The Heppner
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Reports say it looks good
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Combine workf the field
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Brok Tucker (L), Bob Costa, county extension agent,
and County Judge Don McElligott discuss the crop
Harvest began last week for some southern
Morrow County wheat farmers and, accord
ing to most reports, the yield looks
exceptional.
Although most farmers are hesitant to
proclaim this year's crop better than last
year's record breaker, they are saying it may
equal It.
Brok Tucker, who started cutting Inst
Thursday, says it appears he is getting 55 to 60
bushels an acre off some of his land north of
Planning commission OK's
bowling alley expansion
The Heppner City Planning
Commission gave its OK
Monday night to plans by a
Vancouver, Wash., couple to
improve the Heppner bowling
alley.
Douglas and Sonia Smith
have purchased the alley, and
Monday night Douglas asked
the commission to approve his
plans for expansion and im
provements. He said he plans to build an
addition to the alley which will
allow for larger eating facil
ities. Heppner businessman Jerry
Hollomon spoke in favor of the
plans, telling the planning
commission the improved
bowling alley will "be quite a
T A FT7 1 f FT
Morrow County's
THURSDAY, JULY
r
Lexington.
Morrow County Grain Growers General
Manager Larry Mills reports that about 10
growers around the North Lexington area had
begun cutting by Monday, but that it was a
little early to tell what the yields would be.
"It (yield) appears to be comparable to last
year, and the quality looks good," Mills said.
But he added that it would be several days
before more definite information would be
coming in from the fields.
benefit to the city."
Smith also told the planning
commission he plans to have
the bowling alley oper. during
the summer.
In other business, the com
mission passed a motion to
recommend to the city council
First HHS reunion for 1940-1945 slated
The Heppner High School
reunion for the classes of 1940
through 1945 has been schedul
ed for August 1 and 2,
beginning at 6 p.m. at the Elks
Lodge in Heppner.
The program for the re
union, the first for these six
classes, includes: Saturdy,
August 1: 6 p.m. no host
Home - Owned
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U.lMtl
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that a change in city zoning be
made to allow for mobile
homes on commercially zoned
property.
The motion came after a
request by James Lankford,
who wishes to build a mobile
home pad and rent it out.
cocktails, Heppner Elks
Lodge; 7 p.m. - dinner, Elks
Lodge; 8p.m. -program -Elks
Lodge; after program to 2
a.m. - dancing, Elks Lodge.
iunday, August 2: 9 to 11
am. - no host breakfast, Elks
Lodge.
The registration deadline is
Monday, July 27. A cost of $15
mac.
Weekly Newspaper
2 CENTS
Jury hears testimony in county murder trial
The trial of Jose Mario
Mendoza Verduzco, Board
man, accused of murder and
conspiracy to commit murder
in the death of Antonio "Tony"
Delgadillo Guzman on April 25
got underway at 9 a.m. last
Thursday at the Morrow
County Courthouse in Heppner
with the Circuit Judge William
W. Wells. Pendleton, presid
ing. Representing Verduzco, 23.
referred to in the courtroom
as "Mario", was Boardman
attorney F.E. Glenn.
The victim was fatally shot
in an incident near the
H-Bar-W Tavern in Board
man. Court proceedings began
Thursday morning with jury
selection. Prospective jurors
fielded questions such as "Are
you familiar with the term
"Wetbacks?", "Did you vote
for President Reagan?", Have
you had contact with Mexican
Americans?". "Do you be
lieve there are some circum
stances where a person is
justified in killing another
person?" and "Does the fact
that the defendant is a
Mexican American and that
he has married an American
girl bother you?"
Courtroom security was
tight as law enforcement
officials feared reprisals a
gainst the defendant who,
according to Morrow County
District Attorney Ann Spicer,
had received threats against
his life from the victim's
family.
Each person entering the
courthouse was required to
pass through a metal detector,
flanked by Morrow County
Sheriff's deputies. On the
opening day of court, two
Oregon State Police and one
Sheriff's deputy, who was able
to communicate with deputies
via radio at the ground floor
door, were in the courtroom
audience.
A translator, Barbara
Smith, Lexington, communi
cated with the defendant
Court receives recognition
The Morrow County Fair &
Rodeo Court of Queen Nancy
Miller and Princess Anita
Palmer and Kathy Hansen
received a special recognition
ribbon over the weekend at the
Crooked River Roundup in
Prineville, court chaperone
Mary Ann Palmer reports.
"The judge said the girls
were an outstanding group,
and theirs was the only ribbon
given out to a court," said
Mary Ann.
Pennant bearers Shelley
Stroeber, Sylvia Ladd and
Andrea Ball attended the
court to the roundup.
Family members traveling
to Prineville were: Mr. and
Mrs. Ted Miller, parents of
Queen Nancy, and her broth
er Steve; Mrs. Cathy Hansen,
mother of Princess Kathy;
Mr. and Mrs. Lee Palmer,
parents of Princess Anita ; Mr.
and Mrs. Don Stroeber, par
ents of pennant bearer Shelly,
and her two sisters, Cindy and
per person includes dinner,
registration and prizes. Class
photos will be available ar
$3.50 each.
Class representatives are:
1940 - Bill and Shirley Wilson
Blake, Milwaukie, Ore.; 1941 -Mary
Eleanor Florence Gil
man, Heppner; 1942 - Lib
Healy Daggett, Heppner; 1943
- Eunice Hi alt McElligott,
IIFPI'NER. OREGON
constantly during the jury
selection and the opening
statements.
A jury of six men and six
women and two alternates
was selected the following
morning at 10 a.m.
In opening statements. DA
Ann Spicer maintained that
Mario shot Tony "in the back
of the neck", that the victim
(Tony) was not even looking
at him (Mario), and that the
quarrel between Mario and
Tony "didn't start the night of
the incident. It started at least
two weeks before."
Glenn, maintained that
Mario "was a peaceful man"
who, "on many occasions had
broken up fights" and "sel
dom drinks." and was acting
in self defense and feared for
his life or the life of his friends
when he shot Tony.
Glenn also maintained that
the victim liked to "ambush
people with knives" and that
he (the victim) was "perfectly
capable of taking his big knife
and cutting out his sister-in-law's
gizzard, as he threaten
ed to do."
In conclusion of his opening
statements. Glenn cautioned
jurors that "There are going
to be bloody photographs. If
blood bothers you then take
whatever precautions you
need."
Questioning of witnesses
began Friday afternoon when
Spicer called Ruperto Madri
gal Frts, a friend of both the
defendant and of Tony Guz
man to the stand.
Frias testified that he had
Dtren drinking with the deceas
ed on the night of his death.
Friaz said that during the
course of the evening Guzman
"offended" Mario Verduzco
with curses about his (Mario's
family.
Later outside the tavern,
Frias said he witnessed a fight
between Guzman and another
man, Pedro Cisneros. During
the fight Frias testified he
heard someone say "Here we
are to get you. Iron Mask (a
Christie; Mr. and Mrs. Archie
Ball, parents of pennant
bearer Andrea, and her broth
er Dwayne.
In other court activUies the
girls traveled to Pendleton
last Wednesday to lunch with
Michelle Burns, the sister of
Queen Nancy.
The table and lunch room
were decorated with the
Queen's colors, red and navy,
and each girl was presented
with a pair of turquoise
earrings from Michelle. Pen
nant bearers were presented
pins.
Queen Nancy and her moth
er and brother. Princess
Kathy and her mother, Prin
cess Anita and her mother, all
pennant bearers, and Mrs.
Fay Seitz attended.
Upcoming activities for the
court include traveling to
Elgin for the Elgin Stampede
July 19, and a court dance
coming up on August 1.
Aug. 1
lone, and Xingsley Chapin
Slyter, Camas. Wash.; 1944 -Merlyn
Kirk Robinson and
Howard Pettyjohn, Heppner;
and 1945 - Jean Turner
Runyan, Pendleton, and Ray
French, Heppner.
Invitations will also be
mailed to teachers and admin
istrators during 1940 - 45.
Weather
BY THE CITY OF HEPPNER
Tues.. July 7
Wed. July 8
Thurs.,July9
Fri..JuIy 10
Sat., July 11
Sun., July 12
Mon., July 13
nickname for the deceased)."
Frias. who could not speak
English and gave his testi
mony through an interpreter,
told the jury he saw Verduzco
with a rifle in his hand.
He said Verduzco tried to
fire the gun at Guzman but
that it did not go off.
The fight then moved to a
parking lot in front of a
pharmacy near the tavern.
Frias said, where Guzman
was shot and killed.
Frias testified he saw Ver
duzco fire a shot at Guzman,
and he saw Guzman fall to the
ground and that he, "did not
move again."
Frias said he then went to
the Sand Piper apartments in
Boardman, told Guzman's
wife, Corrine. what happened
and brought her back to the
scene.
District Attorney Spicer
next called crime scene in
vestigator, Jon Spilker of
Pendleton, to the stand.
Spilker told the jury he
investigated the scene of the
shooting and found one spent
cartridge in the parking lot
and an intact bullet across the
street in the H-Bar-W Tavern
parking lot.
He said the victim had a
single bullet hole in the head.
and a blood alcohol content of
.27 percent. For purposes of
driving the law defines .10
percent as drunk, Spilker
added.
Next to testify was Dr.
Tibbies, county medical ex
aminer. Tibbies told the jury that
Guzman was killed by a single
bullet wound in the back of the
neck.
Next Spicer called the
victim's wife, Corrine Guz
man to the stand.
She said she had lived in
Boardman since 1975, and had
been married to the deceased
for about one year.
She told the jury she was at
home asleep when the shoot
ing occurred, and that when
she was told of the incident she
first called the police and then
went to the parking lot.
Once there she said she
shook her husband to see if he
was alive.
Corrine testified that her
husband sometimes carried a
pistol in the glove compart
ment of his pickup truck, but
that he did not have either a
knife or a gun the night of the
shooting.
She said her husband ap
peared to have been friends
with the defendant, and that
her husband had acquired a
pistol after having been in a
fight with another man sever
al months earlier.
Concluding twHmony and (ory
vvrdict will b printed in rtxt
week's Gazette-Times
Court hears of trial
By MARY ANN CERl'l I O
Morrow County Court came
to order last Wednesday to
join a staff meeting concern
ing courthouse security during
the three murder trials which
are being held this July and
August. The first trial began
Thursday. July 9.
The Morrow County Sher
iff's Department informed
courthouse employees that
during the trials all those
entering the courthouse will
be put through a metal
detector. It was suggested
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Defendant Mario Verduzco arrives at court
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Woman entering courthouse passes
through metal dectector
that people wear as little
metal as possible. Those
entering may also expect all
purses to be checked.
The Sheriff's Department
reported that tight security
measures are being taken
because of recent threats on
the defendant's life.
Next on the agenda. Dr.
Terry Templeman reported
that in totalling up revenues in
client fees, Mental Health
Services has received $14,000.
Mental Health had projected
revenues to total $8,000. Dr.
Templeman explained that
the extra $6,000 will not exceed
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security
the department's budget.
Templeman further stated ,
that the Department of Mental
Health will still survive even if
the expected cut of ten percent
of state money occurs.
In other business, County
Court approved a four-month
trial period with United Par
cel Service pick-up for court
house departments.
In a comparison between
postage and UPS rates, Com
missioner Dorothy Krebs and
County Clerk Barbara Bloods
worth said they found United
Parcel Service to be more
economical.