Ione celebrates homecoming
HEPPNER
G T
50¢
azette
imes
VOL. 134
NO. 41
8 Pages
Wednesday, October 28, 2015
The Ione Homecoming court presented a dazzling array under the Friday night lights as the
school celebrated Homecoming last Friday. Pictured are Homecoming court members (L-R)
Aaron Smythe, Susanna Teeman, Wyatt McNary, Alyssa Davis, Rory Barresse, Jessie Flynn,
Rachel Holland, Markus Smith, Queen Frances Knop, King Jason Juarez, Donald McElligott
and Katelyn Bass, with crown bearers Gage Heideman and Jovi Barresse in front. –Contrib-
uted photo
Morrow County, Heppner, Oregon
Interim CEO steps in for health district Lady Cards take
district championship
Search continues for new CEO, physician
By April Sykes
Interim Morrow Coun-
ty Health District CEO
Bob Houser attended his
first MCHD board meet-
ing in Lexington Monday
night. Monday marked the
last meeting with Chief
Financial Officer Nicole
Mahoney acting as CEO.
At the meeting, the board
approved the interim CEO
contract term for a maxi-
mum of nine months.
Houser is recently re-
tired as administrator of the
Blue Mountain Hospital in
John Day.
Mahoney said that
while the physician re-
cruiting company hired by
the district has reported
no leads on physicians in-
terested in positions with munity Clinic. The district
MCHD, two physician’s has been seeking another
assistants have indicated physician since the depar-
interest in employment with ture of Dr. Betsy Anderson
the district.
in August.
The district currently
Mahoney said that Dr.
employs two doctors on a Anderson has agreed to
full-time basis, Dr.
work occasionally
Russ Nichols and
for the district, cov-
Dr. Dan Hambleton,
ering the emergency
two physician’s as-
room when needed
sistants, Sheridan
and possibly during
Tarnasky and John
some clinic hours.
A d a i r, a n d t w o Bob Houser
Dr. Ken Wenberg
nurse practitioners,
has been taking
Vicki Kent and Ei-
emergency room
leen McElligott. Nichols, call on Fridays and Mon-
Hambleton and Tarnasky days, which, says Dr. Nich-
work primarily in the Hep- ols, has been invaluable,
pner clinic, Adair and Kent allowing the doctors to con-
primarily in the Irrigon centrate on clinic patients
Clinic and McElligott part- those days. Dr. Nichols said
time in the new Ione Com- that Dr. Wenberg, however,
has indicated that he will
no longer be available for
holiday call, since his fam-
ily is no longer in the area,
which will make the holi-
day physician scheduling
more difficult this year.
“He has taken it (holi-
day call) a lot in the past,”
said Nichols.
In other business, Ma-
honey told the board that
the hospital sewer line re-
placement project has be-
gun and is “moving along
very quickly.” She said that
the new lines are expected
to be switched over and run-
ning by this weekend.
She also said that a
“necessary easement” from
The Lady Card volleyball team rocked its way into the top spot
in the Big Sky Conference at the district tournament last week
when it served up back-to-back wins against Condon/Wheeler
and Dufur. With the championship slot, Ione also secured a bye
on round one of the 1A state playoffs. The Ione volleyball team
will play a second-round state playoff game this Saturday, Oct.
31, in Ione, time and opponent to be determined by round one
-See HEALTH DISTRICT/ matchups on Wednesday. Pictured are Assistant Coach Ryan
PAGE FIVE Rudolph (far back) with winning team members (back L-R)
Renee Peterson, Susie Teeman, Hannah Padberg, Tatum Clark,
Tristan Estabrook, Katelynn Bass, Morgan Orem, Maggie
Flynn, Coach Brandi Orem, (front L-R) Rachel Holland, Jessie
Flynn and Ann Rietmann. –Photo by Janet Holland
One ‘tough’ lady honored in museum
exhibit
By Andrea Di Salvo
Local cattlewoman
Shirley Rugg was honored
recently at a museum gala
in Bend as part of an exhibit
that features her portrait.
Born in 1929, the
86-year-old Heppner wom-
an is the epitome of what
it means to be a ranching
woman in the American
west. She was born and
raised in the Heppner area,
daughter of Wavel and
Frank Wilkinson. She says
she has been working cattle
all her life and will continue
to do so “…as long as I can
sit on a horse.”
That early 20 th -Century
ranching life was a difficult
life, a life that bred rug-
gedness in the people who
Shirley Rugg shows off a copy of “Tough by Nature,” guarded
by one of her faithful and ever-present canine companions.
–File photo by Andrea Di Salvo
lived it. And that inbred
toughness apparently was
what drew Eugene, OR-
based artist Lynda Lanker
to Rugg when she visited
her in 1994 to capture her
image for Lanker’s series
on cowgirls and ranching
G-T Trophy Corner
-See TOUGH BY NATURE/
PAGE TWO
Haunted
Heppner
is back
Friday
Because Halloween
falls on a Saturday this
year, the annual Haunted
Heppner trick or treat event
will be held this Friday,
Oct. 30, from 2 to 5 p.m.
to allow local businesses
to participate. These busi-
nesses will offer treats to
costumed children who
come by the stores, banks
and offices. The partici-
pating store fronts will
display an orange sign that
says “Welcome to Trick or
Treat.”
Stop by Heppner City
Hall or call 541-676-9618
to request a sign or with any
questions.
Upper left: Madison Alldritt took this 3x4,
her first buck, on the Boardman Tree Farm
on Oct. 10. Madison, who celebrated her
14 th birthday since bagging her prize, is the
daughter of Mike and Bridgett Alldritt. –Con-
tributed photo
Left: Reno Ferguson, 14, with his buck from
the Columbia Basin Unit, a tall 2x2.
Above: Sage Ferguson, 12, of Lexington with
her first buck, a 3x4 taken in the Columbia
Basin Unit. Sage and Reno are the children
of Charlie and Jodi Ferguson. –Contributed
photos
County offices move to
new building next week
women.
The result became part
of “Tough by Nature: Por-
traits of Cowgirls and Ranch
Women of the American
West,” published by the
Jordan Schnitzer Museum
of Art (JSMA) at the Uni-
versity of Oregon in 2012.
Now, the images from that
book are being featured in
an exhibit at High Desert
Museum in Bend.
The 49 women’s por-
traits in the collection were
captured across 13 west-
ern states and 19 years,
and include media ranging
from charcoal to oil pastel, The move is underway for county offices making the transi-
acrylic and egg tempura, to tion to the new Bartholomew Building in Heppner. -Photo by
lithograph and even dry- Andrea Di Salvo
-See BARTHOLOMEW BUILDING/PAGE EIGHT
‘Fall back’ this
Sunday, Nov. 1
The days are getting shorter, and it’s time to “fall
back.”
The Gazette-Times would like to remind everyone
to set their clocks back for the end of Daylight Savings
Time this Sunday, Nov. 1.
Ballots due Tuesday
Drop boxes open in Heppner,
Lexington
Election Day is right
around the corner. All bal-
lots are due by 8 p.m. Nov.
3 and must be received, not
simply postmarked, on that
day. Voters are reminded
that only the Heppner and
Lexington 24-hour drop
boxes will be used for this
election. Drop locations are
as follows:
Heppner: Courthouse
parking lot (24 hours) or
the Morrow County Clerk’s
Office, Room 102 inside the
courthouse. Open 8 a.m. to
noon and 1-5 p.m., M-F and
Election Day (Nov. 3) from
7 a.m. until 8 p.m.
Lexington: 365 West
Hwy 74 (Public Works
Parking lot). Turn off Hwy.
74 onto Tom Street and left
into the public works park-
ing lot. Open 24 hours.
Morrow County Grain Growers
Lexington 989-8221 • 1-800-452-7396
For farm equipment, visit our web site at www.mcgg.net