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About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 22, 2023)
The Gazette Times Thanksgiving hours 50¢ VOL. 143 NO. 47 8 Pages Wednesday, November 22, 2023 Morrow County, Heppner, Oregon Heppner teen takes on racing world Hayden getting ready to race down the track in her Jr. Dragster. - Contributed Photo By Chris Sykes Meet Hayden Rossi, a 15-year-old racing prodi- gy from Heppner, Oregon, who has been tearing up the tracks and leaving her competitors in the dust. Fondly known as the “Gi- ant Killer”, because she could beat all the big kids. Hayden’s passion for racing started at a young age when she saw her cousin compete on the tracks. Fueled by her com- petitive spirit and a desire to follow in her cousin’s footsteps, she pleaded with her dad, Joseph, to let her race. Initially hesitant, Jo- VHSK ¿QDOO\ JDYH LQ DQG after one pass he knew that his daughter had what it takes to be a racer, even if she had recently wrecked her bike. Now, Hayden is in a new car, aptly named “Lit- tle Monster”. Her car, a $25,000, 16-foot, top fuel 2006, half-scale, Jr. Drag- ster, is equipped with a powerful 66-horse Brigs and Stratton engine. Her father Joseph closely mon- itors the car using com- puters, tracking every bit of data, even the weather conditions. When Hayden is in the cockpit, she relies on her instincts, listening to the sound of the motor, and can quickly diagnose issues, then relay the in- formation to her father so he can make the necessary repairs or tweaks to the car. Despite her young age, Hayden has already made a name for herself in the racing community. Over the past four years, she has consistently dominated her division, making it to the ¿QDOVHDFK\HDU+RZHYHU there was one year when VKH VHOÀHVVO\ DOORZHG DQ- other kid to take her spot, showcasing her admirable sportsmanship. This spir- it of camaraderie is what Hayden loves most about racing. One of the things VKH HQMR\V DERXW UDFLQJ Heppner Councilor JoAn- na Lamb will be stepping down at the end of the year, citing lack of time to devote to council business. The council agreed to advertise for applicants and select Lamb’s replacement at the December meeting, with the new councilor to be installed at the January council meeting. After a lengthy discus- sion, the council also ap- proved a limited agreement with CenturyLink for a new ¿EHUSURMHFWZLWKLQWKHFLW\ John Doherty told the council that CenturyLink had approached the city in October requesting a permit for a fiber pull up to the 0RUURZ &RXQW\ 6KHUL൵¶V Office. The fiber pull is part of a statewide 911 sys- tem update by the Oregon Emergency Management Association (OEMA). “This is something they need. It’s not like it’s a convenience or market- ing for CenturyLink,” said Doherty. “It’s the OEMA funding the upgrade of WKH V\VWHP DW WKH VKHUL൵¶V R൶FH “So it’s kind of a timely thing,” he added. However, Doherty said KHKDGEHHQSXWWLQJR൵LV- suing a permit for nearly a month in order to bring the issue before the council. The concern is that CenturyLink’s previous ular hours starting Monday the 27 th . Dougherty wins California 2023 Rookie Ag Pilot of the Year Hayden in her garage psoing with her prized car and many trophies she has won. - Photo by Chris Sykes is the sense of family that comes from gathering at the races and seeing other racing families. “Racing is like one big family, and there’s no drama. If you break your car, everyone helps,” Hayden explained. The racing season is an intense one for the Stills family. From April until October, they travel to various tracks like Wal- la Walla, WA, Renegade Raceway in Yakima, Pa- FL¿F5DFHZD\QHDU6HDWWOH Bremerton Raceway, and even a once-a-year race in Hayden posing with her trophie and winnings. - Contributed Photo Redding California, which TXDOL¿HV WKHP IRU WKH ELJ show in Las Vegas. In their family, racing is all about fun and sports- manship. They love sup- porting everyone on the tracks and understand the importance of good sports- manship. Joseph empha- sizes that racing is about HQMR\LQJ WKH H[SHULHQFH and having fun because if you do it for the money, you will go broke. While the local races are more relaxed, things change when they reach Las Ve- gas, where the stakes are higher. They’ve witnessed families arriving in ex- travagant two-million-dol- lar trailers, and some kids have their own team of mechanics and multiple cars at their disposal. In Las Vegas, Hayden has competed against around 200 racers and achieved an impressive fourth-place ¿QLVK 6KH DOVR ZRQ WKH -Continued to PAGE SEVEN Heppner garbage rates to increase slightly in January By Andrea Di Salvo Among other city business at its November meeting, the Heppner City Council passed a resolution approving a slight Miller and Son garbage rate in- crease for 2024. Miller and Sons owner Ryan Miller asked for the rate increase due to the con- tinuous rise of equipment and fuel costs, including the need to replace a truck wrecked in June and the purchase of new cans to replace broken and worn- out equipment. The three- to four-per- cent increase will take ef- fect January 1, 2024. In- town residential cans will increase from $23 to $24, rural residential cans will go from $26 to $27, and 300-gallon Dumpsters will LQFUHDVH WR $ UROOR൵ truck will increase from $105 to $110 per hour, the new dump rate will be $26, and the daily box rent will remain at $6. At the beginning of the Nov. 13 meeting, Ian Mur- ray was sworn in as a new Heppner City Councilor. Murray takes the seat va- cated by John Doherty, who resigned from the council when he was hired as Hep- pner City Manager. The council also dis- cussed the need to seek applicants for another up- coming council vacancy. We will be closed Thursday the 23 rd and Friday the 24 th , we will resume with the reg- franchise agreement ex- pired in 2016. That docu- PHQWKDG¿UVWEHHQFUHDWHG in 2006. Doherty said he and Heppner City Attorney Bill Kuhn could draft a new franchise agreement but es- timated it could take around ¿YHPRQWKVWRFUHDWHDQHZ updated document. He said CenturyLink had been making franchise payments regardless, but WKLV SURMHFW LV RI SDUWLF- ular concern because of the trenching and boring required. “My only worry is, WKHUH¶V MXVW QR IUDQFKLVH agreement in place,” he said. “If it didn’t involve the trenching, it wouldn’t even have come to this meeting.” Doherty wanted to know if the council would be willing to save time by having the city issue a per- mit if CenturyLink agreed to abide by the terms of the original agreement should any issues arise. Heppner City Coun- cilor Cody High asked why the council couldn’t change the date and other relevant details on the ex- isting agreement and have CenturyLink sign a new franchise agreement. Doherty said he thought even that would be a longer process than asking the company to simply sign a one-page letter saying they would abide by the terms of the previous agreement. Other councilors voiced concerns that language used in the 2006 document needed to be reviewed and updated. The council voted 6-1, with High dissenting, to move forward with the per- mit and letter of agreement with the understanding that a new franchise agreement would be prepared within the next several months. Other Business In o t h er b u s i n es s , Doherty said he had at- tended a League of Oregon Cities meeting via Zoom, and one of the “hot topics” had been cutbacks in Ore- gon Dept. of Transportation Coby Dougherty (right) receiving his award for Rookie Ag Pilot of the Year - Photo by Dawna Doughtery Coby Dougherty, son RI&OL൵DQG'DZQD'RXJK- erty, has been recognized for his achievements in the agriculture aviation industry. He received the “2023 Rookie Ag Pilot of the Year” award for the State of California, show- casing his exceptional skills in aerial agriculture op- erations. Coby graduated from BMCC in 2020 with a degree in Ag Production and obtained his private pilot’s license in 2021. He WKHQDWWHQGHGÀLJKWVFKRRO in South Dakota, earning multiple ratings and en- dorsements, including com- mercial, high horsepower, instrument, multi-engine, and tailwheel. Currently, Coby is employed as an ag pilot for Farm Air Flying Service in Sacramento. Morrow County fair theme contest due Dec. 12 th The Morrow County Fair wants YOU to help choose the perfect theme! Calling all students from grades K-6 and homes- choolers, it’s time to get creative! Come up with a catchy and short phrase that captures the spirit of the fair. To enter the contest, submit your theme from mid-November to Decem- ber. You can email it to mcfair@co.morrow.or.us or mail it to Sue Gibbs, Fair Manager, P.O. Box 464, Heppner, OR, 97836. Don’t forget to include the teach- er’s name, school, grade, and your fantastic theme! Due on December 12th The Morrow County )DLU%RDUGZLOOEHWKHMXGJ- es of this exciting contest. The winning class will re- ceive a class set of frisbees for each student - perfect for some fun outdoor play! But that’s not all! Once the theme is selected, it will be given to the talented 7th-12th graders in January for a drawing contest. The challenge will be to create a black-and-white drawing (or drawings) that perfectly matches the chosen theme. On February 14th, the winning drawings will be chosen. The talented artists behind those creations will be rewarded with an art set, allowing them to further ex- plore their artistic abilities. The theme and the win- ning drawing(s) will then come together to create a marvelous coloring page (or pages). These coloring sheets will be shared with the public, allowing every- RQH WR MRLQ LQ RQ WKH IDLU excitement. To make sure your class or homeschool group gets well-deserved recognition, the winning theme and artwork will be featured in an article and advertisement in the newspaper, as well as showcased at the fair itself. So, students of Morrow County, let your imagina- tion run wild and submit your theme ideas today. Who knows, yours could be the one that sets the stage for a fantastic fair experience! -Continued to PAGE EIGHT CALL 541-989-8221 ext 204 for more information
