Sheriff candidates campaign as election nears
By David Sykes
II i I ii I iii I i I ii III um 'II i I h 'II
Bessie Wet/ell Newspaper Library
University of Oregon
Eugene. O R 97403
VOL. 127
NO. 40
10 Pages
Wednesday, October 1,2008
The two candidates
for Morrow County Sheriff
took their campaigns to the
Heppner Chamber of Com
merce last week. The elec
tion looms closer as ballots
are expected to be mailed
out October 17.
Larry Sample and
incumbent Sheriff Kenneth
Matlack answered ques
tions before the Chamber,
explaining their priorities
and plans for the future of
the Sheriff’s Department.
Matlack said his
most important accomplish
ment the
last three
and one
half years
is the re
negotiat
ing of the
Um atilla
County
Jail con-
t r a c t . Sheriff Kenneth
M o rro w Matlack
County
contracts with Umatilla
County to house prisoners,
and Matlack said the new
agreement allows more pris
oners to be housed which
“makes people responsible.”
“We had nine beds at $200
per day. I was able to get
11 beds.” Matlack said now
lawbreakers face real jail
time and they know it. “We
now have room at the inn
and there isn’t any other
place where you are going
to do as much time,” he said
of Morrow County. Sample
agreed that the current jail
contract is a good one.
Matlack also said
the single most important
issue facing county law
enforcement is drug traffic
and usage. "Drug usage
drives theft and vandalism
and we have it all across the
county,” he said.
Challenger Larry
Sample said there have not
been enough rural patrols
Morrow County, Heppner, Oregon
under the current sheriff
and he planned to change
that. He also said he plans to
establish a citizen advisory
committee in each com
munity, “So we know what
the problems are.” He also
wants to get funds restored
for the DARE drug program.
“DARE works,” Sample
said. He also told the cham
ber he wants to build back
Annual lone Education Foundation Dinner held
up the search and rescue and
the sheriff reserves.
During a question
and answer session from
the audience Sample said he
would totally reorganize the
sheriff department and also
institute an employee incen
tive plan. Matlack said a big
change he instituted was the
number of calls he and the
undersheriff take. “Deputies
go from call to call. Myself
and the undersheriff take
300 to 1,000 calls per year.”
He said he also increased
animal control for better
livability.
On a question about
the budget,
both can-
d i d a t e s
agreed that
the current
budget
is “ a d e
quate”. On
a question
about dep
uty train Larry Sample
ing, both
agreed
that deputies need adequate
training.
About the current
contract with the city of
Heppner to provide police
protection, Matlack, who
negotiates the contract on a
yearly basis, said he is satis
fied with the current contract
and that he rotates all the
deputies through Heppner
and that the sheriff and un
dersheriff take calls when a
deputy is not available.
Sample said the con
tract does not provide enough
coverage for Heppner and
he wants another deputy
assigned here. “Sometimes
at night you need another
deputy. I would want to
re-negotiate that contract,”
he said.
“1 would investi-
gate all crimes in Morrow
County,” Sample said. “You
will nol hear on the phone
‘We don’t ha\e anyone to
respond to that’. You would
not hear that if I am the
sheriff,” Sample said. He
also favored assigning dog
control and code enforce
ment to non certified sheriff
department employees.
Matlack said calls
are covered and crimes are
investigated in the county.
“Steve (Myron, undersher
iff) and 1 take those calls,”
Matlack said. He said he
did not support non certified
officers doing code enforce
ment and animal control. "I
prefer a uniformed guy,” he
said.
On drug enforce
ment Matlack said the coun
ty participates in BENT (the
regional narcotics inves
tigation unit) and that the
deputies do street and other
searches that find drugs.
“We ask people if we can
search their car or their
house, and you would be
surprised how many people
consent, and we end up find
ing drugs,” he said.
Sample said BENT
is not working in Morrow
County as much as it should.
“We need more than knock
and talks,” Sample said of
the procedure of knocking
on suspicious doors and
talking to people.
Sample also said
if elected he would work
on keeping victims and
people who file complaints
informed on what is going
on. He said the current sher
iff department is not getting
back to people.
Matlack disagreed.
"Every 30 days we contact
the person that made the
complaint,” he said.
Christian Life Center welcomes
Antonucci as new pastor
Bv Autumn Morgan
The annual lone Education Fundraiser and Dinner was held this past weekend in lone. Photo by
David Sykes
Health district loses $35,000 in
August; prepares for levy
By April Sykes
The Morrow Coun
ty Health District saw a
$35,000 loss for the month
of August, further demon
strating the district’s need
for a successful levy this
November. The district has
been operating without levy
monies for the past several
months as the previous levy
has expired. Chief Financial
Officer Nicole Mahoney
reported at the district’s
regular meeting Monday
night in Boardman that the
year-to-date loss since July
I is $69,000.
M orrow C ounty
Health District is seeking a
.39 cent levy deemed nec
essary to maintain services
and continue to provide
up-to-date care for district
patients.
MCHD CEO Victor
Vander Does reported that
he nixed the installation of
a heating and ventilating
system in the Pioneer Me
morial Hospital basement
and solarium for $90,323. A
new HVAC system is in the
process of being installed
upstairs as part of the recent
renovation designed to al
low for care of long-term
care patients at the hospital.
Vander Does said that $90
thousand was just too ex
pensive and said that they
would try to make do with
the old system downstairs.
Vander Does said that with
the renovations “possibly
the downstairs heating sys
tem will run more effec
tively.” He suggested that
the district wait through the
winter to see how the current
downstairs system operates.
Vander Does also vetoed a
$24,000 expenditure for car
pet replacement throughout
the hospital. "We are watch
ing our funds,” he said.
He said that Ma
honey and a hospital team
are looking at used hospital
beds to outfit the new long
term care rooms, as hospital
beds are required for the fa
cility to meet code. He said
a new hospital bed would
have cost $9,000 apiece.
He said that the hospital has
some beds, but they need
seven more to outfit the
rooms for nine long-term
care patients.
In other business at
the meeting, the board:
-approved a change
in malpractice carriers for
the district. Mahoney and
Vander Does suggested that
-Continued on Page THREE
Morrow County educator
arrested for theft
On Wednesday, Sep $2,600, owned by the Mor
tember 17, the Morrow' row County School District,
County Sheriff's Of
and then selling
fice arrested Forrest
them.
Dean McKinnis, 30,
The Mor
row C o u n ty
the director at the
School District
Morrow County Al
has placed McK
ternative Education
innis on adminis
Center in Irrigon for
trative leave. He
Theft I and Official
is scheduled to
Misconduct I.
appear in circuit
M c K in n is
court
in Heppner
was charged with Forrest
McKinnis
on November 6.
the theft of refer
ence books totaling
ALL NEWS AND ADVERTISEMENT DEADLINE:
MONDAYS AT 5:00 P.M.
Christian Life Cen
ter in Heppner welcomed
a new pastor on August 1.
Dean Antonucci and his
wife, Teri, began their work
with the church after the
Van Cleave family moved to
Pendleton. The Antonuccis
moved from Port Angeles,
WA where Dean was the
senior pastor of Light in the
City Church of God.
Born and raised in
Buffalo, NY, Dean knew
that he was being called into
the ministry at age 13. He
lived in Buffalo until he was
17, moving to Ellendale, ND
to begin Bible college. He
is the first in his family to
go to college and graduate
and is the only minister in
his family.
After beginning his
college education in North
Dakota, Dean transferred to
Southwestern Assembly of
God University where he re
ceived a bachelor of science
in professional studies. He
is certified in food service
mid-management in the
study of culinary arts from
the American Culinary Fed
eration. He has also begun
graduation work through
the University of Phoenix in
Business Leadership.
Dean has been in the
ministry for 24 years. He
started in Buffalo as a Royal
Ranger commander for his
Dean and Teri Antonucci
home church. He then be
came a youth pastor after
moving to North Dakota.
Dean met Teri while at Bible
college. They later moved to
Oregon and were married in
Milton-Freewater.
The couple went on
to serve as children's pastors
in Prineville and then youth
pastors in Toledo. They then
moved to Grand Prairie, TX
where Dean was called to be
an associate pastor. It was
during this time that Dean
graduated from Southwest
ern Assembly of God Uni
versity is Waxachie, TX.
After graduating.
Dean was transferred to
Wakeeny, KS where he
served as the senior pastor
at Harvest Time Assembly
of God. They later moved
G u id a n c e
S y s te m
$
2995.00
back to Oregon and Dean
served as associate pastor
at Living Faith Church in
Hermiston. He was then
transferred to Roseburg to
be an administrative pastor
and then to Port Angeles,
WA to be a senior pastor
before ultimately transfer
ring to Christian Life Center
in Heppner.
“I fell in love with
Heppner.” said Antonucci.
“We are looking forward to
building long-term relation
ships with the community
and becoming a vital part
of advancing the gospel
of Jesus Christ in Morrow
County. I'm amazed that
even though Heppner is a
small town, there's a great
deal of life and hope.”
-Continued on Page THREE
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