News & Editorial
Arrests and citations in the Blue Moun-
tain Eagle are taken from the logs of law en-
forcement agencies. Every 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 May 27 through June 2:
• Concealed handgun licenses: 6
• Average inmates: 11
• Bookings: 11
• Releases: 12
• Arrests: 1
• Fingerprints: 7
• Civil papers: 20
• Warrants processed: 5
• Asst./welfare check: 2
Justice Court
CANYON CITY — The Grant County
Justice Court reported the following fines
and judgments:
• Exceeding the speed limit: Terry Gene
Bickley, 74, Terrebonne, 47/35 zone, May
25, fined $160.
• No resident angling license: Cheryl A.
Lawler, 58, Spray, May 10, fined $75.
• Dog as a public nuisance: Whitney
Moore, 29, John Day, April 15, fined $220,
plus $155.10 in restitution to the victim.
• Violation of school attendance: Danny
LETTERS
Continued from Page A4
‘Serious about
making good
things happen
on public lands’
To the Editor:
Nicky Sprauve’s May 25
criticism of Blue Mountains
Forest Partners invites re-
sponse.
Blue Mountains Forest
Partners is a 501(c)(3) private
non-proit corporation. It was
formed to help create healthy
forests and strong communities
in Grant County. State law re-
quires BMFP to have a board.
BMFP Full Group members
elect the board members, who
provide direction to the execu-
tive director, leadership on stra-
tegic priorities, communication
to the full group of members
and collaboration with com-
mittee chairs. BMFP’s “Full
Group” consists of all voting
members in the collaborative.
Voting member responsibilities
include participation in meet-
ings and committees, election
of board members, overall
collaborative decision-making
and deining strategic priorities.
Full Group meetings, comple-
mented by science workshops,
ield trips and other events —
all of which encourage public
participation — is where the
real work of BMFP gets done.
This work, which involves
community partners like
Harney County Restoration
Collaborative, the Malheur
National Forest and other com-
munity members, has resulted
in signiicant increases in fed-
eral investment in the Malheur.
This investment has resulted in
a three-fold increase in timber
harvest for area mills, more
forest related jobs with higher
wages, lower unemployment
and other socio-economic
beneits for Grant and Harney
counties.
What Nicky calls “secret
meetings” are legally required
board meetings where board
responsibilities are exercised.
When Nicky claims BMFP has
“sham meetings” that exclude
the public, he’s misinformed:
BMFP encourages serious, in-
formed diverse public engage-
ment in and outside our Full
Group meetings. Indeed, such
engagement is one hallmark of
our success. Finally, the facts
(noted above) contradict his
Kidd Sr., 45, Mt. Vernon, April 12, fined
$160.
• Sara Michelle Colton, Prairie City,
convicted of failing to complete commu-
nity service as ordered. The court extend-
ed her probation for six months and added
eight hours of community service to her
sentence.
Dispatch
John Day dispatch worked 142 calls
during the week of May 31 through June
5. Along with the various traffic warnings,
trespassing, injured animals, noise com-
plaints and juvenile complaints, these calls
included:
• John Day Police:
June 1: An outside agency arrested a
Prairie City man on a warrant.
June 3: Arrested a man on a Grant Coun-
ty warrant.
• Grant County Sheriff:
June 4: Theft reported on Northeast
Dayton Street.
• John Day ambulance:
May 31: Paged for a person with a pos-
sible stroke.
June 2: Responded for a 99-year-old
woman.
• Prairie City ambulance:
June 5: Responded for an 85-year-old
woman.
claim that BMFP ignores the
“interests of the good people of
Grant County.” BMFP is seri-
ous about making good things
happen on public lands in
Grant County. And successful.
Mark Webb
Executive Director
Blue Mountains
Forest Partners
Take it from me, do
not start smoking
To the Editor:
My name is Fred Paul, and
I have lived in Grant County
for 24 years. I want to tell you
a true story about my life. First
of all, I gotta hand it to the to-
bacco companies. They got me
hooked on cigarettes when I
was 12 — and now look at me!
I have smoked for 65 years, and
boy has that changed my life in
a bad way.
Some time ago, I lost the
sight in my left eye. So I went
to Bend to a specialist only to
be told that I would lose sight in
that eye. “I can live with that,”
so I thought. Little did I know
that my life was just about to
get much worse. A few months
ago I had to go to another doctor
in Bend, and I found out I had
cancer. Four doctors have con-
irmed that I have cancer. It is in
my lungs and in my esophagus,
which is of course due to my
smoking for so long. I require
oxygen 24 hours a day, seven
days a week. There is no option
of treatment. I can feel the can-
cer zapping all the energy out
of my body. I can walk 25 feet
or so before I need to stop and
take a rest, or I feel like I’m
going to pass out. Gee, aren’t
cigarettes great?
I returned home, where
I live by myself. A friend of
mine wanted to put donations
cans all over town to help with
the cost of medical expenses,
but hospice came to my rescue.
Some time later, a nurse from
hospice in John Day came out
to see me and talk to me about
hospice, and thank God for
that! If it weren’t for hospice,
I wouldn’t be here right now. I
don’t want to die in the hospi-
tal; I want to be at home. As I
said, I live alone, but with hos-
pice there is always someone to
call. Hospice staff come out to
see me all the time to check on
me. They can’t do anything to
get rid of the cancer, but they do
give me pills, which make me
feel better and allow me to be
more comfortable. They bring
me food and help with getting
my mail and buying groceries
since I don’t drive anymore.
They make it easier to deal
with the pain that I have. When
a guy is down and can’t get up,
they are right there to help.
I have often thought that
if I could just tell my story, I
might be able to save some
young kids from smoking so
they won’t end up like I am to-
day. I’ve spent a lot of money
on cigarettes, and spend a lot
of time smoking. Only to end
up like this. It’s not worth it —
take it from me.
Fred Paul
Canyon City
- T hank Y ou -
The family of Larry Blasing would like to
thank all friends and colleagues for their
prayers, cards, flowers and food you have
so kindly given. He appreciated the
friendship of you all.
We will all miss him but also thank God for
our time together and celebrate his life and
his accomplishments.
Sincerely,
The Blasing Family
Maria’s Traditional
Mexican Food
541-575-0777
295 S. Canyon City Blvd., Canyon City
03992
A5
Seneca man, son die when
ishing boat capsizes in Alaska
ANCHORAGE, Alaska
(AP) — A Seneca man and
his son on an Alaska fish-
ing trip died when their boat
overturned in Glacier Bay
National Park Monday, May
30.
Tom VandenBerg, chief
of interpretation for the park,
listed the men who died as
Larry Roger McWilliams,
75, and Gary Roger McWil-
liams, 48.
Larry McWilliams lived
in Seneca. His son was from
California, Vandenberg said.
Four others on the 21-
foot aluminum boat were
rescued, including one per-
son who suffered severe hy-
pothermia and was flown to
a hospital in Juneau.
The boat was near shore
on the back side of an island,
away from a main channel.
One person managed to swim
to shore and lag down a pass-
ing boat, VandenBerg said.
“That was the only way
they were seen,” he said.
VandenBerg did not know
how long the boat’s occu-
pants were in the water.
Dept. of Ag directors hear viewpoints
County residents
speak to board
at Keerins Hall
By Angel Carpenter
Blue Mountain Eagle
JOHN DAY — A group of
diverse Grant County residents
encouraged the Oregon Depart-
ment of Agriculture’s board of
directors to listen to rural voic-
es at a meeting Tuesday in John
Day.
Among the seven visit-
ing board members was Long
Creek rancher Sharon Living-
ston, who invited local panel-
ists to speak.
Elaine Eisenbraun, execu-
tive director of the North Fork
John Day Watershed Council,
told the board members society
has always been dependent on
agriculture.
“It’s imperative that the
community be healthy in order
for the landscape to be healthy,”
she said. “The bottom line is
listen to the people ... learn
from the people, trust the peo-
ple and, above all, respond to
the people.”
Another panelist, Mark
Webb, executive director of the
Blue Mountains Forest Part-
ners, said he is trying to change
the status quo by restoring trust
between rural residents and the
government.
“What happens or doesn’t
happen on federal land affects
us,” he said.
The local panel also includ-
ed Grant County Commission-
er Boyd Britton and ranchers
Ken Holliday and Shaun Rob-
ertson.
Holliday and Robertson said
people from outside of Grant
County want to be involved.
Pro Saw
Shop and
a Whole
Lot More
R ELIEF FROM
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The laws are changing SOON.
Time to file for relief NOW.
If you think you are eligible for relief, contact us
for a low cost consultation. If your registration
requirement is from a juvenile adjudication, you
may be entitled to court-appointed counsel.
Call Grant County’s full service law firm, the
Law Office of Robert Raschio, today to set up
an appointment at 541-575-5750.
We can also assist you in a Divorce,
drafting a Will or Trust and Restoration of
your Gun Rights under Oregon Law.
Please call
541-523-2522
or visit
www.eltrym.com
for movies
and
showtimes.
$9 Adult, $7 Senior (60+), Youth
The Eagle/Angel Carpenter
John Day resident
Shaun Robertson, left,
along with other Grant
County residents,
speaks as a panelist
to the Department of
Agriculture’s board
of directors during
Tuesday’s meeting at
Keerins Hall in John Day.
Robertson, a former ish bi-
ologist, said he is proud of the
work that has been done in the
John Day Basin for ish habitat,
but there is often disconnect be-
tween residents and outsiders.
“They want to tear it apart
and rebuild,” he said. “We al-
ready have a model.”
ODA board of directors chair
Laura Masterson said they are
working to understand the local
issues and express the concerns
brought forward.
“We’re happy to have con-
versations and try to help,” she
said.
Livingston said board mem-
ber Stephanie Hallock was also
instrumental in bringing ODA to
John Day for the meeting.
“We will continue to dis-
cuss these issues and be an
advocate for rural Eastern Or-
egon and Grant County,” Liv-
ingston said.
02131
C OPS & C OURTS
Wednesday, June 8, 2016
RR
04002
Blue Mountain Eagle
L AW
541-575-5750
206 S. Humbolt St.
Canyon City
office@rrlaw.biz