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About The Blue Mountain eagle. (John Day, Or.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 26, 2015)
A8 Wildfires Blue Mountain Eagle Wednesday, August 26, 2015 Hay help is here for local livestock Donations are being stored at Grant Western %\&KHU\O+RHÀHU Blue Mountain Eagle JOHN DAY — Help is pouring in for the largest pop- ulace in Grant County — live- stock. “Hay for John Day” is a ven- ture striving to provide ranchers with hay for horses and cattle that either have been displaced and moved to other locations or whose hay storage burned during the wild¿ res. Kristin Currin, of La Grande, and Jim Hamsher, of Prairie City, are the hard-working pair behind the donation effort. Early on in the disaster, Cur- rin, who was trying to get some hay down to John Day, and Hamsher, who was looking for hay donations, met via social media and coordinated their ef- forts into one force. Hamsher is handling the lo- cal end of things — coordinat- ing inquiries from people who need hay, those who have hay to donate and people who have equipment and vehicles to help get all the bales moved accord- ingly. Deliveries can also be ar- ranged. Displaced horses cor- ralled at the fairgrounds in John Day are already bene¿ t- ing from meals of donated hay. Grant Western Lumber Company in John Day is serv- ing as the hay storage location. The hay is available 24 hours a FAMILY HEALTH Ryan Brown helps make advertising signs for the “Hay for John Day” effort. Contributed photos/Jim Hamsher Steve Parsons, with a backhoe, helps unload donated hay at the Grant County Fairgrounds. Brad Campbell gets ready to move a couple of bales of hay he and Pam Campbell brought to John Day from Central Oregon. A full load of donated hay is ready to be unloaded at the Grant Western Lumber Company storage area, thanks to several volunteers — Bard and Cheryl Wishard and Jan O’Rorke for the donation, and George Hamsher for use of the truck. day, seven days a week. People should contact Hamsher in ad- vance to make arrangements, and, if needed, he can arrange al Grant County locations and as far away as Baker, Bend, Redmond, Prineville and the Burns area. More loads are Treatment and Surgery of Foot and Ankle • In-Grown Nails Bunions • Warts • Gout Corns & Callouses Diabetic Foot Screening Foot Odor • Athletes Foot Treatment for pain in feet, shins, heels, knees, lower back. Custom molded orthotics. MICHAEL RUSHTON, DPM Podiatric physician & Surgeon Dr. Rushton is Preferred Providerfor Lifewise and Blue Cross/Blue Shield and a Medicate participant. ÓnÎäÊ£äÌ Ê-Ì°]Ê>iÀÊ ÌÞ]Ê", | x{£xÓ{ä£ÓÓ OFFICE HOURS: EVERY OTHER TUESDAY The doctor speaks Spanish - El Doctor habla Espanol. manpower and vehicles for loading and unloading. According to Hamsher, do- nations have come from sever- coming later from Sandy and Salem. “The Lord is just guiding all these people to me,” said Old West fund swells to nearly $50,000 Fire victims urged to come forward Blue Mountain Eagle JOHN DAY — Donations to Old West Federal Cred- it Union’s fund for Canyon Creek Comple[ ¿ re victims have been pouring in. According to Ken Olson, Old West CEO, the Commu- nity Fire Relief Fund total was “just shy of $50,000” as of Aug. 24. Money has been coming in not just from throughout Grant County and Oregon, but from all corners of the country, Olson said, as peo- ple open their wallets, check- books and credit cards to do- nate to the account. g n i h s i F t s e B C ONTEST C O O T O H P W ith two ch o a r nc g e r s an t d o p w r in ize! kly He is organizing a com- mittee to help determine peo- ple’s needs, and on that note, the committee needs victims to reach out for help. “Our top priority is to get the word out to people that the help is here,” Olson said. They don’t need to have lost their home any ¿ re vic- tim who had damage to home and/or property is urged to come forward. A form is available where donors can designate their donation to go to the general fund, or to a speci¿ c person, family or agency, so getting names of those impacted is critical. Olson said advocate groups also will be created to be spokespersons for those who don’t know what they need. Vouchers for immedi- ate needs are available at the fairgrounds pavilion, which people can then exchange for VISA gift cards at Old West. The Old West account is set up in partnership with the Fairgrounds Relief Effort. Donations may be made in person at any Old West branch, by mail to 650 W. Main St., John Day, OR 97845, or over the phone via credit card by calling 541-575-0264 or 1-888-575- 0264. Old West is administering the account at no charge and will account for all funds it receives to ensure donated funds are used ef¿ ciently and effectively. The fund is a growing collaboration of concerned community individuals, part- ners and agencies with the goal to provide relief to vic- tims quickly. FACEBOOKERS: Become an Eagle fan today! Go to: facebook.com/MyEagleNews wee G o fishing in G rant C ounty, and send in photos from your experience. You Could WIN $10 WEEKLY OR $100 GRAND PRIZE Open to all amateur photographers. The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife has stocked some big ones in local lakes and waterways this summer. This is your chance to catch supper and maybe win a prize, in the 2015 Best Fishing Photo Contest sponsored by the Blue Mountain Eagle, Boyd Britton Welding and Prairie Springs Fish Farm. • Photos will be judged for quality, content, viewer appeal. Remember, it’s not the biggest fish – but the best fishing photo that takes the prize! • Photos must be taken this summer in Grant County. • Digital format is best - e-mail to kristina@bmeagle.com or bring in a disc to the Eagle office, 195 N. Canyon Blvd., John Day. • Deadline for submissions: Sep. 21, 2015 for the grand prize. Fisherman’s Name:__________________________________________ Where the fish was caught:____________________Date taken: _________ Fish Species:____________________Weight & Length________________ Contact phone number:_______________________ Contact e-mail address:________________________________ For more info, call the Eagle, 541-575-0710 – and happy fishing! 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. Hamsher. He said many ranchers won’t be allowed to let their cattle back on the land for a long time, making this a longterm need and donation drive, possibly as long as three years. Don’t have hay or equip- ment? Monetary donations are also welcome. Hamsher has set up an ac- count at Old West Federal Credit Union — account num- ber 031, “Hay for John Day” — to raise money for the en- deavor. Funds will be used as needed to purchase trucks full of hay, and may be used to in- sure the stored hay. For more information, vis- it Hay for John Day on Face- book, or call Hamsher at 541- 620-2861. OTEC restores major power line JOHN DAY – Crews from the Oregon Trail Electric Co- operative re-energized all of the 138 kilovolt line that runs through the areas hardest hit by the Canyon Creek Com- plex, Cornet and Windy Ridge wild¿ res. The 138kv line stretches for 152 miles from Hines to west John Day and over to the Quartz substation in Bak- er City. It was re-energized incrementally as safe access into the still burning areas be- came available. Now the cleaning and clearing up begins. “You will see OTEC crews moving in and starting to re- move debris and many haz- ardous trees that are along the right-of-way where we will be rebuilding our lines,” said Pat McCluskey, OTEC’s southern district superintendent. “We want to let property owners know before they re- turn that they may see timber on the ground,” McCluskey said. “The damaged trees are dangerous to work crews, but in some past instances, they have been reclaimed by the property owners for another use. Either way they need to come out.” OTEC began restoration efforts Aug. 18, delivering a large shipment of utility poles and materials near mile post 6 outside of Canyon City. More crews arrived through the weekend and will work until all repairs are complete. Open: Mon, Wed, & Fri 10 am - 4 pm, by appointment. Call 541-575-1631 We have been absolutely overwhelmed by the tremendous generosity of our community since the loss of our home. The support from family, friends and strangers has been so humbling, and we can’t put into words how much it means to us. Your prayers and donations will help us as we begin rebuilding our lives. Steve, Shae, Trejan & Eli Speth MyEagleNews.com 02597