A6
Portland Cello Project coming to OK Theatre
Enterprise, Oregon
Wallowa.com
Issue No. 29
November 2, 2016
Pendleton man drowns at lake
Wallowa County Chieftain
Wallowa County Sheriff’s depu-
ties and emergency services respond-
ed to a report of a death at Wallowa
Lake on Saturday afternoon.
A boater on Wallowa Lake re-
ported that a man had been found
face-down in the water with a kay-
ak fl oating nearby. Members from
the Sheriff’s Offi ce, Oregon State
Police and an ambulance crew re-
sponded to the scene and located
the deceased man on the northeast
portion of the lake near milepost 2
on Wallowa Lake Highway.
The man has been identifi ed as
Joshua Wesley Hunt, 44, of Pend-
$1
B REAST C ANCER S URVIVOR
leton.
The medical examiner has con-
cluded that Hunt died of acciden-
tal drowning while fi shing from a
kayak. He was not wearing a life
jacket.
Courtesy of David Martin
MORE HALLOWEEN PICTURES ON PAGE 18
Robin Martin says every day is a gift
after beating cancer not once but
twice.
‘I’m
going
to feel
blessed’
Every day is a
gift for two-time
cancer survivor
from Joseph
By Steve Tool
Wallowa County Chieftain
Kathleen Ellyn/Chieftain
Tuff Shelton, age 1, lives up to his name, astonishing the scary skeleton with his courage as his mother, Brittany Shelton of Lostine,
introduces the two at the Trunk or Treat Halloween event in Enterprise on Monday night. See Page A18 for more Halloween photos.
Dissecting the Oregon standoff trial
Defense says verdict a victory for rural
America, others question judicial system
Bradley W. Parks
Oregon Public Broadcasting
In the shadow of trees covering
Chapman Square park in down-
town Portland, four of seven defen-
dants acquitted of conspiracy in the
occupation of the Malheur National
Wildlife Refuge posed for pictures.
David Fry smiled as he fl ashed
a peace sign. He slung his arms
around
co-defendants
Neil
Wampler — clutching a hotdog
from the victory barbecue and a
stack of newspapers with his face
on them — and Shawna Cox. Jeff
Banta stood to the far right.
An alternate juror named Sarah
Foultner stood between them while
a supporter cycled through phones
to capture the moment for everyone.
The prosecution didn’t picture
the trial ending like this.
“Disappointing,” said U.S. At-
torney for Oregon Billy Williams
of the not guilty verdicts. “Bitterly
so.”
Just as quickly as the defense
proclaimed a victory for rural
America, occupation opponents
dubbed the result an embarrassing
loss for the prosecution.
See TRIAL, Page A14
Dave Blanchard/OPB
A member of the Pacific Patriots Network at the Malheur National
Wildlife Refuge in January. Many wonder if the verdict in the Oregon
occupation trial will embolden militia groups to take up armed land
battles throughout the West.
Robin Martin’s sparkling presence
can be found all around Joseph. She’s
an active member of the Joseph Unit-
ed Methodist Church, works tirelessly
at the Magic Garden and is a frequent
fi gure at the Wallowa County Farmers
Market on Main Street.
Just beyond her contagious laughter
and compassionate blue eyes, however,
there’s a suffering few can fully under-
stand.
Surviving cancer will tear your life
apart and test both your own spirit as
well as those around you.
Martin has been there — twice.
Alarming realization
Martin was a 37-year-old special-ed-
ucation teacher in California in 1989
when she discovered a lump in her
breast during a self examination. She
wasn’t too concerned. Her OB/GYN
had drained a previous lump in the same
area and told her that it wasn’t an issue.
Turned out, it was.
“He called me into his offi ce and told
me the biopsy he had taken was breast
cancer.”
Her thoughts immediately turned to
her daughter.
“I decided I would do whatever I
needed to do to stay alive for my 6-year-
old daughter. I was determined to see
my daughter grow up. … You can sit in
the corner and wait to die, or you can go
on with your life. I chose to go on with
my life.”
See SURVIVOR, Page A10
County ripe for micro-hydro boom
Spaur Ranch launches second hydro system;
Energy Trust looking at other projects
By Kathleen Ellyn
Wallowa County Chieftain
Ranchers Vern and Marti Spaur of
Wallowa don’t expect to pay a power
bill from Pacifi c Power for a very long
time. They recently celebrated the in-
stallation of a second micro-hydro pow-
er plant that will provide power both for
their ranch and their automotive busi-
ness — and maybe produce enough to
donate the excess to the low-income
power program through Pacifi c Power.
The Spaurs have made a signifi cant
investment of their own money in ad-
dition to getting grants and incentives,
but the two projects are expected to pay
for themselves within four to fi ve years.
Few ranches in Wallowa County
could afford the full initial cost of small
hydro, and that is where the funders
come in.
The Spaurs’ fi rst turbine cost
$54,000, the second about $126,000.
A big portion of the costs were spent
on the electrical box and systems that
allow them to both use electricity and
transfer the excess back to Pacifi c Pow-
er.
The Spaur Ranch received $60,000
cash incentive from Energy Trust of
Oregon and a $30,000 grant from the
U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural
Energy for America program.
See BOOM, Page A10
Kathleen Ellyn/
Chieftain
Vern Spaur,
center, and
his wife Marti
point out the
simplicity
of the 1870s
technology,
the Pelton
Wheel, at the
heart of their
21st-century
micro-hydro
pump to
State Sen.
Bill Hansell.