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About Nyssa gate city journal. (Nyssa, Or.) 1937-199? | View Entire Issue (Dec. 29, 1977)
J UXvgOß Jr®. 774C3 Scores 14 Call for Diverting NW Water Senator Frank Church ci ted a recent resolution of the Los Angeles Board of Super visors as "evidence that California has not given up its long-range plans to divert Northwest water to California and the Southwest." A resolution passed by the Los Angeles Board on De cember 13. and sent to all members of Congress, urges that the Department of Interior and Army corps of Engineers "develop pro grams" for a massive diver sion of water from either the Columbia River, or from the Snake River near Hagerman. The resolution suggests not only that water from Idaho and the Northwest be used in California, but also that it be used in Arizona. Nevada and Mexico. "The entire Southwest United States could be turned into a bread basket to feed America and the World, and Columbia River water would eliminate drought conditions for the next 100 years and would create thousands of jobs," the resolution states. Church, the ranking mem ber of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Com mittee, noted that "this reso lution is just another piece of evidence that California has never abandoned its desire to tap the Northwest for water. Those who say that water diversion is not a realistic threat underestimate the determination of California and the Southwest to divert our water for further un abated growth there." The resolution. Church said, "is just one more reason why Congress must renew (he moratorium on any studies of water diversion." Church has introduced legislation to extend the existing moratorium on any diversion studies, and plans to push it in the coming session of Congress. In 1968. after the House of Representatives had voted in favor of diversion feasibility studies, Church, former Idaho Senator Len H Jordan and other Northwest Sena tors pushed through Con gress legislation imposing a 10-year moratorium on any diversion studies. That mora torium expires in September 1978. "As long as I am in a senior position on the Energy and Natural Resources Com mittee." Church said, "there will be no diversion of water out of the Northwest." NYSS/ •SLv* t l Freelance Writing Offered at TVCC A three-credit course in Freelance Writing will be offered at Treasure Valley Community College winter quarter. The class will meet Thursdays from 7:00 to 10:00 p.m., beginning January 5 in Room 2, Lease Building. Beginning through advanced students are welcome. The course will cover both fiction and nonfiction writing, from conception to marketing, Special emphasis will be placed on writing for specific audiences. Students will be assigned writing projects in a variety of field, but will be allowed to do most of their work in their particular areas of interest. The instructor, Raymond G. Wojda, has worked for the Oregon Journal, is a former editor of two international magazines, writes a monthly humor column for High Country magazine, and has extensive experience in pub lic relations writing. Those who would like to pre-register or who would like further information sho uld contact Wojda at 889- 6493. Ext. 36. /l e JOURNAL Thursday, December 29, 1977 7l9t rear - 52i»dhiae Old-Fashioned Norwegian Christmas Tow Crier By Pat Savaj Had the pleasure of attend ing the High School Christ mas Concert at the new auditorium the other evening I say pleasure, because, it was indeed just that. The seats were comfortable, the acoustics perfect, you could hear every word and every note. ' But most of all the choirs, both concert and swing, under the direction of Gary Welch, performed very beautifully. Their songs were a real treat, tastefully and artistically done and very much enjoyed by all who attended. The band and their director Ralph Werner also gave a superb presentation of seasonal numbers and helped put everyone in the Christ mas spirit. It was a truly fine concert and an evening well spent. Hope we can count on more of these in 1978. • • • Have you been wondering what to do with your Christmas tree now the holiday season is about over? Please don't burn it. as it will smoke and smolder even though the dry needles bum rapidly, the trunk of the tree doesn't. If you will set your tree out by your garbage cans the city crews will up up the tree, not the garbage, on January 3. • • • I know that when the new school auditorium was built there was a lot of contro- versary about its use. I have enjoyed every program that I have attended there and feel it is a real asset to our school and our community. We now have the opportunity to join together and support the use of this beautiful and useful buildingas Gary Welch, high school choral music director, is going to direct the musical. "South Pacific." There is a cast of close to a hundred and this includes vocal and speaking parts. There is always the need for help with costumes, stage hands, light ing. etc., too. This is a tremendous challenge and in order to be successful, everyone, young, old. school student, housewife, grandma grandpa, businessman, all you aspiring actors and acresses and singers are going to be needed. Come and try out at the auditorium, January 3, 4, 5 and 6 at 7 p.m. Not only do we have the building, but, I know we have the talent and the desire to help present a tremendous musical. Let's get with it. • • • Old Fashioned Christmas by Inga Buckley as told to Pat Savage As I sit this Christmas morning. 1977, in the cheery social room at Malheur Memorial Nursing Home. I am happy. I am 91 years old. had a successful nursing career, have the company of my niece, Alice Franklin, with me and my many friends, but. still one won ders where the time has gone over the years. I suppose as during any holiday time. but. especially at Christmas, thoughts al ways return to home, mom and dad. brothers and sisters and childhood. That magical time of life, when one dreams of many things, eager for each day and always ready to meet the challenges offered. However, time goes by and we all emerge into adulthood, whether we are ready for it or not. All of childhood that remains over the years are the memories. One memory which stands out in my mind most clearly this morning is our old-fa shioned Norwegian family Christmases. I am of Scandi navian birth, being bom in Oslo, Norway, then called Christiania, the old capital of Norway. In later years this was changed back to Oslo. I was two years old when my parents came to America in June of 1888. We arrived in Sioux City, Iowa, joining an uncle who had emigrated earlier. My father was an architect and carpenter and went into the housebuilding business with two of my uncles. We later moved to Lincoln. Nebraska in 1890. where we lived for five years before moving to Boulder, Colorado. The move to Boulder was one of my happiest times as here my father put down his roots and we were raised or grew into childhood, my brothers and sisters and I, making a total of five noisy, curious, healthy and happy youngsters. Oh. those were happy years. Always a month before Christmas, mother would start to clean house, as everything had to sparkle for the holidays because after all many relatives and friends would come to help celebrate. Lots of soap and water and old-fashioned scrubbing on our hands and knees went into that huge old house as all the floors were bare, except the one in the living room and it was covered with a large rug. Then she would start to cook and bake. She made the most delicious Christmas bread from yeast, flour, lots of butter and sugar and filled with raisins, citrus and other fruits. This rich bread was the only bread eaten during Christmas week. Meats were cooked to be served as cold cuts later when friends dropped in. And of course, no Norwegian Christmas would be complete without fish. Little fish were prepared and a large dried fish which had to be soaked in cold water and soda. This cold water was changed every day for ten days and the results were a white fish resembling cod fish which was very tasty when mother boiled it and served it in a cream gravy. A far cry from its dried NOTICE Monday, January 2 Is a holiday and most Nyssa Merchants will be closed. WEATHER Prec. Min. Max. Date 19 33 Dec. 21 25 32 Dec. 22 .26 27 37 Dec. 23 27 38 24 Dec 32 41 Dec. 25 25 34 Dec. 26 30 37 Dec. 27 30 Dec. 28 Owvhee Reservoir Storage 12-27-77 217.830 Acre Feet 12-27-78 467.090 Acre Feet Better get your New Year's Resolutions written as it is almost time to start breaking them. Rave a "Happy Naw Year Everyone!" a appearance which looked like a piece of drift wood. She also took herring and made a salad with vinegar and onion, ugh. I never at it though. While mother was busy with her weeks of cleaning and cooking, father would go into the hills looking for a Blue Spruce to bring home for the family tree. This type was his favorite as there are many of these in Norway. We decorated the tree before Christmas eve. ft was always so beautiful and so much fun as the w hole family participa ted. We made paper chains, other homemade ornaments, and many a finger was stuck in our endeavor to string cranberries «nd popcorn with needle and thread. The highlighting of the decorat ing was the setting of little white candles in their indivi dual holders on the tips of the branches. Our Christmas was celebrated for one full week and the hous< rang with the voices and joyous sounds of relatives and many friends. And of course everyone ate and stayed and stayed. We lived on University Hill and our neighbors were mostly university people. Our closest neighbor was Dr. Libby and his wife who also had five children. She taught at the University. What a house, and what memories flash into my mind of those five lively children and some times a hired girl and a nursemaid when the children didn't run them off. They were our closest friends and playmates. It wouldn't have been Christmas without them. Days gone by. youth has fleeted, and here I am with only fond memories and the knowledge that God has blessed me by giving me a place in a good old-fashioned Norwegian family where there was lots of love and affection. Childhood. Christ mases past, years long gone, but. 1 can smile contentedly in my musings and know that gone they may be. but, never forgotten. t « a y^ Sinti Claus enjoyed visiting at the Nursing Santa Visits Nyssa Nursing Horne Party By Bessie Long Christmas with all it's pomp and gayetv. came to the reception room of the Nyssa Nursing Home last Wednesday afternoon. Santa Claus, in festive attire, greeted us at the door and you could almost hear his "Ho. Ho. Ho." Sparkling ropes of tinsel draped all the doors and the library. Above them hung flashing balls of silver and gold. Colorful tokens, half-hidden in the greenery, reflected the rays of the ceiling lights. Above the fireplace hung a huge corsage of snowy white pine needles, each branch tipped with a glittering red ball. It was all very beautiful. Mary Torrell and Marcie Robinson were the hostesses, ably assisted by the nurses and aides. All about was the spirit of good fellowship and good will. The program opened with 17 of the kindergarten pupils of Mrs. Mark Moncur filing into the room with their tiny chairs. They sang several numbers, as only little four-year-olds may do. They had had excellent coaching. Pupils of Mrs. Dorothea Mitchell followed with ap propriate songs. There were readings and the voices of small children with the under current of the Christmas Season had a quality all its own. Throughout the pro gram, it was related with readings by Mrs. Moncur. In the midst ot tnts. a real Santa Claus bounded into the room. His curly silken beard aquiver with his merry. "Ho. Ho. Ho's.” The bright red bag flung about his shoulder held candy and gifts for all. No Christmas would be complete without Santa Claus young or old. Our own June Hartley, with her usual charm, sang t V Christmas carols. 1 remem bered. with nostalgia, her songs in the past. The echo of her voice will be here for all time to come. A part of the community traditions. Keep singing, honey! So closes another page in the annuals of the Nyssa Nursing Home. I feel I was privileged to have been a guest and am saying "Thank You* Mary and Marcie for inviting me." Duncan to Seek Second Term State School Superinten dent Verne A. Duncan today announced that he will seek a second term as Oregon's Superintendent of Public Instruction. At a Capitol press conference this morn ing Duncan cited a continued emphasis on basic skills, especially reading and writ ing; equal education for all students; and an increase in basic state school support to 50% as high priority items for his second term. Duncan also said that vocational and career educa tion, as well as community school programs, will be the focus of much attention in this second four years. Among his first term accomplishments Duncan pointed to implementation of Oregon's new high school graduation requirements which require students to demonstrate competence in reading, writing and mathe matics. Duncan said. "We know we have some bugs in the system, but let's not scrap the whole program because of a few kinks. Let's improve what we have." Duncan noted that 1978 has been established as a year of review for the new standards and announced his intention to hold public meetings around the state to receive « input about tne system which Oregon pioneered. Duncan-said his single most important accomplishment in the first four years has been achieving a 40% rate for state basic school support funds. According to Duncan. “We were among the first and the most vocal in calling for 40% state funding of schools. We pushed hard and long and got it through the legislature. Now we've got to work toward getting the state share up to 50% in the next session." Duncan added. "It’s obvious what increased state support for schools means. This year we have no schools closed due to levy problems." Duncan said that while he realizes the increased state support has already provided some property tax relief, school finance must still be the top priority for the 1979 legislature. Working Touffc to Benefit from Mow Minimum Wage Six out of seven working youth in Oregon will receive a 35-cent an hour minimum wage increase in January. The rest will continue to earn $2.30 per hour under the state minimum wage. On January 1, the federal mini mum rate increases to $2.65 per hour. Commissioner Bill Steven son. Oregon Bureau of Labor, said the change will directly affect 87 percent of Oregon's working minors. He said that all minors were previously covered by the state mini mum because that rate was the same or higher than the federal rate. However, em ployers must continue to file employer certificates for working minors regardless of the minimum wage jurisdic tion he said. Generally, Oregon law exempts employes who are regulated by the Federal Fair Labor Standards Act from state minimum wage provi- sions said Stevenson. He said the new changes are likely to be confusing. Emloyers with questions about application of the new minimum wage Cantracts Far Legal Representation far Indigent Defendants Malheur County has con tracted with separate lawyers to provide legal represen tation for indigent defend ants in criminal cases. The lawyers are John Hutchens of Vale, and Combs, Tharp & Pierce of Ontario and Nyssa. The representation of indi vidual indigents will be by Court appointment. Along with providing these ser vices both law firms will continue in their usual private practice of law. The contract will begin January 1, 1978 and continue for six months. The contract basically provides that each law firm will be paid $10.000.00 for their legal services in all criminal cases involving indigent defend ants in the Circuit Court and Justice Courts. Also included will be all indigent repre sentation in Juvenile Court and Mental Hearings. In the event a particular case exceeds 100 hours of legal representation the county will compensate the over 100 which will be subject to the Court's approval. The county will continue to pay for witness fees, expert wit nesses and investigators, these costs will be subject to the Court's approval. This contractual arrangement will be on an experimental basis during the six month period to determine if it is mutually advantageous. Neither the lawyers nor the County are committed past the six month period. This is different than the attorney rotation appoint ment system used previously by the Court wherein the attorneys believes that with this contract it will be a savings of tax dollars without jeopardizing the high quality of criminal defense repre sentation for indigents in Malheur County, law can call the bureau's Technical Assistance Divi sion for help. The number la 229-5087 in the Portland Metropolitan area or Toll Free I 800-452-3503.
