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