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About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 8, 2021)
TWO - Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, December 8, 2021 The Official Newspaper of the City of Heppner and the County of Morrow Heppner GAZETTE-TIMES U.S.P.S. 240-420 Morrow County’s Home-Owned Weekly Newspaper SEARCH OLD COPIES OF THE HEPPNER GAZETTE-TIMES ON-LINE: http://oregonnews.uoregon.edu/ Published weekly by Sykes Publishing and entered as periodical matter at the Post Office at Heppner, Oregon under the Act of March 3, 1879. Periodical postage paid at Heppner, Oregon. Office at 188 W. Willow Street. Telephone (541) 676-9228. Fax (541) 676-9211. E-mail: editor@rapidserve.net or david@rapidserve.net. Web site: www.heppner.net. Postmaster send address changes to the Heppner Gazette-Times, P.O. Box 337, Heppner, Oregon 97836. Subscriptions: $31 in Morrow County; $25 senior rate (in Morrow County only; 65 years or older); $37 elsewhere; $31 student subscriptions. David Sykes ..............................................................................................Publisher Bobbi Gordon................................................................................................ Editor Giselle Moses.........................................................................................Advertising All News and Advertising Deadline is Monday at 5 p.m. For Advertising: advertising deadline is Monday at 5 p.m. Cost for a display ad is $5.25 per column inch. Cost for classified ad is 50¢ per word. Cost for Card of Thanks is $10 up to 100 words. Cost for a classified display ad is $6.05 per column inch. For Public/Legal Notices: public/legal notices deadline is Monday at 5 p.m. Dates for publi- cation must be specified. Affidavits must be requested at the time of submission. Affidavits require three weeks to process after last date of publication (a sooner return date must be specified if required). For Obituaries: Obituaries are published in the Heppner GT at no charge and are edited to meet news guidelines. Families wishing to include information not included in the guidelines or who wish to have the obituary written in a certain way must purchase advertising space for the obituary. For Letters to the Editor: Letters to the Editor MUST be signed by the author. The Heppner GT will not publish unsigned letters. All letters MUST include the author’s address and phone number for use by the GT office. The GT reserves the right to edit letters. The GT is not responsible for accuracy of statements made in letters. Any letters expressing thanks will be placed in the classifieds under “Card of Thanks” at a cost of $10. Traffic stop ends in tragedy The Pilot Rock Police Department contacted the Morrow County Sheriff’s Office on December 2 at 8:45 a.m. asking for as- sistance in locating and doing a welfare check on a 28-year-old male, Charles Ervin Fowler, III, when his phone location indicated he was in the Irrigon area. MCSO deputies began searching the area and lo- cated the vehicle Fowler was driving speeding south- bound on Paterson Ferry Rd near Highway 730. A deputy conducted a traffic stop and when the deputies approached the vehicle they heard a gunshot from inside the vehicle. Tragically, an investigation indicated that Fowler, the single occu- pant of the vehicle, had shot himself. The Irrigon ambulance responded and confirmed Fowler was de- ceased. Obituaries Karen Reid Valentine Burk Karen Reid Valentine Burk, 81, passed away No- vember 26, 2021, due to respiratory failure. She was born on March 15, 1940, in Pendleton, OR to Jim and Ruth Valentine. Jim later married Susan Thomson and Karen and her sister Kay joined the blended family in Echo, OR. She graduated from Heppner High School in 1958. As much as she loved growing up on the ranch, she ven- tured off to attend college at Oregon State University and Santa Rosa California junior college where she studied business. According to a fami- ly member, with Karen’s amazing sense of humor and adventurous spirit, she was able to have multi- ple careers in her lifetime. Some of those jobs included banking, heavy equipment operator and proud Local 701 member and retail de- partment manager. “There was no job she couldn’t do,” it was noted. She met her best friend, Carol Sue, while working at a bank. Karen later met and married Carol’s brother, Ted Burk, on March 5, 1973. They lived in Portland, OR the remainder of their lives. Their only child, Suzanna Kay, was her pride and joy and she loved watching her play sports. “She was elated to have two grand- daughters, McKenna (19) and Mallorie (14) whom she loved to the moon and back. She also cherished time spent with friends and family. She loved hosting events and she was the life of the party with her quick wit, funny pranks, and hi- larious stories,” continued the family member. Karen loved all sports, but espe- cially college football and the Oregon State Beavers. Karen lived with her daughter, son-in-law and granddaughters since Ted’s passing in 2018. She loved playing Jeopardy with the family, talking about sports and going out to eat. She loved a good cheeseburger. She will be greatly missed by all who knew her. She was preceded in death by her loving husband of 45 years, Ted; sister, Kay; her beloved grand- mother, Edna, and parents, Jim, Ruth and Susan; her Aunt Helen and many other friends and family mem- bers. A celebration of life will be held at the Mil- waukie Elks Lodge #142 at 13121 SE McLough- lin Blvd, Oak Grove, OR 97222 Saturday, December 18 at 11 a.m. Food will be served, stories will be shared, and laughs will be had. Please join the family in celebrating the amazing life of Karen Burk. H o l m a n ’s F u n e r a l Home in Portland is in charge of arrangements. Morrow County declares another COVID state of emergency By David Sykes In response to what it called an increasing num- ber of positive COVID-19 cases, limited local capacity of hospitalization of county citizens and mask restric- tions from the governor, Morrow County Commis- sioners last week voted to declare a state of emergen- cy once again across the county. The new declaration is similar to the last one enact- ed which expired Dec. 10, and it in turn gives govern- ment broad authority over purchasing services and supplies, handling coun- ty personnel and money, and sharing resources with surrounding counties. The declaration also gives the county authority to receive state and federal pandemic grant funds. County Emergency Manager Paul Gray cau- tioned, however, that the emergency declaration doesn’t mean the county is in deep trouble. “This emer- gency declaration doesn’t necessarily mean we are in the middle of a catastrophic event,” he told commis- sioners. He said the decla- ration does give the county board of commissioners, emergency manager and the administration access to mutual aid agreements, authority to extend funds, deploy personnel and put supplies in stockpiles. “We are currently doing this with other counties, and this gives us emergency procurement for goods and services,” he said of the declaration. Commissioner Jim Doherty was not so quick to sign on, however. “Let’s just make it perpetual,” Doherty said of the renewed emergency declaration. “Let’s just make it that Morrow County is perpetu- ally in a state of emergency that allows us to do these things.” Doherty said he doesn’t see an emergency here, was opposed to the declaration last time, and is still opposed to it. “These things have to mean some- thing and at this point I fail to see the necessity. So, I’m a no vote,” he said. He said since the county just keeps authorizing emergencies, he would talk to county counsel Justin Nelson about just making the emergency declaration ongoing. Commissioner Melissa Lindsay, who voted in fa- vor of the declaration both times, said she was not in favor of making it ongoing. “I don’t wish to make it perpetual, but I don’t know how we leave money on the table should there be new dollars come available.” Lindsay said more state and federal funding relat- ed to the pandemic might become available and she didn’t want the county to lose out on if it did not have the emergency declaration in place. “I hesitate to leave dollars on the table for a small county,” she said. Gray said neither did he want to see the emergency declaration become perma- nent. “I don’t want perpetu- al, but there is money on the table and a new variant is coming,” he said. Gray said the new Omicron variant is reportedly mild in its symp- toms and he’s hoping it’s not going to be that bad in the United States. “But that doesn’t mean it’s not going to change and then we are going to be back to square one with another pandemic of a variant that is going to start killing a lot more people,” he said. Doherty said he understood but did not want county govern- ment to incur an emergency on speculation. “We don’t want to get out ahead ring- ing an alarm bell until there is an alarm,” he said. On where the county stands on enforcing vaccine mandates on its employees, Gray reported that only 65 of the 135 county employ- ees had turned in their vac- cination cards, but so far the county, like everyone else, is “at a standstill” until the legality of the mandates are sorted out in the courts. But Gray said he still wanted the county to be ready in case the vaccination mandates are imposed. Commissioner Don Russell, who voted in favor of the emergency declaration, said the issue of state and federal vaccine mandates will probably be decided in the court system. “It is a court decision that will ultimately be decided by the Supreme Court,” he speculated. In other business at the December 1 meeting, the commissioners voted to declare one day per year as Employee Appreciation Day for nonunion county workers. The day would be a paid day off and can be Phyllis Marie Piper Phyllis Marie Piper, 81, was by George Strait, Adele of Lexington, died Friday, and Elton John. Accord- November 26, 2021, at ing to her family, “Most Good Shepherd Hospital of all, Phyllis loved her family.” She trav- in Hermiston. A celebra- eled to watch her tion of life will be held grandkids and Saturday, December 11, great grandkids 2021, at 1 p.m. at the in dance, sports Heppner First Christian and Christmas Church. She was born April Phyllis Marie plays, attending every event she 8, 1940, at Heppner, the Piper possibly could. daughter of Roy and Phyllis was a mem- Melba Hughes Quacken- bush. “Phylly,” as she was ber of Rainbow Girls and affectionately known by Wrangler Club and she many, was raised and at- taught 4-H tole painting. tended school in Heppner, Phyllis and Del hosted 4-H/ graduating from Heppner LABO exchange students, and their daughters, Sheri High School in 1958. On March 22, 1959, and Janette went to Japan Phyllis married Del Piper through this group. She at Heppner. The couple co- found great enjoyment as owned Del’s Market in Lex- a chaperone traveling to ington for 28 years (1968- Europe with Sheri and her 1996). They lived on Main classmates. Survivors include her Street from the beginning of their marriage until her husband, Del of Lexington; passing. She also worked at a son, Mark Piper and his the Bank of Eastern Oregon wife Cindy; daughters, Ja- nette Skow and her husband and as a postal clerk. She was well known Tom and Sheri Peck and for her hand made Raggedy her husband Josh; seven Ann Dolls and enjoyed grandchildren and six great sewing, quilting, painting grandchildren. She was preceded in and needlework (stockings, baby quilts, tree skirts, and death by her parents Roy dish towels). Other interests and Melba Quackenbush. Memorial contributions and hobbies through the years included going to the may be made to Pioneer beach, looking for agates, Memorial Hospital, PO Box concerts, ceramics, play- 9, Heppner, OR 97836 or ing bingo, bowling, stamp to Heppner First Christian collecting, trips to their Church, PO Box 158, Hep- mountain cabin, picking pner, OR 97836. Sweeney Mortuary of mushrooms and snowmo- biling, horseback riding and Heppner is in care of ar- the Pendleton Round-Up. rangements. The online Phylly enjoyed events at condolence book is avail- the Heppner Senior Center able at www.sweeneymor- and the St. Patrick’s Cele- tuary.com. bration. Her favorite music used between the day after Thanksgiving and New Year’s Eve. “This holiday was meant to show the county’s appreciation to the employees during the holiday season,” county commissioners said. During the 2021 union- ized employee contract negotiations an Employee Appreciation Holiday was approved for the two col- lective bargaining groups, so the commission’s action just extends this benefit to the nonunion employ- ees. It was estimated that granting both groups the appreciation day would cost the county approximately $15,800 per year. Pastors invited to submit Christmas messages The Heppner Ga- zette-Times will publish Christmas messages from area pastors on Wednesday, December 22. The deadline to submit messages will be Monday, December 20, at 5 p.m. Those planning to sub- mit Christmas messages may email them to editor@ rapidserve.net, upload to Heppner.net, send via mail to Heppner Gazette-Times, PO Box 337, Heppner, OR 97836 or drop them by the office at 188 West Willow, Heppner, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Pastors are also invited to submit separate news ar- ticles for Christmas church services or activities. December Sale 0 0 OFF FRAMES * & LENSES Includes: Anti-Reflective Transitions • Polarized • Men’s Women’s • Children’s • Sunglasses *Excludes Maui Jim and Oakley, special order lenses, glass and safety eyewear. Cannot be combined with other sales or packages. Many Insura nce an HSA/F d le Decem x Plans exp ire ber 31 . your b enefits Don’t lose ! 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