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
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Hom e Office: O klahom a City, O K
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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