HEPPNER
G T
50¢
azette
imes
VOL. 134
NO. 14
8 Pages
Wednesday, April 8, 2015
Morrow County, Heppner, Oregon
March 2015 tied for
warmest on record
If March seemed warm,
it was; March 2015 tied
with March 1934 for the
warmest March on record
at 49.4 degrees, accord-
ing to preliminary data
received by NOAA’s Na-
tional Weather Service in
Pendleton.
In fact, temperatures
at Heppner averaged much
warmer than normal during
the month of March. The
average temperature was
49.4 degrees, which was 5.2
degrees above normal. High
temperatures averaged 61.4
degrees, which was 6.5
degrees above normal. The
highest was 75 degrees on
There is no registration
fee for the MS Walk. Event
coordinators say donations
of any amount are welcome,
as those funds will help
support the continuing fight
against MS. Participants
raising $100 per person or
more can earn prizes for
outstanding fundraising,
starting with a T-shirt prize
at the $100 level, while sup-
plies last.
Anyone who is unable
to attend the day of the
scheduled walk can still
help the cause by register-
ing as a virtual walker and
walking on a lunch break,
walking to and from work,
or walking with a group of
walkers on another day to
raise funds.
All Eastern Oregon
residents are invited to join
the walk, the goal of which
is to “create a world free of
MS (multiple sclerosis).”
2013 MS Walk participants Vicki Rayburn (left) and Beth
Dickenson (pushing children Kameron and Kody) keep it
light while walking for a good cause. This year’s event is
planned for April 25 at 10 a.m. -File photo
MS Walk posters, with
registration information,
will be located in local busi-
nesses. Contact Heppner
water year precipitation
at Heppner has been 6.32
inches, which is 1.85 inches
below normal.
The highest wind gust
was 48 mph, which oc-
curred on the 23 rd .
The outlook for April
from NOAA’s Climate Pre-
diction Center calls for
near-normal temperatures
and near-normal precipita-
tion. Normal highs for Hep-
pner rise from 59 degrees
at the start of April to 64
degrees at the end of April.
Normal lows rise from 36
degrees to 40 degrees. The
30-year normal precipita-
tion is 1.51 inches.
Rep. Smith brings
state budget committee
to District 57
Get ready for Walk MS
Heppner is getting
ready for its 17 th year of
sponsoring the Eastern Or-
egon MS Walk, planned
for Saturday, April 25, at
10 a.m.
The registration/check-
in will begin at 9 a.m. at All
Saint’s Episcopal Church,
460 N Gale Street, Heppner.
The walk will start at 10
a.m. with brunch and door
prizes to follow after the
walk. The well-marked 5K
route is wheelchair acces-
sible. This year’s event will
also feature a 5K run, and
a marked 10K walk is also
available. There will be 5K
and 10K route maps avail-
able the day of the walk.
Pre-registration is ap-
preciated, and there is still
time to pre-register at www.
walkMSoregon.com or by
phone at 503-445-8342.
However, walk-ons are also
welcome.
the 11 th . Low temperatures
averaged 37.5 degrees,
which was 4 degrees above
normal. The lowest was 24
degrees, on the first.
There were five days
with the low temperature
below 32 degrees.
Precipitation totaled
one inch during March,
which was 0.52 inches be-
low normal. Measurable
precipitation of at least .01
inch was received on eight
days with the heaviest, 0.27
inches, reported on the 23 rd .
Precipitation this year
has reached 2.28 inches,
which is 1.83 inches below
normal. Since October, the
MS Walk co-chairs Merilee
McDowell, 541-571-5853,
or Barb Orwick, 541-256-
0455, with questions.
SALEM—State Rep.
Greg Smith (R-Heppner)
is bringing the Joint Ways
and Means Committee to
District 57 this Saturday,
April 11.
The committee will be
holding a public hearing at
the SAGE Center located
at the Port of Morrow in
Boardman at noon.
This event provides
the public with an oppor-
tunity to submit testimony
and input to the committee
members regarding budget
priorities.
For more information
on the public hearing, con-
tact the office of Rep. Smith
at 503-986-1457 or rep.
gregsmith@state.or.us.
Membership of the
Joint Ways and Means Com-
mittee includes: Rep. Peter
Buckley, Co-Chair; Rep.
Nancy Nathanson, Co-Vice
Chair; Rep. Greg Smith,
Co-Vice Chair; Rep. David
Gomberg; Rep. John Huff-
man; Rep. Betty Komp;
Rep. Mike McLane, House
Republican Leader; Rep.
Dan Rayfield; Rep. Tobias
Read; Rep. Gene Whisnant;
Rep. Gail Whitsett; Rep.
Jennifer Williamson; Sen.
Richard Devlin, Co-Chair;
Sen. Betsy Johnson, Co-
Vice Chair; Sen. Jackie
Winters, Co-Vice Chair;
Sen. Fred Girod; Sen. Bill
Hansell; Sen. Rod Monroe;
Sen. Arnie Roblan; Sen.
Chip Shields; Sen. Eliza-
beth Steiner Hayward; Sen.
Chuck Thomsen; and Sen.
Doug Whitsett.
‘Dryland’ screens in
inaugural Pendleton
Real West Festival
Bunny sightings...
Those who missed the SAGE Center screening of
“Dryland” will have another shot at watching the docu-
mentary in Pendleton next week.
“Dryland” has been billed as “an intimate portrait of
rural America in transition, through the eyes of a young
man pursuing his dream and a town fighting to survive.”
The 62-minute film will screen in Pendleton on Sat-
urday, April 18, at 3 p.m. at the Pendleton Elks Lodge
288, 14 SE 3rd St. as part of the inaugural Pendleton
Real West Festival.
The festival is intended to highlight Northwest
filmmakers and musicians, classic Western cinema, and
Western culture.
Tickets are now available.
Anti-bullying expert
visits Morrow County
Unlike most superheroes, it seems the Easter Bunny can appear in two places at once. Upper left: The Easter Bunny stops
for a photo op with Brian Lindsay, 10, and Catherine Lindsay, 4, at the egg hunt in Heppner last Saturday. Meanwhile, a
bunny sighting also occured in Ione (upper right) at the same time that day. -Contributed photos
BMCC plans meetings to inform public
of bond details
PENDLETON, Ore.—
Blue Mountain Community
College will host a series of
community meetings this
month to inform the public
of the projects included
in bond measure 30-106,
which will appear on the
May 19 election ballot. The
approximately $23 million
bond would cost taxpayers
around 25 cents per $1,000
of assessed property value.
The meetings are open to
the public and will last ap-
proximately one hour.
A Morrow County
meeting is scheduled for
Boardman on Friday, April
24, at noon at the BMCC
Boardman Center, 300 NE
Front Street. The meeting
will include a light lunch.
Each meeting will in-
clude the viewing of an in-
formational video, followed fort to inform the commu-
by a short presentation. The nity about the bond.
public will also have an op-
If approved by voters,
portunity to ask questions. the bond would fund the
Since BMCC failed to renovation of the agricul-
pass a bond in November ture facility in Pendleton,
2013, officials have gath- construct a precision irri-
ered community feedback, gated agriculture program
reevaluated projects, and in Hermiston in partnership
decreased costs in an ef- with the OSU Experiment
fort to put together a bond Station, and build a work-
package based on commu- force training and early
nity, and regional indus- learning center in Board-
try and economic needs. man in partnership with the
Since early March, BMCC Port of Morrow. In addition,
administrators have pre- the bond would address
sented bond information heating, cooling and electri-
to numerous city councils, cal inefficiencies in BMCC
school boards, civic clubs facilities, make safety and
and service organizations security upgrades, and fund
throughout Umatilla and the purchase of instruction-
Morrow counties in an ef- al equipment for programs
ALL NEWS AND ADVERTISEMENT DEADLINE:
MONDAYS AT 5:00 P.M.
including nursing, dental
assisting, diesel technolo-
gies and EMS.
For anyone who cannot
attend one of the meet-
ings, information regard-
ing the bond—including
the video—is available
on the BMCC website,
www.bluecc.edu. Questions
can be sent to bondinfo@
bluecc.edu.
Stan Davis of “Stop Bullying Now” (pictured above at the
SAGE Center in Boardman) spent the week in Morrow County
with school professionals and community members. He capped
off the week with a full-day presentation at the SAGE Cen-
ter. Funding from Morrow County LCAC (local community
advisory council), Ione School District and Morrow County
School District made Davis’s visit possible. –Contributed photo
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Lexington 989-8221 • 1-800-452-7396
For farm equipment, visit our web site at www.mcgg.net