T
PESSIE
WE T Z E L L
U OF GRE
N E W S P A r R
r. «. M r •• r
n O
lone family all in it together
L l 8
o 7 4 o ■»
HEPPNER
schooling, Rick will have a
bachelor of science degree in
liberal studies in business and
psychology.
“We're going to go in debt,"
said Rick. "It's extremely scary
for someone who lived in a
lunch pail all of his life. But the
time was right." “We would
have postponed it a year if
Lynde wanted to stay," added
Pam. Both Rick and Pam agree
that completing their education
will enable them to have more
rewarding and interesting
careers. “ We'd like to come
back here," said Pam "But it
depends on where the jobs
are."
The family also agrees that
their spirituality is a big part of
what keeps them going. “ If it
wasn't for our spirituality, we
wouldn't be able to make this
m o v e,''
added
Lynde.
“ There's nothing else to fall
back on. In 1991 when Rick
went back to BMCC the Bisbee
Fund at All Saints Episcopal
Church, of which the Minsters
are members, offset the cost of
transportation.
The Minsters' biggest regret
is that Crystal isn't going to go
to Eastern with the rest of the
family. "I wish Crystal was go
ing with u s," said Pam. “ But
it's going to be fun having
Lynde."
Crystal says that its fun hav
ing parents who are also in col
lege. “ I'd call and complain
about a test," laughs Crystal.
“ And they'd say, 'I had one of
those.' There's no pressure
about grades. They're like my
friends."
"O ur kids have been very
supportive," adds Pam. “ It's
fun being in it together. It's go
ing to be an exciting year."
The Minster family (L-R): Rick, Lynde, Crystal and Pam
unes
VOL. 114______ NO. 37______ 8 Pages Wednesday, August 30, 1995,______ Morrow County Heppner, Oregon
Yes vote will fund school activities
By April Hllton-Sykes
Ballots will be mailed this
Thursday, Aug. 31, to ask
voters' approval on a Morrow
County Unified Recreation
District three-year serial levy at
$450,000 per year.
Ballots must be returned to
the Morrow County Cour
thouse by Tuesday, Sept. 19, at
8 p.m.
If passed, the levy will fund
all school sports and co-
curricular activities, such as
drama and other school clubs.
If the levy fails, all school co-
curricular activities county
wide will end after the fall
quarter.
The recreation district's serial
levy tax rate is estimated at 53
cents per thousand dollars of
valuation. A homeowner with
a $50 thousand home will pay
$26.50 a year; a business owner
with a $200. thousand business
will pay $106 a year; a farmer
with a $1 million farm will pay
$530 a year.
According to Morrow Coun
ty Assessor Greg Sweek,
utilities pay approximately
57.86 percent of the tax burden
in Morrow County, farm
owners approximately 16.33
percent; homeowners around
12.38 percent; industry around
10.64 percent; businesses
around 2.4 percent; and forest
owners around .39 percent.
The Morrow County Recrea
tion District was created by
concerned parents and other
individuals following the Mor
row County School District's
decision to eliminate school
sports and other co-curricular
activities from the school
district budget because of
budget shortfalls. The school
district now receives less
money from the state than in
previous years because of Ballot
Measure 5 and a revised state
school funding formula. Ballot
Measure 5 reduces school
districts' taxing limit to $5 per
thousand assessed valuation
for the 1995-% school year. All
other governm ent taxing
authority is limited to $10 per
thousand combined. While the
tax rate is the same for rural
residents as it is for city
dwellers, city residents in Mor
row County have reached their
$10 per thousand cap and will
not see an increase in taxes.
In addition to cutting sports
and co-curricular activities from
the school district budget, the
school district also took other
money saving m easures—
cutting teachers, eliminating
some educational programs,
moving to a four-day student
week, trimming the food ser
vice budget and consolidating
Heppner junior and senior
high schools.
The school district says if the
recreation district levy passes,
the school district and the
recreation district will form an
intergovernmental agreement.
The school district will run the
co-curricular programs, pro
viding staff, equipment and
transportation, and then bill the
recreation district for expenses
as specified in the agreement.
Each student participating in
sports or other activities will
still pay $50 per activity up to
$150 per student or $200 per
family a year to participate. The
pay-to-participate monies and
gate receipts will offset the
recreation district budget.
The recreation district will
also provide community ac
tivities and is seeking input to
identify the activities desired by
the communities.
Supporters of the recreation
district say that a vote for the
serial levy is a way to return
local control that was taken
away with the passage of
measure 5. They also stress the
importance of co-curricular ac
tivities for the physical, mental
and social well-being of our
youth. “ Some kids sole pur
pose in staying in school is for
sports, drama or musical per
formance,” said Cyde Estes,
Morrow County Unified
Recreation District represen
tative from the Heppner area.
Morrow County School
Superintendent Chuck Starr
echoed that sentiment, saying,
“ There is no question that our
co-curricular program con
tributes educationally. It (the
co-curricular program) is a
laboratory for many things we
teach." Starr went on to say
that co-curricular programs are
a microcosm of society,
teachingVompetition, the value
of preparation, and teamwork.
Starr added that the activities
teach “ not only how to prepare
to win, but how to accept los
ing."
Supporters also stress the im
portance of school activities to
the communities. School foot
ball or basketball games or
school plays, for example, are
a vital part of small com
munities with few other oppor
tunities for entertainment.
Rick Minster, Morrow Coun
ty Unified Recreation District
representative from the Ione-
Lexington area, said that while
in previous years it may have
been possible for communities
to support their schools' co-
curricular programs on their
own, the cost for funding is
prohibitive. “ Historically peo
ple that contribute, can't keep
contributing year after year,"
said Minster.
According to Estes, the sports
programs must be continued
through the schools in order to
be recognized by the Oregon
School Athletics Association.
She said that without member
ship in the OSAA there would
be no district or state sports
playoff tournaments.
New area code to begin Nov. 5
Oregon telephone customers
outside of the Portland area will
have a new area code, 541,
beginning November 5.
To ease the transition, callers
may use either the current 503
code or the new one through
June 30, 19%. After that date,
the new 541 area code must be
used or the call will not go
through.
Like many area codes around
the country created recently to
deal with an extraordinary
demade for service. Oregon's
new area code features a dif
ferent format, a middle digit
other than “0“ or “ 1“ .
Certain business customers
may need to reprogram or
upgrade their PBX, electronic
telephone sets, auto-dialers or
other specialized systems and
should consult their equipment
vendor or agent about specific
requirements and capabilities.
Now is a good time to sug
gest to those who call you from
outside your local area to check
with their own long distance
company, local phone com
pany and telecommunications
equipment or service providers
to confirm whether calls to 541
can be completed, said a news
release from US West.
M an cited for
church damage
Richard Ellis Pettyjohn, 37,
Heppner, was cited for failure
to perform duties of a driver
and property damage in con
nection with an incident at the
Church of the Latter-Day Saints
in Lexington.
According to a Morrow
County Sheriff's report, a vehi
cle had run into the Mormon
church, tearing up the yard and
fencing.
By April Hllton-Sykes
The family then moved to
Most families are anxious for
Moses Lake, WA, where Rick
school to start. The Minster
eventually became an in
family of lone is no exception.
surance agent for Farmer's In
But in their instance it's not just
surance. In the meantime, he
the kids who are going back to
worked at a series of jobs-for
school. Mom and dad are off to
a circle irrigation company put
college too.
ting up circles, for a construc
Rick and Pam Minster and
tion outfit building potato
their daughters, Crystal and
sheds, and for a private con
Lynde, will all be enrolling in tractor helping build houses.
college this fall. The elder Their second daughter, Lynde
Minsters will be renting out was bom in 1977 in Wenatchee,
their home near lone and will WA.
live in an apartment at ,
In 1978, the family was back
LaGrande with their younger in the lone area visiting friends
daughter.
when they spoke to long time
Crystal, 20, a 1993 graduate area resident Walter Jepsen,
of lone High School, is enroll now deceased. When Jepsen
told them he was ready to sell
ed at the Inter-Collegiate Nur
his place, Pam said, ''We'll take
sing Education Center at
it," and the family returned to
Spokane, WA, which is af
Morrow County. After their
filiated with Washington State
return, Rick worked for Eric
University. She attended Gon-
Anderson, Dobyn's Pest Con
zaga for a year and a half and
then transferred to Blue Moun trol and Allen Anderson before
tain Community College to get going back to Kinzua in 1988.
her nursing pre-requisite
“ Kinzua was responsible for
classes. Sometimes taking 18-20 me returning back to school,"
credit hours per term, Crystal said Rick. “The management
had an education policy where
qualified for the president's list.
’She also obtained her certified they would pay books and tui
nurse's aide training at BMCC. tion. Kinzua was a good
Crystal will go on for her organization to work for. They
bachelor of science degree in were very supportive. I
nursing and then will put in wouldn't have done it without
another two years to become a i their support.'' Rick was work-
: j
; J ‘ (T
nurse practicioner.
ing swing shift at the time, so
Lynde, 17, is skipping her he drove back and forth to
senior year at lone High School BMCC at Pendleton five days
to enter college at Eastern a week for four terms to finish
Oregon State College at his college algebra classes. He
LaGrande. In addition to a high received his associate of arts
grade-point average and SAT degree in the summer of 1991.
scores, Lynde was required to Pam also took a college algebra
take her GED test, submit an class that summer term.
essay, pass an admissions
Rick's work schedule chang
board and provide letters of ed and he quit college for a
recommendation to be admit while. By then, Pam applied for
ted to college a year early. and received a scholarship from
Besides all of her hard work, the Rural American Scholar
Lynde credits the “ excellent ship Fund. Because of the
high school teachers" at IHS,
scholarship, which covered
especially science and math part-time tuition, she was able
teacher Dale Holland. Lynde to take classes from Eastern at
will be majoring in bio no cost. The first year she took
chemistry with plans for a chemistry at Eastern, but the
career in genetic research.
rest of her classes were at
The college path for Pam, 45,
home. Last year she started
and Rick, 46, was not quite as part-time, but ended up a full
straight. In fact it was time student through an exer-
downright circuitous.
nal degree program. "Pam got
Pam and Rick both grew up up at 4 a.m. and maintained a
in Eugene and attended college 3.87 grade point average," says
for a year before getting mar Rick proudly, adding that his
ried. After they married, they wife is a very organized person.
attended college for another During this time Pam also
year.
worked at lone schools as an
Pam then attended business educational assistant. She has
college and worked in different now reached a point where she
offices. Rick got a job at Lane has to go to school on campus
Plywood.
to finish obtaining her degree
In 1973 they moved to Keck in elementary education with a
Canyon and Rick went to work minor in business. She is tak
for Kinzua Corp. working on ing a year's leave from her job.
the green chain. He then went
Rick went to school last year
to work for a wheat farmer and through the external degree
decided he wanted to become program on a scholarship
a farmer. He began working for through the Job Training Part
Allen Anderson, a wheat nership Act. He left Kinzua
farmer near Olex, and worked during the sale of the mill and
there for a year or two. It was obtained his scholarship
during this time that their first because of his displaced worker
daughter, Crystal, was born.
status. When he finishes his
News deadline
September 1
The Heppner Gazette-Times
will be closed Monday,
September 4, for Labor Day.
The deadline for news items
for next week's paper will be 5
p.m. Friday, September 1.
Electric company
schedules outage
All Columbia Basin Electric
Cooperative customers receiv
ing electric service from the
Bonneville Power Administra
tion Boardman Substation will
be without electric power from
11 p.m. Thursday, August 31 to
6 a.m. Friday, September 1, for
Bonneville Power Administra
tion maintenance.
The following general areas
will be affected: Heppner, lone,
Lexington, Ruggs, Olex, Ce il,
Morgan, Hinton Creek, Will jw
Creek, Rhea Creek, Rock
Creek, Shutler Flat, Lo cer
Willow Creek, Mikkalo, Clem
and Ajax.
GRAIN SEED TREATMENT COATINGS
New Dividend Seed Treat & Pro-sized seed Colarant
Now available 1 gallon container
Vitavax - RTU - Thiram
Smut Control 3 oz.’s to bushel, 2'A gal. units
Morrow County Grain Growers
Lexington 989-8221
1-800-452-7396