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About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (April 24, 2024)
Inaugural Littlest Cowpoke calf show in Heppner 50¢ VOL. 144 NO. 16 8 Pages Wednesday, April 24, 2024 Morrow County, Heppner, Oregon Fairgrounds, mill site both on the table as BOC discusses circuit court sites By Andrea Di Salvo $IWHUZLGHQLQJWKH¿HOG of possible site for the new Morrow County Circuit Court building, the options appear to have narrowed back down to three, two in the Heppner area and one in Boardman. The Morrow County Board of Commissioners held a lengthy executive session at its April 17 meet- ing in Irrigon to discuss several site options for the circuit court building. The BOC has not re- leased details on all of the sites they were considering but had previously said it was considering four in South Morrow and one in the Boardman area. Those options appear to have been narrowed back down to three, according to action taken in open session after the executive session. The board of commission- HUVGLUHFWHGVWD൵DQGWKHGH- sign team to develop more precise development costs for the proposed site by the Morrow County Fair- grounds, the Kinzua Mill site and the Boardman site. No other details were forthcoming at the meeting. Greater Idaho Also on the agenda at the April 17 meeting was a discussion on moving the Oregon/Idaho state borders, commonly known as Great- er Idaho. In November 2022, Morrow County voters passed by a wide margin a measure requiring the board of commissioners to discuss the issue three times per \HDU 7KLV LV WKH ¿UVW GLV- cussion for 2024. The BOC held three such discussions during meetings last year. Morrow County is one of 12 that have passed such a measure. Crook Coun- ty has also picked up the measure and will be voting in May. Mike McCarter, pres- ident of Move Oregon’s Border and Citizens for Greater Idaho, was on hand via Zoom to give an update on the movement. He said the goal is to get a discus- sion going about the issues that are coming down from the Oregon legislature and negatively impacting East- ern Oregon. McCarter also said the Crook County measure was not a Greater Idaho measure per se. “The people in Crook County, en masse, went to the county commission- ers and asked them to put a question on the ballot whether or not they should be supporting, looking into, the possibility of Crook County becoming a county of Idaho,” said McCarter. “This is from the peo- ple up,” he added. “They wanted the opportunity to voice their opinion because of the various issues that seem to be coming legisla- tively out of Salem session after session.” McCarter said Oregon State government in Salem is focused on issues that address or control problems in Western Oregon, but which often have negative impacts on the eastern part of the state. Examples he mentioned were minimum wage, water rights and the recent move against small farms. “These issues need to be brought up and dis- cussed,” he said. “Whether By Andrea Di Salvo The Morrow County Board of Commissioners adopted and certified the county’s new ambulance service area (ASA) plan at it’s last meeting Wednes- day, April 17. The board held a public hearing and conducted the second read- ing of ordinance ORD- 2024-3 by title during its regular meeting in Irrigon. Morrow County Com- missioner Jeff Wenholz noted that it had been a long process, and BOC board chair David Sykes agreed. “I’d like to give a shout-out to our staff for their work on this,” said Sykes. The ORS governing ASA plans states that it had to be adopted as a non-emergency ordinance, which means it cannot take H൵HFWLQOHVVWKDQGD\V That makes the effective date of the new ordinance Tuesday, July 16, 2024. As part of the process, the BOC’s action also re- pealed the previous 1998 ordinance and ASA. “The gist of this one is WRUHD൶UPWKDWWKHFRXQW\LV responsible for determining the ASA advisory commit- tee and is the manager for ambulance service provid- ers,” Morrow County Ad- ministrator Matthew Jensen said during his update on the plan. Jensen added that other updates to the plan include updating language to refer to ORS numbers and ad- ministrative rules so the plan doesn’t need wording revision as often. It also updates the makeup of the EMS advi- sory committee to include representatives from each of the county’s five fire districts. Lexington was not originally included, but at the hearing on April 3, the plan was amended to LQFOXGH WKH /H[LQJWRQ ¿UH department. The county is still in the process of forming an ad hoc committee to ad- minister the plan. Of nine proposed members, five will be representatives of HDFKRIWKH¿YHWRZQVLQWKH county, one will be an EMS specialist from an adjoining county, and the other three will be Jensen, advising at- torney Bob Blackmore and a member of the county’s own legal counsel. Jensen said they have IRXU RI WKH ¿YH QDPHV RI the city representatives but ZHUHZDLWLQJIRU¿QDOZRUG on who Irrigon selected. 7KH\DUHDOVRVWLOO¿QDOL]LQJ the EMS specialist. In response to a ques- tion from Morrow County Health District (MCHD) CFO/COO Nicole Ma- honey, Jensen said he had QR VSHFL¿F GDWH DV \HW RQ when the request for pro- posals (RFP) for ambulance service would be released. +HVDLGKHKDG¿UVWZDQWHG to be sure the ordinance passed. “We didn’t want to pub- lish a schedule on that until -Continued to PAGE SEVEN %2&FHUWL¿HVQHZ$6$SODQUHSHDOVRUGLQDQFH 3DUWLFLSDQWVRIWKH¿UVW/LWWOHVW&RZSRNHVVKRZVSRQVRUHG by Morrow County Livestock Growers, was held at the Mor- row County Fairgrounds on April 6. Pictured L-R are Cora Schoenfelder, Grace Schoenfelder, Makenzi and Karter Evans, Winnie and Quincy Worden, Kendal Cavaletto and Paige Miller. -Photo contributed Heppner, OR - April 6, 2024 - The Morrow County Livestock Growers (MCLG) recently held its inaugural Littlest Cow- poke Calf Show at Mor- row County Fairgrounds in Heppner. This is the start of what is hoped to become a tradition celebrating young talent in the ranching com- munity. This event brought together aspiring young cat- tlemen and women to show- case their skills and passion for agriculture. Under the guidance of judge Nick Nelson, along with the GLOLJHQW RUJDQL]LQJ H൵RUWV of Makenzi Evans and Erin Heideman, the Lit- tlest Cowpoke Calf Show proved to be a resounding success. Participants from various corners of Mor- row and Umatilla coun- ties, including Paige Mill- er, Grace Schoenfelder , -Continued to PAGE TWO Heppner TSA attends OTSASL Conference Front; Elizabeth Finch, Rylee Palmer, Lily Nichols, Izzi Kil- lebrew. Back; Lane Critchlow, Chris Humphreys, Karver Wilkins, Kaden King, Aden Lathrop, Delilah Sauceda, Loren Trujillo, Braden Desclos-Curtis, Brody McDaniel, Mason Seitz, Ashli Paullus and McKenzie Maben. - Photo contrubuted The Heppner TSA Chapter attended the Oregon Tech- nology Student Association State Leadership Confer- ence. Students competed in several events and attend- ed leadership workshops. Heppner TSA won First and Third places in VEX Robotics. They earned -Continued to PAGE EIGHT Third place in Dragster Design and Technology Problem Solving. State 2൶FHUV5\OHH3DOPHU/LO\ Nichols, Delilah Sauceda and Elizabeth Finch each received an award for the work they have been doing since April of 2023. The state officers will be at- tending the National TSA Conference in June. The Sweeneys celebrate 25 th anniversary EOU 2024 Winter Fall term Dean’s list with the Eclipse in San Antonio, TX. By Annalynn Black The Mayor of Hep- pner, Corey Sweeney, and his wife, Brandi Marshall Sweeney, embarked on a remarkable journey to Texas to witness the solar eclipse, marking their 25th anniversary. After two years RI SODQQLQJ WKH FRXSOH ¿- nally made their reservation last year. Unfortunately, Brandi could not join the rest of the family during the 2017 eclipse due to work commitments. In a heartfelt promise, Corey assured her that they would make it to the next solar Eclipse in the United States. And so, it was. Initially considering destinations like Missis- sippi or other southeastern states, Brandi’s dream of experiencing Texas led them to San Antonio. The Sweeneys spent two event- ful days in San Antonio and one day in Austin, exploring its rich culture and indulg- LQJLQLWVXQLTXHR൵HULQJV Determined to catch the eclipse in its full glory, they traveled an hour outside of San Antonio to witness the celestial phenomenon. Although the Sweeneys embarked on their journey alone, they were quick to make acquaintances with Coery Sweeneys and Brandi The Eclipse from Texas. Sweeney in Texas for the -Photo by Corey Sweeney Eclipse. -Photo by Corey Sweeney fellow eclipse enthusiasts. Engaging conversations ensued with people from New Zealand, as well as individuals from Oregon, California, and Arizona. The prevailing atmosphere was one of friendliness and curiosity, with everyone eager to embrace the eclipse experience. With an initial bout of nerves caused by cloud cover, the Sweeneys held their breath in anticipation. But as the eclipse embraced totality, those anxieties melted away, leaving be- hind a profound sense of awe. When asked about his emotions while witnessing this natural spectacle with his wife, Corey struggled to put it into words. He de- scribed it as an exhilarating and surreal experience, ex- pressing profound gratitude for the opportunity to wit- ness it once again saying “It was nice to just be able to be there witnessing it again, [we] felt very fortunate.” Although the eclipse did not align precisely with their anniversary date, the Sweeneys seized the oc- casion to celebrate their enduring love. Exploring the wonders of San Anto- nio, they ventured along the enchanting River Walk, a recommendation from the locals in Heppner. Visits to historical landmarks such as the Alamo and the stunning Natural Bridge Caverns filled their days with wonder and fasci- nation. They also visited Rita’s on the Riverwalk; a renowned restaurant ac- claimed for its margaritas. Already planning ahead, the Sweeneys have set their sights on Iceland or Spain for the next eclipse, slated to occur in 2026. Unde- terred by the challenge of embarking on yet another astronomical adventure, Corey and Brandi eagerly await their next opportunity to witness nature’s majestic display. For this dynam- ic couple, the fascination with celestial events goes beyond the ordinary, serv- ing as a testament to their enduring love and shared sense of adventure. LA GRANDE, Ore. (April 19, 2024) – Eastern Oregon University named 610 students to the dean’s list for the 2023 fall term. Qualifying students achieve and maintain a grade point average of 3.5 or higher on a 4.0 scale while complet- ing a minimum of 12 hours of graded coursework for the term. From Board- man, Dominic Epkey, STM and Health Science, Psy- chology and Ariel Lissman, Education, Early Child- hood Education. From Heppner Kellen Grant, Business, Agriculture En- trepreneurship and Trevor Nichols, STM and Health Science, Biology. From Irrigon Katelynn Evans, Education, Elementary Education, Victoria Palm- quist, Business, Business Administration, and Beth- any Stewart, Education, El- ementary Education. From Lexington Paul Lindsay, STM and Health Science, General Studies-Explor- atory. CALL 541-989-8221 ext 204 for more information
