Norene makes final trip to Europe for D-Day commemoration,
President Obama calls family to express condolences
By Autumn Morgan
On M ay 27 Jim
N orene o f H eppner flew
to Normandy, France, for
the commemoration o f the
65th anniversary o f D-Day.
Jim, a member o f the 101s'
Airborne Division during
World War 11, visited the
graves o f his fallen com
rades and died that night in
his sleep, before the com-
97403
.............
Bessie Wetzell Newspaper Library
University o f Oregon
Eugene, OR 97403
Top photo: Jim Norene with his daugh
ter, Trade Bunch, at the dedication of
the World War I I Memorial in Wash
ington, D.C. in 2004. Right photo: Jim
Norene (right) with his brother Bill.
-Contributed photos
VOL. 128
NO. 23
12 Pages
Wednesday, June 10,2009
Morrow County, Heppner, Oregon
Health district hires new administrator
By April Sykes
M orrow C ounty
Health District CEO Victor
Vander Does has announced
that the health district has
hired a new administrator,
Michael Blauer.
Vander Does, who
previously announced his re
tirement, said that Blauer, who
is currently an administrative
resident at the Poudre Valley
Health System at Fort Col
lins, CO, is anticipated to be
on the job by the end of June.
Blauer graduated from Idaho
State University at Pocatello,
Magna Cum Laude, and re
ceived a bachelor’s degree in
business administration and
a BA in Spanish. He earned
a master of health services
administration degree from
the University of Michigan at
Ann Arbor.
“I think this is a
highly qualified individual
and he and his wife are a re
ally nice couple,” said Vander
Does. “I think they will really
fit in this community.”
Vander Does says
that he expects to stay on the
job at least through July 1-2
and perhaps through July 6-7,
depending on the overlap.
Vander Does said
that the administrator’s salary
is $105,000 per year.
Vander Does says
that he and his wife, Nancy,
have definite plans to travel
after his retirement. She is
currently a board member on
the Morrow County School
Board.
Deceased newborn found in toilet
On Sunday, June
7,2009, the body o f a new
born infant was discovered
in the tank o f a portable
toilet by a sanitation worker
in Hermiston. The toilet had
been placed in the Board-
man area for use by farm
workers, but had been re
turned to H erm iston for
cleaning.
As a result of Uma
tilla Morrow County Major
Crimes Team investigation.
Araceli Velasquez Espain,
23, o f Hermiston was ar
rested and lodged in the
U m atilla County Jail on
charges o f aggravated Mur
der, Murder, Manslaughter
I, A buse o f a C orpse II,
Crim inal M istreatm ent I,
and Concealing the birth of
an infant.
Investigation into
this incident remains open.
Major Crimes Team mem
b ers in clu d e p e rso n n e l
form the Morrow County
Sheriff’s Office, Boardman
P olice D epartm ent, O r
egon State Police, Umatilla
County S h eriff’s O ffice,
Pendleton Police D epart
m ent, M ilton F reew ater
Police Department, M or
row County District Attor
ney’s Office, and Umatilla
County District Attorney’s
Office.
memoration ceremony the
next day.
Jim j o i n e d th e
Army in 1942. He originally
planned to be a ski trooper
because of all the skiing he
had done on Mount Hood.
But Jim and a few o f his
friends decided to switch
gears when they learned
they could make $50 more
per month as paratroopers.
So Jim made the switch and
went to jum p school in Ft.
Benning, GA.
Jim and his brother,
Bill, were in the Army at the
same time. However, Bill
was stationed in Arkansas
during World War II. "Bill
was a little jealous because
Jim was involved with the
war,” said Tracie Bunch,
Jim ’s daughter. During the
time Jim was overseas, the
two had been w riting letters
back and forth and were
planning to meet in Chi
cago. Just after receiving
the last letter from Bill, Jim
found out that Bill had been
a c c id e n ta lly shot w hile
training soldiers to use ba
zookas. He later died in the
hospital after contracting
pneumonia.
During World War
II, Jim was based in Eng
land and was shot twice
during the time he was with
the Army. The first time he
was shot was while fighting
in Holland and was airlifted
back to England where he
recuperated before return
ing to fight in the war. After
returning to Holland, during
the Battle at Bastogne his
unit was surrounded and
cut off from supplies and
ammunition until General
Patton’s army was able to
break through. It was dur
ing this time that he was
shot the second tim e, a
bullet shattering bones near
his knee and ending his
military career.
S ince his retu rn
from W orld War II, Jim
never said much about his
tim e fighting during the
war. But over the last few
years he had been meeting
with several other veterans
and soldiers at barbecues
and reunions and had finally
begun to open up and share
his experiences, at first with
his fellow soldiers and then
with his family. It was after
he had begun to tell his
stories to his family that his
daughter, Tracie, learned
about her uncle. Bill.
The trip to N or
mandy for the D-Day com
memoration was the third
trip Jim had made to Europe
since he was a soldier fight
ing during World War II, but
his first trip to Normandy.
Jim and his wife, Corabelle
(Corky) visited Europe for
15 days in 1992 and decided
they needed more time to
travel and went again in
1993 for a month, visiting
England and Holland. Jim
was a “ devoted husband
and father," said Tracie.
Jim and Corky were mar
ried 55 years before Corky
passed away in 2005. Tracie
was the only child o f Jim
and Corky. Tracie and her
husband, Mike, have one
daughter, Audra Hunting-
ton, who lives in Portland
with her husband, Sam.
Jim had been diag
nosed with non-Hodgkins
ly m p h o m a and w as re
ceiving blood and platelet
tra n sfu sio n s at a cancer
center in Washington. Jim
had been planning the trip
to Norm andy for quite a
w hile and it became a joint
effort by his doctors and
family to make sure he was
able to make the trip.
On May 30, after
arriving in France, Jim had
dinner with a couple from
Holland and their one year
old daughter. Jim and the
couple had been convers
ing over the internet for the
past 7-8 years, with phone
calls at Christmas. Tracie
says that in some European
countries, specifically Eng
land and Belgium, people
raise their children to spe
cifically recognize, respect
and thank A m erican GIs
who fought for them during
World War II.
President Obama,
who was in France for the
c o m m e m o ra tio n , h e a rd
about N orene’s death and
had one o f his aides call
T ra cie on Friday a fte r
noon to ask permission to
mention Jim in his speech
that day. Tracie was also
inform ed that president
would be calling her at a
later time. That time hap
pened to be Monday while
she was in a class at Hepp
ner High School where she
is a special education aide.
President Obama expressed
his condolences to Tracie
and then they spent a few
minutes talking about spe
cial education funding for
school. Tracie thanked the
president for the money that
he had budgeted for special
education program s. She
said the president told her
it was important to him to
help schools with special
education programs.
T racie says th at
throughout this tim e the
French Embassy has been
very helpful. She says that
Jim ’s body is expected to
be brought back in 8-10
weeks.
Jim was very proud
to have fought with the
101s' Airborne Division. He
always wore a jacket with
101s' Airborne Division em
blems and his car had 101s'
Airborne Division bumper
stickers. “He was a silent
hero because he has never
talked about this stuff," said
Tracie. “But he has always
been my hero.”
Residents to see increase in city water rates HHS principal reports that President
By David Sykes
Beginning with their July billing,
residents of Heppner will see a $2 per month
increase in their water bills, the city council
voted Monday night.
The two dollar increase, along w ith
a “re-directed” monthly sewer bond pay
ment of $8.90, will be used to make yearly
payments o f $130,701 necessary to pay off
city the water system overhaul completed
several years ago. See page SEVEN to read
the complete resolution.
ODOT considers toil roads
In other business the council re
viewed a letter from the Oregon Department
o f Transportation (ODOT) which is consid
ering placing tolls on some Oregon roads.
An email invited representatives
from the city to attend forums to discuss
implementing toll roads in Oregon.
Seven “white papers” about toll
roads, listed below have been developed
by the state and will be discussed at the
forums.
1. Can tolling reduce greenhouse gas
emissions?
2. Where, geographically, could toll
ing work and under what circum
stances?
3. Forecasting change - how do we
incorporate tolling and pricing
into our regional transportation
models?
4. What are the economics of trans
portation system reliability?
5. How does “pricing" urban high
way networks affect transporta
tion, people and businesses?
6. How do you determine if tolling
a project is a better alternative
than other non-tolled options
and how would you choose
between a number o f tolled
alternatives?
7. Are truck only toll lanes a viable
option for Oregon?
City M anager David DeM ayo
said Tuesday he did not know if anyone
from the city w ould be attending the
forums, all o f which are being held in
Portland, Eugene, Wilsonville and Salem.
A link to the ODOT web site discussing
placing toll roads in Oregon can be found
on the Heppner web site at www.heppner.
net.
Strategic plans to be developed
In other business at M onday’s
meeting, the council heard from Willow
Creek Valley Economic Development
Group (W CVEDG) executive director
Sheryll Bates who explained an upcom
ing strategic plan update planned for
Heppner.
Bates said WCVEDG has con
tracted w ith Greater Eastern Oregon De
velopment Corporation to help complete
strategic plans for Heppner, Lexington and
lone. The plans are important, she said,
to help cities and other groups focus on
the future needs of communities, and to
receive funding on those needs. Bates said
five to six people from each community
will be approached to help put together
the strategic plans. “It is important when
going after gran ts," said M ayor Les
Paustian.
The city council also heard a
report from Morrow County S heriff’s
-Continued on Page SEVEN
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Obama calls HHS teacher’s aide
By April Sykes
H e p p n e r H ig h
S ch o o l P rin c ip a l D aye
S tone to ld the M orrow
County School Board Tues
day night that Tracie Bunch
o f H eppner, the d au g h
ter o f World War II hero
Jim N orene, receiv ed a
call from President Obama
at the school M onday to
express his condolences
to her. Tracie is a special
education aide at Heppner
High.
T r a c i ’s f a t h e r ,
who had been ill with non-
Hodgkin’s lymphoma, had
traveled to France for the
c o m m e m o ra tio n o f the
65'h anniversary of D-Day.
He was a m em ber o f the
101s' Airborne Division as
a paratrooper on D-Day
and fought in Holland and
B astogne during W W II.
Norene visited the graves
o f his fallen comrades and
died that night in his sleep,
before the commemoration
cerem ony the next day.
President Obama, who w as
in France for the commem
oration mentioned Norene
in his speech that day.
A c c o r d i n g to
Stone, Tracie and Presi
dent Obama visited for a
while on the phone. Stone
chuckled w hen he said that
Tracie brought up the issue
o f education funding to the
president and spoke with
him three-four minutes on
the topic. He also noted
with chagrin that they had
to put the W hite House
secretary on hold w hile they
located Tracie.
Also at the meet
ing, Morrow County School
Superintendent Mark Bur
rows congratulated lrrigon
High School Principal Craig
Bensen for his school’s soft-
ball team’s state champion
ship win. Bensen told the
Gazette that they scheduled
a pep rally and a surprise
graduation cerem ony on
Thursday, June 4, complete
with “ Pomp and Circum
stance" for tw o senior girls,
Kim Campos and Breena
Tolar, w ho w ere faced w ith
the dilemma o f either miss
ing the state tournament or
their graduation ceremony.
The state tournament was
scheduled for Friday, June 5
at 1 p.m. at the Oregon State
University softball field in
Corvallis. Irrigon’s gradua
tion ceremony was planned
for the same day at 7 p.m.
The girls went on to be a
part of the lrrigon Knights
-Continued on Page SEVEN
Celebrate Heppner Schedule can be found on
Page EIGHT
At the MCGG GREEN FEED STORE in H eppn er:
Celebrate
Heppner Sale
F a th e r's D ay Sp ecial
WRANGLER 13 MWZ C0WR0Y CUT
ALL Nursery
JEANS $19.95. All other men’s
su p p lie s 25% OFF Wrangler clothing 20% OFF
M o rro w C ou n ty G rain G row ers G reen F eed & S e e d
________ 242 W . L in d e n W ay, H e p p n e r • 6 7 6 -9 4 2 2 » 9 8 9 -8 2 2 1 (MCGG main offic»)