Image provided by: Morrow County Museum; Heppner, OR
About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 21, 2012)
Pioneer Memorial Hospice celebrates 10th anniversary of helping 11 1 ■ 1 1 1 11 >I II•••••11 11 ' * 11 1 1 1 1 1 1 Bessie Wetzell Newspaper Library University of Oregon Eugene, OR 97403 November is National Hospice Month ^^KSG/V/^ Pioneer Memorial Hospice celebrates its 10th anniversary this year. Pictured are some of the hospice staff (L-R): Robanai Disque, RN, Director; Mary Walker, Office Clerk; Lani Pryor, RN; Carmelo Di Salvo, Chaplin and Bereavement Coordinator; Sherry Ewing, Office Manager; and Ashleigh McIntosh, RN. -Photo by David Sykes /F à n gazette unes Bv David Sykes P io n e e r M em o rial Hospice began as an or ganization 10 years ago when it received its Medi care certification in July of 2002, and has been helping terminally-ill patients and their families ever since, explains current director Robanai Disque from her office in the bottom floor of Pioneer Memorial Hospital in Heppner. In conjunction with the anniversary, November is National Hospice Month, and Disque sat down with the Gazette to talk about what hospice offers and how they have helped peo ple over the years. With a staff o f four nurses, one part-time so cial worker, one part-time chaplain, two home-health aids, office staff and 30 volunteers, hospice offers service, support and care to individuals and their families in the final stages of a terminal illness. “We try and keep them as comfortable as possible through the dying process,” says Disque, as she explains ho sp ice’s role during a very difficult time in a per son’s life. “Our motto is, ‘We are going to give the best quality of life possible whether for two months or two years.’” -See HOSPICE ANNIVER SARY/PACE SIX Courthouse shaken by Local man arraigned on bomb scare multiple charges VOL. 131 N 0 . 46 8 Pages Morrow County Dis trict A ttorney Justin W. Nelson announced last Fri day that Heppner man Jared Lee W icklund, 36, was arraigned on two counts of Burglary in the First De gree, a Class A felony, and one count of Criminal Tres pass in the First Degree, a Class A misdemeanor. The arraignment followed Wicklund’s arrest the previ ous Sunday. On the afternoon o f Nov. 11, the Morrow Coun ty Sheriff’s Office received Wednesday, November 21, 2012 Morrow County, Heppner, Oregon a report from a homeowner Wicklund for the crimes. in Heppner who said she The defendant was ar had caught someone in her raigned on the indictment home. The victim indicated on Nov. 16 by Judge Dan that she caught the iel Hill. Judge Hill intruder before any set bail at $20,000. items could be tak W ic k lu n d , w ho en, and also indi was represented by cated that she knew defense attorney the burglar. Deputy C raig C h ild ress, Nathan Braun of pleaded not guilty the Morrow Coun J a r e d Le e to the charges. The ty Sheriff’s Office Wicklund court set pre-trial in v estigated the conference hearing case. Within two for Dec. 13, trial hours, Deputy Braun had readiness for Dec. 27, and located and arrested Jared trial for Jan. 10, 2013. Governor seeks to reduce local school district role Says state control o f collective bargaining would be better financial decision By April Sykes G overnor John Kit- zhaber, through a record ing o f his speech to the Oregon School Board As sociation that was shown at the Morrow County School Board meeting Nov. 15 at Sam Boardman Elementary School, laid out his plan for education funding. Kitzhaber said he would like to see the state take over collective bargaining from local school districts. He said that since Measure 5 gave school funding over to the state, it would be a better financial decision for the state to take over bar gaining from local districts. He said there was “a discon nect” between bargaining at the local level and state funding, and recommended aligning state funding with local bargaining. The governor said the state needs to address what diverts money from the school system, and sug gested cuts in the amount of money spent on public health care (Medicare and Medicaid) and public safety (law enforcement) to bet ter fund education. Since both the Oregon House and the Oregon Senate have a Democrat majority, it is likely that Kitzhaber will get his way. Kitzhaber also said that his administration will be working to resolve the issue of spiraling out-of-control- -See MC SCHOOL DIS- TRICT/PAGE SIX City considers ordinance regulating sidewalk usage New rules would require permission for fundraisers, bake sales and other activities held on city sidewalks By David Sykes A new ordinance under consideration by the Hep pner City Council would require anyone wishing to use downtown sidewalks to sell items or set up dis plays to seek permission G-T Trophy Corner By Andrea Di Salvo The Morrow County Courthouse in Heppner re ceived some unwanted ex citement Monday afternoon in the form of a bomb threat that caused the evacuation of the building. Morrow County Chief Deputy Clerk Kandy Boyd received the call around 2:41 p.m. Monday after noon. Boyd said the caller was a male; his message was chilling. “ He said, ‘There are several bombs located in several locations within the county courthouse and they are set to detonate in 25 minutes. This is not a bomb threat; this is not a bomb scare; this is a bomb promise,”' Boyd recounted. ‘That was it. ‘Click.’” Boyd im m e d ia te ly went to Morrow County Court Executive Secretary/ Personnel Director Karen Wolff, who called 911 and proceeded to clear employ ees out of the building. “We just got everybody out,” said Wolff. Though it was a situ ation no one in the Mor row County Courthouse had ever dealt with before, Wolff said the employees did an excellent job, staying calm and organized during the evacuation. “Nobody got hysteri cal,” she said. “Kandy did an excel lent job, getting all the facts and securing the elections office,” she added, saying it was a big concern, since election results have not yet been certified. Wolff said that, by the time employees cleared the building, first responders from the Morrow County Sheriff’s Office and Hep pner Volunteer Fire Depart ment were arriving on the scene. “When we cleared the building and came outside, Deputy Wilson was here and did an excellent job finding out the facts,” said Wolff. “The fire depart ment came and secured the building so no one could get close. They just did an excellent job.” Wolff said the experi ence was surreal, with the full impact not hitting home ‘ until everyone was safely out of the building. “ I didn’t get worried or scared until everyone was out. Then it hit us,” she said. Unfortunately, this was not the first time Senior Deputy Paul Wilson had to deal with something like this; the MCSO deputy said he had to respond to a bomb scare this spring at the Irri- -See BOMB SCARE/PAGE EIGHT New city council members take office in January By David Sykes T hree new co u n cil members, a new mayor and a returning council member will be sworn into office at the Heppner City Council meeting in January. Joe Perry will take the helm as H eppner’s new mayor. He origi nally was running unopposed for the position but then b e a t o u t A lv in Liu, 438 to 139, in the election. Liu mounted an unsuc cessful, last-minute write-in campaign for the mayor’s po sition. Perry is replacing Les Paustian. who did not run for reelection. from the city beforehand. The ordinance would also cover sidewalk cafes, sand wich board advertising and booths during town-wide events such as the Morrow County Fair and Rodeo The H e p p n e r and the St. Patrick’s Day G azette-T im es will be Celebration. closed in observance o f the Consideration of the or Thanksgiving Day holiday dinance began when coun cil member Cody High, who works for Bucknum's Tavern on Main St., asked the council several months ago about setting up tables on the sidewalk in front of the tavern from which to serve food. The council felt at that time that there were inadequate rules to cover Perry, 61, was bom in a member o f the Morrow Portland but lived all his life County H ealth D istrict in Washington. He moved Board. to Heppner a little A wi d o we r , Perry has no family more than two years ago to work for the in the area, but has Bank o f Eastern four children and 17 grandchildren in Oregon as a com various states. mercial loan officer. Skip Matthews He holds a B a c h e lo r will take the spot previously held by of Arts de- Skip Cindi Doherty, who g re e in Matthews did not run for re- economics and a master’s de election. Matthews, 56, is origi gree in agricultural nally from the Willamette econom ics from Valley but came to Eastern Washington State Oregon in 1979. He has U niversity. Prior government-related made his home in Heppner experience includes being since 1986. He holds a a school board member in -See NEW COUNCIL MEM BERS/PAGE FOUR W hite Salm on, WA and G-T closed for Thanksgiving Thursday, Nov. 22, and We wish everyone Friday, Nov. 23. Normal a safe and happy Thanks- business hours will resume giving weekend. Monday, Nov. 26. Nature's Nuts Premium Wild Bird Food Wyatt Steagall, 12, of Lexington shot his first elk, a spike, in the Heppner unit this year. -Contributedphoto -See CITY COUNCIL/PAGE FIVE I LManWky, H»ppo*r • «76-9422 • 169-8221 [MCOG mwn offe.) 251b bag » V County Grain Growers Green Feed A Seed $9.99 I I
