Image provided by: Morrow County Museum; Heppner, OR
About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 3, 1993)
Mpa mh M N rrmrm FOUR - Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, November 3, 1993 Local control lost with passage of Measure 1 The Official Newspaper of the City of Heppner and the County of Morrow To the Editor: As I have watched and read the every dollar spent. I feel that if discussion about the proposed the tax is passed, we will be fac sales tax, there are two issues I ed with new agencies to collect and administer those funds, have not heard mentioned. First, by financing all school which will have to be paid for systems at the state level, local from those dollars. In the last few years, we have control of the things we feel are most important will be lost. witnessed the failure of the Policy making and power will w orld’s largest centralized eventually shift to the legislature government. Why should we then and the powerful lobbies that in be in such a hurry to follow the fluence it. That means that Mor example of failure and move row County with only 3000 votes toward centralized control no will come pretty low down on the matter how noble the cause? Yes, education needs support. But, we order of priorities. Secondly, we all recognize that who live in Morrow County are the higher up in the governmen still best suited to decide what tal ladder the money goes, the those needs are and how best to less efficient use of that money support them. Sincerely, the taxpayer gets. We will get less (s) A1 R. Brazell back in educational benefits for Heppner G A Z E T T E - T IM E S U S P S. 240-420 Morrow County’s Home-Owned Weekly Newspaper Published »eekl> and entered as second-class matter at the Post Office at tlepp- ner, Oregon under the Act of March 3, 1874. Second class postage paid at Hepp ner. Oregon. Office at 147 West Willou Street. Telephone (503) 676-4228. Postmaster send address changes to the Heppner Oa/ette-Times, P.O. Box 337, Heppner. Oregon 47836. Subscriptions: $16 in Morrow, Wheeler. Gilliam and Grant Counties; $23 elsewhere. Joyce H u g h es.............................................................Office Manager. Typesetting April H ilton-Svkes.................................................................................News Editor Monique D ev in ................................................................................................Bindery Penni Keersemaker ..........................................................................................Printer Jean Ann T u rn e r......................................................................................Distribution David and April Hilton-Sykes, Publisher Letter to the Editor Board negative, argumentative To the Editor: We stood in the back of the stuffy and crowded board room quietly listening to the bickering. This was our first glimpse at Morrow County School Board politics. We found that members were argumentative and negative towards those in the audience and each other. The simple requests were drug out and argued over. Students who had the initiative to work to reinstate a lost program felt intimidated and put down. Seven students from HHS at tended the October 18 board meeting to request that HHS be allowed to have a dance team for the 1993-94 basketball season. The Heppner High School Dance Team was one of the cuts. Dance team members decided to raise money last year for this year’s season, believing that they would still be able to perform if they raised their own money. They received a $400 donation from Oregon Together, raised $200. and found an'advisor. They also informed the other schools in the county of how they receiv ed the donation and worked for the $200. This was done so that the other schools could follow their example if they wanted money to form a dance team. The board turned down the re quest because they wanted to sup port the administrative position, which is that if one school can't have an activity, no school can have one. We understand that the board would want to support the original plan, but when a group o f students work hard for something positive for our schools, it’s worth the support from the board. Isn’t it possible that in this situation the ad ministrative opinion might be wrong? We believe so. Shouldn't the board exercise the system of checks and balances? They only talk democracy; they don't use it. We are not trying to get this deci sion reversed, we are simply try ing to understand why only two members of the board are willing Does anyone care about patients? to support the positive actions of the students of Heppner High School. The issue of Measure 5 was brought up often at the meeting. Our girls used this as a defense, stating that, as seniors, they were caught in the middle, between the decision to cut certain activities and the creation of a procedure to reinstate them. We believe that when these cuts were made the procedure for reinstatement should have been put into effect. The school board replied by tell ing us we had it better than the younger students who will be hit harder by Measure 5. We realiz ed this fact. The board also said that because of Measure 5, the cuts were made and that was law. They are in the process of com ing up with a procedure to reinstate cut programs if the in terest arises. But for the Heppner dance team this year it is just too bad, because there were no pro cedures in place. We propose in these hard times, which will only get harder with cuts coming into full effect, that if programs can meet the re quirements for reinstatement, the initiators should be praised for their hard work, and not be put down. This situation is enough to make anyone frustrated with the way our school board handles the ever changing and growing needs of our country. We will get nowhere if change is not sup ported by our school board and arguing is not replaced with positive attitudes. We are glad we are seniors so that we won’t have to deal with unclear directions and hard headedness as more and more cuts come our way. Sincerely, (s) Alissa Brownfield Senior class secretary C andis M arshall (s) Senior class treasurer (s) Sara Greenup Student Body business director To the Editor: Five Oregon citizens have died while in the custody of Dam- masch State Hospital since June 1, 1993. Two of them died chok ing on pancakes on the same day. Does anyone care? Dozens of former patients of Dammasch have told me of medical needs undocumented and unmet while at Dammasch Hospital, and of people being chased and tackled during “ take downs” . Is anyone listening? The deaths at Dammasch State Hospital indicate an institution in crisis. Several patients who died would be alive today if staff us ed p roper procedures and recognized signs of serious il lness. But we have a hospital at which 140 of the 300 staff are “ temporary” employees, where doctors and nurses rotate through unfamiliar wards, dealing with people they do not know and whose medical and psychiatric histories are not well documented. I know that administrators at Dammasch care as much as I do that people are suffering needless ly. people whose only “ crime” ios to need a safe and secure place in which to regain their mental health. One of the recent rounds of layoffs cost Dammasch their two doctors of internal medicine. Their concern and anguish will continue, with the “ downsizing” of Dammasch taking two more big bites out of staff in December 1993, and June 1994. There’s lit tle they can do, because one of the options they would like to have “ on the table” isn’t: the planned and funded closure of the Dammash Hospital facility. Why is it not on the table? Cer tainly not because the law or federal policy require large in stitutions for care of individuals. Federal policy, in fact, strongly discourages such institutions, refusing to pay Medicaid reim- iVote for Measure I You Are Invited To Our CHRISTMAS OPEN HOUSE Saturday November 20 9 a.m. - 6 p.m. Refreshments 0 ^ 3 Door Prizes • » Special Savings W ^ M u æ m Diuiq ¿1 7 N o rth M a m 6 7 6 -9 1 5 8 HOURS Mon Fr 8 a m - 6 p m Sal 9 a m 6 p m (pharmacy closes at 1 p m ) „ ] To the Editor: Nobody would dispute the fact that we have entered the informa tion age. As Time magazine has indicated, our children are travel ing down an information highway unknown to us at their age. Sometimes we as parents may have difficulty keeping up with some skills our children are lear ning, skills that will see them suc cessfully into the next decade as they make education, job and life choices. The reality of recent school budget cuts resulting in first grade classrooms of 28 and 29 children and the specter of much deeper cuts to some have prompted some schools to abolish positions not directly tied to classroom teaching. This is resulting in the elimination of some school •) librarians, many of whom have recently undergone advanced training in inform ation technology and are the best prepared to serve the information needs of our children. We as Oregonians take pride in being independent thinkers. With no better alternative before us. how can we not try to solve the crisis facing our schools, and ultimately our children, by voting in favor of Measure 1 and giving the sales tax a fair chance. Sincerely, | ( S ) Richard C Forcier. President Oregon Educational Media Association bursement for any hospital for mental treatment of more than 16 beds. Certainly not because Dam masch is a model facility in which the latest and best practices are possible and delivered. Dam masch is an aging building, designed as a nursing care facili ty and out of date for even that use, which fails to meet current standards for patient privacy, security and therapeutic treatment. Closure is not on the table because o f hidden political realities. The grounds of Dam masch are extremely valuable for residential development (sur rounded by expensive condos) but current state law says that if the land and buildings are sold by the division the proceeds revert to the general fund, giving the division administators no incentive to dispose of land and buildings they think of as assets. In 1992 the unions representing Dammasch employees forced the hospital ad ministrator to withdraw a ten tative plan for closure of Dam masch during the 1993-95 bien nium and in 1993 a family organization forced a hearing to scare legislators and the public about the possible consequences of closure. Replicable models to safely serve the most difficult and frail consumers now at Dammasch already exist in this state. They are not cheap, but they do meet federal standards for medicaid reimbursement. They do provide care that keeps consumers near their families, their communities, their natural supports. Many others are prepared to document the poor care that is currently dispensed at Dammasch and due to continue, if not deteriorate. We are ready to discuss ways to protect both staff and consumers in an orderly pro cess. The administrators of the hospital need public support to break the political deadlock they find themselves in. The public has to care what is happening to its fellow citizens who must live or work at Dammasch. But it seems that no one is listening. And it seems that no one cares. (s) Mary F. Byrkit 8291 Macleay Rd SE Macleay 97301-9071 Library association supports tax To the Editor: The Oregon Library Associa tion supports the sales tax on the Nov. 9 general election ballot, and it urges library users statewide to get behind the measure and work toward its passage. Our association does not nor mally get involved in ballot measures, but providing stable funding for education is an issue of such over-reaching importance that it is clearly not a time to sit on the sidelines. We wouldn’t deny that there is self-interest involved with the library community’s support of the sales tax. If our education system fails to produce life-long readers and seekers of information, libraries will suffer an inevitable decline 1n patrons. And if no replacement revenue is approved and the next phase of Measure 5 cuts is implemented, libraries throughout Oregon will be in serious jeopardy of reduc ed service levels, sooner or later. To be fair, our members are not uniformly enthusiastic about the sales tax. We’re a pretty fair cross-section of Oregonians. Some would have preferred a dif ferent kind of tax, or a different rate or whatever. But we were unanimous in our support of replacement revenue, and that comes down to a yes or no vote on the sales tax. The Oregon Library Associa tion strongly urges a yes vote on Measure 1. Sincerely, (s) Patrick Grace President 2422 G reen St. Philomath, OR 97370 Marriage Licenses Justice Court Report The Justice Court office at the courthouse annex building in Heppner reports handling the following business during the past week: Ronald Allen Nonamaker, 5 1, Salinas, CA-Possession of False ly Applied Deer Tag, $255 fine; Possession of Falsely Applied Resident Combination License, $255 fine; Jerry Eugene Armstrong 35, Salinas, CA.-Illegal Possession of Deer (no valid tag) $375 fine; Possession of a Falsely Applied Deer Tag, $255 fine; Possession of Falsely Applied Resident Combination License, $255 fine; Sean Patrick Harnett, 23, W alla W alla, W A .-K illing Antelope Closed Season, $96 fine. The Morrow County Clerk’s office at the courthouse in Hepp ner reports issuing the following marriage licenses during the past week: O ctober 29: Estanislado Alderete, Jr., 32, Boardman; and Lorena Torres, 23, Boardman. November 2: Francois Zayas, 28, Miami, Florida; and Patricia Cecilia McElligott, 24. Miami, Florida. in the Service Marine Sgt. John Martin, son of Carl and Geri Martin, Hepp ner, was recently promoted to his present rank while serving with Recruit Training Regiment, Marine Corps Recruit Depot, San Diego. Martin, a 1984 graduate of Heppner High School joined the Marine Corps in April 1986. Patricia McElligott & Francois Zayas Wedding - Nov. 6 Jodee Ashbeck & Mark Swanson Wedding - Nov. 27 Yvonne Frost & Keith Morter Wedding - Nov. 27 4 ^ MuWUj'J D awj - 'Heppner 217 N o rth M ain 676-9158 November 18th November Ladies Nite-Dinner at 6 p.m. District Deputy Visitation by Mike Lusk Dining every Fri. and Sat. 6-9 p.m. Elk hunters-bring in your hides. The Vets in hospitals needs the leather te* Heppner Elks 358 676-918! w h en-1 lit mis M e d " 142 N. Main Court Street Market 111 N. Court Heppner 676-9643 GROCERIES - MEATS - PRODUCE prices so Prices good Nov. 3rd - 9th Boneless Beef Roma Tomatoes 49* lb. 39* lb. Flour $|59 ea Oberti Black 53k oz. Christmas Rose or Ribier ;; Grapes lb Western Family 10 lb q Golden Delicious 2 Apples Pot Roast 79* lb. Olives 79* ea Lady Elberta 29 oz. 3 Red Potatoes : Cooks Ham Steak 15* lb • t 4* b Peaches Heinz Ketchup 32 oz * ! * • .. Bumble Bee 6 1/8 oz. Boneless Pork Chops • ! • • ib. Tuna Fish a. Diet Mt Dew or Diet Mug Root Beer Pork Blade Roast *1»*» Pop 6 pk cans h V r T T n T î -T ^ r iT r r r r r T TTTT-TT î T r T ^ T T T T r n T r î T î T r T r r i T î T i -r îT r r i' i -i-i'.-r .-r T T iT n v ï r E ? I
