BESS I C WET2ELL
U OF ORE
NEWSPAPER LIB
EUGENE OR 97403
r
GA
VOL.99
Courthouse has
distinguished visitor
Heppner and the Morrow
County Courthouse had a
distinguished visitor lust
week, when U.S. District
Judge James M. Burn, Port
land, arrived in town to
preside over a trial.
While federal cases in
Eastern Oregon are some
times held in Pendleton, no
one can remember when a
federal judge has traveled to
the Morrow County Court
house to hear a case.
The judge rame to hear a
case between Iirry Angell.
Heppner, and the Army Corps,
of Engineers.
The Corps and Angell are at
odds over the amount of
money Angell should receive
for the land the Corps is
buying in connection with the
Willow Creek Dam project.
Angell says the Corps has
not offered him enough for his
land. His land was subse
quently condemned by the
corps when the two could not
agree on a price.
"The attorneys thought it
would be useful to hold the
Deputy D. A. sworn in
to U.S. District Court
By MARY ANN CFKl'LI.O
Last Wednesday, Dec. 2.
U S. District Court convened
for the first time in record at
the Morrow County Court
house. "Today may not be a major
historic occasion, but it is
certainly a mini historic
occasion," stated U S. District
Court Judge James M. Burns.
Santa to phone area
kids, hear wishes
I KTZ
. r:A
v
Lion Lonny Watne assists Amber Peck, 10"- months, as she
mails her Christmas letter to Santa at the Heppner Post
Office.
Miss Peck is the daughter of Allen and Patty Peck, lone.,
t
Write a letter to Santa
The Heppner Lions Club is
sponsoring the annual "Santa
Claus Calling" beginning De
cember 8, Lion Lonny Watne
told the Gazette Times.
Santa will be calling all
children who have written him
a letter by Dec. 16. Calls will
be made by Santa himself,
Morrow County's
NO. SO
THURSDAY,
Judge Brown
case here." Judge Brown, who
has been on the Federal Bench
since 1972. said in a Gazette
Times interview.
The non-jury trial was held
last Wednesday, and the judge
said he expected to have a
ruling "by the first of the
year." .......
during the formal swearing in
of Deputy District Attorney
Harold McLean to the U.S.
District Court for the District
of Oregon.
Burns had come to Heppner
from Portland to preside over
a property condemnation case
brought against the Corps of
Engineers by Larry Angell of
Heppner. Burns heard the
case later that day.
(see related story, this page)
'" S.VNTA MIL J l
v o o
Dec. 16, 17 and 18.
Santa requests that all
letters include the child's
name and phone number.
Mailboxes to the North Pole
have been placed in the
Heppner, lone, and Iexington
post offices.
"
j w- i
0
The Heppner
Home-Owned
DECEMBER 10. 1981
Willow Creek Dam generator
study being conducted
, A study to determine the
feasibility of installing a
"low-head" hydro generator
on the Willow Creek Dam. is
being done in Portland. Don
Johnson of the' U.S. Army
Corps, of Engineers said
Monday.
Kuhn guest speaker
at lone Topic Club
Attornev Bill Kuhn was
guest speaker at the lone
Topic Club meeting held
November IR at the home of
Siirlev McNary. Rose Baker
was co-hosless.
Kuhn spoke to the group on
the bankruptcy laws of Ore
gon. He told the club that not
many individuals file for
bankruptcy because it is
damaging to their reputation.
Kuhn staled that the purpose
of filing bankrplcv is to Ktipp'v
a means for an individual or
corporation to be relieved of
debts which thev cannot
possibly pay. Some except
ions, he told the group, are
taxes, income taxes, child
support and alimony. The
Co. Mental
to receive
By MARY ANN CKRl l.l.O
Because of a new driving
under the influence of intoxi
cants (DUU) law. the state of
Oregon will be granting $702 to
Morrow County Mental
Health, reported Dr. Terry
Templeman to Morrow Coun
ty Court last Wednesday. Dec.
2.
The money will go toward
the mental health treatment of
minors charged with posses
sion of alcohol during the
budget year of 1981-82. Tem
pleman continued.
In other mental health news.
Morrow County Court passed
a modification to a contract
for community mental health
services with the state of
Oregon.
According to Templeman,
the slate is threatening to cut
Blasting to begin in Willow
Blasting of rock in the
Willow Creek Dam area will
Ix'gin this Thursday, and on
the average blasting will
occur every four days, a
spokesman for the dam con
tractor told the city council
Monday night.
Bill Roberts, general super
intendent for the Eucon Corp.
building the dam, told the
council that his company
plans to notify people living
near the construction site
before each blast occurs.
He says houses in the area
have already been checked
over for cracks and damage to
protect the company against
lawsuits that could arise.
Thursday, 54 holes were
drilled 30-feet deep and filled
with powder that will be set
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Many local residents have
been urging that such a study
be undertaken to determine if
a small generator could be
attached to the dam.
The generator would pro
duce only a small amount of
electricity, and had not been
considered as a possibility by
person filing must list-all
dchls and nntifv all those to
whom he owes monev so that
creditors mav have an oppor
tunity to challenge the filing
Kuhn also reported that bank
ruptcy courts have the right to
attach hank accounts and sell
assets to get monev to settle
the debts. However, the court
must leave the individual or
corporation enough income to
carrv on practices in a
manner similar to that before
filing. . i V
The group was also told that
Oregon bankruptcies are un
der federal jurisdiction with
the court in Portland They
also learned that there is some
variation in administration
from state to state.
Health
$702
a minimum of ten percent in
his department's budget
which may cancel the services
of a consulting psychiatrist.
Should the cut occur, Tem
pleman said he hopes to work
something out with the local
physicians concerning any
necessary medication.
In other business, County
Court did the following:
discussed thermal pane
windows to replace the crack
ed and broken ones in the
courthouse.
approved orders to trans
fer funds into the General
Fund out of circuit court and
justice court in both Irrigon
and Heppner.
heard the road report
from Don Briggs of the Public
Works Dept.
reviewed an audit report
with department heads.
off. Roberts said the blast is
designed to split rock that will
then be crushed and used with
cement for construction of the
dam. "We want to split the
rocks, not blow everything up
in the air," he said. The split
rock will te transported to a
crusher on the dam site, he
added.
Roberts told the council that
there will be problems during
the dam construction, but that
his company planned to work
with townspeople to solve
them. "We're going to do
everything we can to keep the
people happy."
He said the first problem
that has come up is dust
blowing from the dam site
onto nearby houses. An
irrigation specialist from
HEPPNER. OREGON
the Corps, previously.
Johnson said the study
would be completed in five
months.
Construction on the dam has
already started and is schedu
led to be completed in July of
1983.
Census to collect
data in Heppner
Information about farm
work done for pay during the
past year and about migratory
farm work will be collected by
the Bureau of the Census in
the Heppner area during the
work week of December 14-18.
Leo C. Schilling, director of
the bureau's regional office in
Seattle, has announced.
The farm work questions
are in addition to questions
asked regularly in the month
ly survey on employment and
jwtweitptoyrnent.. conducted by 4
the bureau for the U.S.
Department of Labor, said
Schilling.
Results of this survey pro
vide data on conditions in the
labor force, prime indicators
of the economic health of the
country.
About 71.000 households
across the country scientifi
cally selected to represent a
cross section of American
households, take part in this
monthly survey. All informa
tion provided the bureau is
confidential by the law and
can be published only as
statistical totals in which no
individual or household can be
identified. Schilling concluded.
Flue fires prompt
advice from fire chief
A flue fire was reported at
the Chuck Marquardt resi
dence in Heppner on Sunday,
Dec. 6 at about 6:15 p.m.
The fire was caused by
creosote build-up in the chim
ney, said Heppner Fire Chief
Forrie Burkenbine. However,
he added, the fire caused no
damage.
Burkenhine savs "wood
Creek Dam
Hermiston was supposed to be
on the site Tuesday to design a
sprinkler system for dust
control.
During construction the
company plans to run two
shifts of eight hours each, and
that will cause problems
Roberts said. "The noise from
that crusher will be terrible,
and the illumination (for the
night shift) will be a pro
blem." He said the company plans
to start laying the concrete for
the dam on Feb. 15.
"It's quite an impact on
your community-50 guys
coming in here with lights dust
and blasting, but we want to
work with you any way we
can, "he said.
Resident Engineer with the
By
Burns man runs for congress,
speaks to Heppner group
"My philosophy is coming
into vogue now. and I think
this is a chance to change the
course of this country."
These were the words of Bob
Smith, who told a group
gathered at the Wagon Wheel
Restaurant in Heppner last
week, why he is running for
congress.
Presently a state senator
who lives in Burns. Smith is
seeking the Republican nom
ination for the Second Con
gressional District, which was
created through the redis
ricting plan drafted by the
1981 Legislature. The Fifth
District includes portions of
Salem, where Congressman
Smith makes his home.
Bob Smith, a 21-year veter
an of Oregon politics, was first
elected to the state legislature
in 1960. He served five terms
there, two as speaker of the
house, before being elected to
the state senate in 1972. where
he has served for three terms.
Mainly a rancher in the
Burns area. Smith is a
. life-long rident jrrfHawy
County and has been involved
with several business enter
prises over the years.
A graduate of Willamette
University. Smith told the
gathered Heppner residents
last Wednesday that the
country has been with a
"cradle to the grave" philoso
phy for the past 50 years, and
"we're paying the piper."
He said the country has to
get back to the free enterprise
system, and rely less on
government to do things for
people.
"It's going to be difficult. I
have 20 years experience in
the Oregon Legislature spend
ing your money, and that's
easy to do. It takes more
strong willed people to
change, and I think I can do
this."
stoves should be burned out,
dampers opened up. for a
minimum of 15 minutes twice
a day. Burning out helps
prevent creosote build-up said
the fire chief, and should be
done first thing in the morning
and the last thing at night, or
even during the evening if
possible.
area
Corps.. Don Johnson told the
council his department will be
monitoring the noise to make
sure it stays within acceptable
levels.
In other business, the
council :
-heard from city engineer
Scott Kvandal. who said the
city should start looking for an
in town well site to be used in
case of emergency. He
pointed out Hinton Creek and
the fairgrounds as possible
sites for the well. He
estimated it would cost over
$100,000 to put a well in
service.
Mayor Cliff Green ap
pointed Peggy Fishburn to a
citizen's advisory panel to
study a county jail proposal.
City of Heppner
High Low Precip-
Tues., Dec. 1 55 42 .11
Wed.. Dec. 2 47 28 Trace
Thurs., Dec. 3 55 30
Fri, Dec. 4 60 35 Trace'.
Sat., Dec. 5 57 43 .71
Sun., Dec. 6 56 37 Trace
Mon., Dec. 7 50 35
V
Bob Smith
Smith said he offers no
surprises in his campaign, and
would go to Washington with a
Teft""1 ttiicurnented poll! Scat'
philosophy. "After 20 years in
the state legislature. I'm
predictable, and on record.
I'm not anything you don't
see." he emphasized.
Some of his stands of
various issues, include:
-"I'm not going to vote for a
VAT (value added taxi or a
sales tax of any kind."
-If the inflation rates can be
lowered to 12 percent, "you
are going to see a housing
boom next March."
-On farm subsidy. Smith
said he couldn't bean idealist.
"I would support a target
price for wheat." He said he
would not favor price support
for peanuts or tobacco, how
ever. "Wheat is the staff of
life, you can't live on peanuts
and tobacco."
On using grain as a weapon
in foreign affairs. Smith said
he didn't think the govern
ment should encourage farm
ers to plant and produce more,
and then turn around and deny
them export markets.
On the Sagebrush Rebellion,
or a plan to turn most federal
lands over to the states, he
said ideally it is a good idea,
but "practicaly it isn't pos
sible." "Eighty percent of the
congressmen are from the
east, and they aren't going to
let go of that land."
On the Federal Reserve, he
says it should be kept out of.
the control of congress, or it
would become a political tool.
-About foreign policy.
One dead, two injured in
Saturday ear erash
A Saturday night, Dec. 5 car
accident left one person dead
and two others injured when
the car they were riding in, a
1980 Chevrolet Z-28 crashed
into a rock wall on Highway
207, three miles south of
Hardman, at about 10 p.m.
Killed was passenger Ger
ald W. Cox, 24 of Hermiston.
Driver of the vehicle, LeRoy
Keith Rea, 24, lone was
transported to Pioneer Mem
orial Hospital in Heppner and
transferred to Kadlec Hospital
in Richland, Wash. Rea was
listed in good condition Tues
day morning, Dec. 8, said a
)
Smith said the defense de
partment should come under
scrutiny for waste. "We are
strong and are going to
remain strong."
-His stand on abortion is. he
is "personally opposed to it."
-He favors the death pen
alty, and thinks the last
session of the legislature
turned its back on the people
of Oregon. "I think we should
have had a cleaned up death
penalty coming out of the last
session."
-On Social Security, Smith
says there has to be changes
made. "We will have to raise
taxes to make it viable, or
make some changes. I don't
favor higher taxes, but we
have to make it actuarily
sound." He said he won't deny
those people w ho are on Social
Security now.
-In response to a question
on natural resources. Smith
said "We have to make sure
we have a reforestation pro
gram that plants a tree when
we cut one."
Concerning his contact with
the people of the second
district, should he be elected.
Smith said he plans to set up
branch offices in Pendleton.
Klamath Falls and Medford.
"If you don't have a contact in
the Northeastern Oregon
wheat country, that's an
error."
"I will spend a good deal of
time in Morrow County put
ting together a good (cam
paign) organization." said
Smith. "It's been a very
productive and enjoyable
stay, and I will be back."
hospital spokesperson.
A second passenger, Lori E.
Pemberton, 19, Umatilla, re
portedly received minor in
juries and was treated and
released from Pioneer Mem
orial on Sunday, Dec. 6.
The accident is under inves
tigation said a spokesperson
from the Morrow County
Sheriff's Office in Heppner.
No further details were avail
able at press time.
Funeral arrangements for
Cox were pending as of
Monday, Dec. 7, at Burns
Mortuary in Hermiston.