EIGHT - Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, August 14, 1996
Ron W yden makes Heppner stop School superintendent presents 1995-96 wrap-up
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S enator R on W yden (left) ta lks w ith H ep pn er M ayor Bob Je pse n
Senator Ron Wyden spent a
day in Heppner listening to ci
ty and county officials and
other citizens.
"Iprom ised in my campaign
to visit every county in Oregon
during my term,” he said at the
informal gathering of Morrow
County Health District officials
and hospital staff. "And I want
to bridge the gap between
eastern and western Oregon
and so I began, symbolically I
think, with Wheeler County,
the smallest in our state.”
Wyden invited everyone pre
sent to ask a question and tell
of their involvement with rural
health. "Educate m e," he said.
"Tell me how it is working or
not working for you out here."
He also noted that a US
Senator has never set up an of
fice east of Salem. His offices
are in Salem, Bend, Medford
and La Grande as well as
Portland. "Rural Oregon will
have more offices than any
other part of the state," he
added.
Among the issues raised by
members of the health district
were Medicare and Medicaid
reimbursements. The reim
bursements make up a large
share of the hospital income
and with a current bill on the
table proposing a $270 billion
cut in actual Medicaid spending
many fear the worst. Rural
hospitals especially feel it, ex
plained Kevin Erich, Pioneer
Memorial Hospital administrat
or.
Senator Wyden agreed that a
major cut in Medicare and
Medicaid spending would be
detrimental to rural hospitals
and said that the bill, though
proposed, is not yet passed. He
also noted that many believe a
cut of $100 billion would be
possible. "I want to save in
Medicare in a way that will
work for patients, providers,
taxpayers, and hospitals," he
said.
Also mentioned were issues
of rural home health transpor
tation which is currently not
reimbursed by Medicare and
Medicaid.
Dr. Ed Berretta noted the
need for aid to rural physicians
to help guard from burn-out
and give them needed breaks.
He noted the National Health
Service Corp., which may soon
be able to provide physicians to
rural areas for periods of time.
"A precedent for this type of
service has been set in North
Carolina," said Dr. Berretta.
Senator Wyden requested
more information from Dr. Ber
retta and expressed his interest
in a program of this sort for
Oregon rural physicians.
At the town hall meeting
later in the day, the senator met
with nearly 20 citizens at St.
Patrick's Senior Center. He was
asked to consider the resources
of Morrow County's geogra
phically diverse area, as well as
affordable housing for middle
income buyers and education.
Morrow County assessor
Greg Sweek was on hand and
asked the senator where rural
areas can benefit from the re
cently passed Telecommunica
tions Deregulation bill. "A s far
as I can see it hasn't helped us
very much," Sweek noted.
"O ur telephone service has
been sold to a smaller company
providing less service and
many Internet services are long
distance. Where do we fit into
the nation's telecommunication
network?"
Wyden responded that he
sits on the communications
committee and requested a
statement of what services
Morrow County presently has.
"I want to see what you have
now and compare it to the bill
to see if there are more benefits
there for you," he said.
"I also would like to see the
people of Oregon rally together
and make this the next Oregon
Trail," he said. "We need to
come together to make sure
that every part of the state has
access to long-distance learn
ing, the Internet and all that is
available there.”
When asked about the pen
ding Clean Streams Initiative,
the Senator responded that
"...th is doesn't look like the
way to solve the problem. We
need to work together and I am
very hopeful before the No
vember election an alternative
plan can be developed that will
be backed by agriculture, the
scientific community and
responsible environmental
ists."
Senator Wyden cited a simi
lar alliance which took place in
Coos County when fishermen
were confronted with threaten
ing proposals. "All the agencies
got together and made a plan
that was acceptable."
"M y job is to give you some
tools to aid you in building on
what you have here in this
bountiful area," he said in
closing.
Wyden's office is located at
105 Fir Street 210, La Grande,
OR 97850, phone 541-962-7691.
Schools seek
special needs
students
Schools in Morrow and Uma
tilla counties are attempting to
locate all persons up to age 21
not enrolled in school who may
have special needs due to con
cerns with hearing, vision,
speech, language, health,
nutrition, learning, develop
mental delay, transportation,
behavior management, mental
retardation, birth defects, or
thopedic or spinal problems,
autism or other disabilities.
Anyone who knows of any
child who may need special
education services due to any
of these conditions is asked to
contact Morrow County School
District, 270 W. Main, Box 368,
Lexington, OR 97839; 989-8202,
or call the Umatilla-Morrow
School Resource and Referral,
1-800-927-5847.
50th W edding A nniuersary
Open House Reception for
Bob & Aloha DeSpain
Saturday, August 2 4 , 2*5 p.m.
All Saints Episcopal Church
Morrow County School
District (MCSD) superinten
dent Chuck Starr presented a
wrap-up of the 1995-% school
year at a recent MCSD board
meeting. "The positives far
outweighed the negatives for
the MCSD in the 1995-% school
year," said Starr. "It was a suc
cessful year."
Starr said the district experi
enced two major negative hap
penings during 1995-96-the im
plementation of staffing cuts to
reflect funding resources for the
year, and "the increase in liti
gation by union organizations
over legitimate management
decisions. The increase in litiga
tion was particularily evident in
the issue of contracting trans
portation," said Starr.
Starr also said that although
staffing cuts were made with
minimal impact on programs
for students, they did result in
increased class sizes in Hepp
ner and limited music and art
electives in both Heppner and
lone.
On the "positive side", the
district accomplished the fol
lowing:
-Bond projects are underway
in Irrigon schools and are ready
to start in Boardman;
-A "tremendous" technology
program was funded for im
plementation in 1996-97;
-The Goals 2000 assessment
plan is carrying forward the
work of "The Creating of the
Future Group";
-New curricula and instruc
tional materials were adopted
for students in math, science
and health;
-The district received the sup
port of, and cooperation with,
the Morrow County Unified
Recreation District to provide
co-curricular activities;
-The district moved to con
tracted transportation with Mid
Columbia Bus Company, sav
ing "thousands of dollars" for
other programs;
-Combined efforts have re
sulted in improved funding
position for 1996-97;
-The schools provided
"outstanding education to all
students".
Starr said that "providing
outstanding education to the
students is the most important
positive item in the list for
1995-%. Our schools did a great
job for students."
Starr said that the success of
Morrow County Schools is
demonstrated by the following:
-Students "continue to feel
safe and loved in Morrow
County Schools";
-As confirmed by the Oregon
Dept, of Education, the schools
provide "excellent education
for all students-regular, talent
ed and gifted, special education
and bilingual";
-Site councils "are effective in
planning school im prove
ment";
-The dropout rate has drop
ped from 6.8 percent to 6.0 per
cent and is lower than the
state's 7.4 percent rate;
-The "entire staff is commit
ted to excellence and improve
ment";
-Academic awards assem
blies in all schools "recognize
the majority of the students";
-Athletic programs had suc
cess in all three high schools;
-"Student involvement in
Oregon Student Safety on the
Move (OSSOM) has resulted in
two becoming state officers,"
Hilary Peck, vice-president,
and Lara Fritz, regional repre
sentative for 1996-97, both from
Boardman;
-Graduating seniors "show
that the schools have prepared
them well"-107 seniors earned
$177,000 in scholarships, 29 (27
percent) of the 107 seniors
scored over 1,000 on the SAT
(Scholastic Aptitude Test), and
81 (76 percent) of the 107
seniors plan to enter advanced
training beyond high school (86
percent of Heppner's grad
uates, 100 percent of lone's and
69 percent of Riverside's).
W o rld cham pion cowboys to com pete at OTPR
O te Berry
A llen Bach
Fred W h itfie ld
The Oregon Trail Pro Rodeo,
set at the Morrow County Fair
grounds Friday, Aug. 16 at 7
p.m. and Saturday, Aug. 17 at
1:15 p.m., promises lots of ex
citing rodeo action with big
name cowboys as well as local
favorites.
Cowboys in the Pro Rodeo
Cowboys Association (PRCA)
top 15 standings expected to be
at the OTPR include:
Team ropers Clay O'Brien
Cooper, several times world
champion; Mike Beers, local
favorite and former world
champion; Bobby Hurley, two-
time world champion; Charles
Pogue; and three-time world
champion Allen Bach, ranking
number one in current world
standings;
Steer wrestlers: Todd Bog-
gert, former world champion;
and Ote Berry, four-time world
champion;
Calf ropers: Fred Whitfield,
current world champion; and
Cody Ohl, currently number
one in world standings;
Saddle bronc rider Mitch
Gregg, local favorite from Her-
miston, ranked in the top 15;
Bareback rider Mike Ham
mer, ranked in the top 15;
Barrel racer Fallon Tayler,
currently fifth in the standings;
Bull riders Gene Palmer and
Kyle Kolbaba, both well-known
Oregon cowboys and local
favorites ranked in the top 15.
The rodeo will also feature
performances by trick riders
The Flying Cossacks; Miss
Rodeo Oregon Tanya Marie
Utberg; rodeo clown Rooster
Kersten, and rodeo bullfighters
Dangerous Dan Newman and
M iss R odeo O reg on T anya M arie U tberg
Mark Nichols.
Local cowboys and cowgirls
competing in PRCA events
include:
Team roping: Bob Mahoney,
Mike Mahoney, Brett McDow
ell and Steve Miller;
Barrel racing: Annie Hisler,
Lexi Matteson, Tiffanie Mun-
kers, Kelsie Evans, Kelli Cur-
rin, Maryann Munkers, Janice
Healy Davis, Randi Rae Britt,
Market Report
Compliments of the Morrow County Grain Growers
Tuesday, Aug. 13
Soft White
Barley
Aug.
Sept.-Dec.
*132
*133
Come Share With Us.
at
W illow Creek Baptist Church
Bible Study fo r all ages 2 p.m.
W orship Service 3 p.m.
M eeting in the
7th Day Adventist Church
560 North Minor
Nine Morrow County land-
owners have been awarded a
$41,975 Access and Habitat Pro
gram grant by the Oregon Fish
and Wildlife Commission to
restore and enhance wildlife
habitat on their properties
along the foothills of the Blue
M ountains, southeast of
Heppner.
Collectively nam ed the
Heppner Regulated Hunt Area,
the grant will also maintain
public access to these proper
ties that comprise 83,950 acres
of big game winter range, as
well as habitat for pheasant,
chukar, gray partridge, blue
and ruffed grouse, wild turkey,
mourning dove and pronghorn
antelope, according to an Ore
gon Dept, of Fish and Wildlife
(ODFW) news release.
An estimated 25 percent of
the area's elk and mule deer
spend the winter months on
these lands. Public access
enables the ODFW to manage
deer and elk populations at
levels that minimize agricultur
al damage, maintain quality
hunting opportunity and sus
tain rangeland forage condi
tions, continued the news
release.
In order to maintain the cur
rent policy of public access to
these lands for upland bird and
big game hunting, each land-
owner will be allocated .50
cents of funding for every acre
of their property on which they
permit public access. Land-
owners may use these funds to
pay for habitat and range im
provement projects on their
lands, or as direct cash pay
ments.
Habitat improvement pro
jects will include constructing
11 miles of fencing on range-
lands to improve the distribu
tion of livestock grazing, nox
ious weed control to maintain
forage for livestock and big
game, and developing eight
new water sources from ex
isting springs, said the release.
The release also said about 90
acres of coniferous trees will be
planted to improve forest and
big game habitat, 100 acres will
be fertilized to improve forage
and another 60 acres will be
planted with grasses and forbs
for forage.
In return for these grant
funds, the involved landown
ers will maintain all the habitat
projects performed on their
lands as well as continue to
permit the public to hunt. The
ODFW and Oregon State Police
will patrol the area and enforce
hunting and fishing regula
tions, road closures and other
rules.
All projects on these proper
ties are scheduled for comple
tion by June 1997.
The grant was approved, on
the recommendation of the Ac
cess and Habitat Board, at the
Fish and Wildlife Commission
meeting held in Portland in
May.
UPDATE YOUR LIFE INSURANCE
Bring your policy in and w e ’ll
discuss it with you
P loyhar I nsurance
127 N M ain • H ep pn er, Ore. • 676-5818
*5.06
*5.07/*5.09
*5.11/*5.13
*5.15/*5.17
*5.19/*5.21
*5.22/*5.24
Aug-
Sept.
Oct.
Nov.
Dec.
Jan.
anc* ^ at*e McCoin,
roping: Jerry Gentry,
Mike Mahoney, Tony Currin,
Steve Currin;
Steer wrestling: Mike Ma
honey, Tony Currin, Steve
Currin, Sid Britt and Marty
Britt.
Ranchers
awarded
O FW C funds
DO YOU N EED H ELP PAYING
YO U R R EN T ?
The Umatilla County Housing Authority in
Hermiston, Oregon is accepting applications for the
Section 8 Program
Section 8 is where you place your name on the
waiting list (which isn’t long) and if you qualify for
assistance when your name comes to the top of the
list you are issued a Certificate or Voucher find a
place on your own to rent that will pass a Housing
Quality Inspection. The Housing Authority will assist
you in paying the rent to the Landlord.
If you are interested in finding out more informa
tion about how the program works, contact:
Umatilla County Housing Authority at
1-800-221-6729 inside Oregon
or 1-541-567-3241 or
visit us at 155 S.W. Tenth Street Hermiston, OR.