Image provided by: Morrow County Museum; Heppner, OR
About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (March 15, 1995)
TV personality to perform in Heppner HEPPNER 50 < te imes VOL. 114 NO. 11 Dallas McKennon Radio, television, motion pic ture and cartoon personality Dallas McKennon will descend on Heppner for the annual St. Patrick's weekend celebration. McKennon will intersperse his own show with scenes of "Erin Came to Morrow Coun ty” , a play written by Hepp- n er's own Jane Rawlins. McKennon will be in the play's bar and church scenes and will narrate for the production scheduled Saturday, March 18, at 7:30 p.m. at the Heppner Junior High School auditorium. McKennon is a veteran actor who had parts in several movies, including "The Birds", "Clambake" and the "Seven Faces of Dr. Lao", and televi sion shows, "Daniel Boone", "Wagon Train", "Gunsmoke" "Rifleman", "Bonanza", "Big Valley", "Ben Casey", "Dick Van Dyke" and "M y Three Sons". He has done the voices for many Walt Disney, Walter Lanz, Will Vinton, Filmation and Gumby cartoons. McKen non also did the voices for the Kellogg Rooster, the original Tony the Tiger, the Kleenex sneeze and Snap, Crackle and Pop. He also has many record albums, musicals, theater pro ductions, commercials and theme park voices and songs to his credit. McKennon and his wife, Bet ty, live near Haystack Rock at Cannon Beach. They have eight children and 18 grand children. McKennon says that he first performed in the area for a Lex ington Grange function as a favor to a friend in Baker City, whose cousin is Delpha Jones of Lexington. McKennon says that his decision to come to this year's event was influenced by his love of "anything with heritage", his meeting with Jane Rawlins and Claudia Hughes and local musicians Sharia Erich and Bob Sagely. McKennon's wife and his daughter, Gayle, from Hyan- nis, Mass., will accompany him. He will also be singing on the KUMA coffee hour Satur day morning. 10 Pages Wednesday, March 15, 1995.______ Morrow County Heppner, Oregon How budget committee works School district to contract bus services The Morrow County School Board, at their regular meeting March 13, voted to negotiate a contract with Mid-Columbia Bus Company for district-wide bus services. Mid-Columbia's bid for bus services with $5 million in surance was $655,390, a $69,804 savings over the district's bus services proposal of $725,194. According to Shirley Landauer, business manager, the district estimates its costs for providing bus services at $1.957 per mile. Mid Columbia bid $1.74. Mid Columbia provided an alternative bid with $2 million in insurance for a total cost of $629,162. This plan would pro duce a savings of over $96,000. High bidder was School Bus Services, Inc. with an estimated cost of $1.82 per mile. This op tion would have saved over $50,000. A third company, Mayflower, which had indica ted interest, did not submit a bid. Morrow County School Dis trict bus drivers expressed dissatisfaction with the board's decision, commenting that the company that they preferred, Mayflower, said that they did not have enough time to pro perly submit a bid. However, Superintendent Chuck Starr said that Mayflower did not re quest an extension for submit ting proposals. Bus driver Rita Britt said that Mayflower offered the drivers the best benefit package and added that many of the drivers work for the benefits, not the wages. "If I have no benefits, it's not worth it for me to drive," she said. The board decided to go ahead with contracting bus ser vices because of the amount of money saved. Commented board member Gary Frederick- son, "All the districts around us have gone to contracting and there's a reason. They're sav ing money. If you can save close to $100,000, the only question is, why didn't we do this sooner?" Other districts contracting with Mid Columbia include Condon, Umatilla, Fossil, Sher man Co., Rufus, Pendleton, LaGrande, Union Co., Milton- Freewater, Long Creek, Elgin, Athena-Weston and Stanfield, according to Landauer. Landauer said that the dis trict specified that all current bus drivers be rehired by the contractor if the drivers choose to be. Landauer said that the dis trict won't sign a contract with Mid Columbia until after nego tiations with the classified employees bargaining unit. In other business, the board: -approved a four-day student week for next year, with board members Bill Doherty, John Rietmann and Dwayne Carrol voting against the four-day week and board members Scott Bauska, Molly Rill, Marcia Kemp and Gary Frederickson voting in favor; -approved a 1995-96 school calendar which will have students starting school on August 28, with Christmas break beginning Dec. 21 and school ending May 30; -approved resignations of Lois Conner, Riverside High School assistant cook, effective March 1; Krysta Marlow, A. C. Houghton Elementary Chapter I educational assistant position, effective March 16; Fred Jac quot, fifth grade teacher at Sam Boardman Elementary, effec tive June 9; Nancy Ekstrom, lone School bus driver, effec tive March 10; -approved transfer of Barbara Broadbent, assistant cook at SBE to assistant cook at RHS, replacing Lois Conner; -approved employment of Nancy Ekstrom, lone assistant custodian/laundry person, replacing Anne Bedortha; -accepted the following dona tions: ice machine at Riverside High School from Don Russell and the Booster Club; batting cage materials at RHS from the Fredericksons, Phillipis, Hux- olls, Jim Lunders, Bobby Zahm, Tim Griffin, Dean Mason and the Northwest Metal Fabrica tors; -heard a report from Sam Boardman Elementary School students; -approved a field trip request for two Heppner High School marine biology students; -learned that the proposed Olex annexation into several school districts has been cancelled by Olex; -authorized Outdoor School for all sixth grade students; -accepted a bid for asbestos removal from low bidder Lin coln Cristi, Inc., for $28,473; -set a special board meeting for action on the bond issue election results for March 29 at 7:30 p.m. at the district office; -heard of the following scheduled events March 16, creating the future leadership team workshop, district office, 8:30 p.m.; March 20-24, spring vacation; March 27, budget committee work session, lone High School, 7:30 p.m.; March 28, election day; March 29, special board meeting, district office, 7:30 p.m.; April 3, budget committee meeting, budget and budget message presented, district office, 7:30 p.m.; April 6, parent/teacher/ student conferences, 5 to 9 p.m.; April 7, conferences, morning; April 10, regular meeting; -approved employment of probationary teachers-Vicki Broden, third year, Heppner Elementary, Nancy Swarat, third, Heppner High School; Tom Logan, first, Jim Raible and Kellev Swarat, third, lone School; ACH, two first, one third; Columbia Junior High- three first, two second, three third; RHS six first, two se cond, three third; SBE two se cond, three third. PMH to install X-ray equipment Pioneer Memorial Hospital will be installing new X-ray equipment during the next two weeks. "T he hospital ap preciates everyones patience during this inconvenience," said a spokesperson. X-rays will still be offered throughout the transition period. Grand jury to consider embezzlement case The Morrow County Grand Jury Wednesday, March 15, was to consider a case of alleg ed embezzlement from the Heppner Day Care Center. The case was brought by the Mor row County District Attorney against day care director Kathy Tellechea. According to Morrow Coun ty DA Earl Woods, it is alleged that Tellechea embezzled ap proximately $2,400 from Hepp ner Day Care accounts during her employment at the day care center over the last two years. Woods said that an ongoing in vestigation is underway to determine if any other sums were taken from the center. By Chuck Starr, superintendent of Morrow County Schools In a recent editorial appear ing in the "North Morrow Tim es," the writer questioned the school district's budgeting process and criticized lack of specific 1995-96 budget infor mation available for public evaluation at the February 27 special budget committee work session. Can you explain your budget committee process and , timelines and can you tell us why more specific information wasn't available February 27? First of all, let me review the purpose of the meeting held on February 27 at Sam Boardman Elementary. That meeting was designed to be an informational meeting to provide the budget committee and the public "big picture" projections on re sources, budget requirements, and recommended cuts for the next three years. It was design ed to begin a public discussion of these projections that will lead to recommendations for the budget committee to con sider as they, and ultimately the school board, make these critical decisions over the next two months. It was never in tended as a meeting to present the "budget message" and the specific 1995-96 budget docu ment. That meeting will be April 3, at the district office, at 7:30 p.m. We have scheduled a second special budget committee work session on Monday, March 27, at the lone School cafeteria, at 7:30 p.m. This meeting will be very much like the first meeting. I will provide updated resource projections, and do my best to answer questions generated from the February meeting, as well as questions that come up that night. Members of the public are en couraged to do the following: 1. Come to the district office, or go to any of our schools and review our 1994-95 budget document. If there is anything that you don't understand, please ask. 2. Attend the March 27 meeting, ask questions and St. P at’s schedule pg. 3 provide suggestions that you budget committee work ses think will help the district make sion, lone Cafeteria at 7:30 the best decisions for the p.m.; April 3, budget commit tee meeting for presentation of future. 3. Attend the April 3 the budget message and the meeting, hear the budget proposed 1995-96 budget, message, and see the specifics district office at 7:30 p.m.; April of the proposed 1995-% budget 17, second budget committee document. Provide additional meeting, location to be an nounced; May 1, third budget input. To help you plan for upcom committee meeting, location to ing meetings related to the be announced; May 15, fourth budget process, I encourage budget committee meeting, if you to mark your calendar with needed; June 12, budget hear the following: March 27, special ing at Riverside High 7 p.m. Find The Hidden Shamrock Win Silver Medallions The popular St. Patrick's Day treasure hunt is back again. Each week until March 15 a clue for the treasure hunt will be printed in the Gazette-Times. If followed these clues will guide treasure hunters to a green shamrock hidden somewhere in the city limits of Heppner. The first person to find the hidden shamrock will win a set of pure silver Oregon Trail Commemorative medallions worth over $90. The coins are donated by the Bank of Eastern Oregon and are on display at the bank. Find this Shamrock... and win these silver coins RULES: 1. A new set of clues to guide you to the hidden shamrock will appear in each edition of the Heppner Gazette-Times. 2. A total of five clues will be given up to March 15. 3. The hidden shamrock is not on private property and no digging or moving of objects, dirt or other materials is necessary to find the shamrock. 4. The first person to find the shamrock should bring it to the Heppner Gazette-Times office to claim the commem orative silver medallions. Last Clue From last week An address told On a street where justice doled Near a house where no one sleeps On a crane where no one eats Above andiron I wait for you Come and get me, and make it soon! Follow the clues and may the luck of the Irish be with you. This contest is sponsored by the Bank of Eastern Oregon and the Hepp ner Gazette-Times Big Fencing Sale See our ad inside Morrow County Grain Growers Lexington 989-8221 1-800-452-7396
