FOUR - Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Heppner students are Outstanding
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Letters to the Editor
The Heppner Gazette Times will print all letters to the Editor with the following criteria met: letters submitted to the newspaper will need to have the name
of the sender along with a legible signature We are also requesting that you provide your address and a phone number where you can be reached. The
address and phone number will only be used for verification and will not be printed in the newspaper. Letters may not be libelous. TheGT reserves the right
to edit. The GT is not responsible for accuracy of statements made in letters. Any letters expressing thanks w ill be placed in the classifieds under "Card of
Thanks” at a cost of $ 10.
Please support Measure 30-86
Pictured are students and staff of Heppner Elementary and
High Schools, and a few community members, on October
21 at the Mustang football field in Heppner. The cause for
the celebration was the “Outstanding" rating both Heppner
Elementary and Heppner High received from the Oregon De
partment of Education. The pink shirts worn by most people
in the photo were a tribute to Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
- Photo by Sandy Matthews
Hope Lutheran/All Saints to
celebrate Reformation Day
The shared ministry of Hope Lutheran Church
and All Saints Episcopal Church w ill celebrate Reforma
tion Day on Sunday, October 31, with a service at Hope
beginning at 10 a.m. The Ecumenical Youth Group that
meets weekly at All Saints will participate in the serv ice,
and Natalie Rauch will be confirmed. Following wor
ship, there will be a German potluck to celebrate the
German heritage of the local Lutheran congregation. All
are welcome.
October 31 is not just Halloween. It is also the
anniversary of the day the Protestant Reformation began.
On October 31, 1517, a Catholic monk named Martin
Luther nailed a notice to the church door in Wittenberg,
Germany, inviting a debate about certain church practices
that his study of the Bible had called into question. He
hoped to reform the church, not cause division. The con
versation he started ultimately did lead to a division of the
Christian Church into Catholics and Protestants, and the
creation of many different Protestant Churches, including
the denomination that bears his name: Lutheran.
The next session of “First Fridays - Friends of
Jesus” will be held at All Saints on Friday, November 5th,
from 8 am to noon. Lunch will be served. All children
age four through 6th grade are invited to attend this free
event, which includes Bible stories, crafts, music, and
activities.
For more information, call the church office at
541-676-9970.
Trick or Treat suggestions
The staff at Hep
pner Elem entary would
like to make some sugges
tions for our students and
our community to make
Halloween safe and also to
make Monday morning a
great learning experience.
Please remember
to wear clothes that will be
safe to walk in, and take a
flashlight with you if it is
dark. It is always a good
idea to have an adult with
you. Keep in mind to al
ways be safe and have good
manners at each house.
Since Monday is
a school day, we would
like our HES students to
“Trick or Treat” early and
then come home, eat some
good food along with that
candy and get to bed so
you will ready for Monday
morning.
Heppner residents
should expect younger chil
dren between 4:30 and 6:30
on Sunday. We realize that
older students will be out
and abqut later than our
suggested time. However,
we would like them to be
considerate and when lights
are off at a house, those
people must be out of candy
or asleep.
College Night in Oregon to be held
College Night in Oregon will be held Monday,
November 8, from 6:30-9 p.m., in two locations: BMCC
Pendleton in Pioneer Hall and in the Hermiston High
School Commons.
Three topics will be discussed: choosing a col
lege, how to get financial aid, and how to apply for
scholarships.
College Night in Oregon is for anyone interest
ing in going to college, regardless of their age or prior
educational background.
For more information call Anne Livingston 541 -
278-5963.
To the editor:
I started my public safety career 30 years ago.
I have worked as a communications officer, volunteer
firefighter, volunteer EMT and in law enforcement. In the
past 10 years, 1 have been honored to work at the sites of
some of our nation’s greatest disasters including the World
Trade Center and Hurricane Katrina as well as many other
national level incidents. The one common problem at each
incident has been “poor” communications. Nearly every
major incident has been plagued with communications
problems that rank from minor inconveniences to major
personnel safety issues.
During the past five to six years, I have been
proud is to be able to talk about the excellent commu
nications system that we have here in Umatilla/Morrow
Counties. The federal government via the CSEPP program
spent millions of dollars creating a bi-county trunked radio
communications system that we have been enjoying for
many years. As CSEPP approaches the last year or two of
operation, this system will lose federal funding support.
We will then have two choices, fund the maintenance and
upkeep of the current system ourselves, or, in the case of
most agencies, revert to the antiquated systems we had
previously.
Why is this a problem?
When I first came to this area in 1989, com
munications from a vehicle mounted radio were around
40-60% reliable and with a handheld radio it was worse.
There were a number of places where radios did not work
at all. It was a safety issue for the responders and at times
a contributing factor to delayed responses to the citizens
that we have all sworn to serve.
When the current system came to be, we on the
user end of the system were in awe that we could actually
pick up a handheld radio in Heppner and speak to someone
else on a handheld radio in Pendleton. Soon we learned
that the system had a number of additional features that
enhanced safety and security for the end users. It has been
a tremendous benefit to us and our ability to serve.
Occasionally, you will hear the term “Interoper
ability” when talking about communications systems.
What this means in a nut-shell is the ability for one agency
to be able to reliably talk to a neighboring agency. With
our current system, all of the subscribers currently have
virtually the same channels in all of the radios.
No one wants to pay more taxes, especially in
these tough economic times. But I truly feel that if we
do not step up and fund this communications district, we
will be taking a giant step backwards and likely making
a serious mistake that could potentially cost us in other
ways in the future.
Please, join me in supporting Measure 30-86 and
vote YES!
Steven L. Myren
Boardman
A direct reflection on today’s parents
To the editor:
What a thoughtful project Eric Chick and his crew
did for the community. The painting of the grandstand
was much needed and such a nice surprise to see. They
should be commended for a job well done.
What I am not proud of are the visitors that had
no regard or appreciation for their hard work. They didn’t
even attempt to carry out their trash or clean up after
themselves. Their careless regard for other’s property is
a direct reflection on today’s parents as kids today have
no consideration or respect for other’s property.
Pat Gentry
Heppner
Morrow County Arts and Crafts
Club receive funds
The Morrow Coun
ty Arts and Crafts Club was
recently awarded $500 by
the Morrow County Culture
Trust.
These funds were
used to purchase paints
and supplies to be used by
T h e U .S . N a v y a n d Na tio na l G u a rd
IN V ITE Y O U T O P A R TIC IP A TE
in t h e N a v a l W e a p o n s S y s t e m s
T r a in in g F a c ility B o a rd m a n E IS
The U.S. Navy, in cooperation with the National Guard Bureau and the
Oregon National Guard (ORNG), is in the early stages of preparing an
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for proposed military training
activities associated with Naval Weapons Systems Training Facility
(NWSTF) Boardman. The EIS will analyze potential environmental effects
from the proposed training of U.S. forces in military airspace above and land
training areas within the boundaries of NWSTF Boardman Public input is
requested on the scope, content and issues to be addressed in the EIS.
S ubmit w r itten c o m m en ts t o :
Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Northwest
Attn: Mrs Amy Burt - N W STF Boardman EIS Project Manager
1101 Tautog Circle, Suite 203
Silverdale. W A 98315-1101
Submit comments online at www.NWSTFBoardmanEIS.com Comments
must be postmarked or received by N ovem ber 15, 2010
> rcy n m
•'
é tÊ k
P U B L IC SC O P IN G
M E E TIN G S
B o a rd m a n :
O c to b e r 27, 2 0 1 0
T h e N a v y a n d th e N a tio n a l G u a rd r e q u e s t y o u r in pu tt
You can participate in a variety of ways:
..Visit the project website at w w w .N W STFB oardm anEIS.com to leam
more about the project and provide comments.
.From the project website, link to more information on Navy and ORNG
training and testing activities.
Mail wntten comments to the address below
Attend open house scoping meetings in Oregon
Let the Navy know w hat factors you want considered in the
_______________________ preparation of the EIS._______________________
(
Natiortfi Guard
j
j
i
5-8 p m.
Port of Morrow Conference
Center Riverfront Room
2 Marine Drive
Boardman, OR 97818
H e rm isto n :
O c to b e r 2 8 , 2 0 1 0
!
5-8 p m
Hermiston Conference Center
Rotary Room
415 S Highway 395
Hermiston. OR 97838
Individuals requiring reasonable
accom m odations, plea se contact
Sheila M urray. N a vy R egion Pubtn
Affairs Officer, a t 36 0-3 9 6 -4 9 8 1 or
sheila m u rra y@ n a vy m il
P roposed A ction
The Navy and the National Guard propose to implement actions to maintain baseline training activities at current levels:
increase certain training activities from current levels to support Navy and ORNG requirements, develop appropnate
ranges and facilities to support training activities: accommodate mission requirements associated with force structure
hanges and the introduction of new weapons systems: and implement range enhancements_______________________
The Navy and National Guard appreciate your input If you are unable to attend a scoping meeting, there will be more
opportunities to participate during the EIS development process
Visit www NWSTFBoardmanEIS.com to leam more.
members and prospective
members. This will enable
students to try different me-
dias of art without the initial
cost. Then, they can decide
which medium they prefer
before purchasing their own
supplies.
For inform ation
about the Morrow Arts and
Crafts you can call Betty
Mills, president, or mem
bers Sharon Harrison and
Trish Sweeney.
^
"F
r e e d o m is n e v e r m o r e
THAN ONE GENERATION AWAY
FROM EXTINCTION. W E DIDN’T
PASS IT TO OUR CHILDREN IN THE
BLOODSTREAM, f t MUST BE FOUGHT
FOR, PROTECTED, AN0 HANDED ON
FOR THEM TO DO THE SAM E."
R o nald R eag an
This quote brought to
you by the Willow Creek
Tea Party Patriots
What a group of wonderful kids we
have
To the editor:
1 know that we here in Heppner realize that we
have pretty special kids, but I want you, the Heppner
community, to realize just how special and awesome our
kids really are.
A few weeks ago my Heppner FBLA Club de
cided to sell bracelets for Breast Cancer Awareness and
give the proceeds to charity. They decided what to order
and when and how they should go about selling them.
The bracelets were such a hit and the students were so
supportive of it the senior class along with the FBLA club
wanted to host a pink night. After getting the approval and
support of our principal and thanks to the overwhelming
support of the volleyball coaches, Pink night was to be
during the girl’s last home volleyball game. The kids
wanted to invite not just all of the students, but the com
munity members as well to wear pink, come to the game
and not only support the girls as they played Pilot Rock,
but also support our own breast cancer survivors and
victims. Posters were made and put up all around town in
anticipation to see if people would wear pink. The FBLA
bought extra bracelets and pens to sell, footballs to throw
into the crowd, and seniors and FBLA members went into
the stands for donations.
When I walked into the school Thursday I was
shocked to tears. Almost every student was wearing some
sort of pink. Those who did not have pink were meeting
me at the door wanting to buy bracelets so that they too
could wear pink. Even the kids who don’t like pink, put
their differences aside and for one day the entire Heppner
student body united for a special cause that wasn’t about
them, or the school. They didn’t do this for themselves
or for what they thought they could get out of it, they did
this because it was important to themselves, family, and/or
friends. This was something that they felt they could do
to show their support for their community and for others
out there who needed it. Because of these wonderful kids,
$366 was raised and will be donated to the Susan G. Ko-
men Breast Cancer Awareness fund. Our volleyball girls
not only invited and recognized breast cancer survivors/
victims and their families with flowers and balloons, they
too are donating $100 from their soup feed. We will be
sending a total of $466.
What a group of wonderful kids we have. When
the world is looking bleak, all we have to do is look at
our little community and realize how precious our kids
are. A million thank you’s to everyone who wore pink
Thursday in support of Breast Cancer Awareness. We
not only raised money, we also gave the students pride
in themselves and their accomplishments.
Jeannie Collins
Heppner
Plagued by offensive odors
To the editor:
You may be aware that the City of Irrigon has
responded to complaints from citizens regarding odors
coming from the west of town. We are aware of two
sources of the odor. One is from the Port of Morrow’s
irrigation of industrial process wastewater and the other
is from manure that has been applied to crops as organic
fertilizer. To some, it may be difficult to tell the difference.
Really though, most people don’t care which source it is
coming from, they just want it to stop.
The city has been in contact with the Port of
Morrow, the Department of Environmental Quality, and
the Department of Agriculture. Odors are a tough enforce
ment issue for regulators. There are things that can be done
to keep odors to a minimum, but regulators don’t have a
lot of enforcement tools. Mayor David Bums has been
working on this issue and has made some progress.
The Port of Morrow management is aware of the
odor problem and they have indicated that they will be
working on the problem. Like anything else, the more it
is a local issue, the more attention it will get. The Port of
Morrow has offered to provide a phone number for people
to call and complain about the odors that may be coming
from the Port. The number to call first is (541) 481-7467.
Ask to speak with Rolf Prag, Port supervisor, or Dave
Lovin, operations coordinator. If there is no response to
that number, there is a 24 hour on-call number available
at (541) 571-1690.
Another point o f contact would be Cheryll
Hutchens-Woods, interim WQ manager, Department of
Environmental Quality in Pendleton. Her phone number
is (541) 278-4619.
The city will continue to work with the Port of
Morrow and environmental regulators to limit or elimi
nate the odors. However, it would be helpful for those
experiencing offensive odors to call the Port of Morrow
directly so that they are aware of the problem while it is
occurring. They may be able to make adjustments that
will help eliminate the problem. Also the calls will let
them know that the odors are not acceptable for people
living downwind.
Please let us know if you continue to be plagued
by offensive odors. We will do what we can to help get
the problem resolved.
Jerry Breazeale
Irrigon City Manager
"L ove , F rom H ome " C ampaign
SEEKS NAMES AND ADDRESSES OF AREA
SOLDIERS DEPLOYED OVERSEAS
The lo n e A m erican Legion Post 95
Ladies A uxiliary is is co m p ilin g a list of
nam es and addresses o f area soldiers
d e p lo ye d overseas.
Item s will be g a th ere d and packages
will be prep ared and shipped to th e m
S ubmit names A addresses to
a rly n d a g ate s@ h o tm ail.co m or
Ire n e H o ltz at lire n e h o ltz@ a o l.c o m .
Once the list has been
compiled the Auxiliary will
begin collecting items for
shipping. Items that are
welcomed include:
•100% cotton TUBE socks
•Jerky
•Hard candies
•Phone cards
•Stamps
•Homemade cookies
•Books
•Newspapers
•Anything that you would
like to give!