PLAY BALL!
Spring sports go
into full swing
– PAGE B1
Grant County’s newspaper since 1868
W EDNESDAY , A PRIL 1, 2015
• N O . 13
• 20 P AGES
• $1.00
www.MyEagleNews.com
County settles Gravley lawsuit
A second case continues in District Court
Both she and Matthew Ellis, Grav-
ley’s Portland attorney, declined to dis-
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CANYON CITY – Attorneys for mediation before it was resolved.
Grant County and James N. Gravley
With the settlement, the U.S. District
have forged a $100,000 settlement in the Court in Pendleton dismissed the law-
¿UVWRIWZRGLVFULPLQDWLRQODZVXLWVWKDW suit with prejudice, meaning the plaintiff
arose from a 2013 hiring discussion.
FDQQRW¿OHDQRWKHUODZVXLWRQWKHVDPH
/DZ\HUVIRUERWKVLGHVFRQ¿UPHGWKH grounds.
settlement amount.
Vickers said there’s no admission of
The county’s attorney, Karen M. liability by the county.
Vickers of Mersereau Shannon LLP in
Gravley was a parole and probation
Portland, said the money will be covered RI¿FHU IRU *UDQW &RXQW\ &RPPXQLW\
by the county’s insurance through City- &RUUHFWLRQV XQWLO KH ZDV ¿UHG LQ -XQH
county Insurance Services.
2014.
By Scotta Callister
Blue Mountain Eagle
Squad
sets off
device in
Prairie
Blue Mountain Eagle
PRAIRIE CITY – The Or-
egon State Police bomb squad
was called in last week after a
Prairie City landlord discovered
DKRPHPDGH¿UHZRUNVGHYLFHLQ
a rental home.
John Day Police Depart-
ment, which provides police ser-
vices in Prairie City, responded
to the incident on Wednesday,
March 25, and called in the OSP
East Explosives Unit, based in
Hermiston.
Police Chief Richard Gray
said the device – which turned
RXW WR EH DQ 0 VW\OH ¿UH
FUDFNHUWKDWKDGEHHQPRGL¿HG
– apparently was left behind by
a tenant who moved out of the
rental home; the property owner
found it while cleaning up, and
turned it over to Sgt. Damon
Rand.
Gray said Rand determined
the device, while not live, could
be detonated. He moved it to
Prairie Wood Products lot where
the explosive experts could ex-
amine and dispose of it.
The OSP team detonated the
device safely about 7:40 p.m.,
OSP reported.
The incident remains under
investigation, Gray said.
S TUDENT ART
McKenna Elliott
Grade 9
Grant Union High School
Teacher: JJ Collier
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contended he was dismissed after he
complained about co-workers using les-
bian slurs to describe a job applicant. It
named the county, Myers, Community
Corrections director Dean Hoodenpyl,
and County Clerk Brenda Percy as de-
fendants. He sought some $800,000,
claiming lost wages, distress and injury
to his reputation.
In its response, the county said the
dismissal was for a different reason,
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good faith to comply with the laws. The
¿OLQJDOVRFODLPHG³TXDOL¿HGLPPXQLW\´
for the defendants.
County Judge Scott Myers declined
to comment on the case or other litiga-
tion stemming from the hiring meeting.
7KHFRXQW\VWLOOIDFHVDODZVXLW¿OHG
last December by Terry Hanson, the
job applicant. Her complaint named the
county and Hoodenpyl as defendants.
She is alleging discrimination on the
basis of sex or assumptions about sexual
orientation.
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the lawyers proposed a schedule for dis-
covery to be completed in April and mo-
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7KH¿OLQJQRWHVWKHSDUWLHVDOVRGLV
cussed alternative dispute resolution, but
said at that time they were not interested
in taking that course.
E AGLE Q&A
PET
TALK
Preventative care is key
Eagle file photo
And they’re off! Children
of all ages scramble for
Easter eggs during the
2014 Elks Lodge hunt at
Seventh Street Complex
in John Day. Hunts are
planned in several Grant
County
communities
this Saturday, April 4.
Ready,
set – go
for the
eggs!
By Cheryl Hoefler
Blue Mountain Eagle
M
edical
ex-
perts stress
prevention
as the key to
good health – and not just
for people.
The Eagle recent-
ly visited with Dr. Julie
Stafford, a veterinarian
at John Day River Veter-
inary Center, to discuss
the importance of regular
pet wellness checks and
other vital factors in good
pet health.
Q: Why are regular
wellness exams so im-
portant?
A: The key is preven-
tative care. We want to
make sure your critters
are as healthy as they
can be, and catch things
before they happen. Peo-
ple want their pets to live
as long as they can and
that’s our goal, too. It
starts with education and
getting pets in more often
for regular care.
Q: How often should
an owner take their pet
in for a check up?
At least every year,
even if your pet seems
healthy. It’s important
to remember that pets
have a shorter life span
and age at a faster rate
than humans. If you take
your critter in less of-
ten than that, it would
be like taking your child
in to the doctor as a
baby or toddler and then
not again he or she is a
teenager.
“Senior” pets – dogs
older than 7 and cats old-
er than 9-10 – should be
brought in more often
because things can hap-
pen quicker as animals
age.
The Eagle/Cheryl Hoefler
See PETS, Page A10
Dr. Laura Meadows checks on a local pooch at John Day River Veterinary
Center.
Activities coming
up throughout
the county
Blue Mountain Eagle
We’ve got some egg-citing
news: It’s time for Easter fun!
Several egg hunts and other
activities are coming up this
weekend throughout Grant
County.
Here’s the schedule:
Friday, April 3
• John Day Fire Station:
Egg coloring from 10 a.m.-2
p.m.
Saturday, April 4
• Mt. Vernon Park: Egg hunt
at 10 a.m., courtesy of the Mt.
Vernon Fire Department, who
ZLOODOVRRIIHUULGHVRQ¿UHHQ
gines throughout town.
• Dayville City Park: Egg
hunt at 10:30 a.m. There will
be four age divisions, from in-
fant through sixth-grade, with
a guarantee of prizes and fun
for all. Prior to the hunt, will
be the town’s second annual
Bunny Hop 5K Run/Walk.
Registration is at 8 a.m. and
the 5K at 9 a.m. The cost is $10
a person, with proceeds going
toward the town’s Fourth of
July celebration. Call Dayville
City Hall, 541-987-2188, for
more information.
• Seventh Street Complex:
Egg hunt at 11 a.m., spon-
sored by the John Day Elks
/RGJH$UHDVRIWKH¿HOGZLOO
be divided up into four age
groups, with prizes galore. The
Easter Bunny will be available
too, for photos.
• Grant Union High School,
Three Flags Field: Egg hunt
at noon, by the John Day Fire
'HSDUWPHQW7KH ¿HOG ZLOO EH
divided into age groups, with
lots of prizes. Children will
EHDEOHWRKRSDERDUG¿UHHQ
gines, and also visit with the
Easter Bunny.
U.S. House OKs county payments
Measure next must
get Senate approval
Blue Mountain Eagle
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S.
House last week passed a two-year
extension of the Secure Rural Schools
program that provides payments to ru-
ral timber counties.
The extension was announced by
U.S. Rep. Greg Walden, who was suc-
cessful in getting it included in a bill
to reform doctor pay under Medicare.
The measure passed by a vote of 392-
37.
Walden, R-Oregon, lauded the ap-
proval, but also stressed the need con-
WLQXHVIRUD³SHUPDQHQW¿[IRURXUIRU
ested counties.”
“But this is an emergency, and what
we’re doing today is providing a life-
line to our school children in class-
rooms in rural counties that are forest-
ed under federal land, and making sure
law enforcement have the resources
they need,” he said.
The two-year extension is expect-
ed to be considered by the Senate this
week.
Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, called
the House vote “concrete recognition
that linking the safety net to unsustain-
able and unacceptable logging practic-
es can never become law.”
Walden urged quick action in the
Senate, and noted the president has
said he will sign it.
Walden also said further action is
needed in Congress toward a perma-
nent solution that reforms federal for-
est policy.
“I remain fully committed to work-
ing on forestry legislation that puts peo-
ple back to work in the woods, reduces
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revenue to allow for self-sustaining
counties and the people in them,” he
said. “I just hope this time, with a new
majority in the Senate, we’ll be able to
move forward.”