+HSSQHU*D]HWWH7LPHV+HSSQHU2UHJRQ Wednesday, January 3, 2024 7+5((
~ Letters to the Editor ~
Good News Only by Doris Brosnan
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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
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Email to editor@rapidserve.net or upload to Heppner.net.
FLING
I fling things. Call it
a gift, or just the result of
years of throwing dirty
socks into laundry hampers,
but I’ve become pretty good
at it. Farm life gives a per-
son plenty of opportunities
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Through the years, I’ve
only had a couple of notable
disasters. There was the
dead chicken through the
greenhouse roof incident.
My calculations must have
been a bit off when con-
sidering the aerodynamics
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chicken (never was good at
math) because I was really
aiming at the garden. No, I
don’t plant dead chickens.
I just thought it would be
a good place to keep it
from curious cow dogs.
Who would have thought
a deceased chicken could
actually make a hole that
big? Flinging hay takes a bit
of calculation. Trying to get
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while dodging a hungry
milk cow takes not only
good aim but impeccable
timing as well. Avoiding
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Alfalfa Ballet. Hay to the
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hay to the left, horns to
the left. Back and forth
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hay planted directly on
cow’s head. It’s beautiful
really. Over the years, I’ve
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around horses needs to be
done with some caution and
careful planning. Some of
my horses tend to be a little
apprehensive and obviously
don’t trust my aim. Toss a
curry comb into a bucket
and you’d think The Apoc-
alypse was just around the
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flinging things from the
back of a non-roping horse
may not end well. Broken
ankles, hospital bills and
recovery time may ensue.
Fling things around cow
dogs and you’ve opened
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worms. Anything that takes
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as their own, be it rubber
boots, rakes, lead ropes, or
live chickens. Curiously
enough, these dogs instinc-
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between the command’s
“fetch” and “Dang you dog,
gimme that!”. The latter is
translated as grab it and run
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a toddler with contraband.
Catch and release is never
an option. Goats will appre-
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direction. It doesn’t matter
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it’s food. I would like to
clear something up and
expel any current rumors
coming from certain mama
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pies. I was merely helping
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mind, puppies are slippery
little buggers, especially
when they’re wiggling and
wagging and have every
intention of following their
dinner out of the pen. AND,
if certain mama dogs would
do their duty and stay IN
the pen, this unfortunate
situation would not have
occurred. Besides, though
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cats and don’t always land
on all fours, they are quite
resilient and have learned
the “stop, drop and roll”
technique very well. I’ve
often thought Farm Fling-
ing would make a great
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Toss, the Flake Fling, Pitch-
forking, Puppy Shot Put
(kidding). How did this not
make the Olympics? Note:
there are a few things I rec-
ommend one refrain from
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chickens, cats, sand, full
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especially rotten ones.
By Susie Crosby
Prinville, OR
Doris’ Grandson Carson
Brosnan and his Fiancé
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Yes, good news for
the Dollar General truck
driver who reached his
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side trip.
The holiday visitors
to families and friends in
Heppner were good news
for many. And now, the
resounding “Happy New
Year!” repeated on Main
Street is good news for
many and our communi-
ties: people noticing other
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for a positive future year!
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to our communities.
Optimism similar to
that and enthusiasm are
surely elements in the atti-
tudes of the spectators and
teams as the school sports
start up again this weekend.
Good luck, Teams!
The ag leadership kids
of HHS are leading an after-
school workshop at which
they work together with
third-grade-through-high-
school students who come
to learn how to make meals.
Then the students get to
take the ingredients and
the recipes home to make
for their families. This is a
program that the leadership
students started a few years
ago. They now have one
planned for once-a-month
in January, February, and
March. Good news, Stu-
dents!
Carson Brosnan, HHS
graduate2019, proposed
marriage to Alyse Wentz,
HHS graduate 2020, on
Christmas Eve Day while
they were on a hike at Smith
Rock. Alyse is the daugh-
ter of Sandra Sexton, of
Heppner, and Carson is
the son of Damon and Ca-
rie Brosnan, who moved
from Heppner a couple of
years ago. Alyse admits to
not being totally surprised
when she turned to face
Carson and found him on a
knee, holding the marquise
diamond engagement ring.
No date for a marriage has
been set. Carson is pres-
ently in officers’ training
in Quantico. Alyse is an
assistant to a pediatric den-
tist in Corvallis. John and
Pat Edmundson report that
they have been pretty much
place-bound through the
fall, so they have travelled
vicariously through the
excursions of their three
children: Vicki, Kristi, and
Jeff. Jeff and wife, Shei-
la, travelled to Sweden to
visit the Lofgrens, whose
son Axel was an exchange
student at Heppner High
School. They visited many
historic sites and the Lof-
grens’ summer home on
Gotland Island. Also, they
attended Lofgrens’ younger
son’s wedding. Kristi hiked
down the Grand Canyon
Trail to the Colorado River
and rafted down the river to
the take-out location for the
excursion that provided bus
transportation back to the
rim. Vicki had a group trip
to Egypt and a Nile-Riv-
er-and-Pyramids-of-Giza
holiday. This spring she
will travel to Australia to
visit daughter Kirsten, her
husband, James, and their
three boys: Max and twins,
Owen, and Archer. Phew!
That has been a lot of trav-
elling and fun!!! Some oth-
er readers might agree with
this writer? “Thank you to
the event planners and busi-
nesses that keep accurate,
updated information avail-
able in pertinent websites
and in the Gazette Times.
I do not Facebook, for var-
ious reasons. I do use the
internet. I do go to entities’
websites. I like to attend
events and support local
businesses. Unfortunately,
I miss some opportunities
to do this if the websites
are not kept updated, or
the event planners and/or
businesses do not inform
our newspaper readers.
Many thanks to those who
consider my limits, my
interests and my sources of
information.”
Maybe sharing your
reasons for smiles with the
GT can be on your 2024 “To
Do” list? As easy as getting
in touch: dbrosnan123@
gmail.com or 541-223-
1490.Here’s hoping that
good news comes to every-
one reading this!
$380,000
Broker
Chris Sykes
$395,000
9.09 ACRES
Secluded mountain property! Don’t miss out
on this incredible opportunity to own your own
mountain property. Whether you’re looking
for a hunting retreat or a permanent residence,
this property has it all. With approximately
9.09 acres of land and a private pond you can
embrace the beauty of nature and create a life
of serenity in the mountains you’ve always
desired. MLS#:23510132
$26,000
City of Irrigon reports
-Continued from PAGE ONE
and will address them once
the asphalt plants reopen.
Furthermore, the contractor
will be installing concrete
bases at SE Eleventh and
SE Fourteenth Streets in
preparation for the installa-
tion and striping of RRFB
devices, like the one at First
Street and US 730, in spring
2024.
The NE Oregon Ave-
nue project, spanning from
N First Street to NE Ninth
Street, has been completed.
A list is being compiled to
address any improvements
required by the contractor.
The OCODT Safe
Routes to School sidewalk
project are currently out
for bid. Irrgion anticipates
awarding the project at the
January Council meeting,
with the work set to take
place during the summer
school break in 2024.
Palmquist explained
that the reason why Irrigon
does not have streetlights
like the City of Umatilla is
due to budget constraints.
However, once the side-
walk project is completed,
there are plans to install
solar-powered light poles
in Irrigon, like the ones in
Umatilla. These light poles
will also have decorative
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hanging baskets. Initially,
these decorative lights were
not included in the project
as they are quite expensive,
costing between $8,000 to
$10,000 per light stand (ex-
cluding contractor work).
It is important to mention
that these decorative lights
will not serve the same
purpose as regular street-
lights, which are scheduled
to be installed throughout
the community by Uma-
tilla Electric Cooperative
(UEC).
According to the re-
port, the Port of Morrow
(POM) is partnering with
Irrigon to assist in the plan-
ning and design of our up-
coming incubator facility.
The city aims to be ready
to begin the bidding process
by the fall of 2024, with the
project scheduled for com-
pletion by the fall of 2025.
Palmquist expressed grat-
itude for the collaboration
with POM, highlighting the
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“Through this partnership,
we can extend the oppor-
tunity to individuals who
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the program.”
In terms of finances
and administration, burn
permits are still available at
City Hall, as they continue
to support the Irrigon Fire
Department in making them
accessible to the public
district wide. The annu-
al audit is in the process
of being printed and will
be presented this month.
If the physical document
does not arrive on time, a
preliminary version will
be provided for review and
decision-making purposes.
On a positive note, San-
itary Disposal Inc. (SDI)
generously provided Christ-
mas gifts for children, in-
cluding around seven bikes
for the recipients of the
program. The city extended
their heartfelt thanks to SDI
for their contribution. Addi-
tionally, Umatilla Electric
Cooperative (UEC) has
provided annual funding
to assist in purchasing gifts
for children participating
in the giving tree program.
The city expresses their
gratitude to UEC for their
continued support.
The Annual Audit
5HSRUW IRU WKH ¿VFDO \HDU
2022/23 has been success-
fully conducted, and I am
pleased to announce that no
violations or discrepancies
were found during the inter-
view with the city’s auditor.
This positive outcome is a
testament to the unwaver-
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of our staff in bolstering
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The report unequivocally
highlights the favorable
result of the audit.
The Annual Audit
5HSRUW IRU WKH ¿VFDO \HDU
2022/23 has been success-
fully concluded, as stated in
the memorandum. A com-
prehensive interview with
the city’s auditor revealed
no instances of violations
or discrepancies. Palmquist
expressed his satisfaction
with this outcome, em-
phasizing the continuous
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cial standing of the city. The
report explicitly highlights
the positive results of the
audit.
The Morrow County
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lished their monthly statis-
tics for Irrigon, covering
the period from July to
November. During this
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1,487 incidents were report-
ed. Among these incidents,
there were 11 arrests made
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and 13 arrests made for fel-
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353 complaints related to
driving, as well as respond-
ed to 10 motor vehicle
crashes. Additionally, there
were 19 reported incidents
of theft and 19 cases of tres-
passing. It is worth noting
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Heppner Housing
Authority to meet
The next meeting of the
Heppner Housing Authori-
ty for the Heppner Senior
center will be Monday, Jan-
uary, 8, 2024 at 4:00 p.m.
in the St. Patrick’s Senior
Center dining room.
For more information,
contact Kay Rene Qualls at
541-980-2836.
$259,000
NEW LISTING
Discover peace and seclusion on this expansive
forty-acre parcel boasting a fully functional two-bed-
room, one-bathroom cabin. Embrace the breathtaking
views of the mountains from the upper level’s reverse
living 640 square foot great room. In the summer,
explore the property’s ATV trails, while in the winter,
delight in t snowmobiling or sledding with access to
thousands of acres of National Forest Land located at
the property’s corner. LOP tags may be available for
hunting enthusiasts, or simply relish in the opportu-
nity to observe the abundant wildlife that frequently
visits the property, including elk, deer, bear, and
turkey. Enjoy the convenience of a private well with
DEDFNXSYDOYH¿OOHGFLVWHUQWZRQDWXUDOVSULQJV
electricity, and internet access, ensuring utmost com-
fort and connectivity.
80439 Black Mountain Ln Heppner
MLS#:23425595
Lot For Sale
For sale: Prime commercial lot on Main Street,
Heppner, Oregon. Property presents a golden
opportunity to establish your presence in a vibrant
community. Embrace the potential and seize this
chance to make your mark in Heppner, Oregon. Act
now and turn your visions into reality. Main St MLS#:
23022056
177 N. Main
P.O. Box 337
Heppner, OR 97836
Chris@sykesrealestate.net
Broker
Chris Sykes
Price Reduction
A beautifully remodeled 2-story home in Heppner.
This spacious residence boasts approx 2,400 square
feet of space, featuring 3 bedrooms and 2.5 bathrooms.
This house has undergone extensive renovations, with
almost everything being brand new. New dry wall,
SDLQWÀRRULQJEDWKURRPVNLWFKHQZDWHUKHDWHU
windows. 510 S Main St. Heppner MLS#: 23687525
177 N. Main
P.O. Box 337
Heppner, OR 97836
Chris@sykesrealestate.net
Broker
Chris Sykes