Image provided by: Morrow County Museum; Heppner, OR
About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 2, 2009)
Heppner teacher arrested for sex crimes involving students Bessie Wetzell Newspaper l ibrar> Universitv o f Oregon Eugene, OR 9740.^ Wendy Cannin, 30, a teacher at Heppner Jr./Sr. High School was arrested on Monday, August 31, for alleged sex crimes involv ing students. On August 21, the Morrow County Sheriff’s Office received notifica- HEPPNER imes VOL 128 NO. 35 8 Pages Wednesday, September 2, 2009 Morrow County, Heppner, Oregon 2009-2010 school year off to a start Heppner Elementary School students wait patiently to board the bus after their first day of the new school year. -Photo hv Megan Futter Health district approves payment of state health insurance tax Opts not to pass costs down to employees By April Sykes The Morrow Coun ty Health District approved an expenditure of $3,200 to pay for a one percent tax on employee health benefits imposed by the state during the last legislative session. The board opted to pay the tax, which was created by the legislature to allow for the inclusion of more un insured people in the state insurance plan, rather than pass the additional cost on to their employees. The $3,200 MCHD payment will cover the additional state insurance costs from October through May 31. A ndrea F letcher presented an overview of a plan to apply for a fed eral grant, working along with the Morrow County Health Department and Co lumbia River Community Health Services in Board- man. Fletcher said that the grant, which could be up to $85,000 through the De partment of Health and Hu man Services, is extremely competitive with only 20 grants to be awarded na tion wide. She said that the three Morrow County entities will “move together collectively with a similar goal and perhaps competi tively apply for funds.” The deadline for application is September 14. Also at the meeting CEO Michael Blauer said that he had scheduled an interview this Wednesday w ith a potential candidate to fill the nurse practitioner’s position at the Irrigon Clin ic. Blauer said the search for a nurse practitioner has been frustrating and expensive for the district as a search company has been hired. In other business: the board: -learned that the trauma survey went well with the surveyors very complimentary. -learned that the audit was a “pleasant ex perience" and the auditors gave the district a “clean audit”. Blauer said the au ditors were complimentary of Chief Financial Officer Nicole Mahoney and her staff. -discussed the issue of decals on district-ow ned emergency vehicles at the OHV park. The board ear lier expressed concern that decals had been placed on the vehicles which are op erated by volunteers at the park and that those decals had not been authorized by the district. The volunteers had also made improve- tion from Heppner Jr./Sr. dents were: Count 1-Rape District Attorney Elizabeth High School Principal Daye in the third degree; Count Ballard opposed release and Stone that a female 2- Sex Abuse in the requested that bail be main teacher may have third degree; Count tained at $40,000. Judge been involved in 3 - Sodomy in the Daniel Hill granted Bal sexual activity w ith third degree; Count lard's request. a 17 year old male Cannin was placed 4- Sex Abuse in the student. third degree; Count on adm inistrative leave D e t e c - 5- Sex Abuse in the last week by the Morrow five Karen Dike of second degree; and County School D istrict MCSO was assigned Wendy C ount 6 -S ex u al when the allegations of to the investigation. Cannin Misconduct. These inappropriate contact w ith D ike’s investiga ch arg e s are not minors was brought to the tion determined that illegal Measure 11 charges be district’s attention. sexual activ ity had occurred cause the youngest student C a n n in b e g a n between Cannin and two involved was not under teaching at Heppner Jr./ male students ages 17 and the age of 14. Measure 11 Sr. High School in 2007, 15. The incidents reportedly crimes carry a mandatory her first teaching job. She began before the end of the prison sentence. A grand received her degree in el 2009 school year and ended jury convened this week to ementary education from in the middle of July, occur hear evidence. Eastern Oregon Univer ring both on and off school A video arraign sity. She taught junior high property. ment was held at 1:15 on mathematics, business, and Cannin w as lodged Tuesday afternoon at which a yearbook class. She was at the Umatilla County Jail time Cannin requested a also the junior high track on Monday. Charges en court appointed attorney. coach. compassing both male stu Boardman Motorsports Park awaits investor decision Racetrack needs funding to move construction forward By David Sykes D e v e lo p e rs o f a motorsports park near B oardm an are a w a it ing word if a major inves tor is going to move for w ard w ith funding, a Billie Jean spokesper Morris son told the Heppner Chamber of Commerce last week. Billie Jean Morris, Director of Marketing for Pacific Northwest Motor- sports Park(PNWMP), said one investor went bankrupt when Bear Stearns col lapsed several months ago, so dev elopers are now look ing for additional investors in the $6.1 billion project. Morris said she expected to find out “soon” if a new in vestor is in on the project. “Securing project funding remains PNWMP management’s primary fo cus,” the park’s summer newsletter said. “To this, we have already entered into detailed discussion with new investors and a cadre of worldwide finan cial institutions who are impressed with the project and are working through the processes that will enable them to invest/lend their funds.” Morris did not say what would happen if the new investor did not come through, but said last week they were expecting a let ter late last week or early this week. Tuesday she told the Ga zette the letter had not been received, but that they still ex p ec ted it “soon”. Mor ris did say th a t if the Pictured is a screenshot of the Racer simu project moves lator program. forward she expects to see 1,000 construction jobs in IBM optical engineer Bob Boardman by the end of Hojaboom o f Umatilla. the year. “In 2006 we said The simulator is based on we would be operational by the actual track that w ill be 2009," she told the cham built at Boardman. According to the ber. “Obviously that did not happen, but we think by newsletter the simulation late spring early summer of program will run on most 2011 we will be running.” com puters using ju st a She added that at this point mouse and keyboard for the only construction on the controls. It took Hojaboom site has been an 8.5 mile two years to develop the simulator. service road built. "PNW M P is the Part of the motor- sports park layout w ill con first racing venue in the sist of a 6-mile course on world to use a simulation which members w ill be able as part of a design project." to drive private race cars. The newsletter says. “Most The cost of a membership in venues have a simulation the club for a single person created after the circuit is will be an initial $30.000 physically built. We are with a monthly fee of $350. using the simulation as a A lifetime membership for a design tool to test and im family will cost $100,000. prove the circuit and facil If you don’t have ity concepts prior to final that kind of change you can design.” The sim ulator is now still enjoy the track as a computer simulator is free to the public and can now available for download be downloaded at http:// from the PNWMP web site. pnwmotorsportspark.com The simulation uses a pro and click on download track gram called Racer which simulator. was programmed by retired Advantage Dental Services brings new dentists to Heppner In early August, Kansas City, graduating in originally from Memphis, A dvantage D ental Ser- the spring of 2008 from its TN. He graduated in May from the Univ ersity of Ten vices o f Redm ond pur- School of Dentistry. ch ased H ayden nessee. H e He and his Family Dentistry has been mar wife, Sheri, have a Group. That pur ried for almost 20 month old son. chase brought in 10 years to his F u lto n ’s new dentists to the w ife, Melanie. schedule w ill bring Heppner office. T hey have him to H eppner th re e bo y s, D r. G . once a week, on ages 7, 5, and Adam Fulton and Thursdays, while Dr. Julian Petersen I)r. G. Adam tw o , and a l)r. .1 ulian Peterson will also daughter set Petersen both worked for Fulton be in H ep p n er to be bom anv Hayden Dental be once a week on Wednes- fore Advantage took over. day. The doctors, who both live “This has been a davs. When the doctors are -Cc.'Mnuedon Page FOUR in Hermiston, now travel seamless transition for me," not in the Heppner office, a between the Hermiston, said Fulton. His first day in hygienist w ill be in-office. There has been no Heppner and Boardman of Heppner was his first day The Heppner Gazette-Times w ill be closed on Monday, September 7, in ob fices during the week. in the Heppner office. “I changes to the insurance servance of the Labor Day holiday. F u lto n , 34 , is am excited to be here, I like plans that will be accepted The deadline for news and advertisements for the September 9 edition of the originally from southwest the town." through Advantage Dental newspaper is Friday, September 4, at 5 p.m. Serv ices. P eterson, 28, is Missouri. He attended the University of Missouri in Heppner Gazette-Times closed for Labor Day ALL NEWS AND ADVERTISEMENT DEADLINE: - w FRIDAY AT 5:00 P.M. GREEN FEED & SEED IN HEPPNER: ENO OF SEASON NURSERY SALE 2^ Q Q p p (y ^ *rees' s^ru^s' anc^ perennials in stock M orrow County' Grain Growers Green Feed A Seed 242 W. Linden Way, Heppner • 676-9422 • 989-8221 (MCGG main office)
