Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (March 2, 2016)
HEPPNER G T 50¢ azette imes VOL. 135 NO. 10 8 Pages Wednesday, March 2, 2016 Morrow County, Heppner, Oregon Warm February will lead into warm March, NWS predicts According to prelimi- nary data received by NO- AA’s National Weather Ser- vice in Pendleton, tempera- tures at Heppner averaged warmer than normal during the month of February. The average temper- ature was 42.5 degrees, which was 4.7 degrees above normal. High tem- peratures averaged 52.3 degrees, which was 4.9 degrees above normal. The highest was 65 degrees on the 18 th . Low tempera- tures averaged 32.6 de- grees, which was 4.4 de- grees above normal. The lowest was 18 degrees, on the third. There were 15 days with the low temperature below 32 degrees. Precipitation totaled 0.72 inches during Febru- ary, which was 0.40 inches below normal. Measurable precipitation of at least .01 inch was received on seven days with the heaviest, 0.28 inches, reported on the 18 th . Precipitation this year has reached 1.59 inches, which is one inches below normal. The highest wind gust was 45 mph, which oc- curred on the 19 th . The outlook for March from NOAA’s Climate Pre- diction Center calls for above-normal temperatures and near-normal precipita- tion. Normal highs for Hep- pner rise from 51 degrees at the start of March to 58 degrees at the end of March. Normal lows rise from 30 degrees to 36 degrees. The 30-year normal precipita- tion is 1.52 inches. The NWS is an ofice of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administra- tion, an agency of the U.S. Commerce Department. On to quarterinals Grand marshals’ Irish roots run deep By Andrea Di Salvo This year’s grand mar- shals for the St. Patrick’s weekend Great Green Pa- rade are no strangers to Heppner’s Irish passion. In fact, siblings Robert J. “Butch” Laughlin, 75, and Sheridan Tarnasky, 67, will be carrying on a bit of a family tradition when they climb on that loat March 19. Their Irish roots stretch back to County Kilkenny and County Tipperary; Mi- chael Summers, who was born in Co. Kilkenny, im- migrated to New Orleans in 1856. He married a Tip- perary girl, Mary Ellen MacCormack in 1857. The couple had five Mustang CJ Kindle blocks a Lost River player during the 2A state irst-round in Heppner Saturday. -Photo by Sandra Putman The Heppner Mus- tang boys’ basketball team punched its ticket to the OSAA 2A State Basket- ball Tournament with a 64-49 win over the Lost River Raiders in their irst- round playoff game. The game was played in front of one of the largest crowds ever seen in the Heppner High School gymnasium. A large and loud student cheering section provided a high-energy atmosphere throughout the entire game. The Mustangs, who are now 21-3 on the season, will return to the state tour- nament for the second year in a row. The team hopes to improve on its ifth-place inish at last year’s event. In preparing for the game against the Raid- ers, Heppner had watched enough ilm to know they would be in for a battle. Lost River had several good athletes and shooters on their team. Mustang coach Jeremy Rosenbalm had his team well prepared with a game plan that had them ready for every situation that might arise. It was a tight irst quar- ter as both teams were able to get to the basket and score. Heppner led at the end of the quarter 13-11. The Mustangs also scored 13 points in the second quarter and held the Raid- Kate Russell children, Katherine, Delia, Mary, Emmett and Mike. Katherine, or “Kate,” was born in Keokuk, IA on July 3, 1858. When the railroad route was changed and bypassed Michael’s store and busi- ness in 1881, the family was forced to give up their livelihood, and migrated west to start a new home. Kate’s father died during the journey and was buried in New Mexico. Mary Ellen continued the journey with three of her children, work- ing wherever they could during their sojourn. Kate at one point worked as a cook for the railroad, where she met her husband, William Russell, who worked as an engineer for the railroad. William “Bill” Russell was born in Belfast, Ireland in 1849. He served in the U.S. Civil War with his fa- ther and two brothers, who were killed in the war. He then worked as a contrac- tor and was instrumental in building the irst water system in St. Louis, MO. He drove the irst six-mule Siblings Sheridan Tarnasky and Robert “Butch” Laughlin are this year’s grand marshals for the Great Green Parade. -Contributed photo teams that had ever been seen in this part of the country. Kate and William were married in 1883 in Boise, ID. To Bill and Kate four children were born: Sudie Russell Maddock, Margaret Russell Monahan, Lottie Russell Kilkenny, and Ed Russell. In 1884 the Russells moved to Oregon and lo- cated on Matney Flat in Gil- Smith, Flynn secure second at state Heppner wrestlers brought home two silver medals from the state cham- pionship last weekend. District champions Ryan Smith and Cord Flynn competed in the OSAA state wrestling champion- ships on Feb. 26 and 27 at the Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Portland. All classiications from 1A to 6A competed simultane- ously on 12 mats in the 12,888-seat coliseum. Both Smith and Flynn won their bouts by fall on Friday and advanced to the semi-finals on Saturday morning. In the semi-inals matches, both wrestlers were successful again in pinning their opponents and earned the right to compete in in the championship matches. The finals matches were wrestled with all di- visions side by side on ive mats in front of a coliseum near-capacity crowd. The championship evening be- gan with the Parade of Champions, in which all 2016 state placers were led out to the loor following Oregon’s inductees to the national wrestling hall of fame. It was Smith’s third time to march in the parade and Flynn’s irst. Smith faced Derrick Hargraves, also an unde- feated senior and return- ing state champion from Riddle, in the 113-pound championship bout. Har- graves scored a last-second takedown in the irst period to take a 2-0 lead going into the second. With an escape and another takedown, Har- graves was up 5-0 before Smith scored on a reversal. At the end of the second period it was 5-2. Smith Bouncin’ Leprechaun Fun Zone is back for F ind the S hamrock ! St. Pat’s Win $50 Gift Card The Shamrock Hunt is back! The first person to find the hidden shamrock will win a $50 Visa Gift Card donated by the Bank of Eastern Oregon. -RULES- 1. A new set of clues to guide you to the hidden shamrock will appear in each edition of the Heppner Gazette-Times. 2. A total of five clues beginning with the Feb. 17 edition will be published each week on the front page. 3. The hidden shamrock is not on private property and no dig- ging or moving of objects, dirt or other materials is necessary to find the shamrock. 4. The first person to find the shamrock and bring it to the Heppner Gazette-Times office will claim their prize. CLUE #3 You’re back this week and have not given up. Good for you because you might find the shamrock. We left you with a number, recall? Look up and see if it’s on the wall. But a corner ahead gives you the question, Which way to turn during this week’s session? There’s Les or usda where you could wander But your time for searching would just be squandered. Instead take turn and keep eyes wide. There’s Tim and vets along the side And smokey will help along the way, making sure you’re not about to stray. So gaze your eyes upon the next sheet for a special clue on where next week we’ll meet. Sponsored by Bank of Eastern Oregon and The Heppner Gazette-Times Saturday, March 19, during the Wee Bit o’ Ire- land celebration, the Hep- pner Elementary School gym will turn into the “Bouncin’ Leprechaun’s Fun Zone.” The fun zone will open at 1:30 p.m. and continue until 5:30 p.m. Children ive and under will be $5, and six and older will be $10. Admission is for all day with unlimited entry. Bouncin Bins Rent- als out of the Tri-Cities has been contracted for the event. They will bring several different inlatable structures, including a bun- gee run, an obstacle course, a 20-foot dual slide and, of course, the memorable 30- The Bouncin’ Leprechaun Fun Zone was a big hit at last year’s Wee Bit o’ Ireland celebration, foot climbing wall for the and it’s back this year on afternoon of Saturday, March 19. -Contributed photo very brave. For the really young crowd there will be a boun- cy house and a mini carni- val, which will include a bean bag toss, ducky pool and plinko. Polaris Service Special $ 79. 99 Thru February 28th Morrow County Grain Growers Lexington 989-8221 • 1-800-452-7396 For farm equipment, visit our web site at www.mcgg.net