A16
News & Sports
Blue Mountain Eagle
Wednesday, July 15, 2015
Tucker Wright bulldogs at CNFR New laws will help turn environmental
crisis into economic opportunity
GU grad steer
wrestles to
7th in nation
Blue Mountain Eagle
By Angel Carpenter
Blue Mountain Eagle
CASPER, WYO. – Steer
wrestler Tucker Wright ¿n-
ished seventh in the nation at
the June 14-20 College Nation-
al Finals Rodeo.
Riding for Walla Walla
Community College, Wright
placed eighth in the ¿rst round
with a 5.5 and missed his sec-
ond steer. He was seventh in
the third go-round with a 5.9
and fourth in the short round
with a 7.7.
“It was a good experience,”
Wright said. “Just being able to
¿nish seventh in the nation as a
freshman was an accomplish-
ment.”
He spent the season practic-
ing with his WWCC team twice
a week, and he plans to return
this fall.
His pickup man at the
Contributed photo/Dan Hubbell
Steer wrestler Tucker Wright goes for the takedown
at the College National Finals Rodeo in Casper,
Wyo. The Canyon City resident, riding for Walla
Walla Community College, placed seventh in the
standings.
CNFR was teammate Taylor
Duby.
Wright, the son of Trent and
Jamie Wright of Canyon City, is
a 2014 graduate of Grant Union
High School in John Day.
He started steer wrestling
when he became involved in the
Grant County High School Ro-
deo Club.
He says he hopes to become
a professional steer wrestler.
“It’s fun, and I just enjoy
doing it,” he said.
Ready, set, go! Grant County Fair
and Rodeo is around the corner
Entrants
encouraged to
prep for fair
By Angel Carpenter
Blue Mountain Eagle
JOHN DAY – The Grant
County Fair and Rodeo is
coming up Aug. 5-8.
Talent search coordina-
tors would like to get the
word out to interested folks
to tune their guitar strings,
practice their singing and
dance routines, and polish
comedy acts in preparation
for the big day.
This
year’s
talent
competition will be held
Wednesday, Aug. 5, and
the event will return this
year to the rodeo arena
with the audience in the
grandstands.
Fair manager Mary
Weaver said there is a
big push for more exhib-
its this year, and they’re
hoping to fill the pavilion.
Entrants can pick up la-
bels at the fairgrounds, and
those with photography
or drawings and paintings
should remember to have
their artwork matted.
Note a correction from the
Fair Guide: fruits, vegetables
and Àower open class entries
are only excepted Tuesday,
Aug. 4 from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m.
“The community is wel-
come to this year’s Grant
County Fair and Rodeo at
new, lower gate prices,”
Weaver said.
Wednesday
admission
is free, and all three days,
Thursday-Saturday,
costs
$10. Seniors 65 and over,
and children 5 and under, are
admitted free.
“The carnival is back for
the second year, we have
some varied food conces-
sions,” she said.
For more information,
call the fair of¿ce at 541-
575-1900.
SALEM – Governor Brown
signed two bills that recognize
Western Juniper management
effort is a win-win for eastern
Oregon environment and job
creation. Two complementary
bills aimed at controlling the
spread of native invasive West-
ern Juniper and supporting new
jobs and commercial markets
for the wood became Oregon
law on July 1.
The Western Juniper Al-
liance (WJA) proposed the
package of legislative requests
which became House Bills
2997 and 2998. Together the
bills encourage sustainable har-
vest and utilization of Western
Juniper for ecological bene¿t
and economic development
and job creation in rural Ore-
gon communities, as well as
provide sustainable and locally
produced wood products to the
urban marketplace and green
building sector. Both bills are
funded with lottery funds.
“According to the state’s
own economists, every new job
created in Oregon’s hard-hit
eastern counties is equivalent
to 240 new jobs in the Portland
area,” says Dylan Kruse, Policy
Our Services by a registered nurse include:
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• Particular attention to Diabetic Foot
• Multifunctional massage chair
• Skin Inspection • Callus Removal • Nail Cutting
We also check your blood pressure, blood sugar level and oxygen saturation.
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541- 575-1648
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$35 00 fee
Blue Mountain Eagle
SALEM — The Oregon
Senate joined the Oregon
House of Representatives
and passed House Bill
3402, which, if signed by
the governor, will increase
the legal speed limit from
65 to 70 on Oregon Inter-
state 84 from the Idaho
border west to The Dalles,
(excluding highway work
CEO
these components – it’s very
rarely found in a hospital of
this size,” he said.
Developments he hopes
to see in the future include a
chemotherapy infusion center
and continuing improvements
to respiratory therapy services.
Doctors Andrew and An-
drea Janssen of Strawberry
Mountain Community Clin-
ic are moving their family to
Ethiopia later this summer to
FIRES
Continued from Page A1
Blue Mountain Hospital
FOOT CLINIC
www.bluemountainhospital.org
Services available at the
Home Health Office,
422 W. Main, John Day.
workforce development to en-
sure that jobs in the Juniper
industry bene¿t rural com-
munities suffering from high
unemployment and poverty.
($100,000)
• Funds for mapping anal-
ysis to make sure we have
an identi¿ed and sustainable
supply of Juniper that balanc-
es industry needs and envi-
ronmental bene¿t, as well as
inform future public and pri-
vate land management needs.
($100,000)
Dan Nichols, Harney
County Commissioner, says he
has seen the bene¿ts that a ¿-
nancial leg-up from the govern-
ment can provide to struggling
timber businesses in his county.
“It’s been almost impossible for
some of these juniper harvest-
ers and millers to get any sort
of ¿nancial assistance to grow
their businesses. If they could
have access to capital for buy-
ing additional equipment, they
can hire more workers, which
improves the economy across
the region.”
Western Juniper is imper-
vious to rot and disease, thus
making it an ideal building
alternative to cedars and red-
wood.
65 mph speed limit to return if governor signs bill
Continued from Page A1
TREAT
YOUR
FEET
Director for Sustainable North-
west, a non-pro¿t based in Port-
land, Oregon that manages the
Western Juniper Alliance and
wrote and advocated for the
bills. Sustainable Northwest re-
stores forests, rivers, and range-
lands for healthier habitat and
clean air and water.
HB 2997 provides $250,000
in funds for cooperative efforts
between businesses, agencies,
and NGOs to improve the Ju-
niper supply chain and conduct
market development to grow
the industry. This will introduce
larger volumes of Juniper in
green building markets and ag-
ricultural operations.
HB 2998 provides $900,000
total for:
• Working capital in the
form of loans and grants for
Juniper sawmills and entrepre-
neurs to strengthen and expand
their businesses and maintain
and create jobs in rural commu-
nities. ($500,000)
• Technical and business as-
sistance to Juniper businesses
to improve their ¿nancial via-
bility, create strong operating
plans, and maintain a durable
and ef¿cient presence in the
marketplace. ($200,000)
• Training programs for
The management of the Cor-
ner Creek Fire was transferred
to Albuquerque Zone Type 3
Incident Management team
zones) and increases the
55 mph speed limit to 65
on selected Eastern Oregon
state highways. (The speed
limit on Highway 95 from
Jordan Valley to McDermitt
will be 70 mph).
“Oregon currently has the
slowest highway (55 mph)
and interstate (65 mph) speed
limits in the western Unit-
ed States,” Rep. Cliff Bentz
(R-Ontario) said. “The im-
provements in safety features
now required on automobiles,
the improvement in road sys-
tems and in braking and light-
ing technology, combine to
make driving safer and this
supports use of higher speed
limits on selected open roads
in Eastern Oregon.”
Rep. Bentz joined Rep.
Rep. Greg Barreto (R-Cove)
in working this bill through
the legislature.
practice and teach family med-
icine through the Christian
SIM (Serving In Mission) or-
ganization.
Mee said he expects the
Janssens will be out of the
country for two to three years
– perhaps,as many as 10 years.
Filling the vacancy will be
Dr. Robert Bomengen who
starts full time July 6.
Mee’s wife Mercedes has
been a neonatal nurse for 30
years, and she may work at
BMH in some capacity in the
future; her experience includes
work at Beth Israel Medical
Center in Boston, Mass.
The couple have two grown
daughters, one in Oregon and
the other back East, and three
grandchildren.
In their free time, the cou-
ple enjoy hiking, kayaking
and gol¿ng.
Randall said he’s looking
forward to his work at BMH.
“I’m impressed with the
level of compassion and
competence – and it’s a fun
staff to work with,” he said.
“Their desire to provide the
premiere services to Grant
County is commendable, and
makes this an enjoyable po-
sition.”
Tuesday morning.
The South Fork Road/Coun-
ty Road 42 has been reopened
for public use. An area closure
remains in effect around the ¿re
on National Forest land.
West Fork Fire update
Fork Fire area received at least
a 1/2 - inch of rain Sunday and,
as a result, minimal ¿re activity
occurred. The wet conditions,
however, have delayed the repair
work on the contingency lines.
As conditions allowed, ¿re crews
continued to mop up along the
¿re lines and patrolled the area.
While ¿re behavior was very
limited due to moist and cool
conditions over the weekend,
the wet conditions on the ¿re
delayed the repair work on the
contingency lines earlier this
week. Fire¿ghters will continue
to patrol and monitor the ¿re.
At present the ¿re poses no
immediate threat but as seasonal
weather returns and unburned fu-
els between the ¿re and the con-
tainment lines dry the ¿re will
need to be monitored closely.
Portions of the 770-acre West
A TTENTION G RANT C OUNTY V ETERANS :
Did you know Grant County
Veterans Services Officer is available
to assist YOU in applying for all VA
benefits you may be entitled to?
See your Grant County Veteran Services
Officer today for more information,
located at Grant County Court House.
Open: Mon, Wed, & Fri 10 am - 4 pm,
Appointment available at other times
Call 541-575-1631
Grant County
Fair & Rodeo Guide
is here!
Pick up a copy
from any of these
local businesses:
Blue Mountain Eagle
Pioneer Feed
Fair Office
OSU Extension Office
Gibco
Bar WB