Image provided by: Morrow County Museum; Heppner, OR
About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 1, 2000)
ß 3 3 3 l’ C e t i l i Library U o f > he *9 pao*«’ , OR O'M '3 MCGG annual meeting Monday District Free babysitting will be discusses avilable in the dormitory next door to the pavilion. WCVAL A host and actor on Seattle's weekly comedy/talk show, contract "Almost Live," Shafer is a six Ross Shafer The Morrow County Grain Growers annual stockholders' meeting will be held this Monday, November 6. The evening will get underway with dinner beginning at 6:30 p.m. at the Morrow County Fairgrounds pavilion in Heppner. Entertainment will feature Ross Shafer. humorous keynote speaker. The Morrow County Health District Board Monday night discussed a proposed contract for operation of the Willow Creek Valley Assisted Living Center, once the center becomes operational next year. I nder the proposed agreement the health district will be responsible for operation of the center, a move officials think should provide income for the cash strapped health district. I he center will have room for a total of 16 elderly residents who need some care, but not as much as a nursing home. The center recently received government funding and is now able to move ahead with construction. The center is expected to be completed in November of 2001. In another proposal to help generate revenue for the health district. administrators will accept an inviation from Wheeler count) officials to discuss the possibility of providing some health care services in the Fossil area. The talks are only in the preliminary stages, but the district is exploring possible additional revenue sources. Door prizes and fun for the In other money discussions at w'hole family is in store for the evening. This will be the swan the Monday board meeting, the song for director Herb Wright board voted to change nursing who has served on the board for home charges from the current SI05 per day plus add-ons, to a 28 years. Wright has earned state and fiat SI30 per day which would include add-ons. Add-ons are national prominence for his additional services requested or efforts in rural electric affairs needed by residents. and legislation. Ihe board also voted to start charging interest on accounts past due by 90 days. The rate will be 1.5 percent per month or 18 percent annually. In the financial report the board heard that the district lost $15,122 in September. The loss is down from $49,730 in August, however, there is still an average monthly loss of $40,652 recorded over the past three months. time Emmy winner. He is also known to television viewers as a host of Mateh Game and Days End on ABC, The Late Show on Fox, Love Me—Love Me Not on the USA Netwcork and the internationally syndicated broadcast of the Miss America Pageant. His television credits also include guest appearances on 21 Jump Street, Hollywood Squares. Bloopers and Practical Jokes and Win, Lose or Draw. As a comedian, Shafer performs in Las Vegas, Reno and Atlantic City and for cruise ship engagements. On the corporate lecture circuit he is an after-dinner entertainer, keynote speaker and seminar presenter. In his seminar. "How Anyone Can Overcome the Fear of Public Speaking," Shafer reveals secret techniques used bv entertainers, politicians and trial attonreys to overcome stage fright and capture an audience. CBEC plans annual meeting Myren Challenges Denton for sheriff When Morrow County voters cast their votes, they will decide between two candidates for /Morrow County Sheriff- challenger Steve Myren and incumbent Verlin Denton. Following is a forum featuring the two candidates. Voters are reminded that the mail-m ballots must be received at the Morrow County Clerk's Office by Tuesday, November 7, by 8 p.m. Verlin Denton Verlin R. Denton, 54, Heppner, is the incumbent candidate for Morrow County Sheriff. Denton, who is married, has two daughters, 18 and 30 years old. Denton came to Morrow County in 1983. Denton graduated from Brookings-Harbor High School in Brookings and attended college at Blue Mountain Community College and S o u th w e s te rn O reg o n Community College. He has had two years of education in criminal justice. He has been with the Morrow County Sheriffs office for 17 years with two of those years as sheriff. Denton is a member of the First Christian Church, is BENT Board chair, a member of the Oregon Judicial Dept. Citizens Review Board, the local Public Safety Coordinating Council, the Oregon State Sheriffs Assoc., the BMCC Criminal Justice Advisory Board, CSEPP Executive Review Panel, L.E. Administrative Council and the Morrow County Prevention Team. He has received executive certification by Oregon's Department of Public Safety Standards and Training (the highest awarded out of six certificates) and is a graduate of Northwestern University Staff and Command School. He has completed 102 college quarter hours, and 2300 "DPSST" training hours. Why would a voter select you over your opponent?: Life-long resident of Oregon. Law enforcement, is my profession and career and not just a job. I have the education, experience, and training to be Morrow County's Sheriff. If elected, what is the biggest challenge facing you?: Morrow County's budget shortfall and how the sheriff will be able to maintain peace and security of the county if the county levy fails and results in deputy layoffs. What major project would you like to see accomplished. What is your first priority?: I would like to hire a school/commumty resource deputy to work with the schools on drug and alcohol abuse as Steven L. Myren well in the communities with Steven L. Myren, lives with programs such as Neighborhood his wife in Boardman. He Watch and block homes. I would graduated from Silverton Union also like this deputy to work with High School in Silverton and families that have problem attended Chemeketa, Portland, children by finding resources Mt. Hood and Blue Mountain support them. community colleges. BENT and the focus of He has been a Warrant Officer- Morrow County drug 1 with the Oregon State Defense investigations have become an Force, Medical Command, under issue as of late. Please six months. comment: In 1991 the BENT Myren has been employed with member agencies came together the Department of Human to pool their resources to fight an Services, Health Division, as a increasing problem of drugs medical preparedness officer for coming into Morrow and the last two years. Umatilla counties. It was He has been president of the recognized that we had to go Columbia River EMT after the sources of the illegal Association for past three years a drugs coming into our area and in volunteer EMT for the past 17 Morrow County's case, we did years and is currently an EMT not have the resources to fight with the Morrow County Health this problem alone. It was also District., a volunteer fire fighter recognized that this was only one for nearly 20 years and is a way to attack the drug problem. founding member and training The task force has had to officer for OR-1 DMAT Team prioritize its efforts in order to be (Disaster Medical Assistance the most effective with the Team). resources available. The focus is Myren's current job involves on getting the sources of the interaction, consultation, drugs coming into the county negotiation and problem regardless of which county they resolution with federal, state, are in. There are some who say county and municipal this is not the most effective way representatives. "While not to work. Over 200 drug arrests political by definition, these last year by the task says contacts are almost always differently. driven in some form by politics. How do you plan to provide I have developed an ability to services for a growing effectively deal with all of the population and subsequent involved parties. The sheriffs increase in criminal activity in race in Morrow County is my north Morrow County and yet first time as a political maintain adequate patrol in candidate." south Morrow County?: Myren was employed 12 years Recognizing that our budget full-time in law enforcement and problems were only going to get had reserve officer experience worse in the next few years and previous to that. He has received could result in deputy layoffs, 1 training in the following areas: started a program to increase our incident command, operations, reserves. Two years ago we had safety officer, street survival, only five reserves. We now have domestic terrorism, chemical nine reserves and are aiming for weapons, hazardous materials, 15 to 16 reserves. In the event of Oregon Regional Forensic layoffs these reserves will be Academy, forensic photography, come more and more important Reid method of interview and to the county. interrogation, sexual abuse About a year ago we instituted interviews and investigations, specific patrol area assignments deputy medical examiner, gang continued page 8 continued page 8 The annual dinner meeting of the Columbia Basin Electric Cooperative, Inc., is planned for Thursday, Nov. 2 at the Gilliam County Fairgrounds in Condon. Registration starts at 5 p.m. with dinner served at 6 p.m. The annual meeting and election of directors for zones #1 and #7 will follow the dinner. Creativity flourishes in Condon Voters to face four-year option levy A work in progress By Merlyn Robinson Creativity flourishes in Condon inside Mary C’emyar's School of Studio Arts located in a historic old building on Main Street. Cemyar, formerly of Portland, opened her studio in late September this year. Thirteen students are now taking courses in draw ing and painting. She will be accepting new students at the beginning of the next semester in January. For those students who wish to receive college credits, her studio in now accredited with Eastern Oregon University in LaGrande. One doesn't have to be an artist to appreciate the variety of original art forms. often capturing the spirit of the West, that are created by Cemyar’s talented hands. Inside her shop in a large mobile. Suspended from the high ceiling is a wooden single tree. Dangling from it is a whimsical arrangement of painted cow bones, hobbles, a shoe and other objects harmoniously united by her unlimited imagination Both inside and outside her studio are large earthy-looking clay sculptures made to grace garden areas. These weather proof sculptures have heavy abstract textures in muted tones that often feature birds, pine BE cones and other decorative objects. Cemyar plans to also offer courses in pottery and sculpturing in the coming year The walls inside her studio background large paintings, some that portray an emotional embrace of pioneer life. She uses a variety of techniques and materials when painting w'lth oils or acrylics. For instance, broken bits of straw are embedded in the background of an old homestead scene. Another favorite medium is charcoal, where she captures portraits of people. Some of her collages are historical figures sketched on dated newspaper that also have small photographs or memorabilia from that era. Cerynar, master of Fine Arts, has attended various colleges in the Northwest. She has also held teaching positions at Northwest community colleges, universities and art schools Cerynar’s show s at exhibitions, installations and art galleries, including the Portland Art Museum, have drawn praise by art lovers Currently she is busy working on paintings to be shown at a solo exhibition entitled "The Pioneer Spirit", to be seen at the Center of Visual Arts in Jackson Hole. Wyoming in June 2001 Cerynar says her move to continued page 8 READ!/FOR WINTER! AK TI-FIIBEiBE S A L E By the Gallon: $0.S9gat. or Bulk: $0.29 gat. M orrow C A no vote on the county's four year SI.500,000 option levy facing voters in the upcoming election will result in further cuts to county services. Morrow County Commission Dan Brosnan has said. I he county is asking voters to approve a levy of $1.50 per thousand of valuation to raise about $1,500.000 each year for the next four years. I he county is facing a serious shortfall of funds this year and Brosnan says if voters say no, the county will hav e no choice but to "take cuts across the board" in county serv ices. After compression, uncollectible and city road tax distributions, it is estimated the county w ill collect approximately $1.100,000 from the levy. I he money will be put in the road fund and used for road operations only. This would free up money in the general fund that had previously been transferred to the road fund. The levy money is also needed because the county is receiving less and less federal timber receipts money. Brosnan says, from a high of $369,768 in 1993. to an estimated $45.000 for the year 2000. To make ends meet the county has recently laid off 13 full and part time employees, as well as made cuts to the road department. To deal with the shortfall the county has also taken money from "tippage fees" (money received from the Finley Buttes landfill) and placed it in the general fund. This w as a one time transfer and won't be done again. Brosnan said. ounty G Lexington 989-8221 • 1-800-452-7396 r a in M C G G w i ll b e CLOSED Friday, Nov. 10th for V e tera n ’s Day. W e w i ll b e o p e n Saturday, Nov. 11th until noon. G rowers h rh m . equipment, mit our web site at www mcgg net