The
Blue Mountain
FAMILY HEALTH
GUIDE
EAGLE
– INSIDE
Grant County’s newspaper since 1868
W EDNESDAY , J ANUARY 27, 2016
N O . 4
18 P AGES
$1.00
www.MyEagleNews.com
Long
Creek pot
grower
gets green
light
Council
approves land
use compatibility
statement
By Sean Hart
Blue Mountain Eagle
The city of Long Creek
may be in for an economic
boom of the green variety —
not sustainability, but mari-
juana.
Mayor Don Porter said
Long Creek City Council vot-
ed 3-2 against an ordinance
that would have prohibit-
ed pot businesses and then
signed off on the ¿ rst step
of an application from a pro-
spective grower.
The vote was tied with
councilors David Hines
and Alvin Hunt in favor
of the pot ban and
Joe
Gibson
and Porter’s
wife, Denise,
opposed. As
mayor, Porter
broke the tie —
his only vote in 11
years as the head of the
town of about 200 people
in northern Grant County.
Many people expressed
opposition to an outright ban
on all types of pot businesses
at two community meetings
before the vote, Porter said.
“We had approximately 40
people that were in favor of
the green light (for marijuana
businesses and probably ¿ ve
that were opposed to it,” he
said. “It was enough support
that we chose to do what we
did.”
The city’s attorney advised
a fee could be imposed on the
businesses through a city or-
dinance, Porter said, which
could be a “revenue produc-
er” for the city. Potential new
jobs to combat high unem-
ployment was another factor
that inÀ uenced his vote, he
said.
“The jobs were what re-
ally got a lot of people, be-
cause we have a lot of unem-
ployed folks here in town,”
he said. “There are probably
15 able-bodied people out
of work in Long Creek that
could de¿ nitely go to work at
something like that.”
So far, Porter said, the
city has only received one
See POT, Page A5
Staff photo by E.J. Harris
Rancher Bruce Strange, left, from Kimberly listens as Gordon Larson speaks at a public meeting at the senior center on
Monday in John Day.
SHOOTOUT, DEATH
END STANDOFF
Bundy, others arrested on way to John Day
One killed during
arrest of leaders of
refuge occupation
Town hall carries
on in John Day
Meeting was end destination
of Bundy militant leaders
Blue Mountain Eagle
By George Plaven
EO Media Group
Grant County residents ¿ lled the John
Day Senior Center beyond capacity Tues-
day evening for a community meeting that
was supposed to feature Ammon Bundy
and leaders of the armed militia group
occupying the Malheur National Wildlife
Refuge.
Instead, Bundy and four other militants
were arrested by the FBI and Oregon State
Police on Highway 395 north of Burns be-
fore they could arrive. A sixth member of
the group was shot and killed during the
encounter. The news drew tears and anger
from militia supporters at the meeting, who
described it as an “ambush.”
Yet the gathering pressed on, evolving
into a town hall with the majority of speak-
ers siding with Bundy and venting their
frustrations on the federal government.
Organizer Tad Houpt, of Canyon City,
Staff photo by E.J. Harris
Allyn Belangie of Phoenix, Ariz., talks
about being part of the group that
occupied the Malheur National Wildlife
Refuge outside of Burns during a
public meeting on Tuesday at the
senior center in John Day.
See MEETING, Page A18
The leaders of the group occupying the Mal-
heur National Wildlife Refuge near Burns have
been arrested, and one was killed by police
during the arrest.
At about 4:25 p.m. Tuesday, the FBI and Or-
egon State Police took action to take members
of the armed occupation into custody on High-
way 395 north of Burns near Devine Ridge
about 50 miles south of John Day, according
to a release from the Harney County Sheriff’s
Of¿ ce. During the arrest, three shots were ¿ red,
and one suspect died. The Oregonian is report-
ing occupier Robert “LaVoy” Finicum was shot
by police. No law enforcement personnel were
injured.
Another suspect suffered non-life threaten-
ing injuries and was transported to a hospital
for treatment and later arrested.
The individuals arrested include Ammon
Edward Bundy, 40, Emmett, Idaho; Ryan C.
Bundy, 43, Bunkerville, Nevada; Brian Cav-
alier, 44, Bunkerville, Nevada; Shawna Cox,
59, Kanab, Utah; and Ryan Waylen Payne, 32,
See ARREST, Page A18
O N THE T OWN
DAYVILLE:
Community radiates ‘Old West’
atmosphere, small town charm
%\&KHU\O+RHÀHU
Blue Mountain Eagle
DAYVILLE — Don’t mis-
take the peace and quiet of
a small rural town to mean
nothing ever happens there.
Nothing could be further
from the truth in Dayville.
If there’s not an event ac-
tually taking place, one has
probably just concluded or
another is in the planning
stages.
The small community,
with a population of 150, has
a bit of everything to offer for
both locals and visitors: gro-
ceries, diners, camping, lodg-
ing, a bank ATM machine, gas
The Eagle/Cheryl Hoefler
Dayville School, atop a hill overlooking the town,
has an enrollment of about 50 students in grades
K-12.
and gifts. Dayville even has
its own volunteer-run library.
Located next to city hall, the
building was once a private
house with its own history and
stories to tell from Dayville’s
days gone by.
Located at the western end
of the John Day Valley, Day-
ville has a more temperate cli-
mate than other towns strewn
through the valley. With an
elevation of 2,369 feet, it’s
more than 1,000 feet lower
than Prairie City, 52 miles to
the east at the other end of the
valley.
South Fork Golf Course
a few miles south of town
closed almost two years ago,
but the community is certain-
ly not lacking in recreational
opportunities.
With the Northside, Mur-
derers Creek and Ochoco
units all intersecting the area,
and the John Day River and
its South Fork À owing near-
by, the region is a paradise
for hunting, camping, ¿ shing,
wildlife viewing and more.
Looking for scenery? The
Mascall Formations Over-
look about 4-1/2 miles west
of Dayville features stun-
ning 360-degree views of the
Mascall formations and the
western end of the John Day
Valley, with interpretive signs
describing the formations.
Plenty of parking and wheel-
chair accessibility make this a
treasure for everyone to enjoy.
The overlook also has a
good view of the entrance to
Picture Gorge. Carved by the
See TOWN, Page A3