Image provided by: Morrow County Museum; Heppner, OR
About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 11, 2012)
Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon A View from the Hill By Doris Brosnan E x p erien ce has taught Willow Creek Ter race residents that any day, month or season of the year can bring a mixture of joy and sorrow. December 25 was just such a day. Billie Kroske passed away at the age o f 95, after infusing the day with her positive energy—as was her way— enjoying the opening of her Christmas gift, and having celebrated Christmas Eve with her room full of family members. The Terrace was decked out for Christmas and the holiday season, and Billie had been able to join the other residents for the many holiday festivities in December: the lighting of the tree in the lobby on December 6, the music of the O l' Time Fiddlers on the 9th, the high-steppin’ synchronized dancing by the doggers on the 10th, the December 21 piano recital and caroling, and the quiet Christmas Eve moments and Christm as m orning excitement brought by gifts from Santa (and helpers). Santa does visit the Terrace, and his helpers see that he does not miss a single apartment. Each resident, whether naughty or nice, receives a gift gaily wrapped and a handmade stocking stuffer with some handm ade sweet treats. Though the Santa-assist is not in the job descriptions of the Terrace staff, it is something the 11 elves en joy providing each Christ mas. Other “elves” who gifted the Terrace in De cember include the Food Elves, Odd Fellows and the Meligans; the Sewing Elf, Marlene Pointer, who brought protective dining wear that she had made; and the Garden Elf, Frank Jones, representing the Morrow County Sheriff’s Office, who supervised two garden-cleanup workers. The Holiday atmo sphere continued to sur round the residents and staff through the last week o f December, and when December 31 arrived, all residents had noisemakers. Some residents said “good bye” to 20 11 and “hello” to 20 12 when TV featured the Ball-drop in Times Square at 9 p.m., Heppner time. Some residents retired ear lier, content to greet the new year when they awoke on January 1. One resident. Bud Batty, made certain he was awake and ready with his noise maker when the old-year-new-year moment arrived in Oregon live. Bet ty Brown and Mary Eleanor Gilm an, both long-time residents o f the Heppner area, are new members of the Terrace community who moved in just a few days before seeing the new year arrive at their new abodes. They were also in time to enjoy the delicious crab feed on New Year’s Day, compliments of Colin and Erin Anderson. No N ew -Y ea r’s babies presently live at the Terrace, though Anna Mae Steagall can boast of hav ing given birth some years ago to a January-1 baby and then a January-5 baby a year later. The birthday closest to January 1 among the neighbors on the Hill belongs to Alvina Padberg, who will celebrate turning 91 on January 15. O th er n o te w o r Chamber holds annual luncheon m i\ m The Heppner Chamber of Commerce held its annual luncheon Thursday, January 5. Top: The chamber elected 2012 officers (L-R) John Gould, Kay Fowler, Michael Blauer, Les Paus- tian, Lisanne Currin, Jeff Bailey and Nancy Snider. Bottom: Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Sheryll Bates (far right), presented 2011 volunteer appreciation awards to Joe Perry (left) for his efforts as parade coordinator. Bill Kuhn (center) for his work with the annual Town and Country event and Larry Mills (right) as parade announcer. -Photos by David Svkes thy (alw ays a question able adjective) dates on the January calendar are Fruitcake Day (14th), when the staff had planned to hold a homemade-fruitcake toss competition, but the residents like the infamous treat so well that it will simply be tossed into their tummies; Maintenance Day (18th), when the staff and residents pay tribute to the maintenance staff who keep “things” running well; Hat Day (20lh), when staff will wear interesting hats and invite the residents to join them; and Belly Laugh Day (24'h), which is one of the most enjoyable and important days on the Hill because of the funny sto ries and incidents that will pop up and the stimulating effects on the endorphins and blood flow in every one’s brain. Three other laugh-filled observances follow, on Clothes-Clash Day (26th)— when visitors might wonder about color blindness at the Terrace— and Fun-at-Work Day and B ackw ards Day (2 7 ,h), when visitors might won der how manager George Naims has delighted her staff so greatly as well as wondering if anyone knows if he/she is coming or going or is totally confused. If “laughter is the best medicine,” 2012 has started with a large dose of medicine for the good health of the staff and resi dents at Willow Creek Ter race. Everyone views this as an important beginning, and everyone remains eager to welcome one more new neighbor to their commu nity on the Hill for another new beginning. Rita Van Schoiack Financial Advisor www.bluemountaininvest.com • Investment Management • Retirement Plan “ Rollovers" • Retirement Planning • IRA’s • Tax Advantaged Investments • Bonds, Stocks, M utual Funds • Investment Consulting and Guidance • Invest.nents for Retirement Income For an Appointment Call: 541-676-5226 Toll Free: 1-866-325-5326 The Pettyjohn Building, 430 W. Linden Way Heppner, O R 97836 rita@bluemountaininvest.com Securities and Investm ent A dvisory Services offered through M uiti-Financiai Securities Corp Mem ber FIN R A / SIP C Blue Mountain Investm ent Managem ent LLC is not affiliated with M ulti-Financial Securities Corp FIVE Heppner elementary holds geography bee The first week in January marks a big occa sion each year at Heppner Elementary School. The annual G eographic Bee was held Friday, January 6 in the HES Gymnasium. Contestants, students, staff and visitors filed into the gym to the tunes “We Are the W orld,” “On Top of the World” and "W hat a Wonderful World” as the stage was set for the com petition. Students in grades four through six took a qualifying test in November to see who would com pete in this important con test. The top scorers who earned a spot in the bee were: fourth grader, Jorden Sweeney; fifth graders Zach Bredfield, Claire Grieb, Jaiden Mahoney, Hayden Q ualls, O livia Schm idt and Leo Waite; sixth grad ers Cara Arbogast, Jared Geier. Riley Gorham, So phie Grant, Katlyn Harper (who was ill and unable to compete), Alex Lindsay, Kevin Smith and Mitchen VonGunten. Moving on follow ing the preliminary round were Cara, Sophie, Kevin, Jorden, Mitchell and Leo. As the questions grew pro gressively more difficult, the field was narrowed to the final round of Sophie and Jorden. A fter three questions were asked and answered, Sophie claimed the championship and a medal, and Jorden the run ner-up position. Sophie also was presented a globe bank and Jorden a pillowcase. All of the competitors received KzJ tit.* KJ l ? Top (L-R): Geography bee qualifiers Olivia Schmidt, Jaiden Mahoney, Claire Grieb, Hayden Qualls, Cara Arbogast, So phie Grant, Jorden Sweeney, Zach Bredfield, Riley Gorham, Kevin Smith, Mitchell VonGunten, Jared Geier, Leo Waite and Alex Lindsay. Not pictured is Katlyn Harper. Bottom: Jorden Sweeney (right) and Sophie Grant (left). -Contributedphotos Wonders of the World cal endars for 2012. To celebrate the accomplishments o f all of the geographers, cookies from around the world were served to the students and their families. Sophie’s next step in the com petition is to take a written test in hopes o f qualifying for the Or egon State Geography Bee in April. The winner for the United States wins a $25,000 scholarship and a trip...last year the trip was to the Galapagos Islands. GRAVEL FEE -Continuedfrom PAGE ONE verification. Failing to com He said his company has rhetorically. “It is clearly a tax,” he told the court. Neal said because income from the fee would be split evenly, 50 percent to the road fund and the oth er half to the general fund, that made it a tax and sub ject to a vote of the county residents. Neal also said the fee violated the U.S. Con stitution on restrictions on interstate commerce. “You are discrimi nating when you pick one com m odity to ta x ,” he added. The argument o f why gravel was being taxed and not other commodities such as wheat, hay and cattle shipped outside the county, was raised many times during the hearing. “ W hat com es next?” asked Marvin Pad berg, chairman of the Port of Morrow, “Wheat? Lum ber?” As part of the or dinance, producers would have to keep records o f where all their gravel was going and then make those payments to the county quarterly. Under the ordi nance, the county would have had the authority to come into the businesses and examine records for ply with the collection and paym ent would be con sidered a criminal misde meanor offence and subject to a fine up to $700 and 90 days in jail for the gravel producers or shippers. A lso te s tify in g against the proposed fee was Chuck Rose, Aggre gate Area Manager for the Cemex company, a global building materials company with offices at the Port of Morrow in Boardman. Rose said estimates by the county of two barges of gravel be ing shipped out of the port to Portland was “highly inflated.” Rose the said his com pany had “ invested millions o f dollars in the Port o f Morrow to ship downriver. That aggregate never saw a county road.” He said the fee would “put us at a disadvantage to pro duces in Portland and other places.” Bill Montgomery, Aggregate Sales Manager with Cenex, agreed, saying timing of the fee could not be worse. “ We have been one o f the hardest hit indus tries with the construction slump,” he told the court. Chamber Chatter Bl Wednesday, January 11,2012 Boardman The January Eco nomic Outlook Chamber Lunch will be held Wednes day, January 18 at noon at the Port of Morrow. We will have a panel discussing the outlook for Morrow Coun ty, so come prepared to ask your questions. Lunch is ca tered by Judy Scott Chuck Wagon; RSVP is due by Friday, January 13 because of the Monday holiday. The Tillicum Club will be selling carnations and roses for Valentine’s Day. All proceeds go to Tillicum Club projects. Flower sales will continue until January 27. All or ders must be paid for when 1 placed. To order, email tillicumclub@live.com or call Shelby Pearcy at 541 - 771-0103. The 22nd annual Citizens Award Night will be held Friday, February 3 at the Port of Morrow. We are taking nominations for Citizen of the Year, Educa tor of the Year, Business of the Year and Pioneer. Call or email the chamber to receive a nomination form; they are due by this Friday, January 13. Invitations are being mailed out today. The C om m unity Health Improvement Part nership (CHIP) o f M or row County is offering the Biggest Winner program seen reduction in income of 50 to 60 percent in the cur rent recession. “When some companies lose $50,000,” he said, “we lose $50 mil lion.” Jane Clark of Pend leton, who operates a rock quarry near the Morrow- Umatilla county line, said her company would actu ally benefit if the fee were enacted. “I have a pit on the county line which makes my value higher. I pay taxes in Umatilla County, and I will be hiring the experi enced people you will be laying off,” she said. A fter testim ony from the audience, the court decided not to move for ward with the fee. “When I came in here, I was ready to vote yes,” said Commis sioner Rea. “I thought it was a heck of a good idea when we first considered it. But there were lots of things we didn’t think about.” However, she also told the audience to expect cuts in services from the county if they do not re ceive additional revenue. “People here have to be willing to have your services cut. Be prepared for cut-backs of road main- tenance, road repairs and public safety,” she said. Rea also pointed out that the county is deal ing with union negotiations, which will probably add ex penses to the county budget in the coming year. Commissioner Ken Grieb at first asked if the county should delay a vote on the proposed fee. “I learned a lot and I would like to continue the hearing. I would like to think about it and bring it up next week (at the meeting in Irrigon).” Grieb made a mo tion to continue which died from lack of a second. Judge Terry Tail- man said he was against the fee from the beginning. “I had major res ervations about this in the budget committee,” he said. “I did not think it was a good idea then.” He also said the committee did not consider the commerce clause of the Constitution when the bud get committee enacted the proposal. Tallman urged the court to make a decision, and the court then voted unanimously not to move forward with the proposed aggregate fee. to support your efforts to achieve a healthy weight loss and allow you to partic ipate in wellness education to establish lifelong healthy behaviors. The weigh-in education activity will be on Mondays at Sam Board- man Elementary, Heppner Elementary School and the lone Community Church and on Tuesdays at Irrigon Jr./Sr. High School. For more information, call 541 - 676-2538 T he B o a r d m a n Chamber will be hosting a booth for the Sportsmen Show at the TRAC in Pas co. The show is January 20 - 22. If you are interested in working in the booth, give Diane a call. The Ford Institute for Community Building is working on year two for Morrow County on Ef fective Organizations for non-profits and community organizations. Training is provided by Rural Develop ment Initiatives. There is no cost to attend but you will need to fill out a registration form by January 15. This training is most beneficial for directors, board mem bers. and staff and volunteer who work with non-profits and service organizations; it also has proven helpful to local government, service districts and institutions such as schools and clinics. For more information, con tact Diane at the chamber or Alicia at the Ford Family Foundation 541-957-5574. I
