B essie W etzell N ew sp aper Library
University of O regon
E u gene, OR 97403
Bailey, Robinson win MOCO
All-Around
Lane Bailey and Devin
Robinson, both of Heppner,
tied for the A ll-A round
Cowboy aw ard for the Mor
row County Rodeo, held
August 19 in Heppner. Be
cause there was only one
VOL. 131
N 0 . 34
8 Pages
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
Morrow County, Heppner, Oregon
Heppner girl named
Round-Up princess
By Andrea Di Salvo
One of Heppner’s own
will jump the fence this year
at the Pendleton Round-
Up.
Jessica Hughes, 20, has
been named a princess to
the 2012 Round-Up court.
Hughes is the daughter of
Kevin and Angie Hughes
of Heppner.
Hughes was a 201 0
graduate from Heppner
High School, and now at
tends Blue Mountain Com
munity College (BMCC) in
Pendleton.
U nlike many o f the
other court royalty this year,
neither Hughes nor her
family has a long volunteer
history with the Round-Up.
One only has to look at her
busy high-school schedule
to understand why.
As a teenager, Hughes
was all-league in basketball
and volleyball, and made
the honor roll all four years
of high school. She contin
ued to set the bar high in
college, where her name has
appeared on both the presi
dent’s and dean’s lists.
Pendleton Round-Up Princess Jessica Hughes with one of her
two Round-Up horses. Her horses, mares Sammy and Harriet,
were both raised by the Hughes family and have been with
Jessica their whole lives. -Contributedphoto
Her life w a sn ’t all
school sports and academ
ics, though. Hughes has
a long history o f horses
and rodeos; she began rid
ing at the age of two, on
a horse named Friday...a
total o f nearly 18 years on
horseback. She competed
in high school rodeo for
all four years of her high
school career, placing in
every rodeo and claiming
fifth place for the state of
Oregon in pole bending her
sophomore year.
Hughes says attend
ing the rodeo is one of her
favorite family events, and
she looks forward to watch
ing the queen and princess
es jump the fence each year
in the Round-Up’s grand
entry. In fact, jumping the
fence was what kindled her
own dream of being Round-
See ROUND-UP PRINCESS/
PAGE FOUR
Health district approves
raise for CEO
By April Sykes
The Morrow County
Health District Board en
thusiastically approved a
$4,000 raise for CEO Mi
chael Blauer, following
B lauer’s annual perfor
mance review during their
regular meeting in Heppner
on Monday night.
“I think this board feels
that Mike is doing an excel
lent job and we feel com
fortable moving forward
under his leadership,” said
Board Chair Larry Mills.
The raise will increase
Blauer’s salary to $115,000
a year.
The board also ap
proved the low bid o f
$206,837 for the Irrigon
M edical Clinic remodel
from Wellens-Farwell Con
struction, based in Enter
prise. Knerr Construction
of Hermiston was second
low at $219,500. BD Abies,
Inc., Buildmaster, Hermis
ton, submitted a $239,100
bid and Van Belle Construc
tion, Joseph, bid $220,305.
The Wellens-Farwell bid
contract completion time
was the longest at 24 weeks.
Knerr Construction and Van
Belle came in at 20 weeks
and BD Abies estimated 13
weeks.
A ddendum s for the
rem odel w ith W ellens-
Farwell include alternate
#1 for fencing at $1,800;
alternate #2 for replacing
tables and counter tops at
$2,500; and alternate #3 for
heating and air conditioning
at $7,000. Knerr Construc
tion bid $1,050 for fenc
ing, $4,950 for replacing
tables and counter tops and
$6,750 for the heating and
air conditioning system. BD
Abies was $ 1,250 for fenc
ing. $3,100 for tables and
counter tops and $14,000
for heating and air; Van
Belle was $1,250 for fenc
ing, $3,100 for tables and
counter tops and $6,620 for
heating and air.
The board agreed to
authorize Blauer to sign the
contract as representative of
the district and negotiate the
final contract.
Blauer and the board
anticipated that the exterior
of the remodel will be com
pleted before the weather
turns bad. with work on
the interior to get underway
during the winter months.
“I hope we don’t have
a lot of change orders, be
cause we are right at what
we budgeted.” added Chief
Financial Officer Nicole
Mahoney.
Blauer and Mahoney
reported that the district’s
issue with the IRS has been
resolved with the help of
congressmen and a national
taxpayer advocacy group.
The IRS had the district
caught in a Catch 22 situ
ation, which threatened the
district's tax exempt status
and. consequently, receipt
of grants and other funds.
In other business, the
board:
-learned from Blauer
that a Collins Foundation
grant has been approved
for $25,000 toward the pur
chase of three state-of-the-
art defibrillators, one for
each of the district’s three
main ambulances in Hepp
ner, Irrigon and Boardman,
requested by Del Turner, a
paramedic employed with
the district. Turner earlier
said that the defibrillators
-See HEALTH DISTRICT/
PAGE SIX
A ll-A round buckle, the
cowboys conducted a coin
toss for the prize, which
Bailey won. Robinson re
ceived a donated bit as a
consolation prize.
In the Oregon Trail Pro
Rodeo, Sam McKenzie of
Jordan Valley, OR won
All-Around Cowboy. The
A ll-A round saddle was
donated by the Bank of
Eastern Oregon.
Paul Cope won the Mike
Currin memorial Calf Rop
ing Buckle. Danna Stovner
won the Janice Healy Davis
Memorial Buckle for Barrel
Racing.
C o m p le te M orrow
County Rodeo winners are
as follows:
Willy Gentry of Hep
pner won the Amateur Calf
Roping event, taking home
the saddle donated by Mor
row County Grain Grow
ers.
Open Calf Roping, and
the buckle donated by Daly
Ranches, was taken by Gar
rett Robinson of Heppner.
(L-R): Aaron Pet/oldt of Les Shwab, Lane Bailey, Queen
Maggie Collins and Devin Robinson during the presentation
of the Les Shwab-sponsored All-Around buckle during the
Morrow County Rodeo on Aug. 19. -Photo by Brett Milligan
Jessica Hughes of Hep
pner won the Senior Barrels
and the buckle donated by
GAR Aviation.
Jason Stewart of lone
and Devin Robinson took
home the buckles for team
roping, donated by Petty
john’s and Turner Ranch.
D evin R o b in so n also
captured the Cow Riding
buckle donated by Miller
& Sons.
Jacee Currin o f Hep
pner won the Breakaway
Roping buckle, donated by
Styles by Stefanie.
The Ju n io r B arrels
buckle, donated by the
Healy family in memory of
William J. Healy, was won
by Jaiden Mahoney of Hep
pner. Dick Temple donated
the Pee Wee Barrels buckle,
which was won by Sierra
Greenup of Heppner.
-See RODEO RESULTS/
PAGE FIVE
lone school receives high
performance rating
Board told lone enrollment figures “looking pretty’ good ”
By April Sykes
ceiving fours were: Desert three in the large school
lo n e C o m m u n ity View Elementary, Sand category, while Irrigon El
School S u p erintendent sto n e M iddle S ch o o l, ementary received a two.
Mark M ulvihill, who is A rm and L ariv e
Hawt hor ne
also superintendent for the Middle School and
Mi ddl e / High
InterMountain ESD, told H erm iston High
School in Pendle
the lone board that the lone School, all Herm
ton, Pleasant View
school was one of the few iston; Central El
in Milton Freewa
that had an overall rating ementary, Willow
ter, Stella Mayfield
of four out of five in school E lem entary and
Elementary in El
performance for 2011-12. LaGrande Middle Bill Jepsen
gin and McNary
He said that lone, as a small School, LaGrande;
Heights Elem en
school, consistently scored F reew ater E lem entary, tary in Umatilla all received
a four in all categories M cL oughlin H igh, all a one.
across the board.
Milton-Freewater; Lincoln
At the meeting, Anne
Other Morrow County Primary, McKay Creek Ele Morter was sworn in as
schools receiving a four mentary, Sherwood Heights board chair and Bill Jepsen
were A.C. Hough
Elementary, Wash as vice-chair.
ton E lem entary,
ington Elementary,
Principal Jerry Archer
Heppner Elementa
Sunridge Elemen told the board that the
ry, Sam Boardman
tary and Pendleton school enrollment figures
Elementary, Windy
High School, all for this fall are “looking
River Elementary,
Pendleton; Athena pretty good," with 181 stu
Heppner Junior/Se- Anne Morter Elementary, Ath dents registered to start
nior High School
ena Weston; Elgin school August 27. He said
and Riverside Junior/Senior High School, Elgin; Imbler that they did not know what
High School, all in the large Charter, Imbler; Pilot Rock to expect, since they “lost a
school category.
Elementary and Pilot Rock huge class” this spring.
“Morrow County and High School, Pilot Rock;
“We have had a lot of
lone should celebrate their Stanfield Elementary and new students,” said Archer,
achievement,” said Mul Stanfield Secondary, Stan who added that some of the
vihill. “I'm very proud of field; and Union Elemen new students were from
these school districts in tary, Union.
out of the county and some
Eastern Oregon.”
Irrigon Junior/Senior
-See /ONE SCHOOL DIS-
TR/CT/PAGE SIX
Other area schools re High School received a
Kids head back to school
Teachers and staff were on hand bright and early to welcome kids back to school at the begin
ning of the new school year. Classes began Monday throughout Morrow County. These boys
quickly got into the swing of things on the playground, starting up an impromptu soccer game
during recess. -Photo by Megan Futter
G-T closed for Labor Day
The Heppner Gazette-Times will be closed for the Labor Day holiday on Monday,
Sept. 3. The deadline for all news and advertising for the Sept. 5 issue will be Friday,
Aug. 31., at 5 p.m.
The G-T wishes everyone a happy and safe Labor Day weekend.
N ature’s Nuts
Premium Wild Bird Food
251b bag
$9.99
Morrow County Grain Growers Green Feed A Seed
242 W. Lindan Way. Happnar • (76-9422 • 9(9-6221 (MC0G main offlc*)
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