Image provided by: Morrow County Museum; Heppner, OR
About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 3, 1980)
-hn ' " r" BESSIE WETZELL U OF ORE NEWSPAPER LIB EUGENE OR 97403 J. The Heppner ill -Li ,TTr?fO Morrow County's Home-Owned Weekly Newspaper Weather By Don Gilliam Hi Low Pre. VOL. !I8 NO. 1 20 cents 8 pages HEPPNER, OREGON THURSDAY, JANUARY ;i. 1980 May we all soar to new and glorious heights of achievement this year! Mon..Dec. 24 50 35 Tues..Dec.25 50 32 Wed., Dec. 26 50 30 Thurs.,Dec. 27 3 1 20 Fri.,Dec.28 31 25 Sat., Dec. 29 31 28 Sun., Dec. 30 33 26 .07 $300 in drugs stolen from Heppner store in holiday burglary; Condon theft reported Murray's Rexall Drugstore in Heppner was broken into and approximately $300 worth of drugs were stolen, accord ing to Heppner Police Chief Dean Gilman. The crime took place some time between closing Christ mas Eve and the morning of Dec. 26, when the burglary was discovered. About 300 syringes of injec table morphine were taken along with some insulin and suppositories, pharmacist Mark Murray said. Murray, District Attorney Denns Doherty and Gilman said the thieves for thief) broke a window at Cole's House of Fashion, which is next to Rexall's. They climbed through the window and went into the basement of Cole's and drilled 19 holes into a wooded panel about two feet Jeremy Maben dies Christmas Day After a life-long fight with cancer. eight-and-one-half-month-old Jeremy J. Maben died Christmas Day in Port land. Funeral services took place Dec. 29 at 2 p.m. at the Hope Lutheran Church in Heppner with the Rev. John Maas officiating. Concluding ser vices and interment were at the Heppner Masonic Ceme tery. Sweeney Mortuary was in .charge ...of ..the. arrange-, ments. Jeremy M. Maben was born April 11. 1979 and died Dec. 25. 1979. He is survived by his parents. Jeffrey John Maben. 22. and Cathy Lynn Maben. 23. both of the Horseshoe Here ford Ranch Inc. in Ruggs. Also at home is a three-year-old sister, Tara Maben. Fraternal grandparents are Mr. and Mrs. John Maben of Heppner. Maternal grand parents are Dixie Busier of Pendleton and Fred Verstop- pen of Spokane. Contributions may be made to the Maben Memorial Fund in care of the Hope Lutheran Church. Jeremy Maben had been in the University of Oregon Health Sciences Center in Portland for two-and-one-half months undergoing radiation treatment for a cancerous brain tumor. Larry and Cindy Dudley, neighbors of theMabensat the, Horseshoe Ranch, started a Maben Fund two months ago to help pay hospital expenses for the Mabens. who do not have medical insurance. The Dudleys have helped to raise about $300 at the AAUW Artifactory and more than $500 at a benefit dance played by Dunne and the Plainsmen at the Legion Hall. The fund now has more than $1,500 in it with the goal being $35,000. More fund-raising events are being planned in the future. wide and three feet tall. The rest of the wall's foundation between the two stores is brick. They climbed through the opening in the wood that they had drilled and went into the basement of Murray's. They went upstairs into the phar macy area of the store and broke into a wooden cabinet with a small padlock that contained the morphine and into a refrigerator next to the cabinet to get the insulin and suppositories. Drugs were the only thing taken. The case is being investiga ted by the city police and Chief Gilman has requested aid from an Oregon State Police investigator. Doherty said any informa tion on the burglary will be appreciated and that sources of information will remain anonymous if at all possible. Doherty said it was the fourth time since he has been here, April of 1972, that Murray's has been robbed. Doherty said because of the burglary, two Heppner resi dences were searched the night of Dec. 26 and a large amount of marijuana seeds and marijuana was taken from one residence and a small amount of marijuana was confiscated at the other. Investigations into those cases are still underway. Only two days earlier, Dec. 23, Murray's Rexall Drugstore in Condon was broken into. Murray said not much was taken, about $100 worth of narcotics. He said they did not have much time because there is an alarm system there, although there is not one in Heppner. he said. Condon Police Chief Don Lien said burglars threw a large rock breaking the front window at the Murray's there. They took approximately $75 from the cash register and $150 in drugs, but the street value of the drugs will be much more than that. Lien said. Murray said insurance is available to cover drugs but he does not have it at either store. The expense of the insurance has been a "prohibi tive" factor. Murray said. Heppner postmaster retires; starts repair business 1 in 1 w tfrnWirf -frf- US& " . Heppner mailers may have only caught a glimpse through the clerk w indow of Postmaster Hubert Wilson but he will not be seen there anymore because of his retirement. License office moves The Department of Motor Vehicles Office in Heppner has moved from its mobile unit to the office building at TAXES FROM COAL-FIRED PLANT Schools receive $15 million 278 S. Main St. in Heppner. The office used to be occupied by Judy's Fabrics. The new office is being remodeled and a new officer is coming to town Jan. 14 so the motor vehicles office may not be open next week. It is open this week. . Heppner Postmaster Hubert Wilson started working at the Heppner Post Office in 1952 as a part-time clerk making 35 cents an hour. He ended a 31 -year career in government services when he retired as postmaster effec tive Dec. 28. He served three years in the navy and 28 years the post office in Heppenr.- Wilson has lived in Heppner since 1935. His duties as postmaster were to be solely responsible for everything in the office including employees, stamps, equipment, furniture, money, mail to and from the office, ordering stamps and other equipment, and keeping a running inventory on every thing. "It is more than just selling stamps." he said. Wilson said everything has been in his name and he has been personally liable for about $120,000 worth of inven tory. The post office does have a burglary bell alarm for protection. He said he has to guess the public's mailing needs to make sure he has enough in stock and that is one of the toughest parts of his job. Wilson said he has had to balance the running inventory books "every night to the penny" and that most of his training has been on the job in his years of experience but that he did receive some training from a LaSalle Book keeping course. Although he" is retiring as postmaster, he is not going to retire completely as the 55-year-old is planning on staying in Heppner and starting a building maintenance and re pair business. "I think to retire and quit working does more harm than good." Wilson said. "It is a healthy situation to have a change in business." Wilson said he has "no complaints" about working for the postal service because he has had a good working relationship with his super iors. His proudest moment as postmaster came when he was president of the Eastern Oregon Postmasters Associa tion in 1977. "To receive a complete retirement pension," Wilson said, "a person has to work foi the government for at least 3 years and be age 55. I havt worked for therri a long time and I am going to reap some of the benefits of not working for them." Florence Watkins, who has worked as a clerk at the Heppner Post Office for 12 years, was sworn in last Friday to be the temporary officer in charge until a new postmaster is named. Mrs. Watkins said she has no interest in being the postmas ter so she did not apply for Wilson's job. , Si Florence Watkins (left) was sworn in by Jim Trowbridge, an accounting assistant from Pendleton, as the officer in charge (OIC) until a new postmaster is named. The Morrow County School -District will receive about $1.5 million from taxes collected . from the Carty coal-fired plant near Boardman. The school district's total tax levy is $3.7 million so the coal-fired plant pays about 40 percent of it. The school district levies a tax rate of $7.73 per $1,000 of assessed property valuation. The coal-fired plant was valued at $188,780,000 for tax purposes. About $70 million more in the plant is non taxable because it is invested in anti-pollution devices. The i coal-fired plant was valued at $68.1 million at tax time last year. . Portland General Electric owns 80 percent of the plant and Idaho Power Co. and Pacific Northwest Generating Co. own the remaining shares. According to Tax Assessor Greg Sweek, the coal-fired Iplant will pay $2.37 million in property taxes next year. Sweek said appraising the market value of a utility is hard because it is tough to make comparisons. The State Dept. of Revenue handles the appraising of utilities. Because of the difficulties in an accurate assessment, PGE has contested $60 million in the valuation this year. Last year the company contested $30 million. Sweek said he expects PGE to contest some amount every vear until the issue is resolved in tax court which probably wilPnot be until 1983 he said. By then, PGE could owe up to $5 million in back taxes if if Dosed the appeal. Sweek said the county does not collect the contested taxes because it would have to pay the taxes back to PGE if PGE wins the appeal on the appraisal. Property taxes on the plant are one-third of the total of all of the county's taxes that will be collected. As work continues on the coal-fired plant, its value will increase and Morrow County will bene'it even more frim property taxes collected from , the plant in the years to come. Sweek said when the coal fired plant is completed, it will be assessed at about $400 million. The valuation of the entire county now is $472 million. The school district had a tax rate of $9.59 per $1,000 in property , value last year to pay for its $3.27 million budget but the district was able to reach its $3.7 million budget for this year with a rate of $7.37 per $1,000 thanks mostly to the increased value of the coal-fired plant. Morrow County collects more than 48 percent of its property taxes from utility companies. Included are the coal-fired plant, Columbia Basin Electric Cooperative and Umatilla Electric. "That is higher than any other county in the state," Sweek said. "Jefferson County is next collecting 31 percent of its taxes from utilities." Taxes from the coal-fired plant will give $16,990 to the Port of Morrow, $266,181 to Blue Mountain Community College and $607,874 to the county. Of the $607,874 going to the 1 county, $325,070 is going to the general fund, $119,522 is going to the county hospital, $76,820 is going to the road fund and $6,461 going to schools. The total budget for the county fund from property taxes is $1,538,707.94 with $824,474.46 going to the gen eral fund, "$503,608.24 going to the hospital, $193,900.89 going to roads and $16,307.65 going to the schools. The total money to be raised from property taxes for BMCC in Morrow County is $672,015.21 and the Port of Morrow will receive $42,869.29. The county is divided into 33 taxing districts by code. Each district has to pay property taxes to the schools, BMCC (at a rate of 1.41 per $1,000 in appraised property value) and the Port of Morrow (.09). All property owners in the county also pay into the county fund at 3.22 per $1,000 with 1.72 going into the general fund, 1.05 going to the hospital. .40 going to roads and .03 going to schools. ! " , j v - MORROW COUNTY 1979 IN REVIEW Kinzua closure biggest story Greg Sweek The highest tax rates in Morrow County were for property owners in the city of Heppner with a $21,51 tax rate per $1,000 of valuation. Be sides the four county-wide taxing areas, Heppner owners had to pay taxes to the city of Heppner. water control dis trict and the Heppner Ceme tery. Total taxes paid by Heppner land owners was $447,988 with $174,530 going to the city. lone paid $60,187 in taxes while the property owners in Lexington combined to pay $50,845. About $108,659 was collected from Irrigon and Boardman property owners were charged a t"tal of $385,087 in property taxes. The lowest tax rate for a code area was $12.45 per $1,000 of value. That rate was paid in an area in south Morrow Count v. The year 1979 was an interesting one in the way of news in Morrow County that has been coverd by the Heppner Gazette-Times. Probably the biggest story of the year occurred just last week when it was announced the Kinzua Mill was closing down its plywood mill which would put 150 people out of work . Kinzua also announced the probable sale of the mill to Georgia-Pacific. The results of these two m oves have yet to be shown in Heppner. In other big news during the year. Marv Peterson of lone was chosen Oregon Industrial Arts Teacher of the Year. Herb and Robert Peterson were chosen Morrow County Livestock Growers of the Year . Heppner High School teacher Charles C. Wyatt was killed in an automobile acci dent in Hermiston. County Clerk Sadie Parrish resigned from office after 34 years in the county court house. Barbara Bloodsworth was appointed her successor. U&I Sugar threatened a law suit against the Port of Morrow if a review was not made of the industrial waste water treatment system. Both the football teams from Heppner and lone went to the state playoffs. lone won thesta te title with a rompover Prospect and Heppner lost a close game in the quarterfi nals to the eventual champ St. Mary's. The road between Heppner and Lexington was paved before winter set in. A fund was set up by friends for seven-month-old Jeremy Maben, who was having radiation treatment for a brain tumor in Portland. Lucky Felt, Pioneer Memo rial Hospital's administrator, was chosen Umatilla Man of the Year for h is work when he was at that hospital. District Attorney Dennis Doherty took up a fight against proposed changes in the Oregon drug laws. Dick Krebs was unseated as director for Columbia Basin by Eric Anderson after serv; ingon the board for 21 years. Columbia Basin Coopera tive increased its rates 40 percent in December. Don McElligott was ap pointed as the new county judge, replacing the retiring D O. Nelson. He also went to Des Moines. Iowa and had communion with the Pope. Ijori Edwards was chosen queen of the Morrow County Rodeo and Lottie Laughlin and NanCy Miller are the princesses. Former sheriff John Molla han was the choice of the Morrow County Democratic Central Committee to be the new judge. (The appointment however went to Don McElli gott.) Two new ambulances worth $26,750 each arrived in Hepp ner. One stayed there and the other went to Boardman. A planning feud developed between J.W. Aylett and Arnold Bratt with the result that may mean the forced moving of up to eight families, but that story has not conclu ded. Ann Spicer was named Deputy District Attorney. Congress appropriated more funds for the Willow Creek Dam and the Army Corps of Engineers plans to begin building the dam in 1980. The Lexington Grange had its 50 year anniversary. Heppner had its county rodeo and it was a big success. The Morrow County School District said "no" to new cross country programs and wrestling programs. The hospital levy failed three times before the voters finally approved it. Boardman was turned down as a site for a windmill generating plant but the $500 million coal-fired plant nears completion and should . begin .operating in the dim mer of 1980. Fire destroved the old Kinzua sawmill. Senator Bob Packwood and Congressman Al Ullman were scheduled to speak in Hepp ner. Packwood did but Ullman cracked a knee cap and could not make the trip. The Gazette:Times was.sold . by G M. Reed to Jerome and Jane Sheldon, formerly publi shers in Alaska. Don and Jean Bennett were awarded as Conservation Man of the Year. A weekend baseball game on a Heppner farm ended in tragedy as 11 -year -old Robert Lee Kinzer was struck in the stomach w ith a batted ball and then collapsed and died al most instantly. Heppner voters favored the Willow Greek Dam proposal 188-135. Navy practice bombs igni ted a fire blaze that burned 4.500 acres in Boardman. Hospital administrator Bob Byrnes resigned from his post citing "political pressures." Glen Ward was honored as "Mr. Elk" after 22 years of service to the organization. He received $1,080 from friends to attend the national conven tion. Heppner Postmastser Hu bert Wilson broke his back when he fell off city hall while cont. on page 3 - :
