Matt Jepsen wins j e e nager killed in accident
speech contest
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HEPPNER
imes
VOL. 116
NO. 53
8 Pages
Wednesday, December 31,1997
Morrow County, Heppner, Oregon
Matt Jepsen, a 10th grade
Heppner student, was recently
chosen as the first place winner
of the District 8 Voice of
Democracy Speech Contest. The
contest is sponsored annually by
the Veterans of Foreign Wars
and its Ladies Auxiliary.
The theme for this year's contest
was "My Voice in Our
Democracy". The speeches were
aired on KUMA Radio in
Pendleton and were evaluated by
the contest judges.
Jepsen's
speech was chosen over those of
finalists
from
Hermiston,
Pendleton,
Ukiah,
Milton-
Freewater and Riverside high
Schools.
Matt, along with 15 other
district winners, will now
advance to the state level of
competition. He and his parents,
Bill and Nancy Jepsen of
Heppner, will travel to Newport,
February 6 and 7 for the state
VFW banquet. The state winners
will be announced there.
Clarence Martin of Hermiston,
the VFW District 8 contest
chairman, awarded Matt $100 for
his first place finish in the
district. The VFW will also
provide $100 for travel expenses
and pay costs for hotel and
banquet tickets. In addition, the
16 district finalists will all be
treated to a full day of fun and
educational activities in the
Newport area prior to the final
dinner.
The Veterans of Foreign Wars
and its Ladies Auxiliary have
sponsored this annual audio
essay competition for the past 51
years. Each state finalist will
receive a five-day trip to
Washington, D.C., and will
compete for a share of the
Shad Hisler
The Heppner-Lexington-Ione
community is in shock after
learning the news of the death of
Shad Hisler, 15-year-old son of
Susan and Paul Hisler, Jr.,
Monday, Dec. 29, following a
single vehicle rollover accident.
Recitation of the Rosary will be
held New Year's Day .Thursday,
January 1, at 7:30 p.m. at St.
Patrick Church in Heppner.
Funeral Mass will be held Friday,
January 2, at 11 a.m. at St.
Patrick's, with concluding service
and burial at the Heppner
Masonic Cemetery.
The accident was discovered
around 7:16 p.m. on the Hisler
Ranch on Buttercreek. Morrow
County Sheriffs Deputy Terry
Harper said that the accident is
still under investigation, but
preliminary results seem to
indicate that the vehicle drifted to
one side of the road and then was
ovcrcorrrected. The pickup then
rolled and plunged down a steep
embankment Shad was ejected
from the vehicle and suffered
"massive internal injuries,"
according to the sheriffs report.
He was discovered at the scene
by his father and transported by
ambulance to Pioneer Memorial
Hospital in Heppner.
An emergency helicopter was
called to PMH and was preparing
to transport Shad to a Portland
hospital when he died.
Morrow County Sheriffs
Office said that neither excessive
speed nor alcohol was a factor in
the accident.
Shad was a freshman at
Heppner High School, where he
excelled in sports, including
football and basketball.
HHS Principal Ron Anthony
said that a team of counselors has
been called in to help grieving
students cope with their loss.
Barbara Hayes, HHS counselor,
said that ministers, counselors,
Morrow County Behavioral
Health staff and an ESD
psychologist were to be on hand
for students, parents and
community members beginning
at 2 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 31, in
the HHS library. "I encourage
people to come up," said Hayes.
"New Year's Eve is going to be a
difficult time."
A New Year's Eve dance
planned at the high school has
been cancelled, as has a potato
feed planned for Friday night at
the high school.
No decision had been made at
presstime as to whether Friday
night's home game against lone
and Saturday night's away game
versus Riverside will be
cancelled.
H H S seniors Lighting contest winners announced scholarships.
$ 125,500
m national //ciQu sisters" to be featured at banquet
Brisbois won the Expressions. They won $20.
plan activities Heppner Jodi Chamber
Last year’s outdoor winners
of Commerce
"Yes, there is
outdoor lighting first place award were Jeff and Crystal Shank,
first,
Steve
and
Luanne
The Heppner High School and $50. Frank Skaggs was
a Santa"
Senior Class will sponsor several second in the outdoor category Brownfield, second, and Dave
and Karen Wildman, third.
fund raising activities for their
senior trip over the next several
months.
This Sunday, Jan. 4, they have
planned a Christmas tree pick-up
and disposal. (Call Jayme
Hansen, 676-5247, or April
Sykes, 676-9228 or 676-9939 for
pick-up.) A meeting for seniors
and their parents will be held that
day at 7:00 p.m. in the high
school library
Monday, January 26, following
Super Bowl Sunday, the seniors
will hold a pop can drive. The
students will go door to door, but
anyone who wishes to ensure that
their cans are picked up may also
call the above numbers.
On Friday, January 30, they
will hold a spaghetti feed during
the Heppner-Weston-McEwen
basketball game. The games start
with JV girls’ play at 3 p.m.
On Friday, Feb. 6, they have
planned a special "taco soup"
feed during the Heppner-Pilot
Rock basketball game. That
game also gets underway with JV
girls at 3 p.m.
osu
fraternities
name pledges
O regon State U niversity,
Corvallis, has announced the
names o f fraternity pledges.
Pledges include Brian Koffler,
Heppner, a freshman in university
exploratory studies, Sigma Phi
Epsilon.
Holland is grand
prize punch card
winner
Dale Holland, Jr. was the
grand prize winner in this year's
Christmas Punch contest.
Holland won 13-S50 gift
certificates for a total of $650 to
the following local businesses:
Gardner's Men’s Wear, Coast to
Coast, Les Schwab Tires,
Peterson's
Jewelers,
Yaw's
Restaurant, Lott's Electric, Shoe
Box, Central Red Apple Market,
Green Feed & Seed, Pettyjohn's,
Morrow County Grain Growers,
Court Street Market and Murray
Drugs.
The $25 gift certificate winners
in this the final week of the
contest were: Cam Wishart,
MCGG; Janet Greenup Court
Street Market; Elmer Holtz,
Pettyjohn's and LeRoy Cline,
Murray's Drug.
and won $25.
First place in the indoor
category went to Gary Clark,
who earned a $25 prize. Randall
Peterson took second place in
indoor lighting and $15.
The festive business lighting
display was won by Hair
Last year's indoor lighting
winners were first, Jay and Darcy
Coil, and second, Chuck and
Donna Moeller.
The festive business lighting
award went to the Morrow
County Museum last year.
Christm as tree pickup, Jan. 4th
The Heppner High School
seniors have planned a Christmas
tree pickup this Sunday, Jan 4,
starting at 1 p.m.
Anyone wishing to have a tree
picked up and disposed of may
call Jayme Hansen, 676-5247, or
April Sykes, 676-9228 or 676-
9939.
The seniors are asking that
anyone having their tree picked
up make a donation toward the
senior class trip.
A meeting for seniors and their
parents will be held the same
day, Sunday, January 4, at 7 p.m.
at the HHS library.
Terri Bennetto
Bunco party set at St. Pat's Parish
A public card and bunco party
will be held at St. Patrick's Parish
Hall on Sunday, January 11. Play
will begin at 2 p.m.
Admission is $2 for bridge,
pinochle, or bunco. Cash prizes,
prizes for low and door prizes
will be given.
Men and women are invited to
attend. Ketreshments will be
served.
"The occasion will be a fine
opportunity to fight the after-
holidays-winter-blahs," said a
church spokesperson.
The event is sponsored by the
women of St. Patrick Catholic
Church.
Grant Co. ranchers donate cattle
Following the lead o f Lisa
Schmidt and Michele Tebay of
W hitehall, M ontana, G rant
County ranching families gath
ered up more than 30 head of
cattle for shipment to South Da
kota to help rebuild herds deci
mated by last year’s disastrous
winter storms. The cattle, gath
ered at the Prairie City home
rànch of Mike and Elaine Smith,
came from ranching families
throughout the county and as far
away as Klamath Falls. Those
who could not send cattle made
donations of cash to help defray
the costs of shipping.
The purpose of this people-to-
people program is to help ranch
ing families in the Dakotas get
back into production said a news
release. In some cases, the cows
helped convince bankers to con
tinue loans on family ranches that
might otherwise have been sched
uled for foreclosure due to lack
of livestock.
According to participant Mike
Smith, “We learned that as few
as 18 head of cattle can make the
difference betw een having
enough collateral to continue a
loan, or losing the family ranch."
In other cases, the cows helped
ranchers begin to rebuild their
herds that were lost to the cold
wave that engulfed the area.
The idea has caught on and so
far the project has shipped more
than 500 head of cattle to dozens
of families in North and South
Dakota. For more information, or
to make donations of cattle or
cash, contact Tebay at (406) 287-
3390.
If you want a definitive
answer as to whether there is a
Santa Claus, just ask Terri
Bennetto. The lone woman will
respond with a joyous "Yes".
Bennetto just received an
anonymous letter in the mail
containing cash, just in time for
Christmas. Other than an lone
postmark, Bennetto hasn't a clue
as to who sent the gift.
"It's the best thing that's
happened to us," said Bennetto, a
single mom raising three kids,
Ryan, 16, Cory, 14, and Jaysi,
12 .
"It was such a gift of love. It was
so incredible, I just think it
would be great to recognize
whoever sent it." Bennetto has a
hand-blown angel ornament that
she would like to present to her
benefactor.
Bennetto said that the kids
bought Christmas gifts with their
money and she plans to buy
herself some new clothes.
Bennetto and her family live
around 20 miles out of lone and
the kids have attended lone
Schools for over three years. She
had been working in Condon, but
last January she was able to get a
job at Beecher’s in lone, so she
could be closer to attend the kids’
games and school activities.
Bennetto added that she has
discovered that she wasn't the
only person to receive an
anonymous gift.
Adult and Family Services hours set
Adult and Family Services will
provide services for the Heppner
area on the second Tuesday of
each month at the county offices
behind Coast to Coast.
Art Beasley will be available in
the office from 9 a.m. to noon
and by appointment only in the
afternoons. If there are no
scheduled appointments, the
afternoons will be utilized for
home visits and community
meetings.
To schedule and appointment
of for mort information, call
Beasley at 1-800-213-8475 ext.
224, 541-564-5653 or 541-567-
2253 ext. 224.
Commerce office, the Bank of
The "Slob Sisters", who have Eastern Oregon, Murray Drugs,
helped "clutterbugs" all over the Klamath First Federal and the
U.S. to organize their lives, will Morrow County Gram Growers.
be the speakers at the Heppner
Social hour begins at 6 p.m.,
Chamber of Commerce Town with dinner at 7 p.m.
and Country Banquet set for
The Chamber annual luncheon
Thursday, January 15, at the will be held Tuesday, Jan. 13,
Heppner Elks Club.
with the theme, "Celebrate
The "Slob Sisters" will be Heppner's
Success".
The
making a return engagement at luncheon, which is on a different
the banquet, since they were the day than the dinner this year, will
featured entertainment several feature a speaker, installation of
years ago.
officers, special awards and the
The real life sisters, Peggy announcement of the luxury
Jones and Pam Young, have vacation winners.
appeared in newspapers and on
There will be no afternoon
television all over the U.S. The meetings this year.
pair offer a whimsical and
Those planning to attend the
humorous look at messy homes luncheon should RSVP to
and give tips on how to organize. Chamber at 676-5536. Chamber
Tickets go on sale at $15 each members and non-members are
this week at the Chamber of welcome to attend.
The Slob Sisters
Potato feed
cancelled
G-T closed Jan. 1
The Gazette-Times office will
The Heppner High School be closed New Year's Day,
Senior Class potato feed Thursday, Jan. 1, but will be
scheduled for this Friday, Jan. 2, open Friday, Jan. 2.
has been cancelled.
The G-T staff wishes everyone
a safe and happy holiday.
We w ill be closed Thursday,
January 1st
HAVE A GREAT NEW YEAR!
MORROW COUNTY GRAIN GROWERS
_______________
Lexington 989-8221
1-800-452-7396________