News
Blue Mountain Eagle
Wednesday, June 24, 2015
A5
Contributed photo
The driver was not injured, but power was
disrupted Tuesday afternoon when this truck went
off the highway and into a pole.
Blue Mountain Eagle
JOHN DAY – A pick-
up truck pulling a À atbed
trailer crashed into a power
pole Tuesday, June 16, in
west John Day, resulting in
a citation for the driver and
causing power outages in the
area.
Oregon State Police said
the incident occurred about
12:28 p.m. as a 1998 Dodge
pickup and trailer were
eastbound on Highway 26,
about two miles from the
city limits. The truck left the
roadway, rolled and struck
the utility pole.
The impact knocked the
power lines to the ground,
sparking a ¿ re at the vehicle
and in nearby vegetation.
OSP said crews from John
Day and the Bureau of Land
Management extinguished
the blaze.
OSP Sgt. Tom Hutchison
said the driver, who was
uninjured, apparently fell
asleep at the wheel. Taylor
D. Meliza, 18, of Salem was
cited for careless driving.
OSP was assisted by the
Grant County Sheriff’s Of-
¿ ce, Blue Mountain Am-
bulance and the John Day
Police Department at the
scene.
Oregon Trail Electric
Cooperative crews also re-
sponded to replace the pole
and restore power. The out-
age affected customers in
Long Creek, Mt. Vernon
and parts of west John Day.
Sales tax could yield more
revenue, cheaper pot
By Hillary Borrud
Capital Bureau
SALEM – An economist
for the Oregon Legislature
offered two tempting rea-
sons on Thursday for law-
makers to pick a sales tax on
marijuana instead of a har-
vest tax: Cheaper pot, and
more tax revenue.
Mazen Malik, a senior
economist in the Legislative
Revenue Of¿ ce, said the 17
percent sales tax in legisla-
tion that lawmakers are con-
sidering would still result in
lower prices for recreation-
al marijuana in Oregon as
compared to Washington
and Colorado, which im-
pose higher taxes at multi-
ple points in the production
process.
Oregon lawmakers want
to replace the weight-based
excise tax the state would
charge growers under Mea-
sure 91, the initiative vot-
ers passed in November to
legalize marijuana, with a
sales tax that would raise the
same amount of revenue.
Malik said that retail rec-
reational marijuana prices
would be lower with a sales
tax when compared with a
harvest tax, because a har-
vest tax would increase the
markup cost of cannabis be-
fore it reaches consumers.
Malik estimated the change
would lower the cost of re-
tail recreational marijuana in
Oregon from approximately
$300 per ounce, to $277 per
ounce.
As for the amount of rev-
enue the proposed sales tax
would raise, Malik estimat-
ed it would eventually be
more than the state would
receive if it maintains the
harvest tax. However, Malik
told lawmakers that antici-
pated delays in licensing pot
retailers would also mean
less tax revenue for the state
in the early years.
For the budget year start-
ing in July 2016, the Legisla-
tive Revenue Of¿ ce estimat-
ed the 17 percent sales tax
would generate a net total of
$4.6 million, after start-up
and administrative costs for
the legal pot system. That is
based on retailers opening in
January 2017. Oregon might
not fully launch its retail
pot system until late 2016,
although adults age 21 and
older can legally possess
the drug starting July 1. Pot
sales tax revenue could in-
crease to a net total of $61.4
million for the two-year
budget starting July 2017.
Last fall, the Legislative
Revenue Of¿ ce projected
the harvest tax in Measure
91 would generate net rev-
enue during the ¿ rst year in
the range $6.5 million and
$12.8 million, after start-up
and administrative costs for
the legal pot system. For the
two-year budget that will be-
gin in July 2017, economists
estimated the harvest tax
would generate a net total of
$40.9 million after adminis-
trative costs.
John Day Police Chief Richard Gray presents
dispatcher Shiela Kowing with an advanced
certificate as a certified telecommunicator.
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Blue Mountain Eagle
JOHN DAY – Two dispatchers at the
John Day Police Department have re-
ceived certi¿ cates from the State of Or-
egon Department of Public Safety Stan-
dards and Training.
Shiela Kowing, who has been with
the department for 10 years, earned
an advanced certi¿ cate as a certi¿ ed
telecommunicator.
Cammie Haney, with nine years at the
department, was awarded an intermedi-
ate certi¿ cate as a certi¿ ed telecommu-
nicator.
C OPS & C OURTS
Arrests and citations in
the Blue Mountain Eagle
are taken from the logs of
law enforcement agencies.
Every effort is made to re-
port the court disposition
of arrest cases.
Grant County Sheriff
CANYON CITY – The
Grant County Sheriff’s Of-
fice reported the following
for the week of June 12-18:
• Concealed handgun li-
censes: 11
• Average inmates: 11
• Bookings: 9
• Releases: 13
• Citations: 3
• Fingerprints: 12
• Civil papers: 12
• Warrants processed: 4
• Asst./welfare check: 1
• Reid Capon, 40, Keiz-
er, cited for driving without
a license and driving unin-
sured.
Dispatch
John
Day
dispatch
worked 127 calls during
the week of June 15-21.
Along with the various
traffic warnings, trespass-
ing, injured animals, noise
complaints and juvenile
complaints, these calls in-
cluded:
• John Day Police:
June 17: Took a report
on a hit-and-run on South
Canyon Boulevard.
June 19: Arrested a
Union County man on a pa-
role violation.
June 20: Cited a Lakev-
iew woman for speeding
west of Prairie City.
June 21: Cited a
John Day man for driv-
ing-while-suspended/mis-
demeanor.
B REAKING N EWS A LERTS
myeaglenews.com/breakingnews
• Grant County Sheriff:
June 16: Dispatched for
a vehicle accident and pow-
er pole down west of John
Day; hit-and-run reported
in Long Creek.
June 17: Responded to a
single vehicle accident on
Cupper Creek Road.
• John Day ambulance:
June 18: Paged for a per-
son who was weak and hav-
ing trouble eating.
June 20: Responded
for a 78-year-old woman
with difficulty breathing;
47-year-old man with dia-
betic problems.
Justice Court
CANYON CITY – The
Grant County Justice Court
reported the following fines
and judgments:
• Violation of the basic
rule: Shawn H. Holland,
18, Mountain Home, Ida-
ho, 75/55 zone, fined $160;
Darrell A. Gruner, 34, Ken-
newick, Wash., 76/55 zone,
fined $160; Penelope Jean
Hamilton, 73, Klamath
Falls, 83/55 zone, fined
$260; Todd Malcolm Win-
egar, 38, John Day, 78/55
zone, fined $220; Barbara
Louise Bryant, 58, Prai-
rie City, 79/55 zone, fined
$260; Leslie R. Crawford,
17, Riddle, 75/55 zone,
fined $135; Hilary Jane Im-
hof, 23, Pendleton, 72/55
zone, fined $160.
• Carry loaded firearm
or bow on ATV: Eric Earl
Ewing, 63, Hermiston,
fined $260.
• Burning without a per-
mit: Danny R. Jefferies, 69,
Mt. Vernon, fined $95.
• Careless driving-acci-
dent: Britney Ella Gulick,
27, Halfway, fined $370.
• Failure to properly
secure child: Andrea Opal
Barnes, 39, Canyon City,
fined $95.
• Driving while re-
voked-violation:
Gerald
Dewayne Roe Jr., 53, John
Day, fined $435.
Pro Saw
Shop and
a Whole
Lot More
02131
Truck wreck disrupts
power in JD area
Contributed photos
John Day Police Chief Richard Gray presents
dispatcher Cammie Haney with an intermediate
certificate as a certified telecommunicator.
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NO ONE KNOWS YOUR EQUIPMENT BETTER.
Your AGCO Parts Dealer has the parts you need when you need them.
Hardware, chain, batteries, tillage, belts, cutting parts. We have the quality
parts you need to keep your AGCO equipment running smoothly during
the demanding harvest season.
Highly trained service personnel at AGCO Parts make it all come together,
so you can rest easy. Visit your AGCO Parts Dealer and get the parts and
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