Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (May 12, 2021)
Trauma training event to be held Help spread awareness to prevent overwhelming 911 system 50¢ VOL. 140 NO. 19 10 Pages Wednesday, May 12, 2021 Morrow County, Heppner, Oregon Threemile changed to Marty Myers Road Threemile Road in north Morrow County west of Boardman has been changed to Marty Myers Road in honor of the recent- ly deceased, longtime and respected farm manager. Myers, who passed away Dec. 1, had been gener- al manager of the large Threemile Canyon Farms west of Boardman since 1998. “Marty was a good friend of mine, and a good partner to Beef Northwest. He was a leader and in- novator in agriculture and through his efforts, brought many innovations and pos- itive changes to the indus- try,” said Beef NW Feeders Managing Partner John Wilson in a letter to the Long-time Threemile Farms Manager Marty Myers Morrow County commis- sion supporting the name change. “Marty was also a champion of community causes and supported Mor- row County and our local communities.” While it is a private road, the county does have overall responsibility for coordinating and naming roads in the county and the commissioners voted unanimously in favor of the name change. The newly named Marty Myers Road intersects to the I-84 free- way west of Boardman. Threemile Canyon Farms covers approxi- mately 145 square miles and grows 39,500 acres of irrigated crops includ- ing potatoes, onions, corn and sweet peas. The farm also runs four dairies, with 33,000 milking cows and nearly 70,000 total cattle. The milk is sold to the Til- Pioneer Memorial Hos- pital (PMH) will be host- ing a trauma simulation training event on Wednes- day May 19, beginning at approximately 9 a.m. Multiple agencies will be partnering to share in this event, including PMH med- ical staff, Morrow County Health District Ambulance, Heppner Fire Department, Morrow County Sheriff’s Office and Life Flight. “This great opportunity has been made possible through funding from the SHIP Grant, which afforded us the opportunity to team up with Healthcare Safety Solutions,” a spokesperson told the Gazette. This sim- ulation will be conducted in the Heppner community, involving real emergency response vehicles, person- nel and a mannequin. The lamook County Creamery Association, which oper- ates a large cheese-making plant 20 miles away at the Port of Morrow. Along with his posi- tion at Threemile Canyon Farms, Myers had served on the Oregon Board of Agriculture since 2015. Members are appointed by the governor and advise the state Department of Agri- culture on policy issues. In 2020 Threemile Canyon Farms was recognized for Outstanding Dairy Farm Sustainability at the 2020 U.S. Dairy Sustainability Awards for its closed-loop system, pioneered by My- As of Monday, May 10, ers, to minimize and recycle Morrow County Clerk Bob- dairy waste. bi Childers reported that of the 6879 registered voters in Morrow County, 1055 have returned their ballots, for a 15.34 percent return rate. “This is a special elec- tion, and the numbers will never be close to what you see in a general election,” Childers told the Gazette. She also noted that in the last special district election 34.6 percent of the ballots were returned out of 6282 eligible voters. When asked how can- didates are elected in this election, she reported the person with the most votes will win the position. Doug McKay May 13 is the last day to safely return ballots by bies include learning Gael- mail. After that date, voters ic, painting, photography should use an official drop site. and fishing. For voter convenience, Ballot return rate slightly lower Umatilla National Forest selects new Heppner District Ranger Umatilla National For- est Supervisor Eric Watrud has announced that Doug McKay has been selected as the new Heppner District Ranger, with an anticipated start date toward the end of June. McKay currently serves as a district ranger on the Winter Rim Zone (which includes both the Paisley and Silver Lake Ranger Districts) of the Fremont-Winema National Forest. “The Umatilla is fortu- nate to have such a highly qualified individual join our forest leadership team,” Watrud said. “Doug’s skills, experience actively manag- ing National Forest lands, and his background are out- standing complements to the priority work the forest has underway and the in- terests of the communities and partners that we serve.” McKay replaces Bran- don Houck, who has taken a District Ranger position on the Bighorn National For- est. McKay brings a variety of experience to the Umatil- la National Forest, includ- ing a strong natural resourc- es and fire management background and experience working with a variety of tribal governments, county commissioners, partners, public stakeholders and other federal agencies. McKay has worked as the Winter Rim Zone District Ranger on the Fre- mont-Winema National Forest since 2015. McKay is responsible for leading a large and geographical- ly dispersed organization, managing a complex land- scape, leading fire man- agement efforts to protect communities and working closely with a variety of external stakeholders. McKay also brings leadership experience through a number of tempo- rary assignments, including serving as the acting Public Services Officer on the Sierra National Forest, the acting Regional Manager for the Tribal Relations Program for the Pacific Southwest Region based out of Vallejo, California, and the acting Heritage Pro- gram Manager on the San Bernardino National Forest. McKay has an exten- sive background in archae- ology and heritage and has served in various archaeol- ogy roles throughout his ca- reer, including as a District Archaeologist on the San Bernardino National Forest and the Forest Archaeolo- gist on the Sierra National Forest. Born in Dallas, Tex- as, but raised in a small farming community in the Mississippi Delta region of eastern Arkansas, McKay has personal connections to rural communities, the unique cultures that define them and a strong desire to promote healthy forest practices that support lo- cal communities and their economies. McKay has a bachelor’s degree in so- ciology and anthropology from Henderson State Uni- versity. “I am extremely ex- cited to be a part of the Umatilla National Forest and the local community,” McKay said. “I look for- ward to meeting the district and forest staff and working collaboratively with the public and our partners throughout the area in the very near future.” McKay will move to the Heppner area with his wife. In his free time, McK- ay enjoys working with the Rosal Community Purchase group in Scotland. His hob- mannequin will be treated as if they are a live com- munity member arriving at the hospital with serious injuries to be evaluated and treated by medical staff, then transferred to a higher level of care. The purpose is for all team members to practice and improve emer- gency response. Life Flight is planned to land and be stationed at PMH for an extended peri- od of time. PMH would like citizens to be informed and apologize for any confu- sion or inconvenience this training may cause. Please help spread awareness of this planned event to pre- vent overwhelming our 911 system with concerned calls. As always, real emer- gencies and unforeseen circumstances may delay the event. 24-hour drop boxes are lo- cated throughout the coun- ty. All drop boxes close at 8 p.m. on May 18, election day. Drop sites are avail- able at: Heppner: Behind the Bartholomew Building, in the parking lot. Open 24 hours. Ballots may also be dropped at the Morrow County Clerk’s office inside the courthouse. The clerk’s office will be open from 8 a.m. to noon and 1-5 p.m., M-F and election day (May 18) from 7 a.m. until 8 p.m. Lexington: 365 West Hwy 74 (Morrow County Public Works parking lot). Ione: Spring St. (in front of the turn to Third Street). Boardman: NW Boardman Ave. Irrigon: 205 NE 3 rd St. (Irrigon Annex). Fowler no longer with health district The Morrow County Health District Board of Directors has announced that newly hired CEO Ryan Fowler is no longer with the district as of May 7. He started as MCHD CEO at the first of this year. Fowler was previously with the Lower Umpqua Hospi- tal in Reedsport. Previous MCHD CEO Bob Houser New patrol deputies take oath of office New Morrow County Sheriff’s Office patrol deputies Jacob Stutzman (above), Collin Brill (below) and Zachary Killgore (left) were sworn in by Under- sheriff John Bowles on May 4. retired at the end of the year. An earlier MCHD CEO, Victor VanderDoes, has been hired as an interim CEO until the district can find a permanent replace- ment. VanderDoes served as CEO of the district for over 10 years before retir- ing in 2009. “We are grate- ful that Victor has agreed to return to Heppner to serve as interim CEO during our search for a permanent replacement for our out- standing organization,” said the board in a news release. “We, as the board of di- rectors of Morrow County Health District, wish to em- phasize that every decision made as a governing board is with the understanding that our primary duty is to work diligently to safe- guard the continued deliv- ery of quality healthcare for every resident of our county. Though change can be perceived as an adverse event, we at Morrow Coun- ty Health District are resil- ient and we view change as an opportunity to make us stronger, better, and the place where the communi- ties we serve can always rely on for their health and wellness needs.” The MCHD executive team now includes Dr. Dan Hambleton, chief medical officer, Nicole Mahoney, chief financial officer, Kath- leen Greenup, chief nursing officer, Kris Jones, chief operating officer and Patti Allstott, human resources director. Dr. Russ Nichols, the previous chief medical officer, had been with the district for 21 years and had been a full-time physician with MCHD since 2008. D r. E m i l y J a c k (Thompson), who is from Heppner, recently signed as a physician with the district, but will not come on board until next year.