Get ready for a Ruckus this
weekend
HEPPNER
G T
50¢
azette
imes
VOL. 134
NO. 28
8 Pages
Wednesday, July 29, 2015
Morrow County, Heppner, Oregon
The Ruckus in the
Boonies Music Festival is
back for a second year this
Saturday, with event sup-
porters hopeful the 2015
event will exceed last year’s
smashing success.
“We had a successful
festival last year and are
planning on making it big-
ger and better in 2015,”
says Aaron “Dogbite” Har-
ris, the heart and soul be-
hind the festival’s creation.
This year’s festival will
take place this Saturday,
Aug.1, from 1 p.m. to 1 a.m.
behind Bucknum’s Tavern Heppner is gearing up for a real ruckus this weekend with
in Heppner. The event will the second annual Ruckus in the Boonies. –Contributed photo
feature two stages and more -See RUCKUS IN THE BOONIES/PAGE THREE
Albert Einstein
coming to Ione
Search continues for new Heppner
clinic doctor
Ione clinic closer to reality
By April Sykes
The Morrow Coun-
ty Health District Board
learned at its regular meet-
ing Monday night in Ione
that the district has two po-
tential physician candidates
for the position vacated by
Dr. Betsy Anderson when
she leaves her position at
Pioneer Memorial Clinic at
the end of August.
One physician from
Montana will be visiting
Heppner this Friday, said
Nicole Mahoney, MCHD
Chief Financial Officer and
acting CEO since the de-
parture of former CEO Dan
Grigg. The other is still in
the process of turning in his
paperwork, said Mahoney.
Grigg took a position with
a hospital in Burns.
The board also heard
that an open house is
planned for Sept. 3 at the
Ione Community Clinic.
Monday night the district
approved a three-year con-
tract with Eileen McEl-
ligott, a family nurse prac-
titioner, to provide patient
care services at the clinic
five hours a week. Board
member Aaron Palmquist,
Irrigon, voiced concern
that five hours may not be
enough. Mahoney, how-
ever, replied that McElligott
also works for Good Shep-
herd and has agreed to work
in Ione on her day off. “If it
(the Ione Clinic) explodes,
we’re going to have to do
something else (to provide
care at the clinic),” said
Mahoney.
The Morrow County Health District Board hosted Good
Shepherd executives Dennis Burke (left) and Jim Schlenker
at its regular meeting in Ione Monday. –Photo by April Sykes
The board also learned
that the district has hired
Cydney McElligott as the
Ione Clinic Site Coordina-
tor/Receptionist.
Mahoney said that con-
struction of the Ione clinic
is on schedule and she and
staff have been working on
“finalization of policies,
provider contracting and
credentialing, Rural Health
Clinic Medicare designa-
tion and survey, final pur-
chasing of supplies and then
move-in.”
The board also learned
that the sewer system at
Pioneer Memorial Hospital
is having problems with
the four-inch sewer lines
and Drain Cleaning also
recommended that “medi-
cal grade bath wipes” not be
deposited down the sewer
system regardless of the
presence of roots.
Arne’s also discovered
an area that has settled over
time that contributes to the
poor drainage and which
will eventually cause a line
failure (collapse) and or
clogging, and an additional
line with severe wear and
buildup of debris and a
severe root ball growth,
which was cut loose and
extracted.
Arne’s recommended
that the sanitary system
be replaced from where
the “laterals exit the build-
ing to the city hook up”
with an approved “gasketed
sanitary sewer piping” and
clean-outs installed.
Mahoney reported
that the district was in the
process of obtaining bids
for the recommended up-
grades. The board discussed
possible solutions and fund-
ing for the problems. Board
member Aaron Palmquist,
Irrigon, recommended hir-
ing an engineer concerning
the project and also recom-
mended putting money
aside into a building reserve
account.
In other business, the
board:
-learned that the district
has hired Jody Warnock as
the new transitional care
coordinator, whose job will
from the building which
feed to the main sewer of-
ten becoming blocked and
previously requiring clean-
ing with a traditional cable
machine every two weeks.
A r n e ’s S e w e r a n d
Drain Cleaning conducted
an inspection and subse-
quently cleared the lines
with a “hydro jetter” and
then cut and extracted roots
impeding the flow. Accord-
ing to their report, they dis-
covered “only one fracture
in the 6-inch collector line,
which was still in place
and had not caused a line
failure near the large tree
before the drop into the -See HEALTH DISTRICT/
parking lot.” Arne’s Sewer PAGE THREE
Notes from the Hardman Community
Center
ticipating were Bob Allen,
Rick McDaniel, Dick Paris,
Sam Martin, Aaron Smythe
and Claudia Smythe. Sylvia
Allen and her daughter-in-
law prepared lunch for ev-
eryone. Later in the day, the
board of directors signed
off on the updated bylaws.
The office upstairs was
cleaned out and sorted, and
some headway was made
on the upstairs proper, also.
The dining area was cleared
for work, and McDaniel
and Aaron Smythe finished
Bob Allen and Aaron Smythe pull nails in knee-deep sawdust. the hand work on the wain-
–Contributed photo
scoting while Paris, Allen
On July 26, the mem- nity Center held a work day and Martin took apart the
bers of Hardman Commu- on the dining room. Par- lower half of the north wall.
Sign up now for free youth
pheasant hunts in September
SALEM, Ore.—Reg-
istration is now open for
ODFW’s free pheasant
hunts for youth (age 17 and
under) happening around
the state in September. Lo-
cally, a hunt will take place
Sept. 26 and Sept. 27 at Irri-
gon Wildlife Area. Register
online, at a license sales
agent or at an ODFW office
that sells licenses.
ODFW and partners
stock pheasants at these
special hunts; quail and
dove may also be hunted.
Volunteers often bring their
trained hunting dogs to hunt
with participants. Some
events also begin with a
shotgun skills clinic, so
participants can practice
clay target shooting before
hunting.
These events are only
open to youth who have
The original south wall
of the building lay under-
neath and was too warped
to lay wainscoting over, so
it was torn off. The building
was insulated with sawdust
up to the second-floor head-
er, so McDaniel and Martin
filled all the big garbage
cans full, and McDaniel and
Claudia Smythe hauled at
least five pick-up loads to a
disposal area. And everyone
pulled nails.
Lots of nails! During
the years the south wall was
exposed, every time a board
had come loose, someone
apparently added a nail to
tack it down. It took about
six hours total for the crew
to get everything done.
However, the HCC
crew is now ready for the
next step. They way they
-See HARDMAN COMMU-
passed hunter education. NITY/PAGE TWO
(ODFW has many hunter
education classes and field
days available before the
events.) An adult 21 years
of age or older must accom-
pany the youth to supervise
but may not hunt.
“If your child made it
through hunter education
but is still new to the sport,
The late Albert Einstein
will be appearing “live
and in person” in Ione on
Wednesday, Aug. 4, and the
public is invited to attend.
Nationally-acclaimed
Broadway and film veteran
Duffy Hudson of Holly-
wood, CA will bring Al-
bert Einstein to life in a
unique one-man show to
be presented free to the
community.
“The Relativity of Al-
bert Einstein” will be held
at 2 p.m. that day at the Ione
Community Church, 395 E.
Main St. The lively, one-
hour program is suitable
for elementary age students
through adults.
Imagine Albert Ein-
stein explaining the The-
ory of Relativity in a fun
and exciting way, without
any required knowledge
of mathematics or phys-
ics. The show covers ele-
ments of Einstein’s life
and humor, the speed of
light, time travel, gravity
and space-time, and what
is E=MC2 anyway? This
show is intended to excite
students and adults alike
to look at the mechanics of
the universe with new eyes.
Hudson will be avail-
able answer questions af-
terward on his role as an
actor and the years of effort
to perfect the Einstein pre-
sentation. He has presented
at conferences and public
places throughout the U.S.
The program is hosted
by the Ione Public Library
as part of a regional tour
sponsored by Libraries of
Eastern Oregon (LEO). For
further information, please
contact the library, LEO at
leolibraries@gmail.com, or
see www.duffyhudson.com.
Paving to begin on
Gilmore
Morrow County will
undertake street improve-
ments related to the con-
struction of the new ad-
ministrative building in
Heppner Aug. 17 through
Aug. 20.
The county will be pav-
ing Gilmore St., which runs
behind the courthouse, from
Morrow St. to Hager St., as
well as August and Cannon
streets.
No local traffic or street
parking will be allowed in
the area between 6 a.m. and
6 p.m. during contruction.
The completed project
will not impact residents’
current access or parking.
Affected residents will
be given additional infor-
mation closer to the project
date.
“The city and county
appreciate our citizens’
cooperation during this
inconvenient time,” says
Heppner City Manager Kim
Cutsforth.
For additional infor-
mation, contact the City of
Heppner, 541-676-9618.
Bird flu restricts
poultry entries at fair
Avian Influenza, or bird flu, has been prevalent among local
waterfowl, but fenced bird areas can help keep poultry flocks
safe from contamination. -Photo courtesy of USDA/APHIS
Due to the recent outbreak of Avian Influenza, stipula-
tions have been placed on what poultry can be entered and
shown during the Morrow County Fair this year.
AI viruses can infect chickens, turkeys, pheasants,
quail, ducks, geese and guinea fowl, among others. Bird
flu has been prevalent in wild waterfowl this year, so only
non-comingled poultry—a chicken that is only housed
with other chickens, for example—will be allowed to
enter the fair. Owners enter their poultry at their own risk.
Poultry that are housed or have had contact with any
waterfowl will not be allowed at the 2015 Morrow County
Fair. No waterfowl or waterfowl eggs will be allowed.
NURSERY CLEARANCE SALE!
-See YOUTH PHEASANT
HUNTS/PAGE THREE
ALL SHRUBS, PERENNIALS &TREES
NOW IS THE TIME TO BUY!
SAVE BIG - 30% OFF
Morrow County Grain Growers
Lexington 989-8221 • 1-800-452-7396
For farm equipment, visit our web site at www.mcgg.net