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About Wallowa County chieftain. (Enterprise, Wallowa County, Or.) 1943-current | View Entire Issue (March 29, 2017)
Wallowa County Chieftain News wallowa.com March 29, 2017 A3 Education Foundation dinner, auction April 7 By Kathleen Ellyn Wallowa County Chieftain This will be the fi rst year that Enterprise School District Superin- tendent Erica Pinkerton witnesses the generosity of the community at the Enterprise Education Founda- tion banquet and auction. She will be the special guest for the evening. The event is set for the April 7, doors open at 5 p.m. and dinner is at 6 p.m. Dinner will be provided by Jess and Zane Anderson’s catering. Prime Rib will be served. El Bajio provides the no host bar. Among the donated items for the auction are: a Traeger grill from Coleman and Chrisman’s Viridian Management Inc. of Enterprise; the very popular branded bench made by Mark Keffer (5th grade teacher); a two-night stay at the Lake Street House in Joseph; a gallon of huck- leberries; and much more. The event is a community favor- ite, packing Cloverleaf Hall with 176 attendees, laughter and spirited bidding. Last year the community topped the $1 million mark in do- nations – having donated $1 million over 12 years for K-6 music teach- ers and K-12 art teachers for their schools. The annual $40,000 pledge will be made to the school district and two more special announcements will be made. One is that, thanks to an anon- ymous donor, the organization will be offering a new recurring scholar- ship for a student that will be pursu- ing an art of music career – the fi rst winner will be announced during the auction. The other announcement is a se- cret until the evening of the dinner and auction. Tickets are available through Sandy at the Elementary School offi ce or get ahold of co-chairs Jen Cameron (541) 398-0903 and Jessie Cunningham cunninghamcrew@ live.com. Tickets are $25 for a single and $40 for a couple. You can also get tickets via En- terprise Education Foundation on Facebook. County Meals on Wheels will carry on Concerns over possible cuts to programs valid By Kathleen Ellyn Wallowa County Chieftain The proposed federal bud- get, released by President Donald Trump in mid-March, met with immediate and strong opposition when it was revealed that one of the pro- grams slated for cancellation supported Meals on Wheels. Trump’s budget proposed cutting $3 billion from the Community Development Block Grant program under the Department of Housing and Urban Development, which supports a variety of programs, including Meals on Wheels. The Block Grant program has made more than $150 billion in grants over its 42-year history and the bud- get refl ects the administration belief, stated in the budget comments, that “the program is not well-targeted to the poorest populations and has not demonstrated results.” The budget also calls for cutting $715 million from Community Services Block Grants under the Department of Health and Human Ser- vices on the grounds that it duplicates emergency food assistance and employment programs. Another Health and Human Service program for the poor that is targeted is the Low Income Energy Assistance Program, which helps the elderly and low-in- come individuals pay their heating and power bills. The administration plans to cut $3.4 billion from that. But Meals on Wheels cuts were the primary fl ashpoint for many. The program serves more than 2.4 million Americans 60 and older, more than 500,000 of them veterans each year. Most of those served live alone, take more than six medications, and rely on the meals for at least half of the food they con- sume, according to a Meals on Wheels factsheet. More than 2 million vol- unteers support the program. In 2010 the program was partnered with local hospitals to record the possible benefi t of serving the meals to re- cently discharged seniors and found that readmission rates fell from 17 to 20 percent to just 6 percent. In 2014 a bipartisan res- olution commemorating the 40th anniversary of the Com- munity Development Block Grant program recognized the work of the program. There seems plenty of rea- son for outrage that such a program would be threatened with budget cuts. Studded tires must be off by March 31 Drivers in Oregon are re- minded to remove studded tires by Friday, March 31. “We encourage drivers to not wait until the March 31 deadline to remove their stud- ded tires, especially if they aren’t driving in the mountain passes between now and then,” said Luci Moore, state mainte- nance and operations engineer. Studded tires are allowed in Oregon from November 1 through March 31. While the law allows ODOT to extend the studded tire season when necessary, current weather forecasts do not support an ex- tension this year. Kathleen Ellyn/Chieftain Karen Frentress, 74, of Enterprise shares news of her grandson with volunteer Jim Stivers as he delivers her Meals on Wheels lunch. Stivers, a Navy veteran of Vietnam, has been involved in volunteer work of some kind for more than 40 years. “I can see a big difference between local support and government support,” Stivers said. “If it’s done right, local support is much better.” In fact, the Community Development Block Grant accounts for only about a quarter of the funding for Or- egon’s Meals on Wheels pro- gram. Oregon serves 48,738 meals per year with half of the $12.5 million cost picked up by Older Americans Act federal money. Losing a full quarter of their budget, however, will create a severe strain on the program administrators say. Wallowa County is not as affected as other counties and states. The funding streams for Meals on Wheels in Wal- lowa County are primarily made up from two federal funding streams not target- ed: The Older Americans Act Fund and Nutrition Services Incentive Program managed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. “This year because the budget is so tight we put $5,000 for Wallowa County from Community Services Block Grant, which is tar- geted for elimination,” said Margaret Davidson, execu- tive director of the four-coun- ty Community Connection of Northeast Oregon. So, if the budget passes Congress as written, which is unlikely, Wallowa County Meals on Wheels would lose about $5,000 of their $191,00 budget. The other funding streams for Wallowa County Meals on Wheels include donations, a contract with the state to deliver clients served by the Department of Human Ser- vices for in-home care clients (technically a federal source but managed by the state), fundraising events, Wal- lowa County Board of Com- missioners contribution of Time for a Computer Tuneup? Spyware Removal • 541-426-0108 103 SW 1st St., Enterprise Births A son, Rylen Jaymes Butterfield was born March 18, 2017, in Enterprise to Jaymes and Rachelle Butterfield of Joseph. Grandparents are Mark and Anna Butterfield and Ronald and Cindy Bonney. 301 W. Main, Enterprise • 541.426.3177 Courtesy photo U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden sharply criticized the cuts to service grants and cuts to Meals on Wheels in particular. He is here pictured volunteering in December to take part in Meals on Wheels deliveries in Eugene. $7,000 per year, a city of En- terprise donation of $2,000 per year, and more. Fundraising is a big help for Wallowa County. Meals cost $8 to $9.54 each to make and the suggested donation at the door is $3.50 for those 60 and older. Donations help fi ll the gap. Fortunately, the gener- osity of local sponsors has meant that the main entrée of meals served both in county senior centers and for Meals on Wheels have been cov- ered by donations for more than fi ve years, said Connie Guentert, executive director of Wallowa County Commu- nity Connection. Donations in Wallowa County make up $40,000 of the budget every year. “We’d carry on with Meals on Wheels but we’d be relying more and more on fundraisers and personal donations,” Guentert said. “We already fund raise all the time. The ‘Love of Mother Dinner’ on May 7 is all about senior nutrition, we get elk and deer tags from the Nature Conservancy. We’re always looking for funding.” The direction of the new administration is of more concern for CCNO as they work to cover seniors and people in need in Grant, Wal- lowa, Union and Baker coun- ties. “I think all the programs are a concern to us equally,” said Guentert. “We focus on Roberta Moffit and her family Meals on Wheels because these are homebound indi- viduals and at a higher risk of not having anyone checking on them.” Some of the other pro- grams Wallowa County in- dividuals count on include targeted Health and Human Services programs funded by Community Service Block Grants, such as Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program. “If these program’s bud- gets were cut we would not be able to help as many peo- ple we have been able to in the past with energy assis- tance or emergency hous- ing,” she said. “It would be pretty detrimental to those programs. We’d be telling people no and we try not to do that.” Cuts proposed in the De- partment of Energy also in- clude cutting $121 million from the Weatherization As- sistance Program. “We are quite aware of the proposal of cutting all of the Community Service Block Grants. That is money we use to cover all of our community here,” Guentert said. “I think we will be writing letters and making trips to Salem to ad- vocate for our seniors.” Brown appoints Powers to Tenth Circuit Gov. Kate Brown an- nounced Tuesday that she will appoint Thomas B. Powers to the position of cir- cuit judge on Oregon’s Tenth Judicial District, which en- compasses Union and Wal- lowa counties. Powers will fi ll the vacan- cy created by the resigna- tion of Judge Brian C. Dretke. Powers’ appointment will be effec- Powers tive April 1. “Tom Powers has dedicated his entire legal career fi ghting for justice on behalf of all Oregonians,” Brown said. “He will continue to bring his passion for service with him to the bench, and I am confi dent he will work hard to ensure that the people of Union County and Wallow County have access to a court committed to the fair and impartial administration of justice.” Powers has most recently managed a solo pivate prac- tice in Enterprise, where he handled indigent criminal de- fense cases, civil matters, and represented small businesses. Prior to opening his own fi rm, Powers practiced law for more than a decade at Williams Love O’Leary & Powers, PC, where he repre- sented plaintiffs in medical device negligence cases. Powers has also served as a senior assistant attor- ney general in the Financial Fraud/Consumer Protection Section of the Oregon De- partment of Justice. Powers earned his law degree from Lewis & Clark Law School in 1998, and his bachelor’s degree in po- litical science from Florida State University in 1993. He has been a member of the Oregon State Bar since 1998. THANK YOU The family of James “Butch” Wicklander would like to thank everyone that phoned, texted, sent cards, brought food, and donated to the family’s account at Community Bank. We would also like to send a very special thank you to Dr. Kirsten Caine, EMTs Joyce Himes, Ashley Immoos, Tom Clevenger and the Wallowa Memorial Hospital Emergency Room staff for the support and care. Thanks again for all the kind words. Joyce, Beau, Keith, and Belinda would like to invite you to her home to celebrate her 90th Birthday. Sunday, April 2nd from 1 p.m.- 4 p.m. 918 Lostine River Road, Lostine. No gifts please. EASTER CHAMPAGNE BRUNCH Sunday, April 16 • 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Scenic 1 Hour Drive ALL YOU CAN EAT Adults $23 • Senior Citizens $21 Children 6-11 $17 • Under 6 free RSVP 509-256-3372 BOGGAN'S OASIS Now in Paperback THE ATOMIC WEIGHT OF LOVE by Elizabeth J. Church T HE B OOKLOFT Across from the courthouse in Enterprise 107 E. Main • 541.426.3351 always open at www.bookloftoregon.com • booklofteoni.com