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Rainy days and
rainbows
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Bessie Wetzell Newspaper l.ibrar\
University of Oregon
Eugene. OR 97403
5(K
The rainy weather early in the week not only gave a welcome boost to growing things, it also
provided some spectacular sights, like this faint double rainbow captured by Ann Morter
near lone.
Health district holds budget
hearing
VOL. 131
NO. 19 10 Pages
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Bv April Sykes
The Morrow County
Health District Board held
a budget hearing for the
Morrow County, Heppner, Oregon
district's 2012-13 budget
Monday night in Heppner.
The budget will be pre
sented for adoption at the
June meeting.
The budget was ap
proved with one change to
the positive. Chief Financial
Officer Nicole Mahoney
reported that the district
will receive an additional
$125,000 from Medicaid
in electronic medical record
reimbursement this coming
year, which will improve
Heppner softball takes
district championship
the district’s bottom line.
The district will receive
an additional $100,000 the
next fiscal year and $25,000
the year after.
She earlier estimated
that the district would lose
approximately $66,047 in
the 2012-13 fiscal year,
which would come from
the district’s cash carryover.
Mahoney said previously
that the proposed budget
was based on very conser
vative estimates.
In other positive news,
the district ended the month
o f April with a $22,826
gain.
At the meeting, CEO
Michael Blauer reported to
the board that the plans for
the Irrigon Clinic remodel
are being wrapped up and
will be ready for review be
fore being let out for bid.
Blauer and Director
of Nursing Services Molly
Rhea said that, while they
are getting close to work
ing out the kinks in the
federally-mandated elec
tronic medical records sys
tem, some problems still
remain.
“It wasn’t glitch-free
-See HEALTH DIST./PAGE
SIX
Six area education staff to be
honored
The Heppner Mustang softball team. (Back L-R): Cidney Coster and Lizzy Rill. Middle (L-R):
Joslynn Troxell, Micha Hintz, Natalie Rauch, Tessa Could, Larissa Cray, Cassi Day Maggie
Collins, Samm Lemmon and I licole kempken. (Sitting front L-R): Hannah Lovgren, Baily
Bennett and Makenzie Correa, -Photo hv Sandy Matthews
The Heppner Mustang
softball team took the dis
trict champion title with a
score o f 7-4 in the game
against the Irrigon Knights
last Saturday.
Baily Bennett took the
“Player o f the Year” award
along with Cassi Day, first-
string infielder. Micha Hintz
and Natalie Rauch were
honored as “ H onorable
Mention” players.
The M ustangs play
against the Oakridge WAr-
riors in the first round of
state finals this Wednesday
at 4:30 p.m. at the softball
field in Heppner.
Boyd to face Rea in November
Kandy Boyd may have
lost the recent primary race
to Leann Rea for Morrow
County Commissioner but,
thanks to write-ins, she will
get another crack at Rea
in the November general
election.
Boyd and Rea were
both running as Democrats
in the recent concluded
primary, and Rea garnered
320 votes to Boyd's 241.
All else being equal, that
would have made the race
over.
However, with no one
filed on the Republican
side. R epublicans gave
Boyd the Republican nomi
nation by write-in.
Though Boyd has yet
to accept the nomination,
which can be done later,
that means there's a good
chance Boyd and Rea will
face off once again in the
November election.
County election results
D uring the prim ary
election on May 15, several
Morrow County positions
and measures were on the
line. County voters cast
2,201 ballots, 646 of w hich
were Democrat, 1,154 Re
publican and 401 nonparti
san. The unofficial results
for the Morrow County
contests in the election are
as follows.
County Commissioner Po
sition No. 1 (Democrat)
Leann Rea, Heppner.
won the Democratic prima
ry with 320 votes. Kandy
Boyd, Heppner, received
241.
County Surveyor
Stephen K. Haddock.
Pilot Rock, won with 778
votes; Judson L. Coppock,
Lexington, received 761.
Measure 25-60 Town of
Lexington Amendment to
Town Charter of Lexing
ton, Oregon
Question: Shall Lex
ington Amend its current
charter?
The measure passed
with 43 yes votes; 21 bal
lots were cast against the
measure.
Measure 25-61 Town of
Lexington Five Year Lo
cal Option Tax for Street
Operations
Question: Shall Lex
ington impose a $.62 per
$1,000 o f assessed value
for five years for Street
Operations beginning in
2012-2013? This measure
may cause property taxes
to increase more than three
percent.
The measure passed by
a close margin o f 33 yes,
31 no.
Measure 25-62 Morrow
County School District
Renewal of Local Option
Serial Levy
Question: Shall School
The In terM o u n tain
Education Service District
will honor
six Morrow
County
ed u cation
employees
during the
13th annual
Crystal
Apple “Ex
cellence in
Education” ceremony May
23 at the
Pendleton
Red Lion.
The s ta f f
m e m b e rs
fro m th e
lo n e and
Mor r ow
C o u n t y Ashley
school dis McCabe
tric ts are
among 36
em ployees who will be
recognized
at the cer
emony.
Mor
row County
crystal ap
ple winners
are Ryan
Troy Morgan
Rudol f,
lone M S/
HS social studies teacher
em ployed
w ith lone
schools for
13 y ears;
Ashley
M cC abe,
lone school
cu sto d ian Ginger
em ployed Bowman
wi t h t he
lone School District for one
year; Troy Morgan, Hepp
ner High School math teach-
er for five years; Marilyn
P o st, AC
H oughton
Elem enta
ry School
third-grade
teacher,
wi t h t he
school dis- Marilyn Post
trict for 35
years; Anne
Orcutt, Sam Boardman Ele
mentary ELL education as
sistant, 21
years with
the MCSD;
and G i n
ger B ow
man, Hep
pner High
School li - Anne Orcutt
brary tech,
with 31 years with the dis-
-See CRYSTAL APPLE/PAGE
EIGHT
Morrow County voters
approve replacement levy
Voters approved a re
placement levy for the Mor
row County School District
during the May 15 primary
election, according to un
official results from the
Morrow County Elections
Office. The approval will
bring the district approxi
mately $450,000 per year
for the next five years, with
a tax rate of $ 1 per $ 1,000
assessed property value
from tax payers. The levy
replaced another levy that
was approved by voters in
2009, which has allowed
the district to maintain elec
tive programs.
“We’re very apprecia
tive of the voters in Morrow
County for turning out to
show their continued sup
port for our schools,” said
Dirk Dirksen, superinten
dent of the Morrow County
School District.
Unofficial results in
dicate voters in Morrow
County approved the levy
replacement with 60 per
cent of the vote.
With the levy’s approv
al, tax payers will continue
to pay the same tax rate as
with the previous levy. The
district will continue to be
able to fund elective pro
grams with the replacement
levy, including elementary
music and physical educa
tion, art, Vo-Ag, music,
Spanish, business, technol
ogy and industrial arts.
District levy $1 per $1000
assessed value each year
for five years beginning
2012-13 for operations and
programs? This measure
may cause property taxes
to increase more than 3
percent.
The measure passed
with 1,098 yes votes and
752 no votes.
Measure 25-63 lone Li
brary District Permanent
Tax Rate Limit
The Heppner Gazette-Times office will be closed Memorial Day, May 28 for
Q uestion: Shall the the holiday. All news and ad deadlines will be the previous Friday, May 25, by 5 p.m.
district be authorized to The newspaper office will reopen on Tuesday, May 29.
impose $.25 per $1,000 of
assessed value as a perma
nent rate limit beginning
2012-13?
The measure passed
with 150 yes votes and 69
no votes.
C o m p le te M o rro w
County primary election re
sults are available at http://
morrowcountyoregon.com/
M o r r o w C o u n t y G r a in G r o w e r s
county-clerk/.
G-T closed Memorial Day
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