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About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 21, 2024)
Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, August 21, 2024 -- THREE Heat Pump Rebate program offers energy efficiency solutions to rural Oregon counties The Greater Eastern Oregon Development Cor- poration (GEODC) has partnered with the Ore- gon Department of Ener- gy (ODOE) to launch a heat pump rebate program aimed at providing res- idents in select Eastern Oregon counties with more efficient heating and cool- ing options. The program, known as the R3 Communi- ty Heat Pump Deployment Program (CHPDP), offers eligible residents up to $7,000 in rebates for the installation of heat pump technologies. This initia- tive is designed to enhance energy efficiency in homes and contribute to a greener, more sustainable future. Let’s take a closer look at this exciting program and how residents can benefit from it. The R3 Community Heat Pump Deployment Program is available to residents residing within the Greater Eastern Oregon Economic Development District, specifically in the following counties: Gil- liam, Grant, Harney, Mal- heur, Morrow, Umatilla, and Wheeler. These coun- ties have been identified as areas with residents in need of more efficient heating and cooling systems. Through this pro- gram, eligible residents can receive rebates of up to $7,000 towards the installa- tion of heat pump technol- ogies in their homes. Heat pumps are energy-efficient alternatives to traditional heating and cooling sys- tems, offering cost savings and reduced environmental impact. The program en- courages residents to up- grade their HVAC systems, electrical components, and structural repairs to ensure optimal performance and efficiency. The application process for the R3 Community Heat Pump Deployment Program is quite straightforward. Firstly, applicants need to obtain a cost estimate for the complete installation, including HVAC system, electrical upgrades, and any necessary repairs. Once the estimate is prepared, applicants can submit their completed application to energy@geodc.net, along with proof of legal owner- ship, such as a copy of the property deed. After submission, ap- plications will undergo a review process to determine eligibility for the program. The R3 Board, in monthly board meetings, will review and approve applications, potentially with modifica- tions, ensuring that deserv- ing residents receive the benefits. Applicants will be promptly notified of the award decision, after which the installation process can commence. The R3 Community Heat Pump Deployment Program will begin in Au- gust 2024 and run until December 30th, 2025 or until funding is exhausted. Therefore, residents are encouraged to act prompt- ly and take advantage of this opportunity before it expires. To learn more or apply for the program, interested individuals can contact GEODC at energy@geodc. net. Hunting and fire danger in Oregon Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife- Clo- sures and access: ODFW does not close hunting sea- sons due to fire danger. But hunters may face access re- strictions as areas close due to active fires, firefighting activity or fire danger. Visit myodfw.com for an active fire map. F i re re s t r i c t i o n s : Hunters, anglers and others are responsible for knowing and following fire restric- tions when outdoors. Here are the most common ones: Campfires prohibited on many public lands. That includes within designated campgrounds. Only liq- uid-fueled camp stoves may be used. No charcoal briquettes or other flamma- ble solid materials are al- lowed. No smoking except inside an enclosed vehicle. Off-road driving is also prohibited in most areas, which includes motorcycles and all-terrain vehicles. Driving on vegetation could spark a fire. Vehicles must have either a gallon of wa- ter or a fully charged and operational 2½-pound fire extinguisher and shovel (except when travelling on state highways or county roads). ATVs must have a charged and operational 2½ pound fire extinguisher. Additional restrictions as set by landowner. Tag refund, prefer- ence point reinstatement policies: Because fire re- lated access restrictions can change during the course of a hunt, decisions regarding tag refunds and reference point reinstatement typ- ically do not occur until after the particular hunt has closed. Again, ODFW will not close hunting seasons as a result of elevated fire danger, access or use re- strictions (e.g. road/vehicle, open fires, camping clo- sures, etc.), or for ongoing fire control actions. How- ever, the department will evaluate the impacts of such actions to hunting seasons on an individual species/ season/hunt area basis in- cluding the timing, extent and duration of fire-related restrictions. Only seasons where reasonable public access to the hunt area is sub- stantially restricted for the entire hunt period will be considered a complete loss of a hunter’s opportunity, except as determined by the director. When this complete loss of a hunter’s opportunity occurs, ODFW will reinstate points +1 and refund tags. ODFW will contact hunters via email, so hunters need to have a valid address in the licensing system to get in- formation. Please note that vol- untarily deciding to not go hunting is not a reason for preference point reinstate- ment unless ODFW has offered that as an option for your hunt. Nor are re- strictions against campfires, camping or vehicle/road restrictions. Inability to scout before a season is also not necessarily considered a loss of hunting opportunity. Hunters who exchange controlled tags for general seasons tags before their controlled hunt begins may be ineligible for any pref- erence point reinstatement if no decision has been made yet on options. Visit myodfw.com for more in- formation. ~ Letters to the Editor ~ Special fair awards -Continued from PAGE ONE Growers – Sponsored by The Heppner Gazette Times will print all letters to the Editor with the following criteria met: letters submitted to the newspaper will need to have the name of the sender along with a legible signature. We are also requesting that you provide your address and a phone number where you can be reached. The address and phone number will only be used for verification and will not be printed in the newspaper. Letters may not 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 will be placed in the classifieds under “Card of Thanks” at a cost of $15 Email to editor@rapidserve.net or upload to Heppner.net. Trump tyranny I just read a post from a woman who was brave- ly telling us how horrific things will be if Trump wins. How could I have been so blind as to not see this. I guess I’ve been too distracted by things like high gas prices and terror- ist threats. So just to help us all prepare for a tyranni- cal Trump Administration, here’s a list of changes I’m sure we will see. So scary. 1. Vegans will be ar- rested, cows will run ram- pant, and cow farts will fill the atmosphere. 2. Climate will con- tinue to change with the four seasons, in spite of Greta. 3. College students will be forced to pay their own tuition, and each write 100 times “I will not deface public property and break things that are not mine”. 4. Contraception will be illegal and monitored by the JD Vance Bedroom Gestapo. 5. The unborn will be forced to live….against their will. 6. Genders will be assigned by God and all females will be required to wear pink dresses. Males will wear camo. 7. Illegal aliens will be rounded up and cata- pulted over the wall. 8. Sex traffickers and pedophiles will be used for target practice. 9. Harris, Walz, Pelo- si, and AOC will be stuffed in EV’s and shipped to China. 10. Biden will be placed in charge of the Democratic Party. 11. Nobody will be special because of their skin color. DEI will stand for “Don’t employ idiots”. 12. Our Military will have even more guns and be way too dangerous. 13. Mean tweets will be sent to our enemies, and they will hate us for it. 14. Billy Graham will be on every channel and The Ten Commandments will be on every building. 15. Christians will be allowed to spew their hate speech about the love of Jesus anywhere they please. 16. Democrats will be placed in camps and forced to wear MAGA hats while listening to Ingrid Andress sing The National An- them….repeatedly. Now it’s obvious that Trump will deny this plan, but it must be true because it was leaked to CNN, MSNBC, and ABC. And I’m sure he’ll point to the four years he was running the country and how gas prices were bet- ter, food prices were lower, the military was stronger, our borders were secure, our enemies feared us, and the world was a safer place. But this is nothing compared to all the won- derful things Kamala has done over the last four years. Hmm...OK…noth- ing there, but don’t forget all the great things she promises to do if elected. Everything will be free! Sounds like she’s been talking to Klaus Schwab (“we will own nothing… and be happy”). We won’t even need to think because she will do the thinking for us. How comforting is that!? FOOTNOTE: All things considered (I just re-read the plan and #7 is a little harsh), I’m still vot- ing for Trump. Vote wisely. “When the righteous thrive, the people rejoice; when the wicked rule, the people groan.” Proverbs 29:2. By Susie Crosby, Prineville, Or. WCR health advisory -Continued from PAGE ONE filters. Contact campground management or the local health department with questions about water avail- able at nearby campgrounds or day use areas. Not all private treatment systems are effective at removing cyanotoxins. People who do not use a well or public water system and draw in- home water directly from an affected area are advised to use an alternative water source. Children and pets Children and pets are at increased risk for exposure because of their size and level of activity. Dogs can get extremely ill and even die within minutes to hours of exposure to cyanotoxins by drinking the water, lick- ing their fur or eating the toxins from floating mats or dried crust along the shore. This is regardless of a recre- ational use health advisory in place. Dogs can become ill and die from water in- toxication after drinking excessive amounts of water while swimming or fetch- ing objects for long periods of time. Intoxication is a potentially fatal disturbance in brain function resulting from an imbalance of elec- trolytes in the body. Water intoxication and heat stroke can cause similar symptoms as exposure to cyanotoxins. Symptoms Exposure to cyano- toxins can be serious and cause a range of symp- toms. Symptoms may be similar to food poisoning such as stomach cramp- ing, diarrhea, nausea and vomiting. Symptoms may also be more serious, such as numbness, tingling, diz- ziness and shortness of breath. These symptoms may require medical atten- tion. Dogs can experience weakness, difficulty walk- ing, seizures, lethargy, loss of appetite and more. If a dog exhibits symptoms, veterinary treatment should be sought as quickly as possible. Fishing Fish caught from ar- eas where cyanobacteria blooms are present may pose unknown health risks, so OHA recommends not eating fish from those areas. Those who decide to eat the fish should remove fat, skin and organs before cooking or freezing. Toxins are more likely to collect in these tissues. Fillets should also be rinsed with clean water. For health information or to report an illness, con- tact OHA at 971-673-0482, or visit OHA’s Cyanobacte- ria (Harmful Algae) Blooms website. Fruit and Vegetables Judge’s Award Adult – Nina Bair Judge’s Award Youth – Charlie Nelson Photography Judge’s award – adult – Hallie Palmer Judge’s award – youth – Mikalie Duncan Harvest Photo – Madi- son Rea sponsored by Mor- row County Wheat League Food Morrow Co. Wheat Growers – sponsored by Snow-McElligott Muffins youth 3 rd place - $10 – Lu- cas Worden Morrow Co. Wheat Growers – Sponsored by Snow-McElligott Muffins youth 2 nd – Madelyn Camp- bell Morrow Co. Wheat Snow-McElligott. Youth 1 st . – Lauralee Jepsen Morrow Co. Wheat Growers – Cake sponsored by Snow-McElligott. Adult 2 nd place Jannie Allen Morrow Co. Wheat Growers – Cake sponsored by Snow-McElligott – Adult 1 st – Jodi Segraves Overall Ribbons won sponsored by Jake Lindsay - $25 Cupcake Wars – Spon- sored by Cross Hill Con- fections. – Max Gustafson Writing Award Judge’s Choice – adult – Jodi Segraves Judge’s Choice – youth – Mikalie Duncan S u p e r i n t e n d e n t ’s Award – Sponsored by Sykes Brothers Printing – Laurelee Jepsen. Free youth pheasant hunts statewide in September SALEM, Ore.—Youth hunters (age 17 and under) who will have completed hunter education by the time of the event can sign up now for ODFW’s free pheasant hunts happening around the state starting in September, https://myodfw. com/articles/youth-pheas- ant-hunts ODFW and partners stock pheasants at these spe- cial hunts that give youth a head start on regular pheas- ant seasons. Volunteers bring their trained hunting dogs to some events. Some events also host a shooting skills session before the hunt. ODFW recommends youth register in advance for most events, but walk- ins are also welcome if space allows, see the youth pheasant hunts page for more details. Register by logging in to the youth’s account at MyODFW’s Licensing page. Then go to Purchase from the Cat- alog and look under the Category/ Class/Workshop / Outdoor Skills. Final de- tails about the event will be emailed to the address within the account. The hunts are free, though participants need a valid hunting license ($10 for youth 12 and older, free for age 11 and under) to hunt. Youth hunters age 12-17 also need an up- land game bird validation ($4). Purchase before the event, online or at a license sales agent. Licenses and validations will not be sold at the events. Some areas will host the event both Saturday and Sunday. Youth who register for one day are welcome to hunt stand by on the other day. See page 26-27 of the Oregon Game Bird Regulations for more information, or see https:// m y o d f w. c o m / a r t i c l e s / youth-pheasant-hunts for the local contact and more details about each hunt. Sept. 21 Irrigon, Irri- gon Wildlife Area. Hunt 1: 7:30 check-in, 8 am – 12 pm hunt. Hunt 2: 12:30 check-in, 1 pm - 5 pm hunt. 15 per hunt (541) 276-2344 Lunch & Dinner Menu Specials 8/22 8/28 Thursday - French Dip with Swiss cheese and a side of cottage cheese Friday - Hawaiian chicken burger with fries Saturday - Velveeta grilled cheese and bacon sandwich with a side of chili Monday - Nacho tots Tuesday - French toast and fruit Tuesday night 6-9pm $2 hard shell tacos Wednesday - Turkey melt with tomato and a side salad 177 N. Main P.O. Box 337 Heppner, OR 97836 Chris@sykesrealestate.net Broker Chris Sykes 541-215-2274 Sold! $145,000 350 S Gilmore St, Heppner For Sale: Charming bungalow with 2 bedrooms and 1 bathroom, nestled in a tranquil neighborhood. Spacious backyard ideal for memorable family gatherings. Recent renovations include upgraded floors, kitchen improvements, fresh paint. Home has a mini split for efficient heating and cooling. Conveniently situated near Hagar Park, just a short stroll away from downtown, the hospital, and the elementary school. Don't miss out on this amazing opportunity. MLS#: 24241555
