Image provided by: Morrow County Museum; Heppner, OR
About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (March 17, 2004)
City looks at “pooper scooper law VOL. 123 NO. 11 10 Pages T he city o f H eppner is lo o k in g in to e n a c tin g a “p ooper scooper” law that B 2 3 3 i 8 iïGtsall would require dog ow ners to U o f 0 Ne ïspapar Library. clean up after their pets while Eujana, OR 97403 w alking them on city streets and sidewalks. The council heard a request from Les and Janice Paustian at its last council m eeting M arch 8 that asked a law being enacted to “clean up our community.” “ In an effort to clean up our community, and project an appealing atm osphere for v isito rs , I p ro p o se th at a change to the current law be im p o s e d w h e re a s it be m andatory for pet ow ners w alking their pets to carry appropriate item s to dispose o f their p e t’s w aste or face a fine if turned in, or caught,” the Paustians said in a letter to the council. M e m b e rs o f th e council were generally in favor o f such a law. “ You have to watch w ere you are stepping n o w ,” s a id T om W o lff. H o w e v e r, W o lff a ls o questioned how the law would be e n fo r c e d . D o w e a sk police to look out for it? Do we accost people on the street a n d a s k th e m f o r th e ir baggie?” asked Wolff. “I want to see research done on it,” he said. In other business at th e m e e tin g , th e c o u n c il r e je c te d a r e q u e s t fro m H eppner TV to w aive the Wednesday, March 17,2004 Morrow County, Heppner, Oregon co m pany’s yearly franchise fee. Heppner TV wrote a letter to the council requesting the fe e be d r o p p e d c itin g increased com petition from s a te llite T V as the m ajor reason. Heppner TV pays the city 3 percent o f gross sales w hich cam e to $4,879 last year. The city also charges Colum bia Basin Electric and H eppner G arbage Disposal a Ewe-Do-Bingo winner franchise fee to operate within the city. “The s a te l li te industry’s penetration into the Heppner area, within the past couple of years is beginning to show s tr e s s on our corporation. Satellite dishes can be installed, on private property, free o f charge. The satellite companies are waiving setup fees, installation fees, m o n th ly f e e s a n d th e y advertise on the stations we tr a n s m it o v e r o u r c a b le n e tw o r k ,” H e p p n e r T V president Jacqueline Allstott w rote to the board in asking for the fee reduction. Heppner TV went on to say that it plans to upgrade the current system this spring and sum m er. “ B an d w id th gained will be available to add additional channels, a digital video tier, and possibly other digital services if econom ics p e r m i t,” H e p p n e r T V technician Tom Rawlins wrote. D espite these upgrades the company lost almost $ 17,000 in subscription money last year because o f people dropping the cable service in place o f satell ite TV. At the end o f 2002 the TV C om pany had 556 subscribers for an incom e of $ 199,446. In 2003 there was a d ro p o f 66 s u b s c rib e rs bringing yearly incom e to $180,571. H eppner C ity Manager Jerry Breazeale said that norm ally the city w ould ask for an increase at this time to 5 percent franchise fee for the cable com pany. “That is what Columbia Basin Electric is paying,” he said. The council was not fa v o ra b le to w a iv in g the franchise fee and took no action on the request. At the s a m e tim e H e p p n e r T V announced to the council that the basic service rate w ould increase by $3 per m onth to $31.50 effective Feb. 1,2004. It said the rate for prem ium channel HBO will not change. Heppner TV provides service to an average 490 subscribers each month. The company also said it was discussing lowering the new subscriber fee for people coming into town from the current $ 100, however, it gave no indication what that lower fee w ould be. In o th er action the council: -Voted to increase city em ployee com pensation an average o f 2.5 percent the coming fiscal year. - D is c u s s e d le tte rs fro m D e v in O il an d th e M o rro w C o u n ty G ra in G r o w e r s a b o u t m a k in g im provem ents to Riverside Street. Both businesses are located on the street which has se e n q u ite a b it o f deterioration. -H eard from the city manager who gave figures that showed the city could afford the proposed purchase o f the form er K lam ath First bank building for use as a new city hall using currently budget figures. As part o f the deal the Heppner G azette has offered to p u rc h a s e c ity hall fo r $ 4 0 ,0 0 0 in c a sh an d the Gazette-Tim es property. The Heppner fire departm ent has indicated the need to expand it facilities and would use the Gazette-Times property which is next to the fire departm ent for that expansion. -H eard a com plaint from M ark A ndrew s o f 190 Q u a id w h o a s k e d th a t som ething be done about the excessive speed on Q uaid Street. He said cars com e around the corner at a high rate o f speed. Still no plea entry in embezzlement case A g ain st the s ta te ’s strong objection, according to M o rro w C o u n ty D is tric t Attorney David Allen, Judge Ron Pahl granted Sonja Rae M cC abe a co n tin u an ce in entering her plea at a hearing held at the M orrow County C ourthouse in H eppner on March 11. The new court date has been set for April 8 at 4 p.m. in Heppner, in w hich a plea is expected to be entered. M cC abe, 40, of Heppner, has been charged with 221 counts o f Aggravated T h e ft, T h e ft in th e F irs t D egree, Theft in the Second D egree, Forgery in the First D e g re e and O f f ic ia l Misconduct in connection with alleged embezzlement o f funds from several local entities. The defense explained they w anted an extension in the plea entry so that they could have tim e to enter pre trial m o tio n s. O ne o f the motions discussed, but not yet e n te re d , w as a c h a n g e o f venue. Although Judge Pahl did not recuse him self at this hearing, Allen said that all four local judges will be recusing themselves before April 8 and a visiting judge will be brought in to p r e s id e o v e r th e proceedings. At the April 8 hearing, (Back L-R>: Troy Simmons, Merle Cowett and Bruce Nelson; (Fronl it is unlikely that a trial date will L-R): Brian Harmon and Boh Jepsen. be se t. b u t d e a d lin e s fo r green lam p posts in Heritage m otion entries will be set, T he H e p p n e r C ity on Riverside Drive. Crew , along w ith H eppner W ithin the next few w hich will h elp m ove the M a y o r B o b J e p s e n a n d weeks, the sprinkler systems proceedings along, said Allen. McCabe is still out on electrician Roger Schoonover w j]| ^ approVed and sod will worked Monday to install four ^ ,aid said M ayor Jepsen her release agreement. City continues work on Heritage Park Sixth grader. Tori Lovgren follows her little ewe around the grid in the HHS cheerleaders’ Ewe-Do- c o n te s t s p o n so re d by the Pat W right Anderson, the A rlington area, w as the H e p p n e r H ig h S c h o o l form erly o f Heppner, now o f w inner o f the Ew e-D o-Bingo cheerleaders. Bingo contest. 2004 Great Green Parade winner l Heppner Day Care won the Non-profit Irish group award. T he w inners o f the 1 2004 G reat G reen Parade, h e ld S a tu rd a y , M a rc h 13 during the 22™' annual Wee Bit O ’ Ireland, St. P atrick’s Day celebrations were: I ris h F lo a t, Commercial: Hermiston Glass; Irish Float, N on-Profit: St. P a t r i c k ’s C h u r c h ; Iris h Character, Junior (U nder 12): M a k e n z i H u g h e s ; Iris h Day C are; Irish O pen C lass Character, Senior (O ver 12): (Misc.): Heppner High School Rose and Jack G undy; Irish P/U ; P arade/Special Event Bicycle: M ayci Garrett; Irish C a r: I r is h K id s ; an d M o rro w G o lf C a rt: B a rb O rw ic k ; S w e e p s ta k e s : C u s to m V e h ic le : F ra n k County Fair and OTPR Court. Skaggs; Bands and M usical G roups: H eppner Jr/Sr High Pot O ’ Gold winners Band; D ance/D rill G roups: Tw o locals and one Round-Up City Cloggers; Irish out-of-tow ner w on the $ 100 G roup, Non-Profit: Heppner “Pot O ’ Gold” prizes for 2004, d uring the 22nd annual St. Patrick’s Day celebration. The H eppner Elem entary r e p r e s e n ta tiv e s fro m th e w inners w ere Val H ow ser o f School is holding a Safety Fair p o |jce fire and am bulance A s h la n d , and D oug for K-3 grades on T hursday, services. A m usical with the G underson and G ary Jones, M a rc h 18 a t 1 2 :3 0 p .m . fourth graders will be held at both of Heppner. P r e s e n te r s w ill be 2p .m . HES to hold Safety Fair ALL NEWS AND ADVERTISEM ENT DEADLINE: MONDAYS AT 5:00 P.M. .« r *• A Get Ready For Spring! We H ave Lawn Thatchers and Rototillers FOR RENT ___ Morrow County Grain Growers Lexington 989-8221 • 1-800-452-7396 For farm equipm ent, viiit our web >ito at WWW m e g g net
