Wallowa County Chieftain
News
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By Steve Tool
Wallowa County Chieftain
Unlike many Oregon coun-
ties that have seen a recent
upsurge in cases of whooping
cough, or pertussis, Wallowa
County recently treated its ¿rst
case of the disease in more
than a decade. Several Oregon
counties and the state of Wash-
ington are experiencing minor
outbreaks of the illness.
Whooping cough, a conta-
gious disease affecting the re-
spiratory tract, is caused by the
bacteria Bordetella pertussis.
The disease generally affects
children, although it can affect
adults, as it did in this single
case.
Wallowa County Public
Health Department Admin-
istrator Laina Fisher said,
“You have more dif¿culty
with this if you’re under age
one. Infants, babies and preg-
nant women are more at risk.
They give boosters to preg-
nant women, so the baby is
protected and the disease isn’t
brought home.”
Fisher also said she has
worked for public health since
2002, and this is the ¿rst case
she’s ever seen.
Early signs are similar to
the common cold, with runny
nose, mild cough, low fever
among the early symptoms,
which can last as long as one
or two weeks. The “whoop-
ing” part of the disease stems
from long coughing ¿ts which
empty the lungs of air, and the
resultant gasp or “whoop” to
obtain oxygen immediately af-
terward. The accumulation of
mucus in the airways can also
lead to dif¿culty breathing.
Fisher said milder cases
may not include the “whoop,”
and can heal without treat-
ment. She also said the cough
can seem worse at night while
lying Àat on a bed because
of the pooling of Àuid in the
lungs. “The person may even
turn a little blue due to the lack
of oxygen,” she said.
The disease has a vaccine,
but it loses ef¿cacy with time.
Fisher said a booster is avail-
able for both teens and adults.
She added that a person who
suspects a case of whooping
cough should call either the
health department or the doctor
to allow them time to prepare
because the disease is con-
tagious and spreads through
snee]ing or coughing. “You
have to be in close quarters for
an hour or more or living with
someone to catch it. If you’re
just passing someone with it in
the grocery store, you’re not at
that high a risk,” Fisher said.
Fisher said there is no cause
to think the county is currently
faces an outbreak or epidemic.
New pastor at Methodist Church
By Steve Tool
Wallowa County Chieftain
Joseph United Methodist
Church recently welcomed
new pastor, Cherie Johnson, to
its pulpit. Johnson comes into
this area from Pocatello, Idaho,
where she served as director of
Lifespan Ministries for nearly
four years. Johnson arrived in
Joseph on July 1.
Sitting and relaxed in the
midst of her half-unpacked
of¿ce, Johnson, who can be
called Pastor Cherie or just
Cherie, (pronounced like cook-
ing sherry) is very congenial
and laughs easily. Her back-
ground as a child whose army
father moved the family from
base to base helped prepare
her for her present occupation.
“It’s given me an opportunity
to meet all kinds of people from
all kinds of backgrounds and
living in different communities
and learning local cultures,”
Johnson said.
Johnson graduated from
Wesley Theological Seminary
in Washington, D.C., in 2011
and didn’t originally attend
seminary with the idea of be-
coming a pastor. “My emphasis
was in Christian education, so I
took a lot of bible study courses
called exegesis classes. At the
time, I was a lay speaker in the
church, and if I was going to be
working as staff, I wanted to
be useful as possible,” Johnson
said.
Johnson holds a Master of
Theological Studies degree.
Although most pastors hold
a Master of Divinity degree,
much of Johnson’s ¿rst year
and a half of studies were virtu-
ally identical to those offered in
the divinity program. As theo-
logical studies had many elec-
tives, Johnson tried to match
her coursework to that of the
divinity degree requirements
Despite the theological
studies degree, Johnson has
preaching experience. Besides
taking preaching courses in
seminary, she preached once a
month during her last year in
Pocatello, and before that, at
least once per quarter.
The Methodist church as-
signs its pastors of the Oregon/
Idaho Conference, of which
Joseph is a part. “The Bishop’s
Council has certain slots they
need to ¿ll and they match a
pastor’s talents or gifts with the
need of a particular church, and
they selected me for Joseph,”
Johnson said.
Living in towns, or even
military bases with smaller
populations than Joseph made
Johnson a better ¿t than other
candidates
for the posi-
tion.
W h e n
Johnson was
up for ap-
pointment to
a church she
Johnson
was asked to
list demographics for the type
of church where she would feel
comfortable, and Joseph was
one of those places that ¿t.
Johnson visited the Wallowa
Valley in May to meet with the
local church leadership. “I like
the “Main Street kind of local
shopping here — it isn’t fran-
chise city. Going to the mall ev-
ery week has never been a pri-
ority in my life,” Johnson said.
The senior pastor at the
church in Pocatello had pre-
viously served in Joseph, so
Johnson had already heard
plenty about the community
before her May visit. Johnson
also knew about the popular
Methodist church camp at Wal-
lowa Lake.
The camp is managed by
the Oregon/Idaho Conference,
not the Joseph church. Johnson
did say she will offer her ser-
vices to the camp and hopes to
get involved.
Johnson said that although
the country and people of dif-
ferent faiths can appear deeply
polari]ed at times, she tends to
view people as more alike than
different. “People tend to want
the same things: take care of
their kids, do better and want
their kids to do well. It helps
me see the commonality and
goodness in people.”
Johnson’s ministry will
focus on one basic message:
Love. “I talk about love a lot —
how much God loves people.
We need to remember that God
is about love and taking care
of everyone. I don’t know who
said this quote, but it’s very
Methodist, and something I
believe in: ‘In essentials, unity;
in nonessentials, freedom; and
in all things, charity.’ That’s
how I like to have relationships
with people in the community
and people within the church,”
Johnson said.
Robin Martin, member
of the church’s Single Board
Governance Team, said, “We
are excited to welcome Pas-
tor Cherie to Joseph United
Methodist Church. We feel
especially blessed to know of
her excitement for our mission
projects and her support for the
development of our new Fel-
lowship/Community Building.
The congregation of Joseph
United Methodist Church
welcomes all in the communi-
ty to meet our new pastor and
hear her message.”
Thank You
The family of Robert (Bob) Lewis
would like to thank everyone for the
flowers, cards, and phone calls we
received during this difficult time in
our lives. We would also like to thank
those who stopped by to offer a hug
or a few kind words. The family
would also like to thank those who
provided food for the dinner or made
a charitable donation in Bob’s name.
Your thoughts and kind gestures have
helped make life a little more
bearable as we deal with our loss.
July 22, 2015
FCCLA KIDS VISIT D.C.
Courtesy photo
Eleven Enterprise FCCLA students, along with five chaperones, pose with U.S. Rep.
Greg Walden, far right, on the steps of the U.S. Capitol July 8. The student group was in
Washington, D.C., for the National FCCLA Conference.
Young students bake for cause
Teacher Petra Evans’ 2nd
and 3rd grade students at En-
terprise Elementary School
held a bake sale that raised
more than $200. They do-
nated the money to Miracle
)lights for .ids, a nonpro¿t
medical Àight organi]ation.
“I’m so proud of my
kids,” said Evans. “It’s nice
for them to e[perience ¿rst-
hand that hard work pays off
… and can be fun! Not only
did they bond as a class, but
Open 11am-10pm, Wed-Sun
HIGHWAY 82, LOSTINE
541-569-2246
STAY CONNECTED ON FACEBOOK
DONATE DOLLARS
at the
Aug 14 & 15
Support the ELKS Christmas Toy Drive
with your cash donation.
Help us keep this
Wallowa County tradition alive!
as a community. None of
this would have been possi-
ble without the help of our
wonderful principal/superin-
tendent, Brad Royse, and the
dedicated parents and grand-
parents.”
Ann McGee, founder and
national president of Miracle
Flights, said the Enterprise
kids’ donation “will go a long
way toward allowing us to
say ‘Yes, we can help’ when
a parent asks to Ày their child
to a doctor who can give them
the best treatment.”
UNIQUE FINDS
Local, Regional
& Fair Trade World
200 N. Main St.
Joseph, OR
541.432.0745
Join us for
B LUE M OON
Thank You
The family of Cayle Krebs would
like to thank all of our family,
friends, neighbors, the Ione,
Wallowa and Arlington
communities for the kindness
shown to our family
during this very difficult time.
We can not find the words to
describe our gratitude to the Ione
community for coming together
to help put on the amazing
Celebration of Life for Cayle.
He loved his people and they
loved him right back. Special
thanks to Tom and Arlynda Gates,
Marvin and Tanna Padberg,
Ashley McCabe, the Ramos family,
the Livingston family,
Father Condon and the Sweeneys
for their special help with the
events of the day.
Sincerely,
Skye and Penny Krebs
Kip Krebs and Sarah Smith
Jason and Sybil Stewart,
Jett and Tripp, Janey McCormack
Custom cocktails
Dinner Specials
Mud on your boots family friendly!
A3
Mothing Night
Friday, July 31
Karen Antell, PhD
Professor of Biology, EOU
QNt1SFTFOUBUJPO
Who are these mysterious creatures of the night
and what are they doing while we're asleep?
All welcome.
9pm - Midnight
Mothing Expedition!
If you like bugs and staying up late, this event is for
you. This activity should be fun for all ages, and
children and adults are welcome to come ready for
bed in their jammies. Fairy wings and antennae are
optional. Limited to 20 people.
Call 541-263-1663 or come in to sign up.
Na
Natural
tur al History
H ist or y D
Discovery
isc o v er y Center
C en t er
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