Image provided by: Morrow County Museum; Heppner, OR
About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 13, 2006)
Nearly 2000 cyclists flood Heppner . Illlllllllllllllllllllllllllllll Bessie Wetzell Newspaper Library University of Oregon Eugene, OR 97403 mi ». « Tents were set up ut the Heppner football Held. Heritage Park and school grounds for the nearly 2000 cyclists who came through Heppner on Sunday, Sept. 10 as part of Cycle Oregon. New road revisions made for high school traffic VOL. 125 NO. 37 10 Pages Wednesday, September 13. 2006 As o f Sept. 28, Spruce Lane will become a one-way street going uphill to Heppner High School and Morgan Street will become a o n e-w ay street going downhill. This plan was reviewed and approved by the Morrow County Court on Aug. 16. Spruce Lane will be outfitted with new guardrails and with a new bike/ pedestrian lane. Morgan Street, w hich originally was a one-way uphill road, will Morrow County, Heppner, Oregon be redirected as a one-way downhill street. The change in the roads comes after bus drives said they felt it was safer to go up Spruce Lane and down Morgan Street. Signs directing the Victor Vander Dues helps man the information booth set up for traffic will be installed by cyclists who came through Heppner as part of Cycle Oregon. Sept. 28. Toxic algae found in Willow Creek Lake School board hears plans for new H eppner H igh vo-ag program Fish taken from the lake should, at a minimum, have the organs and skin rem o\ed and discarded prior to cooking High levels of a toxic form of blue-green algae were recently discovered in Willow Creek Lake, near Heppner, the U.S. Army C orps of E ngineers announced Sept. 11. C orps officials notified county and state health officials of the results. Morrow County will not be issuing a public health advisory. The algae were confirmed to be Microcystis aeruginosa. Water co n tain in g visible algae blooms should be avoided; however, boat- and land-based recreation should not be impacted. High concentrations of the toxin producing algae appear as floating green, or blue to blue-green colored surface scum and can wash up on the shoreline. Do not use the w ater for sw im m ing, c lean in g , coo k in g or drinking and do not let your pets drink or access the water. Fish taken from the lake should, at a minimum. have the organs and skin removed and discarded prior to cooking. Studies have shown that toxins mainly accumulate in the liver and viscera o f fish, although m icro cy stin has been detected in the fillet. Warnings are posted around the lake advising the public of the potential risks and ways to avoid contact with the algae. When the toxins are present they can be absorbed if affected w ater is swallowed or inhaled as droplets or spray in the air. Blue-green algae are plants that occur naturally in lakes and are often associated with increased w ater tem p e ratu res and nutrients in lake water. Algal blooms are rapid buildups of algae that are often found near the shore due to wind and waves and are visible as masses of green, yellow or bluish-green slime. Sym ptom s of ingestion of high concentrations of the toxin produced by Microcystis aeru g in o sa algae could include abdominal pain, vom iting, diarrhea, sore throat, blistering o f the mouth and pneum onia, dizziness and fainting. Pets and other animals are more likely to ingest a fatal dose from the areas of high algae concentrations. Symptoms reported in cattle include g en eralized w eakness, h y p erth erm ia, anorexia, d iarrh ea, pale m ucous m em branes, mental d eran g em en t. muscle tremors, coma and death w ithin a few days. M on ito rin g will continue in the reservoir until toxic algae decline to safe levels. C heck for news releases and updates on the Corps of Engineers, Portland D istric t's Web site at www.nwp.usace.army.mil. For more information, visit the Oregon D epartm ent o f Human S ervices w ebsite at www.oregon.gov/DHS/, or contact them at (971) 673- 4444. MCGG BULK OIL SALE 55 gallon drums TMS 15-40 only $425 • Quicklift only $405 Sale good through 9/1 /06-9/15/06 Morrow County Grain Growers Lexington 989-8221 • 1-800-452-7396 For farm equipment, visit our web rite at w w w m<qj> not H eppner High School's newly-hired vo-ag teach er Beth D ickenson presented an ambitious plan to revitalize the school’s vo- ag program at the Morrow C ounty School Board meeting at HHS Monday night. An e n th u siastic Dickenson said she would like to get the community involved in the program which was reinstated by the board this year after many years of absence. D ic k e n so n 's plan included short-term and long-term goals: -a h o rticu ltu re program , w hich would include re fu rb ish in g , rewiring and providing heat and irrigation for the school’s greenhouse with the goal of creating a production greenhouse with the ability to produce bedding plants, vegetables and flowers to the community; -a livestock program , w hich would include refurbishing the sch o o l's barn, including piping in water to the barn and providing irrigation to a surrounding field so that students who don't have the ability to raise animals at home may be able to do so at school; -an “active" land lab. a secondary greenhouse, an active FFA Chapter, a fund raising program, an FFA alumni association, service learning in the community, a c o m m u n ity garden, a recruitment and retention program, development of research c a p a b ilitie s. possibly through a p artn ersh ip with the E xtension service, an advisory com m ittee and plans for an open house. Dickenson thanked the board for bringing back the program and also the Morrow C ounty Grain Growers for labor and the donation of a propane tank. Also at the meeting MCSD superintendent Mark Burrows said that he and assistant superintendent Wade Smith have been meeting with Morrow C ounty and the city of Heppner to resolve problems concerning Heppner High S c h o o l's access roads. Spruce Lane will be a one way street going to the high school and Morgan w ill he a one-way street leaving the high school. Plans include a bike/pedestrian path and guard rails on Spruce Lane. Changes will be effective Sept. 28. In other business, the board: -approved the first reading of a policy regulating equipment vendors, such as those who provide musical instruments to students and their parents. Building principals w ill maintain a list of equipment vendors, w ho must, in turn, “maintain a record of good service, quality product and competitive prices" to keep their listed status. Schools may issue a “request for continued page two Council says no' to horses in the citv city lot was appropriate for The Heppner City Council Monday said no to a request for an animal permit to keep two horses in L o tt’s add itio n on Canyon Road. Robin C obb had recently purchased a home and adjoining lot on Canyon and wished to keep two horses on the property. Several of her neighbors were at the council meeting and expressed opposition to the city allow ing the animals. According to city o rd in an ce, anim als are allowed on properly within city limits, blit only after approval by the city council. Darcy Bergstrom lives in the area and told the council she didn’t think a horses. Rita Woolsey said she didn't have anything against horses; she just didn't want one "parked across the street: more less two." The council voted to deny the permit; however, they allow ed C obh two w e e k s to remove a horse that was already there. In other business, the council discussed the recent decision by Morrow County to turn Spruce Lane into a on e-w ay street. A fter a meeting with the county and the school district (Spruce Lane runs up to Heppner High School ) it was decided to make Spruce one way going up and Morgan Street one wav going down. It was continued page two ALL NEWS AND ADVERTISEMENT DEADLINE: M O N D A Y S AT 5:00 P.M .
