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About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (April 19, 2023)
Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, April 19, 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. Let’s check ambulance facts Let’s do some fact checking. Current events in Morrow County do not just affect the City of Board- man. It will affect Irrigon, Heppner, Lexington and Ione. It will affect Morrow, Umatilla and Gilliam coun- ties. These events can have ramifications on the entire region. County Ordinance MC-C-4-98 sets rules per- taining to the ASA. Mike Hughes, of Boardman Fire Rescue District, had asked for this to be repealed due to its age. Section 12, in my opinion, seems to be the star of this ordinance. It gives dispatch the permis- sion to page out an initial responder, in addition to the ambulance service provider, with a few conditions. The initial responder shall be a municipal corporation or special district within Morrow County, in its ju- risdiction, and requests to be dispatched to medical emergencies. The initial re- sponder must respond with employees that are licensed EMR or above with the state of Oregon. On arrival of the service provider, the service provider will be in charge of and responsible for continu- ation of emergency medical services. The initial re- sponder shall continue care only at the direction of the ambulance service provider. If this ordinance had been repealed, there was a strong possibility that the initial responder, from a non-service provider agen- cy, could force the provid- ing agency to transport the initial responder who did not hand over patient care. In turn, the initial responder could demand payment for a service that you already pay taxes for. Whether it be from billing the service provider, or the patient, you could have possibly paid twice. Currently, on every medi- cal call in Boardman Fire Rescue District, there are extra responders at every medical call, even if your family member is already under a physician’s care or in a vulnerable situation. That is extra people that know everything about your family’s situation, private information and health con- ditions, whether you want them there or not. Mike Hughes has also asked for the Morrow County Commissioners (BOC) for a “letter of need” to apply for a transport li- cense, stating he needs it to provide transport of patients in case of a multi-casualty incident (MCI), and to get a contract to provide medical services at the Army Depot and Bombing Range facili- ties. On April 5, 2023, the BOC read the response from Mr. Blackburn, an outside attorney consulted on the matter of the Ordinance, ASA, and the letter of need. The BOC was advised that in Mr. Blackburn’s opinion the ASA was invalid and needed to be rewritten, and that no letter of need be drafted until the ASA was reviewed. Against this ad- vice, the BOC voted two to one to draft the letter for Mr. Hughes. There are very specific rules when applying for an ambulance license; OAR 333-255, ORS 682.031 and 682.045, County Ordinance MC-C-4-98, and even past ASA documents verify this. Provisions are in place to cover an MCI and a contract with state and federal fa- cilities, and neither require a transport license. For an MCI or State of Emergency, MC-C-4-98, ORS 682.035, and even the ASA states that outside assistance re- quested by the ambulance provider, emergency man- ager, or incident command may be used. Any fire ap- paratus, unlicensed ambu- lance, even a school bus can be used to transport victims to another location or facility. No ambulance license needed. OARs and ORS also provide rules on contracting with state and federal facil- ities. They are exempt from obtaining an ASA, includ- ing for a contractor. These facilities often contract for onsite EMS services, and if transport off site is required, the local providing agency is requested to transport a patient to a medical facility. This seems to be the pre- ferred method. If the facility is performing operations that require onsite EMS, then as soon as contracted EMS leaves the facility, all operations stop. Reading assignment: I encourage every citizen reading this letter to do their own research. Do not take anyone else’s word for it, including mine. All relevant OAR 333 and ORS 682 listed can be found online. Morrow county ASA can be found on the Morrow County Health District website. A copy of County Ordinance MC-C- 4-98 can be found in the meeting packet for Feb. 22, 2023, provided on the Mor- row County Commissioner website. Contact your local BOC for more information. Josie Foster Irrigon, OR Boor is a protagonist for the people To Whom It May Con- cern: As one gets older one has seen a great number of changes in the world—per- sonal, social, governmental, etc. I will comment about one I’ve seen in my life- time. I began my teaching career in 1968 and began teaching in Morrow Coun- ty in 1976, then retiring in 2004. In the 1990s Morrow County hired a teacher, David Boor. He had taught briefly in “the valley” but came “home” to eastern Oregon. He was a young, enthusiastic teacher and coach. He volunteered for many school events and developed a great wrestling program for Riverside. As the years have gone by, he has developed into a truly master teacher. He has helped a number of new re- cruits develop their careers. He served on several educa- tional committees. David has widened his influence from the school to the community/county. He currently serves on the Park and Recreation Board and on the fire district board. He has volunteered for several local committees to help better our communities. As a member of these groups David is known as a leader, a questioner, a person who is willing to listen and reply to comments, a protagonist for the people. I truly believe that David is very competent to be on the Board of Directors for the Port of Morrow. He has grown in confidence, knowledge, leadership skills and enthusiasm to get the job done. Seeing him develop into an excellent citizen, master teacher, awarded coach, and community member has been so rewarding for me. Please join me in voting for David Boor to sit on the Port of Morrow Directors. Yours truly, Frances Glenn Boardman, OR Trump I have a confession to make. Hold on to your hats…here goes. I did not vote for Trump. Well, at least, not in the primaries. Ben Carson was my man. I liked his style, his opinions, he loved God and he was nice. I had friends that sup- ported Trump quite proudly. I just couldn’t. His brash, New Yorkah style rubbed me the wrong way. And, quite frankly, I had a real problem with his hair. But that was then. This is now…and I’ve grown up a little. In time, I moved past the hair and started looking at what he was doing. Was this president actually doing what he promised? Wow. Nice, es- pecially since the way he went about it worked so well. His goals were good for us and they made sense. I watched how he han- dled the issues as they came at him, and I gained re- spect for his intelligence. I watched how he treated our military, veterans, Is- rael, and the unborn, and I gained respect for his heart. I watched how he stood in the midst of threats and incredible hatred, and I gained respect for his strength. I love how he had our enemies shaking in their boots. I’ve heard that it works even better if your enemies think you’re a little crazy. Maybe even crazy enough to push…The Button. Keep ‘em guessing. It works. He did that well. Just a thought…while our current president has all the enemy-stopping power of a wet noodle, I’m not too worried about him pushing The Button. Finding his way off stage has been a challenge, and if stairs are involved…well…I think we’re pretty safe. Besides, the only way he might strike fear in the hearts of our enemies is to stop sending them checks. Yes, sometimes I wish Trump would tone down the arrogance a little. Or maybe let the comments slide without a comeback. But I’ve come to the con- clusion that there’s enough evil out there that we can’t afford a “nice” president. We need someone willing to turn over tables and chase out the money changers. We’re living in a dangerous time. Our enemies are em- boldened like never before. They see our weakness and, lately, they’ve been poking at us just to prove it. In a way, the 2024 Pres- idential election can’t come soon enough for me. I’d love to see people get sick enough of the Leftist insan- ity that they turn the tables. But in another way, I am a believer in what Jesus said and His description of the last days fits us perfectly. Noah would feel right at home. So, though it’s pos- sible we may get a reprieve, only God knows. We need to have our hearts prepared either way. But honestly, today… if I could snap my fingers and have The Donald back in office, I would do it in a heartbeat…bad hair and all. “However, no one knows the day or hour when these things will happen, not even the angels in heav- en or the Son himself. Only the Father knows” (Mat- thew 24:36). Susie Crosby Heppner, OR Good News Only by Doris Brosnan Look up as you walk/drive up Main Street Heppner and you will see a lot of promise for our future! Indi- vidual flags featuring pictures of the graduating seniors of HHS are hanging from the lamp posts and they are lookin’ good! Diana and David Dollarhide moved from Heppner several years ago, eventually settling in Moses Lake, where David retired from the banking business. Ties to Heppner have remained strong, however, and last weekend Diana returned for a two-day visit and non- stop conversation with Diana Ball. The two Dianas also worked in more visiting for the Moses Lake Di with other Heppner acquaintances before she had to head back north. Betty Gray was carried away over Easter weekend by her daughter, Deloy Marcyes, her husband, Curtis, and their older son, Tyler, to Lincoln City for a four-day stay of relaxation, walks on the beach, soaks in a hot tub, family togetherness. A great time for all! Last weekend, Darci Brosnan journeyed up and over from Salem for a two-day visit with her mother, Doris. The change of pace for the two included a visit to the Pendleton Woolen Mills, the first for both in several years, and their ongoing card games for bragging rights. One of the best features of the Heppner Chamber of Commerce and Ione’s ICABO is that they are effective sources of “rumor control”! Of course, the more you know about the workings of the many entities that help keep your local society functioning, the stronger, more engaged and responsible citizen you can be. To join either of these good sources of information about and from agencies and organizations, one need only visit the chamber office on Main Street or phone 541-676- 5536, or call and speak to Stacie Ekstrom at Wheatland Insurance in Ione, 541-422-7410. Birthright offers a discussion group for moms, Mom Connection, on Thursday evenings, 5:30-6:30 at the Birthright office. The topics are an effort to keep families informed and a time to share. The topic for April is “What’s happening with the abortion pill?” So much news is now in the public eye and some families are unprepared to deal with situations. A future topic for May 18 will be “Gifts and challenges of motherhood in today’s world.” The topic for June will be “Men and how they deal with unplanned pregnancies.” A spokesperson explains, “We truly need to see behind the scenes for Mother’s Day and Father’s Day in relation to how men and women struggle with many different challenges.” More than one reader has reported that our “good news” offers a welcome uplifting effect to a day, so we are encouraged to add our tidbits each week by sending them to dbrosnan123@gmail.com or calling 541-223-1490. Here’s hoping that some good news comes to ev- eryone reading this! Spiritually Speaking Father Thankachan Joseph St. Patrick Catholic Church Heppner Sacraments a source of meeting Christ A regular phone conversation begins with, “How is everything with you? Is everything under control?” When I landed in the USA, I used to get plenty of calls from overseas asking whether I was safe or not. During the pandemic we, too, asked these queries of many of our acquaintances, our main discussion the spread of the pandemic and the death rate in different continents. A lockdown situation was the Gospel’s setting in last week’s reflections; something similar continues for this week, too. We have two famous disciples returning from the City of Peace (Jerusalem) to their own hometown, Emmaus. They are returning with broken hearts, disappointments and hopelessness. Often we feel distressed, fearful, thirst- ing for peace, dissatisfied and disappointed, as during the pandemic. The disease put us all in distress and dismay. This journey of the disciples from Jerusalem to Emmaus can be compared to our life experiences. It was a beau- tiful experience of encountering the Risen Lord in their troubled moments. These disciples’ journey can be analyzed through various stages. Walking away from Peace to trouble: In the first part of the Emmaus description, we see two dis- ciples of Christ make a trip back from Jerusalem, which was known as the place of peace, to their own native town, Emmaus, the place of hot springs. They are walking away from Jerusalem, for they feel it is not safe to stay there because of all that happened with the crucifixion of Jesus the Nazarene. From the place of peace, they are moving to troubles. Caring Stranger’s accompaniment: The Gospel of Matthew concludes with these words, “And I will be with you always, to the end of ages” (Matthew 28:20). The Lord is always faithful to His promises. We, as human as we are, make promises to the Lord, but we are not able to keep our promises. Even if we walk away from Him—like the wounded animal which Francis Thomas describes in his poem “Hound of Heaven”—the Lord chases us and follows us to console and comfort us. The Lord has given us the sacraments and the Holy Scriptures as sources of encountering Him in our troubled moments. Usually when we face difficulties and problems, we have a tendency to walk away from Him. Like the Hound of Heaven, He accompanies us, as we have noticed in the episode of the disciples of Emmaus. The Lord never leaves us to wan- der or stroll. He explained the whole scriptures to them, but their hearts were locked up or closed; they could not recognize Him. Recognizing the Lord in the Breaking of the Bread: The disciples did recognize the Lord in the breaking of the bread at the dining table, and the Lord left us a memorial of him in the sacraments, especially in the Eucharist. The ways to meet the Lord are in the reception of the sacraments and in the reading of the Scriptures. Scripture is always predicting things to us well in advance. The pandemic and the aftermath of it were well foretold by Jesus during His priestly prayer in the Gospel of John. He predicted the lockdown situation we went through a few years ago well in advance: “The time is coming, and is already here, when all of you will be scattered, each of you to your own home, and I will be left all alone” (John 16:31). Spending time in reading the Holy Scriptures is al- ways an inspiration and a source of mental strength for all of us, and we become empowered in the word of God. Those two disciples identified the Lord in the breaking of the bread, but they did not understand anything that the Lord described to them on their way back to Emmaus. Since they were in deep emotional breakdown, they could not grasp what the Risen Lord communicated to them. In the Emmaus experience, the Lord is, in fact, testing the disciples on their scriptural knowledge. During the pandemic time, many of my friends shared that their experiences of spending time reading the Scriptures gave them consolation and encouragements. It will be a nice habit to share with your family or friends, some healing miracles of Jesus Christ. The Lord cures so many people in the four Gospels. You can every day share one of the healing miracles of Jesus Christ with family or friends and become a witness of Jesus Christ. WWW.HEPPNER.NET Submit News, Advertising & Announcements Letters To The Editor Send Us Photos Start A New Subscription Lunch & Dinner Menu Specials 4/20-4/26 Thursday- Chili Dog with cheese and onion and a side of potato chips for $9. Friday- Hot corn beef sandwich with Swiss cheese and Au Jus and a side of potato salad for $9. Saturday - soup is Sw corn chowder Monday- Grilled Turkey and cheese sandwich on Texas toast with a cup of chicken noodle soup for $9. Tuesday- Grilled Chicken Burrito with rice and refried beans for $9. Tuesday night 6-9pm $2 hard shell tacos Wednesday- Pulled pork sandwich with chips and coleslaw for $9. Saturday- April 29th live music featuring Jake Roy, Aaron Harris, and James Hunnicutt.
