U OF ORE
VOL. 101 NO. S FEBRUARY S. 183 IIEPPNER. OREGON
PMM.'s 1st baby
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Poor Aemoflol Hoipltal' first
Pioneer Memorial Hospital's
finally made an appearance. Talia Caillin Sweek
arrived last Wednesday, Jan.
Her parents are Marsha and Gregory Sweek of
Heppner. Talia tipped the scales at 7 lbs., IS oz.
Her grandparents are Mr. and
and Bill Sowell, all of Heppner
Ray Grace of Venezuela.
Great grandmothers are Verna Howell of
Heppner and Daisy Ziegler of
Talia Joins a brother, Ian, two
Local merchants have donated
first baby, Including: $10 worth of baby food
from Central Market, a f 10 gift certificate from
Peterson's Jewelers, a $10 gift certificate from
Coast to Coast, a f 10 gift certificate from S & J
Market, a $5 gift certificate
School board, advisory
comm. positions open
Candidates foi school board
and advisory committee posi
tions must file their petitions
with the county clerk by Feb
ruary 23. Petitions are avail
able at the school office and
the district office.
This year there are a num
ber of positions open.
School beard positions to be
voted on Include Zone III,
currently being served by
Jerry McElligott and Zone IV
Position currently held by
Irvin Ranch.
Advisory positions include
lone Lexington committee po
Corps makes final
plans to fill lake
The Corps, of Engineers is
making final plans and prep
arations to close the six-foot
diameter diversion pipe at the
base of Willow Creek Dam and
allow the lake to begin filling,
said O.C. Dugger of the Walla
Walla, Wash. District Public
Affairs Office.
Closure of the pipe is pres
ently expected to occur some
time during the last two weeks
of February. After closure,
about IK) acre-feet of water
must be stored behind the dam
before the lake level reaches
the dam's outlet at an eleva
tion of 2,000 (feet above mean
sea level). The present diver
sion pipe is at elevation 1,978.
Average flows of Willow
Creek in late February run
about 35 cubic feet per second.
If the creek is flowing at or
about that rate after closure of
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baby of 1983, Tolio Coitlin Sweek, with her mother, Marha.
first baby of 1983
26, at 9:02 a.m.
Mrs. Ned Sweek
and Mr. and Mrs.
Prinevllle.
years.
gifts to 19S3's
from Pettyjohn's
sition number one, held by
Paul Tews and position num
ber five, Cecil, held by Ed
Patton; Hcppner-Lexington
position number three, Lex
ington, held by Sharon Harri
son and position number five,
Heppner, held by Gail
Hughes; Boardman-Irrigon
position number two. Board
man, held by Shane Fritz and
position number five, Irrigon,
held by Marilyn Putman.
School board positions are
for four year terms, advisory
positions are three year
terms.
the diversion, it will take
about one and one-half days to
reach the 2,000-foot level.
During this filling period,
flows on the short reach of
Willow Creek from the dam to
Hinton Creek are expected to
be minimal, Dugger said.
Prior to closure, Corps per
sonnel and the state water
master will check stream
flows in order to assure they
are adequate to meet the
minimum needs of down
stream users during the initial
filling period. Flows below
Hinton Creek are expected to
be adequate for stock water
ing purposes.
Once the lake level reaches
the outlet works. Willow Creek
flows will be regulated to
cont. p. 3
Morrow County s
8 PAGE8
is here!
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Farm and Builder Supply, $10 in a savings
account at the Bank of Eastern Oregon in
Heppner, a $5 gift certificate from Morrow
County Grain Growers, $10 cash from Ray Boyce
Insurance, a $10 gift certificate from R & W
Drive-In, one day's basic service charge for
mother and baby from Pioneer Memorial
Hospital, a $10 gift certificate from the Shoe Box,
a $5 gift certificate from Cole's House of Fashion
and Posy Palach, a $5 gift certificate from
Murray's Drug, a $5 gift certificate from Court
St. Market, a $5 gift certificate from Lexington
Lumber, a $5 gift certificate from Case Furni
ture, a $5 gift certificate from Lebush Shoppe, a
$10 gift certificate from the Heppner Gazette
Times and appropriate gifts from Sears and
Heppner Auto Parts.
Deputies join
Two new deputies have
joined the Morrow County
Sheriff's Department recent
ly Bill Caldera came to Hep
pner January 5 after working
three years part-time for the
Wheeler Co. Sheriff's Depart
ment in Fossil and graduating
from Blue Mountain Com
munity College with an Asso
ciate of Science degree in law
Enforcement in 1981.
Rob Meakins, of Irrigon
began work as a Morrow
County Sheriff's deputy
Thursday, Jan. 27.
Meakins has been a reserve
officer for the Irrigon Police
Department for the past year
and a half. He has also been
employed as a security guard
for Taggares Farms for the
past year and has been a
Merchants put up $100 for
best St. Patrick's Day logo
Have some artistic ability?
Want to earn $100? Then try
your luck at the Heppner
Merchants' St. Patrick's Day
logo contest.
Seeking a picture and slogan
by which to identify the St.
Patrick's Day event in Hep
Passenger injured in
One passenger was injured
in a two-vehicle crash Tues
day morning in lone at the
Highway 74 intersection, ac
cording to the Morrow County
sheriff's office.
Wallace (Mike) Matthews,
77, of lone, reportedly hit a
Home-Owned Weekly Newspaper
25'
Co-op examioies Chapter 11
foanIoHBtcv m financial solution
Working toward a solution,
or to find the "lesser" of many
evils, the Columbia Basin
Electric Co-op Board studied
several options at a meeting
last Thursday, focusing on
reorganization under Chapter
11 of the bankruptcy laws.
The co-op, along with 87
other Northwest utilities, en
tered into an agreement in
1976 to finance Washington
Public Power Supply System
nuclear plants 4 and S. Colum
bia Basin agreed to the project
to obtain power that Bonne
ville Power Administration
then said would be needed.
After millions of dollars in
cost over runs, however, the
plants were terminated in
January 1982.
Many of the participants,
including Columbia Basin,
have filed suits claiming they
aren't liable for the debt since
the plants were not completed
and no energy will be obtained
from them.
The co-op is currently col
lecting a 1.1 cent per kilowatt
hour increase from consumers
in case ordered by law to pay
the debt. Funds from the
increase are being held in
interest bearing accounts until
a judge rules on the case.
So, does the board decide to
choose to continue with rate
increases to cover the co-op's
$27 million debt from the two
Co. Sheriffs
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Bill Caldera
volunteer fireman since his
arrival in Irrigon two and a
half years ago.
He attended Centralia
Community College at Cen
tralia, Wash.
Originally from Seattle,
pner, the merchants have put
up $100 for the best logo
entered.
The logo should capture the
spirit of St. Patrick's Day in
Heppner much the way the
county Fair and Rodeo logo
identifies that event.
vehicle driven by Thomas W.
Walters, 20, of Illinois, who is
attending college in Portland.
A passenger in the Walters
vehicle, Pam Mueller, 25, of
Portland, was transported by
ambulance to Pioneer Mem
orial Hospital in Heppner
IIEPPNER. OREGON
plants? Do they decide to quit
collecting increases to cover
the plants' costs and face
paying a huge lump sum if
ordered by law to pay? Or will
they choose to reorganize' the
co-op's debt structure under
Chapter 11 of the bankruptcy
laws?
These and other possible
plans of action were presented
to the board, and each poses
its own problems.
Jerry Shulkin, a Seattle at
torney specializing in Chapter
11 laws, explained that option
to the board.
Chapter 11 allows a business
to reorganize its debts while
still allowing the business to
operate without liquidating
assets, Shulkin said. However,
a business must enter into
reorganization before it is in
great financial trouble, which
co-op Manager Fred Toombs
says, Columbia Basin is not.
'"Ve're absolutely not bloke,'
he said. "We're at the time of
decision."
Orcas Power and Light, San
Juan Islands, Wash., has filed
for reorganization under
Chapter 11, Shulkin said. Since
an electrical utility has not
filed for reorganization since
the Depression, he advised
the board not to make a
decision that day, but to watch
Orcas, which is in the same
situation as Columbia Basin to
Department
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Rob Meakins
Meakins, his wife, Lynna, and
their three children, Scott,
Michelle and Eric, reside in
Irrigon.
Both deputies will be work
ing as patrol officers through
out the county.
Entries must be drawn of
black ink on white typing
paper, and turned into the
Gazette-Times office before
March 1, 1983. (Be sure your
name is on the drawing).
The logos will be judged and
the winner will receive $100.
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two-vehicle crash
where she was treated and
released, said a hospital
spokesperson.
The sheriff's office said
Matthews was cited for al
leged Failure to Yield Right of
Way.
Weather
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tjLilt , i'r-lM ILisi I
Columbia Basin Electric Co-op
Toombs (R), listen as attorney
see what happens.
.. Shulkin estimated that by
filing a Chapter 11 the co-op
could reduce its WPPSS debt
by $27 million to a maximum
of four to five million dollars,
providing the judge rules that
the utility is liable for the debt.
He said Orcas will pay a
Chapter 11 filing fee fixed by
the court, and his firm, if the
utility is successful in obtain
ing a Chapter 11, will expect a
substantial bonus.
The WTPSS increase itself
is causing the co-op plenty of
grief, but power usage is also
down and uncollectible ac
counts are up nearly 50 per
cent from December 1981 and
are expected to be at least 50
percent higher again this
year. Also, if the utilities don't
continue raising rates to cover
the plants' debts, the Rural
Les Schwab, CowBelles begin
19th Annual Beef Promotion
in
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Morrow County CowBelles Donna Moeller (L) Judy Barber and Sandy Bennett along with
Les Schwab Manager Dale Thompson show beef certificate to be given away during free
beet promotion. CowBelles will be at les Schwab's Friday, Feb. 18, to hand out free
servings of beef pocket sandwiches.
Les Schwab Tire Centers in
cooperation with the Oregon
Beef Council and Oregon
CowBelles are holding their
19th Annual Beef Promotion
through February 28.
The tire firm has ordered
$75,000 worth of certificates
this year to be given away in
the state of Oregon. Each
certificate will carry a $7.50
value and will be given with
the purchase of two or more
new passenger or pickup tires
High Low Precip.
Tues., Jan. 2S 52 43 .08
Wed., Jan. 26 58 44 .0
Thurs., Jan. 27 52 27 , ,0
Fri.. Jan. 28 51 29 Fog
Sat., Jan. 29 40 31 ' .0
Sun., Jan. 30 51 32 .10
Mon., Jan. 31 44 36 Tract fog
Total precip. for Jan. was
Board President Herb Wright (I)
Jerry Shulkin explain Chapter 11
Electrification Administra
v Uon and Cooperative Finances
Corporation will not make any
further loans to the utilities,
even though the co-op is cur
rently meeting all financial
obligations to the mortgagers.
"I believe we have complied
with RE A by raising rates to
cover WPPSS, and I also
believe the consumers can no
longer pay it, Toombs said.
Toombs also explained that
the co-op has enough cash to
pay its debts until August, but
could be out of money as soon
as April or May. "If we don't
do something. . .we could be in
a cash flow problem," he said.
Toombs and Shulkin both
advised the board not to make
a decision right away on
whether to file for a Chapter
11. The board considered
or four Les Schwab pasf euer
or pickup retreads. Two etr
tificates ($15.00) will be given
with the purchase of four or
more new passenger or pickup
tires. These certificates can
be used towards the purchase
of beef at any grocery store,
restaurant or meat market.
The stores will be working
closely with the CowBelles to
provide local promotions that
will include cookoffs, demons
strations and distribution of
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.89". Normal precip. is 1.41"
and co-op Manager Fred
under bankruptcy laws.
, meeting before the regular
' February meeting to further
discuss filing for reorganiza
tion. In other business, the
board:
heard a report from
Marvin Padberg, lone, of the
Irrigation Committee. A
committee of board members
and local irrigators was
formed recently to come up
with a way to allow the irriga
tors, who are having problems
trying to pay the increased
rates, to continue running
their pumps.
Padberg made several sug
gestions and gave some
recommendations to the
board. Board President Herb
Wright said that the recom
mendations would be taken
under advisement.
redpea using beef.
The Beef Council and the
Oregon CowBelles are most
pleas ?d in working with Les
Schwab Tire Centers in help
ing to publicize and promote
Beef Certificates and beef
products in general.
The Les Schwab Tire Cen
ters gave away $113,970.00
worth of Beef Certificates
throughout Oregon, Washing
ton and Idaho in 1982.
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