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About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (May 19, 2021)
County considers action against advancing Mormon Crickets 50¢ VOL. 140 NO. 20 10 Pages Wednesday, May 19, 2021 Morrow County, Heppner, Oregon Crystal Apple award winners announced Heppner winner, Teresa Parret, was not present at the ceremony. JoAnna Lamb (left) and Mary Rosenberg, Ione community School, received Crystal Apple Awards from Superintendent Rollie Marshall. (right) -Contributed photo. A total of 44 Crystal Apples were presented to eastern Oregon education staff last week at the 2021 Crystal Apple “Excellence in Education” Awards, with three apples being present- ed to local education staff members. Mary Rosenberg, third-grade teacher, and JoAnna Lamb, instructional aide at Ione Community School, and Teresa Par- ret, assistant custodian at Heppner Jr/Sr High School were the winners at the ceremony held in Echo on Monday, May 10. Each year, the IMESD partners with its school districts to recognize out- standing administrators, teachers, educational assis- tants and office and building staff for their dedication and commitment to students and for their willingness to go above and beyond their regular duties. Nomi- nations are submitted over a two-month period by administrators, coworkers, parents, students and com- munity members. Winners are selected from these nominations by school dis- trict administration. “In the past year, the COVID-19 pandemic has been one of the greatest challenges to K-12 edu- cation, but many educa- tors have stepped up and worked even harder to serve eastern Oregon’s students. Due to these challenges, celebrating this year’s Crys- tal Apple Award winners has been even more import- ant and more special,” said Michele Madril, IMESD director of communication. Additional Morrow County School District employees receiving crys- tal apples were Charlene Baker, special education teacher, Riverside Jr/Sr High School; Amber Benet- ti, 6 th grade teacher, Irrigon Elementary School and Darlene Jacobsen, 1 st grade teacher, Sam Boardman Elementary School. Click It or Ticket Safe Routes to Campaign reminds School Plan being drivers to buckle up identified in Ione The Morrow County Sheriff’s Office is remind- ing drivers about the life- saving benefits of wearing a seat belt this spring, during the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) national Click It or Ticket high-visibility enforcement effort. The national seat belt campaign, which coincides with the Memorial Day holiday, runs from May 24 to June 6, 2021. “We want the act of buckling up to become automatic to all drivers and passengers,” said Un- dersheriff John A. Bowles. “It’s not just a safe thing to do – it’s the law. During the Click It or Ticket campaign, we’ll be working with our fellow law enforcement officers across local and state lines to ensure the message gets out to drivers and passengers. Buckling up is the simplest thing you can do to limit injury or save your life during a crash. We see the results of not wearing a seat belt all the time. We see the loss of life. So often, it could have been prevented.” According to NHTSA, in 2019, there were 9,466 unbuckled passenger ve- hicle occupants killed in crashes in the United States. In that same year, 55 per- cent of passenger vehicle occupants killed at night (6 p.m.–5:59 a.m.) were not wearing their seat belts. That’s why one focus of the Click It or Ticket campaign is nighttime enforcement. Participating law enforce- ment agencies will be tak- ing a no-excuses approach DEADLINE: MONDAYS AT 5PM to seat belt law enforce- ment, writing citations day and night. In Oregon, the maximum penalty for a seat belt violation is $115.00. “You may think you’re safe in a certain vehicle, or on a certain road, but the truth is, you’re safest when you buckle up, no matter what,” said Bowles. Al- most twice as many males were killed in crashes as compared to females, with lower belt use rates, too. Of the males killed in crashes in 2019, more than half (51 percent) were unrestrained. For females killed in crash- es, 40 percent were not buckled up. “If the enforcement effort wakes people up to the dangers of unrestrained driving, we’ll consider our mission to be a success,” continued Bowles. “If you know a friend or a fami- ly member who does not buckle up when they drive, please ask them to consider changing their habits. Help us spread this lifesaving message before one more friend or family member is killed as a result of this senseless inaction. Seat belts save lives, and every- one — front seat and back, child and adult — needs to remember to buckle up.” In March 2021, Ione was awarded Safe Routes to School planning assistance from the Oregon Depart- ment of Transportation. Through this program, Ione School District, Ione city staff, and ODOT Region 5 are working together to create a Safe Routes to School (SRTS) Plan that identifies street improve- ments near Ione Charter School to support students and families in getting to school safely. The SRTS Plan will also recommend opportunities for education and engagement to pro- mote walking and rolling to school. Planners from Alta Planning + Design, an active transportation con- sulting firm, are guiding the planning process. During spring 2021, the project team has been col- laborating remotely to get feedback from the commu- nity using virtual methods and to identify and priori- tize safety needs within a mile of the schools. On May 20, the team will also host an in-person walk audit to observe student arrival and meet with school communi- ty members. The team and community members will document the walking and biking conditions around WCVEDG plans annual luncheon Willow Creek Valley Economic Development Group (WCVEDG) will host its annual luncheon on Wednesday, May 26 from noon to 1 p.m. at the Gil- liam and Bisbee Building. This is a hosted event with RSVPs required no later than Monday, May 24. An update on WC- VEDG programs will be presented as well as a bar- becue lunch of homemade ribs, baked beans, potato salad and dessert, catered by Alvin Liu, Gateway Café. RSVPs may be made by contacting the Heppner Chamber at 541-676-5536 or via email to heppner- chamber@gmail.com. the school area to inform planning recommendations. These observations will happen in a physically-dis- tanced manner, group sizes will be limited, and masks will be required per state health guidance. Anyone interested in participating in the walk audit, should RSVP at https://bit.ly/SRT- SIone During the summer, the team will continue to identify SRTS construction, education, and engagement recommendations and com- plete the final SRTS Plan. The city of Ione and Ione Charter School ask families to share feedback and experiences getting to school using this interactive online map: http://odots- rtsprojectid.com. Those sharing feedback will be entered to win a walking or rolling safety pack ($50 value). For additional informa- tion, please contact Eliz- abeth Peterson, Ione City Clerk at 541-422-7414 or email to cityofioneor@ gmail.com. More informa- tion is available at www. oregon.gov/ODOT/Pro- grams/Pages/SRTS.aspx. that with the COVID-19 By David Sykes Morrow County has a slowdown in the supply pest knocking at its door, chain there are reports the and county officials last spray chemical is hard to week discussed what should obtain, but be done to keep the unwant- Lutcher says he talked ed guest out. Oregon State Univer- to the Mor- sity Extension Agent Larry row Coun- Lutcher gave county com- t y G r a i n missioners a report about G r o w e r s OSU Exten- the Mormon Cricket infes- and it seems s i o n A g e n t tation in Gilliam County to be readily Larry Lutcher which he thinks is probably available at gives report on heading here. Lutcher says this time. “I infestation. the crickets, which destroy think we can range land vegetation and get significant product here crops, have been a problem now, but if we delay the in Gilliam County for sev- decision for a year we might eral years and are now right not be able to,” Lutcher at the Morrow County line. said. “The question is: is it “It is a serious situation,” better to be proactive and said Lutcher, who told the squash this thing now, be- commissioners he has been fore it becomes a terrible studying up on the insects in issue and a long-term on- preparation. “I hope they ar- going problem we have to en’t in Morrow County, but deal with?” he asked. In the spring of 2018 we don’t know for sure.” Arlington had a bad in- He said Gilliam County has festation of the cricket, been spraying the crickets which did considerable the past three or four years to the tune of $100,000 for damage, not only to crops, each 10,000 acres. “You can but gardens and vegetation drive out to the intersection in town. Commissioner of four mile and eight mile Melissa Lindsay recalls (at the county line) and see being in Arlington when the crickets,” said Lutcher the insects were there. “I saw these in Arlington, who told the commis- and you can’t sioners the insects do get rid of them. not fly so are coming They decimated to Morrow County by The Mormon their yards, trees “walking or hopping.” C r i c k e t h a s and bushes,” she He said they are big, 1.5 been a prob- to 2-inches long, and lem in Gilliam related. “You can move a mile to 1.5 C o u n t y f o r couldn’t even walk across the miles per day. “Are they some time. sidewalk. It was going to keep advancing disgusting. It was a pretty (toward Morrow County)? big deal and if we can help I think they will but at what stop them we need to talk rate? I don’t want to get about it,” she said. caught flat footed,” he told Despite their name and the commissioners. characteristic male chirp- Lutcher says in order ing, Mormon crickets are to kill the insects, juveniles not true crickets, but rather need to be sprayed with shield-backed katydids. a product called Dimilin, which doesn’t kill the adults They got their name by who can only be killed by endangering the livelihood baiting with Sevin. He said of Mormon pioneers in the the cost to spray a field is mid-1800s. The crickets about nine dollars per acre. usually have one generation “My biggest concern is do per year with adults mating we spray, and if so do we in the early summer, after wait for it to get into the which the females lay eggs county, or do we help the in the ground. Each female Gilliam folks out and spray can lay over 100 eggs. just to the west of us and Eggs hatch the following prevent them from coming spring (March-May) when here?” he asked. He said the soil temperatures reach 40 Gilliam county landowners F. Nymphs pass through have either started spraying seven instars (60-90 days) before reaching maturity now or will shortly. Lutcher says the crick- and 10-14 days later mating et populations peak and occurs. Nymphs resemble decline, but when they get adults in appearance but going will “eat everything are smaller and lack wings. in their path.” He says Adults feed throughout the they will come into the growing season. The county commis- range land and then start sioners took no action on destroying around the edges the cricket problem but will of the wheat ground. He discuss it further at their says where used, the spray May 26 meeting where program has been “very Lutcher will be joined by effective.” They will eat Gilliam County Extension anything irrigated, range agent Jordan Maley to talk and wheat ground. There has been reports more. ALL NEWS AND ADVERTISEMENT DEADLINE: MONDAYS AT 5:00 P.M.
