Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, January 18 , 2023 -- THREE ~ Letters to the Editor ~ The Heppner Gazette Times will print all letters to the Editor with the following criteria met: letters submitted to the newspaper will need to have the name of the sender along with a legible signature. We are also requesting that you provide your address and a phone number where you can be reached. The address and phone number will only be used for verification and will not be printed in the newspaper. Letters may not be libelous. The GT reserves the right to edit. The GT is not responsible for accuracy of statements made in letters. Any letters expressing thanks will be placed in the classifieds under “Card of Thanks” at a cost of $10. Email to editor@rapidserve.net or upload to Heppner.net. Just Thinking Some folks are won- dering why Republicans are “up in arms” about the whole “gas stoves are bad” thing. Well, here is why we are concerned. We are very familiar with the current administration and its at- tempt to do everything in its power to create havoc on our lives. Gas prices, food prices, lockdowns, jobs, etc. Is our trust wavering just a tad? Yes. Here’s the short list of our current admin’s accom- plishments thus far: Lying, spying, and con- sorting with the enemy. Letting the fox watch the hen house (FBI, DOJ, CDC….) Ignoring the current invasion at the southern border. Ignoring the fact that our leader can’t complete a thought, tell the truth, or find his way off a stage. Spending our money on junk…including their exorbitant salaries. Printing more money and pretending it’s gonna fix the problem. Using “climate change” as an excuse to control our everyday lives. Using a man-made vi- rus to scare us into submis- sion. Creating division by crying “racist” when we don’t put one race above another. Treating the unborn like literal garbage and kids like sex toys. Labeling anyone who shows patriotism a “ter- rorist.” Allowing LGBTQ free reign in schools, govern- ment and anywhere else they can spread their twist- ed mantra. Treating evil like an illness and criminals like victims. “Biden isn’t banning gas stoves,” they say. Um- mmm Hmmmm…. Sounds a bit like, “We aren’t going to take your guns.” Aka, we’ll just make it easier to jump the Grand Canyon than to purchase a gun... and we’ll take away your ammunition…just in case. And that’s why we are a little suspicious. But that’s OK. With our government’s “help,” we won’t have any- thing to cook anyway. Susie Crosby Heppner, OR Rebekah Lodge plans spaghetti and bingo The Lexington Holly Rebekah Lodge is planning an evening of spaghetti and bingo on Sunday, Jan. 29. The spaghetti dinner will begin at 3 p.m. Cost is $5 per person or $20 per family for a dinner of spaghetti, roll, garlic butter, coleslaw and water. Bingo play will begin at 3:30 p.m. Cost is $5 for 10 cards or 50 cents per card. Bingo prize is a cake of the winner’s choice. The Holly Rebekah Lodge is located at 135 W. main Street, Lexington. Good News Only by Doris Brosnan Congratulations to Ty Boor, senior at HHS, who has been selected by the Oregon 2A football coaches as “De- fensive Player of the Year”! Ty’s teammates named to the State’s 2A First Team are Cade Cunningham, a junior, and Landon Mitchell, a junior. To the Second Team: Cameron Proudfoot, a junior. Kudos, all! Good news for interested moms: Birthright has “Mom Connections” again, this evening at their Willow St. location, starting at 5:30. The theme for the gathering is “Out with the Old – In with the New.” A late “thank you” to the courthouse staff who con- tributed to the holiday season’s atmosphere by again light- ing up the faces of the clock red and green. So pleasing to see government employees as more than that, as people, too, who take time to join the festive scene. So, not really good news, but a tidbit worth a smile: On walks about town, encounters are common with dogs that rush to their fences snarling and barking. Two young, large dogs that rush to their fence but seemingly just cu- rious and eager to get closer to the passing, Melancholy Collie and Perky Puppy, became a project: with permis- sion from the owners, a milk bone offering was intended to remind them that the passing canines are friends with treats. Well, recently a need to run a quick errand found the collie and puppy alone in the house briefly. But not too briefly to discover the stash of milk bones on the floor of the coat closet that was left open! Lesson learned – resupply and always close the closet door. Yes, social media is one method of sharing informa- tion. When posting good news, including readers of the GT who don’t do social media—and thereby reaching more readers—would be as simple as pasting that post to dbrosnan123@gmail.com, wouldn’t it? A call to 541- 223-1490 can also get your tidbits included. Here’s hoping that some good news comes to every- one reading this! MCSD approves new roof for Windy River Spiritually Speaking Father Thankachan Joseph St. Patrick Catholic Church Heppner Christ Is Calling You On previous Sundays, we have seen how the Lord is manifested by the Magi, as well as by John the Baptist. Now we see the active ministry of Christ in various ways; we see the Jesus who is actively involved in His public ministry. In Isaiah 8:23-9:3, the prophet announces an extraor- dinary joy. After their arrival in Palestine, Joshua, their leader, distributed the land among the 12 tribes of Israel. The two tribes of Zebulun and Naphtali had occupied the region of Galilee to the North. This was a beautiful fertile land, but the people were exposed to the attacks of enemies across the border. During the time of Isaiah, a powerful and ruthless enemy of Israel, the Assyrians, raided the whole northern part of Palestine, including Galilee, destroying everything wherever they went, and took away as slaves a large section of the population. All of a sudden, the Spirit of God made the prophet see a brilliant light shining over the region, and an extraordinary joy filling the hearts of the people there. Isaiah compares this joy to that of the joy of people at harvest time. The arrival of Jesus on earth is compared to the coming of a great light to a people who had been living in deep dark- ness. We see in this Sunday’s Gospel that Jesus is seen as fulfilling the great prophecy of Isaiah: “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shined” (Isaiah 9:1-2). By announcing the Kingdom of God, Jesus brought light, joy and freedom to man. The first part of this week’s Gospel from Matthew (4:12-23) places Jesus’s ministry in the context of the writings of the prophet Isaiah. Matthew wants to show that Jesus is the fulfillment of the prophecies given to the people of Israel, and he refers to Isaiah to do so. Isaiah says that the Messiah will begin His ministry in Galilee, the land of the Gentiles. When Jesus begins to preach in Galilee, Matthew points to His ministry as a fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy, proof that Jesus is the Messiah. When Jesus called His first disciples, the Gospel tells us that the fishermen (Peter, Andrew, James and John) dropped everything to follow Jesus immediately. Yet this Gospel tells us little about the prior experience the fishermen had of Jesus. Did they know Him? Had they heard Him preach? What kind of person must Jesus have been to invoke such a response? We can imagine that Jesus was a powerful presence to elicit a response as immediate and complete as these first disciples gave. The Gospel concludes with a description of the minis- try through which Jesus inaugurates the Kingdom of God. He teaches in the synagogue and preaches the Kingdom. His ability to cure people’s diseases and illnesses is a sign of the Kingdom. In Jesus’s ministry, we begin to see the Kingdom of God among us. In Matthew 4:12-23, we see Jesus announcing the Kingdom of God and inviting everyone to repentance. Matthew quotes the prophecy of Isaiah and sees it fulfilled the moment Jesus started His preaching. The People were living in darkness of sin and were unable to find the path leading to God. Jesus began from where John the Baptist shed light upon people as he preached. “John was not the light but a witness to speak for the light” (John 1:8). Jesus preached repentance. Many people misconstrue repentance as sorrow. But repentance and conversion are two separate things. Repentance is “a change of mind” in which we decide to “turn from sin and turn to God,” preceded by sorrow and followed by a changed life. The fishermen He called first left everything and followed Him. We need to reflect and meditate: they left their means of livelihood, left the nets and the boats, and followed Him with complete dedication. The Lord is calling each of us in this new year to be His close followers and friends. As He called the first four disciples, Christ is calling you and me. Do we pay attention to His call as they did? They left everything for Christ. As baptized, confirmed followers of Christ, how much have we learned about Him during our years of following Jesus? We don’t know whether they knew him well or not, but one thing is certain—once when they decided to follow Christ, nothing stopped them. They followed Him wholeheartedly. Windy River Elementary School in Boardman will be getting a new roof thanks to funding from Amazon, the Morrow County School District board of directors decided last week. -Contributed photo cost proposal from Weath- By Andrea Di Salvo Morrow County School erproofing Technologies, District (MCSD) voted to Inc. (WTI). The total cost move forward with a new for the project will be $1.95 roof for Windy River Ele- million. According to MCSD mentary in Boardman at a special meeting last Thurs- Maintenance Coordinator day. The board approved a Brandi Sweeney, the ele- mentary school’s roof was a top priority among the district’s large-scale proj- ects. Not only are the roof’s shingles nearly at the end of their 25-year life expectan- cy, but Morrow County’s climate causes the shingles to age faster. “You know Morrow County,” she told the board. “It’s windy. It’s dry. It’s hot. It just bakes the shingles.” She added that the con- cern was that the shingles blow away and the roof underneath might rot. That compromises the structure, which could lead to mold and poor air quality. “It’s a big number, but obviously it’s a need,” said MCSD Board of Directors Chair Becky Kindle. The failure of the dis- Carlos Meza of Irrigon Quarter 2022. Students on trict’s school bond last year has earned a place on the the honor roll earned a GPA cast concern over the dis- Spokane Community Col- of 3.0 or above. trict’s ability to pay for a lege Honor Roll for Fall new roof, but recent Am- To your health? Meza makes SCC honor roll -Continued to PAGE SIX M o r r o w C o u n t y B o a r d o f C o m m i s s i o n e r s Morrow County has a vacancy for Commissioner, Position 1 Board’s Purpose: At this time of year, in many different cultures, we toast to our health. Yet, heavy drinking raises our risk for liver disease, breast cancer and depression. This holiday season, give some thought to how much you drink and consider drinking less. It could make a big difference…to your health. The Board of Commissioners act as the governing body for the county, various service districts, councils, and committees. It is responsible for county administration, management, and policy. The board prepares and adopts county and service district budgets and provides administrative services, support, and liaison to service districts, cities, public agencies, organizations, the Oregon Legislative Assembly, and federal and state officials. It is responsible for conducting public meetings, hearings, road vacations, private and public land sales and exchanges as well as enacting ordinances, orders, contracts, leases and other legal agreements. Information: rethinkthedrink.com Morrow County will be accepting applications from Jan. 12 th to Jan 31 st . SEL 101 Candidate Filing forms are required and Letters of Interest may be included. All documents included will be considered public record. $4,737 /month plus excellent benefits. P l e a s e v i s i t h t t p s : / / w w w . c o . m o r r o w . o r . u s / c l e r k f o r m o r e i n f o r m a t i o n .