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About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 26, 2025)
Heppner High School players selected for Blue Mt. League All Stars 50¢ VOL. 145 NO.9 8 Pages Wednesday, February 26, 2025 Morrow County, Heppner, Oregon New circuit court building will be on ‘Courthouse Way’ By Andrea Di Salvo The City of Heppner will have a new street name on its city maps, as the Hep- pner City Council voted recently to designate the road to the new circuit court building Courthouse Way. Heppner City Manager John Doherty told the coun- cil at its February meeting that the request to name the short street came from a need for clarity. The rear entrance to the courthouse, which will be used by staff, will be off Heppner’s Aiken St. However, while the courthouse itself will be within city limits, the front entrance for the public will open off the highway and will fall just outside of city limits. That itself isn’t a prob- lem, but it would give the circuit court a rural address. Since that could potentially confuse visitors, Doherty said, it would be more practical to name the short stretch of road to clearly designate it as the circuit court entrance. “It’s not a city-main- tained street, but we need to have a name for it,” Doherty said. Doherty said he sug- gested Courthouse Way be- cause the name is non-polit- ical and makes it clear what the street is. The council offered some other ideas—some serious and some tongue- in-cheek—and Heppner councilor Adam Doherty suggested having a contest to let students name the street. In the interest of time, however, the council ended up approving Courthouse COURTHOUSE WAY Way that same evening. Also at February’s meeting, the council ap- proved the final draft of the Heppner Water System Master Plan (WSMP). Anderson Perry engi- neer Dane Maben presented the draft to the council. Ma- ben said all of the changes reflected the council’s feed- back from recent meetings but encouraged the council members to give it a thor- ough read over the next few weeks. “This is not Anderson Perry’s plan. It’s your guys’ plan,” he said. While the WSMP pro- vides the city with a road map, it doesn’t tie the coun- cil to immediate action on any of the projects. Maben said the next step will be for the council to review the draft plan and give final consent. The plan will then go to the Oregon Health Authori- ty for approval. Then, Ma- ben said, it will be time to schedule a one-stop meet- ing to begin the search for funding for high-priority projects. “There’s a long ways to go before anything is getting built,” he added. The council is planning a special session this Friday to discuss the draft, as well as review sealed bids for the chip-seal of city streets in 2025. The chip-seal projects will include work on Riv- erside, South Court, Chase, lower Water St. and oth- ers. John Doherty told the council the money was in the budget from last year because the city had waited too long to go out for bids last year. The council also gave its approval for the devel- opment of Heppner Public Works Design Standards. Heppner Public Works Di- rector Chad Doherty said the standards would be a list of approved materials for any projects the city undertakes, especially for use by contractors. “That way, the stuff we already use is what they’ll be putting in,” he said. The cost for Anderson Perry to work on the design stan- dards could range from $8,000 to $20,000, depend- ing on how many changes the city makes throughout the process. In other business at the meeting, Heppner Fire Chief Steve Rhea reported two lift assists, two motor vehicle accidents with in- jury, a two-acre fire with the rural fire protection district, two motor vehicle accidents without injuries, one cat rescued out of a tree in city limits, an alarm activation on Linden Way, an EMS assist with a death, and a mutual assist call to Lexington for a house with smoke. Rhea said there were 210 calls for 2024, and 13 so far for 2025. There were 24 chief calls for January. Rhea also reported that he completed an intergov- ernmental agreement with the Oregon Dept. of Emer- gency Management, sent a tactical tender and crew to southern California to assist with wildfires, at- tended a water master plan meeting with Anderson Perry, hosted a two-day S-230 wildland class for six departments and attended a meeting with courthouse engineers. Morrow County Sher- iff’s Office reported three animal complaints, one domestic disturbance, 10 dog complaints, one driving complaint, five juvenile complaints, one suicid- al caller, three suspicious activities, two thefts, five traffic stops with citations, eight traffic stops with warnings, one traffic stop with a misdemeanor arrest and three welfare checks, with a total of 133 incidents for January. Heppner Public Works Manager Chad Doherty reported that the water de- partment replaced eight water meters, responded to and replaced two frozen -Continued to PAGE THREE Camarillo at 100: A life of horses, hay and hard work Alex Camarillo at his birthday party at assisted living in Hep- pner. -Photo by Cindi Doherty By Andrea Di Salvo Alex Camarillo’s room at Willow Creek Terrace is a far cry from the stables and open ranges where the 100-year-old spent most of his life. His walls, though, are covered with photos of family and of horses and cowboys, remnants of a life well lived, a time gone but far from forgotten. “It’s all I’ve ever done,” he says. In 1925, Calvin Coolidge became the first U.S. president to have his inauguration nationally broadcast over the radio that year. That was the year F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby was pub- lished. And it was the year that Alex Camarillo’s life began on Feb. 11, 1925, in Tustin, CA. When he was five, the family moved to Costa Mesa, CA. Camarillo at- tended school through the sixth grade. He recalls that they had fun in school; though he never participat- ed in organized sports, the kids would spend their free time playing soccer ball. There wasn’t much free time, though. “I didn’t do too many funny things,” Camarillo says of his life. “I worked.” Camarillo spent his growing up years work- ing on his father’s 10-acre ranch with parents Louis and Josie, as well as his 17 siblings and half-siblings. He worked on the threshing machine, thresh- ing crops that included sugar beets, black-eyed peas and lima beans. Aside from crops, Camarillo says his father owned “horses and cows and everything, too.” Of course, with livestock comes the need for hay, and that was also a big part of his younger years. Camarillo recalls that his father owned a baler— first a horse-drawn baler and later a mechanical one. “Then he got one with an engine on it and got rid of the mules,” says Ca- marillo. Even with a mechanical baler, the days were long. Camarillo and the rest of the crew would spend the week in the haying field, only coming home on weekends. At night, they would spread their blankets on the hay piles and bed down in the field. With his young life spent around crops and cat- tle, it made sense that, when it was time for 17-year-old Camarillo to set out on his own, he would again turn to cattle ranching. He got a job with Santa Monica Cattle Ranch in Oceanside, CA, which he says was a “regular cattle ranching job,” taking care of horses and breaking them in. Work with and around horses would end up being a large part of his life—ex- -Continued to PAGE THREE Heppner High School saw several of its players hon- ored as League All-Stars for their outstanding per- formances on the court Girls: 1st team: Hallee Hisler. 2nd team: Delaney Stefani & Kadie Henrichs. Honorable mention: Lily Nichols Boys: 2nd team: Mason Orem. Honorable Mention: Keaton Coiner & Hallee Hisler Caleb George. Delaney Stefani Kadie Henrichs Lily Nichols Mason Orem Keaton Coiner Caleb George Shamrocks for Good Luck: A hospice fundraiser This March, Hospice is spreading good luck and comfort through the com- munity with its Shamrocks for Good Luck fundraiser. For a small donation, res- idents can have a festive shamrock placed in the yard of a friend, neighbor, or loved one who could use a little extra luck. But this fundraiser is about more than just good fortune’s about providing comfort to hospice patients and their families in their final weeks together. The funds raised go directly to- ward meaningful extras that help make these moments as special and comfortable as possible. Past donations have helped provide air purifiers, diffusers, essen- tial oils for aromatherapy, massage therapy, and other comfort-focused items that enhance the quality of life for hospice families. “These small comforts make a big difference for patients and their loved ones,” said Jackie Alleman, Hospice Volunteer Coor- dinator. “Whether it’s the soothing scent of essential oils or the relaxation of a gentle massage, these moments bring peace and connection during a diffi- cult time.” Participating in the Shamrocks for Good Luck fundraiser is simple. For a suggested donation of $20, you can send a shamrock to someone special, let- ting them know they are in your thoughts while also supporting a cause that brings comfort to those in need. It will stay in their yard for 3 days. Shamrocks will be rotated through yards beginning March 1 and ending on Sunday, the 16th. Don’t miss your chance to spread both good luck and the spirit of giving across the community. To order a shamrock or learn more about the fundraiser, contact Pioneer Memorial Hospice, 541-676-2946 or visit 162 N Main St. in Heppner. Let’s come together to share the luck and spread the love—one shamrock at a time. CALL 541-989-8221 ext 204 for more information
