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About The Blue Mountain eagle. (John Day, Or.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 3, 2016)
FREESTYLE BULLFIGHTING 60 seconds of the most extreme sport you will ever see The Blue Mountain EAGLE PAGE A10 Grant County’s newspaper since 1868 W EDNESDAY , A UGUST 3, 2016 Recall ballots mailed, due back Aug. 16 • N O . 31 • 18 P AGES • $1.00 www.MyEagleNews.com “ He’s so cute, and I love him.” — Dani Goldblatt Election costs county about $3,000 By Sean Hart Blue Mountain Eagle Ballots for the recall elec- tion against County Com- missioner Boyd Britton have been mailed and are due back by 8 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 16. County Clerk Brenda Per- cy said people who have not received their ballots in the mail should contact her at 541-575-1675 to ensure the correct ad- dress is on fi le. Percy said, if people plan to mail their Boyd ballots in, Britton they should do so at least fi ve mailing days before the election — or more to ensure their ballot arrives in time to be counted. She recommend- ed that people use ballot drop boxes — such as those at the John Day Senior Center, the Grant County Library, Mt. Vernon City Hall, Prairie City City Hall and the Grant Coun- ty Courthouse — to avoid any chance of the ballot being lost in the mail. The recall election will cost the county about $3,000 and possibly more, Percy said, depending on the num- ber of ballots returned. She said she initially planned to print the ballots herself and tally them by hand but decid- ed to use the ballot-counting machine to ensure the elec- tion was above reproach. “I wanted to ensure ev- eryone was satisfi ed with the election process,” she said. The ballots cost $924.30, the postage cost $854 and pro- gramming the ballot machine cost $568.75, she said. With- out including the personnel cost from the clerk’s offi ce, she said the election board — which opens and process- es the ballots — would likely cost between $500 and $800. She said travel expenses to the ballot drop boxes would probably cost an additional $150 to $200. See RECALL, Page A18 NEW KID, OLD TRICKS Goldblatt prepares Nigerian dwarf goat for county fair By Angel Carpenter Blue Mountain Eagle U Eagle photos/Angel Carpenter Dani Goldblatt, 15, of John Day, works with her 4-H goat Rocco, a Nigerian dwarf. She plans to compete in showmanship with him during the Aug. 10-13 Grant County Fair. sing a little food as incentive, 15-year-old Dani Goldblatt of John Day had her 2-year- old Nigerian dwarf goat Rocco eating out of her hand for tricks this week. Goldblatt is one of many Grant County 4-Hers preparing for the Aug. 10-13 Grant County Fair. She’s entering Rocco in the show- manship competition, after working with him since last August. “He’s fun to play with,” she said. “I set up a jump, and he likes to do tricks.” She won’t be taking him to the auc- tioning block. Dani “He’s so cute, and I love him,” she Goldblatt said, adding he’s much like a dog. On Monday, she had her furry friend performing stunts, including standing on his hind legs and offering a kiss. Goldblatt has been involved with 4-H since fourth grade, the year youngsters are old enough to sign up. Last year, she won Reserve Champion locally for a wearable art project — a T-shirt with a sunset design See GOAT, Page A18 New airport projects getting off the ground Gate, lights, signage will welcome visitors By Angel Carpenter Blue Mountain Eagle In two months on the job, new airport manager Haley Walker has cleared the run- way for several improve- ments for the Grant County Regional Air- port in John Day. Wa l k e r explained her priorities Haley and planned Walker projects to the Grant County Chamber of Commerce at the July 21 meeting. “Safety is No. 1,” she said, “and the customer is a close second.” Eagle file photo Grant County Regional Airport, pictured here, will soon see improvements, including a new gate and sign. She said she’s hired three employees with “can-do” attitudes. They take initia- tive when pilots arrive at the self-fuel island, she said, offering a ladder and any other assistance needed. A safety project expect- ed to be completed in Au- gust is the addition of an See AIRPORT, Page A18 This T-shirt is an example of the wearable art category at the Grant County Fair. Dani Goldblatt won Reserve Champion last year at the local level and Champion at the Oregon State Fair. Rocco the Nigerian dwarf is ready for the Grant County Fair. Fires erupt in E. Oregon Blue Mountain Eagle Plumes of smoke from several wildfi res have been visible in Grant County as fi refi ghters battle nearby blazes. Two fi res near Unity were reported Sunday after a fi re east of Pendleton shut down Interstate 84 most of Satur- day. Carol Connolly, public information offi cer with the Northwest Interagency Co- ordination Center in Port- land, said there have so far been 30 large fi res in Oregon and Washington this year, burning 123,775 acres. As of last week, she said 83 per- cent of those large fi res were human-caused. Finer fuels, such as grass- es and shrubs, are drying out quickly in the Northwest, she said. She encouraged people to be aware of local fi re regulations and careful The Eagle/Angel Carpenter The Rail Fire seen from a spot near River Lane, east of Prairie City, looking to the southeast on Sunday. to avoid starting any more preventable fi res. “If there is an ignition source, we do have the po- tential for large, catastrophic fi res,” she said. Rail Fire The Rail Fire, which started Sunday about 10 miles west-southwest of See FIRES, Page A18
