2019 - A Year in Review
HEPPNER
G T
50¢
azette
imes
VOL. 138
NO. 52 8 Pages
Wednesday, December 25, 2019
2019 was filled with multiple
events and many changes.
Tim the bread man hung up
his hat and Drew the bread
man took over. There was
an abundance of snow in
the spring causing flooding.
Fires caused some serious
losses for area residents. See
pages five and six for a picto-
rial view of the year.
Morrow County, Heppner, Oregon
Missing Irrigon man found
Jose Fernandez, 86,
of Irrigon was located the
morning of December 19
after being reported missing
between 4 and 5 p.m. the
previous day. Fernandez,
an adult with advanced
dementia, was reported
missing from the 300 block
of SW Nevada in Irrigon.
Fernandez was found
by U n d er s h er iff J ohn
Bowles and Lieutenant
Terry Harper of the Morrow
County Sheriff ’s Office
in a field near W. Nevada.
Bowles reported that Mr.
Fernandez was conscious,
communicating and seemed
to be in good condition
when he was found. He was
transported to a local hospi-
tal where he is expected to
make a full recovery.
Multiple family mem-
bers, local citizens, Irrigon
Fire Department and Ambu-
lance, US Fish and Wildlife,
Oregon State Police and
Morrow County Sheriff’s
Office personnel searched
from approximately 5:30
p.m. until midnight before
they were released. Family
and community members
as well as several MCSO
personnel continued the
search until morning, with
no new leads or sightings.
The next morning more
Tim Adams (left) sold his bread delivery business to Drew
Brannon (right) in 2019.
Jose Fernandez
than 55 people arrived to
assist in the search, which
resulted in Fernandez being
located at 11:41 a.m.
Area residents celebrate the
season with lighted displays
Photos by Bobbi Gordon and Giselle Moses.
County partners with youth
help program
‘Keep kids out of our system,’ says Juvenile Director
By David Sykes
Morrow County will
soon be partnering with a
Umatilla County organiza-
tion whose goal is to help
“at risk” kids stay out of
the criminal justice system.
The county commis-
sion at its Dec. 18 meet-
ing voted unanimously to
work with a Hermiston
based non-profit volun-
teer organization called
Made to Thrive in expand-
ed services into Morrow
County. The organization
helps students participate
in extracurricular activities
such as sports, music, dance
and art, including them in a
positive atmosphere which
will hopefully keep them
out of trouble.
Christy Kenny, Director,
MC Juvenile Dept.
Tim Handforth, Made to
Thrive Board Pres.
“This program helps
kids not in our system be-
fore they are in our system,”
Morrow County Juvenile
Director Christy Kenny told
the county commissioners
in urging them to approve
the partnership. Currently
the organization, which
is made up of 45 volun-
teers and one paid director,
works with 300 low income
-See COUNTY YOUTH/
PAGE TWO
G-T closed New Year’s Day
The Heppner Gazette-Times will be closed January 1 for the New Year’s holiday.
The paper will be delivered Tuesday, December 31 instead of Wednesday, January 1.
The deadline for all news and advertising for the December 31 issue will be Friday,
December 27, at 5 p.m.
The G-T wishes everyone a Happy New Year.