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About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (March 31, 2021)
High winds cause damage 50¢ VOL. 140 NO. 13 8 Pages Wednesday, March 31, 2021 Morrow County, Heppner, Oregon Heppner High School honors seniors High winds picked up the mobile shade structure at the Hep- pner cemetery and deposited it on top of the shop building. -Photo by Giselle Moses. Seniors at HJSHS and their parents were honored at the football game last week. Pictured (L-R): Jayden Wilson and his par- ents, Aymee and Robert; Jackson Lehman and his parents, Jessica and Andy; Blake Wolters and his parents, Kirk and Amy; Hayden Hyatt and his parents, Troy and Leah; Tim Jaca and his parents, Dave and Jennifer; Roy Collins and his parents, Tim and Jean; Genevieve Smith and her parents, Sherri and Greg; Kayla McAnninch and her parents, Jason and Stephanni. -Photo by Damon Brosnan. High winds on Sunday, March 28 caused damage and power outages in the south county area. A downed tree in Lexington at Hwy 74 near B Street hit power lines, caus- ing a town-wide power outage and traffic to be detoured around the area for several hours. Peak winds of 54 mph were reported at the Lexington Airport Sunday. Winds also toppled trees and caused damage in Hep- pner without causing power outages. A tree fell onto the power lines in Lexington knocking out power to the town. -Photo by Wayne Gordon. Lexington and Heppner Fire Departments and Columbia Basin Electric made short work of removing the tree and repairing the power lines. -Photo by Wayne Gordon. New Ione duplex construction progressing Construction on the new Ione duplex is proceed- ing it was announced at last Wednesday’s Willow Creek Valley Economic Develop- ment Group (WCVEDG) meeting. The duplex is being constructed in the Emert 2 section of Ione and is a joint venture between WCVEDG and Grow Ione. Grow Ione is the original developer of Emert 2 sub- division and donated this lot for construction. WC- VEDG provided the fund- ing for the new rental units. Money for the project came through WCVEDG from the Columbia River Enterprise Zone II which disburses money through- out the county for educa- tion, housing, public safety and community enhance- ment projects. WCVEDG is a nonprofit economic devel- opment group that, among other things, is working to try and alleviate a chronic rental housing shortage in A grain storage bin knocked down from wind on Kilkenny Road and a tree hit the ground in Heppner. -Contributed photos. 2,000 COVID-19 vaccinations coming to Morrow County next week Free vaccinations for anyone over 18 The new duplex is being constructed at the top of the Emert By David Sykes 2 subdivision. Several COVID-19 vaccinations events are planned for Morrow County in the coming weeks. The vaccinations are free and for anyone over the age of 18-years-old. They are the one-shot Johnson and Johnson variety. The vaccinations will be given on a first-come-first-serve basis and people only need to show up at one of the below locations to get their vaccination. The vaccinations are free to all, however it is asked that those with insurance cards to bring their cards with them. The shot schedule is as follows: Boardman at Sage Center Monday, April 5 - 4 to 9 p.m. Tuesday, April 6 - 4 to 9 p.m. Wednesday, April 7 - 6 a.m. to 12 noon Each unit will have 3-bedrooms, 2-baths and a garage the south county area. WC- directors. Local building VEDG has representatives company Allstott Construc- from Heppner, Lexington tion is handling the project. and Ione on its board of Congressman Bentz supports passage of Farm Workforce Modernization Act Congressman Cliff Bentz (R-Ore.) voted in favor of H.R. 1603 – the Farm Workforce Modern- ization Act of 2021, which passed the House of Rep- resentatives with bipartisan support 247-174. The bill goes to the U.S. Senate for consideration. Bentz was joined by 29 House Republicans in passing this legislation, which seeks to address the labor shortage faced by many food and fiber producers in Oregon’s Second Congressional Dis- trict. “As one who was raised on a cattle ranch in Harney County, I know firsthand just how much work must be done by those who work in agriculture. I have also spoken with local leaders across our district – in- cluding farmers, ranchers, orchardists, and produc- ers; business owners; trade associations; and local governments. After many conversations and careful consideration, I agreed with my constituents that our district would benefit from the reforms this bill makes to the H-2A guest worker program. These reforms are important to ensuring that we have a stable and -See BENTZ/PAGE TWO Irrigon at AC Houghton Friday, April 9 - 1 to 7 p.m. Saturday, April 10 - 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Heppner at Fairgrounds Monday, April 12 - 1 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 13 -7 a.m. to 1 p.m. The vaccination events are a collaboration between the Federal Emergency Man- agement Agency, Oregon Health Authority, Morrow County Health District and Morrow County Health Department. “We feel exceptionally grateful to be able to bring these vaccinations to the people of Morrow County,” County Commissioner Melissa Lindsay said in announcing the vaccination events. Going On Now! 30% off Select UTV/ATV Winches Contact Lexington Parts Department 350 Main Street Lexington, Oregon 97839 541-989-8221 mcgg.net