Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, June 17, 2020 -- THREE
DA’s Report
Morrow County Dis-
trict Attorney Justin Nelson
has released the following
report:
Veronica Monique
Garza, 23, was convicted
of:
Count 1: Unauthorized
use of a vehicle, Felony
Class C, committed on or
about 05/20/2020. Convic-
tion is based upon a guilty
plea on 06/11/2020.
Defendant’s driver’s
license is revoked for one
year.
Defendant is sentenced
to supervised probation for
a period of 18 months.
Pursuant to the sen-
tencing guidelines grid, the
Defendant is subject to 90
sanction units with 30 jail
units. Defendant is confined
to jail for 30 days. These
30 jail days are not to be
deducted from the ordered
sanction units. Defendant
may receive credit for time
served.
Defendant is ordered
to submit blood or buccal
sample and thumbprint pur-
suant to ORS 137.076. The
defendant shall be required
to pay $450.
Adam Alexander Ew-
ert, 23, was convicted of:
Count 3: Attempt to
commit a Class A Felony
– sodomy in the first de-
gree, 161.405(2)(b), Felony
Class B, committed on or
between 10/01/2018 and
03/14/2019. Conviction is
based upon a no contest
plea on 06/11/2020.
Defendant is sentenced
to the custody of Oregon
Dept. of Corrections for a
period of 46 months. De-
fendant may receive credit
for time served.
The term of post-pris-
on supervision is 10 years
minus time actually served
pursuant to ORS 144.10.
The court recommends as
a condition of post-prison
supervision: have no di-
rect, indirect or third-party
contact with the victim, the
victim’s residence or the
victim’s place of employ-
ment or the victim’s par-
ents or siblings. Be further
restrained from harassing,
stalking or threatening or
conduct that would place
the victims in reasonable
fear of bodily injury, in-
cluding the use, attempted
use or threatened use of
physical force that would
reasonably be expected to
cause bodily injury.
Defendant to complete
sex offender evaluation and
follow any recommended
treatment.
Defendant is ordered
to submit blood or buccal
sample and thumbprint
pursuant to ORS 137.076.
Defendant is ordered to
register as a sex offender
pursuant to Oregon Revised
Statutes.
Count 4: Attempt to
commit a Class A Felony
– unlawful sexual pene-
tration in the first degree,
161.405(2)(b), Felony
Class B, committed on or
between 10/01/2018 and
03/14/2019. Conviction is
based upon a no contest
plea on 06/11/2020.
Defendant is sentenced
to the custody of Oregon
Dept. of Corrections for a
period of 50 months. De-
fendant may receive credit
for time served. For reasons
stated on the record, the
sentence shall be consec-
utive to the sentences on
Count 3.
The term of post-prison
supervision is 10 years.
The court recommends as
a condition of post-prison
supervision: have no di-
rect, indirect or third-party
contact with the victim, the
victim’s residence or the
victim’s place of employ-
ment or the victim’s par-
ents or siblings. Be further
restrained from harassing,
stalking or threatening or
conduct that would place
the victims in reasonable
fear of bodily injury, in-
cluding the use, attempted
use or threatened use of
physical force that would
reasonably be expected to
cause bodily injury.
Defendant is ordered
to submit blood or buccal
sample and thumbprint
pursuant to ORS 137.076.
Defendant is ordered to
register as a sex offender
pursuant to Oregon Revised
Statutes.
Counts disposed with
no conviction:
Count 1, Sodomy in the
first degree is dismissed;
Count 2, Sodomy in the first
degree is dismissed; Count
5, Sexual abuse in the first
degree is dismissed; Count
6, Sexual abuse in the first
degree is dismissed; Count
7, Sexual abuse in the first
degree is dismissed.
EOU Small Business
Development Center
receives grant
“We are pleased to an-
nounce that because of
a grant, Eastern Oregon
University Small Business
Development Center will
be able to increase advis-
ing resources to businesses
affected by the COVID-19
shutdown. Our center was
recently awarded a $10,000
grant from The Ford Fam-
ily Foundation and we are
most appreciative,” said
Greg Smith, EOU SBDC
Director.
To date, EOU SBDC
has assisted business own-
ers in receiving PPP and
EIDL disaster funding in
excess of $3.9 million dol-
lars. In addition, the center
has helped preserve 316
jobs which is the highest
within the state network of
19 centers, most of which
are located in much more
densely populated areas.
“It’s not about tooting
our horn, but we think it
is important to share in-
formation about the work
being done to assist local
businesses. Not all have
been negatively affected
and have seen a tremendous
growth in sales,” Smith
said.
EOU SBDC has been
holding webinars on such
topics as navigating the PPP
and EIDL process, manag-
ing cash flow, creating and
understanding a financial
statement, and getting your
financial house in order. All
of these have been recorded
and are accessible on EOU
SBDC’s YouTube Chan-
nel. More webinars will be
scheduled soon.
“We have a robust col-
lege internship program in
our center and one of the
projects completed by a
recent EOU grad working
in our center is the creation
of an app. Individuals who
would like to explore the
services we offer, partners,
and other information are
invited to download it. The
free app can be accessed
by searching your app store
using the term “Business
Advising.” It shows up at
the top of the list with the
‘America’s SBDC logo’,”
Smith said.
None of the efforts by
EOU SBDC could be ac-
complished without the
extraordinary support of
Eastern Oregon University
and the leadership of Dr.
Ed Henninger, Dean of
the College of Business.
Spiritually Speaking
“I am the Bread of life”
By Fr. Thankachan Joseph SDB
This past Sunday, the Catholic Church celebrated
“Corpus Christi Sunday,” or the Feast of the Body and
Blood of Christ. In the Gospel of John, chapter thirteen,
first verses, we read: “Jesus, knowing that his hour had
come to pass from this world to the Father” … called
his disciples together to celebrate the memorial together.
“While they were eating, he took bread, said the blessing,
broke it, gave it to them, and said, ‘Take it; this is my
body.’ Then he took a cup, gave thanks, and gave it to
them, and they all drank from it. He said to them, ‘This is
my blood of the covenant, which will be shed for many’”
(Mk 14: 22). The Holy Eucharist is the parting gift of the
Lord Jesus to us before his departure to the Father. Thus,
Jesus becomes “the Bread of life” (Jn 6:48). Before he
left from this world, He instituted the sacrament of Holy
Eucharist, as well as the Sacrament of Priesthood and
asked his disciples to do this in His memory for eternity.
We know it well from our Catechism classes: Jesus
was born in David’s town of Bethlehem. Bethlehem
literally meant “the place of bread, place of meat.” Food
is one of the main elements of human lives, and we all
work to satisfy our stomachs, but Jesus became bread for
everyone, to satisfy the spiritual and physical hunger of
everyone, instituting the Holy Eucharist as the memorial
of his presence with us and his unconditional love towards
us. The Eucharist is spiritual nourishment for human be-
ings, to satisfy their hunger for spiritual realities.
Is Jesus Really Present in the Holy Eucharist? Every
day and at every Eucharistic celebration, the real presence
of the Lord takes place. Every single Mass involves a true
Eucharistic miracle in which the bread and wine is truly
made into the Body and Blood of Our Lord. The real
presence of the Lord is felt in the Eucharistic bread that
is kept in the tabernacle. Eucharistic miracles take place
every day on every continent.
There is a beautiful story that comes to my mind from
the life of St. Antony of Padua (1195-1231). In his life
story is an old and traditional incident regarding the real
presence of the Lord. The heretics of his time were a real
vexation for him. During his travels through a city called
Rimini, Saint Anthony became engaged in conversation
with a particularly stubborn heretic. This man obstinately
refused to admit the mystery of transubstantiation, for
he perceived no change in the sacramental species after
the words of consecration. In vain, Anthony presented
proofs drawn from both Scripture and Tradition. When
his efforts failed before the stubborn obstinacy of his un-
believer, he decided to alter his strategy. “You possess,”
he told the man, “a mule that you ride often. I will present
a consecrated host to it; if it falls on its knee before the
Blessed Sacrament, will you recognize the real Presence
of the Savior under His Eucharistic appearance?” “Cer-
tainly,” responded the unbeliever, who felt confident
that the outcome of such a proposition would be to the
saint’s detriment. The two men agreed to meet again in
the market square three days later. They then went their
separate ways, each to prepare for the spiritual showdown
in their own way. The heretic, in order to ensure victory,
deprived his beast from all food for the three days. Our
saint prepared for his assured victory by doubling his
accustomed time in prayer. At the set day and time, An-
thony left the Church, carrying a ciborium in his hands.
The skeptic arrived leading the famished animal by the
bridle. A considerable crowd had gathered on the square,
curious to attend such a remarkable sight. With a smile
on his lips, the unbeliever, believing victory already to
be his, set a sack of oats before the animal. All watching
in breathless anticipation, the hungry animal turned away
from the oats and turned toward the Sacred Host held high
by the Saint. With a graceful motion uncharacteristic of
his breed, the beast of burden bowed low to the ground,
giving due reverence to his Creator. Thus, the heretic and
those gathered there believed in the real presence of the
Lord in the Eucharistic bread.
What are you hungering for? Jesus actually satisfies
the physical hunger of humans before the spiritual one.
The Eucharistic discourse of Jesus in the gospel of John
begins with the miracle of loaves. He fulfills the natural
hunger of everyone before he begins the spiritual dis-
course. The temptation of the Lord in the desert begins
with the tempter asking Jesus to change the stones into
bread, since the Lord was hungry. In the last judgment
scene, too, we read, to the people on the right, “Come
you that are blessed by my Father! I was hungry and you
fed me, thirsty and you gave me a drink” (Mathew 25:
34-35). From these examples we need to assume that
Jesus addresses the basic needs of human life first. The
Lord is always and every time present with us with his
real presence. He is always available to satiate the hunger
and thirst of human beings.
What Does the Feast Of Corpus Christi Teach Us To
Do? Do we approach him for physical food or spiritual
food? As human beings we cannot live on bread alone. We
need more than food to live. I am reminded of the words
of St Augustine: “It is no use feeding on Christ with our
teeth if we are not feeding on him with our minds” - that
is by faith. Let us remember that eating and drinking of
the body and blood of Jesus are meant to be symbolic of
our wanting to live by the word of God. In the gospel of
John when he speaks about the vine and branches, and
in the Eucharistic discourse, too, Jesus reminds us that
without him, we cannot live: “I tell you solemnly, if you
do not eat of the flesh of Son of Man and drink His blood
you will not have life in you. He who eats my flesh and
drinks my blood lives in me and I in him, anyone who
eats this bread will live forever” (John 6:53-54).
On the Feast of Corpus Christi, Jesus offers different
kinds of ‘bread’ to the faithful to gratify their many hun-
gers. To people who followed him into the desert and who
were starving, He offered ordinary bread and so satisfied
their physical hunger. To the leper whose body was falling
apart, He offered the only bread that mattered – the bread
of physical healing. To the lonely woman at Jacob’s well,
He offered the bread of human kindness and acceptance.
To sinners He offered the bread of forgiveness. To the
rejects and outcasts, by mixing with them, He offered the
bread of empathy and companionship. To the widow of
Nain and Martha and Mary, who each had lost someone
dear to her, He offered the bread of compassion. To the
thief who died by His side, he offered the bread of repen-
tance and reconciliation with God.
The universe is in the attack of coronavirus which has
meddled with our daily lives, economy, relationships. As
Jesus has become bread and gratified human deprivation,
it is our time to satisfy human needs of people around us.
Is there anyone hungry around me? How do I approach
such situations and become the bread someone needs?
What bread are we looking for? Only Jesus can offer us
that bread because “He is the Bread of life.”
Port of Morrow awarded $3.2 million
The Department of
Transportation has awarded
$3.2 million to the Port of
Morrow to aid in the expan-
sion of the barge services.
The Marine Highway Des-
ignation, which Represen-
tative Greg Walden helped
secure last summer for the
Columbia River, is part of
America’s Marine Highway
Program and enables the
Port of Morrow to apply for
federal funding for its proj-
ect to extend barge service.
The additional funding will
lead to reduced transpor-
tation costs and decreased
road and rail traffic. It will
also enable an increase in
the freight shipments along
Marine Highway 84, which
runs along the Columbia
and Snake Rivers.
“This additional fund-
ing to support the expansion
of barge services at the Port
of Morrow is great news
for the region. The Port’s
Marine Highway Project
Designation that we se-
cured last August enabled
the Port to compete for
“Thank you for making our
EOU SBDC such an envi-
able and highly productive
and successful operation,”
said Dr. Henninger.
We invite all business
owners to contact us to
receive confidential and no
cost business advising. We
can be reached by calling
541-962-1532 or emailing
eousbdc@gmail.com.
More information
about The Ford Family
Foundation can be found at
www.tfff.org.
such funding and I am glad
to see the Department of
Transportation award this
grant. The Columbia River
system is a valuable asset
for transporting wheat and
other products from eastern
Oregon to the world. I am
glad to have worked so
closely with them to pursue
Marine Highway status.
This funding will improve
the Port’s capabilities while
simultaneously increasing
economic opportunity for
the region. It will decrease
traffic, reduce transporta-
tion costs, and bring addi-
tional jobs and growth to
the area,” said Walden.
The Port of Morrow
applauded the new fund-
ing and Walden’s help in
securing the grant. “This
grant will directly support
increased barge service
through the Port of Morrow,
helping grow the economy
and create family wage jobs
here in eastern Oregon. As
the Project Sponsor, the
Port was proud to support
this grant request, which
hinged on the strong pub-
lic-private between our
community and Tidewater
Barge Lines. I would like to
thank Congressman Walden
for his help securing this
grant, and his continued
support of our efforts to
expand barge service along
the Columbia River,” said
Ryan Neal, Executive Di-
rector, Port of Morrow.
Tidewater Barge Lines,
the direct recipient of the
funding, said this will allow
them to acquire a new barge
specially designed for ex-
panding container services
from facilities in Vancouver
to the Port of Morrow.
County now reports
19 COVID-19 cases
Morrow County Public
Health reported on June
15 that four more individ-
uals had tested positive
for COVID-19, bringing
the county total to 18. On
June 16, one more case
was reported that had been
identified as being a contact
from a previously reported
positive case, bringing the
total to 19. One of the new
cases was from the Hep-
pner/Lexington/Ione area
and four were from Irrigon.
According to the press
release, social distancing
of six feet, wearing masks
and washing hands often
have proven to help stop the
spread of COVID-19 and
the public is encouraged to
use these measures when-
ever possible.
The new cases bring
the total to 12 in Boardman,
five in Irrigon and two in
the south end of the county.
The report does not indicate
which of the communities
of Heppner, Lexington and
Ione reported the positive
cases. The number of re-
covered cases remain at
12 with the other seven in
home isolation. No deaths
from the virus have been
reported anywhere in the
county.
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