Getting ready to
celebrate the centennial
Eugene, OR 97403
4-H Ambassador Stacee Halvorsen of lone puts some finishing touches on a display in the 4-H
Annex on Monday in preparation for the Morrow County Fair in Heppner. Morrow County’s
centennial fair takes place this week, Aug. 14-17. -Photo by Andrea Di Salvo
VOL, 132
N O . 33
10 Pages
Wednesday, August 14, 2013
Morrow County, Heppner, Oregon
School district to grade based
on proficiency, not behavior
New food standards also set in place
By April Sykes
The Morrow County
School Board, at its August
12 meeting in Heppner,
voted to put policy in place
that student grading will
be on a proficiency basis,
not taking into account
student m isbehavior or
absentees. In other words,
if a student can pass the
proficiency tests, regardless
of his behavior or number
of absences, then he will
pass.
Also at the meeting,
S u p e r in te n d e n t D irk
Dirksen swore in new board
member Rhonda Hamby,
-See MCSD SETS GRADING
STANDARDS/PAGE SEVEN
New Morrow County School Board member Rhonda Hamby
(left) and returning members Thad Killingbeck (second from
left) and Barney Lindsay (right) were sworn in at the last
MCSD meeting in Heppner. Also on the board is Becky Kindle
(second from right). -Photo by April Sykes
OHV Peeping Tom pled
on ‘attem pted’ invasion o f
privacy
Confession suppressed based on technicalities
By Andrea Di Salvo
It has been a little
more than a year since the
Morrow County Sheriff’s
Office arrested Morrow/
G rant OHV Park host
John Earl McBride, 55, on
multiple counts of Invasion
o f Privacy and Criminal
Mischief II. What happened
after that could be termed
a legal tap-dance, with the
lawyers maneuvering over
McBride’s fate.
For those unfamiliar
with the case, early in July
2012, M CSO R eserve
D eputy Todd Siex was
contacted by individuals
who were using the park
showers; the men reported
to Siex that they had located
holes in the shower stalls.
More investigation revealed
that the holes were drilled
so an observer standing on
the other side of the wall, in
the maintenance area of the though she was to remain
bathroom/shower facilities, fully clothed. Meanwhile,
could see into the shower D etec tiv e K aren D ike
stalls.
observed from a distance.
In addition, a
She saw McBride
w om an o bserved
entering
the
M cBride entering
maintenance space;
the m a in ten a n ce
Dike then opened
area after individuals
the door and caught
wen t into the
McBride in the act
showers and exiting
o f peeping through
a g a i n a f t e r t he J o h n E a r l one o f the drilled
McBride
people were finished
holes. Dike arrested
in the shower area.
M cB rid e on the
McBride, o f Pilot Rock, scene.
was a contract vendor acting
That was when things
as the camp host at the got sticky.
Morrow/Grant OHV Park.
Dike cuffed McBride
He had had that position and, according to court
as a contract vendor for the records, escorted him to
past two seasons.
the office, not yet having
Based
on
t h e advised him of his Miranda
information gathered by rights. On the way, McBride
Siex, Reserve Deputy Keri started to talk, confessing,
Jarm er was assigned to police said, not only to his
check into the park and
-See OHV PEEPING TOM/
use the bathroom shower,
PAGE FOUR
Hermiston business owner the ‘ticket’ Electric rates to
increase Oct. 1
to a night out for Morrow Ag youth
By Andrea Di Salvo
Morrow County 4-H
and FFA m em bers will
get a night at the rodeo
this year, thanks to an area
business owner.
Lou Lyons—who gave
his age as “just old”— is the
owner of Elmer’s Irrigation
& Supplies in Hermiston.
He said he has purchased
200 tic k e ts to F riday
ev en in g ’s perform ance
o f the Oregon Trail Pro
Rodeo in Heppner, to be
handed out to 4-H and
FFA m em bers who are
showing or exhibiting in
the Morrow County Fair
this year. He said it doesn’t
matter whether they show
liv e sto c k or hom e ec
projects; what matters is
giving these hard-working
kids a night off.
“ I ’ve been involved
with FFA and 4-H for years
and they tie in together with
the rodeo and them being at
the fair,” said Lyons. “It just
gives them a break, with
them being there all week.
Gives them an opportunity
to do something.”
It’s a project Lyons has
undertaken for more than a
decade in Umatilla County.
He s a i d he w a s
approached by the rodeo
there in 2000; he began
buying tick ets for the
U m atilla County youth
that year and has been doing
so ever since, to the tune of
around 400 tickets per year.
He said he provides
this for the FFA and 4-H
kids specifically because
he believes in the programs.
“ The p rogram s are
great. It gives the kids the
opportunity to do something
positive,” said Lyons.
In U m atilla County,
the Farm City Pro Rodeo
holds a “ Youth and Ag
Night” every year. Not only
are tickets given for 4-H
and FFA youth to attend
the rodeo, but E lm er’s
Irrigation sponsors a “calf
dressing” contest in which
calves are turned loose in
the arena and the youth
have to chase them down,
put t-shirts on them and
bring them back to the
circle.
“ I t ’s a fun event .
Basically we’re trying to
acknowledge the children
who are doing the FFA and
4-H,” said Lyons.
Just this year, Lyons
said, he started to wonder
Buchholz leaving ranger
district for Coos Bay
T o d d B u c h h o l z , day to be Sept. 5, though
Umatilla National Forest he says putting out fires
Heppner District
in the di s t r i ct —
Ranger , will be
literally—will keep
leaving his post next
him working until
* the very end.
month. B uchholz
h as a c c e p t e d a
He and his wife,
position with the
Jean, are moving to
Bur eau o f Land Todd Buchholz Coos Bay mainly to
M a n a g e m e n t in
be closer to family,
Coos Bay as Umpqua Area Buhholz said, though he
Field Manager, effective looks forw ard to being
Sept. 9.
closer to “the w et.” He
Buccholz, 57, moved added that another incentive
to Heppner in his role as is that Jean may be able to
district ranger in May of return to teaching college-
2010. He expects his last level math at the local
»
community college there.
She, like her husband, is
active in the community,
starting and leading a local
yoga group, volunteering
time working with gifted
and talented math students
at Heppner High School,
and playing saxophone in
the pep band.
“Heppner was my first
ranger gig, and it’s been
wonderful,” Buchholz said.
“People in town have been
very welcoming, friendly
-See RANGER LEAVING/
PAGE TWO
why he had never done
s o me t h i n g s i mi l a r in
Morrow County.
I come down there and
buy animals at the animal
sale. I thought maybe it was
time we did it down there,”
he said.
With that in mind, he
approached FFA advisor
Beth D ick en so n , even
inviting Dickenson and a
few others to Hermiston to
see the Youth and Ag Night
in action.
“I wasn’t sure what to
expect; it was hilarious,”
said Dickenson, who said
she attended the Hermiston
Rodeo event with a 4-H
advisor. “ It was great
entertainm ent. The kids
were really enthusiastic;
-See AG YOUTH NIGHT/
PAGE THREE
B o n n e v i l l e P o w er
A d m i n i s t r a t i o n ha s
announced a 9 percent
who l e s a l e po we r rate
increase and an 11 percent
transmission rate increase
effective Oct. 1,2013. BPA
says it needs the rate increase
to support improvements to
the federal hydropower and
transmission systems.
“I recognize the rate
increase will be challenging
for customers,” said Elliot
Mai nzer , BPA Ac t i ng
A dm inistrator, “ but the
increases are necessary
so that we can preserve
the long-term value of the
federal hydro-generation
system and the high voltage
transmission lines that serve
the Pacific Northwest.”
The power rate increase
stems from higher cost to
operate and maintain the
hydro system, higher long
term fish and wildlife costs,
and reduced revenues from
surplus power sales due
to lower surplus market
prices.
For transmission
customers, the rate increase
stem s from a grow ing
c o n s t r u c t i o n pr o g r a m
driven by the need to
repair and replace aging
transmission facilities and
increased spending on
government and security
requirements.
Jerry Healy. Columbia
Basin Electric Cooperative
Manager, said, “The Board
of Directors will carefully
r e v i e w the i nc r e as ed
power and transm ission
cost from BPA and allocate
these costs based on a
-See ELECTRIC RATE IN-
CREASE/PAGE THREE
Heppner announces upcoming
construction schedule
The city o f Heppner
has a n n o u n c e d th at
construction will be halted
on Elder and Quaid streets
in Heppner Thursday, Aug.
15, and Friday, Aug. 16, to
allow for through traffic on
these streets during fair and
rodeo.
T h e s i d e w a l k at
Ba l t i mo r e from Main
Street to the grade school
will continue to be closed
in preparation for new
sidewalks and retaining
walls,
-See HEPPNER CON-
STRUCTION/PAGE SEVEN
M o n ta n a Silver
OflOyC ABE 4 MONTANA’
/ n
l l l i p
.UJsiLVF.RSMITHS
Morrow County Grain Growers Green Feed A Seed
242 W. Linden Why, Heppner • «76-9422 • 989-8221 (MCOQ main ofltca)