TWO - Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, March 12, 2025
The Official Newspaper
of the City of Heppner and the County of Morrow
Heppner
GAZETTE-TIMES
U.S.P.S. 240-420
Morrow County’s Home-Owned Weekly Newspaper
SEARCH OLD COPIES OF THE HEPPNER GAZETTE-TIMES ON-LINE:
http://oregonnews.uoregon.edu/
Published weekly by Sykes Publishing and entered as periodical matter at the Post
Office at Heppner, Oregon under the Act of March 3, 1879. Periodical postage paid
at Heppner, Oregon. Office at 177 N Main St. Telephone (541) 676-9228. E-mail:
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master send address changes to the Heppner Gazette-Times, P.O. Box 337, Heppner,
Oregon 97836. Subscriptions: In Morrow County $36/year. Outside Morrow County
$41/year. In County Senior Rate (65 years or older) $31/year. 9 month Student student
subscriptions $36/year.
Chris Sykes ...............................................................................................Publisher
Andrea DiSalvo ............................................................................................. Editor
Cindi Doherty.........................................................................................Advertising
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placed in the classifieds under “Card of Thanks” at a cost of $16
Embracing the limerick
Ah, the classic Irish
limerick. These witty, of-
ten humorous, and some-
times slightly irreverent
five-line poems have been
making people chuckle for
generations and have been
embraced by many counties
around the world, but they
will always have a special
place in Irish culture.
Here’s one to tickle
your funny bone:
She set out one day,
In a relative way,
And returned on the
previous night.
At times I’m so mad
that I’m hopping.
My angriness sets my
veins popping.
I yell and I curse,
With swearwords di-
verse,
But my wife does much
worse: she goes shopping.
There once was a man
from Peru,
There was an Old Man
Who dreamt he was of Kilkenny
eating his shoe.
Who never had more
He woke with a fright, than a penny
In the middle of the
He spent all that money
night,
In onions and honey
And found that his
That wayward old man
dream had come true.
of Kilkenny.
The limerick became
popular in the 18th centu-
ry, but its roots trace back
even further. The name
“limerick” is thought to be
derived from the Irish city
of Limerick, where the form
may have gained popularity
during gatherings and so-
cial events.
Limericks typically fol-
low a strict rhyme scheme
(AABBA) and have a dis-
tinctive rhythmic pattern.
As with many other Irish
sayings, limericks were
frequently used to shine a
humorous light on difficult
or uncomfortable topics.
Sometimes they were sim-
ply used to showcase the
famously irreverent Irish
sense of humor.
Edward Lear, a
19th-century English writ-
er, played a significant role
in popularizing limericks
through his books of non-
sensical verse. His witty
and whimsical limericks
captivated readers and
helped solidify the form’s
place in literary history.
There was an Old Man
with a beard,
Who said, “It is just as
I feared!
Two Owls and a Hen,
Four Larks and a Wren,
Have all built their
nests in my beard!”
-Edward Lear
Here are a few more
examples to lift your spirits
and help you share the fun
with others this St. Patrick’s
Day:
There was a young fel-
low named Hall
Who fell in the spring
in the fall.
‘Twould have been a
sad thing
Had he died in the
spring,
But he didn’t—he died
in the fall.
There once was a man
from Nantucket,
Who kept all his cash
in a bucket.
His daughter, named
Nan,
Ran away with a man,
And as for the bucket,
Nan took it.
A bather whose cloth-
ing was strewed,
By breezes that left her
quite nude,
Saw a man come along,
And unless I am wrong,
You expected this line
to be lewd.
God’s plan made a
hopeful beginning
But man spoiled his
chances by sinning
We trust that the story
Will end with God’s
glory
But at present the other
side’s winning
- O l i v e r We n d e l l
Holmes
BOC Meeting
-Continued from PAGE ONE residential homes, and we
the location changes. This
brings the design group’s
total contract to $3,049,227.
Meanwhile, Kelly
Stewart of DLR Group
told the commissioners that
the Portland-based firm had
used that $35 million bud-
get to drive the building’s
targeted square footage.
“We’ve been working
on how to make the space
needs fit within the target
square footage,” Stewart
said, adding that they were
also looking for ways to ac-
commodate parking needs.
Those needs, she said, in-
cluded not only the circuit
court but also parking for
events with larger vehicles,
like the rodeo.
Stewart also reported
that DLR Group worked
with the City of Heppner to
get the variances and con-
ditional use permit needed
to build a building of that
size in a residential neigh-
borhood. They received
approval early last week.
Jensen noted that the
approval had been unan-
imous for the permit and
variances. He also pointed
out that two of the neigh-
bors were present, both in
support of the project.
“We will have continu-
ing discussions with them
as we finalize plans on
that,” said Jensen. “And, so,
some good track compared
to how it was received last
year at this time.”
The building is planned
on two levels, with level
one being a daylight base-
ment design. The public en-
try will be from the bridge
on the building’s south side,
with the building’s public
entrance on the first level.
“We’re hoping that put-
ting it a little bit into the
ground helps minimize the
size of the building,” said
Stewart. She said they had
to get a variance for build-
ing height, which is slightly
higher than the code allows.
“And we think it’s go-
ing to give people who are
visiting this building the
best views. Most of the
public spaces will look to
the south and look to the
east,” she added.
Meanwhile, the staff
entry will be from the north,
on the second level. The
site’s design also includes
an eight-foot-wide mini-
mum buffer, including se-
curity fences and landscape
screens, between the circuit
court and residential homes
nearby.
“Because this is still
in a neighborhood with
would like to make sure
that the neighbors don’t feel
like this large commercial
building moved in and is
too close to them,” Stewart
said. “And we’ll keep a
tight buffer and minimize
windows to neighborhood
backyards.”
She said they also plan
to use a gable roof design
to fit in with the neighbor-
hood.
While the building is
still in the schematic design
phase, plans right now show
it in two sections. One side
will have the justice court
on the first floor and the
circuit court on the second
floor. The other section will
house the district attorney,
offices and support spaces.
From here, DLR Group
will get several cost esti-
mates and then reconcile
those estimates to make
sure they align. Once they
have the right amount esti-
mate, they will update their
schematic design package
and bring it back to the
BOC. They hope to have
that step ready for the April
15 board of commissioners
meeting.
“If everything at that
meeting aligns with our pre-
vious target goals—I know
targets have moved—we
would hope for approval to
move into the next phase of
design,” she said.
That phase is design de-
velopment, where the tech-
nical details of the building
start to come together.
Jensen added that the
county is still finalizing
work on funding, but that
it should be ready for board
approval by March 19,
since the application is due
at the end of the month.
Looking ahead, Jen-
sen said he hoped DLR
could have renderings of
the building available by
the county fair in August.
“So the public can start
engaging and understand-
ing what’s going to be out
there,” Jensen added.
Construction will likely
not start until about this
time next year, with an
anticipated completion in
the second quarter in 2027,
about a 14-months build
time.
“So still a little ways
off on it, but, we’re making
progress,” said Jensen.
BOC Chair David
Sykes and Commissioner
Gus Peterson both voted to
approve the cost increase.
Commissioner Jeff Wen-
holz was not able to be
present at the meeting.
Deadline
MONDAYS AT 5:00 P.M.
There was a young man
of Killarney
Who was chock full of
what is called blarney
He would sit on a stile
Go maire tú an lá: “May
And tell lies by the mile you enjoy the day.”
Would this dreadful
Print &
young man of Killarney.
Mailing Services
There once was a young *Design *Print *Mail
lady named Bright,
Sykes Publishing
Who traveled much
541-676-9228
faster than light.
The annual St. Patrick’s
Day three-on-three bas-
ketball tournament will be
held in the Heppner High
School gymnasium Friday,
May 14.
This is open for any
male or female in the sec-
ond grade and above, in-
cluding adults.
Games for elementary
age kids will start at 3 p.m.,
junior high kids at 4:30
p.m., and high school/adults
at 5:30 p.m.
Cost to play is $10 per
player. Each team may con-
sist of three or four players.
Teams are asked to show up
at least 15 minutes early to
sign up.
Admission is free for
anyone to come and watch.
This event is put on by
the HHS Boys Basketball
Team and is sponsored
by the Heppner Chamber
of Commerce. You may
sign-up at the event or stop
by the Heppner Chamber
office to pick up a registra-
tion form.
If you have any ques-
tions, please reach out to
jeremy.rosenbalm@mor-
rowsd.org.
Coffee Hour, Ceili combined
Saturday morning
The traditional Irish
Coffee Hour and Ceili will
be combined this year and
will be held in the Elks
Lodge dining room from
9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on
Saturday, March 15.
The group “Whiskey
for Breakfast” will be enter-
taining the crowd with Irish
songs, as they have done in
the past.
Also at the event, the
Grand Marshal Family
(Don and Colleen Gree-
nup) will be recognized. Joe
Lindsay will be singing a
special grand marshal song
he has written for the Gree-
nup family, and will share
some Irish music as well.
Angela Skillicorn, Bill
Hutchinson’s daughter, will
be on hand to share some
photos and speak a little bit
about her father.
Everyone in town is
encouraged to visit the Elks
Lodge and take in some
great entertainment; who
knows, there may even be
some shenanigans going on.
Alcohol will not be
allowed in the dining room
for this event.
Credit Cards Accepted
No unaccompanied Minors
Special Heppner Weekend Hours
Friday March 14
7 am - 6 pm
(pharmacy 9-6)
Saturday March 15
7 am - 6 pm
(pharmacy closed)
Sunday March 16
8 am - 2 pm
espresso open for inside seating (pharmacy
closed)
Seniors Matter March Menu
March 11, - Burrito Bar, Dessert
March 18, Pork Roast, Potatoes
with, buttered corn and Dessert
March 25 - Italian Tomato
Soup, Salad, Dessert
Ad sponsored by Bank of Eastern Oregon
Try your own!
A man, while drinking
Light Bud,
Crashed his car with a
sickening thud.
The ________ that he
hit
Had a ____________
in it,
A n d
n o w
_____________________.
Three-on-three basketball
tournament this Friday
Upcoming Events
March 15th - St Patrick’s Day - Corned Beef
and Cabbage Dinner 5pm, Music by Joe Lind-
say 8:30pm
March 20th - Installation of Officers at Lodge
at 8pm (family welcome)
Lodge Hours:
Wed 4pm to close with dinner at 6pm
Thurs 4pm to close (Lodge at 8pm)
Fri & Sat 4pm to close with dinner from
5pm to 8pm off the menu
Members and their Guest
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