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)
^