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About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 30, 2024)
Heppner’s football field is named after coach Greg Grant 50¢ VOL. 144 NO. 43 8 Pages Wednesday, October 30, 2024 Morrow County, Heppner, Oregon 50 Years of Greatness: The story of the 1974 Heppner High School 4x100 relay team By Chris Sykes In the early 1970s, Heppner High School wit- nessed an extraordinary achievement that would become a legacy. The 4x100 relay team of 1974 not only brought home a state championship but set a school record that remains unbroken after 50 years. The team’s jour- ney to victory was not only about their athletic prowess but also about the coaches, the community, and the humble beginnings of a dirt track that served as their training ground. Their story, combined and shared by Susan Healy Hisler, recounts their jour- ney and the legacy that still endures. Building the Foundation: Heppner’s Dirt Track Before the relay team could shine, Heppner High School needed a proper place to train. In the 1960s, track practices and meets were held at the Heppner Rodeo Grounds. Seeing the need for a dedicat- ed track, the Lions Club, along with community members like Dave Har- rison, John Edmundson, and Jim Wishart, spear- headed the construction of a five-lane dirt track at the high school. This project brought together farmers, ranchers, and local busi- nesses, transforming a vi- sion into reality. The new track became a source of pride for the town and a training ground for future champions. Forming the Relay Team: The Role of Coaches The formation of the 4x100 relay team in 1974 was skillfully guided by Heppner High School’s dedicated track coach- ing team, including Head Greg Grant with his daughter Sophie, son Kellen, and wife Virginia at the, newly named, Greg Grant Stadium. -Photo contributed. Ken Grieb- There was a special ceremony following the home football game on Friday, October 25 th . Coach Greg Grant was honored and had the facility that the Heppner Mustang football team plays in named Greg This picture was taken in the ‘90s, showing all four members of the 4x100 relay team togeth- Grant Stadium. er. Karl Harrison, Matt Greenup, John Boyer and Mike Bergstrom. Coach Grant has been the football coach in Hep- -Continued to PAGE SEVEN Apparent progress made amid continued tension on CDA board This picture was taken in October 2024. (L-R) John Boyer, Matt Greenup and Mike Berg- strom, Karl Harrison is not pictured. - Photo by Annalynn Black Coach Chuck Starr and as- sistant coaches Dale Conk- lin and Dean Naffziger. As Heppner’s head foot- ball coach, Starr already knew the capabilities of these athletes—several of whom he coached in football, including four standout players. Recog- nizing their unique po- tential, Starr encouraged two of these multi-sport athletes, John Boyer and Karl Harrison, to balance both baseball and track, al- lowing them to contribute to the relay team without sacrificing their baseball commitments. This col- laboration—supported by athletic director and track coach Dean Naffziger, along with baseball coach Dale Holland—was both rare and essential, provid- ing the flexibility needed for the relay team to come together. Beyond tradition- al coaching, Chuck Starr took a deeply personal approach to support his Pros: Offers direct financial relief to residents, poten- tially addressing poverty and stimulating local econ- omies. Taxes large corpora- tions based on revenue, possibly holding high-rev- enue companies more ac- countable to Oregon com- munities. Seen by supporters as a way to alleviate inflation impacts on residents with- out affecting individual in- come taxes. Cons: Critics argue it may lead to higher consumer prices if corporations pass tax costs to consumers. Potential for state rev- enue disruption, which could affect funding for services like education. Rebates are not in- come-based, meaning funds may go to residents regardless of financial need. Measure 119 (State- wide) - Labor Neutrality in the Cannabis Industry Under Measure 119, cannabis-related business- es would be required to remain neutral regarding employee unionization ef- forts, with specific penal- ties for interference. This measure is designed to support employees’ rights to unionize without em- ployer opposition, pro- moting fair labor practices within Oregon’s growing cannabis industry. Pros: Protects workers’ rights to organize, fos- tering improved working conditions in the cannabis sector. Supports fair labor practices in a rapidly grow- -Continued to PAGE EIGHT Nov. 5th ballot measures that may affect you On November 5, 2024, Morrow County, Oregon voters will consider sever- al notable measures, with implications ranging from statewide election reform to local health initiatives. Here’s a breakdown of the issues on the ballot, in- cluding key arguments on both sides: Measure 117 (State- wide) - Ranked-Choice Voting This proposed mea- sure would bring ranked- choice voting to Oregon’s major state and federal elections, enabling voters to rank candidates by pref- erence. The ranked-choice process proceeds through rounds until one candi- date secures a majority, a system aimed at fostering greater voter choice and reducing vote-splitting. If approved, the new voting method would be imple- mented in 2028, and local jurisdictions could adopt the system as well. Pros: Ensures the winning candidate has broad sup- port by requiring a major- ity, potentially reducing political polarization. Allows voters to rank pner for the past 35 years. In that time, his teams have never had a losing season. They have won countless conference titles and state playoff games. His teams have won three state cham- pionships and had several runner-up finishes. They have made numerous state candidates, preventing “wasted” votes on less popular options. Encourages more rep- resentative outcomes and may boost voter satisfac- tion with election results. Cons: Requires a significant voter education effort, po- tentially raising state ex- penses and causing voter confusion. Increases the complex- ity of ballot counting, po- tentially delaying election results. The transition and technological updates nec- essary for implementation could cost millions, affect- ing state and county bud- gets. Measure 118 (State- wide) - Corporate Tax In- crease for Annual Rebates Measure 118 propos- es a corporate minimum tax hike on high-revenue businesses to fund annual rebates for state residents. Proponents suggest the measure would provide much-needed financial re- lief for Oregon residents, while critics worry about the potential for increased consumer costs and strains on state budgets. -Continued to PAGE SEVEN By Andrea Di Salvo Tensions still run high in the Columbia Develop- ment Authority, with accu- sations of staff misconduct and lawsuits muddying the waters. However, re- cent board decisions could indicate a clearing of the storm—or at least steps toward better communi- cation. The CDA board is made up of representatives from the Port of Morrow, the Morrow County Board of Commissioners, Umatil- la County Board of Com- missioners, Port of Umatilla and the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Res- ervation (CTUIR). Two sources of conten- tion have been disrupting CDA meetings in recent months. The first is a law- suit brought against Mor- row County and the ports of Morrow and Umatilla by the other two parties in the CDA, Umatilla County and CTUIR. The lawsuit challenges the legality of a vote that gave the two ports a greater share of power in running the industrial portion of the former Army depot land. The second is allega- tions against CDA Admin- istrator Greg Smith regard- ing a pay raise he received as part of an Office of Local Defense Community Co- operation (OLDCC) grant request submitted on behalf of the Columbia Devel- opment Authority board. The board said they never approved the pay increases and ended up rescinding Smith’s raise at the Sept. 20 meeting. Discussion at the Sept. 20 meeting became so heated, the Port of Morrow replaced its CDA represen- tative, Kelly Doherty, alleg- ing her behavior reflected poorly on the Port. Even with the contro- versial removal of Doherty, there was plenty of tension to go around at the Oct. 22 meeting in Boardman. Even consent agenda items were subject to dispute. CTUIR representative J.D. Tovey said he did not want to ap- prove the minutes from the July 23 meeting because he didn’t want to “inadvertent- ly acquiesce” to concerns over the grant approval and the salary increase. Despite his concerns, the Sept. 20 consent agen- da, including the July 23 minutes, was approved 3-2. As a result of the al- legations against Smith, the CDA board had been discussing the need for a formal staff evaluation process. Joe Taylor, who re- placed Doherty on the CDA board, pointed out that the board still hadn’t addressed the evaluation form for the executive director. “I don’t think we need to reinvent the wheel too much,” said Taylor. “It wasn’t broken be- fore,” added Port of Umatil- la representative and board chair Kim Puzey. However, Taylor said he saw that, while eval- uations might have been purely verbal before, he could see the need for more documentation. “We’re looking to be -Continued to PAGE EIGHT CALL 541-989-8221 ext 204 for more information
