School board vacates two positions
E c 3 3 l O " C 1 3 © 11
i! o ' 0 Ila v3pa o s r Library
or
V O l 120_______NO. 27______ 8 Pages
w-x
Wednesday, July 4,2001
Morrow County, Heppner, Oregon
Summ er reading program delights youngsters
The Morrow County
School Board last Thursday, June
28, voted 5-1 to vacate the board
positions currently held by
Barney Lindsay and Keith Lewis.
Lewis voted against vacating the
positions and Lindsay abstained
from voting. Board members
Dwayne Carroll. Julie Weikel.
Pat
M cNamee,
Gary
Frederickson and John Rietmann
voted
in
favor,
stressing
following the law concerning
district zoning.
Lindsay and Lewis have
said they would fight the board's
decision in court.
The board's action came
after Lindsay
and
Lewis'
residencies came under scrutiny
following an anonymous letter to
the board. An independent retired
judge, Warner Wasley, hired by
the district, returned with a
decision in favor o f the district-
that Lindsay did not live at his
residence on Feedlot Road within
school district Zone 6, but
instead at a residence on Lindsay
Lane, within Zone 2, and Lewis
did not reside within Zone 4,
from which he was elected, but
within Zone 6.
An opinion several years
earlier by Bill Kuhn, then school
district attorney, determined that
Lindsay lived in Zone 6. Lewis
has lived at the same address,
440 Terrace Drive in Heppner,
since prior to his election,
however, the district recently
determined that the residence
wasn't in Zone 4. According to
Lewis, the district had previously
told him that he resided in Zone
4.
Lindsay has served on
the board six years, Lewis, two.
Following the board's
action. Lewis and Lindsay retired
to the audience. They were
invited to attend the board's
executive session Thursday,
however, Lewis left prior to the
executive session for personal
reasons and Lindsay left during
the executive session. The
session was crucial for the board
and for Superintendent Bruce
Anderson, whose performance
and contract were under review
Lewis and Lindsay have been
critical o f Anderson since the
board voted to cut teachers in
south-end schools to balance an
ailing budget and subsequently
teachers were hired for north-end
schools. The board's action
resulted in an increase in the
student-teacher ratio in south end
schools, which had seen a
general downward trend in
student population, and a
reduction in the ratio for north-
end schools, which had seen an
increase in student population.
The June 28 executive
session was the last for board
member Dwayne Carroll. Imgon,
who, along with Weikel and
Frederickson. both Boardman.
and McNamee, Imgon. have
been more sympathetic toward
Anderson. The review had been
earlier planned for July 9. at
which time board member John
Renfro, Lexington, would have
assumed his position on the
board and Carroll, who lost to
Renfro, would have been off the
board.
Several Imgon residents
testified at the June 28 meeting
that they were satisfied with
Anderson and the board's
performance.
"The bottom line is
you're out for blood for Mr.
Anderson," commented Sarnie J.
Griffin, Imgon.
The following day, June
29, Anderson announced in a fax
to the Gazette-Times his plans to
retire as superintendent in the
summer of 2002. The majority of
the board had indicated that they
were
hesitant
to
change
leadership just as the $22 million
Local man arrested for attack
on police officer
Mr. Bob (aka BobAlbano) delight» children with music and hubbies during the Heppner Library's
summer reading program held June 29 at the St. Patrick's Senior Center. The event was sponsored by the
Craig Berkman Family, Wells Fargo Foundation. Oregon Public Broadcasting and the Oregon Trail
Library District.
Soccer club plans meeting
By Debbie Harper
Willow Creek Soccer Club will
hold a public meeting Tuesday, July
10, at 7:30 p.m. at the Bank of
Eastern Oregon conference room
in Heppner, to determine if there
is enough support for a soccer league
in south Morrow County.
Anyone from Heppner, Lexington
or lone with children ages four
through nine who want to play
soccer are invited to attend the
meeting. People unable to attend
but who have children wanting to
play should contact organizer Tina
Edwards beforehand to register.
Edwards says there are 32
enthusiastic kids signed up for this
year, but that isn't quite enough to
lone Council
meeting changed
The lone City Council
meeting has been changed to July
17, instead o f July 10.
The meeting will begin
at 6 p.m.
Advertising Deadline
12 noon T u e sd a y
adequately field the three teams.
Teams are broken down into U6
(ages4-5), U 8(ages6-7)and U10
(ages 8-9). "Ideally teams should
have 12 or more kids on each
roster," Edwards said. "Five kids
are fielded for a team at each time.
They play four, seven-minute
quarters wnh a two-minute break
between each quarter."
South Morrow County teams
will be co-ed, but they will play
against all-boy teams, with the
exception o f the U6 team, which
always plays as co-ed.
Costs are $31 for the first child,
and $28 for each additional child
in the family. Uniforms, consisting
o f jerseys, shorts and socks, are
included in the registration fees.
Practices will be held in Heppner,
but all games will be played at the
soccer field in Hermiston. Practice
will begin in August, with games
beginning August 25 and continuing
through the end of October. There
would be an average of one game
a week, "usually on Saturdays, but
there will be a few week night
games, probably on Thursday
nights," said Edwards.
For more information or to
register, contact Edwards or Darnell
Raver at 676-8710.
a firearm at him.
Peck was also charged with
resisting arrest when Cowett and
Trooper Andrew McCool. Oregon
State Police, attempted to take Peck
into custody. Peck was ultimately
transported to the Umatilla County
Jail.
Peck, appearing from the
Umatilla County Jail, was arraigned
July 2 in Morrow County Circuit
Court via video hook-up with Clrcuit
Court Judge Daniel Hill. Peck plead
not guilty and w as held in jail with
$15,000 bail. His next scheduled
court appearance is July 5.
Betty Mills honored for
Centurvtel offers
work on ag museum
DSL to south
Morrow County
To meet the growing need for
high speed data transmission,
CenturyTel
"continues
its
commitment to offer broadband
services to its customers in rural
areas and smaller cities" by adding
19 Oregon locations to its Digital
Subscriber Line (DSL) deployment
schedule.
The company began offering DSL
service this month to the following
communities throughout the state:
in Eastern Oregon-Heppner. lone.
Lexington, Boardman, Echo, Pilot
Rock. Long C reek. Fossil. John Day.
Bums. Lakeview. Bonanza. Merrill,
Malm, Bly and Paisley; and in
Western Oregon - Yoncalla, Drain
and Glide.
CenturyTel's DSL service is
available to residential and business
customers in locations where
physical facilities meet DSL
specifications. "The initial offering
will accommodate customers who
live within 18,000 feet of the local
switching centers," explained
CenturyTel's Oregon general
continued page 2
JU LY 5
M onday th ro u g h F rid ay, 7 a.m . - 6 p.m .
S atu rd ay, 7 a.m . • 5 p.m .
or row C ounty Crain C ro w e r s
Lexington 989-8221 • 1-800-452-7396
Richard Glover Peck, 65. 990
E. Fairview Drive. Heppner, was
arrested on June 29 on charges of
assaulting a public safety officer,
resisting arrest, menacing and
pointing a firearm at another,
according to Morrow County
District Attorney David C.Allen.
The incident allegedly occurred
after police officers responded to
a domestic disturbance 911 call
Friday morning at the Peck
residence. The charges allege Peck
caused physical injury to Assistant
Chief Merle Cowett by slamming
his arm in a door and then pointed
Betty Mills (right) receives a plaque from Sharon Harrison,
representing the Morrow County Creative Arts and Crafts Club and
the Farm Foundation, honoring Mills for her "many hours dedicated
to the planning and completion of the Robert Thomas Mural" at the
newly-opened Agricultural Museum in Heppner.
Nazarene Church to have speaker
Dr. Norman D. Stueckle
will speak in Heppner at the
Church of the Nazarene at 7 p.m.
on Friday, July
13, and
Saturday, July 14. at at 10 a.m.
and 6 p.m. on Sunday, July 15.
Dr. Stueckle received his
doctor of ministry degree in 1986
at the San Francisco Theological
Seminary He also has a master
o f ministry from the Nazrene
rheological Seminary, a bachelor
o f theology from Northwest
Nazarene University and a
bachelor o f arts w ith a major in
philosphy and a minor in
pschology
from
Northwest
Nazrene.
He is a member o f the
American
Association
of
Christian
Counselors
has
received
instruction
in
counseling. He was ordained
w ith the Church of the Nazarene
in 1959 and had ministries in
Yrcka. CA. Pomeroy. WA and
Wenatchee. WA.
1
bond project swings into high
gear. The project includes new
elementary schools in Boardman
and Imgon, a new' gym at
Heppner Elementary School, a
new elementary school at lone to
replace the existing facility and
repairs
and
improvements
district-wide
Also at the June 28
meeting, Mike Armato, Lewis'
son-in-law, accused north-end
board members of holding illegal
meetings while traveling together
in vehicles to district meetings.
Armato claims that Frederickson
admitted as such while testifying
under oath at the residency
hearing held June 19 and
presided over by Judge Wasley.
The
school
district
advertised for applicants for the
two vacant board positions in the
classified section of this week's
this week's Gazette-Times and in
the East Oregonian and the
Hermiston Herald.
Superintendent
to retire in
summer 2002
Morrow County School District
Superintendent Bruce Anderson
has announced his intent to retire
next summer.
In a letter to the board June 29,
the day after the school board
continuance, Anderson said, "This
letter is to announce my retirement
in the summer o f 2002. After
weighing all the factors I believe
it is in the district's and my best
interest to retire. It is my hope that
by making this announcement the
district can focus its energy on the
important educational issues at hand.
Facilitating the process to plan and
construct new facilities and
continuing to hold student
achievement, as the highest priority
will be my focus this next year.
I appreciate the support of the
Board and look forward to a very
productive and positive year in
2001 02
-
."
Still time to sign
up for golf
tournev
There is still time to sign up for
the fifth annual Heppner High
School Alumni GolfToumament.
which will be held July 7-8 at
Willow Creek Country Club. Play
begins at 9 a.m. both days w ith a
shotgun start and will feature a
scramble format.
Cost of the tournament is $40
per person and includes 18 holes
of golf each day as well as a steak
dinner at the club house Saturday
night. Participants can golf w ith
whomev er they choose and can put
together their own five-member
teams if they like.
Tournament proceeds have helped
many local youth-related causes
including sports programs, a Campus
Life program, coach and releree
training, the Heppner band program
and others.
The winning team members w ill
have their names and a photo placed
on the tournament trophy, which
is displayed in the trophy case at
the high school. The tournament
is open to all HHS alumni and their
spouses as well as past and present
HHS faculty. Non-alumni interested
in playing, as well as alumni who
did not receive an entry form, can
contact Steve and Molly Rhea at
676-9922 or Ken Eckman at 676-
5531 or 989-8498
lone declares
tobacco free
week
The city o f lone, in
conjuction with Morrow County
Tobacco Prev ention, has declared
the week of July 9-14 as tobacco
free and has scheduled activities
in conjunction with the lone
Fourth of July festival.
Activities include free
swimming at the pool and Bingo
for all ages at Beecher's
Restaurant.
The city challenges any
city or town in the state to
proclaim a tobacco free-day or
week.
For more information,
contact lone City Hall. 422-7414.
Monday through Friday, 7 a m.
to 3:30 p.m.