News
Blue Mountain Eagle
Wednesday, September 7, 2016
A3
Sweet sorrow
Kam Wah Chung
curator promoted
to supervisory
state role
By Rylan Boggs
Blue Mountain Eagle
The Eagle/Rylan Boggs
Newly appointed mayor Eva Dougharity converses with council member Jan
Lowry during a city council meeting Thursday, Sept. 1.
New Mt. Vernon mayor
steps up for short term
Council
discusses
old hotel,
wastewater
system
Kam Wah Chung Museum
Curator Christy Sweet has
been promoted to help su-
pervise all Oregon Parks and
Recreation Departments heri-
tage and museum sites.
Sweet says she is excited
about the promotion but leav-
ing John Day is bittersweet.
“It’s a great job,” she said.
“I hate to leave it, but this is a
great opportunity.”
The Kam Wah Chung Mu-
seum was originally a Chi-
nese medical clinic, general
store, community center and
residence run by two Chinese
immigrants, Ing “Doc” Hay
and Lung On. The museum
has been kept almost exactly
as it was found by historians.
Sweet moved to John
Day nearly a decade ago for
the curator job at Kam Wah
Chung after working in Ne-
The Eagle/Rylan Boggs
Curator Christy Sweet gives a tour of the Kam Wah
Chung Museum Friday, Sept. 2.
braska for the National Parks
Service.
Taking a tour from Sweet,
it’s apparent that she loves
her job. She knows the his-
tory of almost every artifact
in the museum. She excitedly
tells a couple traveling from
Boise that a container con-
taining “dragon bones” are
actually ground up dinosaur
bones labeled as such by the
Chinese.
“It’s been a lot of fun,”
Sweet said. “I love working
with the objects and showing
them off to people.”
Despite showing people
the same artifacts during
each tour, Sweet says she
never gets tired of giving the
tour as she can cater to each
group’s interests.
Kam Wah Chung has
gained national and inter-
national attention during
Sweet’s curating. She has
worked hard to publicize the
museum and facilitated piec-
es done by the Oregonian
and Oregon Public Broad-
casting.
Unemployment decreases but remains
above national, state averages
By Rylan Boggs
Blue Mountain Eagle
Blue Mountain Eagle
Eva Dougharity was
sworn in as mayor of Mt.
Vernon Thursday, Sept. 1.
Dougharity accepted the
title during a casual city
council meeting held in Mt.
Vernon’s City Hall.
Dougharity, the former
council president, replaced
former Mayor Andy Ander-
son after he stepped down
because of personal and
health issues.
As
the
president,
Dougharity was required to
step up and become the may-
or.
“That’s part of being
council president,” Doughar-
ity said.
She has been a Mt. Ver-
non resident since 1981 and
on the city council since
2011. Before that, she lived
in Prairie City and has family
scattered across Grant Coun-
ty.
Though she is will-
ing to step up temporarily,
Dougharity says she is too
busy with her full time job
as a park ranger in the Clyde
Holiday State Park to con-
sider becoming a permanent
mayor. The mayor position is
up for election for a two-year
term in November. Kenny
Delano is the only candidate
who fi led to run.
During the city council
meeting, Dougharity and the
council focused discussion
on a Community Devel-
opment Block Grant from
the state that would be used
to update their wastewater
treatment facility, as well as
County unemployment
rates are improving but are
still above the national and
state unemployment rates.
Grant County’s seasonal-
ly adjusted unemployment
rate dropped from 8.6 per-
cent to 7.9 percent between
July 2015 and July 2016.
Grant County gained an
estimated 50 jobs over the
last year, with 40 in the
private sector and 10 in the
public.
Broken down by indus-
try, wholesale trade, finan-
cial activities, mining and
logging and manufacturing
increased, while construc-
tion, leisure and hospital
and local government de-
creased.
Over the same time peri-
od, Harney County’s unem-
ployment rate dropped from
7.1 percent to 6.4 percent,
and Malheur has dropped
The Eagle/Rylan Boggs
Eva Dougharity was appointed as mayor of Mt.
Vernon Thursday, Sept. 1.
1809 First Street • Baker City • (541)523-5439
BARGAIN MATINEE IN ( ) Adults $7
ALL FILMS $6 ON TIGHTWAD TUESDAY
MOVIE SCHEDULE SEPTEMBER 9-15
ry also proposed approach-
ing the Oregon Department
of Transportation about re-
locating a road sign that was
misdirecting people traveling
to Pendleton into the cul de
sac where she lives.
Lowry said that mov-
ing the sign a hundred
yards down the road would
solve the problem, but they
couldn’t act because it was
state property.
from 6.6 percent to 6.1 per-
cent. Harney County gained
an estimated 100 jobs, and
Malheur County gained an
estimated 210 jobs.
All three counties are
still above the state aver-
age of 5.2 percent and the
national average of 4.9 per-
cent.
Vacant Council Position
The City of Mt. Vernon has a vacant
position on the Council. The Council
is accepting applications to ill this
vacancy until September 13, 2016
at 5:00 p.m. The term of this vacancy
ends December 31, 2016.
A trio of thieves break into the house of a
blind man who isn’t as helpless as he seems.
FRI & SAT
(12:45) (4:20) 7:20 9:40
(12:45) (4:20) 7:20 9:35
SUNDAY
MON-THURS (12:45) (4:10) 7:20 9:35
The applicant must be at least 18 years
of age, a registered voter and citizen of
Mt. Vernon for 1 year or more.
HILLARY’S AMERICA PG-13
Filmmaker analyzes the history of the
Democratic Party and what he thinks are Hillary
Clinton’s true motivations.
FRI & SAT
(12:45) (4:10) 7:10 9:30
SUNDAY
(12:45) (4:10) 7:10 9:35
MON-THURS (12:45) (4:10) 7:10 9:35
FLORENCE FOSTER JENKINS PG-13
Applications are available at:
Mt Vernon City Hall
Monday – Friday 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Meryl Streep. The story of a New York heiress
who dreamed of becoming an opera singer,
despite having a terrible singing voice.
FRI - SUN
(12:45) (4:00) 7:10 9:45
MON-THURS (12:45) (4:10) 7:00 9:35
BAD MOMS R
Three under-appreciated moms ditch their
conventional responsibilities for a jolt
comedic self-indulgence.
FRI & SAT
SUNDAY
(12:45) (4:00) 7:00 9:35
(12:45) (4:10) 7:00
$9 Adult, $7 Senior (60+), Youth
04371
working with residents to
keep their properties tidy and
other city maintenance proj-
ects.
They also discussed what
was to be done with the Mt.
Vernon Motel, which was
destroyed in a propane ex-
plosion two years ago. The
motel has yet to be cleaned
up and is still sitting in a state
of destruction.
Councilwoman Jan Low-
DON’T BREATHE R
Contributed by Oregon Employment Department
acebook
FACEBOOK . COM /M Y E AGLE N EWS
BREAK YOUR ADDICTION
NOT THE BANK
Help is FREE, CONFIDENTIAL and it WORKS
Call 877-MY-LIMIT (24 hour help line) OR chat
t us o
with
online e at www.1877mylimit.org
528 E MAIN ST. • JOHN DAY
5415751466
Mon-Fri 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.,
Serving Morrow, Wheeler,
Gilliam and Grant counties
Every other Monday in John Day at
Blue Mountain Hospital
170 Ford Rd. • 541-575-1311