Image provided by: Morrow County Museum; Heppner, OR
About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (July 22, 1998)
80 attend 2nd youth crime meeting HEPPNER imes VOL. 117 NO. 29 8 Pages Wednesday, July 22,1998 Morrow County, Heppner, Oregon W heat yields excellent, but prices are down More stones o f crimes, harassment and unruly behavior on the part of Heppner young people were told at a public meeting Monday night. The meeting was held to find solutions to a youth crime problem many feel has been escalating in Heppner. About 80 people attended the meeting at the Senior Center in Heppner. The meeting was a follow up to one held at city hall last Monday. The meeting was chaired by Darwin Merrill, director of family and children's services for Morrow County, but many towns people spoke on their personal experiences with unruly and law breaking young people in town. Floyd White, the local Oregonian dealer who started the community meetings through his letters to the editor detailing problems he's had with youth in the early morning hours on his paper route, told the crowd that it was of to a good start by at least acknowledging that there was a problem. Although there were no solutions arrived at the meeting, a 10-person committee of volunteers agreed to meet again next week to try and come up with solutions to the increased problems of youth harassment, vandalism and other bad behavior around town. Last week in response to citizen's complaints, the city council vote to close the city parks from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. Young people tended to gather in the park and there were reports of drinking and other unruly behavior there. Several local businesses also are putting up "no loitering" signs which will give the police more authority to ticket and disperse young people who congregate in store parking lots and other private property areas. Although the Gazette has been unable to obtain any figures from listen to police radio calls to determine where the patrol car is. Rathbun said the city has been using it’s second vehicle at certain times of the day in an effort to have more police on patrol. Police officer Mike Sweek said the police cannot be everywhere all the time, and he asked citizens to be more watchful of strange or different activity around town. It was also suggested that groups of citizens might be out around town with video cameras filming illegal or strange activities. One of the solutions the committee will be considering is community watch program where unarmed citizens patrol the town and report suspicious activity. Much of the frustration at the meeting was directed at the lack of respect for authority by many local youth. Meml pointed out that there is not much parental control with some of the young people. "These kids have not been taught to be responsible," he said. Other suggestions to dealing with the problems including publishing the names of juvenile offenders in the newspaper. At the present time only those over 18 years of age are put in the Heppner Gazette. And people taking notes and getting good descriptions of people involved in suspicious activity in order to give better information to the police dispatchers. Representatives of a church organization Campus Life were also at the meeting and suggested that there isn’t enough for young people to do in Heppner. They asked that some sort of youth center be considered to give the young people more activities. They pointed to their own activities, in with they included some of the known troublemakers in town. One man said he took a group of Heppner youths swimming out of town. One of the youth was identified as a know troublemaker. "He was a perfect gentleman on the trip," the Campus Life representative said. "They need some positive activities," he added. The committee chosen to work on the youth problems will meet next Tuesday at 7p.m. at the Children and Family Services office above the Coast to Coast building in Heppner. The ten chosen for the committee are: Betty Doherty, Samarrah Van Dorn, Marilyn Bader-Nesse, Lyle Verrall, Jay Coil, Sharon Brace, Julie Howard, Rick Bellew, Gail Burkenbine and Bob Ployhar. lawn enforcement or other agencies to measure an increase in youth or other crime in Heppner recently, most people at the meeting agreed that they feel intimidated and threatened by certain young people in town. Merrill did not site any figures, but did say that many of the offenses are being committed by people from out of town, and many are being done not by juveniles (which are classified as under 18 years of age) but by young adults 18 to 25. Meanwhile local people who spoke at the meeting told of several incidents which backed up their concerns about youth crime. One man who recently moved to Heppner from Salt Lake City, where he says there is too much gang activity, says he found a young person urinating on his lawn one night. When he told the person to leave, the person wanted to fight. He says later he found the w indshield of his car smashed. A woman said she was harassed by youths and called names because her husband works for the school district. Others said senior citizens feel threatened and that groups of youth congregate and are unruly and obnoxious in front of stores in town. There were also reports of vandalism to plants downtown, and drinking and vandalism in the small park at night next to Murray's Drug. City police were in attendance at the meeting, and told the towns people that they are not able to be everywhere at once, and that there are times when no police are on duty. Police Chief Dough Rathbun said the town has most of its trouble between the hours of 3:30 and 6 p.m., and that many times youths see police go to one end of town, and the go to the other end and cause trouble. He said they also have scanners and Pioneer Resources, LLC announces acquisition Wheat is already being stored on the ground at North Lex. Morrow County Grain Growers manager Chris Meyer said Tuesday that the wheat yields this year are "excellent", but, he added, "of course prices are not so good." Meyer said that the local harvest is "progressing well" and nearly 40 percent has been completed. The remainder of the harvest is expected to be completed within about three weeks. Harvest is just getting underway in the Ruggs area and has yet to begin in the Heppner area. Meyer said that storage is a concern, since yields are expected to be high and more wheat than usual had been stored previously. "We do have the ground pile at Hogue-Wamer and North Lex," he said. "The good yield forced us to go on the Court attends dinner etiquette session Photo courtesy o f Larry O 'Rourke (L-R): Morrow County Fair and Oragon Trail Pro Rodeo Queen Macl Childers, Princess Lindsey Ward and Princess Bobbie Rankin Early this summer the Morrow County Fair and Oregon Trail Pro Rodeo C ourt Queen Maci Childers, Princess Lindsey Ward and Princess Bobbie Rankin at tended dinner and an etiquette training session at Raphael’s res taurant in Pendleton. The meal was hosted by Tim and Susan O ’Rourke, also of Pendleton. Pioneer Resources, LLC, a privately held timberland management and sawmilling company headquartered in Eugene and owner of Kinzua Resources in Heppner, has announced the acquisition of 80,000 acres of second growth redwood timberland in California. The purchase brings the group's total timberland holdings in Washington, Oregon and California to 410,000 acres. " The acquisition provides an excellent complement to our existing land base and offers expansion Photo by Andy Sykes s i g n i f i c a n t opportunities for Pioneer in both ground sooner." But, he added land management and that there will be sufficient manufacturing," says Gregory M. storage space. Demers, chief executive office Meyer said that price is 'and principal owner. "definitely a concern" this year, Demers also pointed out that probably $ 1 -$ 1.50 below last with this acquisition, Pioneer year's price. Resources, LLC, has doubled the Wheat prices quoted Tuesday were $2.78 for July, $2.80 and size of its land base since 1996. $2.83 for August and $2.86 and $2.89 for September. The loan deficiency payment was 43 cents. New manager hired at pool The Willow Creek Park District Board, at an emergency meeting in Heppner Tuesday night, voted to hire Bobbette Lovgren as personnel manager of the Willow Creek Waterpark and Mandi Gutierrez and Josie Proctor as lead lifeguards, effective July 24. The board's action follows the resignation of previous manager Sarah Carlson and assistant manager Karen Morgan. Carlson said she resigned because there were too many issues on which she and the board did not agree and because the pool programs are "continually tampered with by the board". She also cited personal and health reasons in her decision. Morgan resigned following Carlson's resignation. Current evening assistant manager Tina Edwards will remain in her position. In other business at the meeting, board chairman Skip Matthews swore in newly- appointed board member Kim Cutsforth-Armato. According to Damck D. Salyers, chief operating officer for Pioneer, rationale behind the acquisition includes: -the "excellent fit" with Pioneer's existing timberland base in California; -advancement towards Pioneer's goal of managing its overall holdings on a sustained yield basis; -an "attractive investment opportunity" in a high-growth plantation; -diversification offered by adding second growth redwood to the company's product offering; and -significant expansion opportunities for Pioneer over the next five years. Pioneer Resources, LLC, is controlled by Demers of Veneta. Other owners include Salyers, Edward J King, T. Yates Exley and James A. Youel, all of Eugene. Assisted living receives award The Willow Creek Valley Assisted Living Corporation has been approved for a $10,000 Challenge Fund award. The Challenge Fund is an interest-free loan which will fund pre-development costs for a proposed assisted living facility to be located in the Willow Creek Valley. Pre-development costs include funding for a feasibility study, consulting fees and an architect's schematic drawings. If the facility is not built, the loan will not have to be repaid. The proposed Willow Creek Valley Assisted Living Facility would provide 15 units of housing for elderly persons in the Willow Creek area who need a varying amount of assistance in daily living, but who are not yet ready for a nursing home facility. County open horse show, Aug. 9 The Morrow County Open Horse Show will be held on Sun day, Aug. 9 at the Morrow County Fairgrounds in Heppner, starting around 8 a m., depending on how many late entries are received. Rules, regulations and entry forms which are attached, may be found at the following businesses: Heppner, at G ardner’s M en’s Wear and Green Feed and Seed; Lexington, at Temple's Veterinary Clinic and Morrow County Grain Growers; lone, at the post office; Boardman, at Inland Empire Bank; and Imgon, at Columbia River Tack. The new premium book has all the information. If forms are not available from the above busi nesses, call 676-9664, or the fair office, 676-9474 and leave your name and address. One will be mailed to you. All participants are cautioned to look over the rules and regula tions carefully, as changes have been made, as well as new classes added. Pre-fair issue deadline, July 31 The Gazette-Times invites articles and advertisements concerning the Morrow County Fair and Oregon Trail Pro Rodeo in their special fair edition to be published August 12. The deadline for articles to be Judge rules in M CU R D favor The Morrow County United Recreation District has received turned in to the G-T is Friday, notice that a tax judge has ruled July 31, at 5 p.m. in favor of MCURD in a suit Articles should be legible and filed against the district by Ed include a phone number for a Glenn of Boardman. contact person. If articles are Glenn's suit challenged typed, the G-T prefers that they MCURD's funding of school not be typed in all capitals. athletic programs. SALE! 12 Volt Fuel Pump Filrite Mod. #1200B • 14 GPM with hose, mozzle and w iring Reg. $324.95 • SALE $259.95 Sale good through August 8th M o r r o w C o u n t y G r a in G row ers Lexington 9 8 9 -8 2 2 1 • 1 -8 0 0 -4 5 2 -7 3 9 6 for farm tquipmtnt, visit our wtb site at www.mcgg.ntt
