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About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 30, 2020)
A Look back at 50¢ VOL. 139 NO. 53 8 Pages Wednesday, December 30, 2020 Morrow County, Heppner, Oregon 2020 will go down in history as a year to remember. COVID restrictions and shutdowns affected all of us in some way. Several people retired, candidates ran for election in May and November and high school graduations took place in a different way. See pages four and five for a pictorial view of local happen- ings in 2020. A look back at 2020 had (above) Sheryll Bates (left) retiring from the Heppner Chamber and Lori Roach taking over. Also during 2020 (right) local trucks participated in the TimberUnity trek to the state capitol. Retiring treasurer Health district employees receive recognized at COVID-19 vaccines commission meeting ‘Morrow County is a better place with Gayle having been treasurer’ By David Sykes After a career in county government that spanned 31 years, County Treasurer Gayle Gutierrez will be re- tiring. And at the Dec. 16 County Commission meet- ing she was recognized by fellow county officials and co-workers. Gutierrez started her career with the county in November of 1989 when she took a job as recep- tionist in the public works department. From there she went on in February of 1991 to become half-time assess- ment clerk and half-time deputy treasurer and deputy tax collector. She was first elected to the treasurer po- sition in 1996 and served there continuously until this year when she decided to not file for re-election. County Clerk Bobbi Childers has worked with Gutierrez since 2000 and praised her professionalism and how much she would be missed. “I started in 2000 and I was working with all the trust accounts for the juveniles and coming into a program that was not user friendly. Gayle was there and I honestly don’t know if I would still be here if it wasn’t for Gayle,” Childers said. “I might have just gone back to the school district where I knew what I was doing. But she has always been able to tell me where the money went,” Childers added. “I won’t know how much I am going to miss her until she is gone. Gayle Gutierrez I appreciate all she has done for us and she is going to be missed,” Childers said. County Assessor Mike Gorman said he has worked with Gutierrez since 2002 and told an uplifting story how the two of them made a pact to always make a point of greeting each oth- er to start the day off in the morning. “Gayle and I started that trend years ago and we always made a point of tracking each other down each morning to say good morning. I am going to miss that,” Gorman said. “I can say with absolute certainty Morrow County is a better place with Gayle having been treasurer since 1997,” he said. “I realize I have spent almost half my life work- ing for Morrow County,” Gutierrez said. “It’s been a pleasure and I’ll miss it I’m sure. It’s been a great honor serving the voters of Morrow County for all those years,” she added. G-T closed New Year’s Day The Heppner Gazette-Times will be closed January 1 for the New Year’s holiday. The office will reopen for regular hours on Monday, January 4. The G-T staff wishes everyone a Happy New Year. MCHD employees participating in the immunization clinic Monday: (left to right) Ken Franz, RN, Director of Nursing Jamie Houck, RN, Pennie Miller, purchasing, Larissa Gray, patient account representative, Krissy Sorenson, RN, Tom Sanders, respiratory therapist. Morrow County Health District employees (MCHD employees include those working at Pioneer Memo- rial Clinic, Pioneer Memo- rial Hospital, Ione Clinic, Pioneer Memorial Home Health and Hospice and Irrigon Medical Clinic) received COVID-19 im- munizations Monday at Pioneer Memorial Clinic. The vaccination, one of two required for immunity, was on a volunteer basis. Director of Nursing Jamie Houck said that Mor- row County Health De- partment (public health) employees were to receive the vaccination on Tuesday and Willow Creek Assisted Living residents next week. She said that immuniza- tions were available first to front line medical workers and volunteers, “anyone (in health care) who comes in contact with the public.” She anticipated that vaccines would be available Ken Franz, Morrow County Health District RN, administers for the general public in late the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine to Pennie Miller, MCHD purchasing director, at an employee clinic Monday. spring. MORROW COUNTY GRAIN GROWERS 350 MAIN STREET LEXINGTON OR 97839 CONTACT JUSTIN BAILEY 541-256-0229, 541-989-8221 EXT. 204 DEADLINE: MONDAYS AT 5PM 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. 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