Business
Blue Mountain Eagle
Wednesday, June 29, 2016
Silver Spur is back in the saddle
OTEC receives safety award
Blue Mountain Eagle
Mt. Vernon
restaurant
returns
Oregon Trail Electric Coop-
erative has received irst-place
honors at the 2016 Northwest
Public Power Administration
Safety Awards competition.
OTEC was up against util-
ities across the Paciic North-
west, Alaska and California in
the annual safety contest, in
which awards are based on a
review of each utility’s incident
rate, which is the number of
recordable injury/illness cases,
and the severity rate, which is
lost work days.
Jeff Anderson, OTEC’s
Manager of Safety and Loss
Control, said it was a great hon-
or to be recognized.
“This award acknowledges
that OTEC’s safety record is
well above average and that is
attributed to the culture of care
we have for one another and a
healthy respect we have for the
incredible power of electricity,”
said Anderson.
“It is constantly at the fore-
front of all of our operations —
whether our crews are working
out in the ield on top of a power
By Angel Carpenter
Blue Mountain Eagle
The Silver Spur Cafe in
Mt. Vernon is back, and the
coffee is on, with a menu full
of traditional, stick-to-your-
ribs fare.
Owners Michelle and
Kristofer Johnson opened
the Silver Spur in March and
held a grand opening this
weekend.
The restaurant, at 150
Ingle St. in Mt. Vernon, is
open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Mon-
days through Saturdays and
7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sundays.
“The theme of the restau-
rant is Western culture,
ranching and farming, which
is big in this area,” Michelle
said, adding the atmosphere
is family friendly.
Favorites from the menu
include hamburgers, chick-
en-fried steak and enchila-
das.
“We hand-bread the
chicken-fried steak, and we
run out as soon as we make
them,” Michelle said.
She said the custom milk-
shakes and homemade pies
are also popular.
“A lot of people come
here for the milkshakes,”
Kristofer added.
Pies, soups and gravy are
made fresh daily, with bis-
cuits baked in-house.
Michelle grew up in Mt.
Vernon and has a bachelor’s
degree in business adminis-
tration with a minor in man-
agement. She’s been in the
restaurant industry for two
years as a waitress and cook.
The Eagle/Angel Carpenter
Michelle and Kristofer Johnson offer a traditional menu at the Silver Spur
Restaurant at 150 Ingle St. in Mt. Vernon.
She said she looks for-
ward to providing good jobs,
and hopes to be involved in
the community.
Kristofer grew up on
farms in Wisconsin and Bak-
er City.
His parents own the
Haines Steakhouse, where he
was head chef for eight years,
and he drove long haul trucks
for two years before starting
the new business.
As kitchen manager, Kris-
tofer cuts the meat fresh each
day at the Silver Spur.
“I like the loyalty we have
from our customers,” he said.
“They keep coming back,
and it shows they like our
food and our prices. Before
we get here in the morning,
they’re here waiting for us.”
For more information,
call the restaurant at 541-
932-4545.
A3
Contributed photo
OTEC Manager of Loss
Control Jeff Anderson
and Director of Human
Resources Debby Ray
were all smiles as the
accepted the first-place
Northwest Public Power
Administration safety
award for 2016.
pole or processing documents in
the district ofices,” he said.
In 2015, between the
150,001-500,000 hour cate-
gory, OTEC had no lost time
accidents. This, paired with the
lack of injury cases, is what put
OTEC in the lead for the recog-
nition.
The awards competition was
held at the Engineering and Op-
erations Conference in Spokane,
Washington.
Unemployment rate
drops to 7.6 percent
Blue Mountain Eagle
Grant County experienced
its lowest unemployment rate
for the month of May this year
since 2007.
The seasonally adjusted rate
fell from 8.8 percent in May of
2015 to 7.6 percent in May of
2016, according to an economic
indicators report released by the
Oregon Employment Depart-
ment Tuesday.
Grant County gained an esti-
mated 60 jobs over the year.
The private sector added 90
The Eagle/Angel Carpenter
Michelle and Kristofer Johnson, owners of the
Silver Spur Restaurant in Mt. Vernon, welcome
customers with their Western theme and
traditional menu.
jobs, including 20 in mining/
logging, 20 in retail trade, 20
in private education/health ser-
vices and 10 in professional/
business services. No private
industries lost jobs.
The public sector decreased
by 30 jobs, with losses in feder-
al and local government — 20
each — outpacing a gain in state
government.
Grant County still has the
highest rate in the state.
The statewide unemploy-
ment rate is 4.5 percent, and the
national rate is 4.7 percent.
Dental care service aims to help people in need
Blue Mountain Eagle
A new dental care service,
Greater Smiles of Eastern Ore-
gon, hopes to put bright smiles
on the faces of people who
need it most.
The charity, based in John
Day, will be a cooperative
agreement with dentists in
private practice to provide
services to people who meet a
certain criteria for need, such
as sliding scale federal poverty
inancial guidelines, according
to board of directors member
Craige McMillan of John Day.
Priority will be given to
veterans, domestic violence
abuse victims, the working
poor and children who have no
other options for dental care,
McMillan said. Bad teeth often
hold people back in life and re-
sult in health, employment and
self-esteem issues, he added.
“For those without insur-
ance, restoring normal chew-
ing function, treating chronic
infection or restoring even a
simple smile can seem impos-
sible,” McMillan said.
He said, for some peo-
ple, a new smile alone might
not be enough to provide the
necessary turnaround in life.
Through assessments, Greater
Smiles will be able to partner
with other organizations to
Steer for
smiles
What: Steer rafle to
beneit Greater Smiles.
When: Drawing will be
Sept. 30.
Cost: Tickets are $10
each, three for $25, 6 for
$50, plus a bonus ticket;
or 12 for $100, plus two
tickets.
Where: Tickets are
available at the Austin
House, Prairie Gifts and
Hardware, True Value
Hardware, Ace Hardware,
1188 Brewing Company,
Squeeze In, Russell’s
Custom Meats, Canyon
City Shell, Grant County
Chamber of Commerce,
Virginia McMillan DDS,
Silver Spur in Mt. Vernon,
OK Garage in Long Creek
and Boyers Store in Mon-
ument.
help with other issues the per-
son might have.
Greater Smiles is an out-
reach of Christian Communi-
cation and Ministry, a 501(c)
(3) nonproit. McMillan’s
wife, Virginia, is a John Day
dentist and also on the Greater
Smiles board.
The pilot phase of the proj-
ect will start in Grant County.
After the irst year, the organiz-
ers plan to expand the service
into Harney County, followed
by other areas of Eastern Ore-
B REAKING N EWS A LERTS
myeaglenews.com/breakingnews
Your Rural Fa mily Health Clinic
Grant County
HEALTH
Department
528 E. Main, St. E,
John Day
Monday - Friday
8am - 5pm
Services Provided:
Karen Triplett, FNP
• Primary Care
• Acute Care
• Women’s Health
Exams
• Men and
Children Exams
• Immunizations
• Family Planning
• Contraception
• Pregnancy Testing &
Referrals
• HIV Testing &
Referrals
• Cacoon
• WIC
• High Risk Infants
• Maternity Case
Management
Grant County Health Department does not discriminate against any person on the basis of race, color, national origin,
disability, or age in admission, treatment, or participation in its programs, services and activitie s, or in employment.
Appointments
available
Call and schedule your
appointment today!
TOLL FREE
888-443-9104
or 541-575-0429
Contributed photo
Craige McMillan is one of
the organizers of Greater
Smiles, a new dental care
service that aims to put
smiles on the faces of
those in need.
gon, Idaho and Eastern Wash-
ington.
McMillan said fundraising
for Greater Smiles will be a
two-step process.
He said there are many
private foundations in Oregon
available to help fund such
services as Greater Smiles.
However, to get the plan be-
fore those foundations, orga-
nizers have determined a need
of $12,000 for specialized
software and fundraising ex-
perience.
They plan to raise that mon-
ey locally, with the rafle of a
steer raised by the Voigt ranch,
as the irst fundraiser. The
prize includes cutting, de-bon-
ing and wrapping by Russell’s
Custom Meats in John Day.
Tickets are on sale at var-
ious locations. The drawing
will be Sept. 30.
However, people can win
prizes even before the big
drawing. Everyone who pur-
chases a ticket gets a big, shiny
red button advertising the steer
rafle. Fundraiser organizers
are out and about looking for
people wearing the buttons
and are ready to award them a
prize on the spot.
Terry Williams, who was
“caught” leaving the Squeeze
In in John Day, won a gift card
for lunch for two — coinciden-
tally, at the Squeeze In. Toni
McCollum, a waitress at the
Squeeze In, was wearing her
button and won a gift card for
chocolate from Flower Shop
and More.
McMillan said no one in
the organization is taking a sal-
ary this year, “so almost all the
money we raise will go for the
tools to target Oregon founda-
tions for the funding to take
this project across all of East-
ern Oregon.”
To make a donation, volun-
teer or for more information,
call Eddie Smith at 541-620-
1895 or contact Greater Smiles
at 541-628-7866 or donor@
greatersmiles.org.
Visit Greater Smiles at
greatersmiles.org.
Cowboy Chapel H our
KJDY,
Sunday, 7 a.m.
“Free Fireworks -
Die Without Christ”
Debbie Ausmus
245 South Canyon Blvd.
John Day, OR 97845
OPEN WED. & THUR.
9 am - 5 pm
541-575-1113
24 hrs/7 days wk
debbie.ausmus@
countryfinancial.com
A TTENTION G RANT C OUNTY
V ETERANS :
Did you know there may be VA benefits available for
you as a result of your spouses’ military service?
See your Grant County Veteran Services
Officer today for more information,
located at Grant County Court House.
THE LEGEND OF TARZAN PG-13
Tarzan, having acclimated to life in
London, is called back to his former home
in the jungle to investigate the activities at
a mining encampment.
FRI-THURS
(12:45) (4:10) 7:10 9:45
Call 541-575-1631 for an appointment
INDEPENDENCE DAY:
RESURGENCE PG-13
Two decades after the first Independence
Day invasion, Earth is faced with a new
extra-solar threat.
FRI-THURS
Open: Mon, Wed, & Fri 10am-4pm by appointment.
(12:45) (4:00) 7:00 9:40
FINDING DORY PG
Let our family of Pharmacists
The friendly-but-forgetful blue tang fish
reunites with her loved ones, and everyone
learns a few things about the real meaning
of family along the way.
FRI-THURS
(12:45) (4:20) 7:20 9:35
$9 Adult, $7 Senior (60+), Youth
04080
Steer raffle
benefits Greater
Smiles
serve you!
Renaissance Medispa LLC
Open for business
• Botox, Dysport, Xeomin • Hyaluronic acid fillers-
Juvederm, Bolotero • Chemical Medical Peels for photo
aging, acne, and melasma
Zoe Thompson, RN,
is certified through Northwest Laser
Institute in cosmetic injectables, medical
peels and laser.
For confidential free skin
consult call or text Zoe
at 541-647-4540. Flexible
appointment times,
including evenings and
weekends.
Private room inside of Studio 20 at 1326
Hines Blvd in Burns
Give us a call today
541-676-9158 - Heppner
541-384-2801 - Condon
We welcome the opportunity to visit with
you about our services!
Heppner & & Condon
Heppner
Condon