lone resident Dorothy
Stefani will soon deliver
her last piece of mail
Bessie Wetzell Newspaper Library
University of Oregon
Eugene, OR 97403
By Patty Nance
VOL. 132
N O. 17
8 Pages
Wednesday, April 24, 2013
Morrow County, Heppner, Oregon
Students provide encouragement
lone students in kindergarten, first and second grades decorated water bottles to help
support students in grades 3-6 while they took their state tests. Students drew colorful
pictures and added motivational sayings to help encourage their friends. Bottom Left:
Nicolas Carey, Katie Spivey, Liam Heideman, Martin Medina, Aiden Osborne, Second
Row: Destiny Yates, Chloe Burke, Jerson Peralta, Hailee Peck, Mason Orem, Corey
Rice. Third Row: Kelly Doherty, Charlie Smith, Lexi Gurinko, Callie Yates, Kalvin Ri-
etmann. Fourth Row: Andrew Stanger, Karensa Jones, Sunem Calvillo, Madi Orem,
Nevaeb Chamberlin. Fifth Row: Cameron Proudfoot, John McElligott, Daralynn Tee-
man. Top Row: Bryce Rollins, Fernando Ramirez, Lewkus Burright and Carson Eynetich
School children, USDA
‘energize’ Earth Day
O ver the w eekend,
USDA Rural Development
employees and several part
ner organizations gave up
their Saturday to celebrate
Earth Day with elem en
tary and middle school-
aged children at the Castle
Rock farm worker housing
complex in Boardman, Or
egon.
Volunteers from Energy
Trust o f Oregon, CASA of
Oregon, Sustainable Agri
culture and Energy (SAGE)
Center, Wind Turbine In
dustries Corporation, and
Kardon Construction joined
USDA to lead a variety
of interactive educational
activities about energy con
servation and renewable
energy alternatives.
“ This event was a
chance for USDA to join
our community-based part
ners and residents by cel
ebrating environmentally
friendly growth and devel
{
opment in rural areas,” said
USDA State Director Vicki
Walker, who joined in the
activities.
USDA Rural Devel
opment provided a $2.4
million loan to the Umatilla
County Housing Authority
for the construction of Cas
tle Rock Apartments, which
opened in September o f
2012 to provide additional
rental options for the many
farm and food processing
workers who previously
needed to commute long
distances between their jobs
and adequate, affordable
housing. The facility was
constructed to meet Earth
Advantage Gold and LEED
Platinum standards, featur
ing added insulation to
reduce heating and cooling
costs, Energy Star appli
ances, low-flow faucets and
toilets and solar panels.
USDA Rural Develop
ment delivers more than 40
programs that help rural
communities, businesses
and residents develop in
frastructure, improve hous
ing availability, and create
jobs through a variety of
econom ic developm ent
activities.
“In all o f our work,
whether it’s a new hospital,
school, or a business devel
opment, USDA strives to
incorporate earth-friendly
designs and innovative en
ergy solutions,” Walker
said.
In addition to support
for rural housing and com
munity facilities, USDA
Rural Development also
provides grants and loan
guarantees to help agricul
tural producers and rural
small businesses save en
ergy and install renewables
to save money while reduc-
Continued on PAGE
TWO
-
f
For the past 31 years
Dorothy Stefani, lone, trav
eled an 81 mile mail route
three days a week. On April
29, at age 85, Stefani will
hang up her keys and get on
with her retirement.
Stefani began her ca
reer as a mail carrier by
filling in for her mother-in-
law, Cecil Stefani, who had
the route for many years.
“I have had the route for
31 years,” she said. “It was
always the same route - 81
miles round trip - three
days a week.” Stefani said
if people wanted their mail
the other two days they had
to come to town and get it.
Mail is delivered to Valby
once each week on Friday.
Her day began at 8 a.m.
when she went to the post
office and sorted her mail.
She then left the post office,
mail in tow, to begin driving
her route. Stefani said she
never minded the drive.
“I loved it,” she said. “I
loved to see what the farm
ers were doing and see the
baby calves and lambs.”
Stefani has seen chang
es of a global nature in her
31 years. “We used to have
a lot harder winters she
said. “The snow would drift
off the fields and across the
road but 1 would put on
my chains and try to get
through.” She said people
on her route looked out for
her and if she didn’t arrive
on time they would begin to
check with neighbors to see
if she was alright. “All the
people were just real good,
llhey always looked after
me,” she said.
, Stefani recalled an early
spring incident in the 8 Mile
Canyon that could have had
tragic consequences.
“There was a dip in the
road and water was backed
up the canyon. It broke
loose and my husband, who
Dorothy Stefani
An open house celebration for Dorothy
Stefani will be held on April 29 from
1 :3 0 -3 p.m. at the lone Post Office
was with me, told me to get
out of the truck and get into
the back but the water was
too high,” she said. “We
finally got into the back
and a county road grater
came along and saved us.”
Stefani said the mail was
lost along with the pickup.
“ Afterward we walked and
tried to find that mail but we
couldn’t find it,” she said.
A nother change has
been the absorption o f
smaller farms and ranches
by neighboring operations.
“These places have gotten
so big,” she said.
Stefani said she will
miss all of her friends at the
post office but admits she is
ready to give up the chill of
the early morning air.
As a mother of four and
grandmother of 14, Stefani
thinks he will have plenty
to do in her retirement. “I
love sports and try to go to
as many of my grandchil
dren’s as I can,” she said.
She also thinks she may
go to the senior center for
lunch on Wednesday or
maybe plant some flowers.
“I don’t know exactly but I
know I will find something
to do,” she said.
Sage Center set to open
June 1 manager tells
Chamber members
A great experience fo r everyone
The m anager o f the
soon to open Sage Center
at the Port of Morrow in
Boardman gave an update
last week to the Heppner
Chamber of Commerce and
said the center is set to open
to the public on June 1.
lots o f student groups use
the facility as a learning be able to step into what
appears to be the basket of
experience.
a
hot air balloon.
In one corner o f the
The basket will lift and
exhibit hall, visitors will
then rock back and forth
as large movie projections
help passengers imagine
they are soaring over forests
in the north end of Morrow
County, through irrigated
wheat fields and along the
Columbia River to the Port
of Morrow.
The 10,000-square-foot
exhibit space also will fea
ture a moving sculpture
that shows how a potato be
comes french fries as well
as a tractor ride that lets
drivers plow virtual fields
and then see how straight
Kal i e Davi s g i v e s the their paths were.
H e p p n e r C h a m b e r of
Davis invited everyone
Commerce an update on
over
for a great experience
the soon to be opened
about
Morrow County.
Sage C enter at the Port
Kalie Davis said the
center will feature a theater,
souvenir store, simulated
hot air balloon ride and will
show off the technologies,
processes and products that
drive the economy in rural
Morrow County. Davis
said a complete tour o f
the center will take one to
one and a half hours to see
everything at the 23,000-
square-foot complex.
General admission will
be $5 for general admis
sion, $3 for students and
senior and under five years
free. She hopes to have of Morrow in Boardman.
THIS YEAR’S
BIGGEST REBATES
A LOWEST
INTEREST, ENDS
APRIL 30, 2013
CONTACT JASON AT MCGG 541-989-9221 FOR DETAILS
Morrow
V Lnxington