Bessie Wetzell Newspaper Library
University of Oregon
Eugene, OR 97403
VOL. 132
N O . 41
8 Pages
Wednesday, October 16,2013
Heppner plans a
‘haunted’ Halloween
Children from Heppner Day Care visit the Gazette-Times for
a little trick-r-treating during the Halloween season. Miniature
goblins and ghouls, princesses and superheroes like these
are expected to be out and about for Haunted Heppner this
Halloween, Oct. 31, from 3:30-5 p.m., when area businesses
have committed to participate in a “trick or treat” social. -File
photo
H eppner dow ntow n
w ill be h a u n te d th is
H a ll o w e e n ...h a u n t e d
with costum ed children
th ro u g h o u t the to w n ’s
businesses.
M ost o f th e c ity ’s
businesses have committed
to participate in a trick or
treat social from 3:30-5
p.m. Halloween evening.
These businesses will offer
treats to costumed children
who come by the stores,
banks and offices.
T he p a r ti c ip a tin g
storefronts will display
an orange sign that says
“Welcome to trick or treat.”
At least 17 businesses
will display signs.
lone hires new
teacher
Aaron Josephson has
been hired as a temporary
elementary teacher at lone
Community School.
Josephson, a graduate
o f S o u th e r n O re g o n
U n iv e r s it y , h o ld s a
b a c h e lo r ’s d e g re e in
psychology and master's
in elementary and early
c h ild h o o d
education,
He w i l l
t e a c h
second
grade in the
m o r n in g s
an d f if th Aaron
grade in the Josephson
afternoons.
Local woman ‘enormously happy’
city to put in driveway entrance
By David Sykes
A local woman says she
is “enormously happy” the
city has decided to put in a
driveway opening in front
o f her house in Heppner,
thus allowing her vehicle
Morrow County, Heppner, Oregon
access to her property.
C aro ly n M cD aniel
had originally been told
that it was her problem
that no driveway entrance
had been installed to her
property during the recently
completed street, sidewalk
and g u tter upgrade on
Water Street, and she would
just have to live with it.
However, after attending
Monday’s council meeting
to discuss the problem, an
engineer showed up at her
door the next morning and
told her the problem would
be fixed and the driveway
would, in fact, be installed.
“Mitch Ferguson came
and he had a couple o f
people with him and they
spray painted the curb,”
McDaniel said. “My health
is deteriorating and 1 did
not think 1 would be able to
get on and off my property
with a motorized scooter
or other vehicle,” said the
72-year-old McDaniel, who
has cancer and PTSD.
“My health is going to
do nothing but deteriorate,”
she pointed out. “1 need that
access.”
Before the Water Street
upgrade their were no curbs
Carolyn McDaniel stands in front of her house where fresh
spray paint marks the spot where a driveway will be added
for her property. McDaniel says she especially needs the access
because of her deteriorating health. -Photo by David Sykes
or gutters on Water Street,
so the sidewalks and all the
properties were level with
the street.
Ferguson Engineering
did the engineering work
and had added driveways
on all the other homes on
Water Street but somehow
missed McDaniel's home.
Construction of sidewalks,
curbs, gutters and paving
was completed without her
having any vehicle access
included to her property.
At Monday’s council
meeting McDaniel said she
was not in good health and
on top of that did not know
anything about engineering
a street, so did not feel it
was her job to have to find
a way around the mistake.
“ 1 c a n ’t g et a
wheelchair, motorized cart
or auto onto my property,”
she told the council, and
said it was the city's and the
engineers’ duty to correct
the problem. McDaniel said
she had called Ferguson
E n g in eerin g about the
mistake, but no one had
called her back.
-See CITY COUNC1L/PAGE
SIX
School district hears report on
student, school success
By April Sykes
Irrigon High School
teacher Andrew Johnson
made a presentation at the
M orrow County School
Board m eeting Monday
night concerning the new
S u ccess 101 p ro g ram
implemented in Morrow
County high schools this
year.
The program, required
for all high school freshmen,
is designed to aid students
in formulating a vision and
a plan, not only for their
high school experience,
but for college and beyond.
The course helps students to
realize who they are, what
they like, what they want
to achieve in life and how
to get to their goal. The
curriculum runs the gamut
from exploring personality
types to budgeting, realistic
money planning, selecting
colleges and planning for
careers and family.
Success 101 is eligible
for college credits through
th e E a s te r n P ro m is e
program. Eastern Promise
enables students to obtain
college credits while they
are still in high school
at certain colleges, Blue
M o u n tain C o m m u n ity
College, Treasure Valley
Community College and
Eastern Oregon University.
The program was well
received and superintendent
Dirk Dirksen was asked
if th e p ro g ram co u ld
be expanded to include
sophomores as well. The
probability of offering the
class to other students is
not as likely, but would be
determined by scheduling
and staffing capabilities.
At the m eeting, the
b o a rd a lso v ie w ed a
presentation on the district’s
state report card. Heppner
J u n i o r / S e n i o r High
School, A.C. Houghton,
Heppner Elementary and
Windy River Elementary
all received a score of 4.
Riverside Junior/Senior
H ig h , Sam B oardm an
Elementary, Irrigon Junior/
Senior High all received
a score o f 3 and Irrigon
Elementary received a 2.
O regon report card
scoring has been changed
and is now on a new five-
point scale.
According to state data,
the majority of schools in
Oregon received scores of
2, 3 or 4, with only 114
schools earning the top
ranking of 5 and only 60
schools receiving a 1, the
lowest ranking. Level 1
schools were ranked in the
fifth percentile or under
of all schools in Oregon;
level 2 schools were ranked
between the sixth and 15th
percentile; level 3 schools
were ranked between the
15lh and 43rd percentile;
level 4 were ranked between
the 44th and 90th percentile;
and only the top 10 percent
o f schools received a level
5 ranking.
E lem en tary school
report cards are based 75
percent on student growth
and 25 percent on the
percentage o f students
passing state tests. High
schools were graded 50
p ercen t on graduation
rates, 30 percent on student
growth and 20 percent on
passing state tests.
In a d d i t i o n HHS,
ACH, WRE, RJSH, SBE
and IJSH all received
“above average” notations
compared to other schools,
while HES and IES received
“below average” notations.
While a school, such
as H eppner Elementary
School, may obtain a level
4 ranking, for example, the
school might still receive a
“below average” notation.
That occurs when a school
has already achieved more
90 percent in a certain
category such as student
growth, for example, and
cannot achieve much more
in that area. So that school
is, in effect, being penalized
more than a school that is
ranked lower but has shown
growth.
Also at the meeting,
D irksen told the board
that the district has lost
52 s t udent s over the
pr evi ous y ear “ p retty
well district-w ide,” but
primarily in kindergarten.
He said, however, that the
district would still be able
to maintain the district’s
present school calendar
and staffing. He added that
PERS (Public Employees
Retirement System) reform
“would save us money.”
However, he said it would
depend if proposed PERS
-See MC SCHOOL DIS-
TRICT/PAGE EIGHT
Boo!
Judge throws out Ralls
Corp’s lawsuit against
Obama
Republished from North
American Windpower,
http://www. nawindpower.
com.
(L a s t) W ednesday,
U.S. District Court Judge
Amy Jackson closed the
case on Ralls Corp.’s legal
actions against the U.S.
government and President
Barack Obama, dismissing
the company’s remaining
claim.
R alls is ow ned by
two executives at Chinese
manufacturer Sany Group,
and it says its focus is to
invest in and operate U.S.
wind farm s using Sany
wind turbines.
I
Last year, Ralls sued
the Committee on Foreign
Investment in the United
States (CFIUS) and Obama
after the president blocked
R a lls ’ a c q u isitio n and
ownership o f four wind
projects.
The wind farms were
being developed near a U.S.
navel facility in Oregon that
has restricted airspace.
According to a Reuters
re p o rt, Jack so n ru led
against a majority of Ralls’
claims in February.
On W ed n esd ay ,
the judge dism issed the
rem a in in g c la im — th at
Obama’s order ignored due
process afforded in the U.S.
Constitution— ruling that
Ralls “received sufficient
process” and failed to file
for government approval There's nothing scary about this cheerful scarecrow enjoying some sun in front of the senior
prior to the wind farm center in Heppner Tuesday as the town gears up for Halloween. -Photo by Mallorie Jones
acquisitions.
R e c e n tly , R a lls
AT MCGG GREEN FEED & SEED IN HEPPNER:
acquired the development
rights to the Pleasant Hill
wind farm, a 20 MW project
in Texas slated to come
online in March 2014.
D a n n er &
At the time, a company
spokesperson told NAW
SINCE 1932
that Ralls had voluntarily
filed that acquisition with
the CFIUS.
M o rro w C o u n ty G rain G ro w ers G reen F e ed A S e e d
FALL BOOT SALE
Boots
OHF
BMMJ 4 ^ ^ in d * n J W a ^ J j« £ £ n n ^ ^ 7 ^ 4 2 2 ^ ^ 8 9 ^ 2 2 1 jl» C G G jn 2 ln jo fn c 2 j>>ii>i_
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