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Enterprise, Oregon
Issue No. 40
Plans for
marijuana
initiative
revised
Wallowa.com
January 17, 2018
ST. PIUS X CHURCH
Plan could be on ballot
during statewide general
elections in Nov. 2018
Going
for the
glass
By Kathleen Ellyn
Wallowa County Chieftain
Marijuana proponents in Wallowa County
learned last week they have longer to collect
fewer signatures to put their “repeal the ban”
initiative on the ballot.
Emails were still being exchanged
between the county clerk’s office and the
Secretary of State’s office late last week
about how to handle the bid to repeal the
ban on marijuana dispensaries in Joseph
and Enterprise, but several things have been
clarified.
• If sufficient signatures are gathered, the
initiative will be on the ballot during state-
wide general elections in November 2018,
not the special election ballot in May 2018.
• Only 10 percent of each city’s registered
voters must sign the petition to put the initia-
tive on the ballot, not 15 percent.
• Signatures gathered by proponents do
not have to be presented to the county until
August 2018.
Church nearing homestretch
on window refurbishing
Story and photos By Paul Wahl
Chieftain Editor
J
une Jones has a passion for stained glass
windows. At least the ones that grace St.
Pius X Catholic Church in Wallowa.
Jones has been leading the charge to
have 100-year-old art pieces restored.
Funds have been an issue, but now thanks to a
national nonprofit that provides matching grants
for such endeavors, work could begin this summer.
“We discovered that restoring stained glass is
not cheap,” said Jones, who has lived with her hus-
band, Bob, in Wallowa since 1999.
See WEED, Page A8
Enterprise
finds temporary
home for fire
department
Begins planning process
for upgraded city hall
By Kathleen Ellyn
Wallowa County Chieftain
Enterprise City Council has announced
plans for a new city hall and fire house are
moving forward with smiles on the faces of
city officials.
The old structure burned in June. Discus-
sions with the city’s insurance carrier have
been ongoing since.
Representatives from the city described
their recent conference with insurance
adjusters as so positive that they were
“dumbfounded,” said City Administrator
Michele Young.
“It was just the best meeting ever,” she
said.
Upgrades for the city hall may be in
the works as a result of good planning and
frugality.
Savings began almost immediately when
city staff located a usable local office build-
$1
Above:
The first
three
windows
that have
been
completed
demonstrate
the vitality
of the
original
designs.
Paul Wahl/Chieftain
June Jones, who was baptised into the Catho-
lic Church at age 35, has spearheaded the drive
to replace the St. Pius X tained glass windows.
The tiny congregation’s building at the end of
South Pine St. has a total of 13 stained glass win-
dows; three of them on the second story have
already been treated at a cost of $7,000.
The $21,000 price tag to finish the remaining win-
dows appeared insurmountable until a high-ranking
official in the Catholic church stepped in.
The Rev. Father Liam Cary, who has been a
bishop of the Baker Diocese since 2012, has vis-
ited several times.
“You don’t appreciate from afar how strik-
ingly beautiful the windows are,” Cary said. “And
the congregation has the desire to preserve and
enhance them, which is the right thing to do.”
Right:
Ten more
windows
with various
levels of
cracks and
damage
remain to be
restored.
See GLASS, Page A16
See FIRE, Page A16
Snow sufficient for Eagle Cap Extreme
Mild winter temps could
be tough on dogs
By Kathleen Ellyn
Wallowa County Chieftain
Courtesy photo
The trail groomer owned by the Wallowa County Gamblers
snowmobile club works on an Eagle Cap Wilderness trail Mon-
day in preparation for the Eagle Cap Extreme Dog Sled Race.
It’s the weather, so it’s subject to change.
But there’s good news and possible dramatic
changes in store for the Eagle Cap Extreme Sled
Dog Races.
According to Mountainforecast.com, eleva-
tions in the Eagle Cap higher than 6,000 feet
will see heavy snow and possibly severe gales
by Saturday night. Racers plan to be finished by
Saturday morning and so should miss both those
dangers.
But how much snow will fall on the trails
prior to that and how soon the winds start could
impact the 200-mile run.
Conditions were good earlier this week. The
Wallowa County Gamblers Snowmobile Club
grooms the trails for the race each year. Mem-
bers reported plenty of packed snow start to fin-
ish on Monday.
Trail Boss Lee Trapp also reported around
three inches of packed snow in the lower eleva-
tions from Ferguson Ski Ridge to Ollokot. Dogs
like packed snow.
In mixed news: dogs like it cold; anything
over 20 degrees is considered “hot.” And the
temperatures for the race are predicted to be 30
degrees or more on Thursday morning when the
races begin. The temperature will get better for
the 200-mile racers with the mercury expected
to fall to 19 degrees at higher elevations by Fri-
day and Saturday.
The distance runners will be on trail Thurs-
day and Friday night, so ideal temperatures for
the dogs. 100-milers expect to come in to the
finish on Friday morning. 200-milers expect to
finish Saturday morning.
See SNOW, Page A8