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About Wallowa County chieftain. (Enterprise, Wallowa County, Or.) 1943-current | View Entire Issue (April 27, 2016)
THIS YEAR’S RACING SEASON REVS UP PAGE A9 Enterprise, Oregon Wallowa.com Issue No. 2 April 27, 2016 $1 DeBoie bows out of commissioner race Nash, Wolfe the only remaining candidates to replace Hayward By Steve Tool Wallowa County Chieftain With only a few weeks until the election and a few days before a can- didate forum, Wallowa County com- missioner candidate Dan DeBoie has announced the suspension of his cam- paign. DeBoie told The Chieftain of his decision during a phone interview Monday. The former commissioner (2003-2010) was part of a three-way race with Todd Nash and Stephen Wolfe for the commissioner post vacat- ed by Mike Hayward earlier this year. “It’s just not the right time,” DeBoie said. “It was an agonizing decision that CANDIDATE FORUM THURSDAY I struggled with for awhile.” DeBoie said he realized that he would be unable to meet the time com- mitment the position requires. Major changes DeBoie in DeBoie’s busi- ness and personal life helped tip the can- didate toward suspending the campaign. The Wallowa County Chamber of Commerce is hosting a candidate forum at 6 p.m. Thursday, April 28 at Cloverleaf Hall in Enterprise. Candidates will answer written questions from the forum committee and the public during a moderated event. If you would like to submit a question for the candidates there are two ways to participate: (1) Drop your questions in a closed envelope at the Wallowa County Chamber offi ce by 5 p.m. April 27; (2) Questions may be submitted at the forum. State Rep. Greg Barreto and State Sen. William Hansel will be in attendance. Hansell is a candidate for the Senate Position of District 029 and will partici- pate in the forum, as will his challenger, Barbara Dickerson. Both remaining candidates for Wallowa County Commissioner, Position 5 — Todd Nash and Steve Wolfe — also are expected to participate. See ELECTION, Page A7 PHOTO GALLERY FROM ‘THE GREAT ESCAPE’ AT WALLOWA.COM By Kathleen Ellyn Wallowa County Chieftain A Kathleen Ellyn/Chieftain Betty Whitehead of Enterprise helps out at the regular potluck at Hurricane Creek Grange outside of Joseph. Gather at the Grange ‘The Great Escape’ a successful family fun night By Kathleen Ellyn Wallowa County Chieftain April is Grange appreciation Month, and after 149 years the oldest American agricultural ad- vocacy group is still fi nding rel- evancy, even as its original core membership shrinks. They’ve done it by both hold- ing to traditional values of non- partisan community involvement and by keeping their minds open as to what constitutes “agricul- tural” in the 21st century. Back when the National Grange of the Order of Patrons of Husbandry was formed, a huge percentage of Americans was still closely associated with farming and ranching. Now, the percentage of individuals who work in agricul- tural fi elds is estimated to be less than 3 percent of the population. Nevertheless, the original pur- pose of the grange is so core to American values that it persists and has begun to attract non-farm fam- ilies seeking a stronger connection to the land and community. By charter, the Grange was to be a place where families band together to promote the econom- ic and political well-being of the community. n appreciative crowd fi lled the OK Theatre on Main Street in Enterprise to enjoy the whim- sical “Great Escape” of book characters Thursday night. More than 75 indi- viduals took part in the fundraiser for the expansion of the Joseph Library as kids and adults alike dressed up in costumes provided by Soroptimists, Joseph Charter School, Pam Lat- ta and Toss Witherrite. Everyone from Hugh Hefner to Snow White took a turn on the stage as the characters escaped their books in the library out of protest concern- ing the crowding and other needs of the tiny library. Among the needs are: general expansion, ADA approaches and bathrooms — and more books. Over $1,500 was raised at the OK Theatre event, not counting the contents of the donation box — which had not been tallied as of Monday afternoon. “We need 10 to 15 percent of the estimated cost of the expansion, the total of which could be $350,000 or more,” said Shannon Maslach, member of the Friends of Joseph Library group that is heading up the fundraising. See SHOW, Page A7 $1,500 Photo illustration by Kathleen Ellyn and staff/Wallowa County Chieftain Orianna Kyle played an inspired Alice from “Alice in Wonderland” at “The Great Escape” at the OK Theatre. Raised for library expansion See GRANGE, Page A8 Man kills cougar before it attacks By Tim Trainor EO Media Group Courtesy Malvin Jamison Malvin Jamison shot and killed this cougar April 11 on the Umatilla Indian Reservation before it attacked him. Malvin Jamison knew it was a life or death moment. Fox? Coyote? Cou- gar. As it leaped toward him he pulled the trigger. Jamison, 53, is an enrolled mem- ber of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla. He works for the Tribes as a fi sheries technician and describes himself as an avid outdoorsman. He has hunted nearly every game animal Eastern Oregon has to offer — duck, pheasant, chukar, deer, elk and plenty of turkeys. He has a favorite spot to go for gobblers, a canyon in the foothills of the Blue Mountains on the reserva- tion — that’s as detailed as Jamison will be about the exact location of his encounter. “ I JUST KEEP SEEING THAT FACE AND PAWS. KEEP SEEING IT COMING AT ME. He went up to that spot to hunt tur- key on April 11, waking before dawn and leaving the house before his wife woke up. He didn’t tell anyone where he was going — a big mistake for such a seasoned outdoorsman — but hoped he would be back home with a bird in hand before his wife had got- ten out of bed. He got to his fi rst spot, about a half mile walk from where he left his vehi- cle, and began to imitate the sounds of female turkeys, a trick used by hunters to draw big males within rifl e range. He was dressed head to toe in camou- fl age and he had set out a fan — a de- Malvin Jamison coy made to resemble splayed-out tur- key feathers that can make wary birds more comfortable to approach. He called for about 30 minutes, then walked another quarter mile to a spot where he has had success in the past. He sat under a group of hawthorn trees and started another se- ries of calls. After 10 or 15 minutes, he heard a quiet response from about 500 yards up the canyon. So he put a little more volume in his calls, and sure enough there was an answer. See COUGAR, Page A10