The
SOFTBALL
TEAM WINS
HOME
OPENER
Blue Mountain
EAGLE
– PAGE A10
Grant County’s newspaper since 1868
W EDNESDAY , M ARCH 22, 2017
• N O . 12
• 18 P AGES
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www.MyEagleNews.com
HYPOTHESES
IN ACTION
Grant Union student Marissa Smith,
right, visits with Dr. Anthony Tovar
during the Grant Union Science Fair in
John Day. Tovar, a professor of physics
at Eastern Oregon University in La
Grande, was one of three judges.
Discoveries shared at Grant Union Science Fair
By Angel Carpenter
Blue Mountain Eagle
A
Science fair
judge Neil
Bauer visits
with senior
Courtney
Allen about
her project
at the Grant
Union library.
t Thursday’s Grant Union Sci-
ence Fair, 13 students shared
their discoveries with three
judges at the school library.
Nine of the students were in
Sonna Smith’s chemistry class, and
four were in Randy Hennen’s up-
per-level science classes.
“I always appreciate the opportuni-
ty for them to participate in the scien-
tifi c process,” Hennen said. “Design-
ing the project, collecting the data,
analyzing and interpreting it — that
process is the most important part of
the whole science fair enterprise.”
This year’s winners were sopho-
mores Marissa Smith and Madi McK-
rola, who tied for fi rst place, and senior James
Mabe who placed second.
The winners received gift cards for fuel and
monetary prizes donated by Old West Federal
Credit Union and an anonymous donor.
Smith waded in streams to answer the ques-
tion, “How Does Fire in Stream Riparian Af-
fect Fish Populations?”
Eagle photos/Angel Carpenter
Grant Union junior Zack Deiter chats with Brent Smith who was visiting Thursday’s science fair,
and, in back, judge Amy Stiner, right, visits with senior James Mabe about his project.
“
Designing the project, collecting the data, analyzing and
interpreting it — that process is the most important part
of the whole science fair enterprise.”
See FAIR, Page A18
Randy Hennen, Science teacher
Canyon Creek rises
Pre-evacuation flood notice issued for area
between high school and Nugget Street Bridge
By Rylan Boggs
Blue Mountain Eagle
The Eagle/Rylan Boggs
Canyon City Public Works Director Les Percy, Grant County Commissioner Jim
Hamsher and county Emergency Management Coordinator Ted Williams keep an eye
on high water levels at the Inland Bridge in Canyon City on Thursday morning.
Canyon Creek is close to
escaping its banks.
A level-one pre-evacua-
tion notice for Canyon Creek
between Grant Union High
School and the Nugget Street
Bridge is still in effect, ac-
cording to Emergency Man-
agement Coordinator Ted
Williams.
The level-one notice ad-
vises residents in the area to
be aware of the danger and
monitor local media for infor-
mation. Residents should take
note and make preparations
for relocating if needed. The
National Weather Service is
predicting a chance of show-
ers for the rest of the week,
but has not re-issued a fl ood
watch.
The Inland and Nugget
Street bridges are still closed,
and local offi cials are keeping
an eye on high water levels in
the area. Canyon Creek was
running at roughly 750 cubic
feet per second on Tuesday
morning, Williams said. He
predicts the creek could es-
cape its banks at 850 to 900
cubic feet per second, though
he admitted working with
the new berms put in place
around the creek is a learning
experience.
See FLOOD, Page A18
John Day looks at investing in Main Street
Businesses
voice support
By Rylan Boggs
Blue Mountain Eagle
The city of John Day is
looking into purchasing a
two story, 11,294-square
foot residential and business
building on a 12,632-square
foot lot.
The building, at 131 W.
Main St., currently hous-
es four business, Naturally
Yours, Etc., Karen Barntish
LTC and H & R Block, and
six apartments upstairs, only
one of which is occupied.
After being approached
by and meeting with business
owners, John Day City Man-
The Eagle/Rylan Boggs
The city of John Day is looking into purchasing the
building at 131 W. Main St., which currently houses four
business, Naturally Yours, Etc., Karen Barntish LTC and
H & R Block, and six apartments upstairs, only one of
which is occupied.
ager Nick Green submitted
an application for an Oregon
Main Street Revitalization
Grant up to $100,000.
The grant is intended to
“acquire, rehabilitate and
construct buildings on prop-
erties in designated down-
town areas statewide and
facilitate community revital-
ization that will lead to pri-
vate investment, job creation
or retention, establishing or
expanding viable business or
creating a stronger tax base,”
according to Oregon Parks
and Recreation.
The current owners of the
building are asking $299,000
for the property, which
has been on the market for
about 850 days. It has a
current real market value of
$247,750 and a restored real
market value of $774,200.
If the grant came through,
the city would still need at
least $147,750 to purchase
the property and an addition-
al $2.08 million to restore
the property, according to
Green.
Naturally Yours employ-
ee Jamie Brown is in support
of the investment and sees
it as a step toward fi ghting
population decline and mak-
ing John Day more appeal-
ing.
“I don’t think counting
on tourist money is wise, but
it certainly doesn’t hurt to
make the town more attrac-
tive,” Brown said. “I think
even the local people will
want to spend more time
downtown if it’s more at-
tractive.”
The space Naturally Yours
occupies has a variety of
See INVEST, Page A18