2016 Grant County Fair Guide inside!
The
Grant County’s newspaper since 1868
Blue Mountain
EAGLE
The Eagle/Cheryl Hoefler
The Middle Fork John Day
River June 19.
W EDNESDAY , J ULY 6, 2016
Shooting suspect
arrested , 1 injured
By Angel Carpenter
Blue Mountain Eagle
A man accused in a
shooting Saturday in John
Day was arrested the after-
noon of Sunday, July 3 in
Prairie City.
David Kodesh, 21, of Mt.
Vernon is facing one count
each of unlawful use of a
weapon, fi rst-degree assault,
menacing and second-de-
gree disorderly conduct.
John Day Police Ser-
geant Damon Rand said Ko-
desh was reportedly arguing
with Mathew Walker, 32,
of John Day Saturday eve-
ning in the alleyway behind
Chester’s Thriftway in John
Day when the shooting hap-
pened.
A neighbor reported the
incident at about 7:30 p.m.
Saturday.
“One male individual
pulled out a gun, and the
other individual was shot in
the arm,” Rand said.
Walker, shot in the up-
per arm, was treated and
released at Blue Mountain
Hospital in John Day.
• N O . 27
• 18 P AGES
• $1.00
GRAND MARSHALS
celebrate Grant County-style
Three couples
represent their
communities
By Angel Carpenter
Blue Mountain Eagle
G
See SHOOTING, Page A18
rand marshals representing
the Grant County Fourth of
July parades are a big part of
the community celebrations.
Skip and Cindy Inscore rode the pa-
rade route Saturday in Dayville, and on
Monday Mitch and Jennie Mund were
grand marshals for Monument, and Del-
mas and Mary Raymond represented
Prairie City.
Each couple shared what makes their
town a great place to live.
Duncan remembered as
fun, hardworking, helpful
Former
Monument
mayor died
June 29
By Angel Carpenter
Blue Mountain Eagle
Joe Duncan, 75, a former
Monument mayor and Mon-
ument School staff member,
died Wednesday at his home
in Monument.
He served as mayor of
the city from January 2002
to December 2005.
Duncan also worked as a
custodian and bus driver for
Monument School District
for 18 years, retiring in 2003.
At the school, he taught
a small engine class on oc-
casion and substituted as a
natural resources teacher.
Friends and associates
shared their memories of
Joe Duncan
Duncan, including Jennie
Mund of Monument, who
worked as the school’s ad-
ministrative assistant for
several years until her recent
retirement.
“I loved Joe,” she said.
“He was the king of the
jokesters and the king of
gardening with a beautiful
garden and fl owers.”
She remembered Duncan
joking back and forth with
science teacher Ron Gaither,
who died in 2000.
“Those two worked hard
at getting the best of each
other,” she said.
“He will be sorely
missed,” she added. “He was
a good guy and fun to work
with.”
Vonda Stubblefi eld also
worked with Duncan when
she was a bus driver and
speech and language pathol-
ogist assistant at the school.
Duncan’s wife Alice also
worked at the school.
“He was a coworker you
look forward to seeing every
day,” Stubblefi eld said. “He
was one of those guys that
always went the extra mile.
He was a good leader, and he
was a good family friend.”
Speaking of Duncan upon
his retirement back in 2003,
then superintendent John
Seeley said, “Anything Joe
was asked to do, he did. Joe
See DUNCAN, Page A18
www.MyEagleNews.com
Contributed photo/Tanni Wenger Photography Studio
Grand marshals Del and Mary Raymond ride in an 1800’s delivery
wagon, which Delmas rebuilt, at Prairie City’s Fourth of July Parade.
S EE NEXT WEEK ’ S PAPER FOR MORE 4 TH OF J ULY PHOTOS
AND RESULTS FROM COMMUNITY EVENTS .
Prairie City
The Raymonds were sitting in style
in an early 1900s wagon, which Delmas
rebuilt fi ve years ago.
“It was a Jerry Dailey freight wagon,”
Mary said. “He (Dailey) used to meet the
train and pick up the freight and deliver
packages to people around the area.”
The train used to travel from Baker
City to Sumpter and Prairie City.
Delmas has provided carriage rides at
Christmas on the Prairie in Prairie City,
as well as other parades.
The couple have worked as ranchers,
and Mary is still involved, haying and
working cows for neighbors.
See PARADES, Page A18
Jennie and Mitch
Mund ride as
grand marshals
in the Monument
Fourth of July
Jubilee Parade,
driven by Rose
Howe.
Grand marshals Cindy
and Skip Inscore of
Dayville, are pulled in a
boat down the parade
route, a possible hint
at what they plan to
spend time doing in
retirement.
Contributed photo
Jeanne Strange
The Eagle/Angel Carpenter
Early optimism for tourist season
By Daniel Wattenburger
EO Media Group
In late winter and early
spring, with tourism season
fast approaching, the Grant
County Chamber of Com-
merce began receiving trou-
bling messages from past
visitors concerned about the
political climate in Eastern
Oregon.
A widely publicized 41-
day standoff at the Malheur
National Wildlife Refuge had
just concluded, and many
communities in rural Oregon
were divided by the clash over
federal management of local
land. People were concerned
that division would make
their visits unpleasant, or even
dangerous.
“We had people writing,
saying they weren’t com-
ing back here until things
changed,”
said
Tammy
Bremner, offi ce manager at
the chamber. “All we could
tell them is we’re not a polit-
ical organization and they’re
welcome back any time.”
The 20-25 messages ini-
tially worried Bremner. The
county had already seen a lull
in visitors during the typical
peak of the 2015 travel sea-
son when the Canyon Creek
wildfi re choked the sky with
smoke during the late summer
See TOURISM, Page A18
EO Media Group/Daniel Wattenburger
Carol Faulkner gives a tour of the Kam Wah Chung
building Friday in John Day. The museum has seen
400 more visitors in May and June this year than
last year, part of a tourism uptick in Grant County.