Image provided by: Morrow County Museum; Heppner, OR
About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (May 3, 2000)
Candidate swings through Heppner Walter Ponsford, a farmer and retired teacher from the Madras area, made a swing through Heppner last week in his campaign for Oregon's Second Congressional District. Ponsford, a Democrat running unopposed for the nomination in the May primary election, will probably face incumbent Rep. Greg Walden, R Hood River in the November general election. One of Ponsford's major concern is agriculture, commenting that the American farmer is being "hung out to dry" Boaal? ffetsell 0 i ' : e 3 p i ", : .** L Î rr.. 7 —u,-; in . , Oii 'j ì 1 j 3 U of County court meets W alter Ponsford Wranglers hold first playday Jennifer Thompson selected for Girls state Jennifer Thompson Jennifer Thompson, a junior at lone High School, has been selected as the American Legion Auxiliary Unit #95 delegate to Girls State. Thompson, the daughter of Dennis and Janet Thompson of lone, will join girls from all over the state at the annual youth seminar on Americanism and government to be held June 25- July 1 at Willamette University at Salem. At Girls State, each girl is assigned to a county, each ranging in size from 30-45 girls. The girls begin learning by • organizing each county into two cities, electing a mayor, two council members and a city recorder. They then begin elections for county officials, including three commissioners, a county clerk, district attorney, county recorder, district judge environmental engineer, board of education member, labor commissioner, three party delegates, three alternate party delegates and two justice candidates. Later in the week the girls begin state elections. Each county will nominate their candidates for governor, secretary of state, attorney general, labor commissioner and superintendent of public instruction. They will also elect six senators and 12 representatives. Athletic facilities will be available and a barbecue will be held during the week. Morrow County Grain Growers helps sponsor local girls selected to attend Girls State. Sonja McCabe wins beef Sonja McCabe of Heppner won a half a beef in a benefit raffle to aid Heppner residents Juan Elguezabal and Faith Healy who are both facing serious illnesses. According to Ken Turner, one of the organizers of the event, the benefit raised $1,535. The Lindsay family donated the beef. Siren improvements underway Chris Brown, the state of Oregon Chemical Stockpile Emergency Preparedness Program (CSEPP) manager, has announced that new siren activation consoles have been installed at the Morrow County 9-1-1 Center and at the Umatilla Chemical Depot. The new units will provide dispatchers with a simpler and easier method of activating the CSEPP siren system. The units replace consoles that are now out of date. Brown said that the technology improvements allow the dispatchers to select the needed siren and message text for a particular event and then press a single button to activate the system. The console replacement at the Umatilla County 9-1-1 Center was delayed pending the May 2 release of the independent evaluation of the alert and notification system. "This is part of an overall project to improve siren activation, siren coverage and to provide new, internationally- accepted siren tones." Brown said. Seven new sirens are being installed in communities closest to the depot and six others are being re-located to provide a broader coverage area to newly e s ta b lis h e d h o u s in g developments and new construction in existing neighborhoods. Brown also said that siren tones have been changed for all of the Oregon CSEPP sirens. "We are adopting the International standard, so that the tone heard during an actual emergency will be a very urgent 'whoop whoop' sound rather than the steady siren sound that was in use," Brown said. The siren tone heard each month during the regular test of the system will also be changed to a minute-long steady tone rather than the oscillating siren sound that was being used. In an emergency, when people hear a siren they should tune into their local commercial radio station to receive instructions on what actions to take. As practice, residents are urged to tune to their local stations when they hear the test as well. For more information on the Oregon siren system, contact the O re g o n E m e rg e n c y Management Office in Pendleton at (541) 96696440. Sacajawea to come alive during presentation The story of the Lewis & Clark Expedition, from Sacajawea's point of view, will be told at assemblies at Heppner Elementary School and lone High School on May 8. The assembly at HES, for fourth through sixth graders, will be held at the HES auditorium beginning at 10 a m.. The lone assembly, for fourth through 12th graders, will be held in the multipurpose room at 1 p.m. The performer, Joyce Hunsaker, who has performances scheduled from May 1 through 23 in Morrow and Umatilla counties, models the behavior and dress of a 19th Century Native American woman. The first performance is scheduled for May 1 at the Vert Auditorium in Pendleton. The performances are sponsored through a grant received by the Oregon Department of Education and allocated through the region's Gender Equity Team of Umatilla-Morrow Counties. "Joyce Hunsaker provides an outstanding role model for young women and gets students and the public to think about the upcoming Lewis & Clark Bicentennial, * said Sam Pambrun, director of professional technical education with Umatilla- Morrow Education Service District." "These presentations will bring the Lewis & Clark Expedition to life for kids, and really start to generate some excitement as we move closer to the Bicentennial of this historic journey," said Brett Kelver, coordinator for the Umatilla County Lewis & Clark Bicentennial Committee. "The Bicentennial Committee is working with the ESD and other groups to schedule more events like this one, because folks will see that there's something in this story for everyone: history, science, diplomacy, languages, music, Native American cultures, plants, animals, map-making, navigation, outdoor survival skills and more." For more information contact: Tama Wildbill, special projects coordinator, Umatilla- Morrow ESD at 541-966-3209, NEWS DEADLINE 5 p.m. Monday by government policies, including international free trade agreements, GATT and NAFTA.. Another of Ponsford's concerns is access to health care, expecially for senior citizens. Ponsford has a bachelor of science degree from the Oregon College of Education and a master's degree from the University of Oregon. He taught history, government and theater in the Jefferson County 509-J school district for around 30 years, retiring in 1992. He now has a farm on the northwest end of Agency Plains. The Wranglers Riding Club held their first playday of the year on April 30. New officers were elected, with Lori Seitz, president; Sandy Matthews, vice-president; Judy Barber, treasurer; and Sheri Gre gory, secretary. Playday results are as follow's: Stickhorse; first Blake Greenup, second Ryan Dougherty, third Bobbi Correa, fourth Dustin Proffit. Leadline: barrels-first Blake Greenup, second Ryan Dougherty, third Makenzi Hughes, fourth Garrett Gibbs; poles-first Blake Greenup, second Ryan Dougherty, third Makenzi Hughes, fourth Bobbi Correa; Figure 8-first Ryan Dougherty, second Blake Green up, third Bobbi Correa, fourth Tate Gentry, fifth Makenzi Hughes. Six year olds and under: bar rels-first Rebecca Jepsen, second Willy Gentry, third Donald Matthews, fourth Stacy Jo Halvorsen; poles-first Rebecca Jepsen, second Willy Gentry, third Donald Matthews, fourth Justin Pranger; Figure 8-first Willy Gen try, second Rebecca Jepsen, third Donald Matthews, fourth Garrett Robinson. Seven year olds: barrels-first Taylor Dougherty, second Jessica Hughes, third Devin Robinson, fourth Jacob Gregory; poles and Figure 8-first Taylor Dougherty, second Devin Robinson, third Jes sica Hughes, fourth Jacob Gre gory. Eight to 10 year olds; barrels- first Eric Jepsen, second Whitney Matthews, third Regi Seitz, fourth Brent Eckman; poles-first Eric Jepsen, second Whitney Matt hews, third Justin Gregory, fourth Regi Seitz; Figure 8-first Brent Eckman, second Whitney Matt hews, third Eric Jepsen. fourth Regi Seitz. 11-14 year olds: barrels-first Lacey Davis, second Jenny Griffith, third Amy Jepsen, fourth Jaime Westberg; poles-first Jenny Griffith, second Amy Jepsen, third Lacey Davis, fourth Nicole Wil son; Figure 8-first Jenny Griffith, second Nicole Wilson, third Amy Jepsen, fourth Jaime Westberg. 15-17 year olds: barrels-first Ashley Ward, second Tracy Griffith, third Kelsey Greenup, fourth Tracy Rankin; poles-first Ashley Ward, second Tracy Griffith, third Brett Barber, fourth Tracy Rankin; Figure 8-first Ashley Ward, second Tracy Griffith, third Brett Barber, fourth Sibbea Jones. Spelling contest planned May 11 The annual Morrow County School District spelling contest will be held on Thursday, May 11, at 6:30 p.m. at Heppner Elementary School. The public is invited to observe the contest. Linda Shaw is in charge of local arrangements at HES. Refreshments will be served at the end of the competition By Doris Brosnan Department reorganization needed after budget cuts. The court further discussed with Planning Director Tamra Mabbott, the status of impact aid potential and of the Army's request for permit modifications. Mabbott noted that the county's hazardous waste ordinance could apply in a J-Block permit modification because the modification would create a handling and storage issue. Questions continued to arise about the reasons behind the modification requests, and the court agreed that, though the county does not want to delay incineration, it is primarily concerned with health and safety and storage issues. Mabbott also reported to the court a request for a permit from Lamb Weston to apply potato waste at the airport. Concern over legal responsibility and the question of ground squirrel presence surfaced, to be resolved as a prerequisite to signing a permit. In answer to a concern over possible water runoff and road washout at the site of an approved division of a property into four parcels, Mabbott explained rules governing the building of dwellings in an EFU zone off a parent parcel. She also explained how two-acre minimum parcels came to be. Boardman City Manager Rex Mather presented an amendment to the enterprise zone agreement with Enron, adding that Enron will meet the 150 percent salary requirement. The court approved the amendment. The Morrow County Court, during its April 19 session, approved the purchase of a scanner for the clerk's office and two picnic tables for the fairgrounds and approved an intergovernmental agreement with Wheeler County for prevention coordination services with Behavioral Health. The court discussed the possibility of contracting with a consultant to handle the rural addressing work with the 911 funds and several department heads visited with the court about the organization of office space in the Irrigon, Boardman and Heppner annexes. Assistant Public Works Director Burke O'Brien reported to the court. The crew has started transporting grindings to the Irrigon pit to be run through the crusher and will probably apply the grindings on a road by the second week of May. They have started work on the school bus parking lot in Boardman. They are finishing rocking at the south end and will then work on Pole Line Road. A brief discussion focused on the reasons the county cannot plow snow from private roads. O'Brien noted that in CenturyTel's plans to provide telephone service to property owners near Cutsforth Park, they will request a utility easement through the park, which must be reviewed by county counsel. The court agreed to a work session with Public Works Director Guy Van Arsdale, O'Brien, and Financial Director Lisanne Currin, to discuss the Road St. Jude participants log 1096 Fifty three bike riders enjoyed pleasant biking conditions Sunday, April 29, at the annual lone Bike-a-thon. Funds raised from the event will benefit St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, TN. Although the pledges have not yet been tallied or turned in, organizers consider the ride a. success based on the amount of money raised and the level of enthusiasm displayed by the participants. Counting both courses, approximately 1096 bike miles were logged on Sunday in a four-hour time span. Thirty three riders, in all age groups, tackled the 22-mile Ruggs to lone route. The first riders to complete the course were Robert McElligott and Aaron Delveaux front Heppner, pedaling the distance in one hour and 34 minutes. Clusters of riders pedaled in for the rest of the afternoon with everyone arriving in under three hours. On the in-town route, Dalton Campbell circled the one-mile course 26 times, followed by Aldan Burt, Shayne Key, William Wehrli and Whitney Wehrli with 24 laps each. Preschooler Jason Thompson logged 15 miles during the afternoon, "all at a good clip and never looking tired,” said ride coordinator Anne Morter. Participants are asked to turn in pledges and donations by Monday. May 15. so that prizes may he ordered. Funds should he turned in with the pledge sheet in an envelope to the Bank of Eastern Oregon in lone or to ride coordinators, Anne Morter or Janet Thompson. A list of riders will be posted soon. All funds raised from this event go directly to St. Jude Children's Hospital. St. Jude Children's Research Hospital is a leading children's cancer research facility and is funded mainly by public donations. St. Jude Hospital has one of the: lowest overhead costs of any of the major health chanties with 86 percent of every dollar going to current and future needs of the hospital, according to a news release. Tax notices will not be mailed The Morrow County Tax Collector's Office has announced that tax notices will not be mailed out the third tnmester due to computer programming problems. However, taxes will still be due on Monday, May 15. While mailing out the notice is not required by law, the county has done so as a courtesy to the public. They plan to mail out notices in the future. For more information, call toll free in the Irrigon area, 922- 4103: in the Boardman area. 481 - 2112; or in the Heppner- Lexmgton-Ione area, 676-5628, or stop by the courthouse. Land O ’ Lakes DOG & CAT FOOD SALI C at f o o d : 20 lbs for $8.49 D o g fo o d ; 40 lbs Hish Protein for $13.99 or 50 lbs. Chunk Style for $12.99 Sale Ends May 13th VI o r r o w C o u n t y G Lexington 989-8221 • 1-800-452-7396 I* r a in ~ £ G r o w e r s tqwpnum. am our *tb im i ww* mtgg mt________
