Fireworks and flags HEPPNER G T 50¢ azette imes VOL. 134 NO. 24 8 Pages Wednesday, July 8, 2015 Morrow County, Heppner, Oregon Ione held its annual Fourth of July celebration last Saturday. See more photos PAGE FOUR. -Photo by Andrea Di Salvo June Harvest brings low yields so far WCVEDG seeks warmest economic input on record from OSU specialist Willow Creek Valley report, WCVEDG also will locally Economic Development schedule a community- July expected to continue the hot, dry trend June was a hot month, even by Morrow County standards, and no relief is in sight for July, according to the National Weather Service out of Pendleton. The average temper- ature was 70.5 degrees, which was 7.8 degrees above normal. High tem- peratures averaged 86.2 degrees, which was 9.6 degrees above normal. The highest was 104 degrees on the 28 th . Low temperatures averaged 54.9 degrees, which was six degrees above normal. The lowest was 44 degrees, on the 4 th . On seven days, the temperature exceeded 90 degrees. It was at least 100 degrees on three days. Precipitation totaled 0.01 inches during June, which was 1.37 inches be- low normal. Measurable precipitation of at least .01 inch was received on one day. Precipitation this year has reached 4.38 inches, which is 4.28 inches below normal. Since October, the water year precipitation at Heppner has been 8.42 inches, which is 4.30 inches below normal. The highest wind gust was 35 mph, which oc- curred on the 28 th . The outlook for July from NOAA’s Climate Pre- diction Center calls for above-normal temperatures and near- to below-normal precipitation. Normal highs for Heppner during July are 85.7 degrees and normal lows are 53.9 degrees. The 30-year normal precipita- tion is 0.33 inches. This was the warmest June on record. The pre- vious warmest was 68.4 degrees in 1992. Chelsea Geer, a nine-year Morrow County Grain Growers employee, oversees the dumping of a grain truck driven by veteran farmer Bob Harrison in the Lexington elevator. Wheat harvest started in the northern part of the county as early as June 23 and is already underway around Lexington. MCGG employee Duane Disque says early yields were as low as 12 bushels an acre, though numbers have improved as harvest moves south, reaching as high as 20 bushels. With harvest just getting started in the south end, Disque says time will tell what the yields will be around Lexington and Heppner. –Photo by David Sykes Gateway Café to open in Heppner By Andrea Di Salvo For those who have been looking for a place to go for a sit-down dinner on a Saturday night, the search may be over this week. The Gateway Café on Hep- pner’s Main Street will be- gin serving dinner Fridays and Saturdays starting July 10. The Gateway Café will offer a full menu, as well as a children’s menu, from 4-8 p.m. those days. Alvin and Lynda Liu of Heppner purchased the empty restaurant several months ago. This is the third business the couple will own and operate in Heppner; they already run the Northwestern Motel and RV Park and the Cor- nerstone Gallery, which they said will continue to serve breakfast, lunch and espressos. Alvin Liu also has catered locally for sev- eral years. Split into three floor levels, the restaurant fea- tures general seating on the lower levels and a space for larger gatherings upstairs. They also have a children’s play space and a popcorn machine they plan to use to offer complimentary popcorn, “Once we figure out how to use it,” Lynda Liu says. The menu is small but full service, featuring ap- petizers like pot stickers and Buffalo wings, several salads, desserts, sides and several entrees. Entrees range from the $25 ribeye to an authentic teriyaki chicken dinner for $10. Several menu options are also marked as gluten free. For now, the restaurant will only be open for dinner on Fridays and Saturdays, though Alvin Liu said he will take on catering and private parties other times during the week. While the hours of operation are limited, Alvin Liu stressed that they will be consistent. Eventually, they said, they would like to be open six days a week and be able to hire staff. For now, though, they want to fill a gap they see in the community. “(We’re doing this) for the community,” said Lynda Liu, adding that motel guests often ask for Eastern Oregon speed limit bill approved by legislature HB 3402 increases speed limits on select highways and freeways in Eastern Oregon Salem, OR–HB 3402, which raises the speed limit on select highways and freeways in eastern Oregon, received final approval from the Oregon Legislature last week. The bill allows for modest increases in the al- lowable speed limit for rural areas on select sections of highway. While local highways will not be affected by the bill, the speed limit would be raised to 70 mph for passenger vehicles on the section of I-84 between The Dalles and the Idaho Group (WCVEDG) has wide meeting in September asked OSU Exten- in order for those sion Economist who have not par- Bruce Sorte to visit ticipated in the dis- with businesses and cussions to provide government agen- their ideas. cies in the valley Bruce’s work is and suggest two or being funded in part three projects that Bruce Sorte by the OSU Exten- he thinks will have sion Service. significant long-term eco- Anyone with questions nomic impacts across our about the project, contact three communities. Sheryll Bates at the Hep- WCVEDG says these pner Chamber of Com- visits will take about an merce, 541-676-5536, or hour, and will be informal Sorte, 541-737-1403. and confidential. Sorte will Sorte works across Or- be in the area at different egon, usually staying in times from July through a travel trailer, wearing September. He will submit an OSU shirt or hat; indi- a final report to WCVEDG viduals also are encouraged in early October. to visit with him “on the Before Sorte drafts his street.” state line. Rep. Sherrie Sprenger, a former sheriff’s deputy, spoke in favor of the bill, arguing that the portions of highway impacted by the bill are so remote and so infrequently traveled, a higher speed limit would be safe and appropriate. During the House pub- lic hearing in April, infor- mation was presented that showed that automobile engineering has advanced to a level that makes a modest speed increase rea- sonably safe. The Oregon Department of Transporta- tion supports the increase and noted that the current average speed driven on Oregon roadways is over 70 mph. “Many constituents from across eastern Oregon have sent emails and made phone calls in support of this bill,” said Rep. Greg Barreto. “I’m proud to have been a part of this bipartisan effort to update our speed limits and improve the qual- ity of life in Oregon.” -See SPEED LIMIT IN- CREASE/PAGE TWO Lynda and Alvin Liu stand at the front counter of the Gateway Café, which will open in Heppner this week. Until they are able to expand and hire more staff, the Lius say customers will be asked to order food and pay at the front counter. –Photo by Andrea Di Salvo a place to eat dinner. “We have people coming to the motel all the time and look- ing for a place to eat, and there’s nothing open.” “I want Heppner to live,” she said. “We want to fill a need says they’ve undergone a series of frustrating delays in getting the restaurant back into business. Setbacks have includ- ed the expected work of cleaning, painting, decorat- ing and getting appliances working, but also a fire and a broken pipe that caused a flood at the motel, and a disconnected pipe that flooded the Gateway Cafe storeroom. Lynda Liu said they had just replaced the store- room flooring to comply with health standards. “We lost $500 right there,” she added. They also had to shell out nearly $3000 for new fire extinguisher for the kitchen, also to comply with safety regulations. “We did the best we could with what we had,” said Lynda Liu. Helping along the way but not compete with what other people are already do- ing,” added Alvin Liu. Locals have been eying the restaurant space look- ing for signs of life since word spread that the Lius -See GATEWAY CAFE/PAGE TWO purchased it, but the couple Boardman man killed in motorcycle accident Oregon State Police say alcohol may have been a factor in the motorcycle ac- cident that killed Boardman man William R. Brooks last Friday, though investiga- tion is ongoing. On July 3 about 11:20 p.m., OSP troopers and other emergency personnel responded to the report of a motorcyclist down at the I-84/Hwy. 730 interchange near Boardman. According to OSP Sgt. Seth Cooney, a 2002 Har- ley Davidson operated by Brooks, 58, had been travel- ing westbound on Hwy. 730 when he attempted to take the westbound on-ramp onto Interstate 84. Police say preliminary investigation indicates Brooks passed the on-ramp entrance and attempted to navigate through the medi- an in an attempt to re-enter the on-ramp. He apparently was ejected when his mo- torcycle struck a culvert. A passing motorist discovered Brooks and called 911. Emergency crews pro- nounced Brooks dead on the scene. OSP was assisted by Boardman Fire and Am- bulance, Morrow County Sheriff’s Office and the Or- egon Department of Trans- portation. NURSERY CLEARANCE SALE! ALL SHRUBS, PERENNIALS &TREES NOW IS THE TIME TO BUY! SAVE BIG - 30% OFF Morrow County Grain Growers Green Feed & Seed 242 W. Linden Way, Heppner • 676-9422 • 989-8221 (MCGG main office)