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About Wallowa County chieftain. (Enterprise, Wallowa County, Or.) 1943-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 8, 2018)
Matters of the heart Transplant survivor bucks the odds, sustained by her faith • A5 Enterprise, Oregon Wallowa.com Issue No. 17 August 8, 2018 $1 Joseph policing contract encounters snags City approves; sheriff has not signed By Steve Tool Wallowa County Chieftain Joseph citizens that were wor- ried about the lack of police protec- tion may breathe easier soon. But not quite yet. The Joseph City Council approved a three-year contract with the depart- ment at $113,667 per year for extra patrolling at a special meeting July 31. Normally a rubber-stamp action, this year’s contract negotiations proved volatile behind the scenes with the council split between abolishing the service, reducing the contract or paying the standard rate. Eventually contract negotiations were relegated to attorneys for the city and county. As of press time for this week’s edition, Sheriff Steve Rogers had not signed the contract. The latest offer included not only patrolling at up to 240 hours per month but also included stipulations of quarterly meetings between the sheriff and Joseph officials. Council member Teresa Sajonia said that after a previous negotiation meeting, she was under the impres- sion that between the funds the city was paying for extra patrol and some additional funds from the county, the city would get its own designated deputy. Mayor Dennis Sands said that he understood the offer may not be just one particular deputy and that oth- ers could help fill the 240-hour patrol time. Sajonia agreed. “I thought that was a huge selling point ... I felt it was huge for those (of the council) who voted for the con- tract for three years,” she said. “That was one of the reasons I voted no on the three years, because I wanted to see in that one year, was that going to get done, was that one person was Land returned to Nez Perce going to get hired.” Council member Mike Lockhart said he thought the agreement was clear as written and Sands agreed the contract stipulated 1.5 equivalent full- time deputies patrolling in the city limits. Sajonia wasn’t convinced. “I’m going to put this out there: What are the consequences in three years if they don’t live up to the contract?” See POLICE, Page A9 Who will get former library’s books? County Commission, Foundation have the talk By Kathleen Ellyn Wallowa County Chieftain The books formerly comprising the Wal- lowa County Library shortly will have new homes. The Wallowa Valley Library Foun- dation presented a draft proposal of a plan to Wallowa County Commissioners at an Aug. 6 commissioners meeting. Jonelle McCoy, president of the founda- tion board, along with board member Bon- nie Marks, told commissioners that librari- ans from Enterprise, Joseph and Wallowa had all expressed a desire to have most of the books divided amongst them. See BOOKS, Page A9 McQuead selected for city post Kathleen Ellyn/Chieftain Nez Perce Tribal Executive Council member and elder Arthur Broncheau holds a small rock from the riverbank as Nez Perce Veteran and historian Wilfred Scott burns and fans sage in a spiritual ceremony. The rock symbolizes the return of a portion of Wallowa River bank to the Nez Perce. The Aug. 1 ceremony blesses the symbol of the healing process that was the basis of the transfer of the land deed from the United Methodist Church to the Nez Perce Tribe. Methodists conduct act of restoration By Kathleen Ellyn Wallowa County Chieftain T he crowd at the United Methodist Church Camp above Wallowa Lake had gathered to be part of a historic moment that many had not believed would happen in their lifetime. A formal presentation was made of the land deed for 1.5 acres of Wallowa River riverfront from the United Methodist Church to the Nez Perce Tribe was made Aug. 1. As part of the ceremony, a small rock taken from the river and presented to the Nez Perce Tribal Executive Commit- tee June 15 was returned to the riverbank. The importance of the gesture could not be overestimated. “I never thought I would see this day,” said Nez Perce Elder Mary Jane Miles. “I never thought we would see the day come when we would have a hand of friend- ship from the larger community to the Nimi’ipuu (Nez Perce).” Miles, who represented the Nez Perce as a member of the Nez Perce Tribal Ex- ecutive Committee, is also a Presbyterian minister and doubly hurt by the “Doctrine See NEZ PERCE, Page A9 Enterprise appoints new City Administrator By Kathleen Ellyn Wallowa County Chieftain The way Lacey McQuead sees it, she’s standing on the shoulders of a giant. McQuead, 33, is the new city administra- tor for Enterprise, replac- ing Michelle Young who retired after more than 30 years in the position. “I think the only rea- son I’ll be successful in Lacey this position is because I McQuead had Michelle Young as my mentor for so many years,” McQuead said. See MCQUEAD, Page A8 TELEHEALTH the wave of the future Wallowa hospital official tells Congress it has more work to do By Paul Wahl Wallowa County Chieftain Doctors routinely made house calls in the ’40s. The practice may be enjoy- ing a revival, especially in rural areas such as Wallowa County. In the latest iteration, the doctor won’t be present in flesh and blood but on a television screen over the Internet. It’s called telehealth. The county’s medical providers, led by Wallowa Memorial Hospital, have begun exploring the opportunities. “Telehealth has enabled us to … ensure access to high-quality care in our frontier county,” Jenni Word recently told members of the House committee on Energy and Commerce Subcommit- tee on Communications and Technol- ogy in Washington, D.C. The associate administrator and chief nursing officer at Wallowa Memorial was among a handful chosen to testify. U.S. Rep. Greg Walden is a member of the committee. See HEALTH, Page A8 Paul Wahl/Chieftain Winding Waters Clinic Medical assistant Tasha Tanzey, left, and Meg Bowen, Quality Director, show off the robot the clin- ic uses for telemedicine — accessing doctors who are far away from Wallowa County.
