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About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 23, 2020)
Shooting victim dies 50¢ VOL. 139 NO. 52 10 Pages Wednesday, December 23, 2020 Morrow County, Heppner, Oregon Birthright of Morrow County open and ready to help Heppner resident, Mar- len Bowles, 42, died De- cember 18 from a gunshot wound she received at her home in Heppner on De- cember 15. She was ini- tially transported to a local hospital before being life flighted to Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU) in Portland in crit- ical condition. Just before 9:30 p.m. on Tuesday, December 15, the Morrow County Commu- nications Center received reports of shots fired. When sheriff’s office deputies arrived on the scene, they discovered the female with a gunshot wound. The Morrow County Sheriff’s Office has asked Oregon State Police to take over the investigation into the shooting. OSP is cur- rently looking for David Bowles, age 43, as a per- son of interest in the case. His location is unknown. He was last seen driving a brown Chevrolet Impala with Oregon license plate URG552. David, a white male with graying hair and blue eyes, is 5’ 6” tall and weighs approximately 180 pounds. Law enforcement is asking for the public’s help locating Bowles and are asked to call 911 or OSP dispatch at 800-442- 2068, reference OSP case # SP200348879, if he is located. Law enforcement advises the public should not try to confront him. He is considered armed and dangerous. Editor’s Note: A Go- FundMe has been set up to help Marlen’s boys with her funeral expenses. It can be found on Face- book, “Help Marlen’s boys with funeral and oth- er expenses” or https:// w w w. g o f u n d m e . c o m / f / help-marlens-boys-with-fu- neral-and-other-expens- es?qid=c4edc34dc1dbd- 660517794488012fb59. ‘Our goal is to help a woman carry her baby to term’ By David Sykes A new all-volunteer donation-supported service called Birthright of Mor- row County has opened its doors in Heppner and is now welcoming young girls or women who need help coping with an un- planned pregnancy. “We offer free pregnancy test- ing and friend to friend counseling,” says volunteer Julie Finch. “But most of all we want to just give a girl the opportunity to tell us what is going on and why she is in crisis. We don’t judge,” says Finch of the service, manned completely by trained volunteers and funded by donations from the community. “We show love and support and try to help her have the resources she needs to have her baby. That is our goal; to help her carry her baby to term,” Finch explains of the new community organization. All services for the expect- ant mother are free. Birthright of Morrow County is part of a larger Birthright International group offering the same support and counseling services. Locally a girl or woman can receive anony- mous counseling and help, such as free pregnancy tests, free maternity and baby clothes, and commu- nity referrals like where to find a doctor, health in- surance for herself and her baby, or maybe a place to stay, depending on her sit- uation. “This is not just for young girls, this is for any woman who finds herself in a stressful situation if she is pregnant or is afraid she Anyone who would like to make a financial contribu- tion to help out the new cen- ter can make their checks payable to Birthright of Morrow County and give them to Finch or Creswick or drop a check in the mail to PO Box 923 Heppner, OR 97836. The organiza- tion is a nonprofit, so any donation is tax deductible. “It is the right of every woman to give birth, and the right of every child to be born,” the organization’s brochure says in quoting Mrs. Louise Summerhill, mother of seven children David Bowles is a person of interest in a Heppner shooting. and founder of Birthright The public is asked to notify law enforcement if Bowles is seen. International in 1968. Julia Finch (left) and Jean Creswick are just two of the volun- teers ready to help a girl or woman with her pregnancy. Their office is in the former optometrist office on Willow Street in Heppner. -Photo by David Sykes is pregnant,” adds volun- teer Jean Creswick. “They can phone us and make an appointment, or just walk in,” says Creswick, who explains that all volunteers are screened, background checked, trained and ready to help. “We also have some supplies a young mother may need like maternity and baby clothes,” she says showing the supply of baby things stored at the office. Finch says there are already four volunteers in Heppner who have been screened and trained and the organization is still looking for more help in order to expand its office hours. Now the office is open Monday 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.; Thursdays 5-7 p.m. and Saturdays 1-3 p.m. “We Santa stops off at Murray’s take walk-ins, or you can call us at 541-676-0530,” Finch says. The office is located 128 West Willow Street in Heppner, the for- mer optometrist office. The new organization is also looking to do out- reach into the community and let organizations and people know what they offer. “As a new service in Morrow County, we wish to broaden our outreach. Our hope is that many oth- ers will direct teens and women to Birthright,” their brochures says. “You can be in the center as a trained friend-volunteer, offering love, hope and resources,” A special North Pole guy made a visit to Murrays Drug Tuesday and was seen visiting with they say. Adding that there clerk Jodi Brisbois. Santa is getting ready for his big night coming up Thursday making sure is a “need for prayer part- all the children will be happy on Friday. ners, donors and promoters out in the community.” Port of Morrow donates loads of firewood G-T closed for Christmas The Heppner Ga- zette-Times will be closed December 24 and 25 for the Christmas holiday. The paper will be delivered on its regular day, Wednesday, December 23 and Wednes- day, December 30. The office will be open for normal business hours December 28 - 31 and closed on Jan. 1. The G-T wishes ev- eryone a safe and happy holiday season. MORROW COUNTY GRAIN GROWERS 350 MAIN STREET LEXINGTON OR 97839 CONTACT JUSTIN BAILEY 541-256-0229, 541-989-8221 EXT. 204 The Port of Morrow donated two pickup loads of firewood to the Neighborhood Center of South Morrow County, in Heppner, to help local citizens with winter heat. Port Commissioner, Jerry Healy (right), and his son-in-law, Jon Ellis, cut and delivered the donation for the Port of Morrow. -Contributed photo. ALL NEWS AND ADVERTISEMENT DEADLINE: MONDAYS AT 5:00 P.M. POLARIS.COM/SNOWMOBILES R E B AT E S U P T O $2000 ON SELECT MODELS Offers valid on select new 2018-2021 Polaris snowmobiles purchased between August 1st, 2020 – August 31st, 2020. Minimum payments required. Offer may not be combined with certain other offers, is subject to change and may be extended or terminated without further notice. Model specifications subject to change. All rebates are paid to the dealer. The Promotional Limited Warranty consists of the standard 12-month y warranty plus an additional 12 or 24 months of additional promotional limited warranty coverage for a total of 24 or 36 months of warranty coverage. See dealer for details. Any additional warranty coverage after the initial 12 month factory warranty is subject to a $50.00 deductible per visit. Valid at participating Polaris Snowmobile dealers only. Model & year exclusions apply. See your local dealer for details. Polaris recommends that all riders take a safety training course. Do not attempt maneuvers beyond your capability. Always wear a helmet and other safety apparel. Never drink and ride. Have a news story or photo for the Gazette? e-mail editor@rapidserve.net call 541-676-9228 or stop by the office on Willow St., Heppner Today