It did get hot
50¢
VOL. 141
NO. 31
8 Pages
Wednesday, August 3, 2022
Morrow County, Heppner, Oregon
Hisler to play in East-West Shrine game
Brock Hisler had 12 touchdowns last season playing for the
Mustangs.
Heppner’s Brock Hisler
was selected to play for the
East team in the East-West
Shrine game to be held
August 6 in Baker City.
The pre-game will start at
6 p.m. with the kickoff at
7 at Baker High School.
Erik Davis, Pendleton High
School and Kenzie Hansell,
Weston-McEwen, were
selected as coaches for the
East team.
Hisler left Sunday and
is spending this week in
La Grande practicing for
the game. His selection for
the team came after he was
named 2A Defensive Back
of the Year, which includes
linebackers and secondary
players. He also received
first team 2A All-State hon-
ors as running back and
linebacker. Selected from
Heppner as alternates were
Jace Coe, Conor Brosnan
and Kason Cimmiyotti
along with Taylor Rollins,
Ione.
Brock ran for 1,153 on
158 carries and 12 touch-
downs for the Mustangs
who finished the season
11-1, losing 6-8 to Coquille,
the eventual state champi-
on, in the semifinal game.
On defense Brock has a
team high of 97 tackles and
three fumble recoveries.
In the spring he signed
a letter of intent to play
college football at Eastern
Oregon University in La
Grande. Hisler will also be
reporting to EOU coaches
this week for his commit-
ments to EOU.
“We are excited as a
program that any of our
players are selected for the
Shrine game. We feel that
Brock will do a great job
representing himself, his
family, his school and his
community. The Shrine
game has always been one
for our eastern Oregon
kids to look forward to one
more game. Fortunately
for Brock, he intends to
continue to play at EOU in
the fall. I am sure he will do
a great job for the East and
will be a valuable member
of the Mountaineer pro-
gram,” Coach Greg Grant
told the Gazette.
The East-West Shrine
game is back to normal this
year, the first time since
2019. The game was can-
celled in 2020 and in 2021
the Covid restrictions kept
the players from visiting
Baker City prior to the
game. This annual Shrine
game is a fundraiser for the
Shriners Children’s Hospi-
tal in Portland. Since its in-
ception, the game has raised
more than $2.9 million up
to 2021. It moved to Baker
City in the mid-1970s.
Mislabeled water tests spur questions
from Irrigon homeowner
Was incorrectly announced he had ‘highest nitrate levels in the county’
Temperatures registered up to 107 degrees on the bank ther-
mometer in Heppner last week. However, we are getting a
break as temperatures have come down and are expected to
hover in the 80s this week.
Brock Hisler, with Coach Greg Grant, signs his letter of intent
for EOU.
Uncooperative
suspect tased
Eric Edward Opheim, rate of speed.
48, of McMinnville, was
Deputy Brill pursued
tased and arrested on July the suspect and then con-
23, 2022, after a pursuit ducted a high risk stop in
from near the old mill dis- Lexington where the driver
trict to Lexington.
was held at gunpoint until
Morrow County Sher- another deputy arrived.
iff’s Deputy Collin Brill The two deputies attempt-
made a traffic stop near the ed to take the suspect into
old mill in Heppner on a custody, but he resisted and
vehicle whose driver was was uncooperative. After
exhibiting signs of being being warned, a Taser was
impaired at 1:12 a.m. The deployed.
Irrigon homeowner Roy Dra-
Opheim was arrested
driver initially stopped but
go, shown here when he was
by
MCSO
for reckless en-
when
contacted
by
the
dep-
a Morrow County Sheriff for
uty was uncooperative and dangering another, attempt
many years, is not happy with
irate, then left the scene. He to elude, DUII, reckless
way water test results were
handled on his property.
narrowly missed hitting the driving and resisting arrest.
deputy and proceeded into He was lodged at Umatilla
When Irrigon home-
the oncoming lane of travel County Jail with no bail.
owner Roy Drago got word
toward Lexington at a high
The
history
of
nitrate
test
results
on
the
property.
Top
from
2014
.65
ppm,
middle
the
mis-
last month that nitrate test
labeled
sample
from
June
22,
2022,
68
ppm,
and
the
follow
up
test
taken
July
2022
.60
ppm
results on his well had
come back extremely high,
and that those results were trate level of .75 ppm, and test. And this time the re- on land in the north Morrow
being openly discussed then in 2014 at .65, Drago sult came back at .62 parts County area, Doherty has
among politicians and fam- said he was shocked when per million, a negligible been leading the charge
ily members, he was not County Commissioner Jim amount more in line with not only to provide bottled
T h e H e p p n e r G a - Peterson Jewelers building.
pleased. Later when he dis- Doherty called his son and the history of his property. water to residents with
zette-Times
and Sykes Real Email addresses and phone
Although the lower lev- private wells, but also hav-
covered those results were told him water tests done
Estate
recently
moved from numbers remain the same.
all a mistake when another by the county on June 28, el was of course good news ing the county and others
David, April, Chris,
their
previous
location at
sample with extremely high 2022, had come back show- for Roy and his wife, Gail, do extensive testing and
Bobbi
and Giselle invite
188
W
Willow
to
177
N
nitrate content had been ing his well with 68 parts how the whole story unfold- placing of filters on the
everyone
to stop by and
Main
in
Heppner.
The
new
mislabeled as his, he decid- per million of nitrate, an ex- ed was of concern to them wells. Drinking high nitrate
say
hi.
office
was
formerly
the
ed to ask some questions. tremely high level and very both. Drago said he would water is very dangerous to
“We’ve always had dangerous to human health. like to know several things people’s health, especially
“I immediately called about the extensive water
ALL NEWS AND ADVERTISEMENT DEADLINE:
very low nitrogen in our
the
county
emergency man- testing program now under- -See MISLABELED TESTS/
water here,” Drago, who
lives near the Irrigon Fish ager and asked for a re-test way in the county. He has
PAGE THREE
Hatchery, told the Heppner since this was so out of questions like: how many
Gazette-Times last week. place,” Drago said of the people see the test results
Providing the Gazette with high results. He was told once they are completed?
lab test results dating back that the county would not Who are these people and
to 2012 and showing a ni- pay for another test of his why are politicians such
E L E VAT E YO U R A DV E N T U R E
well even though he had as county commissioners
years of test results show- having access to what he
CALL
ing negligible amounts of feels should be private in-
nitrate in his water sup- formation about his proper-
ply. “They just said they ty? And he wants to know
wouldn’t do it and I would why did Doherty contact his
ext 204
have to pay for it myself if son, who is not the property
I wanted it redone,” Dra- owner, and divulged private
for more
go said. However, several water test results to him?
information
hours after that conversa-
Ever since it was an-
tion a representative from nounced earlier this year
Boardman Foods, who is that the Department of En-
also doing water testing vironmental Quality had
CHECK OUT THE ALL-NEW
2 0 2 2 P O L A R I S L I N E U P.
in the area, called and said fined the Port of Morrow for
WE’LL HELP YOU LOCK
I N W H AT Y O U W A N T.
they would pay for a re- excessive nitrate dumping
Gazette moves to
new location
MONDAYS AT 5:00 P.M.
541-989-8221
FOR
NEW
2022
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