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About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 11, 2023)
Snowmobile club playday a success 50¢ VOL. 143 NO. 2 8 Pages Wednesday, January 11, 2023 Morrow County, Heppner, Oregon New commissioners Sweeney sworn in as conduct first meeting Heppner mayor 50 years after Grandfather of the year A family play day in the snow at the 4-Corners Snow- mobile Club annual play day. -Contributed photo Board hears nitrate update, appoints interim administrator By Andrea Di Salvo New Morrow Coun- ty commissioners David Sykes and Jeff Wenholz met in their first official capacity last Wednesday, Jan. 4. The two men were each elected to their positions last year and began their terms Jan. 2. Former commissioner Don Russell, who’s term ended Dec. 31, was present in the audience. With the recall of Jim Doherty, the third commissioner position remains vacant until filled by appointment by Sykes and Wenholz. “We’re starting 2023,” said Sykes, who is board chair under rules previously set down. “We’re looking forward to working with all of you, the county em- ployees, the private sector people, all our volunteers in Morrow County. “We have a lot of really good people, really smart, hard-working people, and we look forward to accom- plishing the tasks of county government that will work with you and make this a great county to live in,” he said. Emergency manage- ment update The new commission- ers heard an introduction to emergency management and an update on the coun- ty nitrate emergency from Morrow County Emer- gency Manager Paul Gray. Gray also asked that he, as head of emergency manage- ment, be put in charge of the nitrate emergency and final- izing recovery operations. Gray said former com- missioner Jim Doherty had previously been in charge of dealing with the nitrate issue, and he wanted to make sure he had the au- thority to go ahead and finalize the county’s part in that work. Morrow County Emer- gency Manager Paul Gray gives the new Mor- row County Commission- ers an update at their first meeting of 2023. -Contributed photo Between last fiscal year and this year, the county has spent $130,359 out of a budget of $160,000. Gray said he had already received some of the back as reimbursement from the Boardman business coali- tion and hopes to get more. Gray also said the county has an agreement with the Oregon Depart- ment of Human Services Office of Resiliency and Emergency Management to pay for water deliveries from the beginning of July to the end of March and hopes to have access to that funding soon. Gray said the county is now in the recovery phase, and he’s looking to get a lot of the burden pushed off the county and onto the state. “There’s not much more we can do,” said Gray. “The rest of this is going to have to be dealt with by the state, so I want to have the authority to talk with the state so we can get some of this stuff pushed off onto them, and then we no longer have to deal with it.” Sykes questioned ex- actly what kind of authority Gray was looking for, and Gray said he just wanted authority to talk with state entities like the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) in phasing out of the nitrate management, but that he was not asking for financial authority. Sykes also asked if Doherty had been desig- nated to interact with the state and if the state had recognized him as a des- ignated contact that they would have to take official action to replace. Gray said that was not the case, and said he wanted no authority outside what he had under the county’s emergency operation plan. “I just want to make sure that you all want me to be able to do what we’re talking about doing, which is to close out this nitrate thing and pass some of this stuff along to the state.” “Again, commissioner Doherty was the one han- dling some of this stuff, and I wasn’t privy to some of the conversations he was having with the state,” he added. Morrow County Plan- ner Tamra Mabbott clarified that the nitrates in drinking water was a public health issue that became an emer- gency issue but was also an environmental issue. She said the planning depart- ment worked with agencies like the DEQ and Oregon Health Authority to deal with the environmental aspects. She suggested a work session with county plan- ning, emergency opera- tions, public health and the commissioners to discuss roles and plans. Gray said he is dealing with just the Corey Sweeney was sworn in as the City of Heppner’s Poker Run third-place Poker Run winner Tenley Taruscio. She won the new mayor Monday, Jan. 9, replacing outgoing mayor winner Lucas Matheny. Poker Run with four aces. -Contributed photo Jim Kindle. -Contributed photo -Contributed photo Not only is Sweeney’s mayoral election a mile- stone in his own life, but he is taking on the same role his grandfather Jerry Sweeney took on exactly 50 years ago. -Contributed Jerry Sweeney elected photo mayor Nov. 9, 1972 ODE Releases new school guidance for ‘gender expansive’ students SALEM—Last week, the Oregon Department of Education (ODE) published “Supporting Gender Expan- sive Students: Guidance for Schools.” This update replaces the previously re- leased “Guidance to School Districts: Creating a Safe and Supportive School En- vironment for Transgender Students” from 2016. According to Nation- al Public Radio, the term gender expansive is an adjective “that can describe someone with a more flex- ible gender identity than might be associated with a typical gender binary.” ODE says the new guidance is grounded in the “recognition, respect, affirmation, friendship, joy, belonging, and safety every human deserves—includ- ing the students, staff, and families that make-up our school communities,” ac- cording to a statement sent out by the agency. “Gender expansive stu- dents are protected under federal and Oregon civil rights laws. School districts have a responsibility to provide a safe and affirming educational environment for all students, including gender expansive students,” Oregon Department of Ed- ucation Director Colt Gill said. “Affirming and sup- portive educators, schools, families, friends, and com- munities are shown to in- crease academic success, feelings of belonging, and reduce negative mental -Continued to PAGE SEVEN health outcomes.” Key points in this up- dated guidance included, among other things, “ex- panded and clarified sup- port for all gender expan- sive students, including but not limited to transgender, nonbinary, two spirit, inter- sex, agender, genderqueer and genderfluid identities” and “recommendations for merging legal requirements with best practice in the classroom, in school activ- ities, in school policies and procedures, and more.” Club secretary Mike Gorman and member Curtis Cutsforth serve up a hearty lunch. -Contributed photo President Cliff Dough- The 4-Corners Snow- erty and wife Dawna or- mobile Club recently held chestrated the trail ride its annual play day on Kelly and Poker Run fundraiser. Prairie. Almost all in attendance While the weather was snowing and blustery at participated in the Poker the beginning of the day, it Run, with the winner being settled into a calm and com- young rider Tenley Tarus- fortable afternoon around cio, with a poker hand of the bright and warm camp- four aces. Second place fire attended to by the mem- was Kylie Gaines, and third bers. At one point, 52 snow- place was Lucas Matheny. Prize sponsors were mobiles and 13 tracked Morrow County Grain side-by-side machines were Growers, Heppner Auto counted in attendance. Parts and Les Schwab Tire. The club also held a Snow grooming volunteer special fundraiser, collect- Ron Carlson and wife Kim ing donations to give to sev- had the trails in tip-top en-year old Jaxson Nelsen, who recently lost his moth- shape for very comfortable er in a tragic accident that riding. The 4-Corners club is a took the lives of three local local nonprofit group dedi- Heppner residents. Due cated to winter sports and is to the generosity of those associated with the Oregon in attendance, donations State Snowmobile Associ- from various other indi- ation. The state association viduals and funds from the 4-Corners Club, $3,000 was provides the snow groom- ing cat and implements that raised for the cause. Club secretary Mike groom and maintain area Gorman prepared a hearty riding trails. For information on the hot dog and chili meal, club and to join, contact with hot chocolate for the club secretary Mike Gor- children. man at 541-980-3396. Ione to discuss sewer plans Jan. 24 The City of Ione will hold a public meeting at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 24, to discuss a possible public sewer system in Ione. The meeting will be held at Ione City Hall. The City of Ione is ap- plying to the USDA Rural Development, Water and Environmental Program for funding of a waste- water system to provide sewer services to Ione. The estimated cost is around $5.5 million. The Ione City Council of Ione is inviting the public to attend and participate in the discussion of the application and pro- vide input on the proposed system and application. A representative of the con- tracted engineering firm of Anderson Perry & Associ- ates will be present to ad- dress any technical issues. For more information on the USDA Rural Devel- opment application, please contact Ione City Hall at 541-422-7414.