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About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 24, 2005)
Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, August 24,2005 - THREE Letters to the Editor Editor's note: Letters to the Editor must be signed. The Gazette-Times w ill not publish unsigned letters. Please include your address and phone number on a ll letters for use by the C-T office. The C-T reserves the right to edit. The C-T is not responsible for accuracy o f statements made in letters. (Any letters expressing thanks w ill be placed in the classifieds under ' Card o f Thanks' at a cost o f $10.) Resident says senior apartments are a great place to live To the Editor: I ’m B arbara Struthers, the first resident of the St. P a tric k ’s S enior A partm ents. I have beep happy and very comfortable here. T his place is so convenient- within walking distance of the post office, bank, drug and grocery stores, dentist, optometrist, cafes and to churches. The clinics and hospital are also near by. We have a great bunch of tenants here and there are plenty of things to do- e x ercise class on T uesday and T hursday mornings, cards or dominoes on T uesday and Friday a fte rn o o n s, bingo on Tuesday evenings, the senior d in n e r on W ednesday afternoon, jigsaw puzzles every day and a well stocked library. The rent is very re aso n ab le w hen you c o n sid e r that it co v ers everything except TV and telephone. When we have a problem we call Doug and he fixes it or sees that it gets fixed. Things like a leaky roof may take awhile, but it gets done. T here are several apartments available now. Come take a tour and find a great place to live. (s) Barbara Struthers Heppner Asbestos bill unfair to US citizens . To the Editor: RR unfair Bailout Bill for Asbestos Manufactures S- 852 I grew up in a family of carpenters, and handy fix- it men. I learned how to repair and build things to make ends meet. It was just a common place event. We were all around asbestos and didn't think a thing of it and definitely didn't know about the h azard s involved. I remember going to school as a young child and seeing ceiling tiles fall out of the ceiling at school, in a haze of dust, w e’d w atch our favorite janitor sweep it up and get a ladder and replace it. Then he’d throw the mess in the dumpster. We had no clue. This was in the 60’s As I got older, I ¡h e lp e d my dad and grandfather tear down old : houses and saved as much of the old lumber, and ceiling tiles, bricks, fixtures and floor tiles that were halfway decent to recycle and reuse in additions on other houses that we were remodeling. Then we would scrap the rest, which is worse, because -w e w ould not only be ; covered with the dust and i powder of all the materials • that we were dumping in ; landfills, but exposed the I environment to the asbestos particles and disposed of it improperly, but at that time that was the way it was done. The hazards, unknown to us w ere com m on place to disposes of this material. As I got older, I w orked for num erous .' businesses and contractors as an electrician, heating and ; air c o n d itio n in g rep air ' technician, one of the tasks was to redo all the boiler lines and knock off all the old asbestos material on to the floor and sweep it up put it in a bucket and add water and make a paste out of it and use our bare hands to repack the new pipe fittings, because otherw ise, using gloves the paste would just stick to the gloves and not the pipe fittings. This was in the early eighties. We still did not know the hazards of asbestos, I was just trying to do the job and make a living. We grew up with asbestos all around us, in our homes and schools as well as the work place. With no knowledge as to what the future held. Now our legislation is trying to pass this bill, and saying, “O ops, sorry no harm done and nothing personal,” lets just back the m anufactures o f asbestos and stop all claims and future settlements and we will keep on m anufacturing it and killing people and the past deaths are forgotten. Oh, w e’ll take it out of some of the products to make it look like they are complying with the rules, but they are just common men, women and c h ild ren th at this has destroyed and damage and we the leg islatu re know what is good for the people. Call your U.S. Senators and tell them No. This bill is arbitrary in so many ways to so many people. (s) Rick Earlley Eugene We p rin t Gift Certificates Heppner Gazette-Times 676-9228 Highland Hills Ranch A World-Class Upland Bird Hunting Lodge outside o f Condon, Oregon Is looking for professional Individuals to fill the following positions: Hunting Guides Chef Cleaning Personnel Inside Staff Please call ( 541 ) 296-2447 Councilwoman speaks out against my opinion regarding issues recall To the Editor: To Charles Sumner, chief petitioner, and the People of Lexington: T his w eek, Mr. Sumner and two others have been c irc u la tin g recall p etitio n s ag ain st M ayor Edwards and myself. I have consulted my lawyer and been advised that these allegations are libelous and su b ject to p o ten tial repercussions. The ch arg es are untrue and the ravings of in d iv id u a ls w ho have nothing to do except spread gossip and lies, with the intent to influence votes and take over the town. Soon L ex in g to n w ill be ju st another Antelope, if they are allowed to do so. Some of us still rem em ber w hat happened there. I have never harassed any councilor. I have spoken out in my defense as a private citizen and I definitely did not try or threaten to run over one with my car. I have said that no councilor has the right to sit in the o ffice all day, disrupting the recorder and spreading her gossip around the town, as one other has done. I have never th re a ten e d em ployee termination, but I have said they needed to stand up for themselves and not bellyache their complaints to others and then do nothing about it. I have worked within the co u n cil, m ade no unauthorized contacts or agreements outside of the c o u n cil, unlike an o th er councilor. 1 do not attend the m eetin g s in to x ic a ted or stoned and 1 have never cost the tow n m oney by my individual actions. I do speak (i.e. I am not in favor of creating a liability for the town by taking out a loan for the water project when a grant application has never even been considered.) At no tim e have I e v er been unprofessional. I have stated my o p in io n s and why I disagree with an issue. I have not violated the Ethics of the State of Oregon or the town bylaws or used my office for financial gain, nor have my actio n s as a c o u n cilo r re su lted in a m onetary liability to the town. I have activ ely prom oted the town as a member of the Willow Creek V alley E conom ic D evelopm ent Group, the Morrow County Needs and Issu es C o m m ittee, the Willow Creek Service Club and Assisted Living Facility, as w ell as on vario u s committees. I have devoted my tim e, efforts, money and even my health to the town. In return, I have had my property vandalized, trashed and egged. I have received hang up phone calls, threats, false allegations and even been physically assaulted. L ast N ovem ber, I was reelected for another four years and have done nothing to w arrant these actions. These actions have all been reported to the authorities and are kept on file for future use. In conclusion, there is no b asis for these allegations, as they are false, malicious and libelous. I will not resign nor will any of my votes be co n tro lle d by individuals or by the local Lexington cult. (s) Luella Taylor Lexington St. Patrick’s Senior Center news St. P a tric k ’s Catholic Parish volunteers will host the noon senior meal on Wednesday, Aug. 31. The m enu is ham, mashed potatoes with gravy, com, green salad, fruity jell- o and birthday cake. A bout 30 persons rem ain ed to h ear Eva Mabbott, executive director of CAPECO, explain and answer questions about the relationship and agreement between CAPECO and the H ep p n er S enior C enter. Som e o f the d iscu ssio n included other options that might be pursued to operate the meal site. As a result of the discussion, there will be no change in the mode of operation, staff remains the same and communication lines have been clarified. Ed Baker announced that the senior bus would be taking people to the “Westward Ho” Parade in Pendleton. The exact time w ill be announced later. Baker also announced that he was in need of volunteer drivers- several have moved and others have had a change of status. Three persons took advantage of the open house o f the senior apartm ents during the fair. Judy Buschke announced that there will be an open house each Wednesday during the time of the meal. This is for the convenience of people who may be interested and may have missed other scheduled times. P resid in g at the senior board meeting was Sheila Piper, newly elected vice president. A certificate, in appreciation of service, w as p resen ted to Tom Wilson. The next meeting will be held Sept. 21 at 12:30 p.m. Heppner team raises $2000 for cancer walk In its fifth year, the Relay for Life Cancer Walk, held in Hermiston, raised $47,000, with $44,000 as net intake. Many people from Heppner participated, with the team raising $2000 and the Heppner campsite being named “Best D ecorated.” The campsite had a survivors theme, with a lagoon, thatch hutch and tiki torches. The support from the community of Heppner was greatly appreciated. P lan s for next year are already in progress. Obituaries Van Edward Rietmann Van Edw ard Rietmann, 81, died in a farm accident Sunday, Aug. 7, 2005 at the family ranch near Condon. A memorial service was held Monday, Aug. 15, at the U nited C hurch of Christ in Condon. Rietmann was bom May 17, 1924 at lone, the son of Edward and Ruth Van V actor R ietm ann. He graduated from Arlington High School, served in the Army during World War II and graduated from Oregon State College in 1948 with a bachelor’s degree in animal husbandry. The R ietm ann heritage begin in Gilliam C ounty in 1895 when Rietmann’s grandfather, Sam Ellis Van Vactor came to the C ondon area from Goldendale to practice law. His m other, Ruth Van Vactor, was bom at Condon and his father, Edward, was bom and raised north of lone on a family homestead. The family left the farm at lone when Rietmann was 12 years old and leased a place on Dry Fork in M orrow C ounty, later purchasing a farm at Ajax from A.K. York for $500 down. Rietmann farmed at the A jax ranch w est of Condon since 1948, and has since expanded the ranch to include land once owned by Gilliam Country pioneers. J.S. Burres, R.W. Potter and others. To su p p lem en t incom e from w heat production, Rietmann also raised chickens and hogs and eventually turned to cattle, now an integral part of the operation. W hile serv in g as chairm an o f the O regon W heat Growers League’s W heat D isposal and Transportation Committee, he became acquainted with Rose Ellen Schmid, a home economist, for the Wheat Growers League. They were married in 1955 in Fruitland, ID. The Rietmanns have worked over the years to improve their wheat, grains and c a ttle -fa tte n in g operation, to improve the availability of water and at ways to prevent topsoil ero sio n . R ietm ann was d ev o u tly co m m itted to agriculture sustainability and saving soil and water. The United Church o f C h rist has been an important part of Rietmann’s life and he has been active in the UCC’s Pacific Northwest C o n feren ce. He was a founding board member of Sum m it S prings V illage Corporation and also served for many years as a director of Columbia Basin Electric Cooperative, served on the Condon School District 25J board and as a G illiam County commissioner. He has been a major contributor to a variety of com m unity projects and causes over the years. His interests, generosity and h u m an itarian ism also missions to Cuba, Central A m erica and the S oviet Union. He also promoted the work of the United Nations. Rietmann is survived by his w ife, Rose E. o f C ondon; son, Tom and daughter-in-law Katie Cook of Condon; daughter, Marie Rietmann of W ashington, D.C.; and grandchildren, Jacob, Benjamin and Annika of Condon. He was preceded in death by his parents and his brother, David, who died in 1999. M e m o r i a l contributions may be made to the U nited C hurch o f C hrist E ndow m ent and Memorial Fund, P.O. Box 223, Condon, OR 97823; Laura B arnett A rts, P.O. Box 165, C ondon, OR 97823; or to a charity of choice. Sweeney Mortuary of Condon is in charge of arrangements. Abraham Murillo Abraham M urillo, 20, o f B oardm an, died Saturday, Aug. 13, 2005 at Kadlec Medical Center in Richland, WA. The funeral service was held Aug. 17 at Burns M ortuary o f H erm iston. Burial followed at Riverview Cemetery in Boardman. He was born Dec. 21, 1984, at Hermiston, to Gloria and Efrain Murillo, Sr. He was raised in Stanfield until 1999 when his family moved to Boardman. He was going to be a senior at Riverside High School this fall. He enjoyed school, singing, church, swimming, drawing and wanted to be a paper boy. He was a member of the First Baptist Church in Umatilla. Survivors include his parents, Gloria and Efrain Murillo, Sr.; grandparents, Irene Arellano of Hermiston and Valentin and N arcisa Lomas of Boardman; sister, Ninfa Murillo of Beaverton; brothers, Cain Murillo and O m ar M urillo, both o f B oardm an; a niece, a nephew and many aunts, uncles and cousins. He was preceded in death by his brother, Efrain Murillo, Jr., in 2000. Burns Mortuary of Hermiston is in charge of arrangements. Dallas Shockley Dallas Shockley, 77, of Shoreline, WA, died Aug. 3 at his home. F uneral serv ices were held Aug. 6 in Seattle. Shockley was a su p erin ten d e n t at lone Schools from 1955 until the 1960 consolidation with M orrow County. He was also active in m anaging transient labor camps during the summer. Before coming to lo n e, he w orked as a teacher at Athena School. A fter leaving lo n e, he worked as an official for the W ashington E d ucation Association in Seattle. Survivors include his wife of 50-plus years. Dee Shockley; children, Kathy, Patrick, Rebecca and Mike; and 10 grandchildren.
