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About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 30, 2017)
New county accounting position created HEPPNER G T 50¢ azette imes VOL. 136 NO. 33 10 Pages Wednesday, August 30, 2017 Dental office closes for repairs Advantage Dental Clin- ics has announced it will close its Heppner location for repairs beginning this Thursday. In a letter to cli- ents the dental clinic stated it would announce “if and when” it will reopen. Staff at the Redmond headquar- ters declined to comment on the prospective reopening date or whether the office would reopen. Advantage Dental says locations in Boardman and Hermiston will remain open to serve Morrow County. New massage therapist in Heppner By Andrea Di Salvo Those needing relax- ation for body and soul will now be able to find it at the hands of Kaley Pat- terson, LMT, a massage therapist who set up shop in Heppner recently. Born in La Grande and raised in Adel, OR, Patter- son graduated from Lakev- iew High School. She then attended college in Walla Walla for two years, working toward an associate’s degree in business. Her life Kaley took a turn Patterson, when her LMT father was injured and she took time off to work the family ranch. When she returned to school, it was to Ash- mead College in Portland, where she graduated in 2005 with a degree in mas- sage. “Massage allows the body to connect itself back together and, if allowed, help itself,” Patterson says. “Massage gives the receiver...a chance to truly relax, leave the crazies of life for a few moments, Murray’s Drug cancels Boardman pharmacy plans By Andrea Di Salvo Murray’s Drug will not be expanding operations to Boardman as was report- ed in the Aug. 2 Gazette- Times. The decision to pull out came when the Murrays learned on Aug. 21 that the Columbia River Com- munity Health Services (CRCHS) board had voted over the previous weekend to open their own pharmacy in Boardman. “We have worked for the past four months in open communication and in good faith to purchase the Good Shepherd Clinic Pharmacy,” the Murrays said in a written statement. “We were blindsided by the news this far into the project.” John and Ann Mur- ray informed the Morrow County Health District Board July 31 that they had purchased the phar- macy from Good Shepherd, which had been operating out of Boardman Select Market. The Murrays had planned to relocate the pharmacy to the Mountain Valley Land Co. building, which Murray’s Drug also purchased, located kitty- corner to the market, which they said would provide a drive-through option to Boardman residents. “After reviewing Mr. Murray’s proposal and dis- -See PHARMACY/PAGE FIVE Ione, Riverside football teams to combine Will play as Pirates on the Riverside 3A schedule By David Sykes Because of lack of par- ticipation, the Ione and Riv- erside High School football teams may combine this year, and field one team and play as the Riverside Pirates, the Morrow County School Board announced Monday night. The coop- erative agreement is neces- sary to continue the sport at the two schools with the low number of students turning out. audit policies, and con- tract requirements.” The job was created after the commission had appointed Knop the additional duties as county auditor, and de- termined she would need an assistant to handle the added work load. The audi- tor position was created by the county court in 1982, but had been vacant and unfilled since the 1990s. Knop was sworn in as the auditor at the commission’s Aug. 14 meeting. The new staff accoun- tant, when hired, will report directly to Knop. Job re- quirements are a BS degree in accounting or related field and two years in gov- ernmental accounting. The salary will be $90,000 per year which includes base pay of $50,000 and benefits of approximately $40,000 per year. A new computer and office equipment will be purchased for the posi- tion. In addition Knop’s sal- ary will also be increased by -See COUNTY COMMIS- SION/PAGE FIVE Velma Wight celebrates 100 years By Bobbi Gordon Local woman Velma May Wight celebrated her 100 th birthday on July 30. “I wanted to be 100 ever since I was a little girl,” she said. “People kept telling me, ‘You’ll get there, Velma, knowing you.’” She was born in St. Helens, OR, but was raised in Portland and attended school in Sellwood. When she was in her teens, she took on the task of rais- ing her siblings when her mother passed away. “In those days, you could do that. I didn’t want my brothers and sisters to go here and there all over the place. I loved my broth- Isiah Martin and Nickolas Wenberg take a break for tether ers and sisters.” ball during recess the first day of school Monday at Heppner She says that in raising Elementary. School started across the county Aug. 28. -Photo them, “I figure I accom- by Megan Futter plished something.” During her lifetime, she Velma Wight at her joint birthday party with Ida Farra when she turned 100 last month. -Contributed photo worked in restaurants and did housework. She and her husband ranched in Spray, logged in Joseph and retired in Terrebonne. She raised three chil- dren of her own, twin girls Darlene and Arlene and her son, Gary. Her daugh- ters live in Portland and -See WIGHT 100/PAGE FIVE Latest Nike uniform design comes to Heppner football in honor of Bob Kilkenny The Heppner High School football team will open the 2017 football sea- son at home Friday, Sept. 1, versus St. Paul, wearing a new look normally seen in NFL and Collegiate sta- diums around the country with specially designed Nike Vapor Untouchable uniforms. The state-of-the- art uniforms were designed to honor Heppner’s historic success in Oregon High School football, and the late Robert Kilkenny, who passed away last summer at the age of 86. The Mustangs famous- ly won a state record 81 consecutive league games from 1998 through 2011 under the leadership of head coach Greg Grant, who is 236-51 at Heppner, includ- ing state championships in 1992, and 2015 after an un- defeated 13-0 season, and assistant coach Les Payne who has been a fixture with the Mustang program for 41 years. Kilkenny was a long- time booster club leader for the Mustangs and ardent supporter. He spent his entire life in and around Heppner, and took great pride in the Horseman—as it is sometimes known— -See NIKE/PAGE THREE CBEC, Wheatridge Cut Transmission Deal; Ball in Umatilla’s Court Reprinted with permis- ridge wind project that the co-op says resolves sion from August jurisdictional issues 11, 2017 issue of it had with Umatilla Clearing Up, a pub- Electric Coopera- lication of Energy tive (UEC). NewsData Corpo- Under an agree- ration. ment with Wheat- By Rick Adair Columbia Basin Thomas Wolff, ridge’s previous owners, Umatilla Electric Coopera- CEO and was to build and tive has reached an general interconnection-line m a n a g e r o f own the 23-mile, 230-kV transmis- settlement with the CBEC. sion line that would developers of the proposed 500-MW Wheat- run from the project’s col- Morrow County School Superintendent Dirk Dirk- sen told the board that be- cause of health and safety concerns, football turnout across the country is go- ing down, and this agree- ment will give students who want to play, the op- portunity. Students are also apparently turning out for other sports. Riverside High The Heppner Gazette- School Principal David Times will be closed for the -See PIRATE FOOTBALL/ Labor Day holiday on Mon- PAGE FOUR day, Sept. 4. The deadline lector substation in Colum- bia Basin’s territory and terminate at BPA’s Morrow Flat substation in UEC’s territory. However, Columbia Basin said Umatilla’s plan would violate state law regarding utility service territories, and brought the dispute before the Or- egon PUC in January. UEC pushed back, saying that it -See CBEC/PAGE FOUR G-T closed for Labor Day Health district goes ahead with endoscopy room remodel By April Sykes The Morrow County Health District Board, at its regular meeting Monday night in Heppner, approved -See MASSAGE/PAGE seeking a $179,000 loan to FOUR By David Sykes The Morrow County Commission has decided to create a new position in the accounting department, to assist Finance Director/ County Auditor Kate Knop with the additional duties to which she was recently assigned. The new position will be full-time and according to the job description “is responsible for research- ing, interpreting, and un- derstanding government accounting and regulations, Morrow County, Heppner, Oregon Winter Back to school time wheat had for Morrow County strong yields With the close of wheat harvest, 2017 yields re- ported well county-wide. County averages overall were close to 50 bushels. Spring wheat struggled, producing in the low to mid 20s, while winter wheat had a successful season with yields of close to 60 bushels. Commission votes to add additional staff fund the completion of the Pioneer Memorial Hospital endoscopy room remodel project, laboratory equip- -See HEALTH DISTRICT/ PAGE FIVE % 0 1 F F O for all news and advertising resume Tuesday, Sept. 5. for the Sept. 6 issue will be The G-T wishes every- Friday, Sept. 1, at 5 p.m. one a happy and safe Labor Normal business hours will Day weekend. RED FLANNEL PET FOOD Morrow County Grain Growers Green Feed & Seed 242 W. Linden Way, Heppner • 676-9422 • 989-8221 (MCGG main office)
