SIX - Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, May 25, 2022 Sykes and Wenholz lead commissioner races However, final tally still not known Winners of the May 17 county commissioner race may not be known until as late as June 13, says Mor- row County Clerk Bobbi Childers. Childers says with the new state rules covering vote counting, ballots post- marked on election day but still in the mail system need to be counted, and her office will wait one week until May 24 to count any ballots that may still come in. As of May 8, the day after election however, the vote count shows Jeff Wenholz leading Melissa Lindsay by 26 votes in the race for commissioner po- sition number two, 1,296 to 1,270. In the other three- way contest for position number three, however, David Sykes leads the oth- er candidates by a wide margin. To win the seat in this primary, however, and avoid a runoff in the No- vember election, Childers says a candidate must re- ceive a majority of votes 50 percent, plus one vote. As of May 18, Sykes had 50.34 percent with 1,273 to Mike McNamee’s 776 and Gus Peterson’s 476, but if he slips below 50 percent in further counting, he will need to face McNamee in Morrow County Clerk Bobbi Childers describes the action going on in the vote counting room via closed circuit video set up at the courthouse on election night May 17. Dressed in Mustangs travel to Hayward Field in Eugene. Athletes pictured left to right: Saige Jensen, her customary election day stars and stripes, Childers could Irelynn Kollman, Hallee Hisler, Arianna Worden, Hannah Finch, Hayden McMahon, Conor explain to visitors what the vote counters were doing on the Brosnan, Saul Lopez, Roen Waite, Joseph Sherman, Trevor Nichols and Jacob Finch. big screen she had set up in the courthouse lobby. With the video feed visitors to the courthouse could watch all the action By Hannah Finch and Hannah Finch both won in the boys 4x400m be- of election night. -Photo by David Sykes. the fall. Childers says the public and candidates will get a clearer look at current vote totals when she updates them again Wednesday, May 25, saying the results will be posted on her page on the county website. However, results may still be challenged after that, and “We might not have a certain winner in the pri- mary until certification on June 13,” she said told the Gazette-Times. There was no doubt about the outcome of the school district bond issue however, as it went down 1454 to 874, losing in every precinct. Voter turnout across the county was low this elec- tion with just 38.75 percent of voters bothering to turn in their ballots. The county beat the sitewide percent- age, however, as only 36.70 percent of Oregonians both- ered to vote. Neighboring Umatilla County registered the lowest turnout in the state at 26.5 percent, but Gilliam County showed a respectable 49.3 percent participation, and Grant County came in the high- est in the state with 51.8 percent. New Morrow County government building complete The new Morrow County Government Center in Irrigon has been recently completed and will hold a ribbon cutting ceremony Thursday, May 26 from 4 to 5 p.m. The building is located at 215 NE Main Avenue. Attendees are invited to take a guided tour of the departments and new work spaces, share in conversa- tions and refreshments and The new Morrow County Government Center in Irrigon is enjoy a slide show of the now open. -File photo. construction process. Mahoney heads to state finals in steer wrestling Blane Mahoney Local Heppner High School senior, Blane Ma- honey has been competing in steer wrestling and team roping at Oregon High School rodeos for the 2021- 2022 school year and will soon head to the state finals. Mahoney has placed in the top three in steer wrestling in 10 of 14 rodeos held across the state. He won the average award in four of the seven combined Heppner brings back two 800m state champions Mike Mahoney (left), Blane’s father, hazes for Blane (right). -Photo by Fast Shootin Photography. competitions, at high school rodeos in Cottage Grove, Klamath Falls, Hermiston and Prineville, and is lead- ing the state steer wres- tling standings. He is now headed into the state finals competition to be held June 8-11 in Prineville, OR. The top four contestants after state, are then qualified to compete at the National High School Rodeo Finals to be held in Gillette, WY in July. Blane is a member of the Oregon Trail High School Rodeo Team. The Mustangs traveled to Hayward Field in Eugene Oregon for the OSAA 2A State Track Championship last Thursday and Friday. Heppner competed with 43 other teams and stood on the podium eight times. Fri- day night, it was announced that the boys placed third as a team with only five boys. Trevor Nichols placed second in the 1500m in a neck and neck finish with Knappa, winning in a quick 4:09. Irelynn Kollman and Arianna Worden also com- peted in the 1500m. Koll- man ran 5:24 to place 10 th and Worden a 5:45 to place 11 th . Saige Jensen competed in the 3000m on Thursday and ran a 12:28 to place 11 th as well. For field events, Conor Brosnan threw discus and put himself on the podium at fifth, throwing 126’02. Hannah Finch placed sec- ond in triple jump, jumping 34’1. The 800m proved to be an exciting race for both the boys and the girls. State Champions Trevor Nichols their heats of the 800m by less than a second. Nichols ran a 2:02 and Finch ran a 2:24. Joseph Sherman also made the podium in the 800m, running 2:08 to place sixth overall. Perhaps the most ex- citing races of the night, however, were the relays. The girls 4x400m competed head to head with Bandon, both teams having fought for first place in the rank- ings all season. Starting off the race was Arianna Worden, who passed the baton off to Irelynn Koll- man, then Hallee Hisler and finally to Hannah Finch to run the last leg. The Hep- pner girls placed second, running a 4:25, one of their best times. The top three places longed to eastern Oregon, with Heppner fighting for first against Enterprise and Weston-McEwen. Jacob Finch began the race before Hayden McMahon took over. Joseph Sherman ran the third leg and passed the baton off to anchor Trevor Nichols. The boys placed third and ran a 3:38, five seconds faster than their usual time. The Mustangs closed their season with five dis- trict champion titles, two state champion titles, a new school record and 14 individual state medals. This season paved the way for the next few years of high school track, as the current athletes continue to improve, and incoming freshmen join the team. WWW.HEPPNER.NET Submit News, Advertising & Announcements Letters To The Editor Send Us Photos Start A New Subscription Are you looking to gain experience in a behavioral health career? Then we have the perfect position for you and a $1,000.00 sign on bonus! (for full-time new hires) We are looking for motivated Night Shift Residential Associates (RA) for Lakeview Heights (Secure Residential Facility) in Heppner, Oregon. We have both full-time and on- call positions available! This position is perfect for someone looking into a career in the mental health field and has great potential for advancement. As an RA, you get the chance to work directly with residents and support them through severe mental illness. This opportunity allows the ideal candidate to reinforce the joy in daily living activities. 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