13TH ANNUAL MOUNTAIN HIGH BRONCS & BULLS PREVIEW
Page 8
Enterprise, Oregon
Wallowa.com
Issue No. 9
June 15, 2016
$1
Finding the balance: Transgender
law more than bathroom concerns
Administrators weigh in on rules designed to protect the rights of transgender students
By Kathleen Ellyn
Wallowa County Chieftain
Nash
Nash
named
to task
force
Enterprise schools don’t have any
transgender students, but Superin-
tendent Brad Royse has advised the
school board to abide by a 15-page
document issued May 5 by the Ore-
gon Department of Education provid-
ing guidelines for how schools treat
transgender students.
“I’m sure this will affect us down
the line,” he said. “We’ll need to be
compliant with any transgender stu-
dent’s rights, but we haven’t had any-
one identifying as transgender, yet.”
The document, which suggests
schools allow transgender students to
choose the names and bathrooms of
their preference and select the sports
teams on which they play, could
prove to be controversial in some
districts.
Royse has been approached by
several parents who told him they
were “very nervous” about the new
guidelines, despite the fact that no
transgender students had yet identi-
fi ed in the district.
The whole issue seems off point
to Royse, who spent his career as
both an elementary school principal
and superintendent, holding both po-
sitions at the same time for most of
his career.
Royse, who retires at the end of
the school year after 18 years with
the district, said “this is just the sort
of thing that pushed me out of admin-
istration. I just want to worry about
kids passing tests, not which bath-
room they go to.”
See RULES, Page A5
By Kathleen Ellyn
Wallowa County Chieftain
The task force set up to re-
connect Oregonians with nature
now has an Eastern Oregonian
on the committee said Scott Jor-
gensen, legislative aide to Sen.
Doug Whitsett of Klamath Falls,
a member of the task force.
The task force, set up by
the Governor was originally
a 16-member group with no
Eastern Oregon representative
as reported in the Chieftain on
March 29. As reported at the
time, the task force recognized
the lack of an appropriate repre-
sentative from Eastern Oregon
and a correction was intended.
That correction has been made.
The Eastern Oregon mem-
ber of the task force is James
Nash of Enterprise. Nash, a
former marine, twice awarded
the Purple Heart, is also a river
guide, fl y-fi shing outfi tter and
fi fth-generation rancher. Nash,
who is son of County Com-
missioner elect Todd Nash, is
also Operations Section Chief
of Divide Camp outside of
Joseph where he teaches bow
hunting and other outdoor pur-
suits to wounded veterans.
“Mr. Nash has been in-
strumental in taking off the
table ideas that would es-
sentially have been double
taxation for hunters and fi sh-
ers – which is where we fi rst
focused,” Jorgensen said.
See NASH, Page A3
Steve Tool/Chieftain
Winner of the Ragman Memorial Award, this
‘57 Ford Thunderbird is owned by Guy and Darlene
Blakeslee of Boise, Idaho.
THUNDERBIRD WINS RAGMAN AWARD AT
THIS YEAR’S OREGON MOUNTAIN CRUISE
By Steve Tool
Wallowa County Chieftain
S
leek, smooth lines, bright color
and lots of muscle. We’re talking
cars – and trucks. Specifi cally the
2016 Oregon Mountain Cruise
(OMC) that took place in Joseph,
June 10-11. The 27th annual cruise
lived up to expectations despite a
County courthouse
upgrade in the works
By Steve Tool
Wallowa County Chieftain
The Wallowa County
Courthouse in downtown
Enterprise is set for some
major interior renova-
tion in the future, coun-
ty commissioner Susan
Roberts reported. Some
of the renovations are
improvements required
by the state in regards to
the courtroom facility lo-
cated on the second fl oor
of the courthouse.
Though the court-
room facility within the
courthouse belongs to
the state, the county is re-
quired by law to provide
for its upkeep and main-
tenance.
The improvements in-
clude an elevator to com-
ply with the Americans
with Disabilities Act, as
well as upgrades to the
electrical wiring and fi re
suppression. The county
applied for, and received
a $1.25 million fi re, life
and safety grant from the
state to facilitate the up-
grades. The only problem
was the courthouse roof.
The grant funds do not
cover the approximately
$700,000 worth of re-
pairs it needs.
Several years ago, the
insurer of the courthouse
noted its roof was in dire
need of repair or replace-
ment. Dire enough the
insurers implied they
would no longer cover
the building without roof
upgrades.
“The roof is the most
important piece. Without
that you don’t need the
other (improvements),”
Roberts said.
See UPGRADE, Page A2
dismal and rainy opening day that eventually
gave way to clouds, sunshine and a measure
of warmth by the afternoon of the last day.
More than 200 cars and trucks lined Main
Street and some side streets of Joseph to compete
for the “King of the Mountain” and “Ragman”
awards. Out-of-towners and locals alike spent
Saturday walking up and down the Joseph streets
perusing the stupendous collection of cars as well
as enjoying the music of The Senders, a classic
rock group from Lewiston, ID.
The usual suspects such as ‘30s and ‘40s
coupes were in abundance, but a Lamborghini
and a 1937 Cord 812 made their presence known
as well. Proud car owners sat or stood by their
vehicles ready to answer questions and enjoy the
warmth of the sun.
The crowd waited in great anticipation for
See CARS, Page A2
Man airlifted to Walla Walla
hospital after car accident
By Steve Tool
Wallowa County Chieftain
A 61-year-old man was seri-
ously injured and airlifted to St.
Mary’s Hospital in Walla Walla
after a June 13 one vehicle roll-
over accident on Highway 82 in
Minam Canyon. Anthony Mi-
chael of Wallowa was driving
a Ford Econoline van toward
Wallowa when it left the roadway
close to mile marker 38, landing
upside down and about 20 feet
down a brush-fi lled embankment,
resting close to the Wallowa Riv-
er. The accident happened at ap-
proximately 3:25 p.m.
Emergency responders were
en route within minutes and in-
cluded units from Wallowa Fire
Department, Wallowa County
Sheriff’s Offi ce, Wallowa Me-
morial Hospital ambulances,
Wallowa County Emergen-
cy Services, Wallowa County
Steve Tool/Chieftain
Emergency responders load Wallowa resident Anthony
Michael into an ambulance.
Search and Rescue and Oregon
Highway Patrol.
The steepness of the em-
bankment forced responders to
rappel up and down the embank-
ment bringing oxygen bottles for
the victim as well as extraction
equipment to free Michael from
the vehicle where he was pinned
inside. After nearly two hours of
intensive labor the responders
freed the man from the van and
loaded him into an ambulance.
Life Flight airlifted him to Walla
Walla at about 5:36 p.m. The
cause of the accident and the
extent of the Michael’s injuries
are unknown at this time.