Image provided by: Morrow County Museum; Heppner, OR
About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (June 6, 2012)
Mustangs take state championship Illlllllllllllllllllllllllllllll Bessie Wetzell Newspaper l ibrary University of Oregon Eugene. OR 97403 Shut down Enterprise, Glendale in quest for title The Mustang softball team, 2012 state champions. Far back (L-R): Coach Marissa Turner, Cidney Coster, and Coach Kevin Payne. Middle (L-R): Tessa Gould, Joslynn Troxell, Nicole Kempken, Cassi Day and Natalie Rauch holding the trophy, Maggie Collins, Larissa Gray, Coach Petra Payne, Samm Lemmon and Coach Janelle Ellis. Front, kneeling (L-R): Micha Hintz, Lizzy Rill, Baily Bennett, Hannah Lovgren and Makenzie Correa. -Photo by Sandy Matthews VOL. 131 N O . 22 8 Pages Wednesday, June 6, 2012 Morrow County, Heppner, Oregon Merkley says 3-3-3 plan would wipe out deficit Tells town hall 1/3 o f money from closing tax loopholes would erase $16 trillion in debt By David Sykes Oregon Senator Jeff Merkley told a town hall gathering last week that he has a 3-3-3 plan that could wipe out the United States debt o f nearly 16 trillion dollars. “ You rem em ber the pizza guy (presidential can didate Herman Cain) and his nine, nine, nine plan? Well 1 have the three, three, three plan,” he told the gathered crowd of about 35 people in lone. “I would identify tax loopholes and close them,” he said. “One third of the savings would pay down the deficit, one third would be spent on infrastructure and one third would be spent on education.” He said the last two would also create more jobs. He added that all the money being used to pay interest on the debt could also be spent to keep the economy from going fur ther into the ditch. As an example of tax loop holes, Merkley said a $5,000 grant is the same as a tax loophole. Later, when questioned about whether he will vote to renew the production tax credit, which is used heavily by wind energy and is coming up for renewal by congress soon, M erkley did not answer directly, but did say, “Many o f us are advocating for the production tax credit.” John VandenBrink (right) makes a point to Senator Jeff Merkley at the lone town hall meeting last week. - Photo by David Sykes On in f r a s tr u c tu r e spending, M erkley said that “We are getting behind the rest of the world in in frastructure spending. We spend two percent in this country, which is less than China or Japan.” He said we are also behind in education spend ing, and the baby boom generation is becoming the first generation where “ ... our children are less edu cated that we are.” Merkley said stopping the war in A fghanistan was also a way the United States could save money. He pointed out that the country is spending $120 billion a year on the war, but that “ .. .ifyou talk about cutting defense, then you are accused of being soft on defense and undermining national security.” When asked about what happened to the $800 bil lion in stim ulus money the government spent, and why it has not helped the economy, M erkley said the economy would be in worse shape right now if the money had not been spent. “When I took office, unemployment was going up.” He said toxic assets’ had made the banks stop lending and people had stopped spending. He said there had been a $3 trillion drop in consumer spending, -See MERKLEY TOWN HALUPAGE FIVE lone post office to have shorter hours starting 2014 Though post offices in south Morrow County have been saved from closure, one will experience shorter hours in the future. The change won’t hap pen immediately, though. According to lone Postmis tress Darcy McDonough, the lone post office will go to a six-hour-a-day schedule at the end of July, 2014. Mc- Donough didn’t have more information, but said there will be community meet ings in all areas where post office hours will change. Meanwhile, postal ser vices in Heppner and Lex ington expect business as usual. “From what I under stand, (hour reduction) is based on several factors, and we’re good on all fac tors,” said Heppner Post master Dennis Lien. “We’re still set to be open eight hours.” Lien added that the Lexington post office will also be unaffected, since it operates as a Contract Postal Unit and is not in volved in U.S. Postal Ser vice cutbacks. Teamwork and good, old-fashioned sweat paid off for the Mustang softball team, which brought home the state championship title after a Class 2A/1A vic tory last Friday at Oregon State University’s Softball Complex. “I just think they put their team first and work hard,” Heppner coach Pe tra Payne said. “They all do what I ask them to and putting that team first is important at this point in the season.” The Mustang softball team showed it was seri ous about the state title in the Class 2A/1A semifinals match on May 29 against Enterprise/Joseph. Even though the Cubs had won 19 of their last 20 matches, the Mustangs refused to be intimidated. Pitcher Baily Bennett led the way in dom inating the Ent/Jos team, limiting them to three sin gles and no points. Mean while, the Mustangs scored point after point for a 10-0 victory, a 22-4 record and a spot in the state finals. The Heppner/Ione team then headed to Corvallis to face off against Glendale for the championship. A massive home-town crowd also traveled the 280 miles, hoping to see another shut out in the final game. -See STATE CHAMPS/ PAGE FOUR Elementary school teacher to retire By Andrea Di Salvo eight years.* She moved to to the bottom of the Grand The Morrow County Heppner in 1984. Canyon. School District will lose Clough has two daugh “I’m hoping to do some another long-time ters, one in Port traveling and volunteer teacher when Hep land and one in work,” says Clough. “I'm pner E lem entary P a s a d e n a , CA . looking at volunteer op S ch o o l se c o n d - H er im m e d ia te tions. grade teacher Karen retirement plans, As she retires, Clough Clough retires at the until one daugh says she will miss both the end o f this school te r’s marriage in kids and the people with Karen Clough Septem ber, will whom she has worked. year. C lo u g h ’s o f be consumed with “ We’ve got a great ficial retirem ent date is helping to plan the wed sta ff,” she says o f the June 8 but, “I'll probably ding. After that, she says people at the elementary be there longer than that,” she has two things on her school. “I’ve been fortunate says Clough. That makes “bucket list”: traveling to to work with the people I've sense, since the “29 and Ireland and riding a mule worked with.” holding” teacher will be wrapping up a 30-year plus teaching career, and more than two decades o f work at H eppner Elementary. About a decade of that was June 8,2012 spent right where she is 9 a.m.-close: Merchant Sidewalk Sale-make sure to now, in the second-grade check out inside businesses for special sales classroom. Before that, she All Day: Free Cup o f Starbuck’s Coffee, Heppner Family Foods taught kindergarten and first 9 a.m.-close: Community Flea Market and Craft Fair grade for several years. on Main Street Clough was bom at St. Anthony Hospital in Pend 9 a.m.-close: Quality Concessions-will be set up in Heppner Family Foods parking lot next to “Hair I leton, OR and spent the Am.” They will be serving burgers, hot dogs, chili first 12 years of her life in dogs, com dogs, chicken strips, finger steaks, fries Boardman, OR. H£r family curly and regular, chili cheese fries, elephant ears then moved to Pendleton, and strawberry shortcake where she graduated from 9 a.m.-12 p.m.: Basketball competition sponsored by Pendleton High School. Willow Creek Baptist Church youth group, on Wil A f te r g r a d u a tio n , low Street between Murray’s/Artisan Village Clough spent two terms at Eastern Oregon Univer 9 a.m.-3 p.m.: Shaved Ice, Murray Drug's sity in La Grande and then 9 a.m.-3 p.m.: Red and Blue River Beverage by The Stable of Youth (in front o f Hair I Am) studied at the Blue Moun 10:30 a.m.: The “Dream Big: Read!” summer reading tain Community College program at Heppner Library Hermiston extension before 11 a.m.-3p.m.: Mini carnival for kids and a prize wheel going to the University of for adults. Community Bank Portland. She graduated 11:30 a.m.-l :30 p.m.: Community barbecue sponsored from there with a bachelor’s degree in elementary edu by Bank of EO in the AmeriTitle parking lot 1-5 p.m.: Morrow County Heritage and Agricultural cation. Museums open She remained in Port land for a few months after All Children's games and small dog races will he at the City Park. graduation, subbing in Port 1:30 p.m.: Children’s Games land schools, mostly in the lower-income areas of north Tricycle race: 3-5 years old Water Balloon Toss: 6-10 and 11-18 years old Portland. She then moved to Arlington, OR where she Egg Toss: 6-10 and 11-18 years old lived and taught for about 2:30 p.m.: Small dog races at City Park Celebrate Heppner event schedule C l o se out on ALL lone graduation Friday End o f school year approaches The lone High School gym. 7. The last day of school graduation will be held on The last day of school for lone students will be Friday, June 8, at 7 p.m. for students in Heppner Wednesday, June 13. at the lone High School schools is Thursday, June Morrow County Grain Growers Green Feed & Seed 242 W. Linden Way, Heppner • 676-9422 • 989-8221 (MCQO main offlca) I
