News
By Sean Hart
Blue Mountain Eagle
Dayville resident Julie Carr is collect-
ing signatures in an effort to recall Grant
County Commissioner Boyd Britton.
She fi led the prospective petition with
the county clerk March 28.
Carr could not be reached for com-
ment, but her petition statement lists four
reasons for demanding the recall.
She says Britton has failed to repre-
sent constituents “on road and access is-
sues,” violating a county ordinance in the
process.
Britton refused to call for an inves-
tigation of the Canyon Creek Complex
fi re, she says, “despite the overwhelming
continued request by the majority of his
constituents.”
Carr says he fails to recuse himself as
a commissioner when dealing with agen-
cies from which he has benefi ted person-
ally and fi nancially.
She also says Britton “deliberately
misrepresented his intentions of attend-
ing a community meeting on Jan. 26,
2016 acting in the capacity as Grant
County Commissioner.”
Britton said he was surprised and dis-
appointed with the recall effort.
Britton said he has been a commis-
sioner for more than 13 years. He said
he is most proud of his work in helping
establish the Blue Mountains Forest Part-
ners.
“I am so very proud of where we’ve
gone with the collaboration. I was on the
ground fl oor of it,” he said. “I’m very,
very proud to be a part of that.
“I’m hoping they’re not able to come
up with the requisite amount of signa-
tures,” he said. “I try really, really hard to
represent all of Grant County.”
County Clerk Brenda Percy said a
minimum of 496 signatures from active,
registered voters are needed for the recall
to move forward.
If the required signatures are collected
and verifi ed, Percy said, Britton will have
fi ve days to fi le a justifi cation statement
or resign.
If Britton doesn’t resign, she said, the
county must hold a special county-wide
election for the recall within 35 days.
If the majority votes to recall Britton,
the remaining two Grant County Court
members will appoint a third offi cer to
fi ll the position until the next pertinent
election.
C OPS & C OURTS
Arrests and citations in the Blue
Mountain Eagle are taken from the
logs of law enforcement agencies. Ev-
ery effort is made to report the court
disposition of arrest cases.
Grant County Sheriff
CANYON CITY — The Grant
County Sheriff’s Office reported the
following for the week of April 1-7:
• Concealed handgun licenses: 12
• Average inmates: 9
• Bookings: 9
• Releases: 7
• Arrests: 2
• Citations: 1
• Fingerprints: 6
• Civil papers: 12
• Warrants processed: 3
• Asst./welfare check: 2
• Linda Keeney, 28, Burns, was cit-
ed for violation of the basic rule, 75/55
zone, on April 6.
Justice Court
CANYON CITY — The Grant
County Justice Court reported the fol-
lowing fines and judgments:
• Dog as a public nuisance: Janelle
Martens, 27, Prairie City, March 21,
fined $260.
• Violation of the basic rule: Anna
Catherine Stargel, 27, Canyon City,
75/55 zone, March 4, fined $160; Je-
frey I. Chapman, 53, Costa Mesa, Ca-
lif., 83/55 zone, Feb. 15, fined $260;
Matthew Ryan Brown, 31, Yakima,
Wash., 75/55 zone, March 25, fined
$160.
• Exceeding the speed limit: Chris-
topher Sprinkle, 49, Indianapolis,
84/55 zone, Feb. 13, fined $160.
• Failure to obey a stop sign: Rus-
sell Lowell Johnston, 30, Canyon City,
Feb. 19, fined $220.
• Driving while suspended-viola-
tion: Lori Jean Mallonee-Taylor, 43,
Burns, Feb. 15, fined $435.
• Driving uninsured: Lori Jean Mal-
lonee-Taylor, 43, Burns, Feb. 15, fined
$260.
• Failure to drive within lane: Lori
Jean Mallonee-Taylor, 43, Burns, Feb.
15, fined $260.
• Sarah L. Ake, John Day, was con-
victed of third-degree theft. She was
sentenced to jail for two days, pro-
bation for 12 months and 40 hours of
community service. She was ordered
to have no contact with the victims
and fined $731.45.
Dispatch
John Day dispatch worked 168 calls
during the week of April 4-10. Along
with the various traffic warnings, tres-
passing, injured animals, noise com-
plaints and juvenile complaints, these
calls included:
• John Day Police:
April 4: Responded to two reports
of identity theft.
April 5: Responded to a theft re-
port.
April 6: Responded to a burglary
report.
April 9: Responded to a reported
assault.
• Grant County Sheriff:
April 6: Responded to two reports
of identity theft.
April 7: Responded to a report of
identity theft.
April 8: Responded to a report of
identity theft.
• John Day ambulance:
April 5: Responded for a 94-year-
old woman.
April 7: Responded for a 64-year-
old man who fell.
April 8: Responded for a 72-year-
old woman who swallowed cleanser.
April 9: Responded for a 77-year-
old woman with breathing difficulties.
April 9: Responded for a 83-year-
old woman with a possible stroke.
Pot issue goes to Long Creek voters
Blue Mountain Eagle
Voters in Long Creek will
have the final decision on
whether to allow marijuana
businesses to operate with-
in the city.
In a special meeting
April 5, Long Creek City
Council voted three to one
to refer the issue to city
voters in the November
election, Mayor Don Porter
said.
He said, with the novelty
of the marijuana industry,
many questions remain un-
answered, and he believes
the council made the right
choice.
“We’re hearing by a re-
sounding amount of folks
here in the communi-
ty that they want to have
a vote in this matter,”
he said. “This is a very im-
portant issue for the citi-
zens of Long Creek. They
wanted to be involved in
the vote.”
A5
Forest commission
candidate petitioning
to invalidate it
By Sean Hart
Blue Mountain Eagle
A candidate in the May
primary has filed to run
for an office he is seeking
to abolish.
Mark Webb, an Inde-
pendent from Mt. Vernon
running for Grant County
Public Forest Commis-
sion No. 3, filed a petition
in circuit court March 22
seeking to invalidate the
commission.
Webb, a former coun-
ty judge and the cur-
rent executive director
of the Blue Mountains
Forest Partners, is run-
ning against Republican
Tad Houpt from Canyon
City.
In his court petition,
Webb claims the initiative
that established the com-
mission in 2002, Measure
12-39, conflicted with
state and federal laws and
the U.S. Constitution.
He delivered a sum-
mons to County Judge
Scott Myers to respond
within 30 days to defend
the establishment of the
commission.
Myers said the coun-
ty is in the process of re-
sponding.
“It’s been sent to our at-
torney, so they’re creating
a response and a position,”
he said. “We’re not going
to throw our hands in the
air and not respond.”
The petition cites an
Oregon law stating ordi-
nances “shall be subject
to judicial review and in-
validation on account of
unreasonableness, proce-
dural error in adoption or
conflict with paramount
state law or constitutional
provision.” Webb claims
Measure 12-39 violated
all three.
Webb states the law,
which established a sev-
en-member commission
to manage all public lands
and natural resources in
Grant County, is unreason-
able because “it will never
be enforced or implement-
ed, such that it’s unreason-
able to treat it as a valid,
legally binding county or-
dinance.”
The measure, Webb
claims, also fails to meet
requirements in the Ore-
gon Constitution to con-
cern only one subject and
include the full text of the
proposed law.
Webb claims the law
conflicts with state laws
governing land manage-
ment by the Oregon Parks
and Recreation Depart-
ment and Oregon Depart-
ment of Fish and Wildlife,
as well as the 1859 law
that admitted Oregon into
the United States.
He also claims the mea-
sure conflicts with the
U.S. Constitution’s Prop-
erty Clause.
Webb declined to com-
ment further.
Pro Saw
Shop and
a Whole
Lot More
02131
Petitioner seeks to recall
county commissioner
Wednesday, April 13, 2016
B REAKING N EWS A LERTS
Meets Requirement for
Concealed Carry Permit
myeaglenews.com/breakingnews
April 23, 9 am - 2 pm
Cost - $50
Space limited; call to reserve.
Ken Larssen
541-542-2708 or 541-620-8254
Cowboy Chapel H our
KJDY,
Sunday, 7 a.m.
“Tribute to Merle.”
Thank you to the following people and
businesses for helping with the 2nd
annual Teen Health Fair!
Pepsi
Tracey Blood
Linda Watson
Kim Jacobs
Sue Philo
Haley Hueckman
Debbie Heuckman
Jan Mead
Sheila Comer
Russ Comer
Lisa Weigum
Jenni Workman
SaraJane Moore
Home
destroyed
by fi re on
Laycock
Creek Road
Cindy Baker
Kara Kohfield
Rebekah Rand
Mimi Maddess
Craig Maxwell
Mary Vargas
Andrea Officer
Matt Ipson
Shelly Murphy
Maxine Day
Melissa at Oregon Youth Line
OSU Extension Office Staff
Grant Union Staff
We couldn’t have done it without you!
Sincerely,
the Grant County Health Department
& School Based Health Center
Blue Mountain Eagle
MT. VERNON — Fire
engulfed a Mt. Vernon home
Saturday night.
The two-story log home
with a full daylight basement,
located at the end of Laycock
Creek Road, was considered a
total loss.
Chris and Marva Nolan
and their two children lived in
the home.
Offi cials said the state fi re
marshal planned to travel to
the site of the fi re on Wednes-
day, March 13, to investigate.
Land Title
Company
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Serving Grant County
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2830 10th St. • 541-524-0122
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03700
Blue Mountain Eagle
Every other Monday at
Blue Mountain Hospital
170 Ford Rd. • 541-575-1311
The doctor sp eaks Spanish - El doctor habla Espanol
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145 NE Dayton • John Day