FARMERS FINALLY GET TO HIGH SCHOOLER WINS CUT FIRST CROP STATE RODEO TITLE INSIDE BUSINESS, A6 WW W. JU NE 29 -JU LY 6, GO EA ST ER NO RE GO N.C $1.50 LOCAL, A8 OM 20 22 orks Firew he f or t t h r u o F e rienc Expe re Explo ry Libra ibit exh PA G Elgin mpede Sta PA G ND: d GROU BACK s wowe ork wd Firew ge cro lake the hu Wallowa ke at the La . red gathe Shake ly 2019 for the h of Ju urt /For Fo hop Bis y Morris a Count Ellen Wallow ain the Chieft Join Pow w Wo PA G E 12 NERS AG ON P E 18 T WIN NTES O CO PHOT E 4 E 3 138th Year, No. 7 Wednesday, June 29, 2022 WALLOWA.COM Wallowa County set to celebrate the Fourth By BILL BRADSHAW Wallowa County Chieftain Tim Melville Enterprise Longtime farmer appreciative of freedoms ENTERPRISE — Tim Melville has been living in Wallowa County for about 58 years and farming most of that time. He and wife, Audry, raised two sons here. The elder Melvilles, their sons and their sons’ wives own and operate Cornerstone Farms Joint Venture, one of the largest farms in the county at more than 5,000 acres of a variety of crops. Now, some of their seven grandchildren are getting in on the operation, too. “It’s enough to keep us busy,” he said. He has a few favorite things about Wallowa County, such as “no street- lights, the people and the mountains.” On a sunny Tuesday, he was par- ticularly pleased with the weather. “You can’t beat a day like today,” he said. “It’s fantastic.” Although a farmer relies on rain, he needs dry weather, too. Melville has had enough rain for one season. “We started putting hay up yes- terday,” he said. “We need a couple weeks of weather exactly like this. And then, we need another good rain.” With Independence Day coming up, Melville has defi nite thoughts on its meaning. “I love the country and what it means to be free,” he said. “Because of the freedom of religion and the First and Second Amendments, they’re very important. The rest of the world just doesn’t realize how bad it can be in other countries and how import- ant these freedoms are to us.” In addition to farming this sum- mer, he hopes to get a little time off for hiking. “I want to go up to Slickrock, three miles up Hurricane Creek,” he said. “It’s a beautiful spot to hike up to with a beautiful gorge and the water just rushing down through there.” Like many in the county, Melville likes Wallowa County as it is and has fi rm advice for anyone thinking of moving here. “If you want to come here, come here and adapt to this lifestyle,” he said. “Don’t bring Portland up here.” — Bill Bradshaw, Wallowa County Chieftain WALLOWA COUNTY — The 246th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence will once again get a rip-roaring recognition from one end of Wal- lowa County to the other, Monday, July 4, with the Old-Time Fourth of July Parade and Celebration in Wallowa. Parade The parade, which usually includes 30-40 entries, kicks off at 11 a.m. from the high school foot- ball fi eld. “We’re hoping we have a lot,” said Carolyn Harshfi eld, city recorder. This year’s parade is not expected to have the spirit of rebel- Wallowa County Chieftain/File Photo The Wallowa Independence Day Parade gets underway July 4, 2021, led by two vehicles from Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 4307 bearing the colors and gaining a respectful response from parade-goers. Wallowa will hold this year’s parade Monday, July 4, 2022. CHIEF JOESPH DAYS RANCH RODEO FENCE CREEK RANCH cleans up Brown, state lawmakers widely condemn decision By LYNNE TERRY AND ALEX BAUMHARDT Oregon Capital Chronicle By BILL BRADSHAW Wallowa County Chieftain J FOR MORE RODEO PHOTOS GO TO PAGE A7 See Fourth, Page A7 U.S. Supreme Court overturned nearly 50 years of abortion rights protections CJD events kick off over weekend OSEPH — The winners of the 2022 Chief Joseph Days Ranch Rodeo were led by the team from Fence Creek Ranch of Hanley Miller, Hadley Miller and Sy York when all was said and done Saturday, June 25, at the Harley Tucker Arena in Joseph. The rodeo began the day before as a couple dozen riders took part in a trail ride from the arena, through town and up the East Moraine above Wallowa Lake. But the real action took place as local teams of wranglers demon- strated working ranch skills of branding, doctoring, sorting and roping, as well as seeing budding young future cowboys and cowgirls try their hands at a stick horse race. Robin Lewis, one of the rodeo organizers, said about 200 peo- ple attended and the event raised about $5,500, including funds raised through the live and silent auctions and a percentage of the Calcutta. The funds raised go to local high school students who graduated this year. Scholarship recipients this year were Ian Goodrich of Joseph and Alona Yost of Enterprise. There was no entrant from Wallowa. Points won for the day among the teams — after the Fence Creek Ranch — were Temple Ranch of Brian Temple, Tristin Bales and Joshua Bales in second; Quail Run Ranch of Barrie Qualle, Casey Lit- tle and Jerry Cobb in third; and Smiling M Ranch of Bo Patzke, Damion Patton and Shawn More- head in fourth. liousness exhibited two years ago when, against state government orders, Wallowans went ahead and held their Independence Day Parade without government sanc- tion — or an offi cial closure of Highway 82 through town. With the COVID-19 pandemic virtually over, there’s no need to close such events, Harshfi eld said. Ruby Frazier will serve as grand marshal of the parade. Last week, Little Miss Fourth of July and Little Mister Liberty were selected. Greta Kennedy and Dylan Wortman will ride near the start of parade behind the grand marshal. Entrants are asked to sign up by June 30, Harshfi eld said. “There can be last-minute ones Photos by Bill Bradshaw/Wallowa County Chieftain Chief Joseph Days Rodeo Queen Maggie Zacharias, right, leads riders across the road from the rodeo grounds Friday, June 24, 2022, at the start of a trail ride to kick off the CJD Ranch Rodeo. The riders rode through Joseph and up the East Moraine. The Temple Ranch team of, from left, Tristin Bales, Joshua Bales and Brian Temple direct a calf into a pen during the team sorting event Saturday, June 25, 2022, of the Chief Joseph Days Ranch Rodeo in Joseph. The team came in second for both the event and the day. WINNERS OF THE EVENTS WERE: TEAM BRANDING First: Quail Run Ranch Second: Fence Creek Ranch TEAM DOCTORING First: Fence Creek Ranch Second: Smiling M Ranch TEAM SORTING First: Fence Creek Ranch Second: Temple Ranch A couple dozen riders rode up the East Moraine above Wallowa Lake on Friday, June 24, 2022, during a trail ride that kicked off the Chief Joseph Days Ranch Rodeo. TEAM ROPING First: Fence Creek Ranch Second: Campbells — Jaycee Campbell, Amy Campbell and Bucky Campbell THE CALCUTTA Hadley Miller, with Lowell Lewis in second and Karen Rahming in third JIM PROBERT TOP HAND AWARD Tristin Bales and Jerry Cobb. BEST COWGIRL AWARD Amy Campbell The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision Friday to overturn nearly 50 years of abortion rights protections sparked an outpouring of condemnation in Oregon where reproductive rights are protected by law and Democrats hold the majority of state offi ces. Political leaders, from the state’s U.S. sen- ators and rep- resentatives to legislators and candidates for offi ce, called the decision “heartbreak- Brown ing,” “infuriat- ing” and “dan- gerous” while Republicans praised it. The decision, written by conservative Justice Samuel Alito, overturns Roe v. Wade and Casey, a subsequent deci- sion affi rming abortion rights. “The Constitution does not confer a right to abortion; Roe and Casey are overruled; and the authority to regulate abor- tion is returned to the people and their elected representa- tives,” the decision said. That conclusion was anticipated after a draft of the ruling was leaked earlier this year. Abortion rights are protected by law in Oregon, and the pro- cedure is free, even to undoc- umented immigrants. But 13 states have “trigger” laws antic- ipated the court’s decision that will make abortions illegal, either immediately or within a certain time frame. Idaho’s ban will go into eff ect in 30 days. Abortions rights advocates expect those bans to create a dramatic uptick in demand for abortion in states like Oregon, Washington and California, where reproductive rights are protected. About two hours after the decision was released, the gov- ernors of the three states issued a “Multi-State Commitment to Reproductive Freedom” that not only affi rmed abortion rights but also pledged to protect from prosecution and extradition those patients who seek care in one of the three states. The pact See Abortion, Page A7