Heppner Elementary, Heppner High
administrators honored for excellence
Bessie Wetzell Newspaper Library
University o f Oregon
Eugene, OR 97403
By April Sykes
The Morrow Coun
ty School District honored
administrators Matt Combe
o f H eppner Elem entary
School and Daye Stone of
Heppner High School, for
achieving excellence at
their schools at the regu-
5(K
HEPPNER
izette
■ im es
VOL. 130
NO. 25
10 Pages
Wednesday, June 22,2011
Morrow County, Heppner, Oregon
lar meeting held June 13.
Combe and Stone were
each presented a plaque for
their Exceptional School
awards.
The district also
honored Pat M cNamee
of Irrigon, who served 13
years on the school board,
Craig Miles o f Heppner,
with eight years of service
on the board, Daniel Dal-
toso o f Boardman, with
four years on the board, and
retiring administrators Su
perintendent Mark Burrows
and Assistant Superinten
dent Phyllis Danielson.
New vice principal
at Riverside High School,
Marie Shimer, was intro
duced.
The board approved
and adopted a $29,587,303
budget for the 2011-12 fis
cal year and imposed a per
manent rate tax of $4.0342
per thousand real market
value and $ 1 per thousand
real market value for the
local option levy.
In other business,
the board:
-received the fol
lowing enrollment report:
A.C. Houghton Elemen
tary, Irrigon (kindergarten
through third grade)-255;
H e p p n e r E le m e n ta ry
S chool (K - s ix th ) - 1 89;
H ep p n er H igh S chool
(seventh-12lh)-205; Irrigon
Elementary School (fourth-
sixth)-227; Irrigon High
School (seventh-12th)-305;
Riverside High School,
B o a rd m a n ( s e v e n th -
12th)-379; Sam Boardman
Elementary (K-third)-319;
Windy River Elementary
(fourth-sixth )-217; Morrow
Education Center-Morrow
County School D istrict
students-61; Morrow Edu
cation Center (Um atilla
School District)-24; MEC-
Ione-0; total-2,181.
-accepted the fol
lowing resignations: Mari-
bel Jimenez, Riverside High
School counselor; Carolyn
Rhinhart, Windy River El
ementary special educa
tion; Joleen Odens, RHS
assistant custodian; Stuart
Dick, Irrigon Junior-Senior
High School assistant girls’
basketball coach; Chelsie
Bonifer, Sam Boardman
Elementary School educa
tion assistant.
-approved the fol
lowing transfer: Sonia San
chez, from “CDS” at Windy
River Elementary and Sam
Boardman Elementary to
RHS school counselor.
-approved employ
ment for: Sarah Poff, WRE
and SBE music teacher;
Kristin Anderson, RHS lan
guage arts teacher; Jolene
Stensland, Heppner High
School language arts teach
er; Jessica Ramirez, Irrigon
Junior-Senior High School
m iddle school science
and language arts teacher;
Molly Blatz, IJSH science
teacher; Pam Norton, Hep
pner Elementary School
half-time Title I teacher.
-approved the fol
lowing extra duty coaching
contracts (Heppner only
listed): Greg Grant-athlet
ic director, head football
coach, head golf coach;
Les Payne-assistant foot
ball coach; Kevin Payne-
assistant football coach;
Jeremy Rosenbalm-assis-
tant football coach, head
boys’ basketball coach;
Pam Dowdy-head volley
ball coach; Dieter Waite-
assistant volleyball coach;
Jeremy W ilson-assistant
boys’ basketball coach;
Mark Lemmon-head wres
tling coach; Jim Kindle-
-See ADMINISTRATORS
HONORED/PA GE SE VEN
Poison hemlock especially Blauer appointed examiner
prevalent this summer
for national quality award
By Andrea Di Salvo
M orrow C ounty
residents may want to pay
attention to some particu
larly poisonous plants this
year.
Poison hem lock
and water hemlock, both
o f w hich can be found
throughout the state, are
especially prevalent this
summer. OSU Extension
agronomist Larry Lutcher
says the unusual growth is
most likely caused by the
excessive rain this spring.
According to Dave
Pranger, Morrow County
Public Works weed con
trol supervisor, the hem
lock seen in south Morrow
County is predominately
poison hemlock, which is
the less toxic o f the two
species.
“ I h a v e n ’t seen
any water hemlock,” says
Pranger. “If we have it, it
would be very scattered.”
P oison hem lock
(Conium maculatum) is a
member of the parsley fam
ily and is often mistaken for
wild carrot or cow parsnip.
It is a biennial that usually
grows six to eight feet tall.
It has extensive branches
that are smooth, erect and
solid with distinct ridges. It
also has distinctive purple
spots on the lower parts of
Poison hemlock plants like this one have been cropping up
throughout Morrow County due to heavy spring rains. -Photo
by Andrea Di Salvo
the stems.
Poison hem lock
lives in lower elevations
along roadsides, ditch and
stream banks, creek beds,
or anywhere there is enough
moisture. While it’s some
times found in crops, it
more commonly invades
pasture areas, which can
become a problem for live
stock growers as it crowds
out less desirable foliage.
All parts o f the
plant are poisonous if eaten.
According to information
from the OSU Extension
-See HEMLOCK PREVA-
LENT/PAGESIX
lone gears up for the red,
white and blue
2010 Grand Marshal Betty Gray waves to the crowd during
last year's Red, White and Blue parade. -Contributedphoto
The city of lone is
getting ready for its annual
4th of July celebration with
events beginning Friday,
July 1.
This y ear’s cele-
bration kicks off the Friday
before Independence Day.
Events include a Bank of
Eastern Oregon customer
appreciation barbecue, book
sale, and a Texas hold ’em
and cribbage tournament.
Saturday events are
an all-school reunion, a
production by the Missoula
Children’s Theatre and a
wine and beer tasting with
music by Matt Howard.
On Sunday, par
ticipants can have break
fast in Paris, browse an art
show, take part in a golf
tournament, attend an in
terdenominational church
service, or show off in the
talent show.
The big day starts
with a fireman’s breakfast,
5K walk/run, various kids
events and food vendors,
Red, White and Blue parade
and Cruisin’to the Blues car
show, and the traditional 4th
of July fireworks. One of
the highlights of this year’s
event will also be a fly-over
by the U.S. Navy.
lone’s 4th of July
celebration is sponsored
in part by Morrow County
Unified Recreation Dis
trict and Wildhorse Casino.
Look for a full schedule
of events in next week’s
Gazette-Times.
ALL NEWS AND ADVERTISEMENT DEADLINE:
M O N D A Y S A T 5 :0 0 P.M .
M ic h a e l B la u
er, CEO o f the Morrow
County Health D istrict,
has been appointed by Dr.
Patrick Gallagher, Director
of the Commerce Depart
ment’s National Institute
of Standards and Technol
ogy (NIST), to the 2011
Board of Examiners for the
Malcolm Baldrige National
Quality Award. The award,
created by public law in
1987, is the highest level
of national recognition for
perform ance excellence
that a U.S. organization can
receive.
Blauer moved to
Heppner from Colorado
in 2009 when he took over
the health district position
from former CEO Victor
Vander Does. He was raised
on a farm near Burley, ID.
Blauer has degrees in Span
ish and business manage
ment, both from Idaho State
University, and a master’s
degree in health services
adm inistration from the
University o f Michigan.
He has traveled extensively,
living in the Dominican Re
public, Spain, and Mexico.
Blauer has worked
as a legal and medical inter
preter for the Idaho, Michi-
MCHD CEO Michael Blauer was recently appointed to the
2011 Board of Examiners for the Malcolm Baldrige National
Quality Award.
gan and Colorado court
systems and hospitals, and
as an administrative intern
for St. Mary Mercy Hos
pital in Livonia, MI. He
was also an administrative
resident for the Poudre Val
ley Health System in Fort
Collins, CO when one of its
facilities, Medical Center of
the Rockies, received the
Malcolm Baldrige.
As an examiner,
Blauer is responsible for
reviewing and evaluating
applications submitted for
the award. The board is
composed of approximately
500 leading experts selected
from industry, professional
and trade organizations,
education and health care
organizations, and non
profits (including govern
ment).
T hose s e le c te d
meet the highest standards
o f qualification and peer
recognition. All members of
the board must take part in
a preparation course based
on the Baldrige criteria for
performance excellence and
the scoring and evaluation
processes for the Baldrige
Award.
The B a l d r i g e
Award may be given an
nually in each of six cat
egories: m anufacturing,
service, small business,
education, health care and
nonprofit.
City to keep list of at-risk water
quality residents
If you have a health
condition that puts you at
increased risk from con
taminated drinking water,
the city of Heppner wants
to hear from you.
City Manager Dave
DeMayo said, following the
recent period when city wa
ter was contaminated and
undrinkable, it was brought
up that certain people in
town have health issues that
would put them at increased
risk over other citizens.
If those people
contact city hall, they will
be put on a list. In the event
of another water contami
nation issue, they will be
personally notified by the
city, DeMayo said.
Get your articles in for special
fair edition
I f you have an
event or activity going on
during this year’s Morrow
County Fair and Rodeo,
you will want to get an
article into the Heppner
G azette’s special Fair &
Rodeo edition.
The Fair & Rodeo
is August 17-20, and the
special edition will be pub
lished August 3. The dead
line for news articles and
photos is July 15. People
may also want to publicize
their event with an adver
tisement; the deadline for
advertisements is July 22.
Submit your ar
ticles or advertisements by
email to david@rapidserve.
net, mail them to PO Box
337, Heppner, OR 97836
or drop them by our office
at 188 W. Willow. Our fax
number is 541 -676-9211.
/IT M C G G G R E E N F E E D & S E E D IN H E P P N E R :
SCIENCE DIET DOC FOOD
|No w i
r
P K K [ ,
on all large
bags 301b & 351b
S ftv e $ 8
Morrow County Grain Growers Green F e ed A S e e d
2 4 2 W. L in d e n W ay, H e p p n e r • 6 7 6 -9 4 2 2 • 98 9 -6 2 2 1 (MCOO m ein office)
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ir -3 m
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