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About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 10, 1980)
, V, Sfc . V-' TWO The Heppner Gazette-Times. Heppner. Oregon, Thursday. January 10, l!)KII J j; i V, .V! ilsf 1 Official Newspaper of the- City of Heppner and th ' County of Morrow ONPA PubleiriDra Awooaiioft 1L a M .j. . iuc iicppnxr GAZETTE-TIMES Marrow Cjntjr's lone-Owatd 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 1. 1179. Second-clan postage paid at Heppner. Oregon. Office at 147 Weil Willow Street Telephone. (503) 676-9221 Address communications to the Heppner Gatette-Timet. P.O. Box 337, Heppner. Oregon. 978:w Sum in Morn. Umatilla. Wheeler t Gilliam counties. 110 00 elsewhere. Senior Citizen Rate, IS on Jerome F. Sheldon, Publisher Steven A. Powell, News Editor The Dam's Impact While the Willow Creek Dam, if constructed, would remove a substantial flood threat from Heppner, a new factor has been introduced into the thoughts of the community. This is pointed out in the Final Environmental Impact Statement prepared by the U.S. Army District Engineer at Walla Walla. Will the dam break? That's the question causing some fear in a few minds, and the Army Engineers provide their own answer,, "Undoubtedly 'no.'" The report recognizes that people do remember the failures in recent years of dams in Georgia and Idaho that resulted in property damage and loss of life. The Engineers cite a sociological impact study previously made that uncovered a certain amount of anxiety on the part of those interviewed on whether a dam might' fail. It would be difficult, if not impossible, to completely dispel this fear, the Engineers say. The report leaves the question at that and goes on to comment on the economic benefits that are associated with dam construction. First in the minds of project planners is the long-term decrease in property-damages to property caused by flooding. The almost sole justification for the Willow Creek project is its ability to decrease both urban and rural losses due to flooding, the Engineers say. The short-term economic boost to the community would be the influx of construc tion workers and their families during the dam's construction. The Army sees a "mini-boom" for Heppner for a short period of time, depending on the size of the work force and where the workers live. There is the likelihood, they say, that many local businessmen will benefit during the construction period but this would be only for the short-term. While some people in Heppner have looked for increased tourism because of the lake, the Engineers caution that the small, size of the lake would be a limiting factor to any recreational development. Furthermore, the poor water quality in the late summer months would be another limiting factor. Local businessmen and city officials would have to understand these conditions in planning any capital investments for supplying either goods or services. The report points out, besides the short-term economic benefits from the influx of construction workers, the probable change for Heppner in "new ideas, new ways of doing things and new people." This intangible impact of the project may make some people uneasy, however it is a factor to be considered. More tangible aspects may be noted in the increased demand for public services such as water supply, health care and school services. In most of these areas, the report says, it is likely that little can be done other than simply endure during the construction period. In other words, grin and bear it, they say. Oregon traffic toll 673 Oregon's tentative 1979 traf fic death toll has been set at 673. nearly a seven percent drop from 1978. Morrow County deaths rose from three in 1978 to eight in lf?9. The 1979 count of victims includes 86 pedestrians. 66 motorcycylists. and nine bicy cle riders. The remaining 512 victims died either as drivers and passengers of motor vehicles, according to statis tics compiled by the Motor Vehicles Division from police and driver reports of acci dents. Nineteen percent of the victims (130 people) died in 55 multiple death crashes. Two crashes, one in August in Douglas County and one in December in Marion County each claimed five lives and were the "worst of the year." There were three crashes each of which claimed four lives, eight crashes each claimed three lives, and 42 crashes each claimed two lives. Figures are subject to revision if delayed reports are received or if persons listed as injured die within 30 days of the accident. Sifting through the TIMESj7" ' V i !:to Fifty years ago the Black horse and Sand Hollow Tele phone Co. asked for a fran chise to run a telephone line through the city of Heppner. It would replace one that was destroyed in a fire. Christmas mail at the post office brought in $1,130.21 compared to $939.88 the pre vious year. The total income of the year was up to $8,738.39 from $8,643.98. A memorial hall in Galax, Virginia was named in honor of Rufus Burroughs, who enlisted from Heppner to enter World War I. It was named Burroughs Memorial Hall. He went to Galax after the war. About 250 persons attended the ceremony. The Peoples Hardware Co. had a full page ad in the Gazette-Times advertising the new John Deere tractor. It was powerful enough to pull three 16-inch plows at four miles per hour, harrow 120 to 140 acres per day or drill 75 to 85 acres a day. The cost of fuel per acre was 28 cents. 1955 Twenty-five years ago the county court was looking into the possibility of purchasing the Patterson Ferry and all its assets including tugs, barges, landings, real estate and liquid estates from the owners from Prosser. Wash. Births were down in Morrow SALEM SCENE County from 228 to 179 and deaths were up from 43 to 53. The county clerk issued 29 marriage licenses and 10 divorces, but one divorced couple remarried later in the year. Fire losses were only $510 during the year compnred to $:.7(io in 1952 and $7,382.90 in 1953. Heppner residents were hopeful that TV could be received in the town.' Strong signals had been received two miles west of the city and g, Editor's iNotebook WHAT'S IN A NAME? Eastern Oregon State College has a staff member whose name is appropriate for the job she holds. She is Glena Records and her job title is Director of Records. The college sent out a news release last week in which her name and title appeared, and there was the parenthetical remark (name OK). What could be a more suitable matching of name and occupation? We're start ing a list. Have you any contributions? LOCAL NEWS, PLEASE We received a subscription renewal from a Portland resident recently. With her check she added a note: "How about more local news such as who is visiting whom." Her use of grammar is pleasing and as for her request, we'll try. But we need the help of our readers. If you have been on a trip or have had visitors in your home, drop us a line we'll be glad to print it. Some readers of the Heppner Gazette-Timesljye "far away and like to keep in touch vicariously with what's going on in the old home town. Marriages, births, deaths all are grist for. the news mill, not only for the edification of those involved but to satisfy the curiosity of others. Recently, a man spent several hours in the Gazette Times office looking up refer ences in back volumes of the newspaper, as early as 1906 and 1910. He was searching for obituaries and other informa tion that could, perhaps, support genealogical claims. He never did reveal his exact purpose. So. readers, we welcome your news items, not merely as gossip but as items of genuine interest to others. by JACK ZIMMERMAN Unique service follows up on worker's comp A little more than two years ago. a couple of enterprising southern Oregon women be came aware of the staggering costs of this state's Workers' Compensation Insurance sys tem. They figured they might be able to do something about the , situation. They have and in the process launched a rather unique and successful busi ness. Marsha McBaine and Joan Hill were impressed by the hundreds of millions of dollars paid by employers each year to insure workers against job-related injuries. And they also were impressed by the demeaning loss of dignity and self-esteem among injured workers, who for a variety of reasons were unable to re join the productive workforce. Both were caseworkers, for the state welfare system working in Ashland. Marsha was counseling unemployed families and Joan was per forming the same service with incapacitated workers. A chance conversation with a lumberman in the area provided the impetus that propelled them into business for themselves. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Salem reader enjoys her Heppner newspaper Editor: Enclosed find my check in the amount of ten dollars to Hughes death not mentioned Editor: In your January 3. 1980, paper in your 1979 review, you told of a teacher dying, a baby, a boy and a man dying but you failed to name Homer Hughes, ex-county commis. sioner. He was born in Morrow County and lived his life there. I feel my father should not have been forgotten as I am sure many others do. Carol R. Collins 555 E. Main. B-2 John Day. Ore. 97845 cover a year's subscription to the Gazette-Times. It is a good newspaper and I share it with another Capital Manor resi dent. Hazel Sutherland, granddaughter of Jackson Lee Morrow, for whom the county was named. Mrs. Sutherland shares these used copies with her brother, so they do a good service. I particularly enjoy Justine Weatherford's columns, and frequently find I receive a better perspective on state political problems from your commentators than from Sa lem papers. Yours very truly, Fay T. Coulter 922 Capital Manor Salem. Oregon 97304 Editorial ' on right track ' with regard to Amtrak service Editor: You're on the right track with your recent editorial on Amtrak service. Eastern Oregon is most fortunate to be served by the popular "Pioneer" passenger train. Residents of our area have been discovering the advantages of traveling by Amtrak the comfort, safety, convenience, economy, and just plain pleasure of a train trip. The "Pioneer" has a good daily schedule for trips to Portland and Seattle, or east to Boise, Pocatello, and Salt Lake City. Family rates, group fares, and senior citizen discounts are available. Re servations are easily made by using Amtrak's toll-free num ber. 1-800-421-8320; and tickets can be purchased by mail through local travel agencies or from the conductor on board. Next time you're travelling, why not take the train? I'm positive you'll have a really great time. Sincerely, Rod Aho Route 1, Box 3392 (Rod Aho is director of the Oregon Association of Rail way Passengers. He encour ages anyone who has ques tions about schedules, fares, etc.. to give him a call at his home. 676-5271.). The lumberman told Mar sha he was concerned about a couple of former employes who had been hurt on the job. He had lost track of them. He was aware they were receiv ing Workers' Compensation benefits because his firm was self-insured and cancelled benefit checks returned with' regularity. He was concerned about the costs of those benefits, certainly. But he was also concerned about the health and welfare of the former employes and their families. "How", he asked, "does one go about checking up on people in such straits? And is it possible they might be able to return to work?" Marsha took his questions to Joan that very day. They literally conducted a curbside conference in front of the welfare office and in the process hatched an idea that two months later became their business Industrial Counsel ing Service of Southern Ore gon. During the course of re searching the situation, they discovered the Field Services Division of the Workers' Compensation Department is charged with providing gui dance for workers suffering serious disabling injuries in juries that may result in lost time of 90 days or more away from the job. They also learned Field Services was receiving reports of some 800 such injuries each month and servicing those cases with a force of 40 coordinators state wide. Marsha and Joan armed with their welfare experience believed they might become effective representatives of concerned employers by coun seling injured workers and coordinating efforts by em ployers, insurance carriers, doctors and others to restore the worker to gainful employ ment. Their first client was the concerned lumberman. When he took a chance on their, fledging proposition his direct claim costs stood at $100,000, the amount his self-insured firm was paying in benefits to injured workers. In nine months. Marsha and Joan had whittled that cost to $27,000. Perhaps more important, several workers had returned to the workforce a couple who had been off the job six months or more and likely - never again would have ob tained productive employ ment. That Marsha and Joan have continued to achieve results is evident from the fact they now have a total of seven persons on their staff, their client list is swelling and a sizeable portion of the business con sists of contractual agree ments with the Workers' Comp Department's Field Services Division. Field Service Administrator Norman Alverson said the secret of their success is largely attributable to the fact they work directly for con cerned employers and that concern is relayed to injured workers. Marsha attributes their suc cess to training of employers as much as to the attention workers receive. "A concerned employer can. learn to recognize conditions that lead to extensive lost time as a result of job-related in juries," she explained. "And many times we can restore an individual to the workforce before those conditions com bine to produce a chronic lost time situation." While the Ashland firm founded by Marsha and Joan may be unique, the services they render are being em braced by a growing number of entities concerned by the fact Oregon is recognized as one of the highest cost Workers' Comp states in the l nation. Employee Benefits Insur ance Company and the State Accident Insurance Fund (SAIF) are moving into the field. FMC Corporation in Portland. Fred Meyer and others are examples of pri vate employers providing si milar services for their own injured workers. Vocational counseling, re habilitation and employment placement aren't the only solutions for Oregon's high cost Workers' Comp situation. But they can go a long way toward reducing the total bill of nearly $600 million paid by 1 employers in 1979. And there's no accurate way of measuring the restoration. -of self-esteem an injured worker achieves when once' more he or she rejoins the workforce. "Conscience makes egotists of us all." Oscar Wilde Help offered on state income tax returns several interested persons were investigating the possibi lity of piping it to town. The Heppner High School Scoop reported the drill team members wore galoshes and snow shoes to practice their drills for the Condon basket ball game. They had to practice outside because the schedule for the use of the gym was full. 1075 Five years ago the Heppner City Council was considering adding more police to the force and raising water rates. Heppner lost to Sherman County in a roundball game 55-49. John Kilkenny led the Mustangs with 17 points. The Mustangs outrebounded the Umatilla Vikings 56-14 as they easily defeated the visitors 64-42. Dave McLachlan led Heppner with 22 points. Clara Kincaid of Heppner celebrated her 100th birthday, as did Anna Sumner of Prineville. The state minimum wage went up to $1.75 an hour. Shannon Kelly was awarded the annual Soroptirnist Youth Citizenship Award for Morrow County high school seniors. The Eric Anderson home and farm shop near lone were broken into while the Ander sons were honeymooning. Camera equipment and a clock worth $470 were taken. Help with state income tax returns is available in 43 Oregon cities beginning this month. Oregon Department of Revenue personnel will be available to help people with state income tax returns and property tax relief claim forms. Morrow County taxpayers can receive help at the courthouse in Heppner Feb, 12 from 1:30 to 3 p.m. Taxpayers needing assis tance should bring a copy of their completed federal in come tax form. 1979 W-2 wage slips and other income records and information about any deductions they wish to claim. . iiiinni in, - minimi-- -;-u-fn p.-gymafca Heppner Auto Pert 234 N.Main Heppner ,676-9.1 23 SEW M & R FLOOR COVERINGl Foamers Carpet, Linoleum, 422 Unden Way Ceramic Tile, Kitchen ' 11 Cabinets, Rapco Insulation Heppner CASE FURNITURE Heppner Carpet, Linoleum, Counter Tops Installed Beauty Rest mattresses, Fabrics and Accessories, Sherwin Williams Paint T C TURNER X ot youx Uniuxancz neeJx VANMARTER oi,,, H & BRYANT LaVaRNB VanlUlVrU. J INSURANCE HOWAJLD BRTArfT 167 MOUTH MAM STMIT MTTKIK OMOOW I7SM - -- J Home Remodeling Specializing In Aluminum Siding and repair of old siding Sonn Window! and Doon Prime Windows Small Remodeling Job Ktn Rfnld :r;z 676-5051 c MEDICAL CENTER PHARMACY Free Maibnc Service On Prompt iona HoaposJ Sappiier Moa.-Fri. 96 pJ. Set. 9-lp.n. Located in the Medical Center 1100 Soathfate Pendleton 276-1531 , SWEENEY MORTUARY Cemetery, Grave Markers 676-9600 Granite, Marble, Bronze or 676-9226 Serving lone, Lexington & Heppner p.o. Box 97 (JAYNES)I BUSINESS MACHXXES Service calls every Wednesday v in Heppner, lone and Lexington 332 S. Main St., Pendleton Telephone 276-6441 SU N. Fim, Hermieton Telephone 567-2731 Chevron GLENN DEVIN Chevron USA, Inc.' Commission Agen 676-9633 -. . -VXB ' fiilll'lllili I 1 1 lUj'Ii Happnar Board man Mcrrow County " ' kvuronc t Escrow Service " ,676.9912 431 9261 ' j.
