TWO - Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, May 16,2007
The Official Newspaper
of the City of Heppner and the County of Morrow
Heppner
GAZETTE-TIMES
U.S.P.S 240-420
Morrow County's Home-Owned Weekly Newspaper
Published weekly and entered as periodical matter at the Post Office at Heppner.
Oregon under the Act of March 3. 1879 Periodical postage paid at Heppner. Oregon.
Office at 188 W Willow Street Telephone (541) 676-9228. Fax (5411676-9211. E-
rnatl editor!." rapMlncrvc.netordavid0heppner.net. Web site www heppner net Post
master send address changes to the Heppner Gazette-Times, P.O. Box 337. Heppner.
Oregon 97836 Subscriptions $26 in Morrow County; $20 senior rale (in Morrow
County only; 62 years or olden; $32 elsewhere; $26 student subscriptions.
David S y k e s.................................................................................................... Publisher
Autumn M organ.................................................................................................. Editor
All News and Advertising Deadline is Monday at 5 p.m.
For Advertising: advertising deadline is Monday at 5 p m. Cost for a display ad is $4.90 per
column inch Cost for classified ad is 50c per word. Cost for Card of Thanks is $ 10 up to 100
words. Cost for a classified display ad is $5.50 per column inch.
For Public/legal Notices: pubto'legal notices deadline is Monday at 5 p.m. Dates for publi
cation must be specified. Affidavits must be required at the time of submission. Affidavits
require three weeks to process after last date of publication (a sooner return date must be
specified if required).
For Obituaries: Obituaries are published in the Heppner GT at no charge and are edited to
meet news guidelines. Families wishing to include information not included in the guidelines
or who wish to have the obituary written in a certain way must purchase advertising space
for the obituary
For Letters to the Editor: Letters to the Editor MUST be signed by the author. The Heppner
GT will not publish unsigned letters. All letters MUST include the author's address and
phone number for use by the GT office. The GT reserves the right to edit letters. The GT is
not responsible for accuracy of statements made in letters. Any letters expressing thanks
will be placed in the classifieds under "Card of Thanks" at a cost of $10.
On the HEPPNER WEBSITE: www.heppner.net
• Start or C hange a Subscription
• P lace a C lassified A d • Submit a N ew s Story
• V iew Real Estate for Sale • City Council & Planning Minutes
•Local Businesses • County Park • Willow Creek Park Reservations
• Free Digital Postcards • Senior Housing • and more!
Morrow County educators honored
at annual Crystal Apple Ceremony
Eorna Botefuhr, special education assistant at HES received her
Crystal Apple Award on May 9. Pictured with Botefuhr is
principal of HES Jack Thompson.
On Wednesday, May
9, four M orrow C ounty
educators were awarded the
prestigious Crystal Apple
A w ard and R iv e rsid e ’s
Principal, Dirk Dirksen, was
honored with the esteemed
D oug F latt M em orial
Leadership Award at the
annual C ry stal A pple
C erem ony in Pendleton.
Kathy Sim onis, language
arts teacher at Riverside Jr/
Sr H igh S chool, C arm a
Barron, first grade teacher at
A.C. Houghton Elementary
School, Lorna B otefuhr,
special education assistant at
Heppner Elementary, and
Beth Wheeler, educational
assistant at A.C. Houghton,
all receiv ed the C rystal
A pple A w ard at the
evening’s event.
The
U m atilla-
Morrow ESD is in its eighth
year of the Crystal Apple
"Excellence in Education"
A w ards, sp o n so red by
numerous local businesses.
The purpose of these awards
is to recognize outstanding
in d iv id u a ls
w ho
are
dedicated to the success of
our c h ild re n and th e ir
e d u c a tio n .
T hese
outstanding members of our
co m m u n ity
d eserv e
recognition and praise for
th e ir hard w ork and
dedication to teaching our
young people. The award is
open to all members of the
re g u la r c la s s ifie d and
c e rtific a te d
service.
N o m in ated by fellow
employees or supervisors,
this award truly exemplifies
the qualities Morrow County
looks to fo ste r in th eir
em p lo y ees; d e d ica tio n ,
passion for education, and a
love of kids.
The fin ale o f the
C rystal A pple Aw ards
Ceremony is the coveted
Doug Flatt M em orial
L eadership Award. This
year’s recipient was none
other than Morrow County’s
ow n,
Dirk
D irksen.
Throughout his career in
M orrow C ounty as an
educator, coach, civic leader,
and now p rin cip al of
Riverside Jr/Sr High School,
this award could not have
gone to a more deserving
recipient. The purpose of the
D oug Flatt M em orial
L eadership Award is to
reco g n ize
a
school
administrator in the region
who exemplifies the same
qualities for which Mr. Flatt
was legendary. The chief
executive office of Midco
Bus Company, Mr. Flatt was
w ell-know n to school
districts throughout Oregon,
particularly those in this
region. Doug lost his life in
a tragic plane crash while on
business. In guiding the
grow th and operation of
Midco, Doug exemplified
the fin est q u a litie s o f
le ad e rsh ip , a tte n tio n to
d e ta il, serv ice to his
community, interpersonal
relationships, and customer
serv ice. T his aw ard is
sponsored by the Umatilla-
Morrow Education Service
District and the twelve local
school
d istric t
superintend en ts w ho are
members of the ESD.
S-P-E-L-L-I-N-G
contest set for
Monday
S tu d en ts from all
over Umatilla and Morrow
co u n ties w ill S-P-E -L-L
their way through the 2007
U m atilla-M orrow County
Spelling Contest on Monday
at
Blue
M ountain
Community College.
The Spelling Contest
- sponsored for the past
decade by the U m atilla-
Morrow Education Service
D istrict (UM ESD) - pits
students who have one their
school spelling co n tests
ag ain st one an o th er to
determine who will represent
the two counties at the state
competition in September.
Each school within the 12
U m atilla and M orrow
county public school districts
is invited to send a first-place
w inner to the contest for
each division applicable to
that school.
T h ere w ill one
winner from each of three
divisions-D iv. 1 (grades 1-
5), Div. 2 (grades 6-8) and
Div. 3 (grades 9-12). They
will be invited to the Oregon
State Fair on Sept. 1 in
S alem , w here the state
co n test w ill take place.
While the students will be
provided with tickets to the
State Fair, their room and
board is not included, so
some students will do some
fundraising to raise enough
funds to go to the state
contest.
This year’s bi-county
co m p etitio n has som e
students as young as the 3rd
grade co m p etin g for a
d iv isio n title , said Eric
Volger, assistant director of
Instructional Services for the
UMESD, who coordinates
the Spelling Contest. He said
several students have won
their division for several
years running.
“ We really try to
make this a special event for
this group because it’s an
ev en t to show o ff th e ir
academic skills, and they
should be proud of that,”
Volger said. “Some of these
kids don’t play sports or do
other competitive activities,
so this is where they can
really excel and show off
their academic talents. That’s
why we really encourage the
schools to recognize these
kids as well.”
The contest uses a
list of words provided by the
O regon D ep artm en t o f
E d u catio n , and stu d en ts
write them down, just as if
they were taking a spelling
test in school. This is why the
event is a spelling contest.
Spelling bees are conducted
orally. There are different
lists o f w ords fo r each
division.
The Spelling Contest
begins at 7 p.m. in room ST-
200 of the Science Building
at BMCC. The agenda is as
follows:
7 :0 0 -7 :0 5
p.m. - Introductions
7 :0 5 -7 :1 0
p.m . - S tu d en ts are
dismissed to testing rooms,
testing begins
7 :1 0 -7 :4 0
p.m. - Short film for parents/
guests
7 :4 0 - 8 : 10
p.m . - R efresh m en ts in
BM CC C a fe te ria
for
students and parents/guests
8 :1 5 -8 :3 0
p.m. - Awards presentation,
room ST-200
C USTO M
BANNERS
Heppner
Gazette-Times
676-9228
4
-
Letters to the Editor ~
The Heppner Gazette Times will print all letters to the Editor with the following criteria met: letters submitted to the
newspaper will need to have the name o f the sender along with a legible signature. We are also requesting that you
provide your address and a phone number where you can be reached. The address and phone number will only be
used for verification and will not be printed in the newspaper. Letters may not be libelous The GT reserves the right
to edit. The GT is not responsible tor accuracy o f statements made in letters. Any letters expressing thanks will be
placed in the classifieds under "Card of Thanks" at a cost of $ 10.
We have lost what democracy is all about
Letter to the Editor:
To the good people of Morrow County and especially the citizens of lone,
It is with much sadness and regret that I write this letter of resignation as the
mayor of lone. This is also my reply why 1 was forced to resign.
I have served the fine citizens of lone for over 11 years. Over those 11 years 1
have always served with honesty, fairness and passion. I have given my time, knowledge
and skill to help build and improve the City of lone. I always strived to bring our city
forward and maintain the way of living that we cherish. I am honored and grateful for the
time I spent serving my friends and regret not being able to complete my term. I apologize
to all who voted for me and supported me but 1 had no choice. It also was a great honor
to serve in our government. I had an opportunity to grow and learn about being a good
citizen.
I learned to listen to others, debate and come to consensus.
I learned to argue and disagree with council members but also walk away as
friends with one common goal.
I leaned to respect all positions of leadership even if I disagree with their politics.
I learned how precious and fragile democracy is.
Unfortunately there is an epidemic in our country that threatens the every heart
of who we are as Americans. There is this belief that we must destroy anything or anyone
who we disagree with. We run our elections by persecuting and accusing our opponents
instead of offering ideas and solutions we believe in. We feel we can say and do anything
no matter how negative or hurtful to others it may be as long as we have a quick and
meaningless apology afterward. We believe all people, religions and countries are fair
game. Crossing the line of decency and morality are now a badge of courage. We believe
that those who yell the loudest and point their finger the longest deserve to get their way.
The most destructive belief is that we must tear down our government officials.
Mayors, governors and presidents must be forced out of office if we didn't vote for them
or agree with their politics.
We have lost what democracy is all about. We have forgotten the reasons our
brave young men and women are sacrificing their lives for all over this planet. We are
turning our backs on all those who sacrificed their families and lives to fight for democracy
all over the world.
We need to get back to the basics of democracy to stop this downward spiral.
Justice, liberty and freedom are virtues to be cherished. Respecting others who we disagree
with is what democracy is. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose is what democracy
is. Supporting your leaders and respecting the office they hold is what democracy is.
Passing on a knowledge and deep respect for our way of life and government to our
children is what democracy is. Honoring those who have given their lives for our country
in the name of democracy by protecting and nurturing it at home is our duty.
Democracy is not a noun. It is a verb. It needs to be practiced in a positive and
healthy way. It is a beautiful thing when it is practiced the way our fathers intended it.
Their wisdom and foresight resonates in all the city halls around this great country. It is
our duty to listen. The city council of lone stopped listening no matter how loud our
forefathers yelled. May they learn to listen.
Mark A. Bruno, citizen
lone
Thanks expressed for help from school kids
Dear Editor:
My husband and I would like to let the community know how much we appreciate
all the work the school kids did for us.
As we age, a lot of things that we could do easily is no longer possible. With the
help of the kids who helped clean up our yard, words cannot express how much this
means to us.
Skip and Peggy Connor
Heppner
Heppner city governments should be prevented from
spending large sums without voter approval
To the Editor:
The new mayor and city manager have taken a novel approach. That is, if you
don’t have any money, don’t spend it. That just might work. Too bad some previous
managers placed the city so far in debt, by borrowing and spending, that there are no
funds left for the present administration to work with. But then, it’s no longer their
problem is it? Whatever time of day I visit the new City Hall building there seems to be
only two city employees working there. If I remember correctly there were only six
persons, other than city employees, present at the city council meeting when the new
mayor was sworn in. There would have more than ample space in the old city hall for any
of this. I think there should be something on the books to prevent future Heppner city
governments from spending, or borrowing, large sums of money without voter approval.
The limit should be set at well below a bank building for the new city hall? No way!
Gene Sonstegard
Heppner
Divorces
M orrow C ounty
District Circuit Court has
re le ase d the fo llo w in g
report:
-P aul
A nthony
Backman, 37, of lone and
Cindy Rhea Backman. 28, of
Irrigon have filed for
divorce.
H eritage Land Co.
278 N. Main, Heppner
^
- W e se ll Resiliences, Ranches, and Recreation
(541) 676-5049, (541) 980-3465
w w w .h e rita g e la n d .n e t,ww w .farm seller.com
w w w .eastoregonrealestate.com
South Morrow County’s Number One Real Estate Company
E Z - G U ID E 5 0 0
The world's first GPS light bar with color display,
mapping and steering capable o f l inch accuracy.
C N H ^
$ 2 9 9 5 .0 0
Two CNH Capital payment options:
90 Days - No Payments No Interest on qualifying purchases of CNH parts and service over
$750, now through Sept. 30. using promotion Code #9090 Optional longer waiver periods are
also available with additional dealer participation. This new format marks a change from our
traditional fixed due date approach, and offers a simple, easier to sell, on-going promotion.
See MCGG for details!
We Wouldn't Steer You Wrong:
Take advantage of No Payments No Interest for 6 months on purchases of $4,000 or more
of the following Auto Guidance equipment: EZ-GUIDE 500®, EZ-GUIDE® plus Lightbar Sys
tem and others Promotion code #6500 runs through dec. 31. See MCGG for details!
Morrow County Grain Growers
Lexington 989-8221 • 1 -800-452-7396 for ram
net oar «an eta at * * » m«a n.t
i