FAIR AWARDS ANNOUNCED.
Page 9
Enterprise, Oregon
Issue No. 18
www.wallowa.com
August 19, 2015
$1
Finding the best chief in the stack
Enterprise council wants help in picking the next police chief
By Kathleen Ellyn
Wallowa County Chieftain
Enterprise is going to hire
a new police chief. The ques-
tion remains, however, who is
going to recruit, examine and
hire that person?
Members of the City
Council have been open in ad-
mitting they feel unquali¿ ed
to sift through the expected
pool of applicants and make
the proper determination.
“We seven people could
throw a dart at a dart board
and pick a candidate,” Mayor
Steve Lear said. “And an ap-
plicant will never look better
than on the day you interview
him or her. But how do you
check their statements?”
The answer, according to
Lear, is to assemble a com-
mittee made up of council
members and representa-
tives from other public safety
agencies. That committee has
not yet been formed.
But when it is, the com-
mittee can count on the Ore-
gon Association Chiefs of Po-
lice Agency Review Program
for assistance and advice, ac-
cording to City Administrator
Michele Young. That group
conducted a review of the En-
terprise Police Department.
“They have been assisting us
all along,” Young said.
Online
Read the review done by the Oregon Associa-
tion Chiefs of Police at www.wallowa.com
Pendleton Police Chief
Stuart Roberts, who led the
Agency Review team, con-
¿ rmed that. “I am still being
responsive to questions and
concerns,” he said. “I do not
know my role moving for-
ward. I will continue to help
when and where I can.”
Furthermore, Young said,
negotiations are ongoing to
hire a quali¿ ed investigator
who will do the background
check.
ACTION PACKED
Stockgrowers Rodeo spurs excitement
By Kathleen Ellyn
Wallowa County Chieftain
Marissa Williams/Blue Mountain Eagle
Attendance was down but both
money and spirits were high at the
Stockgrowers Ranch Rodeo Satur-
day in Enterprise.
A new competition and changes
to the rules of an old competition liv-
ened the day. The new event was the
kid’s sheep mugging competition,
in which a wild sheep was wrestled
to a standstill by one member of the
team and then mounted and ridden
for ¿ ve seconds by a second mem-
ber of the team. Winners were Katie
and Isaac Hoffman, ages 10 and 12
respectively, of Enterprise.
Talk about wild and wooly.
Organizers also mixed it up in
the World Champion Rock Jack
Building Contest, requiring a man-
and-woman teams this year. Last
year’s champion, Tom Birkmaier of
Chesnimnus put in a good showing
with wife, Kelly, but it was the un-
likely duo of Cynthia Warnock of
Imnaha and Mark Ramsden of Wal-
lowa that took the prize. Warnock
and Ramsden threw their lot to-
gether when their respective mates
backed out of the event and built a
rock jack in less than 15 minutes.
The team took home a special tro-
phy designed by Cassie Tippett and
split a check for $500 donated by
Thompson Auto Supply of Enter-
prise.
Tom Birkmaier announced that
next year the rock jack teams could
be a partnership between an over-
50 competitor and a younger guy.
Whatever organizers decide, it’s
going to be a real horse-race.
A view from the Miller Mountain
area in Grant County early
Friday afternoon, Aug. 14.
Residents
anxiously
eye ¿ res
New fires result in
Wallowa County
air-quality alert
By Steve Tool
Wallowa County Chieftain
Wallowa County residents
may be gasping from the smoke
drifting into the valley, but what is
really taking their breath away is the
¿ re danger threatening the homes
and lives of friends and relatives in
nearby communities.
More than 1,000 ¿ re¿ ghters
are engaged in a desperate battle
against ¿ res consuming more than
150,000 acres in Northeastern Ore-
gon, endangering several towns and
resulting in evacuation orders for
some residents in Baker and Grant
counties.
The U.S. Forest Service es-
timates 00-500 ¿ re¿ ghters are
¿ ghting the lightning-caused Can-
yon Creek Complex ¿ re in Grant
County, which has burned more
than 40,000 acres, causing Level 2
and 3 evacuations in both Dayville
and John Day with the ¿ re ranging
to within less than a mile of both
locations.
Chieftain publisher Marissa
Williams and her family were evac-
uated from their home in the south
end of Canyon City near John Day.
See RODEO, Page A5
Luke Morgan enjoys his job as the brander,
as team member Wyatt Warnock keeps the
rope taut in the team branding competition.
See FIRES, Page A5
Fly-in lands enthusiastic crowd
‘
This is more
than fun!’
By Katherine Stickroth
For the Chieftain
JOSEPH — With over
1,000 people attending and
550 breakfasts served, the
Aug. 8 Wallowa County
Pancake Breakfast and Fly-
in was considered a huge
success by members of the
Wallowa County Pilots As-
sociation and Chief Joseph
Flyers.
More than 80 pilots from
around the Pacific North-
west parked their aircraft on
the grass strip adjacent to
the Joseph Airport runway,
while historic aircraft dating
back to 1928 were displayed
on the tarmac. As early
breakfast diners enjoyed
their meals with friends, an
Courtesy photo/Janie Tippett
Richard Thies smiles after
a thrilling flight in at AT6
“Texan.”
Courtesy photo/Katherine Stickroth
Madi Williamson, 10, gives a “thumbs-up” after her first
airplane ride. The pilot is Karin Rodland.
air show buzzed overhead.
Barney Locke performed
aerobatics in his RV8, known
as “The Green Lightning.”
Four aircraft approached the
viewing area and performed
the “Missing Man” formation,
where one plane peels off from
the formation. This memori-
al honored recently deceased
Nicole Winn, the wife of Jo-
seph Airport Manager Wup
Winn. Other planes thrilled
the crowds with low-altitude
À ights over the runway.
Madi Williamson
A popular attraction was
Jim Stockwell offering free
À ights to WWII and Korean
War veterans. Enterprise resi-
dent Richard Thies, a 91-year-
old veteran of WWII Army in-
fantryman in Europe, enjoyed
the adventure of his ride. He
exited the AT6 “Texan” with a
big smile.
“I told Jim to do whatev-
er he wanted to, and he did.
We did rollovers and loops.
I was upside down and all
around. Lots of fun,” Thies
said.
See EVENT, Page A5