LOCAL TEAMS PREPARE FOR DISTRICT
The
TOURNAMENTS
– A9
Blue Mountain
EAGLE
Grant County’s newspaper since 1868
W EDNESDAY , F EBRUARY 15, 2017 • N O . 7
• 18 P AGES • $1.00
www.MyEagleNews.com
H ANGING UP HIS
WINGS
Former forester retires handmade plane
The Eagle/Rylan Boggs
Dave Feiger, 80, stands in front of his retired plane, which now
hangs in JD Rents. Feiger built the plane, seen flying in the
photo below, in his garage and recently decided it was time to
give up flying.
By Rylan Boggs
Blue Mountain Eagle
D
ave Feiger was just beginning to fl y over the Ochoco Mountain Range when he heard a bang.
The propeller on his homemade plane stopped, leaving him 7,500 feet in the air, moving
at 135 mph.
Thankfully, his instructor had been a World War II fi ghter pilot. Feiger kept his wits about
him and was able to glide six miles to a nearby airstrip on a ranch.
The malfunction that crippled the plane also left his windshield covered in oil, meaning he had to roll
the plane onto its side to see the airstrip out of the side window. He successfully landed the plane and lived
to fl y another day. That was in 2015.
Feiger rebuilt the plane’s engine last winter and took it out for a test fl ight in the spring. However, he
could tell something was wrong. He decided he was done pushing his luck, and retired the plane.
See WINGS, Page A18
Have gun, can’t travel
Rep. Walden promises
change under Trump
Lawmaker
discusses land
management,
education at Mt.
Vernon town hall
By Rylan Boggs
Blue Mountain Eagle
U.S. Rep. Greg Walden ad-
dressed a wide range of issues
during a community meeting
at the Mt. Vernon Community
Center on Thursday, Feb. 9.
The Republican represent-
ing Eastern Oregon assured cit-
izens he would take their con-
cerns, voiced on issues ranging
from education to forest man-
agement, back to congress. He
said his offi ce has been regu-
larly occupied by protesters as
well as inundated with phone
calls, emails and letters from
those he represents.
A reoccurring concern
brought up throughout the
meeting was land management
by the federal government.
Many citizens at the meeting
showed distaste for current
management plans on forest
and grazing lands, which they
said had led to catastrophic
fi res. John Day resident Mark
Rogers said many federal
agencies were heavily litigated
See WALDEN, Page A18
Debate emerges on rule for Oregon employees
By Jayati Ramakrishnan
and Phil Wright
EO Media Group
The Eagle/Rylan Boggs
U.S. Rep. Greg Walden
(R-Ore.) addresses
concerns on issues
ranging from forest
management to education
during a town hall
meeting in the Mt. Vernon
Community Center
Thursday, Feb. 9.
New forest commission
petition fails requirements
Petitioners plan
to try again
By Rylan Boggs
Blue Mountain Eagle
A new petition to establish
a new Grant County Public
Forest Commission was struck
down for failing to meet state
constitutional requirements.
Grant County Clerk Brenda
Percy made the determination
Feb. 10 after she and county
counsel Ron Yockim reviewed
a prospective initiative fi led by
chief petitioners Jim Sproul
and Dave Traylor Feb. 7.
When a prospective petition
for a local initiative is fi led, the
Contributed photo/Dave Feiger
county clerk has fi ve days to
make a determination if the
petition meets requirements of
the Oregon Constitution and
state statutes to concern only
one subject, to include the full
text and to be legislative, not
administrative, in nature.
“After thorough review,
I have determined that the
prospective petition does not
include the full text ...,” Per-
cy said in her determination.
“Further, with the information
that is included in the pro-
spective petition, I have de-
termined that the measure is
administrative in nature and is
therefore not a matter that can
See FOREST, Page A18
Jan. 6 marked the last day most state em-
ployees could bring personal guns and weap-
ons to work.
The Oregon Department of Administra-
tive Services that day unveiled its new policy
on “weapons in the workplace.” Gun rights
advocates consider the policy unconstitu-
tional and a danger to state worker safety.
Supporters of the ban view it as a reasonable
safety measure. The state says it brings clar-
ity to murky waters.
Policy No. 50-010-05 “prohibits weapons
in the workplace unless an employee is per-
mitted to carry, handle, operate or transport
a weapon as part of the employee’s assigned
duties in the course and scope of the employ-
ee’s employment. A permit to carry a con-
cealed handgun does not give an employee
the authority to use or carry a handgun into
the workplace.”
Firing back
Kevin Starrett is the director of the gun-
rights nonprofi t the Oregon Firearms Feder-
ation and alerted state lawmakers about the
policy. He said it infringes on the constitu-
tional rights of state workers to carry guns
like other Oregonians and in effect relegates
state workers to second-class citizens.
“Clearly, the infringements are pret-
ty severe,” he said. “Now those people are
being told they’re sitting ducks. This is
not crazy speculation on my part, this has
happened.”
Starrett referred to the December 2015
San Bernardino attack, in which a San Ber-
nardino County Department of Public Health
employee and his wife shot and killed 14
people and wounded 22 others at an offi ce
Christmas party.
He said the federation heard from
people concerned how the policy affects
them. The spouse of one state employee,
Starrett said, is worried about his wife
EO Media Group/E.J. Harris
having to walk three blocks to work in the
dark without a weapon to protect herself.
Still, Starrett said he believes the gover-
nor has the authority to make lack of weap-
ons a condition of employment, based on
court rulings from two cases the federation
brought: the 2007 lawsuit to support a Med-
ford teacher’s ability to bring a gun to work
to protect herself from an abusive ex-hus-
band; and a 2009 lawsuit challenging the
Oregon University System’s rules banning
guns on campus.
The federation lost the Medford case
but prevailed against the state universities.
Starrett said the two decisions “form a fairly
bright line” governing guns in Oregon, but
the new policy raises questions.
State legislators, for example, determine
the rules for the Capitol in Salem, not the
governor or Department of Administrative
Services. The department, however, oversees
the parking garage under the Capitol. Can a
legislative staffer with a gun and concealed
carry permit have a weapon in the garage or
another state building?
“Frankly, I don’t know what happens,”
Starrett said. “I don’t think anybody does.”
James Leuenberger was the attorney in
the Medford case, representing Shirley Katz,
the high school teacher who wanted to carry
a gun to campus for self defense.
Leuenberger said he hasn’t handled any
cases related to gun rights recently, but takes
issue with the state’s ban.
See GUN, Page A3