The
Blue Mountain
EAGLE
Grant County’s
newspaper since
1868
W EDNESDAY , N OVEMBER 25, 2015
6agaser
seeks to
withdraw
guilty
pleas
By Carl Sampson
Blue Mountain Eagle
&$1<O1 &,T< ² $
Mt. 9ernon man who pre-
viously pleaded guilty to
si[ domestiF violenFe and
drug-related Fharges asked
for a new attorney on 1ov.
19 ² and to withdraw his
pleas.
M a t -
thew EriF
6agaser, 31,
told &ir-
Fuit Judge
: illiam
&ramer that
he wants a Matthew
Eric
new law-
yer to re- Sagaser
plaFe his
Fourt-appointed lawyer,
5obert 5asFhio. The judge
set a 1ov. 30 in-person
meeting with them to dis-
Fuss the motion in Fham-
bers.
The 1ov. 19 hearing
was held remotely with
&ramer in Burns and the
rest of the people in &an-
yon &ity. +e is the only
FirFuit Fourt judge in *rant
and +arney Founties.
$fter 6agaser¶s motion
for a new lawyer is settled,
&ramer said he will take
up the motion to withdraw
his pleas.
5asFhio would not
Fomment on the motions.
The move is unusual
beFause 6agaser already
pleaded guilty on 1ov. 5
to:
One Fount of Foer-
Fion.
Three Founts of
fourth-degree assault.
One Fount of strangu-
lation.
One Fount of posses-
sion of methamphetamine.
6agaser was released
from jail for a week after
he entered the guilty pleas
and was to be sentenFed
1ov. 19, aFFording to $s-
sistant *rant &ounty Dis-
triFt $ttorney Matt ,pson.
6agaser was initially
indiFted on 29 Founts of
See PLEAS, Page A6
N O . 47
20 P AGES
$1.00
www.MyEagleNews.com
County wants to opt out of pot law
By Carl Sampson
Blue Mountain Eagle
&$1<21 &,T< ² :hen it
Fomes to 2regon¶s new law legali]ing
marijuana, Fount *rant &ounty out.
The Founty Fourt plans to pass an
ordinanFe banning the growing, pro-
Fessing and sale of mediFal or reFre-
ation marijuana in *rant &ounty.
“, believe our voters spoke Flear-
ly,” &ounty Judge 6Fott Myers said
during a 1ov. 1 meeting.
Oregon voters passed Measure 91
in 1ovember of 201. ,t legali]ed the
reFreational use of marijuana in the
state for people 21 or older.
The Oregon /egislature earlier this
year passed a law allowing Founties to
opt out if 55 perFent or more of their
voters rejeFted it.
,n *rant &ounty, about perFent
of the ,37 registered votes rejeFted
the measure, Myers said. 6tatewide,
5 perFent of voters approved the
measure.
The Founty ordinanFe banning
marijuana applies only to the uninFor-
porated areas within the Founty, said
5on <oFkim, legal Founsel for the
Founty.
The Fities of John Day, Dayville,
&anyon &ity, Mt. 9ernon and Prai-
rie &ity have already opted out, aF-
Fording to the Oregon /iTuor &on-
trol &ommission, whiFh oversees
the marijuana laws.
Other Founties have also opted out
of the law, inFluding 8matilla, +arney,
Malheur, &rook, :heeler, .lamath,
Morrow, Baker, /inn, Jefferson and
8nion. Douglas and Marion Founties
have put the issue up for a vote.
*rant &ounty¶s proposed ordi-
nanFe doesn¶t impaFt the personal
growing and use of marijuana, Myers
said.
“,t still allows John 4. &iti]en to
Carl Sampson/The Eagle
grow and use marijuana,” he said.
The Founty faFes a DeF. 30 dead- Grant County Judge Scott Myers,
line to pass the ordinanFe, Myers left, and Commissioner Boyd Britton
discuss a draft ordinance that would
said.
ban growing, processing or selling
See POT, Page A6 marijuana in the county.
O N THE TOWN
‘HUB’ TOWN
JOHN DAY
Home to airport, hospital and fairgrounds
%\&KHU\O+RHÀHU
Blue Mountain Eagle
E
ventually, almost everyone – even in the
most IarÀ ung Forners oI *rant &ounty
– ends up in John Day for one reason
or another.
The “hub” town, population 1,735,
is home to suFh faFilities as Blue Mountain +os
pital and +ospiFe, *rant &ounty 5egional $ir
port and ,ndustrial 3arN, the *rant &ounty )air
grounds and 5odeo $rena, and state and federal
forest agenFies, as well as an array of businesses
and Fommunity serviFes.
John Day is home to an aFtive ElNs /odge,
$meriFan /egion and $u[iliary, a spaFious
senior Fenter and two museums – .am :ah
&hung, and 5anFh and 5odeo.
The *rant &ounty &hamber of &ommerFe
and *rant &ounty /ibrary are also based in John
Day.
$nd residents don¶t have to venture far to
enjoy the great outdoors, thanks to the John
Day&anyon &ity 3arks and 5eFreation Depart
ment. John Day &ity 3ark and *leason 3ubliF
Pool are in the heart of town, along the banks
Eagle file photos
The historic John Day Bank building is
a stately feature in the downtown John
Day business district.
TOP PHOTO: John Day, with a
population of about 1,700, is the
largest city in Grant County.
of &anyon &reek. 6eventh 6treet &omple[ at
the north side of town offers several reFreation
al opportunities – baseball and softball ¿ elds,
basketball and tennis Fourts, skate park, a pond,
piFniF areas, playground and a trail. The trail is
being repaired and e[tended, memory benFhes
installed along the path and new restrooms yet
to be added near the basketball Fourts and skate
park.
Just to the west of town is John Day *olf
&ourse, offering nine holes of putting and driv
ing fun.
6easonal aFtivities in John Day inFlude the
John Day )armers¶ Market, held 6aturdays from
midJune to mid2Ftober, and the John Day
&ommunity *arden, whiFh has taken root on
the Third 6treet E[tension aFross from the rodeo
arena. Both were established in 2010.
Downtown John Day has been getting a ma-
jor faFelift during the past year.
Phase one of the John Day Beauti¿ Fation
ProjeFt inFluded improvements suFh as reFon-
struFted sidewalks, and new light ¿ [tures and
poles with hanging basket planters on Main
See HUB, Page A5