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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.
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rowers
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