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U OF ORE
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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