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About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (May 30, 2018)
Hermiston shooting suspect captured near Boardman HEPPNER G T 50¢ azette imes VOL. 137 NO. 22 10 Pages Wednesday, May 30, 2018 Alex Luis Ahumada, of Boardman. Ahumada, 33, Boardman, a person was confirmed to of interest in a shoot- be barricaded inside ing that occurred in the residence at that Hermiston on May address. 19, was taken into Morrow Coun- custody and trans- ty Sheriff’s Office ported to Umatilla (MCSO), Boardman County jail after a Alex Luis Police Department, four-hour standoff Ahumada Hermiston Police on May 23 near Department and Boardman. Oregon State Police all The Boardman Po- responded to the scene. lice Department received MCSO had earlier request- an anonymous tip at 2:49 p.m. on May 23 stating that a subject that law en- forcement was looking for was at 70072 Kunze Lane, Morrow County, Heppner, Oregon Airstream caravan enjoys Heppner stop Happy campers – These Airstream campers are enjoying their stay at the Willow Creek Park above the lake. The above photo was taken by a drone one of the campers sent up above the campsite. There were 17 campers in the caravan staying here May 20-22. -Contributed photo By David Sykes A caravan of Airstream trailers made a stop in Hep- pner last week and the visi- tors said they enjoyed their stay and seeing the sights of the area. Seventeen trailers came on Sunday and departed Tuesday. While here the visitors toured the local museums and the court- house, visited with local people and had “an excel- lent breakfast” at a local restaurant. The tour was arranged by Bruce Sorte of the Oregon Airstream Club. Many people know Bruce from his work as an Oregon State agricultural econo- mist. Bruce’s son, Jerry and family lived here for a time while Jerry was employed as county administer. First, the people in the club all love their Airstream trailers and Sorte said part of their interaction during the trip involves swap- ping information about caring and repairing their Airstreams. While the Gazette-Times was at the campground people were gathered as a retired elec- trician was giving a talk on how to fix certain electrical problems that may come up with their trailers. A quick search of the internet shows it’s not hard to get into the $150,000 price range for a new Airstream, which is why many people, even himself, have purchased used ones to work on and rehabilitate. John and Carol Dion of Portland said they have owned their Airstream for the past four years and this is their second caravan trip. They retired four years ago and had planned on retiring to a home in Bend. They decided they wanted to travel however, and after trying several other travel trailers settled on the Air- stream. “We were looking for quality, and we like the Airstream,” John said. The couple said the cur- rent trip started in Cascade Locks where the group first met up. They met the mayor while there, and after two days, they were on to Emi- grant Springs with a visit from a representative from the Forest Service who spoke about the eastern Or- egon forests and then there was a visit to the Hermiston Agricultural Center. From there they went on to Baker for another two nights and a visit to the Baker Heritage Museum, with some travel- ers going out to the Oregon Trail Museum for a tour. One interesting point was made that Baker is the birth- place of the founder of Air- stream trailers. From Baker the group made its way to LaGrande, jumped off the freeway onto the scenic highway, and then took the steps ensured that the schools serve all of their students well, using their performance on the math and reading parts of their state proficiency tests and their graduation rates as the benchmarks. For those schools that made it past the first three steps, a fourth step assessed the degree to which schools prepare students for college-level work. Ellis awarded Assistant Coach of the Year Janelle Ellis was awarded the Oregon As- sistant Coach of the Year award at the Oregon Ath- letic Coaches Association (OACA) banquet held at the Club Level in Autzen Stadium on May 19. The banquet was attended by 335 coaches and family members. Ellis has been a vol- unteer coach and assistant coach in Heppner for the past fifteen years. She has assisted in softball and volleyball and was noted by Petra Payne as a tire- less volunteer who holds student athletes to the high- est values. She works with students and teaching staff to help each player achieve their goals on the field and in the classroom. Greg Grant, Athletic Director, noted that Janelle is legendary in her attention to detail and ability to guide a group toward a task. “I would trust Janelle to run my football practice,” said Grant. According to a spokes- Janelle Ellis was named Assistant Coach of the Year. person, many great things were said in her nomination letters. One said, “Why did we nominate her? Because she’s awesome.” Another said, “She challenges me to be a better coach.” And another, “Janelle is an intel- ligent, organized, compas- sionate and knowledgeable coach. Janelle encourages and supports the athletes to meet the high standards that are set for the Heppner Mustang softball program.” Ellis was accompanied to the banquet by her hus- band, Jon, and her parents, Jerry and Carmen Healy. Commissioners opposed to assault weapons ban John and Carol Dion of Portland said they enjoyed seeing lo- cal places of interest while camping in their Airstream trailer at the park above the lake in Heppner. -Photo by David Sykes ‘back way” into Heppner by way of Ukiah. “That was a beautiful drive,” the Dions said. After arriving in Hep- pner Sunday evening, the group started Monday morning being treated to a “wonderful breakfast” by Alvin Liu and crew at the Gateway Restaurant in Heppner before moving on to tours of both the Mor- row County Museum and Agriculture Museum in Heppner. John and Carol commented on what a good museum there is in Hep- pner. “You have a great collection of items and they are very well displayed,” Carol said. They were also HJSHS named as a best high school by US News Heppner Jr/Sr High School was recently named as one of the best high schools by US News and World Reports. HJSHS earned a bronze medal when they were recognized in the national rankings on their performance on state- required tests and how well they prepare students for college. A four-step process determined the best high schools. The first three ed the assistance of the Oregon State Police SWAT team out of Portland and they arrived on scene. Af- ter the four-hour standoff, Ahumada was taken into custody without further incident. Ahumada is being held on a no bail parole violation warrant at this time. The investigation is continu- ing and further charges are pending. According to US News statistics, the student body makeup is 61 percent male and 39 percent female with the total minority enroll- ment being 10 percent. Other stats show a total enrollment of 155 students and a 13:1 student-teacher ratio. The school showed a 96 percent graduation rate, 65 percent mathematics proficiency and 87 percent reading proficiency. given a tour of the historic courthouse by Leann Rea who they said was very knowledgeable and “we enjoyed that.” The Airstream group has an Oregon chapter through which Sorte orga- nized this trip, but there is also an international group that will be meeting at the state fairgrounds in Salem this year. Heppner was the last stop on this particular tour for the group, but they do organize others during the year. Sorte urged any- one interested in Airstreams and the group to visit their web site at: oregonunit. wbcci.net. DEADLINE: MONDAYS AT 5PM By David Sykes A ballot measure re- stricting gun ownership for Oregonians, and set for a vote in the November elec- tion, has drawn opposition from the Morrow County Commissioners. An initiative that would criminalize the possession of certain kinds of firearms and magazines with more than a 10-round capacity, and a companion measure that requires gun owners to secure firearms with a trigger or cable lock or be in a locked container when not being carried, both got a unanimous thumbs down from all three commission- ers at their meeting last week. “My father brought back a carbine from the Korean war and that would have to be handed over,” commissioner Jim Doherty said in expressing his oppo- sition to the proposed law. We need to weigh in and say enough is enough. Just have people comply with the laws we already have on the books,” he said. Commissioner Don See our 2018 Graduation section page 4 and 5 WEEKS ROSES 20% OFF ALL NEWS AND ADVERTISEMENT DEADLINE: MONDAYS AT 5:00 P.M. Russell also opposed to the measure. “Anyone that has a semi-automatic would be in danger (of being charged with a felony),” he said. “I have a Ruger that would fall under this and having it would make me a crimi- nal,” Russell pointed out. The commissioners also cited the number of laws also on the books re- garding firearms that if fully enforced would achieve the same result. The law will make law abiding citizens potential felons overnight with only 120 days to report and/or surrender the fire- arms. The Second Amend- ment of the Constitution of the United States, and the Oregon Constitution both protect citizens’ right to bear arms. The commission voted 3-0 to pass the follow- ing resolution: The com- missioners are opposed to the Oregon ban on certain firearms and magazines with more than a 10-round capacity and the firearm storage, control, transfer and reporting initiative. Morrow County Grain Growers Lexington 989-8221 • 1-800-452-7396 For farm equipment, visit our web site at www.mcgg.net
