Image provided by: Morrow County Museum; Heppner, OR
About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 15, 2008)
Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, October 15, 2008 - FIVt Support for Matlack for four more Letter to the editor: years I remember years ago when we were struggling to W hat’s the trend? make ends meet in our farming operation; 1 would sit down with our friendly banker Harley Sager for financial advice. Invariably, his first comment was let’s look at the financial trend. Are you getting ahead or just meeting expenses or are things getting worse for you? As I look at the Morrow County sheriff’s political race, I have to ask myself that same question. What is the trend of criminal action in Morrow County today? We all can recall when there was a great deal of confidence in the safety of city dwellers but also that of rural Morrow County. Today, I am afraid that my confidence has been shaken with the outburst of burglaries in a number of outlying communities. Shops have been totally stripped of thousands of dollars of farm tools, welders and weld ing supplies, not to mention stripping copper wiring from power lines and super expensive electric motors. Cars have literally been stolen from storage building. This, not to mention mail box bashing, shot gunning road signs and even stealing road signs. The reality of all this does not provide any degree of confidence for those single people living by themselves in their country homes. Unfortunately, these outbursts of criminal actions shake the people’s confidence in the abil ity of the sheriff’s department to reverse this trend. We all realize that this is a huge county with many rural roads to cover, not to mention patrolling the cities. Maybe it is a lack of funding for more deputies, I don’t know. Maybe because of this “dark of night skull dugery,” a realignment of officer duties would be in order and some changes might make some sense. I also remember when the “DARE” program was a great success here in Morrow County. Most lately, I hear that it was not the success that I remembered. 1 can tell you as past juvenile judge that it was truly a success. It provided a conduit for the DAREE officer to have an excellent relationship with the students of our schools. Many times criminal actions against local citizens were prevented or solved because of the confidence that the student had with the DARE officer. It’s time to reconsider the value of this program. The last thing that I want to mention is the lack of a skilled Search and Rescue Team in Morrow County. We need the sheriff of Morrow County to rely upon the dozens of ranchers and four wheelers and snow mobil- ers who know the Blue Mountains like the back of their hands. I frankly do not know what happened to that elite group but maybe they were not adequately appreciated or acknowledged. I don’t know. In short, I must ask myself the question, what is the trend? Is the safety factor and the criminal activity within our boundaries heading in the right directions? Can my neighbor 18 miles from lone, or 24 miles out in Butter Creek and Ella Roads go to bed at night and be assured that their property or lives are not going to be in danger? I ask you readers to ask the same question about your area. What is the trend? Listen to Larry Sample and get his answers to these and other questions. I for one will have to tip my hat to Larry Sample, the guy who has the experience and the ability to reverse the trend of increased criminal activity. Vote Sample for sheriff. Louis Carlson Heppner To the editor and people of Morrow County: I'm writing this open letter in support of Sheriff Ken this fall. It has been my pleasure to work and serve with Sheriff Matlack on various committees and handling school related issues, both during and before his current term of office. I also had the opportunity, before the last election, to attend several of his campaign speeches and presenta tions. Sheriff Matlack delivered on his campaign promises in relation to being a working, on the road Sheriff. I have seen his car in various parts of Morrow County, as I have had to travel around the school district for meetings in different communities. This has been es pecially prevalent in the north end of the county where the vast majority of the population resides. Sheriff Matlack has also worked with me in my role of school principal to resolve important school issues with families that related to law enforcement. One situation that comes to mind caused both of us to spend most of a weekend and one weekday evening establishing the super vision and residence of a student who had been dropped off at his grandparents home by a non-responsible parent. Not spending that time, intensively when we did, would have been very detrimental to the health and welfare of the student involved. In closing, I urge support for Ken Matlack, Morrow County Sheriff, for four more years. John Sebastian, AC Houghton Elementary principal Irrigon Larry Sample for Morrow County Sheriff To the editor: 1 have 23 years of law enforcement experience, 12 of which were with the Morrow County Sheriff's Office, where I began as a deputy and promoted to patrol Sergeant. The decision to leave the sheriff's office was made only after the current administration failed to demonstrate the best interest for the citizens of Morrow County or the employees of the sheriff’s office. An opportunity presented itself to use my experi ence as a police advisor in Iraq at which I took advantage of, as I felt my skills here were no longer being utilized to their full potential. I spent 19 months training and mentor ing the Iraqi police at every level of a police agency. Now that I am home 1 am supporting Larry Sample for sheriff as I know his integrity is of high standard. I worked with Larry for 10 years of my employment with the Morrow County Sheriff’s Office and know he has the values I believe are necessary to be an excellent sheriff. I am looking forward to working with him again as 1 know he has the experience and dedication that the citizens of Morrow County need and deserve. If the citizens of Morrow County are looking for a sheriff that has integrity and will be dedicated to all the citi zens of Morrow County then Larry Sample is that person. Please join me and vote for Larry Sample for sheriff. Phil Morris Heppner Valby Lutheran Church to dedicate Booster Club Steak Feed and Auc Memorial Grove tion to be held this weekend On Sunday, October 19, Valby Lutheran Church Encouragement to support and vote for Matlack To the editor: Since Ken Matlack was elected as the Morrow County Sheriff, the Gilliam County Sheriff's Office and Morrow County Sherifif's Office hav e worked hand in hand combating the criminal element plaguing our citizens along the border betw een our tw o counties. We have had multiple thefts and burglaries along the Morrow/Gilliam County border that have been resolved because of the sherifif's experience, expertise, and diligent nature to break down “borders” and work together w ith all those w ho are affected building strong relationships along the way. Sheriff Matlack has been instrumental in develop ing relationships furthering Morrow County's ability and resources to further serve and protect the citizens he rep resents. 1 have known Sheriff Matlack for many years and know he is, without question, the best person to continue to serve as chief executive officer and conservator of the peace as Sheriff of Morrow- County. Prior to Sheriff Matlack taking office, I had never met the outgoing sheri ft', I met the undersheriff one time, and only knew three or four of the deputy sheriff’s. Today 1 know- nearly every employee of the Morrow County Sheriff’s Office w ith the exception of the 911 call takers working in the dispatch center. We have an open line of communication that has allowed us to work together and exchange information on related or similar cases. Serving as sheriff in a small county requires the sheriff to work outside the office. 1 know Sheriff Matlack takes an active role in investigating crime and traffic safety. I have heard him on the radio and have met him at crime scenes w ith his sleeves rolled up and getting his hands dirty. Sheriff Matlack is a man w ho is not afraid to see a job to its successful end even if he has to do it himself. I have heard nothing but praise from Sheriff Mat- lack’s employees. They bless his guidance and leadership, they respect him, and it should be pointed out they are in a situation where they can only say they love their job but can not comment on the election itself for fear of potential retribution. I encourage the people of Morrow County to sup port and vote for Ken Matlack as their sheriff. Sheriff Gary Bettencourt Gilliam County Sheriff’s Office FFA news Heppner FFA Rituals Team B was well represented by these mem bers: Sentinel- Garrett Gibbs, Reporter- Willy Gentry, Secretary- Brandi Hong, Vice President- Jessica Hughes, President- Justin Yocom and Treasurer- Afton Clark. -Contributed Photo will be dedicating a new “Memorial Grove” alongside its cemetery. Trees are being planted in this new grove to remember infants who have been lost over the years at any stage of pregnancy or early infancy, and to honor the grief of parents who may not have had the opportunity to formally acknowledge and commemorate the loss. A brief service of dedication and remembrance will follow regular morning worship, which begins at 9 a.m. Tree planting will get underway thereafter, followed by a light meal of soup and bread. The community is welcome to attend. For more information call Katy Anderson at 989- 8174. c%eal Estate By DAVID SYKES The Heppner FFA Chapter officers represented our community (as did two other rituals teams from Heppner) at the Blue Moun The annual Heppner Booster Club Steak Feed and Auction will tain District FFA Leadership Camp held October 5 & 6, 2008 at be held on Saturday, October 18. Dinner will begin at 6 p.m. and Camp FJkanah. Picture are: Secretary- Rellee Jones, President- the live auction will begin at 8 p.m. There will also be raffle items Lane Wright. Sentinel - Jarreid Miller, Treasurer- Brynna Rust, and a silent auction. -Photo by Autumn Morgan Vice President- Brett Harrison, and Reporter- Devin Robinson. -Contributed Photo REALTOR DON’T USE GASOLINE TO CLEAN! Despite the availability of relatively safe and efficient cleaning agents, some people still use gasoline to clean clothes, floors, paint brushes, machine parts - just about anything. G asoline is designed to bum. It vaporizes readily and the vapors can be exploded. What does it take to make gasoline vapor bum? Only air and a source of ignition. Because the pilot light of a furnace or heater is hidden from view, do-it-yourselfers frequently forget about it as an ever-present source of flame and ignition. An open flame isn’t the only source of ignition for gasoline vapor. The electric arc that occurs when you flick a light switch or pull an electric plug out of a wall socket can ignite vapor. So can the sparks from an electric drill’s motor. As you can see, it’s easy to start a fire with gasoline and one spark - that’s what it’s made for. Fortunately, it’s even easier to follow this advice: Don't ever use gasoline for cleaning! Property listings are available at www.sykesrealestate.net 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 Vote Larry Sample Morrow County Sheriff IN T E G R IT Y Will protect and serve ALL of Morrow County EQUALLY not False Promises not Political Favors Professionalism Foundation Paid for by the Committee to Elect Larry Sample for Sheriff
