Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current, January 18, 2023, Page 3, Image 3

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    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 .