The
LOCALS CELEBRATE
NATIONAL AG DAY
Blue Mountain
EAGLE
– PAGES A6-A9
Grant County’s newspaper since 1868
W EDNESDAY , M ARCH 9, 2016
N O . 10
20 P AGES
$1.00
www.MyEagleNews.com
Oi cials:
Finicum
shooting
justifi ed
O N THE T OWN
FBI agents being
investigated for
not disclosing
shots fired
KIMBERLY
The Eagle/Cheryl Hoefler
Dropping a fishing line in the vibrant blue water of the John Day River — a perfect way to spend a slow and easy-going summer
day in the Kimberly area.
Small hamlet rests at the
western edge of the county
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Blue Mountain Eagle
K
IMBERLY — There’s no city
hall or community center, no
mayor or city council, no pa-
rades or annual events, not even a park.
But for all it may lack, the small
hamlet of Kimberly makes up in spec-
tacular scenery, a bounty of recreational
opportunities and a diverse mix of lo-
cal businesses — beekeeping, ranching
orchards, groceries and lodging — plus
a post of¿ ce. )uture plans include river
rentals and shuttles.
The town is marked at the junction
of state routes 19 and 402, barely with-
in the western Grant County line. But
more than a dot on a map, the unincor-
porated area stretches for miles in either
direction, a patchwork collection of
scattered residents, ranchers and busi-
nesses — many of them home-based
— who are united in community spirit
and a “Kimberly” address.
Kayla Cole’s parents and grand-
parents were longtime residents and
ranchers in the Kimberly and Monu-
ment areas. Cole, who was raised four
miles outside Kimberly with her sib-
lings, Sara and Cody, lives and works in
Kimberly now, and has plenty of great
things to say about the community.
“The best thing about living in Kim-
berly is the scenery, when the orchard
is in full bloom, and the river is clear
— it has to be one of the most beauti-
ful places I’ve ever been and the people
here are some of the kindest I’ve come
across,” Cole said.
Kimberly is located near the con-
À uence of the -ohn 'ay River and its
1orth )ork — robust waterways that
attract outdoor enthusiasts from the
local area and beyond. Camping, ¿ sh-
ing, picnicking and watercraft fun are
among the activities awaiting adventur-
ers looking for just a day’s escape or a
longer respite.
The region’s temperate Mediterra-
nean climate provides agriculturally
rich growing opportunities. It was, in
fact, that feature which launched the
town, named for a pioneering local
family. 2rin Kimberly started the ¿ rst
commercial orchard there in the 1930s.
1earby attractions include the -ohn
'ay )ossil Beds 1ational Monument,
Sheep Rock Unit and the accompany-
ing historic -ames Cant Ranch +ouse,
both about 16 miles to the south. Sev-
eral hiking trails, vista points and inter-
pretive spots are strewn throughout the
area.
The Eagle/Cheryl Hoefler
Show
features
new and
seasoned
artists
By Sean Hart
Blue Mountain Eagle
Morgan Cole and Hannah Dial — and Bandit the dog — watch
for customers at their lemonade and baked goods sale in front
of The John Day Trading Post in Kimberly last summer. The girls
raised nearly $300 for victims of the Canyon Creek Complex fire.
Short session produced far-reaching legislation
By Hillary Borrud
and Paris Achen
Capital Bureau
SALEM — Oregon law-
makers on Thursday sprinted
to the ¿ nish of a short session
marked by controversy and
procedural delays.
The Legislature’s short
session, which supporters
sold to voters in 2010 as a
time to clean up laws and
budgets, produced more
far reaching policies on the
economy and the environ-
ment than last year’s long
session.
'uring the 32-day ses-
sion, 'emocrats claimed
victory on two major policies
they failed to push through
last session +iking mini-
Investigators with the
'eschutes County Sheriff’s
Of¿ ce and the +arney and
Malheur County 'istrict At-
torneys found that the shots
that killed militant LaVoy )in-
icum were justi¿ ed and “nec-
essary,” they said Tuesday.
They also say that, despite
complaints from occupiers
and their supporters that po-
lice shot more than 100 times
into the truck carrying )ini-
cum and other militants, only
eight shots were ¿ red ± six
from the Oregon State Police
and two by members of the
)BI hostage rescue team.
The two shots ¿ red by )BI
of¿ cials will be the subject of
another investigation, because
the agents did not initially dis-
close ¿ ring at )inicum, inves-
tigators said.
See SHOOTING, Page A12
Contributed photo
Deep green orchards fill the valleys near Kimberly in summer.
Amanda Peacher
Oregon Public Broadcasting
mum wage and limiting the
use of coal power in the state.
The Legislature also made
some headway in addressing
the state’s affordable housing
crisis.
The victory came with
tactical pushback from Re-
publicans. In a move to slow
the 'emocrats’ agenda, Sen-
ate Republicans demanded
that all bills be read in their
entirety before consideration.
They refused to show up
)eb. 2 when Senate Presi-
dent Peter Courtney, '-Sa-
lem, scheduled a p.m. À oor
session to move bills. The
walkout forced Courtney to
cancel the session because
the Senate lacked a quorum.
Senate Republican Lead-
er Ted )errioli, R--ohn 'ay,
said Senate Republicans
“will not work late into the
night to fast track an agenda
pursued by the 'emocrat ma-
jority that features back room
deals between 'emocrats
and special interests and nu-
merous broken promises of
collaboration and compro-
mise.”
Courtney has served in
the Legislature for more
than three decades and he
said Thursday that there had
been other similarly stressful
sessions. +owever, Courtney
said, the pressure from out-
side forces to pass certain pri-
ority bills has only increased.
“The forces at play out-
side have become much
more powerful in our polit-
ical lives,” Courtney said,
adding that reporters could
“¿ ll that in any way you want
to.” Courtney then went on
to ¿ ll in some of the reasons
himself. Lawmakers were
under pressure to come up
with alternatives to proposed
November ballot measures to
raise the minimum wage, in-
crease renewable energy and
stop utilities from using coal
power in Oregon.
“More and more, the ini-
tiative process is being used
to create major public pol-
icy in the state of Oregon,”
Courtney said, adding that
he did not like that prospect.
Courtney said lawmakers
who de¿ ed the groups push-
ing for legislation faced
See SESSION, Page A12
In its 10th year, the com-
munity art show in -ohn 'ay
Saturday was well attended.
Patricia Ross, Mt. Vernon,
said she was pleased with the
variety in this year’s show.
“We have some really
great artists that are showing
their work,” she said.
A community canvas,
where different people tried
their hand at painting, was a
new feature this year.
See SHOW, Page A12
SPRING
FORWARD
Daylight Saving Time
starts on Sunday at 2 a.m.
when clocks are turned to
3 a.m. Sunrise and sunset
will be about one hour
later than the day before,
which means there will be
more light in the evening.