Farra marks a century of life
lived ‘One day at a time’
HEPPNER
50¢
Depression, when many her memories of that move
families were looking to are vivid.
move West to a better life.
“We all moved the
They chose Idaho
same day. We all
because they had
came in the back of
relatives there, Far-
a big truck,” she re-
ra recalls, but they
calls. “My Dad and
moved because of
two drivers were in
the dust storms.
the front.” The rest
“We couldn’t
of the family spent
g r o w a n y t h i n g Ida Farra
the trip on “one big
because of dust
bed” in the back,
storms,” she says. “When where they could lie down,
we got out here, they told us sit up or read during the
they had dust storms, too. I trip—all except Farra’s
guess theirs just didn’t last mother, who spent the thou-
as long.”
sand-plus miles in a chair in
Though she doesn’t the back of the truck.
remember her exact age,
They spent the night in
travelers’ cabins along the
VOL. 136 NO. 26 8 Pages
Wednesday, July 26, 2017
Morrow County, Heppner, Oregon
way, where they cooked
dinner, and then breakfast
the next morning, before
getting back underway.
In Nampa, the family
stayed together. School-age
Morrow County Ad- rection for Morrow County.
children got up early and
ministrative Officer Jerry The county has so many
went out with their father
Sorte submitted his resig- good things going for it By David Sykes
cause of lower prices and to receive approval from to help in the fields. Farra
and we will all be
nation to the county
Umatilla and Morrow low yields, will no longer both county commissions, recalls that most people in
working diligently County voters may be asked be able to provide that fund- and they then want approval that area owned their own
commission Mon-
to continue the mo- to approve a new taxing ing.
day, the commission
from all 17 city councils in businesses, such as farms
mentum into the district to help fund local
announced yester-
and orchards, which the
To exemplify the reach the two counties.
bright future Mor- Oregon State University into the community of Ex-
day. Sorte’s resigna-
There were concerns at wives helped work. That
row County has,” Extension Services, the tension services, Frederick- the Morrow County Com- meant they needed services
tion will be effective
Lindsay added.
August 25.
Morrow County Commis- son said there were
mission meeting like babysitting. Farra and
“I would like to sioners were told at their more than 99,000
Sorte has ac- Jerry Sorte
that the tax base the other older children
thank administrator meeting last week.
cepted the position
contacts between
would signal Or- found jobs like that to boost
of community and eco- Sorte for the dedicated,
Philip Hamm, direc- the Extension and
egon State Univer- the family income.
nomic development direc- professional approach he tor of the Hermiston Ag- the populations of
“There were 13 of us,
sity that it could cut
tor with the City of Sweet demonstrated while shep- ricultural Research and Morrow and Uma-
like
this” she makes a stair-
back on the state’s
Home, OR.
herding Morrow County Extension Center, along tilla counties, and
step
gesture with her hand.
current funding of
“It has been a privi- through an historic change. with Vern Frederickson of that there “are very
“They
knew we knew how
extension.
lege to serve the board of In his albeit brief tenure, Frederickson Farms and few people who are
to
babysit.”
“What stops the
commissioners as Morrow he worked diligently to Julie Baker, administrative not touched by Ex- Philip Hamm, state from reducing
She kept on with work
County’s first administra- advance the policies of program specialist for OSU tension or research.” Director of
like
that until she and a sis-
funding?” Commis-
Hermiston
tive officer. I am especially Morrow County. I wish him in Morrow County, were The Extension dis- Ag Research sioner Don Russell ter both found jobs working
happy with the steps our all the best,” commissioner all at the meeting to ask the trict would include & Extension asked. Hamm said in restaurants in Ontario,
team has taken to make the Jim Doherty added.
commissioners for support OSU’s Columbia Center
there would be an OR. Her sister started out
county organization more
The administrative of- for the new tax district.
Basin Agricultur-
agreement with the -See IDA FARRA/PAGE TWO
efficient and transparent. ficer is appointed by the
“Everyone benefits al Research Center near state so that does not hap-
There are great things hap- board of commissioners (from Extension) besides Pendleton and Hermiston pen.
pening here in Morrow and supports the board with just the farmers,” Freder- Agricultural Research and
Commissioner Doherty
County,” said Sorte.
the planning, coordina- ickson said in support of Extension Center, where made it clear he expected
Board of commission- tion and implementation of the new taxing district. He scientists conduct experi- the new tax district to fund
ers chair Melissa Lindsay county operations. The ad- said agriculture contributes ments to improve farming additional services through
said she would be sorry to ministrative officer super- about half a billion dollars practices.
Extension. “If the state
see Sorte go.
vises all department heads in farm value for Umatilla
In order to form the stops funding something we
“It is disappointing to and specific employees, and Morrow counties, and new districts, however, the will not pick that (funding)
be going through transition and serves as liaison with that increases to between Extension must first get the up,” he said.
again,” said Lindsay. “The county elected officials.
$1.5 and $2 billion when approval of voters. It plans
Morrow County al-
Two Irrigon men are in
staff and citizens have seen
Sorte began service as you include value-added to go out for a vote in May ready budgets OSU Exten-
change from a county court the county’s first adminis- food processing. He said in of 2018, and the expected sion about $177,000 in its Umatilla County Jail after
to the hiring an adminis- trative officer in November the past the wheat growers tax rate would be $0.33 per current year, while Umatilla Morrow County Sheriff’s
trator to a new board of 2015. Prior to working for have contributed $250,000 $1,000 of valuation. Exten-
-See EXTENSION TAX office arrested them July 17
commissioners. Mr. Sorte Morrow County, he served to the extension, but be- sion officials first will need
DISTRICT/PAGE THREE on charges stemming from
an incident that occurred in
has moved many things in as assistant director of ad-
Irrigon June 3.
a positive and professional ministration for the City
Preston Joe Morris, 18,
direction; we wish him suc- of Fulton, MO and worked
is facing charges of robbery
cess in his new endeavors. for eight years as a land use
I and assault III, both felo-
“I am looking forward planner for Polk County,
nies, and
to the opportunity to con- Oregon.
theft II and
tinue moving in a great di-
By Andrea Di Salvo
generation on the Kilkenny made the transition much
menacing,
Sue Walton will retire ranch. She worked there easier for me,” she says.
both Class
this month after 45 years of helping with calving, lamb-
Walton graduated with
A misde-
nursing at Pioneer Memo- ing, haying, and riding honors in 1972 and returned
meanors.
rial Hospital (PMH).
horses to move the cat- to Heppner. She started
Dustan Ca-
“Forty-five years, or tle. In 1969 she graduated work at PMH on June 21,
leb Maret, Preston
68 percent of my
from Heppner High 1972.
35, is facing Morris
lifetime, has been
School. She says
“I started out on the
charges of
spent here; guess
she was attracted to night shift, which was quite
robbery II and assault III,
BOARDMAN—De- which will open this fall and that makes me a
nursing early on— scary, being the only RN
both felonies, and the mis-
velopment projects around offer early learning oppor- relic,” she quips.
one could almost say on duty, not knowing what
demeanors of theft II and
the Port of Morrow now tunities for area children.
Walton, 67, was
it was in her blood. ER might come through the
menacing.
The center is a project born July 14, 1950
include something for a
“First, I grew back door,” says Walton.
Morrow County Dis-
much younger customer— of the Port of Morrow, at PMH, the daugh- Sue Walton
up on a ranch and
She worked as director
trict
Attorney Justin Nelson
preschoolers. Next to the which partnered with the ter of Don and Col-
helped with calving, of nursing services for a
said
the men are alleged to
SAGE Center and Blue Morrow County School leen Greenup, one of the lambing and the doctoring short time before she got
have
stripped their victim
Mountain Community Col- District, Umatilla-Morrow first babies born after the of cattle, horses and sheep. married—doing the sched-
of
his
clothes, taken his cell
lege’s (BMCC) new Board- Head Start and the Inter- hospital opened. Sue was In high school I did a career ule, purchasing, policies
phone,
threatened him with
man Workforce Training mountain Education Ser- raised on her family’s cattle study on nursing,” Wal- and helping on the floor.
a
gun
and
shot him with a
Center is a new project, the
She met Paul Walton
-See EARLY LEARNING and wheat ranch 10 miles ton says. “My aunt Ilene
paintball
gun.
The incident
Neal Early Learning Center,
CENTER/PAGE EIGHT out of Heppner, the third Laughlin was the hospital through Paul’s cousin Su- allegedly arose because
administrator and I always sie French. Paul was born
one of the
admired her. Her daughter and raised in Long Creek
defendants
Sheridan Tarnasky was at- and worked on his fam-
believed the
tending Emanuel Hospital ily’s third-generation cattle
victim had
School of Nursing and I’d ranch. One Thanksgiving
been in-
have to say she was a major Paul was hauling cattle
volved in a
influence to me.”
from La Grande to Hep-
The Heppner Gazette-
theft at his
So, after high school, pner; he spent Thanksgiv-
Times is in the mood for
home.
Wa l t o n a l s o a t t e n d e d ing with her family, and a
good stories for this year's
U C J Dustan Maret
Emanuel Hospital School courtship began.
Morrow County Fair and
lists the to-
of Nursing.
Paul and Sue Walton
Oregon Trail Pro Rodeo
tal bail for each man at
“Being
from
a
small
were
married June 18, 1977
special edition to be pub-
$70,000. They were both
town and going to Portland and established their home
lished Aug. 9.
scheduled for preliminary
was quite a challenge. Hav-
-See WALTON RETIRES/
Stories must be turned
hearings late Tuesday af-
PAGE FOUR
ing her (Sheridan) there
in to the GT by July 31.
ternoon.
Email them to editor@
rapidserve.net, send them
to the GT at PO Box 337,
Heppner, OR 97836, fax
them to 541-676-9211 or The Heppner G-T is looking for a few good fair and rodeo
bring them by the office at stories for this year’s special fair edition. Contact Andrea at
188 W. Willow.
editor@rapidserve.net. -File photo
G T
azette
imes
By Andrea Di Salvo
Local woman Ida Farra
is celebrating a milestone
next week that few of us
ever hope to achieve—a
century of life lived fully
and lived well.
Farra was born Aug. 4,
1917 in North Dakota, the
fourth among 13 children
in the Wiest family. She
was raised in North Dakota
until the family moved to
Nampa, ID. They moved
because times were diffi-
cult in the Midwest; dates
have gotten hazy with the
passage of time, but it was
around the time of the Great
Sorte resigns as
Extension may seek local tax
county administrator base funding
State money not enough, official says
Irrigon
men face
assault
charges
Walton retires after 45 years
with health district
New early learning
center opens doors in
Boardman this fall
Submit fair and rodeo stories to
the GT
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NURSERY
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