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About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 9, 2020)
TWO - Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, September 9, 2020 The Official Newspaper of the City of Heppner and the County of Morrow Heppner GAZETTE-TIMES U.S.P.S. 240-420 Morrow County’s Home-Owned Weekly Newspaper SEARCH OLD COPIES OF THE HEPPNER GAZETTE-TIMES ON-LINE: http://oregonnews.uoregon.edu/ Published weekly by Sykes Publishing and entered as periodical matter at the Post Office at Heppner, Oregon under the Act of March 3, 1879. Periodical postage paid at Heppner, Oregon. Office at 188 W. Willow Street. Telephone (541) 676-9228. Fax (541) 676-9211. E-mail: editor@rapidserve.net or david@rapidserve.net. Web site: www.heppner.net. Postmaster send address changes to the Heppner Gazette-Times, P.O. Box 337, Heppner, Oregon 97836. Subscriptions: $31 in Morrow County; $25 senior rate (in Morrow County only; 65 years or older); $37 elsewhere; $31 student subscriptions. David Sykes ..............................................................................................Publisher Bobbi Gordon................................................................................................ Editor Giselle Moses.........................................................................................Advertising All News and Advertising Deadline is Monday at 5 p.m. For Advertising: advertising deadline is Monday at 5 p.m. Cost for a display ad is $5.25 per column inch. Cost for classified ad is 50¢ per word. Cost for Card of Thanks is $10 up to 100 words. Cost for a classified display ad is $6.05 per column inch. For Public/Legal Notices: public/legal notices deadline is Monday at 5 p.m. Dates for pub- lication must be specified. Affidavits must be required at the time of submission. Affidavits require three weeks to process after last date of publication (a sooner return date must be specified if required). For Obituaries: Obituaries are published in the Heppner GT at no charge and are edited to meet news guidelines. Families wishing to include information not included in the guidelines or who wish to have the obituary written in a certain way must purchase advertising space for the obituary. For Letters to the Editor: Letters to the Editor MUST be signed by the author. The Heppner GT will not publish unsigned letters. All letters MUST include the author’s address and phone number for use by the GT office. The GT reserves the right to edit letters. The GT is not responsible for accuracy of statements made in letters. Any letters expressing thanks will be placed in the classifieds under “Card of Thanks” at a cost of $10. AWANA Club to go virtual this fall Heppner AWANA Club is returning this fall, with some modifications due to the ongoing COVID-19 situation. Volunteers are working on switching to a virtual platform with online club meetings that will be both safe and fun for club mem- bers. While they say not all the details have been worked out, they are plan- ning for a start date around Sept. 29. Meetings will last about 45 minutes. In-person club meetings will resume when COVID-19 restric- tions are lightened. The AWANA program is the combined effort of local churches to teach children what the Bible is all about. Games, songs and a Bible lesson are included during a typical club meet- ing. It includes activities for Sparks (kindergarten through second grade) and Truth and Training (third through sixth grade) mem- bers. To register or for more information, contact AWA- NA secretary Andrea Di Salvo at adisalvo629@ gmail.com or 757-285- 5792. Churches to provide internet access for students The churches in Hep- pner will be making their facilities available for school children in the south end of the county who have limited internet access. The following churches will be open for any student who needs internet access for distance learning: All Saints Episcopal Church (541-676-9970); Heppner Christian Church (541-571- 2537); St. Patrick’s Catho- lic Church (541-561-6768); and Willow Creek Baptist Church (541-219-2316). Please contact each church for additional information. Arlington landfill UMCHS receives fined for radioactive donations from Nike dumping Chemical Waste Man- agement, which operates a landfill near Arlington, has been fined $60,000 for disposing of 2.5 mil- lion pounds of radioactive waste from a North Dakota oilfield site, against Oregon law. The Oregon Depart- ment of Energy (ODOE) had issued Waste Man- agement a notice of viola- tion back in February for the illegal dumping. When news that the company had been accepting radioac- tive waste reached Mor- row County government it caused a stir. Commissioner Jim Doherty became upset learning that multiple train carloads of the waste were hauled through the county without anyone notifying the sheriff’s office. Law enforcement is normally notified when hazardous materials come through on trains, so in case of an acci- dent, emergency personnel will know for their, and the townsfolk’s safety, what they are up against. Doherty was upset be- cause first responders and others who may go to an accident scene would have no idea the banned mate- rial was waiting for them. “How can the rail folks be assured what is going through this town (Board- man)?” he asked at the time. The waste came though on rail between 2016 and 2019. Recently the Oregon Department of Environ- mental Quality (DEQ) lev- ied the Arlington landfill a fine of $60,000 for the illegal dumping. In addition to Waste Management, a Culbertson, Montana oil- field waste logistics com- pany was fined $303,856 for sending the material to Oregon. The radioactive material is a by-product of fracking from oil drilling in North Dakota. However, in con- sultation with other state agencies, ODOE at the time determined there is no current threat to land- fill workers, the public or the environment from this waste. ODOE also at the time said the incident didn’t meet the criteria to qualify for a fine, however the DEQ apparently did not agree and issued the fine to Waste Management. The Neighborhood Center is an essential, lo- cal non-profit and remains open to help those in need. The center is providing food boxes and other emer- gency services (such as rent and utility assistance) to those who have fallen on hard times and reside in south Morrow County. Food boxes can be picked up Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 12 noon and 2 to 4 p.m. at 441 N Main Street, Heppner. Food boxes are filled with a week’s work of food and can be picked up through- out the month. The Neighborhood Center is also accepting gently used clothing, house- hold items and paper and plastic bags for the pantry. Executive Director Lisa Patton reported the center is also partnered with the Salvation Army and can provide shelter for those who are homeless or tempo- rarily displaced. Emergency gas assistance vouchers are also available for those in need of fuel. The center also works with CAPECO and can assist locals in applying for COVID-19 relief funds for CAPECO’s utility and housing programs. For fur- ther information or to set up a time to pick up a food box contact Lisa Patton at 541-676-5024. Neighborhood Center still open YOUR AD COULD BE HERE! Call 541-676-9228 Or Email graphics@rapidserve.net We also offer design and printing services Heppner Gazette-Times Sykes Printing Print & Mailing Services *Design *Print *Mail Sykes Publishing 541-676-9228 Head Start received furniture, playground equipment and classroom materials from Nike. -Contributed photo. The building blocks for outfitting UMCHS (Uma- tilla Morrow Head Start Inc.) Eastern Oregon early learning centers are rolling in, literally, on trucks full of high-quality furniture, playground equipment and classroom materials. NI- KE’s Global Headquarters in Beaverton, OR selected UMCHS as a primary bene- ficiary for what is estimated as over a half million dol- lars’ worth of furniture and materials that will enrich all UMCHS early learning environments and services. Dialogues began sever- al weeks ago with NIKE’s site directors and UMCHS Executive Director, Mau- reen McGrath. “The NIKE team has always been a groundbreaker when it comes to supporting early care and education, and this gift of high-quality resourc- es will ‘pay it forward’ to some of our communities’ most vulnerable children in eastern Oregon.” The NIKE philanthrop- ic gift could not have come at a better time as UMCHS recently received funding for expansion. Forty-three new infants/toddlers and their families will be served in our areas, and an ad- ditional 26 children will receive Preschool Promise services through UMCHS. New sites benefited by the expansion include Board- man, Hermiston, Stanfield, Condon, Wallowa and Pendleton. This donation will di- rectly support our Oregon Pre-K, Birth to Three pro- grams, as well as Head Start, Early Head Start, Child Care partnerships, Child Care Resource and Referral and our existing expanse of programs un- der the UMCHS umbrella. McGrath explains that early learning focused efforts like these are investments that will pay dividends later, in kindergarten and beyond. ECE materials, furni- ture, outdoor playground structures, fencing, bath- room fixtures, books, stroll- ers, cots, iPads and manip- ulatives and so much more have been transported to UMCHS’ new Operations Complex and will roll out to classrooms and programs this fall. “As a teacher, you secretly wish for items for your classroom that are child-sized, of amazing quality, enhance the ed- ucational experience and come from the heart,” says UMCHS Head Start Direc- tor Dennis Julian. “And this gift exceeds that wish ten times over.” “People would be shocked at what it costs to set up a preschool class- room,” says Dan Daltoso, UMCHS Associate Direc- tor for Operations. “On average, it costs between $20,000 and $40,000, and we see dollar signs when we see equipment and even miniature toilets and sinks sized for these small tots.” It means that “we will be able to re-purpose revenues meant for hardware towards direct services for children and families,” Daltoso adds. UMCHS programs give children the tools they need to succeed in higher learning and to parents, the resources they need to excel. Parents can send their children to preschool knowing they are going to learn skills that ensure they are ready for kindergarten: among them math, literacy, social-emotional learning, nutrition and physical ex- ercise. Each aspect focuses on preparing children for higher forms of education and this donation will help enhance the environments for our children. Julian notes that, “After the year we have all had, Nike’s gift reminds us of how import- ant it is to look out for one another…we are not in this alone because educating children is everyone’s busi- ness.” McGrath concurs, “It’s truly a legacy gift that will make a difference for decades.” If you are interested in exploring early learning opportunities like preschool or would like to learn more about the programs we offer at UMCHS, call 541-564- 6878 or visit www.umchs. com. UMCHS is an agency committed to ensuring that children, and those who care for them, are given all the tools they need to create healthy and happy futures for the next generation. The agency is founded on the principles that have made Head Start one of the earli- est and most effective inter- ventions for preparing our young children for brighter futures academically, so- cially and emotionally. New Baby in Your Family? Engagement? Wedding? We want to share your life events! Stop in the Heppner Gazette office or email us with details and photos. All birth, engagement and wedding announcements are always free! 188 W Willow Street Heppner, OR editor@rapidserve.net
