PICTURE PERFECT
The
Grant County’s newspaper since 1868
Blue Mountain
A view of the John
Day valley taken
Saturday, March 25.
EAGLE
W EDNESDAY , M ARCH 29, 2017
The Eagle/Rylan Boggs
• N O . 13
• 20 P AGES
• $1.00
www.MyEagleNews.com
GUARDIANS
OF FREEDOM
Students share
thoughts on patriotism
By Angel Carpenter
Blue Mountain Eagle
“It made us
think about
the importance
of being an
informed
citizen”
Madi McKrola,
Grant Union sophomore
T
welve Grant School District No.
3 students were recognized for
their winning Americanism essay
contest entries at the American
Legion and Auxiliary Post No. 77
meeting in John Day March 20.
About 90 students penned patriotic es-
says, answering the question, “How does
learning about government and our America
help you become a future guardian of the lib-
erties of our country?”
The students read their essays after a pot-
luck dinner in front of family and friends and
leaders of the American Legion and Auxil-
iary.
Americanism co-chairs are Sherry Feiger
and Jessie Lewis, taking over for Joan Bowl-
ing who passed away in December.
The judges, Shermayne Boethin, Paul
Smith and Kathy Smith, were recognized, as
well as the teachers who included the essay
in their lesson plans as a class assignment.
Grant Union freshman Samantha Floyd
said the contest was a good opportunity.
“It’s good to bring awareness of our
country because we often don’t think about
our country with everything that’s going on
in our lives,” she said.
Grant Union sophomore Madi McKrola
said she liked the topic.
“It made us think about the importance
of being an informed citizen,” she said.
See ESSAYS, Page A10
How does learning about government and our
America help you become a future guardian
of the liberties of our country?
By Annie Wall, Grant Union junior
A
Annie Wall
s Americans, we see our country as a place of
freedom, happiness, and prosperity. No one but
ourselves have made it this way. Americans in-
volved in their country have made it the beautiful place
that it is. We are our own protectors. We are able to take
pride in our country because of what we have done to
make it this way. As an American, it is our civic duty to
learn about our country’s history and government so we
may be the guardians of the United States of America. No
one but ourselves can hold this country up; it is the chil-
dren of America that are going to dictate the outcome of
our country in the upcoming years, and we cannot be pre-
pared to do so without knowing our country.
See GUARDIAN, Page A10
The Eagle/Angel Carpenter
Americanism essay winners gather at the Ellis Tracy American Legion Hall Post No. 77 in John Day. Front from left,
Eliza Ashley, Vincent Raschio, Hunter Noel, Monel Anderson and Macy Carter; back row, Raney Anderson, Trinity
Hutchison, Madi McKrola, Josh Carpenter, McKenna Adair and Samantha Floyd.
Obamacare replacement shot down
Republicans unable to
secure enough votes to
pass American Health
Care Act
By Rylan Boggs
Blue Mountain Eagle
The Eagle/Rylan Boggs
Unable to gather the necessary votes,
the U.S. House of Representatives post-
poned voting on the American Health
Care Act, which would have replaced
Obamacare.
“Obamacare is the law of the land.
It’s going to remain the law of the land
until it’s replaced. We did not have quite
the votes to replace this law,” Speaker of
the House Paul Ryan said in a press con-
ference. “We’re going to be living with
Obamacare for the foreseeable future.”
U.S. Rep. Greg Walden (R-Ore.)
speaks to community members
during a town hall meeting in the
Mt. Vernon community center on
Thursday, Feb. 9.
The bill, supported by U.S. Rep.
Greg Walden, would have phased out
Obamacare’s Medicaid expansion, which
could have had signifi cant impacts in ru-
ral Oregon.
As many as 375,000 Oregonians cov-
ered by the Oregon Health Plan under
the Medicaid expansion could have lost
health care coverage unless the state paid
a greater percentage of the cost, accord-
ing to a recent Oregon Center for Public
Policy report.
“Oregon’s Medicaid program would
take a bigger hit than nearly all other
states, should the GOP proposal be enact-
ed,” the report, authored by Janet Bauer,
said. “This is because the federal Med-
icaid expansion dollars support a larger
share of our Medicaid program budget
than in nearly every other state.”
The Republican replacement would
have phased out additional federal
matching dollars for Medicaid beginning
in 2020. Until then, people could have
still signed on to the Oregon Health Plan
to receive Medicaid. After 2020, those
enrolled would continue to be covered
See GOP, Page A10
Sidney Dean Porter
Porter
released,
residing in
Monument
By Sean Hart
Blue Mountain Eagle
Twenty-fi ve years after
killing a John Day police
offi cer, Sidney Dean Porter
is back in Grant County.
Porter, 57, was released
from custody Friday,
March 24, and transported
by family members to the
Monument area, where he
will reside “for the time be-
ing,” Grant County District
Attorney Jim Carpenter
said. Porter will be super-
vised on parole by Grant
County Community Cor-
rections.
Community Corrections
Director Todd McKinley
said the department will
work to help Porter suc-
ceed outside of prison.
“I respect the wide
range of emotion that the
release of Mr. Porter in-
vokes,” he said. “However,
I and those I work with are
committed to fulfi lling our
role in helping Mr. Por-
ter be a successful citizen
in good standing in Grant
County.”
Porter pleaded guilty
to aggravated murder for
the 1992 killing of Offi cer
Frank Ward, who had re-
sponded to a report of do-
mestic violence at Porter’s
residence. Porter “blud-
geoned Ward with his fi sts
and a 10-pound piece of
fi rewood,” according to
court documents.
A lack of evidence pro-
vided at an exit interview
in 2013 and legal errors
by the Board of Parole and
Post-Prison Supervision
hastened Porter’s release.
The parole board issued a
prison release date in 2013
after little evidence was
presented at a required exit
interview, but the date was
postponed after further ev-
idence was provided. The
board, however, did not
hold a hearing with Porter
at the time of the postpone-
ment.
The Oregon Court of
Appeals ruled the parole
board should not have
postponed his release with-
out “a timely hearing” and
reinstated the 2013 release
date because of the legal
errors by the board. The
Oregon Supreme Court de-
nied a request to review the
appeals court decision.
Carpenter, who fought
to keep Porter imprisoned,
said it is “time to move for-
ward.”
“With regard to Mr.
Porter, our community has
a wide variety of opinions
as to what ‘should be,’” he
said. “As district attorney,
I have to accept and work
with ‘what is.’ In terms of
incarceration, Mr. Porter
is deemed to have paid
his debt to society. ... I
hope that Grant County
will set aside any outward
expressions of malice and
proceed with cautious op-
timism.”