Heppner athletes compete
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VOL. 145
NO.26 8 Pages
Wednesday, June 25, 2025
Morrow County, Heppner, Oregon
Taylor retires as Port commissioner
By Andrea Di Salvo
Outgoing Port of Mor-
row Commission President
Joe Taylor was recognized
for his service at the Port’s
regular meeting earlier this
month. Taylor is retiring
after 20 years on the Port
commission.
POM Commission
Vice-President John Mur-
ray presented a plaque to
Taylor at the Port’s June 11
meeting.
“I’ve come to appreci-
ate in Morrow County what
I call ‘country gentlemen,’”
said Murray. “People that
are generally softspoken,
kind and generous, thought-
ful, and they speak after
they think. I’ve really ap-
preciated that about Joe,
and I consider him a very
country gentleman.”
Danny Kearns of
Boardman was elected to
fill the commission vacancy
left by Taylor’s retirement.
Also at the meeting,
the POM Commission held
a public budget hearing.
There was no public com-
ment, and the five-member
board voted unanimously
to adopt and appropriate
the budget for the coming
fiscal year. The total budget
amount is $713,795,193.
In that budget are
the general fund at
$5,316,595, freshwater
fund at $144,478,338,
water discharge fund at
$493,467,286, site develop-
ment and maintenance fund
at $49,132,274, motor pool
fund at $3,306,000, SAGE
Center fund at $2,309,700
and warehousing fund at
15,785,000.
The Port commission
also approved resolutions
on budget appropriation
transfers, utility rates and
raising the rail tariff from
Joe Taylor (right) with John Murray at the Port of Morrow’s
June 11 meeting. Taylor is retiring from the POM Commis-
sion after 20 years. -Contributed photo
$30 to $33.
Port HR Manager/Ex-
ecutive Assistant Brandy
Warburton also told the
commissioners that the staff
had created a series of vid-
eos to help familiarize staff
with the Port of Morrow
and how it functions.
“I just don’t think a
lot of them understand all
of that, and some of them
are born and raised here,”
she said.
“That’s the first ques-
tion I ask during an inter-
view, ‘Tell me what you
know about the Port of
Morrow,’” she added. “And
they don’t know anything.”
Warburton said they
already had videos on the
website about the story of
the Port of Morrow, hu-
man resources, safety, etc.
The final video, still under
production, will present the
organizational structure,
beginning with the Port
Commission.
Murray suggested that
some of the general videos
would also be useful to
teach the public about the
Port and its operations
“It’s a good way to get
the word out there,” said
Murray.
Kirby Garrett and
Ryann Gleason of CFM
Advocates gave the com-
missioners updates on the
federal and state legislative
scene. Specifically, Gleason
addressed state legislation
like HB 2025, a proposed
transportation package now
in committee, and SB 1154,
which addresses problems
with groundwater quality.
During the update,
Port Commissioner Kelly
Doherty questioned why
the Port would remain neu-
tral on bills that affect water
quality, such as SB 1154,
saying the Port plays a large
role in the area’s groundwa-
ter management.
Murray echoed her sen-
A picture of the plaque given
to Taylor. -Contributed Photo
timents.
“The Port’s kind of
turning out that to be a
leader in trying to deal with
the water issue, whether
it’s through the consor-
tium or our own efforts and
spending money to treat
our water,” he said, “so our
opinion might carry some
weight over issues, espe-
cially if we’re successful
moving forward, which I
wholeheartedly expect.”
Also at the meeting, the
POM commissioners heard
an update on the Columbia
Development Authority
from CDA Executive Di-
rector Greg Smith.
Smith said the CDA
budget committee approved
a draft budget, which was
presented to the CDA
board for review at its last
meeting. The CDA board
members agreed to present
the budget to their respec-
tive boards and bring back
any suggestions for budget
adoption, which was on the
agenda for June 24.
Smith also reported that
the CDA was finalizing an
agreement for road con-
struction.
“In very short order,
you’re going to start seeing
dozers and backhoes out
there for the construction
of an approximately $12
million road,” he said.
He added that he direct-
ed IRZ and Anderson Perry
to hold back 30 percent of
the funding to ensure the
project doesn’t go over
budget.
“As we get closer to
needing that 30 percent,
we’ll make a decision on
how best to proceed,” said
Smith, “but at the end of
the day, I’d rather have a
(L-R) Zack Brown, Jamie Cavan and Nick Wenberg.
-Photo by Susan Hisler
Heppner High School
athletes Nick Wenberg
(#23), Jaime Cavan (#50),
and Zack Brown (#42)
represented their school in
the inaugural 2A East–West
Nine-Man All-Star Football
Game on Saturday, June
21, at Community Stadium
on the campus of Eastern
Oregon University in La
Grande.
The game was part of
the Oregon Athletic Coach-
es Association’s annual all-
star football event, which
also featured the 34 th annual
eight-man and fourth annu-
al six-man all-star games.
-Continued to PAGE EIGHT
MCHD severance figures
remain unclear amid
public dispute
In response to Jimmy
Wimer’s letter to the editor
last week, former Mor-
row County Health District
CEO Emily Roberts and
former MCHD CFO/COO
Nicole Mahoney contacted
the Heppner Gazette-Times
to state that the figures he
claimed were incorrect and
to request a correction.
Wimer, who works
in diagnostic imaging at
Pioneer Memorial Hos-
pital, stated in his letter,
“Emily Roberts resigned
on March 30, and Nicole
Mahoney’s last day was
June 13. Despite resigning,
they were rewarded with
severance packages totaling
$440,000 for Ms. Roberts
and $370,000 for Ms. Ma-
honey.”
Roberts and Mahoney
claimed the actual amounts
are inaccurate and sub-
stantially lower. The Ga-
-Continued to PAGE SIX
Humphreys takes third at
Nike Outdoor Nationals
-Continued to PAGE SEVEN
Rep. Smith facilitates funding for clean
water in West Glen neighborhood
Rep. Greg Smith
SALEM, OR. – Tues-
day, Rep. Gregory Smith
(R-Heppner), Co-Vice
Chair of the Joint Ways and
Means Committee, voted to
approve critical funding for
the West Glen Subdivision
located in Boardman, OR.
The Ways and Means
Subcommittee on Capital
Construction passed HB
5006, which appropriates
$2,861,000 to the Morrow
Clean Water Consortium
Nitrate Water Project in
West Glen.
The Morrow County
Clean Water Consortium
is an intergovernmental
agreement between the
Port of Morrow and Mor-
row County dedicated to
funding, developing and
building projects that serve
residences affected by the
elevated nitrate levels in
the Lower Umatilla Basin.
This funding will be
used to connect West Glen
to the City of Boardman,
reducing reliance on un-
regulated and unreliable
domestic wells.
“Everyone has the right
to clean air and safe, acces-
sible water. This funding
allocation marks a vital
step toward ensuring that
residents of West Glen and
the Greater Lower-Umatilla
Basin have reliable access
to clean water,” said Smith.
As a member of the
same committee, House Re-
publican Leader Christine
Drazan (R-Canby) stated,
“Representative Smith has
been a tireless advocate
for our shared Republican
priorities, and his lead-
ership on HB 5006 is a
clear example of that com-
mitment. He spearheaded
efforts to ensure that criti-
cal investments reflect the
values of our communities,
chief among them, access
to clean and safe water for
every Oregonian.
“His work has made
a real difference for rural
families across the Umatilla
Basin and beyond,” Drazan
said.
Representatives of
Morrow C ounty we re
pleased to learn of the fund-
ing package.
“Representative Greg
Smith has been a steadfast
advocate for Morrow Coun-
ty and our ongoing efforts
to address water quality
challenges. His leadership
on this issue has brought
critical resources to the
table and reflects a deep
commitment to the health
and well-being of our com-
munities,” said Morrow
County Commissioner Jeff
Wenholz.
“I am very happy this
money has been awarded.
As chairman of the Mor-
row County Clean Water
Consortium, I can say we
are looking forward to us-
ing these funds for actual
infrastructure projects to
help alleviate the nitrate
drinking water problems in
the county,” said Morrow
County Commission Chair
David Sykes.
Smith is a Republican
budget leader who rep-
resents the entirety of Mor-
row, Gilliam, Sherman,
Wheeler and Wasco coun-
ties, as well as portions of
Clackamas, Jefferson, Mar-
ion and Umatilla Counties.
Smith was elected to
serve his 13 th term as a
State Representative, mak-
ing him the longest-serv-
ing member in the Oregon
Legislature, as well as the
fourth longest-serving state
representative in Oregon
history. He holds a gavel
as the Co-Chair of the Joint
Ways and Means Subcom-
mittee on General Govern-
ment. Representative Smith
also serves as the Co-Vice
Chair of the full Joint Ways
and Means Committee. Ad-
ditionally, he is the ranking
member of the House Rev-
enue Committee.
To reach out, visit Rep
Smith’s Facebook Page or
send him an email at rep.
gregsmith@oregonlegisla-
ture.gov.
(L) Chris Humphreys of Heppner placed third in javelin at the
Nike Outdoor Nationals June 21 in Eugene. -Contributed photo
Heppner athlete Chris-
topher Humphreys contin-
ued his competitive sum-
mer when he represented
his town and state this past
weekend at the prestigious
Nike Outdoor Nationals,
held June 21 in Eugene,
OR.
Competing in the
Emerging Elite division for
javelin, Humphreys went
up against some of the top
high school throwers from
across the country.
Out of a competitive
field of 53 athletes, Hum-
phreys earned an impres-
sive third-place finish with
a throw of 178 feet, 8 inch-
es. The event’s top mark
came from a thrower out of
New Hampshire, who took
first place with a throw of
182 feet, 5 inches.
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