Image provided by: Morrow County Museum; Heppner, OR
About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (May 28, 1986)
B FS S ! E A E T Z U OF ORE LIS N E WS P A P E R E 'J Q i Hi . OK V 7 4 Obstetric facilities close at Pioneer By A*cm MfIM The obstetrics facilities jt Pioneer Memorial Hospital i* being closed and there will he no more babies delivered locally Or Clare Ko/nek said Tuesday, he would not he practicing obstetrics in the future because of legal re quirements for expensive equipment, and cost of insurance "I'm sympathetic with mothers who are having babies," he said, "but the legal climate is just too frightening Until legislation has been developed to protect everyone I will not be practicing obstetrics." Both the doctors and the hospital are in icopardy as a result of the climate created by the legal problem More expensive equipment would he required at the hospital, but cost of insurance alone is so prohibitive the doctor will not continue to deliver babies at any other area hospital Space used in accommodating nabies at Pioneer Memorial will be put toother use, said Administrator John Hetnple No permanent major changes w ill be nude and if it again becomes economical to use that area for obstetrics it can easily be return ed to that use. Board member Jack Strege was told when he questioned the decision at a meeting of the biurd last week. In any emergency the delivery could be nude at the emergency room, the service would not be denied, the hoard was told lo ss of obstetrics income at the hospital will be missed, but income has been increasing, and is expected to continue to do so, Hempel said "W e are on an upward trend in hospital use.” he sard " Iiv re tttd utilization of our facilities in the lab have increased income " The stale is being asked to certify the nursing home at the hospital for f>Hir more beds to accommodate more [salients A waiting list of more than that number exists and more people could he in the home if facilities could be made available Recent improvements have been made at the hospital nursing home New handrails have been installed, walls and tnm painted, new flooring will he installed before the end of the month Hempel said "The difference is incredible It is going to be much nicer." Thiessen, Ko/nek mavshare office Although a contract has not been signed, there is a good chance that Dr Clare Ko/nek and Dr Curtis Thiessen will be working together in the same office, said Pioneer Memorial Hospital Administrator John Hempel He expected to meet with Dr Ko/nek this morning and work out some of the details "D r Ko/nek has bent over backwards to help work out an arrangement to benefit the hospital," he said With both physicians working from the same office, it will cut down overhead which means cost to the taxpayers is less, the ad mimsirator emphasized The tw doctors working side-by-side will also pros kir better health care for the county W'e expect Dr Thiessen to he in Hcppner by June 23 working with Dr Ko/nek and in the hospital's emergency room, since a lot of Dr Thiessen's experience has been with emergency treatment, he should benefit the hospital. Hempel concluded War dead honored A brief ceremony at lone Memorial I u ld Monday was among the many ceremonies across the nation honoring those who gave their lives on the battlefield I he Rev Cathy Barker of the lone United Churc h of ( hrist offered a prayer, at the beginning ol the ceremony. Geneva Matthews, blew taps to clove the ceremony Morrow County Judge Don McElligoit quoted a [xirlion of Abraham 1 mcoln's Gettysburg Yd dress, "we resolve that these honored dead shall not have died in vain . " "No one." said the |udge. can improve on hiv words " Conrad fworek placed Krebs gets 3 more years John Krebs was sentenced to three additional years in the Oregon State Penitentiary last Tuesday. May 20 by a Marion County Circuit Court Judge The three years are to he served concurrently with his present sentence, said Morrow County Sheriff Roy Drago which means that Krebs now will not be eligible for parole for 17 years 6 months KrC ’. J ongifsaily pleaded Gud ty to Attempted Escape from Deputies Jim Hankins and Bill Caldara while he and Richard McCawley were being transponed Former Heppner man to receive forestry award A former M eaner man and North Vietnamese prisoner of war. will he one of three recipients of the first In tcrnational Inventors Award for Forestry. Mike Benge, an agroforestry expert with the U S Agency for Intemtional Develop ment (AID) and two others will he presented with joint awards June 13 by the King o f Sweden in Stockholm The aw ard, modeled after Sweden's tamous Nobel Prizes, will be made for outstanding innovation in tropical forestry The other two recipients are Dr James Brew baker of the University of Hawaii and Dr Dr Curtis R Fhlessen said he w ill be in Heppncr around June 20 and rs rv rv ts m open h is practice here bs July He and Dr Ko/nek are work ing out an agreement so he can levali, in the same office building He said they would work in cooperation to pros kic hetter continuing service for all patients The hospital board plans to hold an open house to intrivduce the new doctor and his wife to the community late next month (See related story.) Mark Hutton of Australia Ihc three men were nominated for the award by the U S National Academy of Sciences and the World Bank Their prize will total 250.(XX) Swedish crowns (about $35,000) and w ill he div ided among them Benge will use his share to start a research and reforestation foundation in Haiti The International Inventors Awards are presented to advance in ternational development by recognizing technical innovations that help «live social and economic problems, especially in the Third World Awards arc made for in- continued page 10 hack to the Oregon State Penitentiary following the latter's October 9 trial for robbery in Morrow County He changed his mind though, said Drago. and subsequent plea bargain ing resulted in the May 20 trial by stipulated tact (All reports and intor mation given to the judge who makes the decisHin ) The judge found Krebs Guilty of Attempted Escape I School budget com m ittee faces tough decisions The Morrow County School Budget Committee will meet Wednesday, June 4 at 7 43 p m to "try to make «ime decisions.” said District Superintendent Doyle McCaslin " We may have to look at another kind of levy, probably a serial levy to help fund the current educational programs." he said, "because we cannot ask for the same tax rate again " He said he expects the board to try for an August 12 election which is two weeks before the start of school The next possi hie election date, June 24 does not provide enough time for the budget committee and the board to meet and make decisions, the superintendent continued If the levy Joes not pass in August, he said."and the budget committee does what it is likely to do,” we will have funds to start, but not to operate for the entire school year In that case, he continued, (he Board would need to appropriate funds with the intention of suppor ting programs and at the same lime continue to conduct special elections to raise the necessary funds_____ It's possible at this point to make decisions which would create upheavaL-Zor a long time to come,” said Morrow County School Superintendent Doyle McCaslin. "It will be difficult to avoid making these deci sions"_________________ After a tax rate increase is defeated twice, the tax rate lunita lion statute requires that we return to an established lax rate ot$6 89 per $1000 of assessed property salue Even if the voters do approsc the levy which the approsed tax rate would raise, we would still be $991.000 short to pay for current educational programs "It's possible at this point to make decisions which would create upheaval and do nothing but damage for a long time to come It will be difficult to avoid making these deci sions. but we will need to find a mid die ground to remain responsible to all of the district's communities." "W e're in the same position now as other districts which have felt that the tax rate limitation statute held a gun to their heads,"he said " It is at this point that some people arc likely to cut things to the hone and to be stampeded into doing «imething that will cause pain and upheaval "We re hearing people say, 'close lone schools,’ 'cut all extra cur ricular actmtics.' ‘cut (he transpor- talion program ."nuke the levy defeat hurt ' and it may he difficult not to make some of those decisions Now is the lime when responsible people need to come forward and say, 'we don't want that kind of upheaval ' It's time for good leader ship on the part of those citizens who can lead " At the budget committee meeting which has been defeated twice is to next Wednesday night, McCaslin go out for a serial levy in addition said that he will present the problems to the special levy and the options und encourage (he McCaslin said he suspected that committee to see the long future and (he district could not run even a to fund good programs minimally standard program it $1 rhe options the district has are to million were cut from the levy re make vmw budget cuts, hold off on quest "W e're not tar above stan expenditures, and (he only option dard anywhere It $1 million were which will raise the $6.181,000 cut from the budget, we would have to cut personnel and that would c ut programs," he said Hopefully "we will be able to decide in one meeting, but the issues greatly reduces revenue sharing to may be so complex and divisive that the counties it will take more than one meeting The county is asking a $2.469,(40 to come to agreement, and the mi special one year operating levy out portant thing is unanimity ot the side ihe tax base for next year which budget committee and the s c h o o l reflects a $3 74 lax rate per $1,000 board, he said We must support the of assessed property value budget this time County resubm its levy Morrow County Court has ccr lifted the same budget which tailed to gam voter approval last week tor a special budget election June 24 The election will he Ihe county's first "mail in" ballot "W e have already cut $99,691 from the original budget." said Judge Don McElligoit. " and we must maintain our vital services Everybody gave all they possibly could squeeze out of ihe budget before the last election " The budget failed, continued the Judge, because there was some misunderstanding before the elec lion Some people seemed to think that the budget included additional money for the hospital and for t.ifeguard. those amounts have already been approved by the voters and are separate from the county levy Also some people had Ihc idea that we were wasting property tax money renovating the Courthouse They need to realize that the Cour thouse renovation is financed by revenue sharing, and this was our last shot, our last chance to get revenue sharing money before the federal government eliminates or 56% turn out for prim ary election In last Tuesday's Primary elec ion. 2 360 or 56‘3 of 4228 registered /oters in Morrow County went to the tolls O f the county's 1575 registered Republicans. 916 (5851 ) voted Only 41 *1 or 823 of the coun ty’s 2012 registered Democrats voted lone again led the county with 748f of its 393 registered voters marking ballots Sixty six percent of Ixxington voters went to the polls Heppner and Hardman tied lor third highest with 6.5*$ of the voters mark mg ballots Fifty-one percent of Boardman's 1019 registered voters went to the polls and 4711 of Ir rigon's 1147 voters marked ballots Padberg wins two championships Hy Ashley Conklin Bryan Padhcrg capped his first year in high school track and field by becoming the first ever Heppner thmclad to win two state champion ships He won both the I5<X) and '(XX) meter runs at the 4<Hh annual Class "A " track and field chain pionships at Springfield High Schtxil on Friday. May 23 and Saturday, May 24 Padhcrg. with 20 points for his first place efforts, led Heppner to a sixth place lie with the teams from Imblcr and Portland Christian The 20 points scored by the Hcpp ner boy* was their best finish since 1979 when that team came home with 26 points St Mary 's of Medford captured its third title in Ihe last six years by accumulating 49 points Helix, led by senior phenom, Tim Porter, plac ed second with 34 points, the best showing by a District 7 team Bonanza was third with 31 points and Fntcrprisc. last year's team champion, finished fourth with 29 points t rophies were awarded to the top four teams in each category, while medals were granted to the top six place finishers in each event Oakland captured the girls race with 60 points, far outdistancing se cond place St Paul which netted 40 points Monroe squeaked into third place with 20 points, just ahead of the 19 scored by Ukiah Junior Wayne W ilgcrs and sophomore Jason Dougherty also competed for Heppner at the state meet and picked up valuable ex pcriencc along the way The weather, with tcm|>eraturcs in the 80 s was to tlic liking of Padhcrg. who competed in Ihc I5(X) first Padhcrg. who had the fastest time til 4 08 2 coming into the I 500 r.u c along with Riverside's Mike Am mons. ran his own tactical race to pull away from Ammons with KXI meters to go to win in a tune of 4 04 7 Colton's Chad Erickson went out to a blistering lead, but could not shake Padhcrg and Ammon- "I knew I hail to keep contact w ith him (Erickson), because I knew be would die out." Padhcrg said Padhcrg eventually took the lead with about 8tX) meters to go and from therr it was a two-man battle between he and Ammons Ammons would pass Padhcrg on the outside on the corners, but Padhcrg would overtake him on the straightaways I knew if I could keep Ammons on my outside and stay close to him on the comers I could get him on the straightaways," Padberg said Ammons took the lead with 2<X) meters to go and it looked like ihc end for Padhcrg But the gutsy freshman came b.u k to overtake Ammons in the final I'*) meters to win a time of 4 (4 7, tiff the meet record of 4 01 2 Padhergs time of 4 04 7 now ties him for the MXh fastest Class " A " 15<X) meter continued pane 6
