Image provided by: Morrow County Museum; Heppner, OR
About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (March 14, 2012)
Morrow County fair and rodeo queen crowned ibrar\ HEPPNER Maggie Collins of Heppner was crowned the Morrow County Fair & Oregon Trail Fro Rodeo Queen at a packed house at the Morrow County Fairgrounds on Saturday. Besides the crowning ceremony, performed by Marlene Fetsch Currin, l% 2 Morrow County Fair& Rodeo Queen, the gala featured a prime rib dinner, a welcome and introduction by Sylvia Sandford, an invoca tion by Maggie’s grandfather, a dessert fund raiser, introduction and recognition of Maggie’s family, sponsors and close friends, ambassadors and visiting royalty, music bv the Old Time Fiddlers, which Maggie, an accomplished fiddle player, joined in, and a live auction. Maggie, the daughter of Tint and Jeannie Collins, is a student at Heppner High School. Pictured: Queen Maggie Collins crow ned by former Queen Marlene Currin. - Photo by David Sykes VOL. 131 N 0. 11 10 Pages Wednesday, March 14, 2012 Morrow County, Heppner, Oregon Remembrance walk to fitness this Saturday There may be no better was to enjoy getting fit while taking a walk down memory lane than at the Friends Helping Friends Walk/5K Run event slated for March 17. The one-mile walk route will be lined with remembrance shamrocks centered with pink hearts memorializing loved ones, with all funds being do nated to local home health care. The walk begins at Heppner United Method ist Church and goes up Main Street, by the old swimming pool, across to Sweeney Mortuary, to the court house, to Heppner El ementary School and back to the Methodist church. Though the route is one mile, walkers can walk as far as they choose. The 3.1- mile run follows a different route, but participants will be able to see and greet each other at one point along the way. Friends H elping Friends strives each year to give back to local health care in memory o f Don na Schonbachler, a home health nurse. True to that goal, this fundraiser is an opportunity for residents of Morrow and Gilliam coun ties to give back to Pioneer Memorial Home Health, Heppner gears up for 30th Wee Bit O’ Ireland City staff, volun teers and local merchants are busy gearing up for Heppner's 30lh annual Wee Bit O’ Ireland St. Patrick’s Day C elebration, which takes place this week. As in years past, the community-wide event promises to have some thing for everyone, with the first events beginning on Wednesday with O ’Donkey which has been impacted by recent Medicare cuts. This wellness event is a chance for the community to step up and participate in helping those looally with medical hardships. Each $5 donation in memory of a loved one will go to H eppner’s Pioneer M emorial Home Health to help those who have qualified for the health care program. Participants are reminded that children accompanied by adults are free. Strollers and dogs on By David Sykes leashes are welcome. A county sheriff Remembrance reg- and three ranching women -See REMEMBRANCE told their stories Sunday on WALK/PAGE SEVEN what it's like living with the grey wolves in Wallowa County, and what those animals are doing to their lives and livelihood. The wolves have been in that county for several years now. During a wolf forum in Heppner, Wallowa County residents explained what people can expect once the wolf popu lation grows, as it is expect ed to in Morrow County. Grey wolves are on the endangered species list, so ranchers are not allowed to harm them, even when it is determined that they are killing livestock. Wallowa County Army National G uard SST. Kent Ployhar Sheriff Fred Steen, whose family was in the cattle “He himself wants business, related to the to go back to Afghanistan,” crowd of 130 people gath she said, “but he doesn’t ered at the Heppner El think [the Army] will let ementary School what it him go because of too many is like for his department injuries.” to investigate the deaths of K ent Ployhar, a 42-year-old staff sergeant with the Army National Guard out of Washington, was injured last month by an improvised explosive device (IED) in Afghani stan. Ployhar, who was stationed in the Kunduz province o f northern Af ghanistan, was one of seven soldiers seriously injured when Afghans rioted over the apparently accidental burning o f Korans at a military installation in the country. His mother, Alice Ployhar o f Heppner, said she heard about the attack on the news before receiv ing word from the Army. While she has not been able to visit her son, she said the Army has been good about keeping her informed o f his condition. She has also been able to speak with him on the phone. Ployhar was on his third deployment, follow ing previous deployments to both Afghanistan and Iraq. According to Alice Ployhar, the soldier sus tained shrapnel injuries to an arm and both legs, as well as a broken leg. He is now being treated at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, TX. She said she expects him to return to his home in Kennewick, WA after treatment. events will culminate on Saturday with St. Paddy’s Arena Motocross, the Great Green Parade and Cruz-ln, traditional Ceili at the Elks. O' Putt Putt golf, Ewe-Do- Bingo, Old Time Fiddlers in the evening and much, much more great entertain ment. See PAGE THREE fo r full schedule o f events. 4 You look up, and there is this huge animal there' Ranchers, sheriff relate experiences living with wolves in Wallowa County Soldier injured in Afghan riots By Andrea Di Salvo Basketball. Thursday offers the chance to see the pro duction of “From Cenacle to Calvary” by local priest and playwright. Father Ger ry Condon. Friday evening, the community is urged to come out and cheer on some of our local “fighting Irish” at the Irish Boxing Smoker Event. O f course. livestock by the growing dead cow or other animal wolf packs in his county. is found, his department W o rk in g is called, and they with the Oregon treat the area as a D e p a rtm e n t o f crime scene. ODFW Fish and Wildlife, is also called but it is Steen’s job to Steen says they of gather evidence ten show up late, that can be used to gather evidence in determine if cattle Fred Steen an unprofessional and other animals and arbitrary man found dead have ner and make deci been killed by wolves. That sions not based on facts. determination is supposed With a large pro to guide ODFW in the man jection screen behind him, agement of the wolves and Steen showed the crowd be factors in its decision not photo after graphic photo only to give compensation of damaged and dead cows, to ranches, but also whether calves, bulls, and even a to kill individual wolves mule, that he says were that are killing livestock. attacked by wolves, even Steen did not have posi though ODFW denies many tive things to say about the of them. ODFW's wolf-management Showing one bull methods. that Steen said was a classic “They have no idea example of a wolf attack, what they are doing and he said that even with the they are affecting people’s overwhelming evidence, livelihoods,” Steen, who ODFW officials would not has been working with the admit it was a wolf attack. wolves for the past three “They are like a -See WOLF FORUM/PAGE years, said bluntly. SEVEN He said when a MCSD to cut 3-1/2 positions; Showers, cool weather forecast for St. Pat’s approves serial levy By April Sykes Morrow County School Superintendent Dirk Dirksen told the board, at their Monday night meet ing in Irrigon, that the dis trict will have to cut 3-1/2 “full-time equivalent” posi tions to meet the district’s declining budget for the 2012-13 school year. He also said that budget cuts will increase the class size in district schools by 10 percent. Dirksen said that the positions include one and a half FTE counseling positions and two elemen tary teaching positions. Two temporary teaching positions will also not be renewed. The number o f teaching positions origi nally scheduled to be cut was reduced by resigna tions and retirements. The actual teachers involved will be determined in a RIF (reduction in force, depend ing on seniority and other factors) after all the notices of resignations, retirements and transfers have been de termined by the district. Dirksen said he had yet to tighten up the classi fied positions. Dirksen pointed out, in response to ques tions concerning cuts in athletic programs to help shave the budget, that cuts will not be made in athlet ics and activities because they are zero-funded by the school district. Extra curricular athletics and ac tivities are funded by the Morrow County Unified Recreation District, not the school district. Board Chair Thad Killingbeck commended Dirksen for his transparency and handling o f a sensitive situation and also thanked the building principals. -See MCSD MAKES CUTS/ PAGE EIGHT The weather fore cast for the Heppner area for most o f St. Patrick’s weekend is cool with a chance of showers. Thursday, March 15, the forecast is for show ers, with the high expected to be 54 degrees, the low 38 and a 50 percent chance of rain. On Friday, March 16, the forecast is for a few showers, a high of 48 and a low of 35, with a 30 percent chance of rain. On Sat urday, March 17, the forecast is NOW IN STO C K ! W in t e r C l o t h in g S ale ! Insulated Coveralls Bibs • C oats f l A S n o w Packs W * l . cloudy with a high of 44, a low of 30 and a 20 percent chance of rain. On Sunday, March 18, the forecast is mostly cloudy with a high of 46, a low of 26 and a 10 percent chance of rain. • • P ottingS oil • B a r k M u l c h ^ » • Soil Amendments J b i • Garden Seeds • Seed Potatoes & O n i o n ^ j j ^ T - Morrow County Grain Growers Green Feed & Seed 242 W. Linden Way,'Heppner • 676-9422 • 989-8221 (MCGG main office) ^
