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About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (March 23, 2022)
Matt Combe selected Morrow County School District superintendent “After an exhaustive search, the Morrow Coun- ty School District Board of Directors is pleased to VOL. 141 NO. 12 8 Pages Wednesday, March 23, 2022 Morrow County, Heppner, Oregon announce that Mr. Mathew Combe will become the district’s next superinten- dent,” said a news release from the MCSD Board of Directors. According to the re- lease, Combe, Heppner, was one of 13 applicants for the position. He then became one of three final- ists who spent time in the district meeting with staff, community members and high school students from each of the three high schools. Board members conducted extensive ref- erence checks and final interviews before offering Combe the position, said the release. MCSD Board Chair Becky Kindle reported Dalton Davis’s winning ride with 89.5 on Cure ALS Staff and bullfighters worked hard to ensure a safe and entertaining event that the board is current- of Crozier Bucking Bulls ly in contract negotiations with Combe and intends to take final action approving the contract at the April 11 board meeting. “Combe is currently the principal of Heppner Junior-Senior High School and serving the school district as the director of maintenance and facilities. Combe has been employed by the district since Janu- ary 2005. Other roles in the district include elemen- tary principal and director of alternative education,” said the release. Combe has a master’s degree from 50¢ Fans braved the weather for an evening of bullriding The Challenge of Champions Tour made its third stop of 2022 in Heppner Matt Combe Eastern Oregon University at LaGrande. “Mr. Combe has been actively involved in the entire bond process and looks forward to utilizing his knowledge as the dis- trict moves forward with hopes of passing their bond,” continued the news release. Based on board ap- proval, Combe would offi- cially begin his position as school district superinten- dent on July 1 2022, con- cluded the release. The two other final candidates for the position were Jose Silva, principal at the Kermit R. Booker Sr. Innovative Elementary School in Las Vegas, Ne- vada, with master’s and doctorate degrees in edu- cation, and Chester Brad- shaw, superintendent of the Sugar Salem School District in Sugar City, Ida- ho, with an education spe- cialist degree from Idaho State University. Junior bullriders, Tanner Griffith on JimBob of SB Ranch & Rodeo and Wyatt Davis on Checkers of SB Ranch & Rodeo, tied for first with 80 points. -Photos by Rodney Evans of ZYYE Images Amazon drops $11.5 million 1947 Ford Coupe takes best of surprise on county show at St. Paddy’s Cruz-In Company volunteers to pay off corrected tax bill Best 1910's & 1920's Car or Pickup: Damon & Roberta Hulit from the Dalles in their 1924 one- ton Model T Flatbed Truck Best 1930's & 1940's Car or Pickup: Jack Her- rick from Kennewick in a 1939 Chevy Master Deluxe Best 1950's & 1960's Pickup: Ted Hoffman from The Dalles driving a 1959 Ford F-100 Best 1970's & New- er Pickup: Jack Bell from Stanfield with his 1972 Chev Pickup Best 1950's & 1960's Car: Dick Allen from lone in his 1967 Chevelle Best 1970’s & 1980’s Car: Rick Carr of The Dalles with his Pontiac Firebird Trans Am Best 2005’s & Newer Car: Aaron & Tina Mad- den of Kennewick with their 2019 Dodge Chal- lenger Hellcat Redeye Best Resto mod Car: Phil Lemley of Richland bringing his 1973 V28 Ca- maro Best Foreign Car or Pickup: Melody Hudson from The Dalles with her 1973 Datsun 240Z Best Paint: Chris Rob- erts of The Dalles and his 1955 Chev Best Engine: Kenneth Nelson of Ione in a 1929 Ford Model A Hot Rod Best Fat Fender: Larry Stephenson of W. Richland in a 1937 Buick special Best Muscle Car: Gary Carr of The Dalles in a 1967 Dodge Camaro Best Street Rod: Tad Johnson of Prineville with a 1936 Ford Roadster. By David Sykes Morrow County got a big surprise recently when Amazon with its many server facilities here, paid off a past tax bill of over $11.5 million, and by law didn’t even have to. Coun- ty officials were caught off guard by the large, unexpected check, which resulted from an error by the Oregon Department of Revenue. How the windfall came about dates back to 2020-21 when Ama- zon filed their state taxes. County Assessor Mike Gorman said new replace- ment equipment the com- pany installed in one of its facilities was incorrectly exempted from taxation, resulting in the $11.5 mil- lion underpayment. After the error was discovered, according to state tax law Amazon was not obligated to pay it. But Gorman said: “Amazon said they want- ed to go ahead and pay it, so they paid $11 million Imes appointed MC Public Works Director Eric Imes has been ap- pointed Morrow County Public Works Director. He had been working since January 5 as Interim Road Master following the res- ignation of Matthew Scriv- ner. Imes was promoted to the top job February 3. which would have been part of their tax bill,” he explained. After getting the mon- ey, which came with no restrictions on how the county could spend it, commissioners were at odds on what to do with the windfall. At the March 9 meeting Commissioner Don Russell brought in a spread sheet detailing a plan to give the funds to the 18 county taxing dis- tricts he said would have gotten the monies if the payment had been made correctly. That idea did not get traction with the other two commissioners however, as Jim Doherty and Melissa Lindsay said the money should be dis- tributed on a wider basis across the county, even with those who would not have received any of the property tax money. “This money should have been on the tax rolls,” Russell said. “Amazon intended it be on the tax rolls. I think the money should go out to the taxing districts that would have gotten it had it been on the tax rolls.” A motion to distribute the funds to the 18 districts proposed by Russell died for lack of a second. Receiving the large amount of Amazon money prompted a wider discus- sion among commissioners about how money received in tax abatement programs, such as through both the Columbia River Enterprise Zone (CREZ) and the Stra- tegic Investment Program, is being spent. A common practice for both programs when giving money intended for educa- tion, is to funnel the money through an education foun- dation, or through other entities such as the Ione Community Agri-Business Organization (ICABO). If the money is given straight to the school districts then the state of Oregon will re- -See AMAZON/PAGE SIX E L E VAT E YO U R A DV E N T U R E CALL 541-989-8221 ext 204 NEW 2022 FOR Fifty-three cars attended the 20th St. Paddy's Cruz-In held on March 12, 2022, in Heppner. Ve- hicles and their owners hailed from Heppner, Hermiston, Umatilla, Summerville, The Dalles, Prineville, Stanfield, lone, Pendleton, Athena, Lex- ington, Irrigon, LaGrande, Boardman, Echo, Ken- newick, Richland, West Richland, Pasco and Walla Walla. Award winners of the 20th St. Paddy's Cruz-In are the following: Best Of Show: Wil- liam Stark of Hermiston in his 1947 Ford Coupe Mustang's Choice: Patricia Swisher of Uma- tilla with a 1966 Mustang Coupe Leprechaun's Choice: Steve Oliver of Summer- ville in a 1966 Dodge Charger Best Convertible: Will Felt from The Dalles in a 2013 Corvette Participant's Choice: Chris Roberts of The Dalles in his 1955 Chev- rolet Eric Imes for more information CHECK OUT THE ALL-NEW 2 0 2 2 P O L A R I S L I N E U P. WE’LL HELP YOU LOCK I N W H AT Y O U W A N T. WARNING: Polaris ® off‑road vehicles can be hazardous to operate and are not intended for on‑road use. Driver must be at least 16 years old with a valid driver’s license to operate. Passengers, if permitted, must be at least 12 years old. All riders should always wear helmets, eye protection, and protective clothing. Always use seat belts and cab nets or doors (as equipped). 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