ro ti
, O ctober 3, IM S
Residents asked to respond to request
for dam investigation
The Official Newspaper of the
City of Heppner and the
County of Morrow
The Heppner
GAZETTE-TIMES
Morrow County's Home-Owned Weekly Newspaper
U S P S 240-420
P u M W m j every M rd n m d a i u td r n if f r t m tmomd-ciam m atter at the h a l OfTWr
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Ad Sale«
M anna Paultut ............................................................. Proof H eading. HM riburlun
David and April Sykes, Publishers
Letters to the Editor
One solution to the dam problem
To the Editor
As a property owner and a part-
time resident of Heppner, I would
suggest that the waier held behind
the dam he released, allowing
Willow creek to flow once again in
its own channel In (he even! of a
cloudburst in any of the canyon’s
above Heppner, the flood gate* of
the dam could be closed, holding
back the water flow of Willow Creek
and Halm Fork, until the Hinton
Creek and Shohe Canyon flow reee-
ded. then the water behind the dam
could be released again
Should a large break occur, the
vast amount of water held behind the
dam poses a threat not only to Hepp
ner but to the entire Willow Creek
valley The loss of life and property
would he astronomical,
Why not alleviate the anxiety, the
fear and the danger by simply releas
ing the water
(s) Merle Loyd
St Helens
Smith gets the job done
To the Editor
The state of Oregon as well as the
Untied States and the world at large
are in a very volatile period In times
like this integrity, honesty, commit
ment to stated goals and objectives,
coupled with experience and proven
track record, arc much needed
qualities of those elected to govern
mental office
Men like Bob Smith are not easy
to find His record of performance
for the people of his district is very
high It is not possible for any
legislator to please all of the people
all of the time His job is to repre
sent fairly the majority of the elec
torate the majority of the lime Bob
Smith has a track record that hears
this out well We can't afford the
luxury of on the job training for a
aimpantively unknown novice to the
legislative process
Therefore a vote for Bob Smith is
not only a vote for a continuation of
a good track record, it is also a way
of saying thanks for a job well done
Thanks Bob' Keep up the good
work in '89 & 90 We like the way
you keep us informed about what is
going on and how we can help you
do your job better
Sincerely,
(s)Vince Armstrong
2032 Alamar
Medford. Oregtm 97501
Seniors need a friend like Boh Smith
To the Editor
Seniors need to keep a strong
friend like Bob Smith in Congress
His yes vote supporting the Older
American Act insured such vital ser
vices as bathing, dressing, eating,
mobility, senior centers, nutrition
programs and abuse prevention His
ye* vote helped extend Medicare
coverage by lowering deductible's
which provided seniors with affor
dable long term health care plans and
out of picket costs His yes vote sup
ported the Housing and Community
Development Act which means jobs
for Oregon's wood Products in
dustry and aid to seniors
The children and grand children of
seniors face a mortgaged future of
Federal deficit's Boh Smith will
consistently vote no against taxes,
waste full spending and liberal fiscal
policies that can affect our personal
budgets and long term savings for
years to come.
I'm concerned for myself and my
family My vote will be yes for Bob
Smith
(s) Bob Allen
26565 Hwy 62
Trail, OR 97541
878-2747
Smith abhors deficit spending
To the Editor:
To those who closely watch the ac
tivities of the U S Congress,
Oregon Representative Boh Smith
has shown himself to be outstanding
as a strong, kindly, caring, tough
minded, active advocate of the most
feasible means of solving problems
o f the people, for the people
Bob Smith's advocacy includes
national debt reduction by reducing
nalional spending to attain a balanc
ed budget He abhors deficit spen
ding, and he stresses that no in
dividual. no family, and no nation
can long survive that practice His
agricultural and his trade policies
will keep Oregon farm, ranch and
wood product enterprises cost-
effectiv e and profitable to
Oregonians
And all Americans tan gain by his
support of nalional »Wen«* combin
ed with arms reduction- in strength
and in balance, by hi* environmen
tal concerns for both present ami
future, and hy his eminent ability to
confront and counter the ever-
ongoing onslaught of newly arising
stale and national exigencies
le t 's cast a vote for Bob Smith on
November 8
(s) Peggy Pearce
2620E Barnett Road
Medford. OR 97501
772-5552
Hospital Notes
Pioneer Memorial Hospital in
Heppner reports admitting and
discharging the following patients
during the past week
James Smith, admitted September
35, discharged September 26
Patients discharged were:
Sandi Hanna. Heppner discharged
Sept 25. and
D m Moeller. Heppner discharged
S « l 23
Patients still receiving care as of
press time were
Don Chase, admitted Sept 27
To the Editor
This is a copy of a letter being sent
to all o f our C on g ressio n al
Delegates, Senator Timms and
Representative Ray French, in
response to the allegations being cir
culated as to the integnty of the
Willow Creek Dam. and to the
credibility of the Army Corps of
Engineers
Dear Senator Hatfield
We have all heard the
kindergarten story "The Sky is Fall
ing' The Sky is Falling". By now,
you have probably heard (hat there
in Heppner "The Dam is Breaking!
The Dam is Breaking".
The Eugene Register Guard has
received a considerable amount of
notoriety o f late from the expose of
the crumbling Willow Creek Dam
The majority of the citizens consider
this allegation the epitome of ir
responsible journalism The Corps
of Engineers have assured us that
(here is absolutely no danger of the
Willow Creek Dams’ failure
One result of the unwanted
publicity is that a considerable
amount of uncertainty has been
generated in the Willow Creek
Valley So-called authorities from
the local barber shop and bridge
clubs have reported absolute truths
that they have heard, members of the
Corps of Engineers staff have given
independent evaluations contrary to
the official press releases by the
Corps and all of the new* wire ser
vices have quoted all of the ahove in
pmviding the dam is likely to fail hy
the end of the week
The Corps of Engineers came to
Heppner this week and conducted a
press conference which only added
to the fuel of the burning issue The
question now is not only the integri
ty o the dam but the credibility of the
Corps of Engineers
Wc in Morrow County arc ex
perimenting many adverse effects
from the scandalous reporting Pro
perty values on Wi!low Creek are
being questioned
Prospective
residents of the s«n>n-to-hc finished
retirement center in down town
Heppner are questioning their safe
ty. and Kinzua Corporation, a
lumber company which is located
directly below the dam. is wonder
ing how much their flood insurance
will cost if insurance will he
available
Other communities in the United
Stales that are below similar nillcr
compacted dams arc no doubt ex
periencing the same pains that wc in
Morrow County are enduring
ResponsiNe officials in this au n ty
are confident (fiat the Corps is tell
ing us the truth We feel that the
Corps has established a record of ex
cellence in dam building For the
most part, they have at their disposal
the best engineers available in the
world Nevertheless, their credibility
has been challenged hy the press and
the jury it still out in this
community
The governing body of M otto *
County has instructed me to contact
all of you to enlist your assistance in
urging the Corps of Engineers to
place this matter in lop pnonty We
also are asking that the Corps engage
the services of an independent
research firm or organ izat Kin to
review their data and analysis and.
if necessary, to conduct an indepen
dent in v e stig a te on the physical
soundness of the structure and (tie ef
fect of the erosion of the concrete
from the leakage
Wc are convinced that this is the
only way that the peace of mind of
our local residents and the credibili
ty of the Corps will be restored and
property values stabilized We also
expect that in (lie very near future a
clear and concise statement will be
made by responsible parties of the
Corps and of the review team as to
the integrity of the Willow Creek
Dam
I will he expecting to hear from
you so that wc can share your obser-
sations with our constituents
Sincerely,
(s) Louis A Carlson
M oitow County Judge
[vet’s send Smith back to Congress
To the Editor
Like many of us environmen
talists. Congressman Bob Smith is
sometimes tom between ecological
considerations ami practicality for
the people's best interests.
One such dilemma arises from the
silver fire damage, a situation where
the salvaging of burned, dead trees
could yield tremendous economic
rewards to the wotxl industry so im
portant to Oregon's well being, ver
sus a temporary, minimal, arntaclual
interference with pretenthly pristine
public property in the form ot readily
ahandonable access roads
Bob Smith decided in favor of
salvaging valuable timber, knowing
that benefits to the state's most con-
»ptckNis industry puts pay mil dollars
into the hands of all Oregon workers
and their families-and knowing that
nature will restore a wilderness con-
dithin to the Silver area in a relative
ly short time
So let's send Hob Smith hack to
Congress.
(t) Philo S King
Medford. OR 97501
D.A.’s Report
The Morrow County Distnct At
torney's office at the courthouse in
Heppner reports handling the follow
ing business dunng the past week
The following persons entered
Guilty Picas before Morrow Coun
ty Circuit Court Judge Jac k F Olsen
in Heppner on September 15
Jody Allen, 20, of Hcrmiston.
plead guilty to Attempted Assault in
the Second Degree as a result o f an
incident in Irngon on April 27.
1988 A pre sentence investigation
was ordered and sentenc ing is set for
(X-tober 24. 1988
l.add Kansid, 27. of Irngon,
entered a guilty plea to Driving
While Revoked. Felony A pre-
sentence investigation was ordered
and Sentencing was set for October
24. 1988
Kathy Spring, 29. of Irngon,
entered a guilty plea to Possession
of a Controlled Substance A pre-
sentence investigation was ordered
and Sentencing was set for (Xtoher
24„ 1988
Teresa Suitter, of Irngon entered
a guilty plea to Possession of a Con
trolled Substance A pee-sentence in
vestigation was orxicred and senten
cing is set for October 24, 1988
Jay Suitter, 33. of Irngon, entered
a guilty plea to Frequenting a Place
Where Controlled Substances arc
kept He was sentenced to one year
bench probation, restitution for
court-appointed attorney 's fees, fin
ed $150 00. $20 00 for benefit of
Crime Victins Compensation Ac
count. and required to obey all laws
as a condition of his probation
Dam Funny
All the fuss over the Willow Creek
Dam makes me chuckle
We've known all along (hat the dam
to ^
was pure port barrel boon doggie from
the start - a flood control dam. built on
the wrong creek at a cost four or five
times greater than (he value of all the r
property protected The irrigation com
ponent delivers water at a cost far
greater than any other method in
cluding trucking The recreation com
ponent is just now coming about with
a park that would he better built in any
number of places in the county A boat
ramp at Willow Creek Dam puddle is
|
By Ed Glenn
like a diving board over s hath tub
■
The dam itself is an experiment in a
new construction technique, a failure, plain to see But then that's the way
with developing new things, the first efforts usually fail The failure,
however, is not complete The dam thing is still there leaking away but
still there
And now some third rate reporter digs up an old memo that raises the
issue of safety On a slow day that's front page news
Bam’ Mass hystena The media and politicians go crazy over something
as plain as the nose on your face If the safety of the thing hadn 't occurred
to anyone before now it is only because they didn't see the dam leak.
Well, that's the way with pork barrel boon doggie It's designed *o
squander a lot of tax money on something that isn't worth a tenth of the
coal, and which hopefully will go wrong so the same politicians that pro
moted it can now investigate it and fix it If it's a good boon doggie, maybe
it will go wrong often and require lots of fixing
Now. of course, the fix is an "independent" investigation That's the
kind that costs the most, takes the longest and is most likely to come to
the same conclusion as the politician ordering it He's the hero, gets the
good press, and is first in line for the next fixing
The Corps of Army Engineers is wondering "W here's Olie when yu
need him?"
Heppner Police
____ Report
The Heppner Police Department
reports handling the following
business dunng the past week
Septem ber 26 12:04 p m .-
warrant arrest. 3 35 p m report of
possible burglary; 8 04 p m -
motorist assist
September 27: 8 10 p m -assist
Morrow County ShenfTs depart
ment; 1:18 a m -request officer for
Security Check
September 28 12 47 p m report
of theft. 7 .34 p m -motorist assist
Septem ber 29: 3:30 p m -
courteous driver award to C am L
Brownfield; 5:38 p m report of
fight; II 36 p m request officer for
Security Check
September 30 8 34 a m -traffic
block. 9:12 a m -assist Morrow
County Sheriff's Department; 1:04
p m -citation issued for Driving
While Suspended; 9 03 p.m -
nanonst assist. 10:03 p m report of
loud cars; 11:45 p m -assist
ambulance
October I 17 56 p m request of
ficer for Security Check
CXtober 2 4 55 p m -report of
fighiing. 7:38 p m report of theft;
8 28 p m report of domestic
Friday and Saturday . (Xl 14 & 15
the Center is having a Rummage
Sale from 9 a m to 5 p m The sale
w ill he in the vacant building of Bar
bara's Slender Quest
Money will be used to further
Center projects
The past month has been par
ticularly busy with over 30 people
receiving emergency food and over
40 receiving serviceable clothing.
Any donated non-perishable food
would be appreciated to restock the
food closet
With fall harvesting they hope to
receive squash, potatoes, apples and
dned beans or lentils from generous
supporters As a non profit organiza
tion they give In kind vouchers for
(ax credits for donations
S»x>n it will he time for the annual
drive for the Thanksgiving and
Christmas rcmembcranccs for those
less fortunate of the area Please
remember to include the Center in
your gcnemusity at this time of fana
ly togetherness for those less blcis
ed. with the material needs All
remembrances are so appreciated
D.A.’s Report
The District Attorney's office at
the courthouse in Heppner reports
handling the following business dur
ing the past week
Robert Duane Coles. 19, appeared
for arraignment. September 30,
before Judge Ralph Currin on the
charge of Failure to Appear Entry
of plea is set for October 7. 1988
Rodney Gene Blackburn. 24. Ir
rignn. appeared for arraignment on
September 30. 1988 before Judge
Ralph Currin on the charge of
Assault in the fourth degree Entry
of plea o set tor October 7, 1988
Shane Gonzlcs, 20, Irngon, ap
peared for arraignm ent on
September 30. 1988 before Judge
Ralph Currin on the charges of
Violation of a Restraining Order
Entry of plea is set for tXtober 7,
1988, in Hcrmiston District Court
I
W
Th# ta lle s t w o m a n b a s k e tb a ll p la ye r w a s J u lia n a S e m e n o va w h o p la ye d
on th e 1976 R ussian O ly m p ic te a m and s ta n d s seven fe e t t w o in che s ta ll
Join the Hollx Rebecca lenire at a
BENEFIT
for Donna Papincau
at the Holly Rebecca Uxige, Lexington
Saturday« (Xtoher 8, 1988
Pie & Coffee 6:00-7:30 p.m.- $1.00
Bingo with prizes 7:30-7?
(Bingo z5‘ < cani)
Donations may also be sent c/o the Donna
Papineau Fund; Holly Rebecca Lodge. Lexington or
to the Bank ot Eastern Oregon. Heppner.
C o u rt S t r e e t M a r k e t
' T
”
Betty Crocker
Burger
Helpers
» I 1* ,
CHECK OUR EVERYDAY LOW PRICES
WHERE YOUR DOLLAR MAKES MORE CENTS
W estern Family Dinner
Macaroni & Cheese
Van Cam p's
Pork & Beans i6oz
7 % o
z
irsr/9
.Wr99«
Star Kist chunk lite
Tuna 6w oz
1 S t .
Beef
Justice Court
Report
The Justice Court office at the
courthouse annex building in Hcpp
ner reports handling the following
business during the past week
David l>ee Major. Springfield
Violation of the Basic Rule. 70 mph
in a 35 mph zone. 200 fine.
lairry Delno Hughes. Pilot Rock-
Illegal Backing. $ 17 fine.
Steven Bennie Weigel. Canby-
Dnving Under the Influence of In
toxicants, License Suspended for
365 days, 80 hours o f community
service.
Neighborhood
Center News__
Cube Steak
Smoked
Ham Shanks
Fresh
Celery
Lettuce
Fresh Green
Broccoli
> 7 9 e a
• l Ms
•I**«,
19V.
59V
Prices good Oct. 6 - 1 0
O P E N 7 D A Y S A W E E K - 7 A M . - 6 P .M .
lottery
Court
Street
Market
111 N. Court
Heppner
676-9643