Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, November 30 , 2022 -- THREE
~ Letters to the Editor ~
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Lindsay is a
true leader
Commissioner Melissa
Lindsay is one of the most
effective county commis-
sioners I have worked with,
first in my role as a Harney
County Commissioner and
now as the state representa-
tive for House District 60.
She advocates effectively
for her constituents and for
county issues, putting the
concerns and priorities of
the communities she rep-
resents first above all else.
During the COVID
pandemic, she navigated
tough challenges to bring
much-needed financial and
health resources to Mor-
row County. She pushed
for rural schools to open
to in-person learning and
brought tens of thousands
of dollars of Morrow Coun-
ty small businesses in order
for them to stay open. She’s
helped expand broadband
access and find funding for
the fairgrounds to ensure
kids in Morrow County
have opportunities for 4-H,
FFA and expand tourism to
the county.
Melissa has built im-
portant relationships and
partnerships at the local,
regional, state and even
federal level to ensure Mor-
row County has a voice and
a seat at the table, which
in turn has provided new
opportunities for the county
to thrive.
In our time working
together, she has shown
time and time again to serve
selflessly and with integ-
rity—two things that are
rare in politics these days.
Commissioner Lindsay is
a true leader and a public
servant, and she deserves
support and recognition
for her work for Morrow
County.
Rep. Mark Owens
Burns, OR
State police face backlog
following measure 114
Requests for background checks for firearm sales jumped
after the announcement that Ballot Measure 114 passed this
month. -Contributed photo
The Oregon State Po-
lice reports a backlog of
background checks for fire-
arm purchases following
the passing of Ballot Mea-
sure 114.
The Oregon Secretary
of State’s office notified
OSP that Ballot Measure
114 will go into effect at
12 a.m. on Dec. 8. Among
other things, the measure
requires a permit to pur-
chase firearms and requires
the police to maintain a per-
mit/firearm database. It also
makes it illegal to purchase
magazines that hold more
than 10 rounds. The Oregon
State Police has been work-
ing with the Department of
Justice, the Oregon State
Sheriffs’ Association and
the Oregon Association
Chiefs of Police to assess
the required processes that
need to be completed to
implement this law.
Right now, the big-
gest problem for the state
police is the processing
of increased requests for
background checks. The
department reports that,
as of Nov. 16, only about
63 percent of the requests
received into the OSP Fire-
arms Instant Check Sys-
tem (FICS) unit have been
approved for the month of
November. The remaining
transactions must be eval-
uated by an OSP employee
to determine what caused
the person to be kicked out
of the automated process.
If applicable, a manual
correction can be made,
and the application can be
approved.
The state police offer
some important notes to
consider when submitting
for a firearm purchase or
transfer. Things that could
exclude someone from au-
tomated approval include:
-If you have ever been
arrested or convicted of
a crime in Oregon or any
other state.
-If you have incomplete
or incorrect information
listed on federal ATF Form
4473. A potential fix is to
double-check the informa-
tion for accuracy.
-If your registered
DMV address does not
match the address listed on
federal ATF Form 4473.
A potential fix is to up-
date personal address with
DMV.
That said, the unit has
been working through these
extreme firearms request
volumes and says it will
continue to process them as
quickly as possible.
The FICS unit’s hours
of operation is set in Ore-
gon Revised Statute (ORS),
and largely determined
by retail hours. FICS is
open and processing back-
ground checks from 8 a.m.
to 10 p.m., seven days a
week, 363 days a year, with
only Thanksgiving Day and
Christmas Day off.
For more information
about the Oregon State
Police’s Firearms Instant
Check System (FICS), in-
cluding how to complete
a Firearm Pre-Purchase
Self-Assessment Question-
naire, go to
h t t p s : / / w w w. o r e -
gon.gov/osp/programs/
cjis/Pages/Firearms-In-
stant-Check-System.aspx.
Spiritually Speaking
Father Thankachan Joseph
St. Patrick Catholic Church Heppner
Prepare the Way for the
Messiah
The main theme of this Sunday of Advent is to
prepare the way for the Messiah, and Scripture gives us
answers to these questions: 1) What kind of Savior is the
one we are waiting for? 2) How are we going to get ready
to receive Him? 3) What are we to do so that we may be
saved by Christ?
The Prophet Isaiah (11:1-10) describes justice and
peace, describing seeming impossibilities. The condition
of the people of Israel at the time of Isaiah was sad. After
the death of King Solomon, his kingdom had been divid-
ed into the northern Kingdom of Israel and the southern
Kingdom of Judah. The destruction of the Kingdom of Is-
rael involved most of the people being carried off as slaves
and scattered over various countries. Isaiah compares the
scattered people of Israel to a felled tree of which only
the stump remains. Usually from the remaining stump
some shoots sprout, but little chance exists that any of
these shoots will become a grown-up tree because they
are eaten by cattle or they just dry up. Isaiah’s vision
in 11:6-7 answers the first question in the introduction,
“What kind of Savior is the one we are waiting for?” He
recounts his vision of “the days to come” when God will
manifest His glory to all humankind. “The wolf shall live
with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the kid, the
calf and the lion and the fattened calf together, and a little
child shall lead them. The cow and the bear shall graze,
their young shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat
straw like the ox.” All these descriptions of the day of
the Messiah, some people will say, are impossible. The
wolf can never live in peace with the lamb because it the
wolf’s nature to eat the lamb. Isaiah is pointing out that
a radical transformation of our human nature is required,
possible only by God’s grace.
How are we going to get ready to receive our Savior?
John the Baptist in the Gospel of Matthew (Mt. 3:1-12)
gives us an answer to this question. We must allow
ourselves to be possessed by the Spirit of God, just as
John was. John invites the Jews to conversion. “Repent,
for the Kingdom of God is close at hand” (Mt. 3:2). In
other words, John invites us to change from wolves into
lambs because, in a way, we are all wolves as long as we
persevere in sin. John does not hesitate to call the leaders
of the Jews “vipers” –snakes whose hearts were full of
poison that poisoned people around them. In another
comparison, John invites the Jews to change from useless
chaff into precious grain. He invites them to start yielding
fruit, or else the coming of the Messiah would be of no
use to them. They would all be condemned to be burnt.
We have the plain, yet powerful, message of John the
Baptist, for all ages, a fine response to the third question
of the introduction, “What are we to do that we may be
saved by Christ?”
John preached condemnation. He preached the truth
of what men had become, “vipers,” having allowed
themselves to be poisoned and poisonous to others. Sick
and doomed, they were biting, making others sick and
dooming them.
John preached repentance. Man must first repent
and then produce worthy fruit consistent with repen-
tance—fruit that shows a changed heart and a turning
away from sin.
John preached against pride. Many of the people
wrongly believed they were acceptable to God simply
because they were children of Abraham and godly fore-
fathers, whose righteousness saved them. How they lived
mattered little. We can wrongly think similarly, that we
need only to have godly parents, to have been baptized,
are better than many, belong to pious associations, hold
important positions in public, etc.
John preached social justice. The people wanted to
know how repentance would affect their lives. What kind
of fruit should they bear? To the average citizen he said to
share your surplus food and clothes with the starving and
the naked. To tax collectors he said not to rob the people.
To soldiers he said not to abuse your power, intimidate
people or use violence against them.
John preached the Messiah’s coming. The Messiah
was more worthy and more powerful than he. “I baptize
you with water, but he with the Holy Spirit.”
MEDICARE PART
D PLANS FOR 2023
Good News Only by Doris Brosnan
There was a fun laugh among friends on Thanks-
giving when one sent a “Happy Thanksgiving” text to
several and included a picture with the comment, “I
hope that’s a turkey. I don’t have my glasses on.” It was
a picture of a bat!
At least one person—but probably several others—
sees as good news the strong wind that blew so hard, “the
fall leaves blew off trees all the way to the next county!”
An observer shares being impressed with the muscles
and energy necessary by each HHS class to climb the hill
behind the fairgrounds to change the number to match the
new senior class’s graduation year—a long local tradition
and something she is eager to watch for.
Good news for young pregnant women and new
mothers is that Birthright of Morrow County, at 128
West Willow Street in Heppner, has many diapers to
give away. Sizes range from “premies” to 10 pounds.
Birthright is open on Mondays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.,
Thursdays from 5 to 7 p.m., and Saturdays from 1 to 3
p.m.. If coming to pick up some diapers is not possible,
a volunteer can deliver. The phone number is 541-676-
0530. This organization, which is run by volunteers, also
has free baby clothes, many new pieces donated by retail
stores. These same volunteers also plan to spearhead a
“Great Community for Moms” on Dec. 15, at which
young moms and newly pregnant women can gather for
fellowship. They plan to host this opportunity on the third
Thursdays of December, January, February and March
from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m.
Not knowing something over which a grandmother
has no control until after the reason for worry has passed
can be good news: On Wednesday before Thanksgiving,
a vibrating sound and slight vibration in the car resulted
in Carson and Conor Brosnan pulling off Highway 84
near Rufus at 8:30 p.m., as they traveled to Hermiston
from Corvallis. A search revealed that a bolt from one
wheel had been shirred off and two lug nuts were missing
from the remaining bolts! Long story short, by the time
Grandma heard the story, the car had been towed to Les
Schwab in Hermiston on the day after Thanksgiving, all
necessary parts repaired and replaced. Definitely reasons
to be thankful.
Readers look forward to our tidbits of good news
and moments that brought us smiles, so please send
your contributions to dbrosnan123@gmail.com or call
541-223-1490.
Here’s hoping that some good news comes to every-
one reading this!
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177 N. Main St, Heppner • 541-676-9228
$130,000
Pending Sale
This 2 bed 1 bath is located in a nice neighborhood,
near the little league park. It is set back from the
street and across from hager park and is walking
distance to willow creek where you can take a break
and fish your worries away.
610 1/2 S Alfalfa St Heppner
177 N. Main
P.O. Box 337
Heppner, OR 97836
Chris@sykesrealestate.net
Broker
Chris Sykes
541-215-2274
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Please note we are NOT a provider for Humana
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217 North Main St.,
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Phone 676-9158 Floral 676-9426
murraysdrug.com
Hours: Mon-Fri 7am-6pm • Sat 8am-6pm • Sun 9am-2pm
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