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About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 25, 2023)
TWO - Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, January 25, 2023 The Official Newspaper of the City of Heppner and the County of Morrow Heppner GAZETTE-TIMES U.S.P.S. 240-420 Morrow County’s Home-Owned Weekly Newspaper SEARCH OLD COPIES OF THE HEPPNER GAZETTE-TIMES ON-LINE: http://oregonnews.uoregon.edu/ Published weekly by Sykes Publishing and entered as periodical matter at the Post Office at Heppner, Oregon under the Act of March 3, 1879. Periodical postage paid at Heppner, Oregon. Office at 188 W. Willow Street. Telephone (541) 676-9228. Fax (541) 676-9211. E-mail: editor@rapidserve.net or david@rapidserve.net. Web site: www.heppner.net. Postmaster send address changes to the Heppner Gazette-Times, P.O. Box 337, Heppner, Oregon 97836. Subscriptions: $31 in Morrow County; $25 senior rate (in Morrow County only; 65 years or older); $37 elsewhere; $31 student subscriptions. Chris Sykes ...............................................................................................Publisher Andrea Di Salvo ............................................................................................ Editor ..................................................................................................................Advertising All News and Advertising Deadline is Monday at 5 p.m. For Advertising: advertising deadline is Monday at 5 p.m. Cost for a display ad is $5.25 per column inch. Cost for classified ad is 50¢ per word. Cost for Card of Thanks is $10 up to 100 words. Cost for a classified display ad is $6.05 per column inch. For Public/Legal Notices: public/legal notices deadline is Monday at 5 p.m. Dates for publi- cation must be specified. Affidavits must be requested at the time of submission. Affidavits require three weeks to process after last date of publication (a sooner return date must be specified if required). For Obituaries: Obituaries are published in the Heppner GT at no charge and are edited to meet news guidelines. Families wishing to include information not included in the guidelines or who wish to have the obituary written in a certain way must purchase advertising space for the obituary. For Letters to the Editor: Letters to the Editor MUST be signed by the author. The Heppner GT will not publish unsigned letters. All letters MUST include the author’s address and phone number for use by the GT office. The GT reserves the right to edit letters. 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. Obituaries Gayla Lee Hodson Kelsey Snell Jones It is with a heavy heart t h a t we an- nounce t h e passing of our beloved mother, Gayla Lee Hodson Kelsey Snell Jones. She passed away peacefully on Jan. 17, 2023, at Pioneer Memorial Hospi- tal in Heppner at the age of 88. A celebration of her life will be held at a later date. Gayla was born on Oct. 1, 1934, in Greybull, WY, daughter of Willis and Pearl Hodson. She was raised in Burlington, WY and graduated from Burlington High School, where she was active as a majorette, cheerleader and choir mem- ber. After graduating, she volunteered as a candy striper at the local hospital. Gayla met and mar- ried her husband, Robert Kelsey, in 1954. They lived in Montana and built their life until his passing in 1969. She later met and married Clifford Snell in 1971 in Lovell, WY. He passed after 32 years of marriage in 2003. She later moved to Heppner, where she met and married Robert Jones in 2007, who was by her side until her passing. Throughout her life, Gayla worked many profes- sions, ultimately working as a senior citizen director. She was dedicated to her profession and was respect- ed by her colleagues and the senior community alike. She retired in 1991 and moved from Lovell, WY to Corvallis, OR. But her greatest accom- plishment in life was her family. She was an amaz- ing mother to her children, Gordon Kelsey and Lola Milburn, and a devoted grandmother to her grand- children and great-grand- children. They were the light of her life. She passed on her love of creating mu- sic, gardening and sports to her family. We will always think of her when listening to a choir, smelling an iris or watching a touchdown celebration. Gayla was preceded in death by her parents, Willis and Pearl Hodson; brothers Guy Hodson, Al Hodson and Wayne Hodson; sister Gwendolyn Richardson; and grandson Tyler Kelsey. Gayla is survived by her loving husband Robert Jones; children Lola Kelsey Milburn and Gordon Kelsey (Joni); grandchildren Jason Milburn, Tobey Milburn Garrett (Mike), Whitney Kelsey Haley (BJ), Colton Kelsey (Sammie) and Paige Kelsey Orth (Declan); and great-grandchildren Lauren Garrett, Kaitlin Garrett, Alexis Garrett, Clarine Gar- rett, Justin Milburn, Jeffrey Milburn, Wyatt Milburn, Hunter Milburn, Lucy Ha- ley, Ada Haley, Callum Kelsey, Graysen Kelsey and Kinley Orth; brother Gor- don Hodson (Maryanne); and sister Joan Gamble (Ronnie). We will miss her dear- ly and she will always be in our hearts. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in her memory to a charity of your choice. Gayla’s memory will live on through all of us, and we will always cherish the memories we have of her. E. Joan Hudson E. Joan Hudson, 81, of Hep- pner died Fri- day, Jan. 2 0 , 2023, at Pi- oneer M e - morial Hospital in Heppner. A graveside service will be held at 1 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023 at the Hep- pner Masonic Cemetery. A reception will follow at the Heppner Elks Lodge. Joan was born on March 7, 1941, at Spokane, WA, the daughter of Elmer and Rosalie Nulf Moe. She was raised and attended school in Heppner, gradu- ating from Heppner High School in 1959. After high school she was honored as a Morrow County Fair and Rodeo Princess and Morrow County Fair and Rodeo Queen. On October 4, 1961, Joan married Jay Dee Hud- son in Heppner, where they raised three daughters, San- dra, Cindi and Jacki. When her children were young Joan did childcare in her home. As they got older, she was a waitress at local restaurants and at the R&W Drive In. Her hobbies included dancing, playing cards, and especially spending time with family and her dog. Joan is survived by daughters Sandra Patton (Mike Gorman) of Heppner, Cindi Roberts (Bobby) of Pendleton and Jacki Paulus (Rick) of Heppner; brother Jack Ployhar of Hermiston; six grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by siblings Peg Mar- tin and Darrell Ployhar. Memorial contributions Obituaries may be made to Heppner Fire and Rescue, PO Box 743, Heppner, OR 97836. You may sign the on- line condolence book at www.sweeneymortuary. com. Walter L. Manley Sr. Walter L. Manley Sr., 80, of Heppner died Saturday, Jan. 14, 2023, at his home at Blake Ranch. There will be no official ceremony, but his family will spread his ashes on top of the hill by Judy Manley’s. He was born December 26, 1942, at Enumclaw, WA. Walt was born in Wash- ington but spent the major- ity of his life in Oregon. His passions in life were hunting, fishing, family and lifelong friends. He will be missed by many. Rest in peace, Mad Dog Manley. He was preceded in death by his daughter, Ju- lie Manley; son, Walter L. Manley Jr.; and the love of his life, wife Judy Manley. He is survived by his children, Betty Shan- non, Gary Manley and Jerry Manley, as well as many grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Sweeney Mortuary of Heppner was in charge of arrangements. You may sign the online condolence book at www.sweeneymor- tuary.com. Boardman council to hold planning session The Boardman City Coun- cil will hold a planning ses- sion at 8 a.m. on Saturday, Jan. 28, at Boardman City Hall. Boardman mayor, city councilors, and staff will meet for a planning ses- sion. The topic is general discussions regarding city council goals and direction. The meeting is open to the public, but no specific deliberations or decisions are planned, and there may not be time for public com- ment. The session will also be available on Zoom. AARP offers free tax prep The AARP Foundation Tax-Aide is offering free, in-person tax preparation in Boardman and Hermis- ton this year. The free tax preparation is open to anyone of any age but is geared especially toward taxpayers who are 50 or older or who can’t afford paid tax preparation. The tax service is available by appointment only by calling 458-300-3974. The Boardman tax prepa- ration will be at the Port of Morrow on Mondays from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Feb. 6 through April 10. The Port of Morrow is lo- cated at Two Marine Drive in Boardman. Tax prep services will also be available at New Hope Community Church in Hermiston, located at 1350 S. Hwy. 395. Hours will be Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Feb. 1 through April 12. First Morrow County community recognized as Firewise By Andrea Di Salvo One Morrow County community is officially a Firewise community, and another may not be far behind. The Blake Ranch com- munity out of Heppner received official notice of their Firewise USA approv- al last week. While there are other Firewise communities scattered around neighbor- ing counties, Blake Ranch is the first community in Morrow County to receive such recognition. Penland Lake residents have also started the process with an informational meeting this week. Heppner man Stacy Lauritsen, who is a forest officer with the Department of Forestry and a firefighter, said Firewise is a program that helps make properties more resilient to fire. He told the Gazette that resi- dents of Blake Ranch and Penland Lake reached out to him about the program and, since then, he has been serving as a liaison between the communities and other agencies involved in the process. He has also been trying to gather interest from other communities in the county for what he sees as a worthwhile effort. “Firewise is a program that helps neighbors help neighbors,” Lauritsen said. “It goes back to the commu- nity coming together.” Firewise is a national recognition program that provides a “collaborative framework” to help neigh- bors in a particular area get organized, find direction and take action to increase the fire resistance of their homes and community, according to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) website. It begins at the neighborhood level, encouraging local solutions for safety by involving homeowners and showing them how to take individual responsibility for protecting their homes from the risk of wildfire. At the same time, it also spurs public agencies to be good neighbors when the communities are proac- tive in their efforts to clear underbrush and take other steps to reduce wildfire ignition. According to the Na- tional Interagency Fire Cen- ter (NIFC) and the National Fire Incident Reporting System, an “overwhelm- ing” number of brush, grass and forest fires—between 87 and 96 percent—are caused by people. While some are intentional, most are accidental. Regardless of how they start, though, they can be devastating. The NIFC also reports that local fire departments in the U.S. responded to an average of 356,800 such fires annually between 2004 and 2008. “With just the right conditions—a dry, hot, windy day—and an igni- tion source—a spark from a vehicle, machinery, or a carelessly tossed ciga- rette—your home could be in fire’s path faster than you might imagine,” the NFPA website states. Most homes that burn during a wildfire are ignit- ed by embers or firebrands landing on the roof, in gut- ters or on other surfaces or openings. Other homes burn from small surface fires that can touch the house, such as from dry grass that allows a fire to run right up to the siding. Many of the commu- nities in the highest danger also have the least chance of outside help reaching a fire in time. First, a re- mote location means a lon- ger response time, even if the fire is spotted right away—which it may not be. Second, 85 percent of fire departments rely on volunteers, who may not be able to respond as quickly as they would like. That’s why Firewise fo- cuses on reducing wildfire risks at the local level. The Firewise program is geared toward smaller communi- ties; a Firewise community needs to have a minimum of eight dwellings and a maximum of 2,500. How- ever, there can be multiple Firewise communities with- ing a larger town or city. Any community that meets a set of voluntary cri- teria on an annual basis and retains an “In Good Stand- ing Status” may identify itself as being a Firewise Site. Residents who have USAA homeowners in- surance may also receive a discount for living in a Firewise community. To begin the process, community members create a committee of volunteers that includes both resi- dents and partner agencies. In Morrow County, those partners include agencies like the county road depart- ment, sheriff’s office, fire departments, forest service, soil and water conservation district and the state fire marshal’s office. “We go in and get all the agencies together that have a stake in it,” said Lauritsen. The committee will then work with experts to make a plan for education and risk reduction. They complete a wildfire risk assessment for the com- munity, focusing on areas of successful wildfire risk reduction and areas where improvements could be made. They also pay at- tention to the condition of neighborhood homes and the ignition zones around those homes. Sites also need to put in the equivalent of one volunteer hour per dwelling annually in efforts to reduce wildfire risks. Once a site has Firewise status, the community needs to renew it yearly by reporting their activity. For now, the focus is on forest communities, since those have traditionally been at higher risk from wildfires. However, Lau- ritsen said he’s willing to engage any community that shows an interest. “By all means, if we had other communities at lower elevations who were interested, we would make that happen for them,” he said. Area communities out- side of Morrow County that are Firewise sites include Ritter and Middle Fork in Long Creek, which have been Firewise sites since 2016. Top Road in Hamil- ton has been with Firewise since 2021. Ladies Night February 2nd Dinner at 6pm Meghan Golden will be preparing a Taco Bar with all the fixings. HEPPNER ELKS 358 "WHERE FRIENDS MEET" 541-676-9181 142 N MAIN ST 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: 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: 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 .