Messages of Easter hope
from local pastors page 6
50¢
VOL. 145 NO.16 8 Pages
Wednesday, April 16, 2025
Morrow County, Heppner, Oregon
Burke selected as MCHD Interim CEO
Dennis Burke
The Morrow County
Health District Board unan-
imously selected Dennis
Burke as the district’s new
interim CEO at a special
meeting held Monday eve-
ning via Zoom. Burke is
taking on the role in order
to bridge the gap between
CEO Emily Roberts’s res-
ignation and the hiring of a
new, permanent CEO.
The Zoom meeting was
well-attended, with a total
of 45 people online to see
the introduction of the new
interim CEO.
Burke said his associa-
tion with healthcare started
early. In 1966, his father
was a hospital administra-
tor and set Burke to work
cleaning the operating
room.
“I’ve been working in
hospitals ever since,” said
Burke.
Most recently, Burke
served as president and
CEO of Good Shepherd
Health Care System
(GSHCS) in Hermiston for
31 years, from 1989 until
his retirement in September
2020.
Joining GSHCS as as-
sistant administrator, he
became CEO later that
year and led the organiza-
tion’s transformation from
a 250-employee hospital to
a robust health system with
over 700 employees and 40
service lines.
Under his leadership,
GSHCS expanded facili-
ties, including a new surgi-
cal center, women’s center,
and urology suite, while
introducing advanced tech-
nologies like the da Vinci
robotic surgical system.
Burke’s tenure was
marked by significant ac-
colades, including GSHCS
being named one of the
“Top 100 Critical Access
Hospitals in America” by
the National Rural Health
Association in 2011 and
earning recognition for
excellence in outcomes
and financial strength by
iVantage Health Analytics
in 2015.
The system was also
designated a “Top Work-
place in Oregon” by The
Oregonian/Oregon Live
four times. Burke him-
self was honored as one of
Becker’s Hospital Review’s
“50 Rural Hospital CEOs to
Know” in 2016 and 2018
for his dedication to acces-
sible, high-quality care.
A fellow of the Amer-
ican College of Health-
care Executives, Burke
was deeply engaged in
healthcare advocacy, serv-
ing 19 years on the Oregon
Association of Hospitals
and Health Systems board,
including as chair in 1998,
and contributing to the
National Rural Health As-
sociation’s Critical Ac-
cess Hospital Leadership
Committee. His leadership
strengthened rural health-
care in Eastern Oregon,
and he still serves as a con-
sultant for Eastern Oregon
Coordinated Care Organi-
zation (EOCCO).
“He has the highest
integrity,” said MCHD
Board Chair Diane Kilken-
ny. “We’re really fortunate
that he is willing to come
and take on some big proj-
ects for us.”
Burke himself said he
keeps going in healthcare
because he loves it and be-
cause “I just feel I need to
be giving something back.”
“It’s going to be in-
teresting,” said Burke. “I
am optimistic that we are
going to be very successful
recruiting that right person
for Morrow County. I look
forward to working with
each one of you.”
Ione Easter Egg
Hunt Saturday
Ione’s Easter egg hunt
will be held this Saturday,
April 19, at 10 a.m. in the
Ione City Park. Children
up to the fourth grade are
invited.
The Easter Bunny will
be there for photo ops and
will be handing out treats.
This event is made pos-
sible by the Bank of Eastern
Oregon and community
members’ generous dona-
tions. Anyone wishing to
donate may do so at Bank
of Eastern Oregon in Ione.
Heppner kicks off Little
League baseball season
opening day ceremonies
Martha’s House Provides Helping Hand
for Needy Families
Martha’s House in Hermiston. -Contributed Photo
Taranna Patton recently
spoke to the Ione Commu-
nity Church Mission and
Outreach Committee about
a little-known resource,
Martha’s House in Herm-
iston, OR. The Ione Com-
munity Church included
Martha’s House in their
outreach program this year.
Taranna explained that
Martha’s house, built in
2013, is a product of East-
ern Oregon Mission, found-
ed in 1986.
Martha’s House is
unique in that it is not an
overnight shelter, but rath-
er a shelter program to
help families get back on
their feet. The goal is to
transition into permanent,
sustainable housing.
Martha’s House is com-
munity-based and privately
funded by churches, busi-
nesses and individuals who
may provide “Home Starter
Kits.” Those kits include
equipment for bedrooms,
which include sheets, pil-
lows and comforters. Dona-
tions for bathrooms include
towels, garbage cans and
shower curtains. Kitchen
items include dishes, sil-
verware, pots and pans,
crock pot, etc. These items
are used by families while
living at Martha’s House
and are taken with them to
permanent housing.
Martha’s House part-
ners with local agencies
to provide counseling and
education in parenting,
budgeting, job skills, GED
classes and more. They av-
erage eight to 10 families at
a time in the house.
Families from Morrow
County are also using this
resource, since Morrow
County does not have a
similar housing program.
Each adult resident of
Martha’s House is given an
adult mentor to help with
challenges that come up.
A mentorship for children
over eight is offered through
FORGE Youth Mentoring
in Richland, WA. Help for
non-English applicants and
residents is offered through
local agencies. All mentors
are volunteers; the only
paid staff are on-site house
managers.
At the end of 2023, af-
ter 10 years of being open,
28 residents successfully
completed the program
and moved into their own
homes. Martha’s House
is now needing donations
for increasing maintenance
as well as home starter
kits. For more information
contact Agape House in
Hermiston.
Morrow County School District to host
town halls on $204.4M bond measure
Morrow County, Ore.
– The Morrow County
School District (MCSD) is
inviting students, parents,
teachers, staff, and com-
munity members to three
town hall meetings next
week to discuss General
Obligation Bond Measure
25-104, set to appear on
the May 20, 2025, ballot.
The $204.4 million bond
aims to fund critical up-
grades and replacements
for aging school facilities
across the district.
The community town
halls are scheduled as fol-
lows:
Tuesday, April 22, 2025,
at Riverside Jr/Sr High
School in Boardman
Wednesday, April 23,
2025, at Irrigon Jr/Sr High
School in Irrigon
Thursday, April 24, 2025,
at Heppner Jr/Sr High
School in Heppner
Each event will run
from 4:30 to 6:00 p.m.
with guided building tours,
followed by a bond pre-
sentation and Q&A session
starting at 6:00 p.m. The
tours will highlight the
conditions of the facilities
targeted for improvement,
giving attendees a first-
hand look at the need for
the proposed projects.
“We are dedicated to
providing accurate, timely
information about the dis-
trict bond using multiple
methods to reach our com-
munity,” said MCSD Su-
perintendent Matt Combe.
“We hope people will join
us for the town halls so we
can share more informa-
tion and answer any ques-
tions they have about the
bond and its projects.”
In February 2025, the
MCSD Board of Directors
voted to place the bond
measure on the ballot. If
approved, it would fund:
Replacement of Ir-
rigon Jr/Sr High School
(built in 1978), which fac-
es severe structural issues,
to provide a modern learn-
ing environment.
Remodeling and ex-
pansion of Riverside Jr/
Sr High School (built in
1968) to add classroom
space and a gym for grow-
ing enrollment.
Conversion of Hep-
pner Jr/Sr High School
(built in 1962) into a K-12
campus by remodeling and
integrating Heppner Ele-
mentary (built in 1954),
ensuring grade-level sepa-
ration for safety and oper-
ational savings.
Safety upgrades at
Sam Boardman Elemen-
tary, including a dedicat-
ed bus loop and improved
parking and traffic flow.
District-wide security
enhancements, such as se-
cure main entries, cameras,
and door access controls at
all schools.
The bond would raise
$204.4 million and un-
lock a $6 million match-
ing grant from the Oregon
School Capital Improve-
ment Matching Program.
It would mature in 20
years or less, with an esti-
mated tax rate of $2.99 per
$1,000 of assessed proper-
ty value, though the actual
rate may vary.
Residents
seeking
more details can vis-
it mcsdbond.org, email
bondinfo@morowsd.org,
or call the Morrow Coun-
ty School District Office
at 541-676-5705. The dis-
trict encourages commu-
nity members to attend the
town halls to learn how the
bond could shape the fu-
ture of local education.
Heppner Little League families and fans gather at George
Waterland field for opening ceremonies. -Photo by Cameron
Sweeney using his drone.
By Rachel Sykes
Last Saturday marked
the official start of Little
League baseball season in
Heppner with the annual
opening day ceremonies,
and the community showed
up in full force to support
the local youth. It was a fan-
tastic turnout, with families,
friends and fans gathering
to cheer on players of all
ages.
Despite the chilly air,
the sun came and went
throughout the day, adding
warmth and energy to the
festive atmosphere. The
kids were excited and eager
to hit the field, signaling a
promising start to the sea-
son ahead.
The event kicked off
with team introductions, as
each player was called by
name and welcomed onto
the field alongside their
teammates. Coaches fol-
lowed, receiving applause
for their dedication and
support.
A highlight of the
morning included a heart-
-Continued to PAGE SEVEN
~ G-T Trophy Corner ~
The Heppner Gazette Times would like to see pictures of your trophy animals
from this hunting season. Please send a photo along with your name, age, town
you live in, location of the hunt and a description of the animal to editor@
rapidserve.net, upload to Heppner.net or text to 541-215-2274.
Lita Townsend of Hep-
pner took her grandson
Charlie Nelson (pictured)
to the Heppner dam to go
fishing on April 10, and he
caught a pretty good-sized
fish. “Just shows that the
dam has some good trout
in it, and I encourage
folks to enjoy the nice
weather and go fishing!”
says Charlie’s dad, Justin
Nelson. -Contributed photo
CALL
541-989-8221
ext 204
for more
information