>
***•*
unzar t»*»
Biological control program underway
U
DiSSI
O F OR E
N E'A'SPAPER
EUGENE
OR
W E T 2 E L L
L I B
9 7 4 0 3
35C
azette
imes
VOL. 111
NO. 24
8 Pages Wednesday, June 24, 1992
Morrow County Heppner, Oregon
Physician’s assistant hired at clinic
looking for a more rural environ
ment when he learned of the
Heppner position through an
agency. He said he also con
sidered a position in Idaho, “ but
this was my favorite. I’d like to
make this my home. I’d like to
shoot an elk,” he added. Besides
hunting, Goodboy has a penchant
for bungee jumping and recently
dove off a crane at the Portland
Rose Festival. While crane jum
ping “ will do” he says he prefers
bridge jum ping and rock
climbing.
Marc Goodboy
Marc Goodboy, of Rochester,
New York, began working at
Pioneer Memorial clinic as a
physician’s assistant on Monday,
June 22.
Goodboy, 25, will assist Drs.
Ed and Jeanne Berretta at the
clinic and at Pioneer Memorial
Hospital. Goodboy graduated
with a bachelor of science degree
in medical science from Temple
University at Philadephia. He
earned a physician’s certification
at Hahnemann Physicians Assis
tant School in Philadelphia last
June.
He has worked the past eight
months as physician’s assistant at
Genessee Hospital and St. Mary’s
Hospital at Rochester, New
York. He will be working as a
“ physician’s extender,” doing
hospital workups and seeing pa
tients under the supervision of a
physician.
Goodboy said that the East
coast is “ too congested” and was
Medical Board discuss Pioneer
Memorial clinic expansion
The Morrow County Medical
Board discussed expansion of
Pioneer Memorial Clinic in
Heppner at its monthly meeting
Monday, June 22.
According to board president
Jackie Bergstrom the proposed
expansion will add three new ex
am rooms and house the offices
of the newly-hired physician’s
assistant, physical therapist,
Sharia Erich, public health nurse
Laura McElligott and possibly
Home Health director Molly
Rhea
and
Bob
C lark,
psychologist, in addition to physi
cians Ed and Jeanne Berretta. The
public health office is currently
located at the Pettyjohn Building
and Home Health office and Bob
Clark’s offices are at Pioneer
Memorial Hospital.
Bergstrom said that the addition
will be of wood construction and
will also have a basement. She
said that the addition will
“ hopefully generate enough in
Irrigon nine-year old struck
and killed by pickup
A nine-year-old girl Sara
Erickson, Irrigon, died as a result
of injuries suffered when she and
a friend were hit by a pickup
truck on Friday, June 19.
Sara and her friend Tara Dirks
were on their bicycles when they
were struck around 1 p.m. by a
pickup driven by Benito Ramirez,
76, Irrigon. The girls were stop
ped on their bicycles on Division
Street near the California Street
intersection.
According to reports, Sara had
apparently bent over to put her
shoe on when she was struck and
thrown into the other g irl.. Sara
was airlifted to the Oregon Health
Sciences University in Portland,
arriving shortly after 6 p.m. She
died at 11:45 p.m. according to
a hospital spokesperson. Her in
juries included a compound
depressed skull fracture, a broken
leg and broken pelvis. Tana was
transported to a hospital where
she was treated and released.
Police so far do not believe that
alcohol or excessive speed were
Goodboy said that he had
traveled on the West coast several
times but had never been to
Heppner except for the job inter
view. He is orginally from Pitt
sburgh. Heppner, at 1,400 peo
ple is quite a change for Good
boy. Rochester has a population
around one m illion and
Philadelphia’s population is
around eight m illion. The
emergency room at Rochester
saw between 50 and 70 thousand
patients a year.
involved in the accident, accor
ding to Morrow County Under-
sheriff Verlin Denton. The acci
dent is still under investigation,
but no citations have been issued
at presstime.
According to Denton, an of
ficer said that there was a dip in
the road which may have conceal
ed the children somewhat. A
witness said he didn’t think the
driver saw the children until it
was too late, said Denton.
Sara was the daughter of Lloyd
and Rita Erickson, Irrigon.
Funeral services were Tuesday,
June 23 at the Columbia View
Community Church in Irrigon.
come to pay for itself.” Target
date for completion is November.
Peter Baer of Bend is architect.
In other business the board:
* discussed a new insurance
proposal for hospital employees;
* reviewed financial reports;
* discussed a new payment col
lection system which would tie
overdue accounts into a bank.
Bergstrom said that the bank
would pay the hospital and clients
with overdue accounts would
make arrangements to pay the
bank;
* instructed PMH director
Kevin Erich to renew the board’s
contract with Dr. Robert Boss,
who operates a clinic in
Boardman;
* approved a 60-day extension
on the contract with Drs. Berret
ta in order to complete contract
details; and
* elected officers. Bergstrom
will remain president, Paul
Sumner, vice-president and Bill
Sheirbon secretary.
State requirement snags library district
M orrow County officials
received word last week from the
Oregon Department of Revenue
that a little known provision of
Oregon Law requires newly
formed library district boundaries
to be filed within the Department
of Revenue prior to March 31.
The result of this ruling is that
the county assessor is not allow
ed to place the $140,684 on the
district’s tax roll until the 1993-94
tax year.
County officials and library
proponents were caught off guard
by this requirement since there is
no mention of the provisions in
the statutes under “ the formations
of library districts” nor is there
reference to the requirement in
ORS Chapter under “ Assessment
of Property for Taxation.” Coun
ty Judge Louis Carlson noted that
at least one other district and
several annexations have run in-
M orter earns 4-H nomination
Nancy M orter, lone, is
Oregon’s nominee for one of four
trips to the 1992 National 4-H
Congress next fall, reports Bill
Broderick, Oregon State Univer
sity Extension agent in Morrow
County.
Morter, daughter of Perry and
Kathy Morter, was nominated for
the honor on the basis of her
overall 4-H record and personal
interview. The trips, arranged by
the National 4-H Council, are
sponsored by Friends of National
4-H Council.
The 1992 graduate of lone
High School plans to attend
M ethodist to honor Etchisons
Rev. Gerry Etchison and his
family will be honored by the
United Methodist Women during
a coffee time June 28 following
worship. This will be the Et
chisons' last Sunday in Heppner
as they are moving to Union on
The Morrow County Weed
Control District, the Oregon
Department of Agriculture and
the Agriculture Research Service
at Bozeman, Montana, are join
ing forces to control knapweed in
Morrow County. Instead of
chemicals, they are using a tiny
little weevil native to Greece.
According to Eric Coombs,
biological control entomologist
with the ODA in Salem,
knapweed is also originally from
the Mediterranean. The weed was
spread to the U.S. by immigra
tion, but during that process, the
knapweed’s natural enemies were
left behind and the weed was able
to proliferate, much to the distress
of area ranchers and farmers.
Mary Mayer, biological techni
cian with the ARS at Bozeman,
said that while the seed head
weevil w on’t com pletely
eliminate the knapweed, it will
control it.
Coombs said that biological
control is perfectly suited for the
rangeland in Morrow County
because spraying such an area
with chemicals is cost prohibitive.
While biological control may take Dave Pranger (back), (l-r) ARS lab technician Scott Barndt, Eric
10 to 20 years, it has proven to Coombs and Mary Mayer set up insect cage.
be very effective. Dave Pranger will be tested on knapweed on the tion will increase as long as there
of the Weed Control District sites Claude and Happy Graham place are no natural enemies. Mayer
the effectiveness of using the cin several miles out of Heppner, will said the insect has over wintered
nabar moth and the ragwort flea be set out in cages that will be successfully in the severe winters
beetle in controlling tansy staked to the ground. According of Montana.
While the cost of such a study
ragwort which was a severe pro to Mayer, the test will include
may seem excessive--$200,000 to
blem in the western part of the control cages, and several test
state. Research is now being con cages-some of which will include $500,000 from the time research
begins in a foreign countgry, it
ducted on with a root-boring bee seed head flies which have
tle on knapweed and a defoliating already been introduced. Pranger cannot compare to the cost of get
said that his tests have shown that ting a chemical label, said
moth on poison hemlock.
around
50 percent of the seed
Pranger. “ For each dollar spent,
Before an insect is even im
heads
have
already
been
infested
the
savings is around $6,” add
ported to the U.S., extensive
by
flies
and
only
25
percent
are
ed
Coombs,
who is involved in
testing in the bug’s native coun
try eliminates the possibility that producing seed. Twenty four testing at around 700 sites in
it would switch plants after the cages will be set out, four sets of Oregon.
After research is completed,
napweed is controlled. In effect, six combinations, a control cage
with
no
bugs,
a
cage
with
flies
follow-up
is crucial, said
said Coombs, the insect would
alone,
two
cages
each
with
flies
Coombs.
“
Because
if we control
choose to die out rather than
and
one
beetle
and
two
cages
each
one
weed
it
will
be
replaced by
switch host plants. He said that
with
one
beetle
alone.
another
w
eed
,”
he said.
once the knapweed population is
The
beetle
destroys
the
plant
by
Overgrazing,
crop
rotation,
type
lessened the insect population
laying
its
eggs
on
a
leaf.
The
lar
of
soil,
type
of
animals
on
the
would be lessened too, but if the
land, chemicals and placement of
plant population increases so vae then migrate through the stem
water are all part of an integrated
would the insect. The insects are and emerge at the seed head
which
they
devour.
It
will
take
pest
management model,” said
cleaned and inspected before
around
three
to
five
years
for
the
Pranger.
Pranger will map out
leaving their native country so
insect
population
to
increase
knapweed
locations on a com
that all of their natural enemies
enough
to
be
harvested
and
puter
and
computerize
the results
are left at home.
released.
The
insect
will
over
of
the
study.
This
study
is one of
The seed head weevil, which
winter in the soil and the popula the first being conducted in
Oregon.
July 1.
The Rev. Robert Dowrey will
lead his first worship service in
Heppner on July 5. Sunday wor
ship service begins at 10:30 a.m.
Everyone is invited to attend.
Washington State University to
study animal science.
A 4-H member for nine years,
Morter has had a variety of 4-H
projects including foods,
clothing, beef, sheep, swine and
tole painting. She has been a club
officer, camp counselor and
junior 4-H leader.
In schol, Morter was active in
sports and served as a PEER
helper. Her study and use of dairy
foods in her 4-H foods and nutri
tion work brought her the
nomination.
to the same problem this year.
In the past, districts running in
to the ORS 308.225 tripwire have
been fortunate enough to do it in
a year when the legislature was
in session. The statehouse has
routinely solved those individual
problems by special legislation
but has never provided a general
solution.
Further com plicating the
district formation was the require
ment that the boundaries of the
library district had to be in the
hands of the department of
revenue even before the district
was approved by the voters of
Morrow County.
A task force composed of two
county commissioners and two
members of the Oregon Trail
Library District Board of Direc
tors met last Thursday afternoon
to deal with the problem. Recom
mendations met last Thursday
afternoon to deal with the pro
blem. Recommendations to the
task force included requesting
Governor Roberts to place on the
agenda of the special legislative
session in July, an amendment to
Oregon Law clarifying the
“ vague interpretation” of the
ORS Chapter dealing with special
district formations.
Under Oregon Law, the gover
ning body or county court is
responsible for complying with
the provisions of the district for
mation. Judge Carlson said that
“ the court is clearly responsible
for this error even though coun
ty legal counsel as well as legal
counsel for the library district
failed to catch the vagueness of
the law.”
In the meantime, the task force
is developing an interim financ
ing plan to keep the libraries open
and functional until a resolution
to the problem is completed.
County receives road funds
The Oregon Transportation
Com m ission approved the
distribution of $500,000 in state
highway funds to four Eastern
O regon counties: M orrow,
Gilliam, Sherman and Malheur,
recently.
The funding by the Oregon
Department of Transportation is
the first ever under a new special
county program. It was enacted
by the last Legislature to compen
sate counties receiving the lowest
road revenues per equivalent road
mile. Under the program ,
$500,000 will be distributed on
July 1 and another $500,000 on
January 1.
Gilliam County will receive the
most from the distribution with
$238,614.40, followed by Sher
man with $149,450.62, Malheur
with $69,094.28 and Morrow
with $42,840.70.
The funds are placed in a
special account administered by
ODOT to be used by the counties
for local road projects.
Loans For All Reasons
Loans For All Seasons
nANK or
D 12 a ste rn O reqon
Arlington • Heppner • lone
) m tt h k h /k 'tk lc tit H tk tu O sw h'tl Htnik