
to some night school classes at
Blue Mountain Community
College.
He was in law enforcement
for 14 years and he twice was
elected as sheriff of Morrow
County. He first was elected in
1968 and again in 1972.
Since he resigned about four
years ago, he has worked with
the city police, been a carpen
ter, drove truck, farmed with
his family and worked at the
Kinzua Mill. He has run for the
county judge position twice
before and he said he will
again if he is not chosen for the
job.
Democratic committee
chairman Paul Jones said the
attitudes of Creamer and
Mollahan on the issues of the
hospital problem and the East
Central Oregon Association of
Counties may have made the
difference.
Mollahan said he would
appreciate the help of the
E.C.O.A.C. and the revenue
sharing monies they would
contribute, while Creamer
said the county should be run
by the county government and
he would want as little
interference from the outside
as possible.
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1
John Mollahan has been nominated
to be the new Morrow County judge
Lions donate $115
to Foundation
The Heppner Lions Club met
last week and presented a
check for $115 to the Oregon
Lions Sight Foundation. The
money came from the Lions
Golf Tournament and the
Lions Bingo game at the Fair.
Visitors at the club meeting
were Ted Weber of Odell,
district governor, and Skip
Zimmerman of Pendleton,
who is the deputy district
governor of the Lions Club.
The club members also saw
a film narrated by Chet
Huntley called, "In the ser
vice of others."
The Lions initiated five new
members at the meeting.
The Lions organization is
one of the largest service
organizations in the world.
The nationwide and statewide
organizations concentrate
their efforts on sight, hearing
and disaster relief problems.
The local club concentrates on
any type of community need.
All proceeds received by the
local chapter are given to the
state or national fund, except
for expenses. The cost to join
the club is $10 entry fee and
$15 yearly dues. The Lions
meet at the West of Willcv
Restaurant on the first and
third Tuesdays of each month
at 7 p.m.
"Membership is by invita
tion only but anyone who
shows an interest in serving
the community is certainly
encouraged to join," John
Edmundson, president of the
club, said.
The committee voted by
secret ballot during an execu
tive session after the public
meeting and the members
decided overwhelmingly in
favor of Mollahan, according
to Jones.
"I am sure we chose a good
candidate," Jones said.
Pat Wright was the only
woman in contention for the
job and she was asked by
Jones along with Mollahan
and a few other local people to
run for the post.
"Pat was a good strong
candidate and one of the
outstanding people in our
county but I was no more in
her favor than for Mollahan,"
Jones said.
Even though Mollahan is not
guaranteed the position be
cause of the Democratic
Central Committee's recom
mendation, he is confident
that he will be chosen by the
governor.
"I will work with all the
government officials closely
and study each problem,"
Mollahan said.
"The county has many
problems and the road prob
lem is probably one of the
most serious and since winter
is coming, it will get worse.
That problem will be a top
priority.
"I also understand some
private people are looking into
the possibility of low cost
housing and I would support
that. Some of the existing
housing is substandard and
that problem will have to be
looked in to," he said.
If selected, Mollahan would
work on the three-member
county commission. His pow
ers would be mostly executive
but he would be given the title
"Judge" because he would
preside over the Juvenile
Court.
"I don't see that part of the
job as being a large problem
for me," Mollahan said. "As
sheriff I spent a lot of time
working with lawyers. I will
consult a lot with the juvenile
counselors."
Mollahan is planning to be
married this Saturday, Oct.
13, to Julia Lee Roberts. He
has two children from a
previous marriage. They are
his older daughter, Jackie,
who is a freshman at Blue
Mountain Community College,
and his son, Joe, a junior at
Heppner High School. The
family lives on a farm four
miles north of Heppner.
Animal disease causes some concern in Morrow County
State and federal veterinar
ians have discovered brucel
losis in several herds of beef
cattle owned by a Northeast
Oregon feedlot operation, and
quarantines have been im
posed at several ranches in
Oregon and Washington.
State Veterinarian Dr.
Glenn . Rea said that the
quarantine affects animals
owned by the L.B.J. cattle
feeding organization at Athe
na, and company -owned herds
at several locations in Oregon
and Washington.
Brucellosis is a bacterial
disease of cattle, and can be
transmitted to humans
through milk of infected
animals. This far, said Dr.
Rea, there is - no reason to
believe that this outbreak has
affected dairy animals.
The state veterinarian said
that the first confirmation of
the disease in animals related
to the Athena feeding opera
tion took place in mid-September
when a federal veterina
rian in Washington found an
infected animal and tests
showed the animal to be from
a herd kept at a ranch near
Umapine.
"Subsequently, we have .
found reactor animals (cattle
proven to have the disease) at
the feedlot, and ranches in
Wild Horse Canyon and
another near Prineville," he
said.
Dr. Rea said that testing of
neighboring herds has shown
no indication of the disease,
but other herds suspected to
have been exposed still are
being tested.
Federal regulations require
strict quarantine measures
once the disease is confirmed.
Animals with confirmed
cases of brucellosis must be
kept away from uninfected
animals and must be branded
with the letter B on the cheek.
Such animals can be trans
ported only on approval of
authorities and must be sent to
slaughter under close scru
tiny. No human health hazards
exist in beef from an infected
animal and federal regula
tions do allow meat to enter
the food marketing system.
'There is nothing wrong
with the meat," according to
Heppner Veterinarian J W.
Norene. "The organism dies
when the meat hangs in the
cooler after slaughter. The
disease can be transmitted to
man through milk or by
directly coming in Contact
with the meat at the time of
slaughter."
Norene said a fair percent of
calves in Morrow County are
vaccinated against brucello
sis. Once an animal has
brucellosis, it has the disease
permanently until it dies and
there is no treatment for it.
"All heifers should be vac
cinated, it's a standard recom
mendation," Norene said. "It
is a potent vaccine and is
controlled by the state. The
state supplies the vaccine to
me and I charge to put it into
the animal."
Norene said brucellosis in
animals is much like malaria
in humans. The human dis
ease is called "Undulent
Fever." It is very drastic and
recurrent attacks can occur
for years. The fever comes
and goes but ii can be
somewhat controlled in humans.
Harold Kerr, of the Morrow
County Extension Service,
said Morrow County cattle
owners do not have to worry
too much about their animals
obtaining the disease, unless
they do not vaccinate their
animals
"If they follow the recom
mended vaccinations, there is
not much worry," Kerr said.
'There is not really the
potential for an epidemic but
there is a lot of expense for the
farmers (If their cattle get the
disease.)"
Kerr said farmers should be
alerted that the disease is
around and vaccinations are
recommended. He said cattle
that run on the range with the
infected cattle could have the
disease. It can be passed on
from cattle to cattle when they
havedirect contact, especially
during breeding season.
Brucellosis can also occur in
swine and goat, Kerr said.
Port of Morrow
meets today
A regular meeting of the
Port of Morrow Commission
was scheduled for today,
Thursday, at the port head
quarters in Boardman. The
session was to start at 1 p.m.
The agenda included discus
sion of the Harbor Timber Co.
lease, effluent land lease, the
Port Revolving Loan Fund,
the matter of an interchange
with Interstate 80, and other
v. She said, in a telephone
interview, that the housing
area of the base has been
maintained as a private rental
project under the manage
ment of Paul Vaden.