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
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