Image provided by: Morrow County Museum; Heppner, OR
About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 31, 1980)
TAVJV The Heppner Ctaiette-Times. Heppner. Oregon. Thursday. January 31, I9H0 02TPA p Th OHictol Newspaper of lh City of Heppner and ttv ' County of Morrow - The Heppncr GAZETTE-TIMES Nirriw Cnit j's IWOwitJ Weekly Nrffspapr USPS. 240-420 Publisted ever Thursday d entered as second-cUss mjtter at the Poet Office at Heppner Oregon under the Art of March 3. II7 Second-class postage paid at IWwmt. tirrtton (Xlice at I4T West Willow Street Telephone. iSOT; ST6-K2 Address cocr muntcjtions ft the Heppner Gazette-Times. P O Box 337. Heppner. 0 i - ' Imatilla. Wheeler t Cillum counties: 1 10 00 elsewhere. SeniorDtiien Rate 13 08 Jerome F. Sheldon. Publisher Steven A. Powell. News Fditor A ISewspaper's Function (Editor's Note: Mary Luetmer is editor of a weekly newspaper in Underwood, North Dakota. She wrote the following in obser vance of National Newspaper Week. The article is reprinted from the December issue of Publisher's Auxiliary. We thought you might like to read about some of the frustrations facing all weekly newspapers.) By Mary I.eutmer For every community newspaper, there usually is a hoppin' bunch of community newspaper critics, and they can be counted on to know what a newspaper is supposed to be. It's sort of like their job. But the fact is, even among themselves, they disagree on the very basic issue of what a small weekly paper is supposed to do. Some believe such a newspaper serves a church function: it should bring the community together and guide its citizens to good thoughts and good actions. There are those who think the weekly ought to be a paper arm of the city a billboard and calendar and newsletter to inform every townsperson of the goings-on of every other townsperson. Some people think the community paper serves as a school: it should instruct, explaining the news and explaining what can be done about it. Some think that a newspaper should be policeman for all, guarding the town and any politicians in the vicinity from pleasantly riping out each other's throats. Still others think the paper is primarily a shopping service a mini-mall of advertise ments and classifieds that run the gamut from junk to jewelry. And in everv town, there are those who think the newspaper is primarily a sports arena, sports announcer and sports booster club, all rolled up into one. (Important for every newsperson to remember is that these people usually are particularly athletic, healthy and strong. They often lift weights and could very conceivably, say, heave a typewriter through a window.) You know the only problem with pleasing everyone : it can't be done. To those who think a paper should take strong stands, objectivity really is wishy-washiness. To those who think fairness is the ticket, strong stands really are prejudice. Those who like feature stories find hard news pretentious and boring. Those who like hard news find features silly and boring. Where have we gotten? What is a newspaper? Way in the background, you may occasionally hear a voice (sobbing). He knows what a newspaper really is. You'll hear him whisper it once in a while: "It's a business." He's the publisher. He pays the bills. But he doesn't expect anyone to believe him. After all, if it were a real business, it couldn't afford to be a church, school, policeman and a billboard, could it? Grocery stores and drug stores and hardware stores and other businesses can't, can they? What, then, is the function of a weekly newspaper in a small community? For heaven's sake, don't ask me. I'd be the last person to tell you. It's my job not to know. I'm the editor. An Invitation The Heppner Gazette-Times invites letters for publication. They should concern matters of general interest. They must be non-libelous in nature and in good taste. Preferably, letters should be typed, double spaced, on one side of the sheet of paper only. Letters" of diverse viewpoints may be published and their appearance in these columns does not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper. Get on Your Soap Box! Should We Boycott the Olympics? Everyone has an opinion whether rightly conceived or not! Get on your soap box and say it! The question whether American athletes should boycott the Olympic Games in Moscow because of the Sov iet occupation of Afghanistan brought out our soap box this week. You might be interested in the following viewpoints and you may have some of your own. We include the ages of some of the writers simply as a matter of interest perhaps age is an indicator of the influences of time on one's opinion. If you want to mount the soap box on any current issue, write to the Heppner Gazette-Times. P.O. Box 337. Heppner. OR 9836. I?s Ridiculous Idea! President Jimmy Carter's idea of having the American athletes boycott the Olympics is ridiculous. What good would it do? It would be disheartening to the thousands of American athletes who have worked all their lives for this one shot at the Olympics. It would hurt Carter at the polls. It also has been estimated the U.S. w ill lose $100 million from businesses that were going to use the Olympic symbol in advertising if Americans don't go. Why keep the most athletic nation in the world out of the Olympics, which is supposed to be a world athletic event? The Olympics would be meaningless without the Americans there. Other countries, including Russia, might not mind if the r.S. were not there because they could win more medals. They could not be very proud, however, because they would know they had not beaten the best competition in the world. Many athletes are at their prime now and could not wait another four years for the next Olympiad because they would be too old for the competition. The athletes would feel they were "ripped off this year so why should they sweat and train so hard for the next Olympics when there may be trouble somewhere else and the U.S. might boycott the Olympics asain. Carter is overestimating the power of sports. Boycotting the Olympics will not keep the Russians out of Afghanistan. Cuitina off all economic trade and having other countries do the same, or other forceful action like that, is the only way to turn back Russia. The country could not sustain itself without the help of other countries. Keep politics out of the Olympics and let them go on as scheduled. The Olympics signify goodwill and fair competition among all the countries in the world. Let's keep it that way. Steven A. Powell Age 23 years Find Another Site It is with mixed feeling that I view the boycotting of the 1980 Olympics. I find myself strongly in favor of taking strong steps to convey our feelings with regards to the occupation of Afghanistan by the Russians. However, when one looks at the extremely difficult physical training that most Olympic athletes have undertaken in preparation for the games, it seems a shame that they should lose the opportunity to participate. In many cases, athletes have given years of their lives in preparing for the Olympics. ' Many have also sacrificed personal income during these years of preparation. Ideally the Olympic Games should be non-political and this is. as I understand, the intent. Historically, of course, the games have been very political. Therefore, from a realisitc standpoint, the best possible solution appears to be one of deriving maximum political clout and yet allow our athletes to participate. This could best be achieved by remaining firm in our stand to keep the games out of Russia, then to make every effort to see that they are held at another site or sites. If this were accomplished, it would be more of a political blow to the Russians than if the games were held in Russia and only a few nations refused to participate. It would also probably force the Russians into making the difficult decision of w hether or not to participate. Our athletes would get their well-earned opportunity to participate and the United States would obtain greater attention from the world by their highly publicized achievements. Jim Bier Age -15 years The Games Are Political How can any country separate the Olympics from world politics? In Berlin in 1936. Adolf Hitler utilized the Olympic competition as a showcase for Nazi prowess, for German athletes were subsidized as are those of the Soviet Union and other totalitarian nations. The competitors under the hammer-and-sickle banner are virtual professionals, groomed especially for Olympic competition not the amateurs who compete without pay for the honor of representing the free nations of the world. Americans and others in the category carry on the tradition of those first athletes who vied in Greece so many centuries ago. The modern Olympic series, held every four years, were revived in Athens in 18. Since then the Olympic Games have been held in such diverse places as I,ondon. Los Angeles. Tokyo. Montreal, Melbourne, Paris, Rome, Mexico City, Helsinki, Stockholm, Amsterdam and Munich. True, to boycott the Olympic Games in Moscow would not remove Soviet forces from Afghanistan. If the Berlin Olympics had been boycotted in 1936, Hitler would not have halted the pogrom against the Jews nor the Naj conquest of Europe. However, the Soviet Union today like the Third Reich uiili7rs anv means including the Olympic Games to gain pmpaennda advantage. Whv should the United Statps and its Allies hand the Communist regime that advantage? To stop international .urerossinn. the free nations must sacrifice. Let's start with the Olvmpirs' Or. bettor vet. move the games to a neutral site. Jerome F. Sheldon Age 60 years Let's Boycott the Games There are so many mixed emotions about the urgings by President Carter to boycott the Olympic Games this summer in Russia that it's impossible to tell what the true mood of the American people would be. We would say. however, that there is no reason why an exception should be made for the summer Olympic Games. The boycott of the Olympic Games scheduled to be held in Moscow is truly a political maneuver. In that respect, the Olympic Games are of far less value than other measures that have been taken to censure the Russinas for their invasion of Afghanistan. We have taken measures that include stopping grain shipments to Russia, stopping the sale of technological equipment to Russia, and limitations on the activities of the Russian Embassy in the United States. All of these are political measures that tell the Russians that the world community will not condone their actions. To deliver this kind of a blow to the American economy at a time when we could use the sale of a large amount of farm production and equipment production overseas, requires guts and a committment to getting the message across. If we sacrifice potential farm income, a worse bulge in the deficit of trade, and industrial jobs in order to get that message across, it would be insanity to confuse the message by still sending our Olympic athletes to Moscow. Olympic athletes will have wasted four years of personal effort in getting ready for the Olympic Games. But. that it totally inconsequential compared to the sacrifices that are in store if we are to cut off trade with Russia and impose other economic sanctions in an effort to halt Russian military aggression. The Central Oregonian Prineville, Oregon Why Punish the Athletes Recent developments in Afghanistan, serious as they might be. are still far short of world war. In the recent history of the Olympics, nothing but a global war has prevented the non-political games from going on as planned. We regret that President Carter has deemed it necessary for our nation's athletes (and wheat farmers) to bear the brunt of this nation's opposition to Russian actions in Afghanistan. The United States does not subsidize our Olympic athletic programs as in so many other nations, so political decisions should have no force over so many young people who have sacrificed and trained so hard for so long to compete with athletes of other countries to compete with the best from all nations while at their peak. To hold the 'Olympics' without the Russians or any other country for political reasons is defeating the intent and purpose of Olympic competition. Unless we have been given the w rong impression of such competition from our earliest comprehension, the Olympics are a very special time and place for all nations to put aside political and cultural differences to compete on the highest levels of sportsmanship, compete with the gracious acceptance of victory or defeat. The Madras Pioneer Madras, Oregon Sifting through the TIMESj7 Fifty years ago the Lions Gub discussed the child labor laws of the state. S.D. Notson gave a talk on "Child Wel fare." The Lions invited American Legion chief Sidney George to speak at the next meeting. Charles Henry and the Crocket Sprouls entertained at the Elks Club in Heppner. Morrow County Sheriff C.J D. Bauman said 16 arrests were made, two stills were seized and $836 in fines were collected from violaters of the prohibited from violaters of the prohibition laws. The water tank of the Union Pacific system in Heppner that supplied locomotives was damaged when a blaze started on the wood supporting the tank. The Heppner fire depart ment controlled the fire with chemicals. Workmen had been thawing around the tank the day before because of the sub-zero weather and a smoul dering spark from a cigarette was believed to be the cause of the fire. 1955 Twenty-five years ago at the 13th annual meeting of the Heppner Soil and Conserva tion District. Raymond French was elected supervi sor replacing W'.E. Hughes. The residents of Cecil had a chili feed to raise monev for the March of Dimes and the bigger the person, the more the cost. The admission price was one cent for every inch of the person's waist. About 35 persons attended and it raised more than $60. Irvin Rauch of Lexington topped the market at the Hermiston Livestock auction with one 815 pound steer that sold for $21 .60 cwt. and one 720 pound heifer for $19 cwt. Morrow County had a near epidemic of the measles with Heppner. Lexington and Boardman reporting the most cases. Lexington was the hardest hit with approxi mately 75 percent of its students catching the spotty disease in a two-week period. Student trvnuts were under- wav at Heppner High School for the play "Here Comes the Bride." 1975 Five years ago a record school budget was proposed and the committees were trying to make changes. The county was in the process of having a clinic built behind the hospital for Drs. Joe Gifford and Richard Carpenter to practice in. A mobile health unit was coming to Heppner and Lex ington to give free blood pressure checks and a lung function test. A Lexington born and raised man. Dallas Ward, was named to the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame. Blue Mountain to host F.F.A. Leadership Skills Contest Blue Mountain Community Colleco will host the Blue Mountain District Future Farmers of America Leader ship Skills Contest Wednes day. Feb. fi. Seven high school chapters are invited to attend including those from: Heppner, River side (Boardman). Pendleton, Hermiston. Milton-Freewater. Condon and Umapine. Students participating in the contests will compete in areas of parliamentary procedure, public speaking, and extem poraneous speaking. An awards ceremony will be held at the end of the day long . competition. The BMCC colle giate chapter of FFA is sponsoring the annual event. Heppner Auto Parts 234 N.Main Heppner 676-9123 The PTRapco M & R FLOOR COVERING mers Carpet, Linoleum, 422 Linden Woy Ceramic Tile, Kitchen 676-9418 Cabinets, Rapco Insulation HePPnr CASE FURNITURE Carpet, Linoleum, Counter Tops Installed Beauty Rest matfesses, Fabrics and Accessories, Sherwin Williams Paint O Pf si i TURNER ifoux -iiutaice nuxu VAN MARTER r-rrt x A 9. RDY1NT L70Ao It OKI AN I tarsRiri TuiuttTn, n. I INSURANCE HOWARD bryant 1S7IUOTM UMI HKtCI MIWWIl (MOON 7tM c Home Remodeling Specotzrg tn Ahminum Sding and mpar of od aiding Storm Window. vi Dooo Prime Window. Smill Remodeling Join Ken Pffnld 676-5051 I) MEDICAL CENTER PHARMACY 1 4 fr MaAini Service On PnacnptKn Hcapaal Soppiier Mrai.-Frv 94 jm. &a. 9-lfJa. Located m the Medial Center 1100 Southgate Pendleton 276-1531 SWEENEY MORTUARY Cemetery, Grave Markers 676-9600 Granite, Marble, Bronze Or 676-9226 Serving lone, Lexington & Heppner p.0. Sox 97 BUSINESS MACHINES Service calls every Wednesday in Heppner. lone and Lexington 3J2 S. Main Sc, Pendleton Telephone 276-6441 811 N. Fir., HermiBonTelepbooe 567-2731 c Chevron GLENN DEVIN . Chevron USA, Inc. Commission Agent 676-9633 Heppner Soordmon Morrow County Abitrect ft rrrle Compear 676-W'2 481,9261
