50¢
VOL. 144
NO. 32 8 Pages
Wednesday, August 14, 2024
Morrow County, Heppner, Oregon
102nd Annual Oregon Trail Pro Rodeo
comes to Heppner
It’s that anticipated,
favorite time of year again
where cowboys and cow-
girls from all across the
country travel the various
circuits, competing against
the clock in the time-hon-
ored tradition called Rodeo.
This weekend Heppner is
honored to host the 102 nd
annual Oregon Trail Pro
Rodeo. This NPRA rodeo
welcomes many famous
cowboys and cowgirls from
across the area including
their own from Morrow
County.
This year’s rough and
rowdy rodeo stock is once
again being provided by
the B Bar D Ranch. Re-
turning to the microphone
to entertain the audience is
the much anticipated and
favorite Rodeo Announcer,
Scott Allen. In the arena
will be the 2024 PRCA
Columbia River Circuit Fi-
nals Clown and Barrel man,
Kyle Bode. Kyle, winner of
many prestigious awards in
the last few years, will be
Hunter Greenup. -Photo contributed
out in full swing, dazzling
the crowd with his amazing
athletic skills along with his
witty jokes and comments.
Friday and Saturday,
August 16 th and 17 th, will
host a myriad of talent,
both local and abroad, as
cowboys and cowgirls com-
pete for the #1 spot. Just to
name a few, we have Jor-
dan Crossley-Minor, 2023
OTPR All-Around Cham-
pion returning this year in
the Barrels and Breakaway
Roping. Local sensation
Hunter Greenup , ranked
4th in the NPRA Bareback
Bronc Riding, will be com-
peting this year. He will
have to share the limelight
though as his sisters, Savan-
na and Sierra Greenup will
also be competing. Not to
be left out of the spotlight
is their grandmother, Mary-
Ann Munkers. She is the
past OTPR Chairman and
is currently ranked #11 in
the NPRA Barrel Racing.
On Sunday August 18 th
at 1:00 the MOCO Rodeo
will begin. This rodeo is a
long-standing tradition as
local cowboys and cowgirls
compete against each other
for the coveted BEO All
Around Saddle that they
have been working toward
all year. This saddle can
only be won once per con-
testant and the competition
is tough. Another fan favor-
ite of the MOCO Rodeo is
the local Stick Horse Race.
Local cowgirls and cow-
boys do not forget to bring
your trusty stick horse and
your running legs for this
event.
So, Morrow County get
ready for an action packed,
fun filled weekend that
will keep you on the edge
of your seats impatiently
waiting for the next event.
Pioneer Memorial
Hospital nurses and techs
unionize under Oregon
Nurses Association
Nurses and technical
support workers at Pio-
neer Memorial Hospital
in Heppner have officially
unionized under the Oregon
Nurses Association (ONA).
The unionization process
started in March when nurs-
es and technicians from
various departments, in-
cluding x-ray, lab, and ra-
diology, expressed their
interest in forming a union.
Since Pioneer Memorial is a
public hospital, the process
required approval from the
state’s Employment Rela-
tions Board (ERB) instead
of the National Labor Rela-
tions Board, which handles
federal cases. The ERB
ruled in favor of the em-
ployees on July 12, 2024,
officially certifying the
ONA as their exclusive
representative.
Pioneer Memorial is
now the second group to
unionize with the ONA,
following Oregon Health
& Science University in
Portland. While the union-
ization marks a signifi-
cant step, further actions
are needed to achieve the
union’s goals. Pioneer Me-
morial Hospital, part of the
Morrow County Health
District and primarily fund-
ed through property taxes,
has expressed its commit-
ment to negotiating a col-
lective bargaining agree-
ment with the ONA and
aims to maintain a positive
working relationship, simi-
lar to its long-standing part-
nership with the American
Federation of State, County,
and Municipal Employees
(AFSCME).
ONA’s press release
8/6/2024: After a four
month wait, RNs and tech-
nical support workers with
Pioneer Memorial Hospital
are finally able to celebrate
their union win. In March,
the employees announced
their intent to join a union
with Oregon Nurses Associ-
ation (ONA) and delivered
their declaration to hospital
administration demanding
to be recognized. Howev-
er, the hospital adminis-
tration filed an objection
with Oregon’s Employment
Relations Board (ERB).
Following hearings and the
submission of post-hearing
briefs, the ERB ruled in
favor of the employees and
Progress on circuit court site, ASA contracts
slow, county administrator reports
The Heppner Fire
By Andrea Di Salvo
Progress on Ambulance
Service Area (ASA) con-
tracts between Morrow
County and Morrow Coun-
ty Health District have not
ground to a halt, but the
wheels are turning slowly.
That was the gist of the
report the Morrow County
Board of Commissioners
heard from Morrow Coun-
ty Administrator Matthew
Jensen at its Aug. 7 meeting
in Heppner.
“I was very hopeful
to have a contract before
you today, and we are very
close,” said Jensen.
He said he has con-
tinued meeting with the
health district to discuss
contracts for the Northeast
and Southern ASAs. The
BOC awarded the two con-
tracts to MCHD at its July 3
meeting, but the two parties
have been in negotiations
over contract details since
then.
The health district had
requested Intergovernmen-
tal Agreements (IGAs) with
the county and all five Mor-
row County municipalities
as part of its proposal.
According to a state-
ment by MCHD, the IGA
helps to “promote a spirit of
cooperation and signals that
all entities intend to move
forward in collaboration.”
Notably, the agreement
establishes that the cities
and county will support
the health district and not
attempt to remove territory
from MCHD.
After pushback from
cities, however, MCHD
pulled the cities out of the
requested IGA, leaving
only the county and health
district involved in the
agreement.
“I appreciate that the
health district heard the
concerns of the city, and
I’m hoping that the final
issues with the county can
also be resolved as we con-
tinue to discuss with them,”
said Jensen.
Jensen said the county
and MCHD were currently
“massaging” the details
and necessity of the IGA.
A draft contract for each of
the ASAs has been given to
the health district, and they
were still reviewing them.
“We’re really hoping
that we’re seeing the light
at the end of the tunnel,”
said Jensen.
Morrow County Com-
missioner Roy Drago Jr.
asked what the IGA would
accomplish, saying he
looked into it a little bit
and didn’t see that an IGA
was a common thing be-
tween ambulance providers
and government bodies.
The county does not have
an IGA with Boardman
Fire Rescue District for the
Northern ASA.
Jensen said that was
true.
“Part of it is to settle the
political waters,” he said,
“or the perceived disruption
there.”
Jensen said the IGA
stated that the county would
not take any active par-
ticipation in any effort to
withdraw an area from
the health district. Drago
countered that the board of
commissioners is obligated
by state statute to hear such
petitions.
“My concern is that this
IGA is going to make that
muddy,” he said.
Jensen said that was
part of the language they
were looking to refine in
negotiations.
“It’s a little bit redun-
dant, and we want to make
sure that the statutory re-
quirements the county has
in case any petitions come
through, that we’re not
tied, because that would
be unconstitutional,” said
Jensen, adding again that
the IGA was a step to settle
the troubled waters between
the two parties.
Morrow County Com-
missioner Jeff Wenholz said
Community Counseling
Solutions Executive Di-
rector Kimberly Lindsay
had also come to him with
concerns about how the
IGA would affect the coun-
ty’s partnership with CCS.
Wenholz said the concern
is that an IGA would make
MCHD the exclusive pro-
vider of all services, to the
exclusion of CCS.
Jensen said the health
district had reached out to
Lindsay and offered lan-
guage that would ensure
there is no such exclusivity.
“That this doesn’t pre-
clude the county from con-
tracting and working with
other people to provide
health and mental services,”
Jensen said. “So there has
been some give and take on
the language of that.”
Jensen said the two
parties would meet again
Aug. 9.
Also at the meeting, the
BOC approved payment of
a $2,850 invoice for a mo-
bile HVAC connection for
St. Patrick’s Senior Center
in Heppner.
Jensen said the invoiced
work had already been done
but admitted that it was not
a valid use of county funds
since it was an unbudgeted
expense and not for direct
county business.
According to Jensen,
it was a “well-meaning”
but misguided step taken
due to miscommunication
between himself and Mor-
row County Emergency
Manager Steve Freeland.
Freeland thought he had
county approval and had
authorized the wiring for a
temporary HVAC system to
provide temporary relief for
the vulnerable residents of
the senior center.
Morrow County Fi-
nance Director Kevin Ince
said he could not approve
the expense, but Jensen
asked the BOC to approve
payment of the invoice with
the “assurance that process-
es have been reviewed and
that any future incidents
will be curtailed in a timely
manner.”
Wenholz asked wheth-
er the wiring, since it is a
mobile unit, could be re-
purposed when the senior
center is finished with it.
Jensen said the wiring,
basically a heavy-duty ex-
tension cord hard-wired to
the panel and HVAC, could
possibly come back to the
county and be used by an-
other department.
Morrow County BOC
Chair David Sykes said he
saw where the communi-
cation breakdown occurred
but looked at it as a learning
experience.
“Is there a way to avoid
this in the future,” asked
Sykes, “and how do we
impart that information?
Who do they go to for
clearance?”
Progress on the planned
new circuit court build-
ing has also slowed as
Jensen says the county is
still awaiting environmen-
tal testing results for the
proposed site near the old
Kinzua Mill. The results
had been expected the week
prior.
“So we’re trying to
-Continued to PAGE SIX
Department celebrates
125 years of heroism
To host a free public BBQ on
August 25 th
This year marks the
125th anniversary of the
Heppner Volunteer Fire
Department, a milestone
that reflects a long-stand-
ing tradition of bravery,
community service, and
dedication to protecting the
town of Heppner.
Founded in 1899, the
Heppner Volunteer Fire De-
partment has grown from a
small group of volunteers
with basic equipment to
a modern, highly trained
force ready to tackle the
diverse challenges of fire
and emergency services.
Over the past century and
a quarter, the department
has been a pillar of the
community, responding to
countless emergencies and
saving innumerable lives
and properties.
A Legacy of Bravery
The history of the
Heppner Volunteer Fire
Department is rich with
stories of heroism and re-
silience. From the early
days when firefighters used
horse-drawn carriages to
today’s state-of-the-art fire
engines, the commitment
-Continued to PAGE EIGHT to protecting Heppner has
never wavered. The depart-
ment’s evolution mirrors
the growth of the town
itself, adapting to new tech-
nologies and techniques to
better serve its residents
One of the most sig-
nificant moments in the
department’s history was
the 1903 Heppner flood, a
devastating natural disaster
that claimed over 200 lives
and destroyed much of the
town. The firefighters’ re-
sponse to the flood, risking
their lives to save others, is
a testament to their courage
and dedication.
Modernization and
Growth
Today, the Heppner
Fire Department boasts a
fleet of advanced firefight-
ing and rescue vehicles, as
well as a team of highly
trained firefighters. Contin-
uous training and education
ensure that the department
is always prepared to han-
dle emergencies efficiently
and effectively. Volunteer
Firemen train every Mon-
day evening and occasional
weekends. Strict guidelines
-Continued to PAGE THREE
CALL
541-989-8221
ext 204
for more
information