Image provided by: Morrow County Museum; Heppner, OR
About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 14, 2004)
Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, January 14, 2004 - THREE Red Cross responds to Boardman house fire Disaster Action Team volunteers w ith the R olling Prairie District o f the American R ed C ross resp o n d ed to a duplex fire on M ain Street in B oardm an, on W ednesday, Jan. 7, to care for two families displaced by the fire. T he h ig h ly -tra in e d D is a s te r A c tio n T eam volunteers met with the family to d is c u s s a n d id e n tif y immediate needs resulting from the fire. Typically, basic human needs such as a place to stay, fo o d to e a t, n e c e s s a r y m edications or health items, a n d c lo th e s to w e a r a re provided for first. T hen, the Red C ross will continue to w ork with the fam ily as they plan their recovery. This is the second fire in as m any days that the team has responded to, a ssistin g a to tal o f 14 people. M e m b e r s o f th e D isa ste r A c tio n Team are volunteers, specially trained in various aspects o f disaster response, including casework in te r v ie w s , dam age a s s e s s m e n t, s h e lte r a n d feeding, health services and c r is is c o u n s e lin g . T h e volunteers also have the full support o f the local Red Cross for additional personnel arid resources if needed. T he R olling Prairie District o f the Am erican Red C r o s s r e s p o n d s to a ll resid en tial fires and o th er disasters in Umatilla, Morrow and G rant counties. All Red C ross disaster assistance is fre e , m a d e p o s s ib le by voluntary donations o f tim e and money from the American p e o p le . You can h e lp the victim s o f disasters in our c o m m u n ity by m a k in g a fin a n c ia l g ift to th e local A m erican Red G ross, which e n a b le s th e R ed C ro ss to p r o v id e s h e lte r , fo o d , c o u n s e lin g and o th e r assistance to those in need. C a ll ( 5 4 1 ) 2 7 6 -1 2 1 1 to volunteer. Contributions to the Red Cross m ay be sent to the Rolling Prairie District o f the A m erican Red C ross at P.O. B ox 1048, P e n d leto n OR 97801. Giant gift box raffle to benefit children’s grief program Cyde Estes displays the giant gift box to be raffled P io n e e r M e m o ria l Hospice is raffling a giant gift b ask et o f g o o d ie s to earn m oney for its new children's g rie f program called “ Sad is not Bad” . Trie new program , p r e s e n te d by P io n e e r Memorial Hospice staff, offers instruction for teachers on c h ild re n ’s g rie f and donates books to the school that can be gifted to a child w ho has recently suffered a loss. The program is being offered to all our grade schools in M orrow and Gilliam counties. The sta ff o f Pioneer M em orial H om e H ealth and H ospice donated the basket. Inside the basket you will find: s m o k e d s a lm o n , c a v ia r, m arinated w hite asparagus, pepper and sesam e crackers, sourdough wine bites, Godiva d essert c h o c o la te s, lem on cookies, G hirardelli assorted chocolates, caramels, biscotti, Italian chocolate, Trufflz and many more items. The basket is valued at $200. The basket will be on display at the Bank o f Eastern O regon from January 12-30. Then it will move to Condon, Arlington, lrrigon, Boardman, lone and back to Heppner. The Bank o f Eastern O regon has ag re e d to d isp la y the basket in each com m unity. The Bank o f EO staff will be selling the tickets for the raffle at each b ranch. W hen the basket leaves a bank it does not m ean you can n o t still purchase tickets. Ticket sales will continue until M ay 2. At that tim e, the w inner w ill be draw n and the basket will be delivered or m ailed to the recipient. Tickets are $5 each or 5 tickets for $20. For more information about “Sad is not Bad” and the gift books, call Molly Rhea at (5 4 1 )6 7 6 -2 9 4 6 . To th e H eppner Fire C hief & V olunteers: T h a n k You f o r y o u r q u ic k r e s p o n s e a n d f o r s a v in g o u r h o u se fr o m b u rn in g o n th e c o ld f r o z e n n ig h t o f J a n u a r y 8 . Y our r e s p o n s e tim e w a s e x c e lle n t. M any T h a n k s! Jim & Yung Breathe easier.. .from SWCD St. Patrick’s Senior Center news We do things out o f habit, without thinking about the consequences. “ W e’ve alw ays done it this w a y ...” This is true about burning our trash. Today’s trash is different from y esterd ay ’s. H ave you ever thought about w h at’s in that bum barrel that’s smoking and smoldering out back? T h ere’s m ore plastic in our trash than ever. W hen trash is burned in a barrel or pile, plastics produce high levels o f toxic gases— nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide, volatile organic chem icals (V O C s), and Polycyclic organic matter (P O M s) th a t fo rm hydrochloric acid in our lungs. B urn in g trash and tre a te d w ood also rele ase s heavy m etals and toxic chem icals such as dioxin. W hen trash is burned in a bum barrel, the fire is not h o t e n o u g h to d e s tr o y By the Rev. Grace Drake poisonous substances. The fire also does not receive enough oxygen to bum efficiently and th e p o is o n o u s s m o k e is released right at ground level. C h ild r e n a n d th e elderly are m ost at risk for respiratory problem s such as a s th m a , e m p h y s e m a and bronchitis. W hat can w e do? Begin a new tradition. It’s amazing how much o f our trash is recyclable, and recycling is free. R ecycle, com post and then dispose. Most people do a g o o d jo b o f r e c y c lin g new spaper, m etal and glass. We c a n a ls o r e c y c le m agazines, cardboard, office paper and p la s tic , u n fo rtu n a te ly , th e c lo se st center is in Pendleton. To r e c e iv e w e b a d d re sse s fo r m o re information, contact M orrow SW C D at 676-5452. Off the Wall By Merlyn Robinson Red Rover! O h- - all-pow erful Spirit R over Robot! Did you look 106 million miles down to earth during your red ram blings to observe our frozen, w hite w onderland that had us m ere mortals shoveling, slipping and sliding? Your link to send data and pictures at 11,000 bits, per second back to earth is probably w hat keeps m e from getting Internet connections without waiting days to go on-line. Well w hy not? The ram bling robot “ S pirit” and its backup companion, “Opportunity", cost a mere $820 million each. Scientists hope to find a tiny speck o f water trapped in a salt crystal that holds single cell m icroorganism s that w e’ve happily been ignorant about for millions o f years. O ur earthly news is the BIG STO RM o f the decade. We haven't had this m uch snow since the winter o f 1992-93. H ow we learn to grum ble in spite o f all our m odem coping conveniences. The better situated we are the m ore it seem s w e com plain- -w hich takes me back to the w inter o f 1949. We d id n ’t have electricity here on the ranch at that tim e and we were blissfully accustom ed to wood stoves, horse drawn sleds, and chopping ice near springs to water livestock. O h y es, w h en the b o tto m d ro p p e d o u t o f the therm om eter, w e took turns getting up at night to keep the hom e-fires blazing. Lose the heat in that single-w alled house with loose doors and rattling w indow s and the place quickly becam e a cold storage plant. During the day it was necessary to pack w arm w ater to keep our chickens from becom ing frozen entrees. In the m ornings a team w as harnessed to pull the wagon to feed cow s while frozen snaffle bridle bits were warmed by the old Monarch range. Before the days o f insulated outerwear, it was an effort to pull on several layers o f clothing and five buckle overshoes. It then became a chore just to bend over, m uch less pitch the w heat hay bundles on and o ff the w agon or out o f the stack to the cows. T h a t’s right, w e had no 4-w heel drives, no engine heaters, no heat lamps, no snowmobiles, or insulated footwear. Just lots o f cold, em pty space as three feet o f snow lay on top o f several feet o f frozen ground all through February. H ere’s the kicker, so “bear w ith me,” on this tw ice around, told before tale! CA B IN FEV ER ST R U C K BIG TIM E as tim e for the Elks Annual rolled around in late February. Fortunately our elderly hired hand could handle the livestock chores overnight, so I insisted we pack our “duds” in suitcases, tie them behind saddles and ride horseback the frozen, eight miles to town. Arrangements were made to accommodate horses and stay with friends via the old “ farm er” phone line. We blended in at the “big shindig" appropriately decked out in long formal dress and the “Sunday best” suit and tie. A fter a long night o f “ hardy partying” we arose late the next morning to find thawing underway. Again horseback, we left town slow ly so as not to ja r our squinty eyes or heads that seem ed to w eight m ore than usual. C ounty roads w ere beginning to w ash out as water cut straight down through frozen ground. W hen we got to Sandhollow where Becky and Monte Evans now live, it was the first time we saw deer in this open country. At that time there was no house there. Jim Valentine had fed hay to some Shorthorn bulls in a bam there. The hungry deer inv ited themselves inside to eat alfalfa w ith the bulls. Since that time deer have found this open country easier pickings in bad weather. Moral ofthe story? There isn’t any! People can survive when more is less or less is sufficient, robots or no expensive robots! H ow ’s your latest snow story? Willow Creek Terrace holds activities for residents w 1 « V, J 1 T t . . v .----------i * 4, SELF EMPLOYED? SMALL BUSINESS AFFORDABLE HEALTH INSURANCE* Dental and Life Insurance also Available** Individuals and Families ■ 503-201-4669 1-800-593-1836 Scotty Scott Licensed Insurance Agent •Undprwrttlefi by M EG A Life 8 Health Insurance Company Hom e Office: O klahom a City, O K ••Premiums will vary with plan selected M/CO MB918 * Irene Swanson, a resident at Willow ( reek Terrace in Heppner, receives the “skunk award” from Duane Jones following a losing Bingo session. Jones and Eve Ironhawk help conduct regular Bingo games at the assisted living center. Hope/Valby/All Saints Ecumenical Parish volunteers a re n e x t on th e s e r v in g schedule for the W ednesday, Jan. 21 noon meal. The m enu c o n s is ts o f s p a g h e tti an d m eatballs, pears and cheese, French bread, and rhubarb upside dow n cake. T his day co in cid es w ith the A nnual M eeting, w hich will be held in the dining room , for all present to be participants, hear reports, and elect the three one-year term members. Tuesday, Jan. 27, is the date set for the meeting w ith District Attorney David Allen and Bill K uhn, about being aw are, and know ing how to avoid, recognize or m anage scheming situations, which can put elders at a disadvantage. The meeting w ill be held at 10 a.m. in the senior c e n te r’s d in in g ro o m . P r e v io u s m e e tin g s c re a te d e n o u g h in te r e s t to a r r a n g e fo r continuing a program o f legal information. Som e o f the topics o p e n fo r q u e s tio n a n d discussion, at this im portant public service m eeting, are: * Schem ers, seem to target certain groups and indiv iduals. Do you know w hat characteristics m ake people, o r p e r s o n s v u ln e r a b le ? *S chem ers m ay have key w ords and phrases they use, intended to attract enthusiasm. Do you know what kinds o f “talk” to listen for? *D o's and D o n ’ts about credit cards protection, questions to ask even o f someone you know, if solicited for anything. ‘Sad Is Not Bad” program aids grieving children ' 1:1 By Molly Rhea, R.N. Home Health and Hospice Director Children often struggle w ith g rie f. A d u lts o fte n struggle when trying to help a chi Id w ith their grief. The staff and v o lu n teers o f P ioneer M e m o ria l H o s p ic e a re com m itted to helping these children cope with their feelings o f sadness and isolation by lau n c h in g a p ro g ram th a t in c lu d e s i n s tr u c tio n to elementary staff as well as the donation o f books to each e le m e n ta ry lib ra ry in o u r service area. In December the staff a t H e p p n e r E le m e n ta r y view ed the video “C hildren Grieve, Too”, then heard from Pioneer M emorial H ospice’s ch ap lain and bereavem ent coordinator, Carollyn Wiley, how children d em onstrate grieving and ways to support children experiencing grief or bereavement. Following this inserv ice, Pioneer M emorial Hospice director, Molly Rhea, p r e s e n te d H eppner Elem entary librarian, Ellen Rollis, w ith the books, “ We were gonna have a Baby, but We had an A ngel Instead.” and “ W hen Som eone Very Special Dies”. “ S ad is not Bad" includes the presentation o f the video, discussion on c h ild r e n 's g r ie f w ith th e teachers in our grade schools and the g ift o f b o o k s for children w ho have suffered a loss. We are happy to be presenting this program to every elem entary school in Morrow and Gilliam County. I f y o u w o u ld lik e m o re information about the program or if you know a child who is griev ing and could use a book, please call the Pioneer Home Health and Hospice office at (5 4 1 )6 7 6 -2 9 4 6 . Common School Fund distributes $6.7 million to counties for schools A t th e e n d o f D ecem ber, the State Land Board distributed nearly $6.7 m illion from earnings o fth e Common School Fund for use by K-12 public schools. By law, the funds are dedicated for “ support and m a in te n a n c e o f c o m m o n s c h o o ls in e a c h s c h o o l district.” C ounty population ages 4-20 determ ines each c o u n ty ’s share o f earnings. County treasurers forward the funds to school districts. The Land Board distributed $7.3 m illio n from the C SF for schools in June. The O re g o n C onstitution established the State Land Board as trustee o fthe Com m on School Fund. T he D e p a rtm e n t o f S ta te Lands is the adm inistrative a g e n c y o f the S tate Land B o a rd , c o m p o s e d o f th e Governor, Secretary o f State a n d S ta te T r e a s u r e r. A t s ta te h o o d , th e f e d e ra l governm ent granted Oregon roughly six percent o f the new s ta te 's land for the use o f sch o o ls. T he C o n stitu tio n dedicated the school lands and their mineral, timber and other reso u rc es to the C om m on School Fund. The State Treasurer a n d O r e g o n I n v e s tm e n t Council invest the fund. Fund I values in recent years have ranged from $600 m illion to $800 m illion, depending on m arket conditions. Twice a y e a r, e a r n in g s fro m investments are distributed to counties for the support o f s c h o o ls a c c o r d in g to a form ula established by the State Land Board. Annual distributions in recent years have fluctuated from $9 m illio n to $40.8 m illion depending on board p o lic ie s and m a rk e t conditions. The value o fth e Common School Fund totaled $778 m illion at the end o f N ovem ber 2003. Marriage Licenses The M orrow County C lerk at the co urthouse in H eppner reports issuing the following marriage licenses: Ja n u a ry 9, 2 0 0 4 - fimothy Gerald Davidson, 31, Heppner. and Mindy Michelle Qualls, 24, Heppner. mo mis som so u ONLINE www. heppner. net
