Luke Swanson joins Heppner Wheatland
OR . e90n
9 ?403
Luke Swanson has
recently joined Wheatland
Insurance C enter as an
insurance producer, accord
ing to agency president Kay
Hunkapillar.
Based out o f the
H eppner branph office,
Swanson, 31, joins Wheat-
land w ith 10 years market
ing and sales experience
with Federated Insurance
3rdry
5 (K
HEUBNER
Company and Philadelphia
Insurance Company.
He graduated in
1997 from lone High School
and earned his business de
gree from Eastern Oregon
University in La Grande.
Swanson has extensive
knowledge of the insurance
industry with an emphasis
on business and non-profit
organization coverage.
He is married and
his wife’s name is Tyan.
They have two children,
C arter, 23 m onths and
Chase, two months. “I am
happy to be back in the
area with my family and
I look forward to help
ing businesses and local
people with their farm,
commercial, personal and
:
Luke Swanson at his office in Heppner.
life insurance.
Wheatland Insur
ance Center is one of the
largest locally owned insur
ance agencies in Eastern
Oregon, with 10 locations
throughout the region. A
Trusted Choice indepen
dent insurance agency,
Wheatland represents many
insurance companies offer
ing products for businesses,
non-profit organizations,
public entities, and all lines
of personal insurance prod
ucts.
Health district shows healthy profit
azette
imes
VOL. 130
NO. 13 10 Pages
Wednesday, March 30,2011
Morrow County, Heppner, Oregon
School District, Port positions challenged
There will be many
positions up for election on
the May 17 ballot. Some of
the positions include two
from the lone School Dis
trict, four from the Morrow
County School District, and
two from the Port of Mor
row. One of the Morrow
County School D istrict
positions and both Port of
Morrow positions are being
challenged.
For the lone School
District: Joseph P. McEl-
ligott has filed for Director
Position 1 and Bink Ramos
has filed for Director Posi
tion 2.
For the M orrow
County School District:
Brian Kollman has filed for
Position 1; William J. Kuhn
has filed for Position 3;
Becky Kindle is opposing
incumbent Patrick Anthony
McNamee for Position 4;
and Tony Navarro for Posi
tion 5.
For the P ort o f
Morrow: Incumbent Marvin
Padberg is being challenged
by Gerald (Jerry) Breazeale
for Commissioner Position
4 and incum bent Larry
Lindsay is being challenged
by Kelly Kraft.
DA to speak to Tea Party group
Morrow County District Attorney Justin Nelson will be speaking to the April
meeting of the Willow Creek Valley Tea Party Patriots.
Nelson will speak about issues in Morrow County and also take questions
from the audience.
The meeting will be held Monday, April 11, at 7 p.m. at Columbia Basin Electric
Conference Room. The public is invited to attend and participate.
Area football players selected for annual
East West Shriners football game
d
m
its*
VÄ
______ X T *
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__
m
è
The Morrow Coun
ty Health District showed a
healthy profit for the second
month in a row, according
to the February profit/loss
statement released at the
regular meeting held Mon
day night in Heppner.
The district had a
$47,162 gain for February,
down from a $216,680 gain
in January.
In F e b r u a r y
MCHD showed $568,975
in gross patient revenue and
$128,617 in total revenue
deductions, $94,733 in tax
revenue and $93,775 in
other operating revenue for
$638,867 in total operating
revenue. In January the
district showed $769,954 in
total operating revenue.
February’s prof
it/loss statem ent listed
$589,831 in operating ex
penses, a $39,035 gain from
operations, and an $8,126
non-operating gain. The
district listed a $146,147
year-to-date gain for an
average $18,268 monthly
year-to-date gain.
At the m eeting,
CEO Michael Blauer told
the board that he is planning
to meet with Oregon Health
Sciences University, to
wards coordinating patient
visits with a cardiologist
through OHSU at Pioneer
Memorial Clinic in Hep
pner, and is also working
with cardiologist Dr. Tim
Hanlon, who provided car
diology care previously at
Pioneer Memorial Clinic
and is now affiliated with
OHSU.
In other business,
the board:
-h e a rd u p d a te s
from Blauer on numerous
topics such as the Commu
nity Health Improvement
Project, in which MCHD is
participating; the prospect
of managed care; working
with other organizations to
coordinate health care; the
national health care insur
ance plan and the possibility
of its repeal; and on several
seminars and workshops he
had attended concerning
health care on local, state
and national levels.
-elected John Mur
ray as the MCHD secretary/
treasurer to conform to the
district’s by-laws.
-learned that the
newly purchased CT scan
is up and working;
-learned that the
district is seeking an RN for
Home Health and Hospice
to replace a nurse who is
leaving the area and also an
EMT in Irrigon;
-learned that the
long-term care census is
at eight patients and the
assisted living facility has
one opening and may be
providing respite care;
-heard that some
patients from the Irrigon
area are returning to the Ir
rigon Clinic for their medi
cal care, possibly due to
a physician shortage in
Hermiston. The district is
contem plating im prove
ments on the Irrigon Clinic
if business there remains
steady. Blauer suggested
that the district observe the
trends at the Irrigon Clinic
for three to four months be
fore making plans. “I think
we need to get this process
started when we can,” said
board Chair Larry Mills.
-received an in
quiry as to identity of the
donor of the “old green”
ambulance, previously used
in parades and now held
by the county which would
like to sell it.
-heard a concern
about water quality and
nitrate contamination of
groundwater from David
Bums, MCHD board mem
ber from Irrigon. Board
member LeAnn Rea told
the board that she had pre
viously learned of a study
that indicated that ground
water contamination had
been detected in north Mor
row County, as a result of
crop fertilization, effluent
application and irrigation,
but that it was not an issue
in south Morrow County.
-heard from Blauer
that a board training session
has been planned for April
25, prior to the next regular
meeting.
-held a joint medi
cal staff/board meeting prior
to the regular meeting.
-received the fol
lowing report: the Irrigon
Medical Clinic had 191
patient visits in February,
with 30 new patients, 28
seen by a nurse and seven
no-shows; Pioneer Memo
rial Clinic had 455 patient
visits with 39 new patients,
46 seen by a nurse and five
no-shows; Pioneer Memo
rial Hospital in Heppner
had seven admissions, three
swing bed admissions, 12
admitted for observation,
414 outpatient admissions,
66 total emergency room
encounters, 1457 lab tests,
104 x-ray procedures, 15
CT scans, 38 EKG tests,
two treadmill procedures,
six colonoscopy proce
dures, one endoscopy pro
cedure, 105 respiratory
therapy procedures; Hepp
ner Ambulance had 17 total
page-outs with 16 transports
for $22,598 in revenue,
Boardman Ambulance had
16 total page-outs with five
transports for $6,011 in rev
enue, Irrigon Ambulance
had 19 total page-outs with
14 transports for $14,165
in revenue, there were two
flights; Home Health had
113 patient visits; Hospice
had two admissions; and
pharmacy had 1178 drug
doses for $53,281 in rev
enue.
Dilley sentenced to 70 months for Irrigon robbery
Joseph requested open sentencing mandatory Measure 11
sentence of 70 months in
the Oregon Department of
Corrections. Judge Temple
robbing Bakes Restaurant Judge Eva Temple heard ruled that the defendant
from
the did not qualify under a
and Lounge in Irrigon on testimony
December 2, 2010. The defendant and victims in opt-out of Measure 11 and
defendant pleaded guilty the case. Judge Temple sentenced the defendant to
to one count of Robbery then heard argument from 70 months to the Oregon
in the Second Degree, one Defense Attorney Dan Department of Correction.
Under the Measure
count of Unlawful Use of Stephens and Morrow
11
sentence,
the defendant
a Weapon, one count of County District Attorney
will
not
be
eligible
for any
Menacing, and one count Justin Nelson. Defense
reductions
in
his
sentence.
counsel
argued
for
an
opt-
of Theft in the Second
The case was in
Degree. No stipulated out of Measure 11 time,
vestigated
by the Morrow
while
District
Attorney
sentence was agreed to
County
Sheriff’s
Office.
Nelson
requested
the
between the defendant and
the state. The defendant
Dillon
The 59,k annual Shriners East West Football Game will be held July 30 at 12:30 p.m. at the
Dilley, 22, was sentenced before the court.
Baker High School football stadium. Ian Murray (left) of Heppner High School was chosen
At
sentencing,
to
70 months in prison
as a player for the East team. Jordan Wright (center), of Heppner High School, and Tanner
Morrow/Umatilla
Circuit
under
Measure
11
for
Rietmann (right), of lone High School, were selected as alternates for the East team.
Public invited to Port of Morrow & 1-84 / U.S. 730
Interchange Area Management Plan meeting
The Oregon De
partment of Transportation
(ODOT) and their plan
ning consultants will host a
second Public Open House
Meeting regarding the Port
of Morrow and Interstate
84 / U.S. Highway 730
Interchange Area Manage
ment Plan. The meeting will
be held on Thursday, April
7, starting at 6 p.m. at the
Port of Morrow (P.O.M.)
conference room. The open
house session will begin at
6 p.m., with presentations
beginning at 6:20 p.m. The
P.O.M. is located at 2 Ma
rine Drive in Boardman.
The meeting is be
ing held to provide local
residents, community mem
bers, business owners and
others an opportunity to
review preliminary inter
change and roadway con
cepts, review the concept
evaluation and screening
»
process, ask questions and
provide feedback regarding
the area plan.
The Port of Mor
row (POM) and 1-84/U.S.
730 Interchange Area Man
agement Plans (I AMPs) are
long-term transportation
and land use plans that
are being developed by
the Oregon Department of
Transportation (ODOT),
the Port of Morrow, the City
of Boardman, and Morrow
County. The focus of the
plans is on the existing 1-84
/ Laurel Lane (POM) Exit
165 and 1-84 / U.S. 730
interchanges. The goal is to
identify near and long-term
improvement projects that
will allow the interchanges
to continue to function in a
safe and efficient manner as
the surrounding area devel
ops and new roadway con
nections are built. As part
of the planning process,
land use, roadways, and
property access within the
vicinity of the interchange
will be evaluated. Building
new interchanges or modi
fying existing interchanges
is very costly; therefore, it
is in the interest of ODOT,
the Port of Morrow, the
City of Boardman, Morrow
County, business owners, Deadline to register to vote set for April 26
and citizens to ensure that
April 26 is the last day for residents that are new to the state to register to vote
these important interchang
es function well for as many for the May 17 election.
years as possible.
For additional in
formation regarding this
meeting or the Interchange
Area Management Plans
being developed, contact
Matt Hughart at Kittelson &
Associates, 503-228-5230;
Karen Pettigrew at the City
o f Boardm an, 541-481-
9252; or Carla McLane at
HRU M a r c h 3 I
Morrow County, 541-922-
4624.
Morrow County Grain Growers
Selected
Nope Heed
Tools up to
40% eff
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