Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, July 12, 2023 -- SEVEN
Payne recognized for coaching Fire season with close calls
-Continued from PAGE ONE
Les Payne coaching on the field with Greg Grant
-Contributed photo
year something stands out,”
says Payne.
For instance, he recalls
one team in the 1990s that,
he says, might have been
the best team they ever had.
They didn’t even qualify for
state that year.
“There just happened
to be one or two teams out
there better than we were,”
he says. “But we were pret-
ty darn good.”
Payne says his priority
is that athletes enjoy the
game.
“To me, number one,
it’s gotta be fun. If it’s not
fun, you shouldn’t do it,”
he says.
At the same time, he
says he regards sports as a
continuation of the class-
room.
“You’re learning. If
you’re going to be any good
at what you do, you’ve got
to learn. You’ve got to learn
to work with other people,”
Payne says. “Obviously, it
takes discipline. Sometimes
those words are thrown
around. I think those are
things that sports can teach
you that aren’t always in the
forefront in the classroom.”
Payne retired from
teaching in 2004, but his
career in coaching was
nowhere near its end. He
stayed on as assistant foot-
ball coach, and substitute
taught from time to time.
“I guess after I retired
from teaching, somehow
it fell on my shoulders to
make sure all the fields got
line before games,” says
Payne.
He can’t seem to think
of a better reason they
would have named the Hep-
pner football field after him,
which they did in 2008.
“I’m still not sure why,”
he says. “You’ll have to ask
someone else.”
Payne also recognizes
the importance of the peo-
ple in his life.
“There’s life-long rela-
tionships that have formed
through the years with a lot
of people,” he says.
Payne and his first wife
divorced. His daughter is a
teacher in Washington, but
his son, Kevin, moved to
Heppner when he was in
junior high and chose to
stay. Payne had the privi-
lege of coaching, and later
coaching alongside, his son.
“That was kind of a
special deal,” he recalls.
He also credits his wife,
Kathy, with putting up with
him. They met in 1991 in
Umatilla, where she was
a teacher. They celebrated
their 30 th anniversary this
year.
“Any coach, probably
the person that is most
important to them is their
spouse,” says Payne. “They
put up with late dinners,
grumpy husbands when
things aren’t going good,
all that stuff. A good spouse
is a key ingredient for any
coach.”
After his son graduat-
ed, Payne and Kathy moved
to Umatilla, where they
still live. He continues to
drive to Heppner to coach
football. He’s been at it so
long, he says that, for the
last several years, he’s been
coaching the children of his
former players.
Payne says any rumors
of his retirement from
coaching aren’t true.
“It’s gotta happen one
of these days. I’m not going
to say I know when yet,” he
says. “I’m about half afraid
to quit. I don’t know what
would happen, I’ve been
doing it so long.
“I still love the game.
I love working with the
kids. That’s what keep me
going,” he adds.
“I feel fortunate I get to
do something I love to do,
I get to do it with people I
like to work with and be
around, and I get do to it
in a place I love being in.
You can’t get much better
than that.”
Country club holds youth golf clinic
Willow Creek Country Club hosted a two-day youth golf clinic last week, instructed by Donald
Matthews and Joe Armato. Twenty-four local kids of varying ages attended the free event,
which was sponsored by Morrow County Unified Recreation District (MCURD). WCCC is
also planning a youth golf tournament July 22 from 8 a.m. to noon. Also thanks to MCURD
funding, youth under 18 can golf free all summer at the country club. -Photo by Andrea Di Salvo
December 17, 2022—
Morrow County Sheriff’s
Office, Boardman Fire,
Irrigon Fire, Irrigon Am-
bulance, and units from
Umatilla and Hermiston
responded to a structure fir
in Irrigon. It was unknown
if anyone was inside.
-A male on Upper Rhea
Creek advised there was a
gentleman who would like
to hunt on his property,
but he had questions about
the tag the gentleman was
showing him. Oregon Dept.
of Fish and Wildlife made
contact with the caller.
-A caller in Irrigon ad-
vised they would like to
file a harassment complaint
against someone. The caller
disconnected while on hold
and did not call back.
-A male in Heppner ad-
vised he was missing $600
from his house and there
had only been one person
there. That person left about
two hours before. MCSO
made contact.
-MCSO was advised
of a possible drunk driv-
er on I-82 near the I-84
interchange. The caller
was connected directly to
Oregon State Police. The
vehicle entered Morrow
County and was located in
Boardman, but the driver
was determined not to be
-Continued from PAGE ONE
The scorched earth left behind after the July 1 fire. -Photo by Andrea Di Salvo
Steve Rhea took command
of the situation, and Hep-
pner crews worked to se-
cure the homes threatened
by the fire.
“There were four hous-
es that they protected real
good,” said Morgan. “They
did a good job on it.”
Meanwhile, Ione fire-
fighters took control of the
north side of the highway,
fighting the fire as it burned
over the hill toward the
airport. Morgan said they
had a bulldozer and disc in
addition to firetrucks. Also
helpful was the fact that
Jeff Cutsforth’s field was
in summer fallow, which
slowed the fire’s progress.
Mark and Alaina Lem-
mon live on the outskirts of
Lexington, and theirs was
one of the homes threatened
by the fast-moving fire
that Saturday. Mark Lem-
mon gives the following
first-person account:
On the morning of
July 1, 2023 I checked my
weather app and it said it
was a “red flag day” for
fire danger. All I noted was
that it was not going to be
a pleasant weather day to
work outside. Little did I
know how much of a “red
flag day” it would become.
Early afternoon we not-
ed a big plume of smoke
several hundred yards to the
west, the wind direction. My
wife asked if we should be
concerned. I told her, “Any
fire on a day like today up-
wind is a concern”. About
that time, we could hear
the sirens and saw the fire
trucks attempting to contain
the fire, but it was obviously
a losing battle. The smoke
was mostly behind a copse
of trees between us and the
flames. I said, “If it gets to
those trees, we should start
getting really concerned.”
In seconds, the flames en-
gulfed those trees and be-
gan running uphill across
the road with the upslope
drafts.
We put the kids and
the pets in the car and sent
them towards Heppner,
away from the danger. We
turned on the sprinklers all
around the yard and started
to wet down the house with
garden hoses. The outlook
seemed to be deteriorating
by the minute as a wall
of smoke and flames was
headed our way at a run-
ning pace.
About then, a big fire
truck pulled into my drive-
way, and out stepped Eric
Chick, a friend I have known
for many years. An amazing
sense of relief washed over
me as I realized the cavalry
had arrived. He quickly
explained they were going
to burn a fire line to de-
fend my property, and they
went to work. Then more
and more fire trucks and
tankers arrived filled with
many familiar faces from
Heppner, Lexington and
Ione, followed by neigh-
bors, friends and family
coming for support.
I was fifty-plus yards
behind the line, and I still
felt the intensity of the heat
and choked from the smoke.
At one point, the visibility
was pretty much nil. As
bad as it felt where I was, I
could only imagine how in-
tense it got for the firefight-
ers up against the flames. I
couldn’t see what they were
doing, but I was confident
they were winning the battle
as the heat subsided and the
smoke became less thick.
When it was all over, a few
fence posts, sprinklers and
hoses were all the damage.
What an incredible, profes-
sional job of firefighting.
A few years ago, our
home insurance company
sent us a letter stating that
they were essentially dou-
bling our rates, something
to do with being in a rural
fire district in the desert. We
canceled them and switched
companies. How our deci-
sion has been truly justified.
The fire districts of Hep-
pner, Lexington and Ione
demonstrated that day that
our rural fire districts take
a back seat to no one.
When I look out of my
window and see the fire-
scarred landscape and
still smell the smoke in my
house, I get a lump in my
throat thinking of those
brave firefighters who lit-
erally dropped everything
they were doing on a Satur-
day afternoon to answer the
call to save homes and the
town of Lexington. In these
days of social media and
so many people standing
by taking videos instead of
decisive action in the face
of catastrophe, I am proud
to live in a rural community
with people still showing
the spirit on which our
country was founded.
This week, the Devil’s
Butte wildfire in Gilliam
County closed Hwy. 206
between Wasco and Condon
Monday as crews worked to
contain that fire, which was
thought to be caused by
lightning. Morrow Coun-
ty fire departments were
among those that responded
in mutual aid.
No structures were
threatened in the Devil’s
Butte fire, but two fire
trucks from Gilliam Coun-
ty were lost when they were
overrun by wind-driven
fire. No firefighters were
injured.
Hwy 206 was reopened
in the early hours of Tues-
day morning. The latest
report showed the fire had
burned more than 4,000
acres of rangeland, wheat-
fields and CRP.
Madrigal was issued cita-
tions for driving uninsured
and for unlawful possession
of marijuana under the age
of 21.
-Boardman Fire and
Boardman Ambulance re-
sponded to a two-year-old
female who was having
trouble breathing, with lips
and fingers turning blue.
Patient refused transport.
The incident was referred
to another agency.
-A caller advised that
a vehicle went off the road
on Hwy. 207, Lexington.
The vehicle went off at the
corner headed south but the
caller was unable to stop.
MCSO, Oregon State Po-
lice, Heppner Ambulance,
Ione Fire and Heppner Fire
responded. Patients refused
transport, and OSP handled
the incident.
-A caller at Pioneer
Memorial Clinic in Hep-
pner reported that a truck
knocked down a power
pole. There were no inju-
ries, and it was not a live
power pole. The truck was
in the middle of the road.
Sheriff’s Report
impaired.
-MCSO dispatch re-
ceived an open line 911 call
from the Irrigon area. There
was dead air at first, and
then a female came on and
advised a child had been
playing with the phone. A
deputy responded and con-
firmed no emergency.
-An MCSO deputy
was contacted by a subject
receiving messages; the
subject was concerned that
they might be coming from
someone with a restraining
order against him.
-Heppner Fire Dept.
responded to a call about
a fire on the hill below
Heppner High School, by
morgan St. The property
owner advised they would
like to pile to continue to
December 18, 2022—
A Morrow County Sheriff’s
deputy reported being out
with a vehicle at the ball
fields by Irrigon Marina.
The subject was advised the
location is closed at night.
-An MCSO officer im-
itated activity at Umatilla
Fish Hatchery in Irrigon. A
garage door was open.
-MCSO was advised of
a silver Mazda stolen from
the Irrigon Marina the night
before.
-A caller in Irrigon ad-
vised he found a small,
dead red-tailed hawk on
his property. He advised
he knew people were not
supposed to shoot them, so
he checked but did not find
any holes to indicate it had
been shot. He would like to
know if the Oregon Dept. of
Fish and Wildlife or anyone
else needed to be notified.
A deputy contacted the
caller and advised he could
contact ODFW for further
information.
-A caller in Irrigon
asked a deputy to contact
him regarding problems
with his mom. She was not
there. A deputy contacted
the caller and his father
regarding their issues.
-A caller in Irrigon ad-
vised that a friend told her
that her trailer door was
open and someone was
inside. The caller had the
trailer parked on someone’s
property, and one of the
people living in the house
was the one inside the trail-
er. MCSO and Boardman
PD responded. Nothing in
the trailer appeared dam-
aged or missing.
-A Boardman PD offi-
cer advised of an extremely
intoxicated subject leaving
a bar in Boardman.
-A caller reported sus-
picious activity at the PGE
plant in Boardman. A small,
white SUV was driving by
slowly, casing out the plant.
It had driven by twice be-
fore the current time. BPD
responded, checked the area
and made contact.
-Main Street Laundry
in Boardman advised that
someone attempted to break
down the door for the stor-
age/office room where they
stored the money. It did not
appear anything was taken.
BPD took it under investi-
gation.
-The manager at Main
Street Laundry called later
that day and advised some-
one had left a phone at the
facility. BPD responded
and retrieved the phone and
returned it to its owner.
December 20, 2022—
Boardman Ambulance and
Boardman Fire responded
to a one-year-old having a
seizure in Boardman, still
seizing. Patient refused
transport and the incident
was referred to another
agency.
-Morrow County Sher-
iff’s Office, Boardman Fire,
Boardman Ambulance and
Boardman PD responded
to a two-vehicle crash in
Boardman. The accident
was non-blocking with
no injuries. The vehicle
was impounded and David
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