Image provided by: Morrow County Museum; Heppner, OR
About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (July 16, 2008)
Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, July 16, 2008 - THREE ~ 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 w ith 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 for accuracy o f statements made in letters. Any letters expressing thanks will be placed in the classifieds under “Card o f Thanks” at a cost o f $10. Tyranny by the minority Letter to the editor: If you are on a fixed or limited income you should really take some time to let environmental extremists know what you think about their role in stopping logging and new energy productions efforts. For most o f us the cost o f gas, food, housing, fuel, roads and law enforcement are getting out of hand and the environmental extremists are primarily responsible. You should take the time to recognize these people and give them your “special” blessing because they have allowed you to give up so much on behalf o f their extremist beliefs. Environmental extremists have discounted the guiding principles o f conservationist Gifford Pinchot when he helped to create the US Forest Service. Gifford Pinchot understood values o f nature and how to protect the forests w ith a balance of economics and management of our resources. Integrated forest management strategies look at the health o f the forest within an adaptive manage ment context. Plans call for the development o f a variety o f stand structures across the landscape. This will, in turn, benefit local and regional economies while providing ample opportunities for forest recreation such as hunt ing, berry picking, wildlife viewing and hiking. Healthy forest ecosystems with varied stand structures also have an added benefit as a deterrent against forest fires. Plans also have strategies for properly functioning aquatic and riparian habitats which will benefit the recreational and commercial fisheries. Because environmental extremists have success fully blocked almost all federal timber sales through our legal system, we now have densely stocked, unhealthy forests resulting in catastrophic annual forest fires. Don’t blame Nancy Pelosi (US Speaker o f the House) for not renewing the legislation to obligate money for federal timber payments. Activists have been pressur ing and suing governments and agencies for decades now. Activists are excluding science and proven safe practices to scare people into paying more for fuel that is not safer for the environment. The result is a system o f government that is bowing to special interests. It’s called tyranny by the minority and the rest o f us are paying the price. Charles J. Hurliman Tillamook County Commissioner Kennedy promoted at Bank of Eastern Oregon Cindy Kennedy, new accounts representative in Heppner, was promoted to branch operations supervisor. Ken nedy joined the bank most recently in 2006. She had previously worked at the bank from 1996 to 2000 and took some time off to raise her family. Cindy and her husband, Sid, live in Lexington and have two grown children. “Cindy brings a positive, cus Cindy Kennedy tomer-oriented, can-do attitude to her work. Customers and employees alike get great respect and service from her,” said Koffler. DA’s Report Morrow County District Attorney Elizabeth Bal lard has released the following report: -Kyle Don Mcbride, 45, was convicted o f driving under the influence o f intoxicants, a class C felony, and was sentenced to three years supervised probations, 160 sanction units with 90 jail units, com pletel60 hours of community service, other numerous conditions, and pay $5,296 in fines, fees and assessments. Estate REALTOR FIRST-TIME BUYER Most first-time buyers are renters. As such, the best time to close on a house is when your current lease ends. Don’t sign another year-long lease if you expect to buy a home before the lease period expires. Doing so will end up with a dent in your pocketbook from writing rent and mortgage checks. If you can’t time your closing correctly, approach your landlord about a shorter lease - say, three to six months in length. One alternative is a month-to-month lease. You may be able to ask your landlord to include an escape clause in your new lease that will allow you to get out o f your lease with 30 or 60 days’ notice. Coming from a cramped rental, almost any home will look good. Try to avoid jump ing at the first house you see. Look at many to see what’s on the market. Inspect different types o f homes including con dos, duplexes, townhouses and single-family homes. Some ob jectivity should have returned. Now make your choice. Buy-in waiver for supplemental agricultural disaster assistance programs underway in new farm bill Darcy Vial, County Executive Director for US- DA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) in Morrow County announced that the agency will allow producers who would otherwise be ineli gible for the new disaster assistance programs to be come eligible by paying a fee as required by the 2008 Farm Bill. The 2008 Farm Bill requires producers who wish to participate in the new di saster programs to have crop insurance or non-insured crop d isa ste r a ssistan c e (NAP) coverage for all of the land for which assistance is being requested, and for all farms in all counties in which they have an interest. Since the 2008 Farm Bill was enacted after the ap plication periods had closed for those programs, produc ers who did not have such coverage could not comply with this requirement in or der to be eligible for the new disaster programs. However, the Farm Bill authorizes a waiver that allows producers to pay a fee, called a “buy- in” fee, to be eligible for this new disaster assistance. “ I urge every pro ducer whose crops, including grazing lands, are not fully covered by crop insurance or NAP to take advantage of this one-time opportunity,” Vial said. “The buy-in fee is due no later than Septem ber 16, 2008, 90 days after the date o f enactm ent, as required by the Farm Bill. If you miss this opportunity you will not be eligible for disaster assistance for 2008 crops. I also want to remind producers that the payment o f the applicable buy-in fee does not afford the producer crop insurance or NAP cov erage; it only affords eligi bility for the 2008 disaster programs.” The crop insurance and NAP coverage require m ents w ill be w aived in 2008 for producers who did not obtain crop insur ance or NAP coverage by the applicable sales closing date, if the producer files an application for waiver and pays a buy-in fee in an amount equal to the 2008 applicable NAP coverage or catastrophic risk protec tion plan fee for the crop or grazing lands. Producers w ho meet the definition o f “Socially D isad v an tag ed , L im ited Resource,” or “Beginning Farmer or Rancher,” do not have to meet the Risk Management Purchase Requirement, and, therefore, are not required to pay the buy-in fee, but must come in to the county office to apply. The buy-in fee for 2008 eligibility is $100 per crop, but not more than $300 per producer per administra tive county, or $900 total per producer for all counties less any previously paid fees for CAT and/or NAP. Producers can contact their local FSA C ounty O ffice to file the application for waiver and pay the applicable fees for both the uninsured crops and NAP crops. The applicable buy- in form must be completed and applicable fees paid by September 16, 2008. Pay ment o f the applicable fees will allow the producer to be eligible for benefits for losses under Supplemental Revenue A ssistance Pay m ents (SU R E) Program , Livestock Forage Disaster Program (LFP), Tree As sistance Program (TAP), and Emergency Assistance Livestock, Honeybees and Farm-Raised Fish Program (ELAP). The Farm Bill au thorizes funds to be used to make payments to farm ers and ranchers incurring eligible crop production/ q u ality losses under the SURE Program , grazing losses under LFP, livestock death losses under LIP, and losses suffered by produc ers o f livestock, honeybees, and farm-raised fish under ELAP. The 2008 Act also a u th o rizes paym ents for tree, bush or vine losses under TAP. To be eligible for SU R E, TAP, and ELAP, producers m ust m eet the Risk Management Purchase Requirem ent by purchas ing at least the CAT level o f crop insurance for all insurable crops and/or NAP coverage for non-insurable crops. To be eligible for LFP, producers must meet the Risk Management Pur chase Requirement by pur chasing or obtaining for the grazing land incurring the losses where assistance is being requested, a policy or plan o f insurance under the Federal Crop Insurance Act, including pilot program s such as the Pasture, Range- land, Forage Program (PRF) or NAP coverage by filing the required paperwork and paying the adm inistrative fee by the applicable state filing deadline. The Risk Management Purchase Re quirement does not apply to LIP. The SURE program will be available to eligible producers on farms in di saster counties, designated by the secretary, including Senior Center Menu Heppner Christian Church members will be serv ing lunch on Wednesday, July 23. The menu will include baked tilapia parmesan, rice pilaf, mixed vegetables, fruit cocktail, peaches, and bread pudding. (T |\lew Items Arriving Pally! Plus FUtfkY FEET & FLIP FLOPS on sale now Come in and see all o f our new changes) fW ^ Mumy'i D«i§ Property listings are available at www.sykesrealestate.net , inc . Serving the Willow Creek Valley Heppner, Lexington, A lone 188 W. Willow • P.O. Box 337 • Heppner, OR 97836 (541) 676-9228 • Cell (541) 980-6674 Fax (541)676-9211 E-mail: david@sykesrealestate.net \ 217 North Mam St.. Heppner • Phone 676-9158 • Floral 676-9426 Monday - Friday 7 a m. - 6 p.m. / Saturday 9 a m. - 6 p.m. Pharmacy Hours: 9 -1 and 2 - 6 Mon-Fri *= contiguous co u n ties that have incurred crop produc tion losses and/or crop qual ity losses during the crop year. It also will be available to any farm where, during the calendar year, the total loss o f production on the farm, because o f weather, is greater than 50 percent o f the normal production of the farm. The LFP program will be available to eligible livestock producers who suffered grazing losses for eligible livestock, because o f drought on land that is either native or improved pastureland with permanent vegetative cover or planted to a crop specifically for providing grazing. The LFP program will also be avail able to eligible livestock p ro d u cers w ho su ffered grazing losses for eligible livestock, because o f fire on rangeland managed by a federal agency, if the eli gible livestock producer is prohibited from grazing the normal permitted livestock on the managed rangeland. The LIP program will be available to eligible livestock producers on farms that have incurred livestock death losses in excess o f normal mortality, because o f adverse weather, as de termined by the secretary during the calendar year, including losses because of hurricanes, floods, blizzards, disease, wildfires, extreme heat and extreme cold. The TAP program provides assistance to or- chardists and eligible nurs ery tree growers who pro duce nursery, ornamental, fruit, nut or Christmas trees for com m ercial sale that lost trees, bushes, or vines, because o f a natural disas ter, as determ ined by the secretary. The ELAP program w ill pro v id e em ergency relief to producers o f live stock, honey bees and farm- raised fish, because o f losses from adverse w eather or other conditions, such as blizzards and wildfires, as determined by the secretary. Because congress did not provide a rulemaking ex ception for these programs, FSA must first publish a proposed rule seeking pub lic comment, followed by a final rule. FSA is working to develop detailed regulations and software for these pro grams. Sign up for the 2008 Crop Disaster programs is not expected to be held until this winter. FSA’s news releases are available on the Web at FSA’s home page: http:// www.fsa.udsa.gov. Corps reopens John Day Dam park facilities T h e U .S . A rm y Corps o f Engineers has re opened LePage and Albert Phillippi Parks at the mouth o f the John Day Lock and Dam, and Corps property in Bigelow Canyon. Wildland fires in the area forced the Corps and local fire and law enforce ment personnel to evacuate LePage Park and close Al bert Phillippi Park and the Bigelow Canyon property on Thursday morning. The Corps reopened the areas late Saturday morning. Although the threat to Corps facilities near John Day Lock and Dam has been minimized, significant wild land fire activity continues in the region. One month left n Go Click! jhoto contest The Oregon Parks and Recreation D epart m ent (O PR D ) rem inds state park adventurers to pack their cameras along with their camping sup plies and picnic items. That’s because amateur photographers have one month left to go play in Oregon’s extensive sys tem o f state parks and to enter photos o f their experiences. The dead line to submit photos for OPRD’s 2008 Go Click! photo contest is August 1. The OPRD is looking for more pictures to be sent in from Eastern Oregon locations. “ W e’ve already received hundreds o f great photos taken in our beau tiful state parks, and we want to see more,” said contest organizer Jennifer Deeder, OPRD. “We con tinue to be amazed and delighted at the quality o f the photos w e’ve been receiving and, like last year, choosing 12 w in ning photos is going to be very difficult.” Images submitted may be from previous years, but must be taken in an Oregon State Park. The winning photos will be announced and dis played at this year’s Or egon State Fair in Salem August 22 - September 1. The 12 winning photos will be featured in a 2010 O PRD photo calendar available for sale in spring 2009. The calendar will include important dates and special events in the Oregon State Parks. For complete con test rules and inform a tion about the O regon Parks and R ecreatio n 2008 Go Click! photo contest, v isit www.or- eg o n statep ark s.o rg , or call 800-551-6949. Ladies Play Day results Ladies Play Day was held on Tuesday, July 8, at the Willow Creek Country Club. R esults are as fol lows: July 8 Low g ro ss o f the field was Lorrene Montgom ery. Low net o f the field was Jean Strange. Least putts of the field was Luvilla Son- stegard. F lig h t A w in n e rs were: low gross, Pat Ed- m undson; low net, Betty Christman; and least putts, Corol Mitchell. F lig h t B w in n ers were: low gross, Pat Dough erty; low net, Lynnea Sar gent. F lig h t C w in n e rs were: low gross, Suzanne Jepsen; low net, Joanne Barbee. KP: flig h t A w as Betty Christman; flight B was Lynnea Sargent; and flight C was Joanne Bar bee. Long Drive: flight A was Pat Edmundson; flight B was Luvilla Sonstegard; and flight C was Joanne Barbee. C h ip -in s: L u v illa Sonstegard on # 11. Best Ball: first place, Corol Mitchell and Pat Ed m undson; Second p lace, Pat D ougherty and Jean Strange; and third place, Suzanne Jepsen and Lorrene Montgomery.
