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VOL. 144
NO. 1 8 Pages
Wednesday, January 3, 2024
Morrow County, Heppner, Oregon
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New laws for 2024 to tackle opioid overdoses, DUII, paramilitary
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By Chris Sykes
Over time, the number
of laws being added to our
existing laws is increasing.
In the state of Oregon alone,
there are already thousands
of laws in place. The Ore-
gon Revised Statutes (ORS)
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laws of the state, and they
are updated and published
every two years. Each edi-
tion of the ORS includes
all existing laws and any
changes made by the Leg-
islative Assembly up until
the regular session of the
odd-numbered year, as in-
dicated in the volume titles
of that edition.
As an example, the
2021 edition of the ORS
consists of 21 volumes,
encompassing all the laws
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time. During the 2021 Reg-
ular Session, a total of 714
bills out of the 2,519 bills
introduced were passed into
law. In the subsequent 2022
Regular Session, only 127
out of the 275 introduced
bills became law.
Opioid overdose medi-
cation
Oregon Senate Bill
1043 requires health care
and drug treatment facilities
to provide opioid overdose
reversal medications and
other overdose-related med-
ical supplies to discharged
patients who were admitted
for opioid abuse . The bill
also establishes civil liabil-
ity protections for people
who administer overdose
reversal medication to
someone experiencing an
overdose. The law is aimed
at reducing the number of
opioid-related deaths in
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of driving while under the
influence of intoxicants
to include any substance
that, when taken into the
human body, can impair the
ability of a person to op-
erate a vehicle safely. The
bill is aimed at improving
road safety in Oregon by
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“intoxicant” for purposes of
the Oregon Vehicle Code .
The bill also provides
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and decreases fines for
driving while under the
influence of intoxicants
while riding a bicycle. It
eliminates driving privi-
lege suspension imposed
for driving while under the
influence of intoxicants
while riding a bicycle. The
bill also expands eligibility
to participate in diversion
programs when a defendant
previously participated in
treatment as a juvenile or
as a parent or guardian
pursuant to a juvenile court
order .
The bill is expected to
help improve road safety in
Oregon by expanding the
definition of “intoxicant”
for purposes of the Oregon
Vehicle Code. The bill also
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for driving while under the
influence of intoxicants
while riding a bicycle. It
eliminates driving privi-
lege suspension imposed
for driving while under the
influence of intoxicants
while riding a bicycle. The
bill also expands eligibility
to participate in diversion
DUII
programs when a defendant
Oregon House Bill previously participated in
Oregon by ensuring that
people who are at risk of
an overdose have access to
the medication they need to
survive.
Under the law, hospitals
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ties that provide substance
use disorder treatment are
required to provide two
doses of opioid overdose
reversal medication and
necessary medical supplies
to administer medication
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discharge or release. The
law also provides immunity
from civil liability for
people who in good faith
provide opioid overdose
reversal medications
and necessary medical
supplies to administer
medications. The law is
expected to help save lives
by ensuring that people
who are at risk of an
overdose have access to
the medication they need
to survive.
Curricula teaching stu-
dents about the dangers of
synthetic opioids: Under
SB 238, the Oregon Health
Authority, State Board of
Education, and the Alcohol
and Drug Policy Commis-
sion will be required to
develop curricula teaching
students about the dangers
of synthetic opioids. Stu-
dents will also be required
to learn about legal immu-
nity for people who report
drug or alcohol use along
with protections for people
seeking medical treatment
for themselves or others for
drug and alcohol overdoses.
City of Irrigon halfway
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By Chris Sykes
Upon reviewing the Ir-
rigon city managers’ report
from December 19th, they
reached the halfway mark
of the fiscal year in the
month of December. The
law enforcement vehicles
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and they are focusing on
enhancing public safety and
presence within the City of
Irrigon by reviewing and
improving the processes.
In collaboration with
the League of Oregon Cities
(LOC) and other municipal-
ities, Irrigon has submitted
a request for approximately
2.5 million dollars to assist
in infrastructure develop-
ment for new housing proj-
ects in Irrigon.
According to Palm-
quist, housing grant oppor-
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by the current econom-
ic conditions and lending
rates, leading to a slow-
down. However, property
owners and developers can
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help cover System Devel-
opment Charges (SDC)
for new homes within the
city limits. For more in-
formation on this program,
detailed information can
be found on The City of
Irrigon’s webpage. Addi-
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available to provide further
assistance upon request. If
you’re interested in learn-
ing more, please reach out
to the City Clerk via email
at clerk(@ci.irrigon.or.us).
Regarding court and
law enforcement matters,
Irrigon’s Judge and court
have established a Viola-
tions Bureau, which allows
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resolutions with individuals
who have been cited, expe-
diting the process before
their scheduled court dates.
Additionally, Irrgion will
be hiring a part-time Code
Enforcement personnel
to ensure more consistent
processing of properties
and court cases involving
non-compliance with code
requirements.
The city is in discus-
sions with MCSO regarding
contract renewal. It should
be noted that all of Morrow
County has negotiated sig-
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impact contracting and their
budget.
The US 730 Sidewalk
Project, which is funded by
HB2017, is making good
progress in terms of Public
Works. Despite the winter
season and the closure of
asphalt plants, the concrete
work is still ongoing, al-
though at a slower pace due
to the colder weather. There
might be some temporary
pooling of water in certain
areas after receiving limited
rainfall, but the contractor
is aware of these locations
-Continued to PAGE THREE
treatment as a juvenile or as
a parent or guardian pursu-
ant to a juvenile court order.
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while under influence of
intoxicants to include any
substance that, when taken
into human body, can im-
pair the ability of person
to operate vehicle safely
lawmakers expanded the
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under state law to account
for that blind spot. The
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other penalties for people
caught bicycling while un-
GHUWKHLQÀXHQFHreasoning
that they pose less of a dan-
ger to others than someone
behind the wheel. Those
carve-outs don’t apply if a
person has a blood alcohol
content of at least 0.15% or
is riding an e-bike.
Morrow County re-
cently bid farewell to Ro-
berta Lutcher, who retired
after serving as the Execu-
tive Assistant to the Board
of Commissioners for an
impressive 11 years. The
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Facebook page to express
their gratitude and extend
their best wishes to Ro-
berta on her well-deserved
retirement. Describing her
as an individual with an
unwavering attention to
detail and a remarkable
dedication to her position
and the county. To honor
Roberta’s service and ex-
press their appreciation, the
county organized a potluck
at the Bartholomew Build-
ing on December 15th. This
event provided an opportu-
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friends to come together,
share heartfelt stories, and
convey their best wishes
to Roberta. Delicious food
was available, adding to
the warm and celebratory
atmosphere. Morrow Coun-
ty expressed their utmost
hope for her to cherish these
moments and wished her
all the luck in her future
endeavors.
Gates goes nationwide
Ban on Styrofoam
Senate Bill 543 Ban
on polystyrene contain-
ers: A ban on polystyrene
containers has been imple-
mented in Oregon Oregon
has implemented a ban on
polystyrene containers as
of January 1, 2024. Senate
Bill 543, which was passed
by the Oregon Legislature,
bans food vendors from
serving meals in containers
made of polystyrene foam,
commonly known as Styro-
-Continued to PAGE SIX
Scholarship auction
dinner honoring
Barney Lindsay
The community of
Heppner is set to gather
at the Gilliam & Bisbee
Building on Saturday Jan-
uary 27 th for a heartfelt
scholarship dinner and auc-
tion in memory of Barney
Lindsay, a local farmer, and
dedicated Morrow County
School Board member. The
doors will open at 5pm,
with dinner to be served
at 6pm. The highlight of
the evening will be the live
auction commencing at
7pm, featuring an array of
both live and silent auction
items. Barney Lindsay,
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community, left a lasting
impact through his contri-
butions as a farmer and his
commitment to education
as a member of the Mor-
row County School Board.
To honor his legacy and
dedication to the commu-
nity, the Lindsay family
is organizing this event
to establish scholarships
for graduating seniors in
Irrigon, Boardman, Ione,
and Heppner. The dinner,
catered by Ashley Lindsay,
promises to be a delightful
experience for all attendees,
providing an opportuni-
ty for the community to
come together and sup-
port a worthy cause. All
proceeds from the auction
(L-R) Chairman David Sykes, Roberta Lutcher, Commis-
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- Contributed Photo
will go directly towards
funding the scholarships
for deserving students in the
aforementioned areas. Kim
Lindsay, wife of Barney,
expresses her gratitude for
the overwhelming support
received in organizing the
scholarship dinner auction
Kim Lindsay, the wife of
Barney, is expressing her
heartfelt gratitude for the
overwhelming support re-
ceived in the organization
of the scholarship dinner
auction. “My children and
I are dedicated to estab-
lishing a scholarship in
Barney’s name, something
he would be very pleased
Billy Gates, Digital Sports Producers for KXAN of Austin
7H[DVWDONVVSRUWVRQ1HZV1DWLRQQHWZRUN - Contributed
Photo
By Annalynn Black
Billy Gates, the son
of Tom and Arlynda Gates
from Ione, has recently
made his television debut
on the nationwide news
network, News Nation.
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University in Forest Grove
with a degree in Journalism,
has always had a passion
for media and sports cov-
erage. Starting his career
at the East Oregonian, he
quickly gained experience
and recognition, eventually
becoming a regular on the
radio, covering sports in
Portland.
In 2019, Gates and his
wife, Jessie, made the de-
cision to move to Texas.
Since then, he has been
working as a Digital Sports
Producer for the reputable
news network KXAN in
Austin. In this position,
Gates covers and lives-
treams the sports events of
the esteemed University of
Texas.
It comes as no sur-
prise that the News Nation
network has reached out
to Billy Gates, given they
have reached out in the past
regarding his exceptional
coverage of Super Bowl
articles. Having recognized
his talent and expertise,
they have sought to feature
him on their live television
broadcasts. This recent op-
portunity allowed Gates
to showcase his abilities
on a larger-scale platform,
reaching a nationwide audi-
ence. The decision to move
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one for Gates and his wife.
However, it has proven to
be a strategic move as it
has opened doors to ex-
citing opportunities in the
media industry. His role as
a Digital Sports Producer
at KXAN has allowed him
to further immerse himself
in the world of sports and
broadcasting. Providing
comprehensive coverage
and live streaming of the
University of Texas sports
events has added to his
experience and expertise.
-Continued to PAGE SIX
CALL
541-989-8221
ext 204
for more
information