Sheriff mails
surveys
E r S S 1 fr
it OF ORF
The Morrow County Sheriff
this week sent out 219 citizen
surveys representing 4.3 percent
of the county's 5000 registered
voters who were selected at
random to respond to questions.
The purpose of the survey is
two-fold. First, Morrow County
Sheriff Verlin Denton wants to
determine public feeling about
the department's performance.
Secondly he wants to find out
what the county's citizens feel
should be the department's
priorities for the coming years.
Sheriff Denton's intends to
use the survey to determine the
department's course and
priorities for the immediate
future.
R LIP
Local grad
named top
UI student
Tom Kemp was named top
sophomore of the year in the
College of Agriculture at the
University of Idaho.
Kemp, an agribusiness major,
was awarded a cash award and
plaque at the annual agriculture
banquet and honored for her
academic achievements and
activities.
VOL. 118
NO. 17
8 Pages
Wednesday, April 28,1999
Student arrested for
threats at Riverside
A 15-year-old Riverside High
School student was arrested at
school Wednesday, April 21,
after he threatened to make
"Riverside look like Denver."
Riverside Principal Duane
Yecha said that the threat was
made in the presence of students
and staff at RHS, which has a
student body o f around 430
students from Boardman and
Imgon. He said that the student
did not have a weapon and did
not appear to have a plan to carry
out the threat, but, because of
some "history" with the student,
authorities were called in.
Juvenile authorities were
contacted who then called police.
Boardman Police and Morrow
County
Sheriffs officers
responded at the scene and BPD
arrested the student. The student
was charged with menacing, a
Class A misdemeanor, and
lodged at Umatilla County
Juvenile Detention Center in
Pendleton.
Yecha said that the incident
was "definitely in relation to the
Colorado incident" in which two
students shot and killed 12 other
students and a teacher before
turning the guns on themselves.
Yecha said that the RHS
incident has promoted much
discussion among students and
staff. "We've not had to do much
to provoke discussion," he said.
"One o f the best things to do is to
be sensitive and know the kids
and stay in touch with how
they're doing," he added.
"Students need to watch out for
kids who are hurting and
troubled. Parents need to stay on
top of things, as do
administrators. We all need to be
aware and be watching for all the
warning signs. In other words,
what you want to do is help
people before something
happens."
Boardman Police Chief Greg
Sayles reiterated that the student
did not have a weapon and had
no plan to carry out the threat,
but added that the threat was
specific enough to scare people at
the school. He said that a
message needs to be sent that this
type o f behavior is "simply not
going to be allowed” and added
that Riverside High School is
ahead of other schools in that
respect. Sayles said that law
enforcement agencies throughout
the county plan to get together to
plan a response in the event that
a situation occurs at county
schools. He said they also plan to
have a dialogue with school
principals.
Hoax taken seriously at HHS
Heppner High School
Principal Ron Anthony and other
staff searched lockers and other
areas of the school after a student
found a bomb threat scribbled on
a piece of paper Monday, April
26. Anthony said that the note,
which said that there was a bomb
in the building, was found on the
floor shortly after lunch.
Anthony said that the threat
"did not appear to be serious, but
in light o f what went on in
Colorado, we took it seriously."
The school was not evacuated.
In an earlier situation at
Heppner High School, a student
was suspended from school
Thursday, April 22, following an
"incident with another student."
Anthony said that the situation
occurred after he spoke with a
student concerning the district
wide dress code policy. He said
the student had worn black to
school, which, he says, could be
included in the policy as
detracting from the learning
environment. Anthony said that
the student was not suspended for
wearing black, but for the
incident which occurred after
their discussion.
The two students who attacked
other students at Columbine High
School in Littleton, Colorado,
wore all black clothing.
'Jungle Carnival' planned
The lone Drama Club and
Creative Care Preschool are
planning a day of family fun
with a "jungle carnival" and
children's theater production of
"Tales from Five Continents" at
the lone City Park on Sunday,
May 9.
Activities and games at the
carnival will include a fish Pond,
putting challenge, bean bag toss,
dolphin nng toss, cake walk,
photo booth and a ball toss
Additionally, a Birthday Express
Birthday Party Package (for
eight) of your choice, will be
raffled off, including a cake
donated by Fran Barnett and
stick balloons. Balloons,
popcorn and pop will also be
sold.
Proceeds from the carnival will
go to support the program at
Creative Care Preschool.
Admission to the play is free
"It's sure to be a fun day for all,
so bring a picnic and enjoy the
day's activities," said a preschool
news release.
The carnival will be held from
1-3:30 p.m. and the play will
begin at 2:30 p.m.
She is a member of Alpha Zeta
Honor Society, Alpha Lambda
Delta
Honor
Society,
Agribusiness club, CFFA and is
a delegate to the National
College Quiz Bowl in Nashville,
Tennessee this August.
Kemp, a Lexington resident, is
a 1997 graduate of Heppner
High School.
Morrow County, Heppner, Oregon
Man suffers heart attack on
Rolling Hills run
A man is alive today thanks to
the quick action o f total
strangers.
A 55-year-old Weston man,
Jerry Fifield, had signed up to
run in Saturday's Rolling Hills
Run, an event to benefit the
South Morrow County EMT
Association, and was about a
mile and a half out on the run
when he collapsed on the
roadway, having suffered an
apparent heart attack.
Three walkers in the event from
the lone area, Theresa Hams,
Sharon Camarillo and Kerry
Rietmann, were near Fifield on
the other side of the road, and
had headed back into town from
their walk which began earlier,
when they saw him collapse.
"He didn't trip or anything,"
said
both
Hams
and
Camarillo."He just collapsed."
According to Camarillo and
Hams, the three ran up to the
man and saw that he was not
breathing and had numerous
wounds he had on his head, arms
and legs from the fall.
"The scariest part," said
Camarillo," was that he had
major cuts on himself and no
blood."
Hams had seen Dr. Ed Berretta,
a former Heppner physician who
now lives in Walla Walla and
who was a runner in the race,
pass them, so she called to him.
Hams said Berretta returned and
instructed Camarillo and
Rietmann to lift the man's legs to
assist circulation while he and
Hams did CPR-he did the
breathing, while Hams did the
compressions.
Hams and Camarillo both said
that the man was resuscitated,
only to stop breathing again. The
Lexington Quick Response
vehicle, which had patrolled the
race, arrived on the scene.
According to Hams and
Camarillo, the man was shocked
at least twice by medical
personnel to restart his heart.
Molly Rhea, Heppner, a nurse
and director of
Pioneer
Memorial Home Health, also a
runner in the race, ran to the
scene, called the ambulance and
also assisted in CPR.
EMTs and EMT director Carl
Lauritsen, Heppner Police, the
Rev. Andrew Johnson and
ambulance personnel, among
others, also assisted at the scene.
"By the time they had him
loaded in the ambulance, he had
his color back," says Hams, who
resumed the walk and finished
with the other walkers in third
place. "I had to finish the walk,"
she said. "By then I was in tears."
Rhea also went on to finish the
race and ended up first in her age
group.
"It was an awesome
experience," said Hams. "I don't
want to ever do it again. But I
would in a minute if I had to."
"Everybody comes down and
says, 'you're a hero,' but that's not
how I feel," said Hams, who
works at Beecher's Restaurant in
lone. "If God had wanted him
then, he would have taken him.
God's the one who kept him
alive. This is just something I
could do that could make a
difference in someone's life."
"I'm so glad we were there,"
said Camarillo, who added that
the man had recently been to a
doctor, was "supposedly a picture
of health" and ran in many races.
Hams and Camarillo, who saw
the man off as he was airlifted to
St. Charles hospital in Bend,
have communicated with the
man's wife and have heard that
he has had balloon angioplasty
(whereby an opening is widened
with the use o f a tiny balloon to
increase blood flow to the heart)
is doing well and is expected to
be released from the hospital on
Friday.
Family support program assists
developmentally disabled
Patti Pappas
The Family Support Program, a
new state-funded program to
assist families who have family
members with developmental
disabilities, is now underway in
Morrow County.
Patti Pappas, case manager
with Morrow County Behavioral
Health, will facilitate the process
for people who want to apply.
"We're trying to recruit
families with members who have
disabilities," said Pappas, who
added that the program can be
tailor-made to fit families' needs.
She said that the program can
help answer a wide variety of
needs, including : respite care
for families who need a break in
caring for a disabled member of
the family; care for other
children in the family so that
parents can do some sort of
activity with their disabled child;
stipends or tuition so that people
with a disabled family member
can attend related workshops and
conferences in other areas of the
state; vocational rehabilitation
not covered by traditional means;
installation of hand grabs for
bathtubs; lifts; computers and
software related to the disability.
Pappas said that to qualify.
disabled persons or their families
must feel that they have needs
that are not being met by
traditional means and must have
exhausted all other funds for
services.
Pappas says that her role is to
facilitate the application process.
"There are rules I have to go by
and roadblocks, but we work to
help people get around those
roadblocks"
like preventative medicine. She
hopes to help families before a
crisis situation occurs-before the
disabled person loses his job or is
forced to move from his home.
Those applying for the
program must apply for case
management services and be
eligible. Pappas will assist them
in writing a plan, using their
supports, strengths and needs.
"Having someone on their side is
important," added Pappas.
Developmentally disabled
children and adults and adults
who suffered a head injury before
the age of 18 and their families
are eligible to apply. The
program does not serve mentally
ill children.
The Family Support Program is
funded by monies which were
previously used to fund Fairview,
an institution for the
developmentally disabled which
has been closed.
Morrow County Behavioral
Health has also received a grant
which was used to purchase two
computers, one for the Boardman
office and one for the Heppner
office, and a laptop computer for
Wheeler County.
The grant requires that the
computers be used by families of
disabled children. Pappas said
that there are Internet chat rooms,
bulletin boards and other services
that the families can access. She
said that MCBH will train
families and individuals to access
information on the Internet.
Anyone interested in
applying for the Family Support
Proguai nay call Morrow
County Behavioral Health and
talk to Pappas or Shannon (Bara),
She says that the program's Boor, family support consultant,
goal is to be proactive, sort of 676-9161.
Heppner High School
crowns prom royalty
lone prom
this Saturday
The lone High School prom
will be held this Saturday, May
1, from 9-1 at the lone Legion
Hall.
The theme for the prom is
"Endless Summer."
The prom court includes the
1999 graduating class-Ton
Odinet, Roseanne Baker, Katie
Tworek, Lela Gribskov, Jessica
Krebs, Nikki Sullivan and Ryan
Bennetto.
Crown bearers are Tanner
Rietmann and Cassie Arbogast.
Volunteers
needed
To get your need for a volun
teer listed in this column, call 676-
5886.
This week, volunteers are
needed to help clean the agricul
ture museum site on Tuesday. May
4.
The Heppner High School prom court was crowned in a ceremony
during the dance held April 24. Pictured L-R are: front- prince Derek
Gunderson, queen Jaci Hughes, king Jared Eckman; second row -
princesses Brooke Sweeney and Jill Barber; third row - prince Shane
Matheny, princesses Amber Peck and Janelle Healy; fourth row -
princesses Bobbie Rankin and Julie Watkins; back row - princes
David Bates, Tim Dickenson, Casey Evans and Elliott Strouse.
Piano students Little League
to hold recital meeting set
The piano students of Debbie
Wryn, Myma Van Cleave and
Debbie Basile will have their
spring piano recital on Tuesday,
May 4, at 6:30 p.m. at Hope
Lutheran Church.
The public is invited to attend.
A Heppner Little League
meeting will be held this
Thursday, April 29, beginning at
7 p.m. at the Neighborhood
Center.
Danner Boots
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