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About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (July 1, 2015)
HEPPNER G T 50¢ azette imes VOL. 134 NO. 23 8 Pages G-T closed Friday The Heppner Gazette- Times office will be closed this Friday, July 3, in obser- vance of the Independence Day holiday. Normal hours will resume on Monday, July 6. We wish everyone a safe and happy Fourth of July. OTLD begins July with new website, interim director Kathy Street has been named as interim director of the Oregon Trail Library District, the district an- nounced last week. Street replaces outgoing director Marsha Richmond, who has taken a position as the coor- dinator for Umatilla County Special Library District, effective July 1. Street, an Arlington res- ident, received her Master of Library Science (MLS) degree from Emporia State University. She brings to the position experience in both public and school libraries. The library district also has announced that the OTLD website will be changing. The website currently is http://www.or- egontrail.plinkit.org/. As of July 1, the site will move to http://oregontrail.ploud.net. Wednesday, July 1, 2015 Smith partners with ODFW to select Willow Creek Reservoir for trophy trout pilot program SALEM—Rep. Greg Smith (R-Heppner) and the Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife (ODFW) have partnered to develop a trophy trout pilot program that may have big effects for South Morrow County. In partnership, Rep. Smith and ODFW came together during the 2015 legislative session to dis- cuss the formation of a trophy trout pilot program that would select a handful of reservoirs to stock with trophy-size trout. ODFW will then run ads in their fishing and hunting maga- zines throughout the state encouraging Oregonians to travel to the selected reservoirs. The goal is to help create economic de- velopment opportunities for regions that rely heavily on hunting and fishing tourism. “This is a great project that is perfect for the Wil- low Creek Reservoir,” said Rep. Smith. “I appreciate ODFW’s leadership and Morrow County, Heppner, Oregon Tragedy highlights local heroes and a community that pulls together By Andrea Di Salvo It was a busy weekend for local law enforcement and emergency heroes; nearly simultaneously on Saturday evening Mor- row County Sheriff’s Of- fice received calls for a structure fire in Heppner, a grass/wildland fire east of Heppner, two separate life-flight transports from Pioneer Memorial Hospital, and a motor vehicle crash near Boardman. For a time, all fire and law enforce- ment agencies in Morrow County were tied up with in-progress emergencies. With all that tragedy, details of personal heroics and community support provide bright spots against the backdrop of catastrophe that struck close to home in Local firefighters work to put out the fire that destroyed part of the Mountain Glen apart- ments last Saturday. Flames had engulfed one of the apartments by the time firefighters ar- an apartment complex in rived. Despite their efforts, two apartments were destroyed and two heavily damaged in the Heppner last Saturday. fire. –Contributed photo It was about 5:30 p.m. on June 27 that Morrow ment to grab something and and getting people out,” the top, saying, ‘I can’t, County Sheriff ’s Office ran back to my grandma’s, he adds. it’s too hot,’” Silvia recalls. first received report of the and saw no fire. I put the Fire departments from “And I said, ‘Nana, we have structure fire of unknown food on the stove. This all Heppner, Lexington and to go!” origin at Mountain Glen took like two minutes,” he Ione, as well as Heppner He said he helped the Apartments in Heppner. remembers. “Then I went Public Works, responded elderly woman down the The apartments are located out onto the porch. I saw to the fire. When firefight- stairs. She had already been on Pioneer Drive, right smoke and at first I thought ers arrived, they found one burned, and he tried to behind Pioneer Memorial a neighbor was barbecu- of the apartments already shield her from the flames, Hospital. ing. I leaned over engulfed in flames. Mean- burning his bare feet and The fire was ap- the railing and said, while, with residents evacu- part of his back in the pro- parently first discov- ‘Joe, are you barbe- ating, Silvia helped fellow cess. Friend Wade Mat- ered by Mountain cuing down there?’ resident Linda Tefft and her thews arrived and helped Glen resident Cory There was no an- dog escape the building be- Silvia get Grijalva clear of Silvia. Silvia, 22, swer, so I ran out fore running to save his own the building. Silvia said he says he was cooking the front and that’s dog. That was when he real- then ran to the nearby hos- dinner for his grand- Cory Silvia when I saw the fire.” ized the flames had started pital for a wheelchair. mother, Jeanne Gri- “Automatically burning under the stairs up “My feet were kill- jalva, in her apartment that I just went and started alert- to his grandmother’s apart- ing me,” he recalled, “but evening. ing people that there was ment. -See APARTMENT FIRE/ “I ran over to my apart- a fire, banging on doors “She was standing at PAGE FOUR Man arrested on kidnapping, rape charges after 911 call A man is in custody on multiple charges, including kidnapping and rape, after a 911 call led local authorities to his location Saturday. Saturday morning shortly after 6 a.m., Mor- row County Sheriff’s Of- fice took a 911 call from a willingness to think outside the box in creating and sustaining economic oppor- tunities in rural Oregon.” “Fishing has been and continues to be a favorite recreational activity for many Oregonians,” said Curt Melcher, Director of ODFW. “The trophy trout pilot program will allow us to support the industry, support rural economies, and provide something new and exciting to generate enthusiasm.” female who told police she had been kidnapped and was trapped in a car travel- ing on I-84. According to Morrow County Sheriff Ken Matlack, the phone number plotted to a location outside of Boardman. MCSO, Oregon State Police and the Gilliam County Sheriff ’s Office responded and located the vehicle on I-84 traveling westbound near milepost 143 (east of Arlington) around 8:30 that morning. Law enforcement stopped the vehicle, and Ione Red, White and Blues Schedule July 3-4, 2015 Friday, July 3, 2015 Golf Tournament, Willow Creek Country Club, Heppner, 10 am Volleyball Tournament, Corner of Main and Spring Streets, 9 am Saturday, July 4, 2015 Fireman’s Breakfast, Ione Fire Hall, 7 -10 am Creative Care PreSchool 5k Walk/Run ($10 Registration), Ione City Park, 7 am; registra- tion/walk starts at 7:30 am Topic Club Book Sale, Ione Fire Hall/Post Office Lawn Area, 9 am Ken Turner Memorial Horseshoe Tournament, Horseshoe Pits, 9 am 3-on-3 Basketball Tournament, Main Street, 10 am Craft Fair, Rietmann Building, Main Street, 10 am- 2 pm Blues Cruise Car Show, Ione City Park, 10:30 am Food Vendors/Information Booths/Raffle Tickets, Ione City Park, 11 am Fish Pond, Frog Jump, Bike Raffle, Fire Hall/Park, 11 am Altar Society Pie Sale, Ione Fire Hall, 11 am Parade (Grand Marshal: Betty Rietmann), Main Street, 1 pm Park Activities Begin—Dunk Tank, Duck Races, Money Pile, Photo Booth, Much More, 1 pm Free Swimming, Ione Swimming Pool, 1:30-3:30 pm Legion Auxiliary Baskets, Ione Market, Bidding Ends 3 pm Blues Cruise Awards, Ione City Park, 3 pm Talent Show, Amphitheatre Stage, registration 3 pm/show at 3:30 pm Legion Auxiliary Baskets Winners Announced, Amphitheatre Stage, 4:30 pm Featured Entertainment, Amphitheater Stage After Talent Show The FrogHollow Band (6:30 pm) James Otto (8:30 pm) Raffle Drawings, Amphitheatre Stage, 7 pm Boat Trip Auction, Amphitheatre Stage, 7:45 pm Fireworks Display, Visible throughout Ione, Dusk the driver was identified the victim. The victim’s name was as William T Cooter II, 42, not released. of Greeneville, TN. Cooter was A female inside the arrested and was vehicle was identi- lodged at the North- fied as the person ern Oregon Region- who called 911. al Correctional Fa- OSP stated that cility in The Dalles roadside investiga- on the charges of tion revealed Cooter First Degree Kid- had assaulted and William T napping, first De- held his female pas- Cooter II gree Rape, First senger against her will. Cooter and the victim Degree Sex Abuse, First apparently did not know Degree Sodomy, Assault each other prior to the in- IV, Coercion, Menacing, Unauthorized Use of a Mo- cident. Further information tor Vehicle, Unauthorized from the Gilliam Coun- Entry into a Motor Vehicle, ty Sheriff’s Office stated Criminal Mischief in the that Cooter had apparently Second Degree, False Infor- smashed the window of mation to a Police Officer, a vehicle in Arlington in Possession of Methamphet- which the victim was sleep- amine, and Interfering with ing after a long drive. He Making a Report. His bail is then allegedly kidnapped set at $137,214. The case is still under her and drove to the junc- tion of I-84 and Hwy. 74, investigation by Oregon where he sexually assaulted State Police. Irrigon man killed in accident In the midst of a busy week for emergency re- sponders last week, tragedy struck an Irrigon family when a man was killed in a vehicle related accident. Last Thursday, June 25, at 9:26 p.m., Morrow County Sheriff’s Office re- ceived a report of a person who was trapped, and pos- sible dead, under a vehicle. MCSO responded along with Boardman po- lice, Boardman fire and Morrow County ambu- lance. According to Morrow County Undersheriff Ste- ven Myren, they found Lenard “David” Abercrom- bie, 57, of Irrigon crushed between the partially raised tilt-bed of a truck and the truck’s frame. Further investigation and interviews indicated Abercromibe had gone to work the morning of June 24 and had not returned home that evening. The next day, con- cerned family members contacted the police. Law enforcement officers were in the process of investi- gating his disappearance when the 911 call came in from the person who found Abercrombie’s body. In a written statement, MCSO describes the inci- dent as “tragic” but says that, at this point in time, there is nothing in the inves- tigation to indicate that the incident was anything other than an accident. On the Inside Letters from Iraq... PAGE TWO Around the Community...PAGE TWO HHS Happenings... PAGE FOUR Farm Service News... PAGE FOUR Umatilla Forest Updates...PAGE FIVE & PAGE EIGHT DA’s Report...PAGE FIVE Sheriff’s Report...PAGE FIVE Yard of the Month... PAGE EIGHT Have a Safe,&& Happy Fourth WE WILL BE\ CLOSED SAT. HARVEST HOURS HAVE STARTED - OPEN ‘TILL 6 PM Morrow County Grain Growers Lexington 989-8221 • 1-800-452-7396 For farm equipment, visit our web site at www.mcgg.net