INSIDE TODAY
Enterprise, Oregon
HOME & GARDEN and GRADUATION special sections
Wallowa.com
Issue No. 6
May 25, 2016
$1
New police chief on the job in Enterprise
Joel Fish begins work more than a year after initial search began
By Kathleen Ellyn
Wallowa County Chieftain
Fish
Newly hired Enterprise
Police Chief Joel Fish hit the
streets for his fi rst offi cial day
on duty Monday.
He begins his stint as chief
with just two offi cers — George
Kohlhepp and Jed Stone. High
on his to-do list is the hiring of
a third.
His swearing in was bright-
ened by a welcoming touch:
Stone loaned Fish his father’s
badge, which the elder Stone,
Bob, wore many years ago as
Enterprise Police Chief.
The welcome didn’t stop
there. According to Fish, “a
bunch of people showed up (at
his new house) and introduced
themselves on Saturday and
started grabbing boxes to help us
unload the truck. It’s just been
fantastic. We were made to feel
very welcome.”
Fish comes to Enterprise
from Hickory, N.C., where he
served as captain in variety of
positions in the Catawba County
Sheriff Offi ce — captain of in-
vestigations, patrol captain and
captain of communications, in
addition to overseeing school
resources offi cers for 26 schools
and overseeing the crime-pre-
vention program. The depart-
ment had 192 employees, with
about 72 working the jail, and
fi elded 11,680 calls for service
in 2015.
Of all his positions, Fish said
he liked patrol the best, though
he was often recognized for his
excellent “people skills.”
“I like interpersonal relation-
ships,” he said.
See CHIEF, Page A11
STATE
CHAMPS
Joseph girls win title by one point
Courtesy photo
Joseph’s state champion girls track and field team got a celebratory ride around town from the Joseph Fire Department on Monday. The girls won the last relay and edged Griswold
by a single point in the team standings at the OSAA state championships in Eugene held Thursday and Friday.
FOR MORE, SEE SPORTS, PAGE B1.
Nash wins
commission
post in
landslide
By Steve Tool
Wallowa County Chieftain
Rancher Todd Nash re-
ceived more than 60 per-
cent of the vote for Wallowa
County commissioner during
the May 17 primary election,
according to the county’s un-
offi cial fi nal results. Such a
strong showing in the prima-
ry, once fi nalized, would give
Nash the necessary votes to
win the race against fellow
rancher Stephen Wolfe and
businessman Dan DeBoie
See ELECTION, Page A11
Local veterans get a warm
reception from Quilts of Valor
29 quilters helped
create quilts in
appreciation of
vets’ service
Wallowa County Chieftain
By Stephen Tool
Wallowa County Chieftain
Never say that Wallowa
County or the Northwest as
whole doesn’t care about veter-
ans or appreciate their service.
Five of the county’s veterans
will stay warmer at night after
receiving hand-sewn quilts from
the international organization
Quilts of Valor during a May
10 ceremony at the Eagle Cap
VFW hall in Enterprise. Wal-
lowa County veterans George
Hill, Gene Bieraugal, Bert Mc-
Cormack, Don Stein and Jim El-
liott each received a quilt.
The organization distributed
the quilts in conjunction with
Honor Quilt, a similar local or-
ganization headed by Linda Ko-
loski and a part of the Wallowa
Mountain Quilters Guild.
The Quilts of Valor chapter
— with members from Utah,
Idaho and Washington — sewed
the quilts while on a retreat at the
United Methodist Church camp
Steve Tool/Chieftain
Five local veterans with their finely crafted quilts from Quilts of
Valor, a national organization dedicated to providing quilts to our
nation’s heroes and recognizing their service. From left: George
Hill, Eugene Bieraugel, Bert McCormack, Don Stein and Jim Elliott.
at Wallowa Lake. The busy la-
dies completed 12 quilt tops in
one 24-hour stretch during the
retreat, according to member
Lori Kutch. The organization’s
director Sharon Ledbetter said
that 29 quilters came down for
the retreat and ceremony.
After a brief invocation, the
fi ve appreciative veterans re-
ceived their quilts along with
thanks for their service, a “Wel-
come Home” and a hug from
the various quilters. Afterward,
many people stayed to give their
thanks to the veterans personally
as well as examine the quilts and
note their fi ne workmanship.
Next to the veterans, the quilts
were the hit of the gathering.
Members of the local
Veterans of Foreign Wars
Hall in Enterprise and the
American Legion in Joseph
will be conducting a series of
Memorial Day ceremonies at
Wallowa County cemeteries on
Monday. Each ceremony will
last about 30 minutes and will
include a raising of the fl ag
and a 21-gun salute (provided
enough members participate)
at all sites except the Wallowa
County Courthouse.
Here is the schedule of
ceremonies:
9 a.m.: Bramlet Cemetery
10 a.m.: Walllowa Ceme-
tery
10:30 a.m.: Alder Slope
Cemetery
11 a.m.: Lostine Cemetery
and Hurricane Creek Cemetery
Noon: Enterprise Cemetery
and Joseph Cemetery
1 p.m.: Reading of the
Fallen, Wallowa County
Courthouse
See QUILTS, Page A11
WILDFIRE
KNOWS NO
SE
SEAS
SEASON
ASON
AS
ON
®
Schedule of
Memorial
Day events
KeepOregonGreen.org
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Keep
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SEE
A12
Enterprise FD • Wallowa FD • Wallowa Rural FD • Wallowa Lake Rural FD
Lostine FD • Joseph FD • Oregon Dept. of Forestry • US Forest Service