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About Wallowa County chieftain. (Enterprise, Wallowa County, Or.) 1943-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 12, 2016)
T HIS WEEK ’ S SPORTS COVERAGE STARTS ON PAGE 9 Enterprise, Oregon Wallowa.com Issue No. 26 October 12, 2016 $1 Sheriffs join call for drug charge reform State law enforcement leaders seek misdemeanor charge for first-time possession By Kathleen Ellyn Wallowa County Chieftain Oregon’s law enforcement agencies have initiated a discus- sion regarding possible changes to how fi rst-time, user-amount drug possession arrests are handled. The Oregon State Sheriffs’ Association recently released a statement in support of reduc- ing fi rst-time drug possession convictions from felonies to misdemeanors, backing similar calls from Gov. Kate Brown, state Attorney General Ellen F. Rosenblum, district attorneys, members of the state Legislature and chiefs of police. The statement points out that a felony drug conviction can re- sult in a jail sentence, probation and limited treatment services. Although the treatment ser- vices are recognized as essen- tial, Oregon justice agencies have come to believe that felony convictions, which create barri- ers to housing and employment, make it diffi cult for offenders to return to lives as ordinary citi- zens, even after successful drug addiction treatment. See DRUGS, Page A5 Wallowa County Sheriff Rogers DIVIDE CAMP HEALING ON THE HUNT Ellen Bishop/For The Chieftain The proposed trail would provide hikers with views of farmland and the Wallowas as it heads south from the Green Valley Road crossing just outside of Enterprise. Poll shows businesses back Rail with Trail 72 percent of chamber voters say they support entire project By Kathleen Ellyn Wallowa County Chieftain The Joseph Branch Rail with Trail project recently received a resounding vote of confi dence in an infor- mal poll of business own- ers. The results of the Wal- lowa County Chamber of Commerce’s fi rst online poll of members indicates that the overwhelming ma- jority of the 125 members who responded support the Joseph Branch Rail with Trail project. A majority of members also support the chamber in actively pro- moting the project. The six-stage Rail with Trail project potentially would run from Elgin to Joseph when completed. For now, the focus is on the Joseph-to-Enterprise seg- ment of the trail. Thirty-four percent of chamber members voted in the online poll. Past votes taken by mail or at meet- ings have seen a just 5-9 percent voter involvement. The poll closed Sept. 30 and results were published in the chamber newsletter shortly afterward. See PLAN, Page A5 Courtesy of Divide Camp Courtesy of Divide Camp Iraq war veteran Jose Martinez bagged an elk on his second day at Divide Camp. Martinez brightened the lives of those he met during his week- long stay at the camp. Veteran personifi es triumph over adversity By Steve Tool Wallowa County Chieftain ur country is fi lled with veterans who need help recovering from wounds suffered overseas or back home. Oftentimes what is needed are words of hope from a fellow veteran scarred from the same kind of wounds. Divide Camp, a local nonprofi t devoted to healing the physical and psychological injuries of post-9/11 veterans through outdoor pursuits O recently hosted Jose Martinez, a veteran medi- cally retired from the Army. Raised in Compton, Calif., Martinez is no stranger to hard times and violence. He didn’t admire the gang lifestyle that surrounded his neighborhood, but he liked making money. “One coincides with the other,” Martinez said. “Before I joined the military, I was shaking hands with all the wrong people in the world.” In 2010, a horrifi c street incident left him in tears for a day. He immediately joined the Army. “ See CAMP, Page A16 BEFORE I JOINED THE MILITARY, I WAS SHAKING HANDS WITH ALL THE WRONG PEOPLE IN THE WORLD.” Jose Martinez South Fork Grange to celebrate hall’s revival By Kathleen Ellyn Wallowa County Chieftain After the Lostine area lost its South Fork Grange #605 to fi re in February 2015, residents were quickly back to work — fundraising, applying for grants and saving for a new grange. On Saturday, grangers will wel- come Wallowa Countians “home” to the new grange hall on Rosewell Street in Lostine. The building is still under renova- tion but the main hall is now ready for parties, weddings, grange meetings, conferences and more. “That’s the story of grange, isn’t it?” said June Colony, secretary/trea- surer of the grange. “It’s both a re- membrance of the old and plans for the new.” The grange has a new infrastruc- ture: heating, plumbing and other es- sentials. But the plans for the future include a remodeled kitchen suitable for most any private gathering, a li- brary for the full room of agricultural and gardening books already donated, a big deck out back, American Dis- abilities Act-approved entries, a con- tinued remodel of the (working) bath- room, planters and graveled parking Kathleen Ellyn/Chieftain An “after” shot of the inside of the South Fork Grange. and other projects. “We’ve spent a lot of money on this place, but we didn’t want to spend down too far or move too fast,” Colo- ny said. “We’ll start another round of fundraising and writing for grants in 2017 for the next projects.” First on that 2017 list is the contin- ued remodeling of the interior: kitch- Courtesy photo “Before” shot. en, bathroom, offi ces and library. But no one wanted to wait any lon- ger to enjoy what they already had. See GRANGE, Page A5 Kathleen Ellyn/Chieftain June Colony — straight from the farm to finish some paint projects at the new (Lostine) South Fork Grange — takes a short break in the finished main hall. This Saturday is the “Welcome Home” cider press party at the grange.
