News
Blue Mountain Eagle
Wednesday, August 24, 2016
A5
C OPS & C OURTS
Arrests and citations in the
Blue Mountain Eagle are taken
from the logs of law enforce-
ment agencies. Every effort is
made to report the court dispo-
sition of arrest cases.
Oregon State Police
• Aug. 18: An Oficer re-
sponded to a call stating a man
had accidentally shot himself
in the leg. Subject was taken to
Blue Mountain Hospital.
• Aug. 18: Shawn Colman
Kite, 48, was arrested for DUII
and charged with domestic vi-
olence after oficers responded
to a domestic violence call in
Prairie City at about 10:37 a.m.
When oficers arrived, Kite had
already led in a 1993 Pontiac
Bonneville. About an hour later
an oficer located and stopped
the vehicle. Kite appeared to be
under the effect of a controlled
substance. He consented to so-
briety tests and was arrested and
taken to the Grant County Jail.
Aug. 20: A single, non-in-
jury crash occurred near mile-
post 134.5 on Highway 26 in
Grant County. The lone driver
was headed east when they
lost control of the vehicle on a
right-hand turn. The airbags did
not deploy and the driver was
wearing a seatbelt. The road was
covered with gravel due to an
ongoing chip sealing project.
Grant County Sheriff.
CANYON CITY — The
LETTERS
Continued from Page A4
There are yellow signs on property
where homes have burned to the ground.
The owners have moved. They have not
been asked permission to post on their
property. This is taking advantage of an-
other person’s tragedy. As of the writing
of this letter those yellow signs are still
posted.
The petitioners for this recall want to
hold our elected oficials to certain stan-
dards, but the petitioners do not seem to
feel the need to hold themselves to stan-
dards of civility, decency and respect. I
know the petitioners feel justiied in all
they have done. I do not agree with them.
There is enough turmoil in the world that
we don’t need to create our own.
The cost of the recall may seem small
to some, but that cost has taken a bite out
of the already tight county budget and
impacts every county department, the
departments you depend on for service.
Let’s put this train back on its rails
and do something nice for each other.
Eva Harris
Canyon City
The Oregonian’s ire
investigation was
unbalanced
To the Editor:
It’s easier to criticize than condone.
For 20 years, I’ve owned a residence
on a 40-acre timbered property in the Pine
Creek drainage, visiting approximately
one week each year. Ironically, when i-
nally living seasonally in this residence
Grant County Sheriff’s Ofice
reported the following for the
week of August 14-21:
• Concealed handgun licens-
es: 3
• Average inmates: 11
• Bookings: 11
• Releases: 11
• Citations: 2
• Fingerprints: 5
• Civil papers: 19
• Warrants processed: 3
• Asst./welfare check: 3
Justice Court
CANYON CITY — The
Grant County Justice Court re-
ported the following ines and
judgments:
• Exceeding the speed lim-
it: Daniel Gabriel Cohrs, 23,
last year, and while working in a spike ire
camp, the Canyon Creek Complex ire
burned it down. I was left with the clothes
on my back. I spent the remainder of last
season living in a tent.
The Oregonian’s published investi-
gation of the Canyon Creek Complex
ire was anything but an example of “bal-
anced” journalism. Residents who lost
their homes were interviewed and quoted.
Where were the interviews of residents
whose homes were saved by the efforts of
ireighters? Where were the interviews of
those who worked the ire and lost their
homes? Other (Forest Service) person-
nel lost their primary residence to the ire
while working in ire camp. Because the
Oregonian chose not to contact people in
this unusual position, I thought to provide
the facts of my experience:
1) An extensive network of ire lines
were dug by hand crews on the slope
around my residence.
2) A sprinkler system was set up by
hand crews, with sprinkler heads around
my residence.
3) Firewood piles were moved away
from my residence by hand crews.
4) While hand crews were busy sav-
ing my neighbors’ homes, the burning
bole of a large tree rolled down a 35-de-
gree slope, hitting my residence, resulting
in an explosion of red-hot embers.
I’m not by any stretch an expert on
forest ire behavior. But no matter how
many ire lines are dug and sprinkler sys-
tems are put in place, they can’t possibly
stop a burning bole from rolling down a
35-degree slope.
The basis of my objectivity is three-
fold: 1) I spent my working career outside
of government; 2) I’m an “outsider” to
Cornelius, 77/65 zone, Aug.
10, ined $135; Anthony Wyatt
Hall, 19, Canyon City, 77/65
zone, Aug. 13, ined $135.
• Violation of the basic speed
rule: Stephen R. Johnson, 67,
New Orleans, 75/55 zone, July
31, ined $160; Renea Lynn
Ostermiller, 42, Portland, 74/55
zone, July 16, ined $160; Tim-
othy Mitchell Jaureguy, 46, Se-
attle, 75/55 zone, July 31, ined
$160. John Edward Mallars, 64,
Pilot Rock, 75/55 zone, Aug. 9,
ined $160.
• Driving with a suspended
license: Benjamin Keith Lee,
36, Canyon City, June 30, ined
$435.
• Semi Trailer exceeding 53
feet in length: Ioan Calaras, 45,
Grant County; and 3) I work seasonally
for the (Forest Service) as a semi-retire-
ment job, so my livelihood and well-be-
ing are in no way dependent upon the
(Forest Service).
I’ll reserve my criticism for the un-
balanced journalism published by the
Oregonian.
John H. Van Gundy
John Day
Sheriff should resign
To the Editor:
From the Washington Times, April
15, 2014: “Former Arizona sheriff Rich-
ard Mack says he and other organizers at
Cliven Bundy’s ranch in Nevada were
contemplating using women and children
as human shields in case ‘rogue federal
oficers’ opened ire. Appearing on Fox
News’ ‘The Real Story’ on Monday, for-
mer Sheriff Richard Mack said he and
other protesters ‘were actually strategiz-
ing to put all the women up at the front. If
they are going to start shooting, it’s going
to be women that are going to be televised
all across the world getting shot by these
rogue federal oficers.’”
Sheriff Palmer has aligned himself
with Mack and the CSPOA, accepted
their national award and endorsed and ap-
peared at Mack’s speaking engagement
in John Day. Palmer’s name appears on
CSPOA letterhead as a member of the
Council of Sheriffs and Peace Oficers.
In January, Sheriff Palmer met with
Jon Ritzheimer and Ryan Payne at length
in John Day, so impressed with what
they had to say he had them autograph
his pocket constitution. These two at the
time were committing a criminal act at
the Malheur Wildlife Refuge, have since
T hank Y ou
G RANT C OUNTY
This past recall election has been difficult
for the community and frankly for Bonnie and
me. It is over and time for all of us to move
forward and put it behind us for the betterment
of Grant County.
I want to thank all of the great people that
supported me, whether it was Voting No,
financial campaign support, recording radio
ads, writing letters of support to the editor,
running our Facebook page, putting up signs or
just stopping by the shop and offering
encouragement. It was very humbling. I also
want to thank the “Vote No” Recall committee
that worked tirelessly on my and Grant
County’s behalf, especially Lynn Larssen, our
treasurer.
Grant County has come a long way in the
last 10 years but that’s not to say we still don’t
have significant issues ahead of us. We are a
strong, resilient community and I believe that
working together makes us much stronger and
more powerful than the issues that pull us
apart.
Once again, thank you Grant County for
keeping me as your County Commissioner. I
will continue to work hard for all of you.
S incerely,
B OYD & B ONNIE B RITTON
Paid for by Vote No on Boyd Britton Recall
Mississauga, Aug. 10, ined $95.
• No operator’s license: Al-
lison M. Cifuentes, 23, Prairie
City, May 22, ined $260.
• Unsafe passing on the left:
Kelli Dawn, Sterling, 50, Puyal-
lup, July 31, ined $260.
Dispatch
John Day dispatch worked
153 calls during the week of
August 14-21. Along with the
various trafic warnings, tres-
passing, injured animals, noise
complaints and juvenile com-
plaints, these calls included:
• John Day Police:
Aug. 15: Responded to a
reported break in at John Day
Video.
Aug. 16: Arrested Devan
pled guilty and are awaiting sentencing.
This year, from February to July, there
were six emergency management meet-
ings including discussion of looding
(of serious concern this year on Canyon
Creek), a community wide disaster drill
for all agencies and Cascadia earthquake
updates. The sheriff did not take part.
At the invitation of two of Palmer’s
special deputies, Michael Emry came to
town along with a stolen fully automat-
ic machine gun with the serial number
missing. Emry was arrested by the FBI
and is awaiting trial.
A botched response and a non-investi-
gation into a shots-ired call in January of
2015, legal proceedings involving com-
plaints iled with DPSST and DOJ, re-
fusal to disclose public records requested
and possible deletion of email messages
are just some of the things that have been
on the table for months, and are the pro-
verbial tip of the iceberg.
It’s not only time to say, “enough is
enough,” we should be asking this sheriff
to resign.
Judy Schuette
John Day
Think of climate
change during election
To the Editor:
Your vote in November is crucial
to ability of the United States to imple-
ment timely signiicant action on climate
change (CC) issues. Delaying strategies
of many elected oficials are costing tax-
payers untold amounts in dollars and hu-
man suffering, but more importantly, de-
lay lessens our ability to affect required
changes.
Haynes, 23, on a Grant County
felony warrant.
Aug. 18: Arrested Shawn C.
Kite for assault after responding
to a domestic disturbance call at
470 N. Washington St.
Aug. 19: Arrested David
Wesly Burke, 22, on fraud
charges.
Aug. 20: Responded to a
complaint of a suspect driving
with an open container near
John Day Park. The subject was
found to be drinking root beer.
• Grant County Sheriff:
Aug. 19: Responded with
OSP to report of shots ired.
• John Day ambulance:
Aug. 16: John Day and Sen-
eca ambulances responded to
reports of a gunshot injury.
Many Republican candidates adhere
to party lines regarding CC issues, but
many Democrats also refuse to prioritize
CC issues either out of ignorance or fear.
I believe if a candidate does not have CC
issues as a priority, they are irrelevant
and unable to function in current and fu-
ture political arenas.
I ask while considering a candidate to
be mindful that immediate and effective
action on CC issues should be a declared
priority by the candidate as this will de-
termine the quality of life on the planet
for current and future generations.
Require that your candidate detail
their understanding of CC issues and
commitment to action. This applies to all
elected oficials at every level of govern-
ment.
On the state level, we have oppor-
tunities to design/implement effective
paths (put a price on carbon) to transition
away from fossil fuels and to implement
effective mitigation and adaptation strat-
egies, which may serve as models for na-
tional programs. Nationally, implement-
ing realistic pricing schedules on carbon
emissions (studies show this to be the
most effective method for immediate re-
ductions) is a top priority for moving us
toward an emission-reductions trajectory
that may provide a chance to stabilize the
rate of climate change.
If you have trouble elevating this in
your priorities, try to have a discussion
with your children/grandchildren or a
youth group and explain to them the con-
sequences of no action by your candidate
of choice.
Chuck LeBold
Union
T HANK Y OU , G RANT C OUNTY F AIR
V OLUNTEERS & S PONSORS !
The 2016 Grant County Fair was a huge success because of all of you.
Mary, Mindy, Dusty and the Grant County Fair Board can’t say thank you enough
to both the volunteers and sponsors that made this possible.
Your time and contributions are great appreciated.
Gold Sponsors - Free Day Wednesday
Specialty Sponsors
Les Schwab
KJDY 94.5
Len’s Drug
Muzzy’s 123 Dollar Store
Prairie City Hardware & Gifts
Subway
Corner Cup
1188 Brewing Company LLC
Advantage Dental
Crown Paper & Janitorial
Doug’s Motor Vehicle Repair Inc.
Dr. Virginia McMillan, DDS
Duke Warner Realty
Figaro’s Pizza
Friends of Ted Ferrioli
Ticket Sponsor - Saturday Day Sponsor
Gardner Enterprises, Inc.
Chester’s Thriftway
Johnson Holding, Inc.
Day Sponsors
Loop Ranch
Thursday Sponsor- Tidewater
Maria’s Traditional Mexican Food
contractors & Standard
Mossy Oak Properties Cupper Creek Land Co.
TV & Appliance
Old West Federal Credit Union
Friday Sponsor- Blue Mountain Hospital
Outpost Pizza, Pub & Grill
Strawberrry Wilderness Community Clinic
DP Home Entertainement/Radio Shack
& Rob Rascho, Attorney at Law
U.S. Bank
Saturday Sponsor - Chester’s Thriftway &
McDaniel Ranch
Bank Of Eastern Oregon
Mt. View Mini Mart
T&H Automotive
Silver Sponsors
BCH Cattle Company
Driskill Memorial Chapel
Green Mountain Grills
Pioneer Feed
Ferguson Surveying & Engineering
Bronze Sponsors
Oregon Telephone Corporation
Triangle Oil
Feature Sponsors
John Day River Veterinary Center
State Farm Insurance
Mary Ellen Brooks
Gibco Ag & Industrial
Claude & Bobbie Baker
Eastern OR. Building Maintenance
Eberhard’s Dairy
Ed Staub & Sons
Hodgen Distributing
Holliday Land and Livestock
Huffman’s Select Market
John Day Auto Parts/NAPA
John Day Dairy Queen
John Day True Value
Long View Ranch
Malheur Lumber Company
Mobile Glass of Oregon, Inc.
Oregon Trail Electric Co-op
O’Rorke Logging, Inc. & Ranch
Oster Professional Group
Pendleton Bottling Company
Sisul Engineering
Southworth Brothers, Inc.
Widows Creek Ranch
Wright Chevrolet
Mattecheck &Associates, Inc. (Ansel Krutsinger)
Bar BW
Nydam’s Ace Hardware
Fair Sponsors
Blue Mountain Angus
Rod & Sandy Kuhn
AmeriTitle
Country Preferred Realtors
Echanis Distributing, Inc.
Life Flight
Mosier’s Home Furnishings
Strawberry Mtn. Graphics
Blue Mountain Chiropractic
Columbia Power Corp.
Grant County Arts Association
Bauer Forest & Cattle
Eastern Oregon Realty
Mills Building Supply
Prairie Springs Fish Farm
Green Thumb Garden Club
Ranch Hands Wool Company
James & Lynette Sullens
TG Cattle/Alfalfa Ranch
Bill & Gloria Wilcox
John Day Video Shoppe
Sarah Russ
Shannon Voigt Construction LLC
El Cocinero Mexican Restaurant
Prime Time Video
Box T Ranch
In Kind Sponsors
A Flower Shop N’ More
America’s Best Value Inn
Better Blooms & Gardens
Clark’s Disposal
A Cut Above
John Day Polaris
Byron’s Excavating
Grant County Road Department
City of John Day
City of Prairie City