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About Wallowa County chieftain. (Enterprise, Wallowa County, Or.) 1943-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 26, 2015)
Experience the Wallowas OUTDOOR GUIDE INSIDE TODAY Enterprise, Oregon Issue No. 19 www.wallowa.com August 26, 2015 $1 COUNTY ON FIRE MASSIVE FIREFIGHTING EFFORT CONTINUES IN THE NORTH AS NEW BLAZES BREAK OUT ELSEWHERE Steve Tool/Chieftain By 3 p.m. on Aug. 20, the Grizzly Bear Complex had started its assault on Bartlett Bench above the Shiloh Inn Café in Troy. INFERNOS RAGE OVER 59,200 ACRES By Kathleen Ellyn Wallowa County Chieftain J See BLAZE, Page A9 Steve Tool/Chieftain UMATILLA NAT’L FOREST 129 e R on d e and Wash. Gr Ore. Smoke nearly obscures firefighting helicopters at the Joseph Airport. These helicopters are shared between the Grizzly Bear Complex Fire and the Falls Creek Fire. Troy Grizzly Bear Complex: 59,200 acres WALLOWA-WHITMAN NAT’L FOREST Wall Wallowa ow a R iv 82 er ust a week ago there was a 2,000-acre fire in Washing- ton and some smoke to talk about. By Thursday, Aug. 20, there was a wind-driven conflagration of 48,000 acres headed for Troy. That fire, a combination of 17 lightning-caused fires that burned together and became the 59,200-acre Grizzly Bear Complex, spawned an Emergency Conflagration Act, the formation of a multi-agency, multi- state task force, the mobilization of more than 25 tanker trucks to protect Troy, and more. As of press time the structures and cattle of Anchor Ranch on Grouse Flats north of Troy have survived a complete burn of the surrounding area and ranch manager Buck Mat- thews and his hired hand Josh Mark- eson are working to get 300 cattle off Eden Bench as fire rushes down on them. Plenty of folks volunteered to help, but Matthews does not want to put anyone else in danger in an area that requires a lot of knowledge to navigate. The new danger for the larger fire is that it may soon meet back up with the Bear Butte fire in Colum- bia County — the fire closest to the towns of Dayton and Asotin. Area in detail Enterprise Falls Creek Fire: 250 acres MORE COVERAGE ON PAGES A8, A9 NHLJKERUV KHOS URXQG XS FDWWOH DKHDG RI ¿ UH, A8 N )DOOV CUHHN ¿ UH FRQWLQXHV WR JURZ, EXW VORZO\, A8 10 miles 3 Joseph EAGLE CAP WILDERNESS *As of Aug. 25 EO Media Group graphic Local family cares for one of their own By Steve Tool Wallowa County Chieftain When it comes to the problems of aging, few raise as many emotions as when loved ones can no longer care for themselves because of age-related issues. While local resources offer some options, one local family is providing home care for their family matriarch, who suffers from dementia. Four generations live in the Zeise home: the ma- triarch, Elaine Winslow, her daughter, Mary Zeise, Winslow’s granddaughter, Julia Zeise, and Winslow’s great-grandson, Daniel Zeise, 11. The entire fami- ly helps care for Winslow, including Daniel Zeise for short periods. Before moving to the Wallowa Valley two years ago, Julia Zeise, who had nursing home experience as a Certified Nursing As- sistant, had been caring for Winslow. Mary Zeise fol- lowed her daughter to the area about a year later. The family moved to the Wallowa Valley at the behest of Mary Zeise’s sis- ter, Lori Winslow-Ford of Wallowa, who wanted to consolidate the family. Al- though family members noted Winslow’s forgetful- ness, it was so gradual, they didn’t suspect dementia. Winslow-Ford suggested some testing, and a visit to a local medical clinic con- firmed the disease. See ZEISE, Page A10 Zeise Assault, arson threaten Old Ski Run Road By Kathleen Ellyn Wallowa County Chieftain Jon David Howells, 35, of Joseph was arrested shortly before noon Wednesday, Aug. 19, when he walked out of the woods and up to law enforcement waiting at the scene of suspected ar- son on Old Ski Run Road in rural Joseph. Howells had been sought on several charges after an argument with his former girlfriend escalated into an alleged physical assault the evening of Aug. 17. The injured girlfriend es- caped to her car and drove to a neighbor’s home where she called 911. She was able to advise law enforcement of the possible location of Howells and also reported that he was acting suicidal Elliott Seyler/Chieftain Both car and house are completely destroyed at the scene of the suspected arson on Old Ski Run Road in rural Joseph. and irrational. Wallowa County Sher- iff’s Office, Oregon State Police and U.S. Forest Ser- vice law enforcement of- ficers began to assemble a search team when another 911 call came in reporting a fire at the residence. Multiple agencies in- cluding Joseph and Enter- prise fire departments and Oregon Department of For- estry fire crews responded and quelled the fire, but the residence and a nearby car were a total loss. It was believed that Howells started the fire be- fore leaving the residence. Although law enforce- ment searched for Howells at the site, he was not locat- ed, at that time. Neighbors asked for a police presence and it was to that officer that Howells eventually sur- rendered. He is currently housed at the Union County Jail and faces charges of felo- ny arson-1, two counts of strangulation, one count of menacing and one count of assault-4.