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FOUR - Heppner Gazette-Tim es, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, October 18, 2000 Letters to the Editor Editor's note Letters to the Editor must be signed The Cazette-Times will not publish unsigned letters Please include your address and phone numt>er on all letters lor use by the C -T office The C -T reserves the right to edit. The G-T is not responsible for aoaaracy o f statements m ade in letters. Vote Myren To the Editor: I support Steve Myren for Sheriff of Morrow Co. He is admired as an officer and an individual in this county by all that know him and his work. His knowledge and experiences are varied and valued. If it is administration qualifications alone you are considering, I would ask you to think about it. Any straightforward trained police officer can gain administration experience and qualification. That's not all there is to being sheriff. As a teacher and long-time resident, I am concerned for the youth of this county. Things are changing so rapidly that students are often lost as productive citizens. Steve Myren cares about kids and their problems. He knows how to talk to them, relate with them, teach them. He is an honest policeman. I know this from his visitations and presentations at our school, investigations with youth, and his police work. Steve Myren has worked many years with youth. He was an excellent DARE officer for the schools in this county. Since that program was canceled, we have seen a dramatic rise in the drug (including alcohol) abuse in our school. We have also seen a very low rate of drug arrests. Look at the statistics. You can't "nail" the supplier and leave the users because if there are no consequences for users, they will continue and find someone else will take the supplier's place. Yes, it is important to arrest the suppliers, but users are breaking the law also. We must also educate and protect those at risk. It is taking too long to control the drug problem. Users just continue to abuse and more "innocents" are being corrupted as you tarry. Steve Myren knows where the heart of the drug problem lies. Drugs are a serious problem to Morrow County now. I believe the law' is the law. No one should be allowed special privileges, no one should be allowed to buy out of an arrest or conviction, nor complain about the officer to get themselves out of a conviction. We need to defeat this abuse and adhere to the principles we want our children to possess. Steve Myren is the man to lead us back to honesty and integrity in this millennium. I urge you to help change the morale and morality in this county. Vote for Steve Myren for Sheriff. (s) Marlene Pointer Lexington Denton more qualified Where is the justice? 10 The Editor: I am writing in regards to an incident that occurred about two months ago, concerning a criminal trespassing ticket my husband, his cousin, and I received at the ODOT gravel pit between Lexington and lone. I understand that the signs had been posted approximately two weeks prior to my being there. Yet when I received the ticket it was automatic, no warnings. I have no problem in the fact I received a ticket, as I was there, and it was considered trespassing since it was posted. I do however have a problem now. During the opening week of buck season Traps cruel, indiscriminant To the Editor, I strongly urge you to support Measure 97 because of our personal experience with a homeless young kitty who chose our house to "bum a meal" in February 1, 1989. Somebody most likely dumped him off to fend for himself during the worst, record-breaking cold and snowy winters in the Central Oregon Blue Mountains. This friendly little yellow newcomer gratefully joined our other kitties at their food dish for several days, after which he mysteriously disappeared. Five days later his plaintive, pitiful and painful meowing came from under the children's playhouse. Our son was able to crawl under the little building and free the kitty from where he had gotten stuck after dragging a trap home on his right forefoot. "Thumpy", as he was named because of the sound of his walking with his soon-to-be footless leg, suffered from severe frostbite, dehydration, shock, infection, malnutrition and was administration at the Morrow County Sheriffs Department. During that time he has more than demonstrated his ability to lead the sheriffs department. As sheriff for the last two years, he was able to keep To the Editor: staffing levels current, even The Heppner Chamber of though other departments in the Commerce sponsored a second county had to suffer loss of successful Oregon Department of personnel. He was able to do this Transportation Adopt-a-Highway by cutting and trimming his litter pick up last Wednesday budget in ways that did not affect along the state highways through the level "of'Service he could our town. provide tb’ ihtf "Citizens. As a The businesses and residents resident of Eastern Oregon for along the route did an excellent the last 34 years, Verlin job of picking up litter and understands what the people of unsightly vegetation and Morrow County want, and has depositing it in SOLV litter bags always strived to provide that or disposing of this material service. themselves. Many of you will recognize I worked with Verlin Denton for almost 17 years at the sheriffs department. I do not know anyone with more integrity or professionalism. Verlin Denton holds himself to a very high To the Editor: Over the past few weeks, I standard and expects the same of his personnel. Compare have read with a chuckle, the e x p e rie n c e , ed u catio n , letters regarding the "Heppner dedication, professionalism and Fair", the unfair judging and integrity and join our family in misconceptions from Mary voting for Verlin Denton as Garrett of Boardman. I thought she might get a kick out of this Morrow County Sheriff. incident. (s) Mark and Addie Calbick Twenty-five years ago, a friend Imgon of mine, Donna Hardie of Condon, and I decided to make some mincemeat. Our husbands had gone deer hunting and had both been successful. We decided that the task would assisted living facilities. To the Editor: probably involve several days of We have known Greg for many Raymond and I are pleased to work, so she came to Fossil support Greg Smith for state years and we know he is the best where we lived. After the men representative. As senior citizens, choice to represent our interests had butchered the deer out and we know Greg will stand up for in Salem. Please join us in saved what they could for our us and our issues. Greg is supporting Greg Smith for mincemeat, we drove down to committed to making Oregon State Representative. Pine Creek and picked apples. (s) Raymond French prescription medicine affordable. Later that day we washed jars, He will make sure we can see our State Representative, District 59 went to town and bought lids and (retired) personal doctor of choice. Greg rings. While we were doing all of (s) Norma French will also work hard to keep this, the venison was cooking in Heppner housing affordable, including several large kettles on my stove. That evening the four of us had a meat "grinding party." Needless to say, we than had to mop the p o o p ie / o£ kitchen floor, before we could To the Editor: Dear Morrow County Voters, As many of you have seen, the campaign signs are going up. Many are for the races on the national or statewide ballot issues. However there is one race in'Morrow County that I feel if of great importance to all the citizens of this fine county. That race is for sheriff. Morrow County is facing some big financial, difficulties in the coming years ; because of the resu1ts.of Measures 5, 47 and 50. The possibilities are good that the county will have to lay off employees and that may include some deputies. We need to have someone in the sheriffs office with the experience and knowledge to deal with these types of issues, not someone who has little, if any, budgeting experience and only a limited time as a law enforcement officer. Verlin Denton is running as the current sheriff and for the first time in many, many years, someone has chosen • to run against the standing sheriff. If you look at the qualifications, experience and dedication to the position, the only choice is Verlin Denton. He has been a law enforcement officer for over 27 years with the 17 years in there were at least 11 vehicles parked there, yet no one else received tickets or warnings. Also at least once a week there is at least one vehicle parked there. See my problem? Where is our justice system? Where is it fair that I received a fine of $307? Where is it fair that one person is picked on and others are not? I am not a hunter nor did I do any damage to the property. I just felt that something needed to be said about the unfair justice I have received in a community that I previously thought was a fair one. (s) Diana Sharp very near death. During the five days that Thumpy was stuck in the trap, the temperature was 35 degrees below zero, a record cold for our area. Due to severe frostbite, Thumpy lost his ears and foot. He is still with us today but has never played, romped or climbed a tree, as other cats. His life was saved, but the trap deprived him of a full life. Thumpy was the second cat to come home dragging a trap, both trappings occurred in the month of February. We lost other cats over the years, usually in the month of February, perhaps the unlucky ones who just didn't make it home after being trapped. I’ve been told that trapping is often heaviest just before spring lambing, to supposedly clear the area of predators. These traps are indiscriminate and cruel devices. Please join me in voting yes on Measure 97. (s) Roberta Vandehey Fossil Litter pick up successful The Chamber of Commerce volunteers were able to complete the litter pick up and consolidation of litter bags in less than an hour thanks to the efforts of the property owners adjoining the state highways in the city. The result is that our downtown streets look really nice. The next highway litter pick up will be prior to next March's St. Patrick's Celebration. (s) John Edmundson Heppner Chamber of Commerce Adopt-a-Highway Project Coordinator Judges award prizes on personal preference In support of Greg Smith even go to bed that night. The next morning, we peeled apples, mixed ingredients, etc. (in clean galvanized wash tubs) and started canning. If you have ever canned meat, you probably know how long a canner load takes to process (over an hour per load). When we finally finished, two days later, we each ended up with about 30 quarts of mincemeat. We worked together, every step of the way, even to getting into the same tub with our hands to mix the ingredients. The next fall, I took a jar of the mincemeat to the Fossil fair and didn't even win an honorable mention. Donna took a jar to the Condon fair and won a blue ribbon. To this day, whenever I see her she asks me if I have learned to make mincemeat yet. Why a judge makes a determination, that one item is better than another, depends on her own personal preference, and not according to any specific standard of judging. (s) Luella Taylor Lexington The Bank of Eastern Oregon is offering a <~&e£eA/tatian an d d e d ic a tio n / o ( o u r n eta du trcA bduldtny $1000 REWARD S u n d a y, A&cto&o/V 2 2 , 2 0 0 0 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the party or parties responsible for the vandalism and theft of the ATM at the lone Branch of the Bank of Eastern Oregon. Contact Sergeant P hil M orris a t the M orrow County S heriff's O ffice, A flavn in y cH/o vvsAip/ — / 1:00 a m. & a tlu cA a fte r wars.A ip p ro v id ed Ay ^)one ca n y te y a tio n d e d ic a tio n / Se/w ice/ — 3:00 p m . c$Zec/eptton fa tlo u u n y dome Jfofy cSptre/, f i f í /Ais piace / Heppner GAZETTE-TIM ES 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 W Willow Street Telephone (541)676-9228 Fax (541)676-9211 . E-mail: gt@heppner.net or gt@rapidservc 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 Sykes................................................................................................................Publisher April Hilton-Sykes..................................................................................................... Editor On the HEPPNER WEBSITE: www.heppner.ntt • Start or Change a Subscription • Place a Classified Ad • Submit a News 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! Smith only choice To the Editor: I have worked in the timber industry for many years and I have seen politicians come and go. I am proud to say that I endorse Greg Smith for Oregon State Representative for District 59. It is refreshing to work side by side with a candidate that understands our natural resource issues. Greg has taken the time to tour facilities, talk with workers and attend meetings to find solutions to our agricultural and natural resource concerns. Greg Smith has been endorsed by natural resource leaders and their members throughout the State of Oregon. These organizations include the Oregon Forest Industries Council, Ag- Pac, Associated Oregon Loggers, Inc., and local timber companies. Greg Smith is the only choice for District 59. Please join me to voting for Greg Smith on November 7. (s) Tom Partin John Day Input sought on library- city hall plan A team of consultants will be done to date is being placed in at the St. Patrick's Senior Center archives and they say they are on Saturday, Oct. 28, from 1-4 essentially starting anew. p.m. to involve the community in Design consultants will come to design issues associated with a Heppner specifically to get ideas proposed project to construct a on housing the library and city building to house both the library hall. and Heppner City Hall.. A grant was obtained through The Oregon Trail Library Oregon Community Foundation District and the City of Heppner to develop a model process for have teamed together to address planning community facilities. current problems with the According to the city, the idea is existing library and city hall to have a team of consultants facilities. Some work has been meet with the citizens of the done to date to conceptualize a community to investigate the building housing both entities., best solufidn for the community. The conceptual design has been The -pfbcess is structured tô presented in several forums-the provide information to citizens, Chamber of Commerce, on current design standards, Heppner Coordinating Council theories and best practices and to and Heppner Economic also let them get involved in any Development Corporation. potential proposal. Participants According to a news release will have the opportunity to work from the city, some citizens have closely with the consultants expressed displeasure with at through small group work least one aspect of the proposal: sessions. Some don't like the proposed "This is your best opportunity location; some don't like the to directly influence the design of style; some don't want two a new community facility. You floors, and some just don't like can determine whether it is change. developed further and if so, what Rather than proceed further, the it will look like," said the city city and library district want release. involvement up front. The work 15W-40 SAE 30 Superlube 518 Top quality protection for gasoline and diesel engines 5 5 ga llon drum 15W-40 SAE 30 Super TMS Plus Highest quality extra life diesel engine lubricant Glide-A-Matic Dexron III. Mercon automatic transmission fluid $26295 $25995 5 5 ga llon drum Qwiklift Universal Fluid Premium multi-functional fluid for tractors with a central lubricating system $24595 $23995 ' $ 2 4 9 95 5 5 ga llon drum $ 2 4 9 95 5 5 g a llon drum ML 365 Multi-purpose Grease c~lLnited <~&futaeÁ a ( <~&A/tisi/ in vite/ tfCPU/ ta jo in u& in The Official Newspaper of the City of Heppner and the County of Morrow (541) 676-5317. 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