Hinton Creek causes some Heppner flooding
VOL. 130
NO. 23
10 Pages
Wednesday, June 8,2011
Morrow County, Heppner, Oregon
Wyden lays out immigration plan
that leads to citizenship for illegals
“What do we do with all the people already here?”
he asks
Ron Wyden held a town hall meeting in Heppner last
Friday. He addressed a wide range of topics during
questions and answers from the audience. Here he
talks with Morrow County Commissioner Leann Rea.
photo by David Sykes
By David Sykes
Senator Ron
Wyden laid out his plan for
a national illegal immigra
tion plan last week, which
included a way for those in
the country now illegally to
gain citizenship.
Wyden, who vot
ed in favor of what became
known as the amnesty bill,
Proposed during the Bush
administration, explained
his four points in dealing
with the problem of illegal
immigration, mainly com
ing from Mexico.
“ First we need
to do a better job at the
borders. We need to show
our sovereignty,” he told
a crowd o f about 25 at his
town hall meeting last Fri
day evening in Heppner.
“Then we need to enforce
the laws on the books.” He
said employers who know
ingly hire illegals should
be faced with sanctions.
He did not say what those
sanctions would be, but said
employers need to be part of
the solution. Finally he said
something has to be done
about the millions of ille
gals already in the country.
“What do we do with all the
people already here?” he
asked rhetorically. “I am for
the idea that if people here
illegally come forward and
pay a fine, learn English,
have broken no other laws,
then that person should be
able to apply to be a citi
zen,” Wyden said. “Some
people say that is amnesty.
But what do we do? Send
millions o f people home?
That is not going to happen
in the real world,” he said.
Several govern
ment officials in the audi
ence said the requirement
that local governments have
to advertise and present
information in Spanish is
costly.
On other topics,
Wyden said in response to
a question that he supports
Obamacare and will not
vote to repeal the contro
versial health care bill.
Passage of the bill last year
was strictly on a party-line
basis, and Wyden also said
later changing the extreme
partisan nature of the con
gress at this time was one
of his top priorities.
In discussing
Obamacare Wyden con
tinually referred to a bill
he had introduced prior
to passage o f the health
care bill, which, he said,
was more bi-partisan and
market driven. He admitted
however that his bill had
no chance of being passed.
Wyden told the crowd that
the best feature of Obama
care was that insurance
companies could no longer
exclude people with pre
existing conditions. “The
insurance companies will
no longer be able to ham
mer you with pre existing
conditions.” It was pointed
out that if people were
able to wait until they are
sick before buying health
insurance, that requirement
would bankrupt any insur
ance company.
On the subject
of Social Security Wyden
said nobody would be get
ting less from the system
than they paid in, but some
people would be getting
more out than they paid
in. He did say the number
o f people who would be
getting more was a small
percentage.
Some people
at the town hall meeting
thanked Wyden for is help.
M orrow C ounty Judge
Terry Tallman said Wyden
was instrumental in helping
with problems between the
Shepherds Flat wind farm
project and the department
of defense. He also said
Wyden was helpful in land
ing the Zeachem business
at the Port o f Morrow in
Boardman.
Wyden, who was
in Heppner as part of his
promise to hold a town hall
meeting in every county in
Oregon every year, was
asked by Heppner Chamber
of Commerce Executive Di
rector Sheryll Bates if local
entities could receive more
econom ic developm ent
money. “ We need some
more money h ere,” she
said, pointing out that local
groups like Willow Creek
Economic D evelopm ent
have used the funds for
workforce training. Bates
said a lot o f w orkforce
money was earmarked for
failing businesses the past
year. “That sounds foolish
even by Washington stan
dards,” Wyden said, but
added that his staff would
look into it.
Wyden also field
ed several questions about
what some people felt was
misuse of public funds, all
the way from people being
able to buy fountain pops
with food stamps, to people
claiming disability when
they did not deserve it.
Wyden urged those attend
ing to report people abusing
the social security disability
program.
Wyden was also
asked by Gary Propheter of
the Bank of Eastern Oregon
about new bank regulations
under the “Durbin Amend
ment” that will cost small
community banks like the
Bank o f Eastern Oregon
“lots of money.” It was also
pointed out that the Obama
administration’s small busi
ness lending program was
not helping the economy.
“We have plenty of liquid
ity. We have money to lend
to qualified borrow ers,”
Propheter said of the pro
gram. “We are not going
to use the small business
lending fund,” he said.
Former County
Judge Louis Carlson o f
Heppner asked why the
United States seems to be
continually at war, and why
we can’t take the money
we use for wars in Iraq,
Afghanistan and Libya and
use the money to develop
our own domestic energy
reserves and to balance the
budget. “I voted against go
ing to war in Iraq,” Wyden
said. He said there were
no WMDs and the coun
try should not have gone
in there. He said when
the country went into Iraq
it “took its eye o ff Bin
Laden in A fghanistan.”
Wyden did not say if he
was in favor of staying in
Afghanistan now that Bin
Laden is dead, but did say
there would be “a decision
coming up” about the US
involvement in Libya. “We
were told at the outset it
was going to be limited.
What is America’s national
security in Libya?” Wyden
said. “Now the commitment
is open ended and we have a
big decision coming up.
“ What about the
president not evoking the
War Powers Act?” Dick
Sargent asked. “It appears
that the president is ig
noring you,” he added.
Wyden, who sits on the
Senate Intelligence Com
mittee, would not criticize
President Obama’s decision
to become involved in a war
in Libya, but only said “I
am going to look at it.”
Heppner football field was flooded (above and
below)
H
^
Bessie Wetzell Newspaper Library
University o f Oregon
Eugene. OR 97403
A cloudburst in
the Hinton Creek watershed
above Heppner caused some
flooding and the evacuation
o f the grade school last
Thursday.
A large amount
of rain came down causing
the creek to jump its banks
just above the fairgrounds
and bus bams on the east
edge of town.
The fairgrounds
office had done some sand
bagging, but not enough
to keep the water out as
the water saturated the rug
and also came through the
exhibit area. The water also
came fairly heavily through
the Wilkinson Arena, caus
ing some erosion.
Under the ad
vice of Heppner Fire Chief
Rusty Estes, Heppner El
ementary School students
were evacuated to the high
school. The water had cov
ered the football field and
the parking lot just east
of the grade school play
ground. Although the water
never threatened to go into
the school, officials felt it
was getting too close and
was better that the children
moved to safety out of the
area.
City crews, fire
men and some of the Co
lumbia Basin Electric crews
monitored the Hinton Creek
bridges through town to
make sure debris did not
build up under the bridges
and cause flooding and oth
er problems. A tree coming
down the creek apparently
severed a sewer line cross
ing the creek on the Adkins
St. bridge.
Homes owned by
the Jack and Rene Yocom
and John and Alita Nelson
families were especially hit
by the flooding.
Bridges across
Hinton and also Willow
Creek were reported washed
out. The Willow Creek Dam
controls the outflow of that
creek preventing flooding,
and the Corps of Engineers
reportedly shut down out
put last Thursday to aid
in the excess water from
Hinton. The rainfall, along
with snow melting in the
mountains, is putting the
water level at the dam at
unusually high levels for
this time of year.
■
by David Sykes
Gale St. bridge over Hinton Creek.
Bus barn next to fairgrounds
photos by David Sykes
CELEBRATE HEPPNER - EVENT SCHEDULE
June 10-11,2011
FRIDAY, June 10th:
9am - close Merchant Sidewalk Sale
All Day Free Cup o f Starbuck’s Coffee - Heppner
Family Foods
9am-3pm Shaved Ice - Murray Drugs
1 lam-3pm Mini Carnival for kids and a prize wheel
for adults - Community Bank
12:00 pm Strawberry Shortcake- Sweet Productions
Ice Cream Parlour
“Welly Toss” event will be held on West Willow
Street (between Murray’s and Artisan Village)
10:30 am-12pm “Welly Toss” - Team competition
11:30am-1:30pm Community BBQ sponsored by
Bank o f Eastern Oregon - AmeriTitle parking lot
12:00-1:30 pm“Welly Toss” - Individual and
Children competition
1:00-5:00 pm Morrow County Heritage and
Agricultural Museums open
2:00 pm “Welly Toss” - Team Championships
All Children’s Games and Small Dog Races will
be held on East Willow Street (between Heppner
Family Foods and Senior Center)
2:30 pm Small dog races on East Willow Street
(between Heppner Family Foods and Senior Center)
3:00 pm Tricycle race - 3-5 years old
Water Balloon Toss - 6-10 & 11-18 years old
Support a local food merchant - eat dinner
downtown and stay for the Community Play
6:30 pm Community Play “The Star Theater in
Film and on Stage (written and directed by Doris
Brosnan and Sharon Harrison)
Upstairs at Elks Lodge. Tickets $10 per person
and may be purchased at Bank of Eastern Oregon,
Community Bank, Heppner Chamber, Murray’s
Drug
SATURDAY, June 11th:
2:00 pm Community Play “The Star Theater in Film
and on Stage (written and directed by Doris Brosnan
and Sharon Harrison) Upstairs at Elks Lodge.
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