II.I h I h .I.I m HI.... IW
'"11
jb
B essie W e tzell N ew sp ap er Library
University of O regon
E u g en e,
OR 97403
Head of workforce training
says
funding
slashed
80 people, one third staff cut
recession, but funding has,
Demand for work the head of the Oregon
force training services has Workforce Alliance told the
not fallen off during the Heppner Chamber of Com
merce last week.
Kris Latimer, who
heads the 24-county train
ing consortium, said it is
unfortunate that during a
recession, when workforce
training is most needed, the
funding has been cut back.
“Demand for ser
vices has not fallen off, but
funding has dropped off
dramatically,” Latimer said,
adding that the consortium
has laid off 80 staff across
24 counties.
In the past several
years, the Morrow County
Health District, through the
efforts of the Willow Creek
Economic Development
Group, has received about
$30,000 in job funding
from the Alliance, money
Latimer says will no longer
be available.
“The training for
EMTs, nurses and medi
cal training...w ell, this
program
has become un
Morrow County, Heppner, Oregon
funded,” she said, adding
that those funds had come
from the federal govern
ment and were no longer
available.
Latimer says the
goal of her organization is
to train rural citizens in new
jobs skills to compete in the
global economy. She says
the Alliance is now working
with CAPECO in Pendleton
to get ready for the closure
of the Umatilla Army Depot
and the displaced workers
that will result from that
By David Sykes
5(K
unes
VOL. 130
NO. 29
8 Pages
Wednesday, July 20,2011
Morrow County anticipates
record-setting harvest
Kris Latimer of The Oregon Workforce Alliance showed a slide
at last week’s Chamber of Commerce meeting illustrating the
high unemployment rate in Oregon. -Photo by David Sykes
closure.
She said her orga
nization only has the money
now to work with displaced
or laid-off workers, and will
only train people in jobs that
are on the rise, not ones that
are losing in the economy.
She cited the printing busi
ness as an example.
“We will not train
people to run printing press
es like for newspapers,” she
said. “We ask the question,
'What is going to grow?’”
Latimer also said
the Oregon Legislature
created two new workforce
training programs, the Or
egon Youth Employment
Program and the Oregon
Employer Workforce Train
ing Fund. They are both
designed to create a more
highly-skilled workforce to
support Oregon industries.
However, the problem,
Latimer said, was that the
legislature did not fund
either one.
One of the success
es of the Alliance, Latimer
says, is the establishment of
an ROV, or remote operated
vehicle, program in Or
egon. She says that, with the
aid of a $2.5 million grant,
students are exploring Lake
Paulina, with the intention
of establishing and grow
ing an ROV program in
the state.
She says her or
ganization is also working
with 11 different colleges
to set up an Oregon Green
Tech Certificate where stu
dents would be trained
in how to set up “green”
offices, facilities and busi
nesses.
L atim er urged
chamber members to con
tact their congressperson
and ask that funding be
returned to workforce train
ing.
“Their cutbacks
have left us with fewer
staff, less diversity in ser
vices and less ability to
innovate and compete. We
want to turn non-taxpayers
into taxpayers, unemployed
into employed,” she said.
Smalley wins silver at Special
Olympics world games
Taylor Disque (pictured) guides grain out of a truck driven by Eric Orem on Tuesday. While
farmers in south Morrow wait to cut into what promises to be a record-setting wheat crop for
the county, growers further north are already hauling the first of their crop into the North
Lex elevator. Orem said this load, delivered around 1 p.m. on Tuesday, was his first load of
the day, with the windy, wet weather slowing down harvest, but Disque reported that farmers
had hauled 48 loads into the elevator on Monday. So far, lush-looking crops are fulfilling their
promises; fields in areas like Sand Hollow and Buttercreek, which normally see averages of
40 bushels per acre, are giving preliminary estimates of 60 to 80 bushels, with some growers
measuring yields of 77 in their first week of cutting. -Photo by David Sykes
Boardman hosts rabies clinic
and offers free dog licensing
The city of Board-
man is hosting a low-cost
rabies vaccination clinic
August 27 from 1 p.m. to 3
p.m. at the Boardman City
Park.
The purpose of the
clinic, given by Dr. Bur
gess of Country Animal
Hospital, is to remind pet
owners of the need to keep
their dogs and cats current
on their rabies vaccinations.
Rabies is a fatal disease of
the brain and spinal cord,
and is caused by a virus
carried by mammals. Clinic
coordinators say vaccinat
ing dogs and cats against
rabies is essential to protect
loved ones and halt the
spread of the disease.
The cost of the ra
bies vaccination is $18.25
per pet.
Along with the vac
cinations, the city will offer
free dog licensing. All dog
owners who reside in the
city limits of Boardman are
required to have their dog
licensed for identification
purposes.
In addition. Coun
try Animal Hospital and the
American Cancer Society
have teamed up to offer a
Doggie Wash and barbeque
for donations, with pro
ceeds to benefit the Ameri
can Cancer Society.
Pre-registration is
encouraged. To participate
in the vaccinations and free
dog licensing, call Board-
man City Hall at 541-481-
9252.
BEO Bancorp reports 2nd
quarter earnings
BEO Bancorp and
its subsidiary. Bank of East
ern Oregon, announced 2nd
quarter 2011 consolidated
net income of $325,000 or
$0.35 per share, compared
to $459,000 or $0.50 per
share for 2nd quarter 2010.
Year to date earn
ings were $827,000 in 2011
as compared to $903,000
for the same period in 2010.
The relatively comparable
earnings were achieved de
spite a $545,000 provision
for loan losses recognized
in the second quarter of
2011, an expectedly non
recurring charge related
primarily to an individual
credit.
Total assets were
$251.6 million, virtually
unchanged year over year.
Net loans of $199.59 mil
lion were up 6.4% from the
same period in 2010, while
deposits were at $222.6
million, up 2.1% year over
year.
“We continue to
take aggressive steps in
writing down problem as
sets when necessary. The
$545,000 provision is not
indicative of overall weak
ness in the portfolio, but
rather a lingering effect of
an already identified prob
lem credit,” said president
and CEO Jeff Bailey.
“Shareholders'eq
uity is up 7.6% year over
year as a result of continued
profitability and prudent
capital management. Year
to date return on average as
sets is 0.66%, and return on
average equity is 10.26%.
-See BEO QUARTERLY
EARNINGS/PAGE FIVE
Jillian Smalley,
granddaughter of John and
Pat Edmundson of Heppner,
received a silver medal dur
ing competitions at the 2011
Special Olympics Summer
World Games in Athens,
Greece.
Smalley traveled to
Greece on June 24 as one of
32 members of Team USA
bowling. She was placed
in one of the top female
divisions after divisioning
on the 26th.
On June 27, Smal
ley and her partner, Leslie
Burnett of Chattanooga,
TN, placed sixth in their
division.
Smalley next com
peted in singles competition
on June 30, playing against
top bowlers from around
the world. She put together
three games of 168,144 and
186 for a total pin count of
498. This score earned her
an Olympic silver medal
and the second best total for
the world competition. Her
final competition in team
bowling earned her a fourth
place finish.
The other members
of the four-person team
were: Joshua Alexander of
Jillian Smalley proudly displays the silver medal she won par
ticipating in Team USA bowling at the 2011 Special Olympics
Summer World Games in Athens. Greece. -Contributedphoto
Union, KY; Leslie Burnett Mitchell Isham of McMin
of Chatanooga, TN and nville, OR.
Get ads in for fair edition
The Morrow County Fair & Rodeo is August 17-20, and the special edition
will be published August 3. The deadline for advertisements is July 22.
Submit your 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.
0
*
W easler D r iv e l in e
COMPONENTS
H AR VEST HOURS
U ntil furtmìh None*
Monday- Friday 7am - 6pm
Saturday 7am - Spm
M orrow County Grain Growers
Lexington 989-8221 » 1-800-452-7396
Tor Unn t<iulpin«ni Tltlt our w»> Ut« it www megg ntt
ALL NEWS AND ADVERTISEMENT DEADLINE:
MONDAYS AT 5:00 P.M.