TWO - Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, March 1, 2000
The Official Newspaper
of the City of Heppner and the County of Morrow
Heppner
U S P S 240-420
Morrow County’s Home-Owned Weekly Newspaper
Published weekly and entered as periodical matter at the Post Office at Heppner, Oregon
under the Act of March 3,1879 Periodical postage paid at Heppner, Oregon Office at 147
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where
David Sykes
............................................................... Publisher
April Hilton-Sykes
.................................................................... Editor
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Charles D. Hendricks
Charles D. Hendricks, 50, of
lone, died Wednesday February
23, 2000 at Oregon Health Sci
ences University Hospital.
Graveside services were held
Tuesday, February "’9, 2000 at
High View Cemetery in lone.
He was bom October 20,1949,
at Coos Bay, to Richard and
Mildred Wing Hendricks. He was
raised at St. Helens and attended
school there. He graduated from
Scappoose High School.
On April 1, 1980, he married
Edith R. McLain at Reno, Nevada.
He lived in the Scappoose/St.
Helens area until 1997 when he
moved to lone.
He loved his children, raising
them and spending time with
them; he enjoyed fishing, the out
doors and playing cards.
Survivors include his wife,
Edith, of lone; daughters, Kim
berly Schawth and Patricia
Freeze, both of St. Helens, Missy
Lou Hendricks in New Mexico;
stepsons, Ray Van Derwall and
Troy Fisk, both of St. Hele ns; his
mother, Mildred Hendricks of
lone; and brother, Dick Hendricks
of Scappoose. He was preceded
in death by a son, Erin Ray
Hendricks, and his father, Rich
ard S. Hendricks.
Memorial contributions may be
made to the lone City Library,
P.O. Box 125, lone, Oregon 97843.
Sweeney Mortuary of Hepp
ner was in charge o f arrange
ments.
Rodney
Britt
"Rod”
Dean
Former area resident, Rodney
"Rod" Dean Britt, 61, a Redmond
restauranteur, died Monday, Feb.
21, 2000, at Central Oregon
District Hospital in Redmond.
The funeral was Friday,
February 25, at the Dayspring
Christian Center in Terrebonne
with a gathering of family and
friends that followed at the
Redmond Senior Citizen Center.
Gravesii’e services were
be held Saturday, February 26, at
the cemetery in Spray, with a
gathering held at the senior
center there.
Mr. Britt was bom Oct.
8, 1938, at fossil, to Roy H. and
Selma Anderson Britt.
He
graduated from Spray High
School.
On Oct. 24, 1959, he
married Theda Croissant at
Fossil.
Mr. Britt worked in
heavy construction and at one
time owned and operated Roy
Britt Construction Inc. He had
been proprietor of a hardware
store at Pilot Rock. During his
earlier years, he drove log truck
and freight truck at Heppner.
In 1988, the Britts
purchased
The
Brand
Dinnerhouse at Redmond and
had operated the restaurant since
then.
He and his wife had been
able to find time to enjoy a tour
of Europe; ho also thoroughly
enjoyed taking in some of the
sights of the continental United
States and Canada traveling in
‘Dr. 'Dormiti J.
their motorhome.
Mr. Bntt really enjoyed
golf and the Juniper Country
Club became his second home.
Survivors include his
wife, Theda, of Redmond;
daughter, Kimberly Ann Britt of
Redmond; sons, Rodney "Rocky"
Allen Bntt of Pendleton and
Benjamin
Fred
Britt
of
Summerville; his mother and
stepfather; Selma and Roy James
Adams of Spray; a brother,
Sidney Ray Bntt of Echo; a
sister, Ruth Pietila of Floodwood,
Min.; and nine grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by his
father, Roy H. Britt, and -
brother, Leroy Allen Britt.
Autumn
Funerals,
Redmond, was in charge of
arrangements.
Alice Fletcher
Alice Fletcher, 64, of
Imgon, died Tuesday, Feb. 22,
2000, at Good Shepherd
Community
Hospital
in
Hermiston.
The funeral was held at 1
Monday, February 28, at the
Molalla Funeral Chapel with
burial at Adams Cemetery near
Molalla.
Mrs. Fletcher was bom
Feb. 17, 1936, in Lake County,
Ind., to Harry and Henrietta
Geib.
She graduated from
Hamilton High ¿ctiool in West
Los Angeles, Calif.
On Sept, 18 1959, she
maimed George Edward Fletcher.
They moved to Molalla
in 1969 and lived on the Fletcher
family farm on Ellis Road,
raising livestock. They later had
their own farm on Herman Road
in the Molalla area where they
raised horses.
Mrs. Fletcher worked in
the banking business for many
years. She worked at Bank of
America in California, at First
Interstate Bank in Mt. Angel and
Molalla, and retired from Wells
Fargo Bank in Irrigon. She
worked part-time for Farmers
Insurance after her retirement.
Mr. and Mrs. Fletcher
moved to Imgon in 1993.
The loved to hunt and
fish
together
and
travel
throughout the year.
Mrs.
Fletcher had been a Molalla
Moose Lodge member since
1972. She and her husband were
instrumental in instituting the
Irrigon Moose Lodge.
Survivors include her
husband, Eddie Fletcher of
Imgon;
daughters,
Cathy
Tolliver of Boise, Idaho, and
Patricia Ross of Clarkes; sons,
George Edward Fletcher, Jr., and
Patrick "Chuck" Fletcher of
Boring; a sister, Arlene Clark of
Cedar Lake, Ind.; a brother,
Lewis Geib of Minneapolis,
Minn.; her mother, Henrietta
Geib of Cedar Lake, Ind., and
eight grandchildren.
Correction
Heppner Junior/Senior High
School released its second quar
ter honor roll, not first semester
honor roll, as stated in last week’s
G-T.
Markon
Joot Spedatisi
will be at the Pioneer Memorial Clinic
on March 8th for the diagnosis
and treatment of all foot problems
Heppner
Ed itor's note: Letters to the Editor m ust be signed The Gazette-Times w ill not
publish unsigned letters Please include your address and phone num ber on a ll
letters fo r use by the G -T office The G-7 reserves the rig ht to edit The C -T is not
GAZETTE-TIMES
Obituaries
Letters to the Editor_______
Hermiston
6 7 6 - 5 5 0 4 ________________ 5 6 7 - 8 7 5 0
responsible fo r accuracy o f statements made in letters.
Board seeks help from those
it refused to listen to
kids live with them every day.
To the Editor:
It seems that the Morrow We know further cuts must be
County School District Board has made now and that they won't be
backed itself into a comer and ts painless. However, there are
seeking help from the very more ways than one to balance a
people it refused to listen to at a budget.
You were asked before and
Feb. 14 meeting.
Many people spoke at that were asked again at Monday
meeting and asked the board to night's meeting to cut more
consider other cost cutting administrative expenses. If fewer
measures before cutting teaching teachers have to pick up the slack
positions. The board had the of those who are cut it is only
opportunity to show some good fair that administration do the
faith and grant their request, same.
Yes, you must present a
holding off on a decision until
other options were more fully balanced budget to the state.
however,
your
explored. But with the exception Remember,
of Barney Lindsey and Keith fiduciary responsibility lies to the
Lewis, the board chose instead to taxpayers of this county who
make those teacher cuts without elected you to represent them.
Many very good ideas came
further consideration.
At last night's meeting the board out of Monday night's meeting.
reiterated their reason for cutting Of course not everyone can have
those teaching positions: that it is everything they want. Board
their "fiduciary responsibility to President Frederickson said there
create a balanced budget." The is a good chance the proposed
key word here is create, not local option won’t pass. I think
merely accept what was the ball is back in the board's
suggested by the superintendent. court. They have the opportunity
Do members of the board and to make some requested cuts in
the superintendent honestly administration. If you want the
believe that of all the people in local option to pass, first go back
attendance at both meetings that to the table. Listen to your
none have ever served as a board budget and advisory committee
or budget committee member members,
not just
your
and understand the necessity of superintendent. Show some good
balancing a budget? This air of faith to those who put you where
arrogance must stop. We know you are.
that cuts have already been made
(s) Patti Allstott
in many other areas; we and our
Heppner
McCain's proposals only ones
that make sense
To the Editor:
Twelve to 15 years ago, I
received a newsletter originating
in Washington, D.C., that
advised me if I were an
executive, I should immediately
ask for a high salary because my
worth as an executive was based
on the salary I was being paid.
Shortly thereafter, there was an
explosion in executive salaries
followed by an explosion in
union wages.
Left out of all this largesse
were family farmers, family
small businesses and minimum-
wage earners, most of which
were in rural areas.
One can easily understand why
the newsletter originated in
Washington because politicians
are now happily engaged in using
the resultant increase in taxes
collected to pay on the national
debt.
I would suggest to any voter
willing to listen that we must
learn to live within our means
and pay down the national debt.
Continued inflation of wages for
only 50 percent of the people
should not be viewed as an
option.
However, if we give priority to
giving a large tax cut, as George
Bush wants, or spend the surplus,
as A1 Gore wishes, the disparity
in income between the haves and
the have-nots will only increase.
And this additional burden will
fall heavily upon the shoulders of
our children.
John McCain’s conservative
spending proposals are the only
ones that make sense.
(s) Meg Murray
lone
Local Angus breeder recognized
Kathryn Healy of Heppner,
owns one bull listed in the 2000
Spring Sire Evaluation Report
published by the American
Angus Association which is
headquartered in St. Joseph, Mo.
Issued in both the spring and
fall, the new report features the
latest performance information
available on 4,720 sires.
"The American Angus
Association has the most
complete and comprehensive
beef cattle database in the
world," says John Crouch,
American Angus Association
director
of
performance
programs. "Of the sires listed in
the main report, 62 percent have
expected progeny differences
(EPDs) for carcass traits, which
should assist cattlemen in
choosing genetics that will
produce a more consistent,
higher quality beef product."
EPDs are generated from
performance data submitted by
breeders through the Angus Herd
Improvement Records (AHIR)
program.
Traits in which EPDs are
available include birth weight,
weaning weight, milk, yearling
weight and height, mature
daughter weight and height, and
scrotal circumference, as well as
carcass traits including carcass
weight, marbling, rib eye area,
external fat thickness and percent
retail product.
The analysis for the sire
evaluation report is done in
cooperation with Iowa State
University by Doyle E. Wilson
and Dr. Abebe Hassen.
fir
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Ruby (541)488-7090 • E-mailshcar4shear9yahoo.com
Support annexation into BMCC district
To the Editor:
As the former regional
development officer for the
Oregon
Economic
and
Community
Development
Department serving Northeast
Oregon, I saw first-hand the
value of Blue
Mountain
Community College to Umatilla
and Morrow counties.
The community college was,
and continues to be, a key player
on the community and economic
development front.
Today, voters in Umatilla,
Morrow and Baker counties have
an opportunity to advance the
strength of BMCC and provide
more opportunities for jobs and
growth in Eastern Oregon.
Community colleges rely on
increased
enrollment
for
financial and programming
growth, and Baker County
represents a largely untapped
resource for BMCC.
It is my understanding that
approval of this measure will not
impact property taxes for
Umatilla and Morrow County
residents and will simply
strengthen
the
existing
community college.
I urge voters in the three
counties
to
support
the
annexation of Baker County into
the Blue Mountain Community
College district, as I believe it
will prove to be a win/win for all
involved.
Please vote yes on the Blue
Mountain Community College
measure.
(s) Brian Cole
Baker County Commissioner
Baker City
Appeal endangered species listing
To the Editor:
On Jan. 21, 2000 the Oregon
Fish and Wildlife Commission
listed the Washington ground
squirrel as an endangered species
under the Oregon Endangered
Species Act.
This occurred without the
requisite notice of hearing being
sent to affected local governing
bodies. These governing bodies
include, but are not limited to,
Morrow County and The Port of
Morrow.
These concerned local
governing bodies were, in effect,
denied their right to participate in
the
listing
process
as
representatives
of
their
constituency - the citizens of
Morrow County.
It is now the responsibility of
these bodies to appeal this
mistreatment of Morrow County.
Whether one believes that the
Washington (not Oregon) ground
squirrel is indeed endangered,
our
rights
have
been
unconscionably trampled by an
obviously determined effort of
the Oregon Fish and Wildlife
Commission.
On Feb. 25, 2000, the
Northwest
Environmental
Defense Center, Defenders of
Wildlife and the Oregon Natural
Desert Association filed for
emergency listing of the squirrel
under the Federal Endangered
Species Act with the United
States Fish and Wildlife Service.
This proposed listing could
adversely
impact
the
management of any private
property in the county which is
determined to be a squirrel
habitat. We do not need the
flawed decision of the Oregon
Fish and Wildlife Commission to
list the ground squirrel under the
state Endangered Species Act to
be used as a precedent for this
proposed
federal
listing.
Furthermore, we genuinely do
not need to have inaction by the
County of Morrow or the Port of
Morrow to be cited as our tacit
approval of any endangered
listing of the Washington ground
squirrel.
Both the county commissioners
and the port commissioners are
elected to represent the people of
Morrow County. Many citizens
are demanding that both the
County of Morrow and the Port
of
Morrow
meet
their
responsibilities to the citizens of
their county. They are calling
upon these commissions to
appeal the state listing in order
that we may fully participate in
this process. They demand that
these commissions protect our
rights. I would like to add my
voice to this chorus.
(s) Michael Armato
Heppner
Board members show
fiscal responsibility
To the Editor:
I just read with considerable
amazement, the editorial page in
the Feb. 16 issue of the Gazette.
There was not a single article in
favor of the recent action taken
by the school board.
Well, I for one, would like to
congratulate each member of the
board who had the courage to
show enough fiscal responsibility
to make hard choices that are
good for the whole community
and not just good for a select
few. I applaud each of you whose
shoulders are broad enough to
take the heat, complaints and
criticisms of special interest
groups that probably pay little if
anything of the property taxes
that support our school system.
Agriculture is the basis of our
local economy. Wheat prices are
in the toilet. Cattle prices are
down. We've raped our forests.
The mill is gone. Times are
tough and as a community, we
need to come to grips with the
fact that we don't necessarily
need everything we want.
Our school system must
operate within its available
budgetjust like everyone else has
to. If that means cutting certain
programs such as sports and vo-
ag then so be it. In reality, we
probably should have made these
cuts long ago or maybe not even
started some of these programs at
all. We have a limited amount of
money to spend and, in my view,
reading is more important than
football.
I wonder how many of those
individuals complaining so
loudly would be willing to dip
into their own pockets to help
support their pet programs? All
of this stuff is great as long as
someone else is paying the bill.
Finally, I would like to address
one more issue. My son came
home last night practically in
tears because a teacher told his
class that, "Although he wasn't
supposed to tell them, he felt that
they had the right to know." He
then proceeded to expound upon
all the "terrible things" that are
going on in the school system—
from his point of view of course.
I spent probably half an hour
calming
him
down
and
explaining to him that this same
thing (budget crisis) happened
when I was a kid in the lone
school 35 years ago. Same song
just different singers. And, it
didn't affect my education in the
slightest. His teacher is right
about one thing, however. He
shouldn't be talking to his
students about these matters. He
should stick to the subject he is
being paid to teach and leave his
political views at the classroom
door.
(s) Sidney Zinter
lone
HOME FOR SALE IN IONE
Extrem ely nice 1996 three bedroom , tw o bath
Valley manufactured hom e on 1.72 acres in
Emert Estates, lon e. Great floor plan, patio in back,
outside shed, 24x36x12 shop, nicely landscaped.
This borne is in immaculate condition.
For more information or
to see this lovely home,
call Janet Fouse
at Scbrotb Realty,
1-800-726-4603
or (541) 567-4663
or come by the office
at 110 NE 4th Street,
Hermiston.