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