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THE
138th Year, No. 15
Wednesday, August 24, 2022
WALLOWA.COM
Best in show
Main Street
Show and Shine
Tom
Hill
celebrates
Job brought eighth year
him home
to county
Commissioners
agree to put
psilocybin measure
on November ballot
Enterprise
By BILL BRADSHAW
Wallowa County Chieftain
By BILL BRADSHAW
Wallowa County Chieftain
ENTERPRISE — Tom Hill just
moved back to Enterprise about six
months ago, but he’s been in and
out of Wallowa County for the past
20 years.
He moved back because of a job
opportunity at Viridian Manage-
ment where he works as a software
engineer.
“It was in the stars for me to
move back and take a job and have
all my needs met,” he said.
He had lived in Portland, but he
didn’t like the big city.
“It was so busy with all the peo-
ple,” he said.
He has several favorite things
about Wallowa County.
“I like the sense of community
that Wallowa County and Enterprise
have always come to off er,” he said.
“There’s not a feeling (here) I’ve had
anywhere else. I’ve always felt like
this was home for me. The views are
amazing … I feel completely safe. I
know most of the people around
here.”
He’s enjoyed several things this
summer.
“Going to the lake is always fun,”
he said. “I really like the night sky. I
have a telescope and can look at all
the stars.”
When that hailstorm hit Wal-
lowa, Hill was in Enterprise. He
wasn’t aware of the storm that pum-
meled Wallowa until he got home
and listened to a scanner.
“My heart goes out to everybody
in Wallowa,” he said, adding that
many friends have gone down there
to help and others have pitched in
with fundraising.
“It’s super cool to see that aspect
of it,” he said.
He’s not too worried about fi re
season, since the Oregon Depart-
ment of Forestry increased restric-
tions because of fi re season, but he
hasn’t forgotten about it.
“It’s always in the back of my
mind,” he said. “Especially in the late
summer and early fall when every-
thing’s starting to dry out. It’s always
a worry, but you have to expect it liv-
ing here.”
Hill has advice for people who
are thinking about moving here.
“Be prepared to fi nd your own
purpose,” he said.
— Bill Bradshaw,
Wallowa County Chieftain
E
NTERPRISE — A
1934 Ford Roadster
owned and driven by
Jim Boyer, of Payette,
Idaho, was declared
Best in Show on Satur-
day, Aug. 20, during the
eighth annual Main Street Show
and Shine.
Boyer said it took him and his
brother, Jim, almost two years to
build the roadster and the Show and
Shine was its fi rst road test.
Doug Crow, of Main Street
Motors, Enterprise — which along
with the Enterprise Elks Lodge
sponsored the event — said there
were 127 entries this year, a bit
down from the fi rst year’s tally of
138.
“This is one of the better years,”
Crow said. “It was well attended,
both in participants and spectators.”
The sun wasn’t shining all
day, and as the awards were being
handed out and the cruise began,
the storm clouds moved in and
gave drivers and other car enthu-
siasts alike a healthy downpour.
County
voters to
decide
on ban
Bill Bradshaw/Wallowa County Chieftain
Maury Bunn, left, of Alder Slope, talks over Jim Boyer’s 1934 Ford
Roadster with Boyer on Friday, Aug. 19, 2022, before the start of a cruise
to Imnaha from Joseph as the fi rst event in this year’s Main Street Show
and Shine. The next day, Boyer’s car was judged Best in Show when the
awards were handed out in Enterprise. Boyer came from Payette, Idaho.
The rain continued as the clas-
sic cars and trucks pulled out for
their cruise past the Wallowa Valley
Senior Living Center in Enterprise
and then on to the Alpine House in
Joseph.
Skies were a bit more clear the
previous day when the event started
with a cruise from Joseph to the
Imnaha Tavern, where the group
had lunch and a drawing.
In addition to the Best in Show,
winners of the car show were:
• Farthest Traveled: Robert Sil-
cock, from Bullhead City, Arizona,
with his 1969 Chevrolet Corvette.
Award sponsor: Les Schwab Tire
Co.
• Survivor Award: Ken Bryan,
of Enterprise, for his 1973 Dodge
Charger. Award sponsor: Log
House RV Park.
• Moonshine Runner: Timo-
thy Narron, of La Grande, for his
1986 Chevrolet K5. Award spon-
sor: Stein Distillery.
• 1975 and Newer Car Original:
Rick Berend, of Wallowa, for his
2007 Ford Mustang. Award spon-
sor: Cameron’s Wallowa County
Ace Hardware.
• 1975 and Newer Car Modi-
fi ed: Scot Butner, of La Grande,
for his 1980 Pontiac Fire-
bird Trans Am. Award sponsor:
Sports Corral.
See Show, Page A9
ENTERPRISE — Wallowa
County voters will have the chance
to decide whether or not they want
psilocybin distribution and use
legal in unincorporated areas of the
county, now that the county commis-
sioners have agreed to put it on the
November ballot.
The commissioners held the sec-
ond of two required public hearings
Wednesday, Aug. 17, when three
people showed up in person and one
via Zoom. The three at the meet-
ing all were against banning psilo-
cybin and the one on Zoom did not
express an opinion but was seeking
information.
The commissioners held the fi rst
hearing on the issue Aug. 3, at which
Dr. Renee Grandi provided medical
information on psilocybin therapy
they found valuable.
“Dr. (Renee) Grandi came in last
time and gave a lot of good infor-
mation for us,” commission Chair-
woman Susan Roberts said.
But, she emphasized, the govern-
ment had stopped serious research
on psilocybin several years ago, “and
they’re just now starting up again.”
She emphasized that the bal-
lot issue will not make it impossi-
ble to ever have psilocybin therapy,
if research should defi nitively show
the drug is helpful. But that’s not the
case as yet, she said.
“I think what people are saying is
they’d like to have more time on that
research,” Roberts said.
She said that as research grows
and education on psilocybin
increases, the voters could recon-
sider the issue.
Personal experience
Matt Kurtz, of Joseph, one of
the three who attended the hearing
in person, said psilocybin therapy
helped eliminate depression and
suicidal tendencies he struggled
with from childhood.
Auto enthusiasts and others just out for a good time stroll
down Enterprise’s Main Street on Saturday, Aug. 20, 2022, during
the car show portion of the eighth annual Show and Shine.
See Psilocybin, Page A9
Bill Bradshaw/Wallowa County Chieftain
WALLOWA COUNTY SCHOOLS
Schools get COVID-ready Hailstorm restoration won’t
shake Wallowa School
District’s fi nancial stability
By BILL BRADSHAW
Wallowa County Chieftain
ENTERPRISE — As Wallowa
County schools prepare for a new
school year, another look at keeping
kids safe from COVID-19 is a major
part of administrators’ concerns.
Becky Nordtvedt, the new super-
intendent for the Wallowa County
Educational Service District, said
Thursday, Aug. 18, that each school
district sets its own policies and
those plans must be submitted to the
Oregon Department of Education
by Friday, Aug. 26 — or the fi rst day
of school, whichever is earliest.
The fi rst day of school for Enter-
prise students is Monday, Aug.
29, while Joseph students go back
Wednesday, Aug. 24. Wallowa stu-
dents were to return Aug. 25, but
damage to buildings caused by the
Aug. 11 hailstorm delayed that to
Aug. 29.
The Oregon Health Authority
and the ODE held a press confer-
ence Wednesday, Aug. 18, to dis-
cuss any changes for the coming
school year.
Colt Gill, ODE director, empha-
sized during the conference that
nearly all health and safety proto-
cols will be locally determined by
district leaders in conjunction with
local health offi cials.
Some statewide rules remain in
eff ect, Nordtvedt confi rmed, such
as requiring vaccinations — or
approved exceptions — for faculty
and staff .
But most requirements, such as
face masks, social distancing, ven-
tilation protocols and testing for the
coronavirus remain in local hands.
Nordtvedt said she is not aware
of the specifi cs of each district’s
plan that will be submitted, but
she believes they’re all quite simi-
lar, since the county has a number
of students who may live near one
school and attend another.
“The beauty is all of our schools
have very similar plans,” she said.
“In terms of what things looked like
in the (past) spring, I think it’ll be
similar.”
Last spring, the state lifted the
requirement that students and staff
wear face masks, but anyone is
allowed to wear one if they choose.
However, she said, “Things can
change if the COVID transmission
rates change.”
See COVID, Page A9
The roof replacement will be
done starting with the roofs most
seriously damaged. The roof
WALLOWA — The severe of the high school’s gym and
hailstorm that battered the Wal- of the building that houses the
lowa School District’s campus school district’s vocation-agri-
earlier this month will not shake culture and music programs will
be replaced fi rst. Next the roof of
the district’s fi nancial stability.
“Insurance should take care of Wallowa Elementary School will
be replaced and fi nally
everything we need. We
the roof of Wallowa
should be fi ne,” Wallowa
High School. The goal is
School District Super-
to have all of the roofs
intendent Tammy Jones
replaced before winter,
said.
Jones said.
The superintendent
Temporary
repair
said representatives of
measures for the roofs
the school district’s insur-
Jones
have already been taken.
ance companies have
Tarps have been placed
indicated that the Wal-
lowa School District will have over the roofs of the high school
most of its losses covered. This gym and the building housing
means the new roofs needed for the school district’s vocation-ag-
the school district’s major build- riculture and music programs.
ings will be covered by insur- Sealing work has been done
ance, Jones said. She said that on the roofs of the elementary
as long as a building has a foun- school and the high school.
dation, most restoration work
See Hail, Page A9
will be covered.
By DICK MASON
The Observer