HEPPNER
G T
50¢
Cold, wet November didn’t
make up moisture shortage
According to the Na-
tional Weather Service in
Pendleton, November saw
more cold and more mois-
ture than normal, but still
didn’t have enough precipi-
tation to make up for this
year’s drought.
The average temper-
ature was 38.2 degrees,
which was three degrees
below normal. High tem-
peratures averaged 46.7
degrees, which was 4.1
degrees below normal. The
highest was 70 degrees on
the irst. Low temperatures
averaged 29.7 degrees,
which was two degrees
azette
imes
Mustangs irst in state
VOL. 134
NO. 47
8 Pages
Wednesday, December 2, 2015
Morrow County, Heppner, Oregon
The frigid temperature last Saturday night couldn’t lower the Mustangs’ spirits as they raised their helmets in celebration
under the lights on Hermiston’s Kennison Field. The Heppner team secured the 2A state championship with a 48-0 win over
Kennedy. -Photo by Sandra Putman
yards out. Heppner led the
game 6-0 at the end of the
irst quarter.
The second quarter be-
gan with the powerful Mus-
tang defense again halting
the Trojans. Caden Hedman
intercepted a pass to give
Heppner the ball in good
ield position near midield.
Quarterback Kaden Clark
then threw a well-placed
pass down the sideline to
Logan Grieb, who hauled it
in for a 37-yard gain. Four
plays later Kindle scored
when he punched it in from
one yard out. Clark then
threw to Jake Lindsay for
the two-point conversion to
make the score 14-0.
Once again, the Hep-
pner defense forced another
Kennedy three-and-out. The
Mustang offense started a
drive at their own 35-yard
line. Several running plays
for positive yardage set up a
sweep pass in which Grieb
threw the ball to Kindle
down the left sideline. The
32-yard pass completion set
up a two-yard touchdown
run for Kindle. Grieb ran
the ball in for the two-
point-conversion to make
the score 22-0 with four
minutes left in the quarter.
After the kick off,
Kennedy fumbled the ball
on their first play from
scrimmage. Kevin Mur-
ray pounced on it to give
Heppner the ball at the
Trojan 15-yard line. On
the very next play, Grieb
took the handoff and raced
through the line untouched
for a touchdown. This score
came only 20 seconds after
the previous one and made
the score 28-0.
The next Trojan drive
ended when Grieb inter-
cepted a pass to give Hep-
pner the ball. After rushes
by Grieb of seven, 16 and
seven yards, Clark com-
pleted a 28-yard pass to
Weston Putman. Kindle
then scored again as he ran
the ball in from four yards
out. The first half ended
with the Mustangs leading
by a score of 34-0.
Heppner stopped Ken-
nedy on downs to start the
second half. The Mustangs
then started a drive at their
own 40-yard line. Five
plays later, Clark threw
deep to Grieb again. The
junior receiver had slipped
behind double coverage
and Clark placed the ball
perfectly. Grieb ran under it
with outstretched arms and
hauled it in for a 38-yard
touchdown. Kindle carried
MUSTANGS #1 IN STATE/
PAGE SIX
Houser hired as health district CEO
Interim executive agrees to sign on as permanent CEO,
Tarnasky announces resignation
By April Sykes
The Morrow County
Health District Board hired
interim CEO Bob Houser
as its permanent CEO at
the board’s regular meeting
Monday night.
Prior to the meeting
Houser had told the board
that he would accept a ive-
year contract as CEO under
the district’s previous ad-
ministrative contract. The
board and Houser agreed to
work on his contract details
at a Jan. 4 meeting. The
board cancelled the next
meeting, which was to be
held on Dec. 28, due to the
holidays.
Houser had indicated
that he would sign the “old
contract,” which was in the
revision process.
The board has been
without a permanent CEO
since the resignation of Dan
Grigg in June. Houser’s
first meeting as interim
CEO was Oct. 26. Houser
has had extensive hospital
administrative experience,
recently retiring as CEO of
the Blue Mountain Hospital
in John Day.
The district is still seek-
ing a provider to replace Dr.
Betsy Anderson, who left
the district for a position in
La Grande in August, and
Sheridan Tarnasky, PA-C,
long-time physician’s assis-
tant, who recently tendered
her resignation. According
to the board, Tarnasky has
indicated that she would
stay on until a replacement
is found, until November of
2016 if necessary.
Houser and the board
said that they were hopeful
because two mid-level pro-
viders had recently indicat-
ed interest in the positions
and had interviewed with
the district, but both subse-
quently took employment
elsewhere. As a result, the
board updated their search
criteria to indicate that they
would accept two mid-level
providers, such as a nurse
practitioners or physician’s
assistants, or a doctor and
a mid-level provider. They
had previously specified
that they were seeking a
doctor and a mid-level.
In other business the
board:
-learned that the Ione
clinic has received a rural
health accreditation. Medi-
care certification for the
Ione Clinic was received
and is retroactive to Oct. 15.
-heard from Houser
that the hospital sewer proj-
ect was completed on Nov.
9 with no overages and the
hospital’s front parking lot
was again usable on Nov.
10.
-agreed to put the sewer
project for the district’s
house on hold until early
spring, after receiving bids
inches, which is 0.17 inches
below normal.
Snowfall for November
totaled three inches, all
of which was reported on
the 25 th . The highest wind
gust was 57 mph, which
occurred on the 17 th .
The outlook for De-
cember from NOAA’s Cli-
mate Prediction Center
calls for near- to above-
normal temperatures and
near-normal precipitation.
Normal highs for Heppner
fall from 44 degrees at the
start of December to 41
degrees at the end of De-
cember. Normal lows fall
from 28 degrees to 25 de-
grees. The 30-year normal
precipitation is 1.32 inches.
Heppner Flood book
signing at heritage
museum Saturday
Trojans ‘feel the ‘stang’ in 48-0 stomping by Heppner
The Heppner Mustang
football team won the 2015
OSAA 2A State Football
Championship in convinc-
ing fashion with a 48-0
victory over the Kennedy
Trojans Saturday. The game
was played on Kennison
field at Hermiston High
School in front of a capacity
crowd of mostly Mustang
fans. Most of them did not
even notice the cold tem-
perature during the game
as they cheered wildly for
the Mustangs throughout
the contest.
Both teams started the
game slowly as they lost
yardage on their opening
drives and were forced to
punt. The second time Hep-
pner touched the ball they
started from their own 31-
yard line. A 10-play drive
ended in a touchdown when
CJ Kindle scored from three
below normal. The lowest
was 11 degrees on the 26 th .
November had 14 days
with low temperature below
32 degrees. There were
seven days when the high
temperature stayed below
32 degrees.
Precipitation totaled
2.04 inches during Novem-
ber, which was 0.44 inches
above normal. Measurable
precipitation of at least .01
inch was received on 10
days with the heaviest, 0.50
inches, reported on the irst.
Precipitation this year
has reached 7.46 inches,
which is 5.22 inches below
normal. Since October, the
water year precipitation
at Heppner has been 2.57
that were greater than an-
ticipated. Bids were as fol-
lows: WindWave/Blake
Lawrence-$48,298; Cougar
Excavation-$35,550; Sil-
ver Creek/Michael Dun-
can-$27,750, with condi-
tions and exclusions.
-heard good news fol-
lowing receipt of a property
condition assessment for
Pioneer Memorial Hospital
conducted by Marx/Oku-
bo Associates on what is
HEALTH DISTRICT/PAGE
EIGHT
Eastern Oregon author Byrd, author of “Calamity:
The Heppner Flood
Peg Willis will be at
of 1903.” “You can’t
the Morrow County
put this book down,
Heritage Museum
except maybe to get
this Saturday, Dec.
a hanky.”
5, at 10 a.m. for a
Willis is a life-
reading and signing
long resident of the
of her later book,
Peg Willis
Pacific Northwest,
“Rise Above.”
and now lives with
The book, re-
leased Nov. 13 of this year, her husband Jim in Eastern
is a work of historical ic- Oregon. She is best known
tion that begins in Hep- as a teacher of traditional,
old-time iddle mu-
pner’s historic lood
sic, having played
on June 14, 1903.
and taught for a
The story details the
number of years.
post-lood struggles
After many years
of several locals,
of raising children
including a father
and teaching music,
who spends seven
Willis has turned to
years searching the
writing about the
Northwest for his Rise Above
places she knows
two children who
and loves. Her work
were lost in the
has been published in a
lood.
“She (Willis) is a ine number of magazines and
writer, and the characters in regional newspapers. “Rise
‘Rise Above’ are unforget- Above” is available through
table,” says Joann Green Amazon.com.
Heppner festive with
lights Thursday
Mustang meet and greet added to
event lineup
This Thursday, Dec. 3,
Heppner will again enjoy
holiday lights and holiday
specials with the annual
Parade of Lights, as well
as special activities and
extended hours by local
merchants to kick off the
Christmas holiday season.
The Parade of Lights
will begin from Green Feed
about 5:30 p.m., so ind a
spot on Main Street (be-
tween Center and May)
to enjoy the lighted en-
tries; the entries will come
through twice.
Immediately after the
parade, at Heppner City
Hall, Mustang fans are
invited to a meet and greet
with the new 2A state
champion football team.
The team will be hanging
around until 6:30 or 7 p.m.
Hot cocoa and cookies will
be provided.
Beginning earlier in the
day, the Bank of Eastern
Oregon will serve refresh-
ments from 10 a.m.-4 p.m.;
Community Bank will also
be serving refreshments.
Heppner Family Foods
will offer free Home Town
coffee for customers all
day and will have Santa set
up in the store for pictures
from 6-7 p.m. with hot
chocolate and candy canes;
make sure you bring your
camera to take pictures.
Murray’s will be hav-
ing hourly door prizes,
cookies and punch, and
the wish list treasure hunt.
From 5-7 p.m. there will be
a mini wine tasting.
Peterson’s Jewelers
will be open until 7 p.m., so
stop by and check out some-
thing “shiny” for someone
special on your Christmas
list.
Finally, Home Health
and Hospice will hold a
Lights of Hope ceremony at
St. Patrick’s Senior Center
in memory of loved ones
who have passed away.
Lights of Hope will begin
around 6 p.m., following
the Parade of Lights.
WE HAVE CHRISTMAS TREES!
LARGE SELECTION!
SHOP NOW FOR
THE PERFECT
CHRISTMAS TREE!
Morrow County Grain Growers Green Feed & Seed
242 W. Linden Way, Heppner • 676-9422 • 989-8221 (MCGG main ofice)
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