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About The Blue Mountain eagle. (John Day, Or.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (April 13, 2016)
GRANT COUNTY TRACK TEAMS COMPETE – PAGE A9 The Blue Mountain EAGLE Grant County’s newspaper since 1868 W EDNESDAY , A PRIL 13, 2016 Sheriff intends to sue John Day Allegations related to refuge occupation response By Sean Hart Blue Mountain Eagle Sheriff Glenn Palmer has given notice he intends to sue the city of John Day and its em- ployees for a list of allegations stemming from actions related to the occupation of the Mal- heur National Wildlife Refuge. Palmer’s attorney, Benja- min Boyd from Hostetter Law Group in Enterprise, sent a tort claim notice received by the city April 4 that states Palmer will assert claims for damages against the Sheriff city, John Day Glenn dispatch em- Palmer ployees, City Manager Peggy Gray and Po- lice Chief Richard Gray. The notice is required before fi ling a lawsuit against a public body. In the notice, Boyd said, as Palmer was traveling to a roadblock near Seneca after the law enforcement action Jan. 26 that led to the arrest of most of the occupation lead- ers and the death of one, city dispatchers falsely determined a passenger with Palmer was a militia member. He said the passenger was actually Grant County District Attorney Jim Carpenter. Boyd said Palmer asked an unidentifi ed dispatcher for an update, who “knowingly and/or recklessly” withheld information from Palmer that had been relayed previously to a variety of other law en- forcement agencies. Palmer and Carpenter’s lives were in danger, Boyd said, as they pro- ceeded to the police roadblock with offi cers believing Palm- er was traveling with a militia member. Boyd also alleges the dis- patchers breached the contract to “provide appropriate infor- mation to authorized person- nel” between the city and the sheriff’s offi ce. The notice goes on to list complaints against John Day’s dispatch manager, police chief and city manager. See PALMER, Page A18 • N O . 15 • 18 P AGES • $1.00 www.MyEagleNews.com Jury: County did not discriminate against lesbian job applicant Myers: County will add sexual orientation discrimination to policy manual By Sean Hart Blue Mountain Eagle Grant County and its former community corrections director did not illegally deny a job appli- cant on the basis of sexual orien- tation, a federal jury ruled April 6. A jury in U.S. District Court in Pendleton unanimously agreed for- mer county parole and probation manager Dean Hoodenpyl did not fail to hire applicant Terry Hanson because of her sexual orientation in violation of her constitutional rights. Further, the jury ruled sex- ual orientation was not the sole reason, a motivating factor or a substantial fac- tor in the county’s decision not to hire Hanson. Terry County Judge Hanson Scott Myers said he was satisfied with the result and pleased the case was over. “After all of the witnesses were heard, the jury of eight found us not guilty of the allegations of dis- crimination because of sexual ori- entation,” he said. “... The reason she did not get an interview had nothing to do with her sexual ori- entation.” Hanson’s attorney, Matthew C. Ellis, said he and his client still be- lieve she experienced discrimina- tion because of her sexual orienta- tion, which has been illegal under state law for more than eight years. “There was no question that, when discussing Ms. Hanson’s job application, Grant County referred to her in highly inappropriate terms that have no place in a (sic) either a civilized society or a family news- paper,” he said in an email. “Like- wise, there was no serious question as to whether the decisionmakers (sic), Grant County and Mr. Hood- enpyl, have a negative attitude to- ward gays and lesbians. This atti- tude is consistent with the official Grant County employment policies that were in effect as of the time of the employment decision — and possibly still to this day — which purport to proscribe all forms of discrimination, except for sexual orientation discrimination.” See JOB, Page A18 ANSWERING THE CALL By Cheryl Hoefl er Blue Mountain Eagle “My baby stopped breathing.” “The neighbor’s house is on fi re.” Around the clock, dispatchers are prepared for the unexpected “We just saw three horses running down the highway.” When an emergency dispatcher picks up the phone, they never know what the person on the other end of the line is going to say. Being prepared for anything and everything is part of the around-the-clock job these front-line fi rst responders face, whether that voice is report- ing a crisis or relaying valuable information. Cammie Haney, a dispatcher at the John Day Emergency Communications Center, said every day is different. “You never know what’s going to happen,” she said. Multi-tasking and staying calm are vital qual- ities toward having that level of preparedness, Haney said. “How you react to a call will affect how the caller responds,” she said. “It sets the tone for the situation.” Haney has been with John Day Dispatch for 10 years. Her training included two weeks at the police academy and 6-8 weeks “in-house” at the John Day offi ce. See CALL, Page A18 The Eagle/Cheryl Hoefler Cammie Haney, who has been a dispatcher for almost 10 years, works at the John Day Emergency Communications Center. This week is National Public Safety Telecommunications Appreciation Week. “ How you react to a call will affect how the caller responds. It sets the tone for the situation.” – Cammie Haney Commercial fl ights could happen for Grant County Sen. Ferrioli gives stamp of approval By Angel Carpenter Blue Mountain Eagle JOHN DAY — A new funding source may make flights to and from Grant County a reality. A meeting in John Day April 6 conducted by the State Department of Avi- ation to discuss the possi- bility of establishing com- mercial air service in rural communities drew 16 peo- ple from John Day, Baker and La Grande. House Bill 2075, passed in 2015, raised the jet fuel tax from 1 cent to 3 cents The Eagle/Sean Hart Grant County Regional Airport, pictured here, may host commercial air service in the future. Interested parties met last week to discuss the possibility. a gallon, with a portion of proceeds earmarked to help smaller airports set up com- mercial service. It could lead to service here in the next year or so. “It’s going to be a huge benefit to rural airports like Grant County,” said airport manager Patrick Bentz. He said several clusters of people who would likely have an interest in the ser- vice were identified at the meeting, including local business people, residents in general, government employees and veterans traveling to and from doc- tors appointments and tourists. Bentz said four com- munities, including John Day, Burns, Baker and La Grande, would need to be incorporated in order to make the plan work. So far, one air service, a licensed and qualified com- pany from Medford, has shown an interest in provid- ing the flights. Bentz said the service in John Day would not be tra- ditional. Airport security would have a reverse screening process. Instead of having TSA screen passengers be- fore boarding locally, pas- sengers would be screened at their destinations. Flights would likely not be available every day, but have slots open on certain days, or a book of tickets could be used. “There are many differ- ent options that we’re look- ing at,” Bentz said. There are a few ques- tions that Bentz and the Grant County Airport Com- mission have for the public to help guide decisions in the matter. See FLIGHTS, Page A18