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