Image provided by: Morrow County Museum; Heppner, OR
About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 20, 1991)
r ” 0 F u E w 4 •- School District faces $400 thousand shortfall for 1992-93 school year 1 OR F P A P F. P E 0 R L I 3 £- 7 ’ * 3 35C azette imes VOL 110_________ WO. 47_________ 6 Pages Wednesday, November 20, 1991_________ Morrow County Hepptur, Oregon Shoppers play Christmas Punch (Left) Shelly Huth and Rosalie Scharen browse through a holiday home sales catalog during the open house held Nov. 15 at Kate’s Pizza. The sale featured representatives from Avon, Christmas Around the World, Amway, Mary Kay Cosmetics, Tupperware and Princess House. Food basket donations double Food donations for the South Mor row County Neighborhood Center holiday food baskets have more than doubled this year over last, accor ding to the center’s director, Joyce Breeding. Breeding said that this year 2,330 pounds of food were col lected, compared to last year’s 1,057 pounds. Food collected during a re cent food drive was done by Hepp- ner High School's volleyball and football teams and some parents. They are: Dave Gunderson, Brent Wright, Chad Skroch, John Qualls, Ryan Pence, Kevin Scott, Chad Doherty, Ruth Norton, Charlie Rathbun. Tony Burt, Kevin Payne. Jenni Krein, Allisa Brownfield, Jason Britt, Sarah Greenup, Jan Coe, Char Coe, Dani Hill, Ryan Heath. Greg Grant, Jeremy Maddem. Chris Dickenson, Dave Presley, Bill Schlaich, Les Payne, Greg Morrell, Mark Conklin, Jeff Botefuhr, Dwayne Dunaway, Kevin Kilkenny, Shane Munkers, Rick Koffler, Len Brittner, Sue Evans, Terri Gentry, Rondi Robinson, Kelsie Evans, Delia Robinson and Kay Chinen. This year’s figures do not include the donations from three area churches, she said. While donations are up. Breeding said that requests for Thanksgiving and Christmas baskets have also in creased. She says, however, that she believes that the center will have enough food to fill all the requests. Thanksgiving season the Oregon Together group offers a couple of fun non-alcoholic drink recipes to be (L-R) Becky Nourse. U S. Forest Services fisheries biologist, Kent Bowers, USFS civil engineer and Les Moscoso, USFS recreation forester, discuss a display at the Heppner Ranger District open house held Nov. 14 at the St. Patrick Senior Center. The open house provided displays and information on pro posed 1992 Salvage Sales and gave visitors an opportunity to discuss proposed changes in forest access management and forest health with Forest Service employees. >• . - school and poverty of the students (based on the census county of children in foster homes or facilities for the neglected and delinquent). The state transportation grant received by the school will consist of only 70 percent of approved transportation expenditures for 1992-93. Approved expenditures in clude: elementary school students living at least one mile from school, secondary students living at least 1.5 m iles from school, students transported for health or safety reasons, handicapped preschool children; room and board in lieu of transportation; students transported between schools and students par ticipating in field trips. Rhoads said that the school will be required to transport kindergarten students both to and from school, instead of one way as in the present program. As it is now, in south Morrow County, morning kindergarten students are transported to school and afternoon students are transported on the way home. Rhoads said that the school will not be reimbursed for picking up students on the way to school who live closer than the 1.5 and 1 mile DEQ gives city OK for alternative sewage plan The Heppner City Council voted to withdraw permit applications they had made to the county and other agencies concerning the siting of a sewer treatment facility on the Hap py and Claude Graham property north of Heppner. The action was spurred by the Department of Environmental Quali ty ’s “ conceptual” approval of an alternative sewage treatment plan. jThe plan would entail spraying the ¡treated sewage effluent on the Willow Creek Golf Course, and ac quiring additional land adjoining the golf course to place a 500 thousand gallon storage tank. The adjoining land is owned by the Department of Fish and Wildlife. Effluent would still go into Willow Creek during the winter months, as it does now, but during the summer, when stream flow is down, effluent would go on the golf course. Additional effluent would be stored in the tank, if necessary. Until the latest notification by the DEQ, the city was caught in a deadlock concerning siting of a new treatment facility on the Graham property. The city needed a flood plain map revision to be able to site the facility, but the Grahams oppos ed the siting and application for a revision could come only from the property owner. The city had in itiated condemnation proceedings on the property, but settlement of the issue was months away. City of ficials expressed concern that monies for the project would not be suffi cient if the project was delayed further. The DEQ, which up until now had stood firm on their sewage treatment requirements for the city, finally became more flexible, allowing a modified plan. City officials say they do not forsee problems with the new site, because the golf course is located within the urban growth boundary and golf course representatives are amenable not averse to the project. Local home burglarized Oregon State Police are in vestigating a burglary between the evening of Monday, Nov. 11 and Wednesday morning Nov. 13 at the home of Howard and Jo Pettyjohn, on Highway 206 one mile south of Heppner. OSP Officer Carl Martin said that television sets, a VCR, microwave, rifles, shotguns and silver coins were stolen from the home. Jo Pettyjohn said that the stolen articles are valued between $10 and $15 thousand. Pet tyjohn said that not all of the losses will be recouped by insurance. Officer Martin asks that anyone seeing vehicles or people at the Pet- tyjohn residence or anyone with in formation on the burglary please call the Oregon State Police or the Mor row County Sheriff s department. requirements, but said that the school will continue to do so. Schools will also be required to provide both breakfast and lunch programs for students if at least one program is in effect now, but will not be required to do so if no meals are provided at the schools at the present time. Rhoads told the board that salaries and benefits made up approximate ly 70 percent of the 1991-92 expen ditures: 47.7 percent or $6,034,510 for salaries and 21.7 percent or $2,740,1% for benefits for the district’s employees. Services amount to 11.3 per cent or $1,435,695; materials, 5.8 percent or $738,265; capital expen ditures 3.1 percent or $387,460; other expenses .9 percent or $114,440; and transfers 9.5 percent or $1,200,754 for a total general fund expenditures of $12,651,320. The board approved a 6% increase in adm inistrator's salaries for 1992-93. The board is beginning negotiations with the certified employees and will also negotiate with classified employees this year. Drug agent not welcomed An undercover agent trying to buy illegal drugs in Heppner apparently didn’t get very far, and was actual ly thrown out of one of the local taverns. Sheriff Roy Drago said yesterday. Drago said the agent was brought in to pose as a drug buyer, and spent about a week playing pool, making friends, and hanging out at the local taverns. But when it came time to buy drugs, some of the local fellows apparently got upset. "H e asked a couple of them if they knew where he could get some drugs, and they literally took him by the arm and escorted him out of the tavern. They said "they didn’t want anybody around that was using drugs,” Drago said. Drago said the agent told him he “ didn’t think things were going to work out here,” and left town. Health Care Council to meet The Morrow County Health Care Council will meet on Thursday, November 21 in Boardman The meeting will start with a tour of the Boardman Health Care Center at 7 p.m. The council will hold its regular monthly meeting at Board- man City hall at 8 p.m. following the tour. Residents urged to be observant Morrow County Sheriff Roy Drago and Heppner Police Chief Doug Rathbun are joining forces to urge residents to become more cautious in the wake of an increase in vandalism and burglary in the Heppner area. Drago and Rathbun cautioned peo ple to keep their eyes open and to call the sheriff s department. 911. or a police officer if they notice anything odd or out of place in their neighborhood. They stressed that residents don’t have to actually see a burglary to report their suspicions to police. “ The local police are only as good as the people who support them,” said Sheriff Drago. "Vandalism af fects everyone.” “ It costs everyone money,” said Rathbun They also cautioned people against leaving the keys in their cars or leav ing their homes unlocked. "L et’s harden the target," added Rathbun. Oregon Together offers recipes for non-alcoholic drinks Pendleton attorney appointed to Currin’s spot served: “ Colada Whirl” consists of If you are planning on having on district court one cup cream of coconut; one can friends and relatives visit during the Forest Service open house «.• V, . » Local shoppers should look in area stores Thursday for their special punch cards which will earn some lucky person $550 in gift certificates just in time for Christmas. The businesses have started ‘Christmas Punch’ this week with a total of $1,100 in gift certificates to be given away. To enter shoppers need only to pick up a punch card at any of the participating businesses, have the card punched with each five dollar or more purchase and then place the card in the special entry boxes around town. Each week five $25 gift cer tificates will be drawn for some lucky winners. Everyone who enters throughout the four week contest will have their name entered in the big final drawing Dec.23 for the $550 gift certificate grand prize. Stores participating in the Christmas Punch are: Morrow County Grain G row ers, Shoe Box/Talk-n-Tops, Country Rose, Murray’s, Peterson’s Jewelers, Gardner’s Men’s Wear, Coast to Coast, Les Schwab Tires, Kates Piz za, Heppner Bowl, and Green Feed. The Morrow County School District will face a revenue shortfall of $400 thousand in the 1992-93 year, district business manager Chuck Rhoads told the school board at its regular meeting Monday even ing Nov. 18. Rhoads said that the district is ex pected to lose $77 thousand of basic school support that will not be car ried over to the next year, in addi tion to revenues lost with the passage of Ballot Measure 5 and devaluation of property. The current $15 per thousand of assessed valuation to support the schools will be reduced to $12.50 in 1992-93. "This is the harsh reality,” com mented Rhoads. “ We really need to be looking at where we’re going to cut.” Rhoads said that the basic school support formula enacted by law, years ago, will all be rewritten in the wake of Measure 5. The new formula for state funding will in clude a school’s average daily atten dance, the number of students tak ing English as a second language, the number of children in special educa tion programs, whether a school is classified as a “ remote small” (six ounces) pineapple juice; one tablespoon milk; one can (eight ounces) pineapple in own juice and 12 ice cubes. Put all ingredients in blender and process at high speed until smooth. Pour into a glass and serve. The second one, called "Hawaiian Pineapple Crush" con sists of one cup fruit punch; one cup pineapple pieces, one tablespoon lemon juice; and one one-half cups crushed ice. Put all ingredients into blender and process on high until slushy. Pour into glass and serve. These non-alcoholic drinks will make family gatherings a success and help eliminate the wony that so meone will be unable to drive or not drive safe. "Make this Thanksgiv ing truly a time to give thanks for the lives you save,” says Rev. Stan Hoobing, coordinator o f the H eppner-Lexington Oregon Together group. Order Christmas trees before Nov. 25 B y A n n e M o rte r The deadline for ordering a Christmas tree from the lone Youth group is growing near. Call Jeri M cElligott at 422-7257 by November 25 to place an order or for information. Peter Fels, a Pendleton attorney, has been appointed to the Sixth Judicial District of the Oregon District Court, representing Umatilla and Morrow Counties. Fels, who was appointed by Governor Barbara Roberts will replace Judge Ralph Currin, who retires on December 31. Fels, 41, is the regional director of Oregon Legal Services Corpora tion in Pendleton and a pro-tern judge of the Tribal Court of the Con federated Tribes of the Umatilla In dian Reservation. “ I’m delighted to add Peter to the district court,” Governor Roberts said. “ Peter has the intelligence and integrity to do a great job. In addi tion. he speaks fluent Spanish, which will be a great asset.” Fels received his J.D. from the University of Oregon School of Law in 1978, and has practiced law in eastern Oregon since graduation. He has extensive experience in farm worker and Native American law, said a news release from Gov. Roberts. Fels was appointed by U.S. District Court Judge James Redden to the Umatilla County Jail Monitor ing Committee in 1990. He also serves on the Umatilla County Juvenile and Youth Services Com mission, the Great Start Advisory Com mittee, and the National Lawyers Guild. Fels co-founded the Affordable Housing Development Forum to create improve and main tain housing for low-income persons in Umatilla and Morrow Counties. Fels was one of four interviewed for the position. He received 13 votes in the bar poll, which polled area lawyers as to who should be ap- pointed to fill Currin's spot on the district court. Hermiston attorney Garry Reynolds received 27 votes in the bar poll, the most out of the seven attorneys seeking the appointment. Currin, 75, who is retiring because of state age limitations, had been accused of deciding the fate of traffic cases by flipping a coin. Fels, along with Morrow County DA Jeff Wallace and Heppner at torney Ann Spicer has indicated that he will run for the judge's position in May. Other candidates are Dennis Doherty, former Morrow County DA and presently a Hermiston at torney. Wallace Terry, director of the public defenders office in Pendleton; John Smallmon, former district judge from Hermiston and Steve Fogelson. a District Attorney for Umatilla County in Pendleton. AUTO LOANS Best Rates around Come see us today! R OF----- ------- £5^°^ 858 ~Yrmr \n6rptndem Horn* 0 *mt4 Bank ” *• 7* -v y - • ’
