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About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (April 26, 2000)
FOUR - Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, April 26, 2000 Vote for Lundquist The Official Newspaper of the City of Heppner and the County of Morrow To the Editor: You will soon be receiving your ballot in the mail for the May 16 primary election. On it you will find Representative Lynn Lundquist's name. He is running for Secretary of State. I would like to encourage your vote for Lynn Lundquist. Lynn has served Eastern Oregon as our state representative for many years. When he was speaker of the house in 1997 he and his wife Barbara worked extra hard for us to return equity in funding lost to us because of measure 50. He knows our community well because of his many trips here to meet with our community H eppner GAZETTE-TIMES 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 o f March 3 , 1879 Penodical postage paid at Heppner, Oregon Office at 147 W Willow Street Telephone (541) 676-9228J a x (541)676-9211 E-mail gt@heppner net or gt@ rapidserve net. Web site: www heppner net. Postmaster send address changes to the Heppner Gazette-Times, P O Box 337, Heppner, Oregon 97836. Subscriptions $22 in Morrow County; $16 senior rate (in Morrow County only; 62 years or older); $29 else where David S y k e s..................................................................................................................... Publisher Apnl Hilton-Sykes .......................................................................................- .................... Edllor On the HEPPNER WEBSITE: www.heppner.net • Start or C hange a Subscription • Place a Classified Ad • Subm it a N ew s Story • View Real Estate for Sale • City Council & Planning Minutes • Local Businesses • County Park • Willow Creek Park Reservations • Free Digital Postcards • Senior Housing • and more! Letters to the Editor Editor's note: Letters to the Editor must be signed. The Gazette-Times w ill not publish unsigned letters. Please include your address and phone number on all ■ letters for use by the G-T office. The C-T reserves the right to edit. Levy not in best interest of County To the Editor: As a Morrow County School District graduate, parent, former teacher and present board member I have long been a strong supporter of our schools. As a board member I have a duty to do what is in the best interest of our children and district patrons. As a public official I am very concerned about the proposed school levy being put before the voters on the May 16 ballot. This proposed levy is not in the best interest of the public of Morrow County. It does not restore programs and teaching positions eliminated at the Feb. 14, 2000 school board meeting. When members of the public asked the school district to consider a levy for a shorter time frame (two to three years) instead of the current five years, the district refused. When the public asked the district to be specific and to name programs and teaching positions the money would be spent on, the district refused, stating the need for "flexibility". They do not want to tell the public as to where and how the levy will be spent, but they are asking the public for a blank check. Contrary to public wishes clearly expressed at the February board meeting, the district has refused to share budget shortfall and include cuts to administrative staff, choosing only to reduce certified and classified staff. However, we have continued to add administrative positions such as vice principals, while reducing teachers. They have refused to give up administrative expenses and perks to help with shortfalls, stating they would be "too small to make a difference" yet the district has turned down requests for field trip funding for lack of money. Did you know that at the upcoming May school board meeting, the district is asking the public to pay for the entire cost of receiving "Administrative License Education" for district employees which the superintendent deems worthy of scholarship? This memorandum proposed by Supt. Anderson at the April meeting proposes to pay for full tuition and expenses at a private college (Lewis and Clark) if the employee spends three years in an administrative position following licensure along with transportation support up to $1,500 and meals/lodging up to $1,000 per year. This is deemed necessary by Supt. Anderson so we can have the qualified administrative staff that he chooses. Currently this program may include up to four candidates per year. In a time of budget shortfall the district tells the public that our children's class sizes will have to go up, that programs and electives must fall to the side, yet for any special project the superintendent wants, funding is approved. If this is the best proposal Mr. Anderson can come up with, then his best is not good enough to ensure quality education. By voting no you ensure that a levy which better meets the needs of the public can be approved at a later date rather than being locked into one for five years. The current majority of the board has refused to accept requests the public has made and passes anything the superintendent, proposes. Public relations and communication with the district site council, advisory board, county court, recVpark district and Chamber of Commerce is at an all-time low. Instead of fostering county-wide unity, the actions of this superintendent is resulting in North vs. South and community vs. community sentiments. You should not blindly support any levy put before you. The public has the right to ask questions and take actions to ensure that public funding is spent wisely and in ways that most directly benefit our children. Do not give a blank check to a district that wants to maintain "flexibility" in spending for the next five years. The district blames Salem and everyone but the district for our current financial problems. Effective leadership does not exist when a board "rubber- stamps" every proposal the superintendent puts before them. The only way in which things will change is the power of the vote. Let the district know you are not happy with the way they are conducting business. If this levy fails then they will have to come back to the public and respect their wishes. (s) Barney Lindsay Morrow County School District Board Member Lexington leaders. He would find out our needs, then go to work to help us. Secretary of State is the second-highest leadership position in the state of Oregon. Lynn Lundquist is a CEO in agri business, a holder of a master's degree in economics and a former college economics professor at George Fox University. He is a leader. He seeks to build bridges while others seek to bum them. These are just a few of the many reasons why we know Lynn Lundquist will serve us well as secretary of state. (s) Mayor Bob and Suzanne Jepsen Heppner No on measure 81 To the Editor: I saw the movie "Erin Brockovich” recently and I enjoyed it very much. The movie showed me how our civil justice . system can hold powerful wrongdoers accountable for their irresponsible actions. Oregonians are now under threat of losing the power of the civil justice system that was so wonderfully illustrated in "Erin Brockovich." Ballot Measure 81, on the May primary ballot, would let the politicians in Salem limit Garden Club postpones meeting The Heppner Garden Club, will not meet Monday, May 1, due to a conflict with the Catholic ladies having a dessert and speaker at the same time. The club will instead meet Monday, May 8, at 5:15 p.m. at the St. Pat's Senior Center. A tour of Green Feed at Connne's Greenhouse is planned. Obituaries the damages people can recover in any civil case. If the measure passes, the legislature will have the power to assign a one-size- fits-all limit on damages, rather than letting a jury decide what is reasonable on a case-by-case basis. I want Oregon jurors to decide what is reasonable after listening to the facts of cases involving their communities. That's why I'm voting "No" on Ballot Measure 81. (s) Mary Louise Rowe Pendleton Yes on measure 81 To the Editor: In rural communities throughout Oregon, medical care for some people can be more than 100 miles away. Doctors, nurses and emergency medical personnel go wherever they're needed - in a field, on a back road or in a farmhouse. They roll up their sleeves and do their best to help. That's how it should be. Now, trial lawyers have found a loophole that would eliminate existing laws that protect emergency medical personnel from being sued. Ballot Measure 81 will close the lawyers' loophole - and shut out the threat of reduced access to health care. In an emergency people look to medical professionals for help - right there and then. No "Good Samaritan" should have to consult a trial lawyer before lending a helping hand. Please join the Oregon Rural Health Association and vote yes on Ballot Measure 81. (s) Tim Martinez, president Office of Rural Health OSHU L-593 Portland Stand up fortunes of citizen juries and place it in the hands of politiciamK and legislators. The lobbyists and lawmakers in Salem don't like what they can't control, and they can't control juries. When you receive your ballots in the mail, read the explanation of Constitution Amendment 81. The language was approved by the Oregon Supreme Court. It says, "Under the Oregon Constitution, the right to jury trial restricts the legislature's authority to limit recovery of some kinds of damages in some civil actions. This measure overrides that restriction by adding a new constitutional provision expressly allowing the legislature to impose limits on damages that may be recovered in any civil action." Who is behind this power grab? The powerful special interests of HMOs, big insurance companies and the tobacco industry. These corporate superpowers don't want to be held responsible by citizen juries. They'd much rather you give up your right to trial by jury and give it to the Legislature. The big money special interests know they can control the lawmakers in Salem. Once you give up a basic right, it's very hard to get it back. Citizen juries are a powerful tool to hold out-of-control businesses accountable. Please join me in voting "No" on Constitutional Amendment 81. (s) Anne Hughes Portland To the Editor A campaign is being waged in Oregon this spring to take away a basic constitutional right. The proponents of Constitutional Amendment 81 are throwing around words like "lawyers," "lawsuits," "insurance rates," and "loopholes." When you get past the rhetoric and find out what the campaign is all about, there is one word you ought to focus on, "jury." The proponents of this May 16 ballot measure would take away our right to trial by jury. Juries are something that I know about. I was the foreman of the jury that last year awarded $17.8 million to a Tigard woman who suffered terrible brain damage after a routine surgical procedure went awry. Our verdict against Providence St. Vincent Medical Center was one of the most difficult decisions any of us on the jury have ever had to make. We, the citizen jury, ruled in favor of Denisa Christine Jennison, a 44 year old woman who entered the hospital for a relatively routine surgery and left with such severe brain damage that she will require 24- hour care for the rest of her life. It was not a slip of the scalpel that left Denisa so damaged. It was a slip of the system that should be in place to support the excellent professionals on the staff at St. Vincent. In Denisa's case, the system broke down. The blunders committed were atrocious and the result horrible. The business side of the hospital had expanded so quickly that the patient care system buckled under its own weight. I stand by our verdict against St. Vincent. As a juror, I was in iwe of my responsibility to hear all the evidence in a month long trial and make a very difficult decision. We held the hospital accountable for its mistakes and sent a message to all large medical businesses to not forget us, the customers, the patients. Juries are the target o f the campaign to pass Constitutional Amendment 81. The measure, referred to the ballot by the Legislature, would take the power that now sits in the hands W .C .C .C . Golf WCCC Ladies’ Play Tuesday, April 18 Low gross o f the field: Pat Edmundson. Low net o f the field: Della Heideman. Least putts of the field: Luvilla Sonstegard, Betty Christman and Jackie Allstott. Flight A: low gross Lynnea Sargent; low net Carol Norris; least putts Karen Bishop. Flight B: low gross Lois Hunt and Joyce Dinkins; low net Carol Hamilton. Flight C: low gross Lorrene Montgomery; low net Barbara Gilbert; least putts Lucile Peck and Maude Hughes. KP: #11 Joyce Dinkins, #15 Pat Edmundson. William I. Jewell William I. Jewell, 84, formerly of Heppner and Monument, died Tuesday, April 18, 2000 at the Evergreen Nursing Home in The Dalles. A graveside service was held Friday, April 21, 2000 at the Monument Cemetery. He was bom October 2, 1915, at Koshkonong, M issouri, to Albert and Elizabeth Wickins Jew ell. He was raised at Koshkonong and attended schools there. He came to Monument when he was 18 to work on a family ranch. He served with the U.S. Army during World War II. On May 25, 1942, he married Gladys Emery at Vancouver, Washington. TTie couple lived at Monument until 1957 when they moved to Kinzua. In 1978, they moved to Heppner. Mr. Jewell enjoyed working on old cars, spending time in his gar den and hunting. Survivors include his wife Gladys, of Hermiston; daughter, Nedra Ross of Irrigon; son, Tim Jewell of Monument; brothers, Jack of Monument and Ted of Thayer, Missouri; sisters, Alma Gillespie of Kansas City, Missouri, Juanita Rawls in Illinois and Nedra Hice o f Koshkonong; seven grandchildren and eight great grandchildren. He was preceded in death by a son, Paul; a daugh ter, LuAnne Roth; sisters, Alice and Mary; and brother, Richard. Sweeney Mortuary of Hepp ner was in charge of arrange ments. In 1975, Malcolm and Lillie began to buy rental propertes, with Malcolm holding a real estate license and both of them active members of the Mid Columbia Rental Association. Mrs. O'Brien was a member of St. Peter Catholic Church, St. Rose Circle, Meals on Wheels and the proud grandmother of 17 grandchildren. She is survived by her children and their spouses, Kirsten and Steve Stevens of The Dalles; Kathleen and Ramiro Gaitan of Portland; Malcolm and Mona O'Brien of Lake Charles, Louisiana; Michael and Alesia O'Brien, Matthew O'Brien and Erin and Tim Miller, all of The Dalles; Celia and Phil Burgess of Bend; and Patrick O'Brien of Los Angeles, CA; her grandchildren, Anthony, Cody and Alyssa Miller, Lilliana, Jeanine, Gabriela and Catalina Gaitan, Thomas, Christopher and Tyler O'Brien, Lena and Rene, James and Rachael O'Brien, Brandon and Bridget Burgess and Tommy Huteson; her siblings, Elsie Cavette of Silverton, Keith and Marilyn Nelson of Turner, Linda Nelson of Salem, Ruth Nelson of Eugene and Inez and Jack Berkey of Hubbard. Memorial contributions may be made to Hospice of the Gorge, 751 Myrtle St. The Dalles, OR 97058 or St. Peter Catholic Church, P.O. Box 41, The Dalles, OR 97058. Irene I. Perlberg Graveside services for Irene I. Perlberg, Heppner, were Wednesday, April 26, at the Heppner Masonic Cemetery. Miss Perlberg, 82, of Heppner, died Thursday, April Marjorie L. Wright 20, at her home. Maqorie L. Wright, 85, formerly She was bom July 26, of Heppner, died Thursday, De 1917, at Bingen, WA, to Albert cember 9, 1999, at Everett Gen and Lenora Kummerland eral Hospital in Everett, Washing Perlberg. The family moved to ton. Heppner in 1922 where she grew A memorial graveside service up and attended shcool. was held Saturday, April 22,2000 The family had a ranch at the Heppner Masonic Cem near Heppner which she etery. continued to own until the time of her death. She was bom January 1,1914, Miss Perlberg enjoyed at Wasco, to Henry and Vera her animals, nature, and taking Happold. The family later moved pictures pf>qth, ,, j to Heppner where she grew up > S iif*n/iH r>rg mqlude several and attended school. She gradu distant cousins. ated from Heppner High School Memorial contributions in 1931. may be made to Pioneer On August 11, 1934, she mar Memorial Hospital, P.O. Box 9, ried Oral Wright of Heppner. The Heppner, OR 97836. couple had three daughters and a Sweeney Mortuary of special relationship that spanned Heppner is in charge of 65 years. Together they enjoyed arrangements. hunting, fishing, camping, boating and visiting with friends. Death Notice Survivors include her husband, Oral Wright; daughters, Lynn Haguewood of Olympia, Wash Oren Jerry Brace ington, Nancy Huffman of Palm Memorial service for Oren Bay, Florida and Deanna Bellamy Jerry Brace, Heppner, will be of Bothell, Washington; 11 grand held Saturday, May 6, at 11 a.m. children; 12 great-grandchildren at the Heppner Elks Club. and one great-great-grandchild. Mr. Brace, 61, died April 15, She was preceded in death by her 2000, at Oregon Health Sciences parents and a sister, Betty. University, Portland. Sweeney Mortuary of Hepp No additional information was ner was in charge of local ar available at presstime. A rangements. complete obituary will appear later. Lillie Adeline O'Brien Lillie Adeline O'Brien, 70, a resident of The Dalles since 1961, died at her home on Thursday, April 20, 2000. Recitation of Rosary and Mass of Christian Burial was held at St. Peter Catholic Church on Tuesday, April 25, with the Rev. James Stephens as celebrant. Private cremation will follow with interment of cremains at St. Peter Catholic Cemetery. She was bom December 6, 1929, in Crosby, North Dakota, the ninth of 13 children bom to Olga (Olsen) and Emil Nelson. She moved to Woodbum with her family as a teenager. In 1947, she graduated from Woodbum High School and in 1951, graduated from Emanuel Hospital School of Nursing. Mrs. O'Brien's nursing career began on the medical floors of Emanuel Hospital in 1951. In 1953 she moved to Heppner for a position as head nurse at Heppner Memorial Hospital. She continued nursing at Prineville's Pioneer Memorial Hospital from 1958-1961, and later in The Dalles area, including Columbia Park Hospital, Valley Vista and Mid Columbia Medical Center. In 1953, while working in Heppner, she met Malcolm Seator O'Brien. They married on September 9, 1953, in Walla Walla, Washington. They were married 43 years at the time of Malcolm's death in 1996. Public invited to Garden Club meeting Heppner Garden Club is hosting a meeting of all garden clubs in Eastern Oregon on Saturday, April 29 from 9 a.m.-2:30 p.m. at the St. Patricks Parish Hall. Following the theme of "Say Yes to Spring—to Bats, Bees, Birds and Butterflies," the day will include a "Welcome to Heppner" by Mayor Bob Jepsen; a flower show, "Welcome, Sweet Springtime"; reports on each club's activities; exhibits of garden arts and crafts; children's gardening posters; conservation and recycling ideas; the Oregon Garden; garden songs, raffles, door prizes; and a country store. After lunch, the program features a presentation by Ryan Munkers on "Agriculture in Australia," based on his experiences there as part of his course work as an ag major at Eastern Oregon University. Guests will include officers and members of the State Board of the Oregon State Federation of Garden Clubs. Everyone is invited to attend and/or bring exhibits to the flower show. For further information call 676-9435.
