Sager to retire from BEO
....., . .
Bessie Wetzell Newspaper Library
1 niversity o f Oregon
hugene, OR 97403
Harley Sager will re
tire on Thursday, September
27, from the Bank o f Eastern
Oregon after 13 years.
Sager was born in
Caldwell, ID to Harley and
Eula Sager. When he was
six, Sager’s family moved
to Payette C ounty where
he attended the Fruitland
Sehools aeross from Nyssa.
Sager graduated in 1955
and started working at First
Interstate Bank on Mareh 6,
1956. He worked there for
17 years.
In A pril o f 1973,
Sager w ent to w ork for C&B
Livestock and continued
working there until May of
1982. Sager went back to
work for the First Interstate
Bank in 1982 and worked
there for 12 more years.
Sager first came to
Heppner in June o f 1962
and has come back to Hep
pner three other times since
then. Sager and his wife,
Bertha, will celebrate their
49,h wedding anniversary
on Thursday, September 27.
The Sagers have four chil
dren and 16 grandchildren.
Kelly J. Sager and his wife
live in Africa w ith their six
children where they serve
Harley Sager
as m issionaries. Kirk D.
Sager and his wife have four
children and live in Grants
Pass. Cheri L. Ross and her
husband live with their three
children in LaHabra, CA.
Kimela K. Griffin and her
husband live in Stanfield
w ith their three children.
Sager com m ented
that retirement plans include
"anything my wife wants
me to do.” The Sagers hav e
been to Africa twice to visit
their son and family and
hope to be able to go again,
if their health permits. He
is proud to say that he has
had 51 years o f continuous
employment.
Sager, w ho driv es 98
miles roundtrip from Herm
iston to Heppner, waves at
everyone he sees. “ I will
miss wav ing at everyone,”
said Sager, “ I w ill miss
Heppner.”
A retirem ent party
will be held at the Bank of
Eastern Oregon on Thurs
day, September 27, from I
to 4 p.m. in the lobby.
Health district approves contract with
new physician, contract negotiations
with Dr. Ed Berretta
VOL. 126
NO. 39
10 Pages
Wednesday, September 26, 2007 Morrow County, Heppner, Oregon
Explosion still under investigation
On Septem ber 22,
2007 at 6:50 p.m., the Mor
row County Sheriff's Office
911 Center was contacted
by Fawn Cate at the Bulow
Farms at 77082 Pole Line
Road outside o f Boardman
regarding a large explosion.
Morrow County S heriff’s
Office deputies along with
Boardman Ambulance, Irri-
gon Ambulance and Board-
Heppner Chamber
to hold dinner dance
The Heppner Cham
ber o f Commerce w ill hold
their first annual Rawhide
and R hinestones D inner
Dance on Saturday, October
20 at the Morrow County
Fairgrounds from 7 to 11
p.m.
Cover fee for this
event is $8 for singles and
$15 for couples.
L a d ie s, w e a r all
the sparkly je w elry you
can stand. Men, wear your
jeans.
A no host food and
beer, wine will be provided
by B ucknum 's C atering.
The meal cost will be $10-
15 per plate.
Proceeds will ben
efit the Heppner Chamber
of Commerce.
Tickets can be pur
chased at City Hall. Heppner
Chamber o f Commerce, and
Murray Drugs. For more in
formation contact the cham
ber at 676-5536.
man Fire Department re
sponded.
Upon arrival, depu
ties located a white male
adult id en tified as John
Brandon Paradiso, 29, that
had been seriously injured.
Initial investigation believes
that the explosion was a re
sult o f an explosive devise.
The subject was transported
by A m bulan ce to G ood
S hepherd M edical C en
ter in Hermiston. Paradiso
died due to the result o f
the injuries sustained in the
explosion.
The O regon State
Police Bomb Squad Unit
was called to assist Mor
row County Sheriff's O f
fice in making sure that the
residence and outbuildings
were secure and to assist in
the investigation.
The Morrow County
Sheriff’s Office is still cur
rently investigating the ex
plosion. M orrow County
Sheriff's Office, along w ith
Umatilla County Sheriff's
Office, OSP, ATF, as well as
other law enforcement, are
continuing the investigation
at the location o f the explo
sion. Boardman Fire Depart
ment, as well as Boardman
EMS, were available on
scene to assist.
Additional informa
tion, when learned, will
be made available at that
time.
Hunting party has double success
Dale Pearson (right) of Portland had a good day Sunday,
September 9. when he hagged his nice six-point elk near Hep-
pner. Mike Rowe of Damascus (left) later shot a five-point
elk.
Odd Fellows make donation to Assisted Living Center
w
,v '
(
°"'".» / *
Livestock \uctf
The Heppner branch of
the Odd Fellows recently
purchased a hog at the 4H/
FFA Auction during the
Morrow County Fair. The
hog was raised by Kassey
Wilson. The organization
then had the hog butchered
and donated the meat to
the Assisted l.iving Center.
“It was a natural choice,"
said Randall Peterson of
their decision to donate the
meat to the Assisted Living
Center.
The Morrow County
Health D istrict Board, at
their regular meeting Mon
day night in Boardman, ap
proved a three-year contract
with physician Betsy Ander
son and gave the go-ahead
for M CHD CEO V ictor
Vander Does to complete
negotiations for a new con
tract with Dr. Ed Berretta.
Vander Does said
that the district has sufficient
prov iders to staff the clin
ics in Heppner and Irrigon
and the emergency room at
Pioneer Memorial Hospital.
However, he said, all the
new physician prospects
have "bailed out”.
Also at the meeting
Vander Does told the board
that he expects to receive
plans for the sw ing bed
remodel by the end of the
week with the project ex
pected to be started in Janu
ary and completed by May
or June. The rem odeling
would enable the district to
once again offer long-term
care patients. The district
has already accepted one
long-term care patient and
has four people expressing a
"firm desire” to be admitted
to that program, said Vander
Does.
The project is ex
pected to cost in the neigh
borhood of $800,000. Vander
Does said that the district has
receiv ed $20,000 in Tippage
Fee money, $20-25,000 from
the hospital foundation and
another $30,000 in prev ious
nursing home donations,
with around $700,000 left to
finance. Chief Financial Of
ficer Nicole Mahoney said
that the additional monies
could be financed through
a flex-lease, but added that
the district expects around
$400,000 from the state and
has around $1.2 million in
the bank.
In other business,
the board:
-learned that the dis
trict plans to hire an addi
tional receptionist at Pioneer
Memorial Clinic in Heppner
to assist staff because o f the
increased number of provid
ers working there.
-learned from Vander
Does that a new portable x-
ray machine is in the bud
get for next year, because
the wheels on the current
one are deteriorating. The
district plans to opt for a
demo model from Turn-Key
which would cost $37,000.
A new model was quoted
at $42,000. The machine
will be compatible to the
d istric t's existing digital
equipment.
-approved mov ing
from AIG to Hudson for
malpractice insurance. Ac
cording to Vander Does,
AIG prov ided poor serv ice
and hiked their rates from
$57,000 per year to $83,000.
He said that Hudson pro
vided the low bid, the same
benefits and the policy has
no deductible, com pared
to AIG with a $10,000 de
d u ctib le. He added that
Hudson was also low bid
last year, but because rates
were comparable w ith AIG,
the district decided against
switching companies at that
time. However, said Vander
Does, “ I'm not going to
stick with AIG when its
$30,000 more.”
-approved an e x
penditure o f $15,000, plus
or minus $1,000, for pur
chase o f a new vehicle for
the district and approved a
plan to replace the existing
vehicles on a yearly basis.
Vander Does said that mile
age on the district's current
vehicles, four Ford Focuses
that were purchased very
economically several years
ago, is now in the 80,000-
1 0 0 ,0 0 0 -m ile range and
they need replacement after
hard use. Three o f the cars
were used by Home Health
and Hospice and one was
used for ad m in istratio n .
Vander Does suggested that
the district purchase Toyota
Corollas.
-approved a resolu
tion authorizing the Mor
row County Treasurer to
invest funds for MCHD for
2007-08, usually in the state
pool.
-learned from Ma
honey that the district ended
July with a $162,350 gain
and ended August with a
$54,381 gain for a $216,732
gain for the first two months
in the new fiscal year. "We
started o ff the year very
w ell,” she said. The dis
trict made $209,401 more
than budgeted for those two
months.
-heard the following
report: Pioneer Memorial
Clinic had 350 patient visits
for August with eight new
patients and 60 seen by a
nurse; Irrigon Clinic had
249 patients with 55 new
patients, 32 seen by a nurse
and 14 no show s; H ep
pner Ambulance had eight
page-outs in August with
six transports for $8,815 in
rev enue and 16 transports in
July for $ 16,486 in rev enue;
Boardman Ambulance had
36 page-outs with 15 trans
ports in August for $ 15,681
and 18 transports in July for
$ 17,185; Irrigon Ambulance
had 16 page-outs with 13
transports in A ugust for
$11,542 and 10 transports
in July for $8,810; Pioneer
Memorial Hospital had one
adm ission in August and
three in July, 17 admitted
for observation in August
and 24 in July, 425 outpa
tients in August and 375 in
July; 49 emergency room
encounters in August and
64 in July; 1,434 lab tests in
August and 1,727 in July, 91
x-ray procedures in August
and 103 in July; 24 CT scans
in August, 26 in July; 19
EKG tests in August, 37 in
July, 37 respiratory therapy
procedures in August, 184
in July; Home Health had
200 visits in August, 178
in July; H ospice had six
admits in July; pharmacy
adm inistered 1,109 drug
doses in August for $66,449
in revenue and 1,769 in July
for $110,173.
Heppner Booster Club to host steak feed and auction
Mark your calendars. The Heppner Booster C lub Steak Feed and Auction is
coming October 13. Dinner will be at 6 p.m. and the auction will be at 8 p.m.
The dinner w ill consist of steak, potato, salad, bread and dessert. Tickets can be
purchased ahead o f time at the following locations for S12 each. Holloman's. Heppner
TV and Green Feed.
10°/o OFF PARTS AMD LABOR
through February, 2008
ALL NEWS AND ADVERTISEMENT DEADLINE:
MONDAYS AT 5:00 P.M.
We also have special financing:
six months no interest, no payments on $1,500 or more of
Case IH parts and service from Sept. 1, 2007 through Dec. 31, 2007
Morrow County Grain Growers
Lexington 989-8221 ■ 1-800-452-7396
For form equipment rt»lt our web otto at wwwmciKiiot