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About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (June 3, 2015)
SIX - Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, June 3, 2015 Wights earn Yard of the Month for May DA’s Report Gary and Jeri Wight’s neat and tidy property at 515 S. Chase has earned them May’s Yard of the Month recognition, much to their surprise. The Wights’ lives and lifestyles have influenced their gardening style, keep- ing it simple without a lot of flowers. When assured that a neat and well-kept yard is always appreciated, Jeri was relieved because she “is good at growing grass and murdering dandelions” but “is just not much into flowers.” Both Wights are origi- nally from Spray, where Gary retired from the Or- egon Department of Trans- portation. Jeri began work at the Spray post office, then transferred to Heppner, where she retired in 2002. In Spray, the couple lived in the Templeton house, owned previously by Jeri’s parents, where they kept a nice, large yard. Her father had established more than 50 trees around the prop- erty, watering them from a 50-gallon barrel since regular irrigation wasn’t Morrow County Dis- trict Attorney Justin Nelson has released the following report: -Ace Jeremy Huff, 40, was convicted of one count of Driving Under the Influence of Intoxicants (DUII), a Class A Misde- meanor, and sentenced to three years’ driver’s license suspension and 180 days jail time. However, execu- tion of 140 days jail time was suspended and the defendant sentenced to 36 months bench probation, to include 40 days jail time with credit for time served, Antabuse if medically able, 160 hours of community service, alcohol evaluation and victim impact panel. The defendant was further convicted of one count of Reckless Driving, a Class Jeri Wight (pictured above) and her husband Gary won lo- cal recognition with May’s Yard of the Month. –Photo by Kay Proctor possible at that time. Since purchasing their home in 1996, the Wights have built a shop, put on siding and a metal roof, and added a back deck from where they can enjoy views of town and the Willow Creek Valley. An adjacent lot had a home burnt by fire, but still standing, so they purchased that property for extra parking on their steep hillside. The open lawn stays green with an underground sprinkler system they put in. A high priority is to keep weeds under control so they won’t be a fire hazard. Last summer, Jeri says she watched the hillside to the northwest of their home burn rapidly, then later that summer saw smoke from a hillside fire to the southeast. Both wildfires reinforced their belief in keeping the yard green and the weeds down. Son John Wight with wife, Shelley, live close by, sharing a property line. When John and Shelley’s original house burnt, ex- tensive leveling was done in building the replacement home. Gary was able to use Gary and Jeri Wight’s “neat and tidy” yard earned them the that excavated rock to build title of May’s Yard of the Month from the Heppner Volunteers. a road connecting the two –Photo by Kay Proctor properties. He keeps weeds on the hillside under control by spraying, and Jeri uses a lightweight weed eater where possible. Like many yards in town and country, deer are frequent visitors. Last summer, they annihilated a lilac shrub, wiped out a bed of strawberries and even ate moss roses down to stubs. To keep the bor- der beds easy to maintain, Jeri has filled them in with river rock and other larger collectible rocks from here and there. Gary jokes about how she hauls rock home to their already rocky hillside. Jeri enjoys their hillside neighborhood and speaks fondly of neighbors, past and present. While the Wights do not have a pet right now, the neighbor- hood cat stops by often for snacks and a visit. During winter snow- falls, Gary can be seen downtown on his ATV, snowplowing sidewalks and parking lots. He also has a lawn mower attach- ment for his ATV. The en- tire family, including grand- children, Adam and Riley, and great-grandchildren, Cooper, Jaxson and Remi, enjoy getting together to camp and ride ATVs and side by sides. Yard of the Month rec- ognition is sponsored by the Heppner Volunteers, MCGG-Green Feed and the City of Heppner. Contact Kay Proctor if you would like to be a part of the Hep- pner Volunteers. Funding available to help Oregon landowners mitigate effects of drought The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in Oregon announces up to $2.5 mil- lion in funding available to farmers, ranchers and for- est landowners to mitigate the effects of drought in counties that have secured drought declarations from the governor’s office. At this time those coun- ties are: Morrow, Umatilla, Wasco, Wheeler, Baker, Crook, Deschutes, Grant, Harney, Jackson, Jose- phine, Klamath, Lake, Lane and Malheur. If additional counties receive a drought declaration they will also have the opportunity to ap- ply for this funding. Landowners in these counties should submit applications to their local USDA Service Center by June 26 to be considered for funding. “This funding will help Oregonians in the most drought-stricken areas of the state to mitigate the impacts of drought on crop- land, rangeland and forest- land,” said Ron Alvarado, state conservationist. “This funding amplifies the work NRCS continues to do ev- ery day to support water conservation, soil health and productivity on Or- egon’s working agricultural lands and forest lands.” NRCS will give higher priority to applications in counties with the highest drought status according to conservation practices. For cropland practices, NRCS will assist producers with planting and managing cover crops and implement- A Misdemeanor; execution of the 180-day sentence was suspended and the defendant sentenced to 36 months bench probation, to include 40 hours of com- munity service, Antabuse if medically able, alcohol evaluation and victim im- pact panel. Fines, fees and assessments totaled $3,200. -Robert Lee Carneal, 74, was convicted of Con- tempt of Court. Sentence was 180 days jail time; however, sentence was sus- pended and the defendant sentenced to 12 months bench probation, to include compliance with a Morrow County restraining order and no contact with listed individuals. A second count of Contempt of Court was dismissed. Fines, fees and assessments totaled $100. FBLA to hold bake sale June 12 The FBLA (Future Business Leaders of America) will hold a baked goods fundraiser at the farmer’s market next Friday, June 12, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. for the three girls traveling to FBLA National Competition in Chicago June 26-July 3. Available that day will be homemade yeast breads, Caitlynn Bailey’s sweet breads, cookies, brownies, cakes and more. Sheriff’s Report October 18: -A caller in Boardman advised 911 dispatch that when she was driving by a location she saw a subject kicking at a door; subject was wearing a black hooded sweatshirt. Boardman Police Dept. and Morrow County Sheriff’s Office responded. The sub- ject had locked himself out. -Someone at Sub Zero Restaurant in Irrigon re- ported that five to six peo- ple, mostly women, were fighting in front of the lo- cation. -MCSO was advised that Benton County ar- rested Cesar Junior Munoz Gutierrez, 20, on a Morrow County warrant for Fail- ure to Appear on Criminal Mischief II and Reckless Endangering. -MCSO was advised of a motor vehicle accident on I-84 E near Boardman, un- known injury. BPD, MCSO, Boardman Fire, Boardman Ambulance and Oregon State Police responded. OSP arrested Brittany Ni- cole Ward, 21, for DUII. -MCSO was advised a white Chevy Blazer with music blaring was driving on the sidewalk by Hep- pner Elementary School, weaving around the pil- lars. MCSO responded and checked the area but was unable to locate. to livestock. For forestry practices, NRCS will help landown- ers with wildfire prevention measures, such as creating fuel breaks, multi-purpose water impoundments and other fuel reduction activi- ties. These actions reduce excess vegetation in a for- est so that wildfire has less fuel to spread higher into the canopy, where it causes the most damage. NRCS is partnering with the Oregon Department of Forestry to focus the funding on areas with a higher risk for cata- strophic forest fire. The funding will be made available to eligible landowners through the the USDA Drought Moni- ing emergency soil erosion NRCS’ Environmental tor; however, producers in measures. These practices Quality Incentives Program all counties declared by the will help farmers protect (EQIP). Read more about governor will be eligible the soil from erosion, pro- EQIP eligibility, selection to apply for funding. The mote more organic matter and payments on the Or- USDA drought monitor in the soil, and aid in better egon EQIP webpage. is updated weekly every water infiltration. Applications will be Thursday and classifies For rangeland prac- ranked and prioritized counties under five drought tices, NRCS will assist for funding based on the categories: D0 – Abnor- ranchers in developing drought level, resource mally Dry; D1 – Moder- grazing management plans concern, conservation ben- ate Drought; D2 – Severe and installing emergency efit, and if applicable, the Drought; D3 – Extreme livestock watering facili- wildfire risk factor. Drought; and D4 – Ex- ties and multi-purpose wa- Landowners should ceptional Drought. All of ter impoundments. These submit applications by con- Eastern Oregon is in a D2 practices help reduce pres- tacting their local USDA or D3 drought status. sure on stressed vegetation, Service Center. In Oregon, NRCS will allow the soil to retain Learn more about focus the funding on crop- more moisture, and deliver NRCS programs in Oregon There are 100 days of land, rangeland and forestry emergency water supplies at www.or.nrcs.usda.gov. summer, and the American Red Cross urges eligible donors to choose their day to give blood and help en- sure a sufficient blood sup- ply. Two of those opportu- nities will come in Morrow County June 16 and June 23 in Boardman. June 16 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., donors can give blood at Portland Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife General Electric/Boardman and Morrow County Parks Coal Plant, 73334 Tower Road, while the site will be are sponsoring a Columbia River Commu- nity Health Services, 450 Tatone St., on June 23 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The Red Cross reports Where: Cutsforth Park Start Time: 8:30 am that summer is a difficult time to collect enough When: Saturday, June 6, 2015 End Time: 11:00 am blood to meet patient needs. For children 14 years old and younger Nearly 90 percent of donors Address: 58430 Willow Creek Rd., Heppner, Oregon surveyed this past spring said they planned to take For more information contact Kirsti Cason or Betty Gray at the Morrow County Public Works Office (541) 989-9500 a vacation this summer, October 19: -MCSO was advised that female was in Bucknum’s in Heppner for about two hours playing the poker machines; she left for 15 minutes but her car stayed outside. She then went back in and then went back outside to smoke, and two small children got out of her car and were talking to her. They were in paja- mas with no shoes on. -A woman in Irrigon advised a Border Collie had dug into her yard and she would like to sign a citation. MCSO issued a citation to James Edward Anderson, 54, for Maintain Dog as a Public Nuisance. -A caller in Boardman advised MCSO of a loud party near his residence. He believed it might be at Our Lady Guadalupe Catholic Church. -An MCSO deputy ad- vised of a male subject lying in the road in Irrigon with a head wound. MCSO and Irrigon Ambulance responded. Jose Ramirez Fernandez, 35, was issued citations for two warrants and released to appear at Irrigon Justice Court. October 20: -MCSO was advised that Lincoln County arrested Jacob Earl Busch, 31, on an IJC war- rant for FTA on Giving False Information. American Red Cross encourages adding blood donation to vacation to-do lists FREE YOUTH FISHING DERBY M I N N O W S TROUT potentially making them less available to give. In addition, many schools that host blood drives are out of session during the summer. But the need for blood do- nations is constant. Every two seconds someone in the U.S. needs blood. Donors of all blood types—especially those with types O negative, A negative and B negative— are needed. The Red Cross must collect 15,000 blood donations every day to meet the needs of patients at ap- proximately 2,600 hospitals and transfusion centers nationwide. To make an appoint- ment to give blood, down- load the Red Cross Blood Donor App, visit redcross- blood.org or call 1-800- RED CROSS (1-800-733- 2767).