People on verge of losing control of water
By David Sykes
97403
.................
Bessie Wetzell Newspaper Library
University of Oregon
Eugene. OR 97403
T he g o v e rn m e n t
is trying to take more and
m ore control over w ater
usage and that w ill be det-
rimental to agriculture and
in the long run the people of
America, an Oregon water
rights expert told a gathered
crowd of around 75 people
in Heppner Sunday.
H elen M oore o f
Water For Life, an agricul-
Helen Moore of W'ater For Life talks to community members at a water rights program
put on by the Willow Creek Valley Tea Party Patriots Sunday, March 21, at Heppner High
School. -Photo by David Sykes
VOL. 129
NO. 12
8 Pages
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Morrow County, Heppner, Oregon
tural advocacy organiza
tion, said there is very little
respect in the Oregon State
Legislature for what agri
culture does or represents
in our culture. She pointed
out several exam ples o f
both the state and federal
governments trying to gain
more control o f not only
water but the land around
the water.
In one e x a m p le
Moore said legislation in
troduced in the last Oregon
legislative session would
have changed the definition
o f ’navigitable” water ways
to m ean “ an y th in g you
could float a toothpick in”.
She said the bill would have
also allowed people using
a waterway to come on to
private property bordering
the river or creek. “ You
could have kayakers for in
stance coming on your land,
opening gates camping and
leaving their garbage on
your land.” And, she said,
there was nothing in there
(the bill) that limited how
much time they could stay
on your land. This is an
uncom pensated taking of
private property.
P o r ts a re a ls o
against this because people
could come onto their lands,
Moore said. “More govern
m ent, m ore rules, m ore
takings. We believe water
rights are property rights.”
A lthough the navigable
waters bill did not pass,she
is confident it will be com-
Town of Lexington
Gray set to retire after 32 years of
service with Morrow County Court purchases Kingdom Hall
Justice of the Peace
C harlotte G ray is set to
retire after 32 years with
the Morrow County Court.
Her current six-year term
will end on December 31,
1978, Gray was ap
pointed by the gov
ernor o f Oregon as
justice of the peace.
In 1980 the M or
row County courts
2010 .
were combined and
While her work in the Morrow County
the c o u rt system began D istrict C ourt was
32 years ago in M orrow established in Hep
County, Gray got her first pner. Currently Gray
taste of court work in The spends tw o nine-hour
Dalles. Gray moved to The days in Heppner on
Dalles in 1971 from Kansas Mondays and Tues
and was hired by Municipal d ays and tw o 11 -
Charlotte Gray
Court Judge Ron Summers hour days in Irrigon
to be a clerk. In addition on Wednesdays and
also taken a four-week class
to being the clerk, she was Thursdays.
also the deputy municipal
While Judge Gray with the Legal Institute’s
judge. “The Lord provided does not have a law degree, National Judicial College,
on that job," said Gray.
she has made sure to keep followed by eight months
In 1 9 7 6 G r a y up with changes to the law of video and testing. This
moved to Heppner, and in by attending judicial con course was equivalent to
1978, after Dee G ribble ferences. A few years ago one year o f law school.
Gray states that one
retired as ju stic e o f the she also attended a two-
peace, G ray applied for week non-attorney judge o f the hardest things about
the job. On December 15, course in Reno, NV. She has her jo b is the jail space.
“It has improved but there
have been times that I have
had to let people out early,
and that’s hard.” However,
she does enjoy when she
can help people who are
ready to get their licenses
returned.
One thing Judge
Gray will not be missing
with the upcoming election
cycle is running for re-elec
tion. “It’s hard to have to
stand in front o f a room full
o f people and sell yourself
to them,” said Gray.
Gray and her hus
band, who will be retiring
Septem ber 1, are already
making plans for their re
tirem ent. In March 2011
the couple is planning are
RV trip to the coast where
they will stay for a month,
as well as a spring 2011 trip
to Richland, OR. R etire
Students at Heppner Daycare and Preschool recently learned ment will also provide more
about the letter “Z" with Zoo Day on Wednesday, March tim e to spend with sons
17. Pictured are: front row (L-R) Camryn Scrivner, David Kevin and his wife Leslie
Cribbs, and Sallie Orem; second row (L-R) Reece Gorham, o f Lafayette, Terry and his
Isiah Martin, Hattie Orem, Teagan Ramsey, and Chace Jones;
wife Amy o f Nevada, and
third row (L-R) Irelynn Kollman, Narin Stone, TV Boor. Olivia
Foster, and Shavlynn Deloach; and hack row (L-R) Trevor granddaughters Autum n,
Nichols, Cole Greenup, Eli Petzoldt, and Jake Lentz. Photo Leslie, and Katelyn.
Town government to move into former
church building
The Town of Lexington and fire department will he moving
out of their current facilities (top photo). The Town of Lex
ington will be moving into the former Kingdom Hall building
(bottom photo). New fire department facilities are yet to be
determined. -Photo by David Svkes
ing back to the legislature
again.
“ It is important we
engage with our legislature
and let our voices be heard,”
she said about w ater rights
legislation. “Agriculture is
using water to grow food
and raise animals, and our
legislature can be very dis
heartening to listen to and
what our leaders are saying
about working people. No
other issue will matter if we
lose the fight against water
control,” she added.
M oore also said
the federal government is
trying to gain more con
trol over w ater from the
states, and she cited the San
Joaquin Valley of California
w here thousands of acres of
farm land no longer receive
irrigation water in order to
protect the Delta Smelt fish.
“And the fish is not even
native to that area,” Moore
says.
She points to the
proposed Clean Water Res
toration Act that talks about
n a v ig ita b le w ater w ays
and would give the federal
governm ent control over
all water. “Our governor
(Ted K ulongoski) w rote
a letter supporting this,”
Moore says. “ We support
local control. The federal
government is not neces
sarily good at m anaging
anything,” she says.
She says sim ilar
situations could eventually
cause the United States to
begin im porting food. “ I
would prefer my food come
from the United States. We
don’t have a problem pro
tecting fish,” she said. But
she pointed out that in one
area o f Oregon diverting
water for fish has caused
m ore dust and weeds to
develop in a former wet
lands area.
approximately $300,000 for
The Town o f Lex construction, not counting
ington has purchased the the cost of the land.
-See WATER RIGHTS/Page
fo rm e r K in g d o m H all
EIGHT
building at 325 S. F Street
in Lexington and plans to
move town hall to the new
location. The present town
hall, along with the attached
fire department, w ill be tom
70.000 BTU
down.
Kerosene Forced-Air
The town received
Heater With Thermostat
a $103,000 FEMA grant
•
70,000 BTU heat output.
to buy the building, which
•
Thermostat heat control.
cost $40,000. and will use
• Mult-fuel compatible.
some of the rest of the grant
• Fully enclosed air over motor.
money for repairs and up
a
m ________________ mm only
grades to the building. “It
IX 815-5111
is with excitement that the
Town o f Lexington moves
125.000 BTU
forw ard into a b rig h te r
Kerosene
future,” Lexington Mayor
Forced-Air
Dw yla Yocum said after
the purchase on March 19.
Heater With
She said the town is now
Thermostat
moving forward to find ad
• 125,000 BTU heat output.
ditional funding with which
• Thermostat heat control.
to build a new fire hall.
• Mult-fuel compatible.
Only
Under terms o f the FEMA
• Fully enclosed air over motor.
mooucT to
grant the present building
housing town hall and the
N 117-1114
fire department must be tom
down because it is located
175.000 BTU
in
the
flood
way.
by Megan Futter
Kerosene
On March 3 Lex
Forced-Air
ington re sid e n t M arsha
Heater With
Easter will be celebrated April 4 this year. Area pastors are invited to submit Kemp called an unofficial
their Easter messages to be published in the March 31 edition of the Heppner Gazette- tow n m eeting w hich 25
Thermostat
people attended. At that
Times.
• 175,000 BTU heat output.
The deadline to submit articles is Friday. March 26. Messages can be emailed meeting, Kemp and several
• Thermostat heat control.
• Mult-fuel compatible.
other residents discussed
to editor@rapidserv e.net, faxed to 541-676-9211, or dropped off at the office.
Only
• Fully enclosed Air Over motor.
asking the city to not pur
PMW CTM.______________
chase the Kingdom Hall
N 111-1243
and instead look for other
funding to com bine with
Limited to Stock On Hand
the FEMA grant and build
either a com bination fire
' Morrow County
hall and town hall or two
separate stmctures.
Grain Growers
> U U-J
Kemp said at that
Lexington 989-8221 -1-800-452-7396 For rara «gulp
time her group had esti
I oar «ok otto at www k ( | . m
mated a new fire hall to cost
Zoo Day at Heppner Preschool
By David Sykes
Space Heater Clearance Sale
Save big $$$ on these units
$233
$394
Area pastors invited to submit Easter messages
$450
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