News & History
Blue Mountain Eagle
Rep. Bentz suffers
arterial blockage
On Sunday, Rep. Cliff
Bentz (R-Ontario) suffered a
heart arterial blockage.
He is expected to make a
full recovery, according to a
press release from his office.
The blockage was repaired
through the insertion of two
stents.
Bentz’s cardiologist per-
formed additional tests Mon-
day. It is likely Bentz will
return to the Capitol, if the
cardiologist allows, later this
week.
“I am extremely fortunate
to have recognized the symp-
toms almost immediately fol-
lowing their onset, that Sa-
lem Hospital is located about
six minutes from the house I
rent, and to have been near a
hospital that enjoys and em-
ploys absolutely excellent
staff very familiar with this
type of medical issue,” Bentz
said in the release.
Bentz said he is very ap-
preciative of the visits, texts,
emails and phone calls he
has received from family, his
friends and colleagues in the
Capitol. Bentz appreciates
the thoughtfulness of those
who may wish to send cards,
flowers or other well wishes,
but in lieu of these items, he
suggests donations be made
to The Boys and Girls Club
of the Western Treasure Val-
ley or the Southeast Oregon
Food Bank.
Sen. Merkley to
hold town hall in
John Day June 18
U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley
will hold a town hall meeting
at 1:30 p.m. Sunday, June 18,
at the Grant County Regional
Airport.
He will update constituents
on his work in Washington,
D.C., and answer their ques-
tions and invite their sugges-
tions about how to tackle the
challenges facing Oregon and
America.
“In our ‘We the People’ de-
mocracy, town hall meetings
are an essential tool for me to
hear from Oregonians and rep-
resent their interests back in
D.C.,” Merkley said. “I invite
all residents of Klamath, Lake,
Grant and Wheeler counties
to come and discuss what we
need to do to strengthen our
state and our nation.”
Since joining the Senate
in 2009, Merkley has held a
town hall in each of Oregon’s
36 counties every year. This
will be his 311th town hall as
a U.S. Senator.
75 years ago
June 12, 1942
Elderly Goat Raiser
Held On Assault Charge
People around these parts
were wondering this week if
goats wield an evil influence
over man. During the past
two years, two Grant Coun-
ty goat raisers have gone on
a rampage with a rifle. On
October 27, 1940, Ray Leroy
Brown, known as the “goat
man” of Miller Mountain,
shot and killed Mr. and Mrs.
Ira Martin at their mountain
cabin. He pleaded guilty to
the crime and is now serving
a life sentence in the state
penitentiary.
Last Saturday, another
shooting escapade involving
a goat-raiser took place, with
the result that John How-
ard, 70, is charged under
two complaints with assault
with a dangerous weapon.
Appearing before Justice of
Peace F.C. Mack in Canyon
City Monday, he waived
preliminary hearing and was
bound over to the grand jury
under bond of $2,000 on
each count; bond was not fur-
nished and Howard is in the
county jail.
The elderly goat-raiser is
alleged to have fired a shot
from a .22 caliber rifle at
the two lawyers, Roy Kil-
patrick of Canyon City and
John Casey of Burns, as they
were driving in Kilpatrick’s
car, through Howard’s goat
ranch about one half mile
directly west of Grant High
School building, en route to
the airport. Howard is said to
have had a “No Trespassing”
warning in the road; howev-
er, local flying club officials
claim that he had given writ-
ten permission for members
of the club to use the road.
Eagle file photo
From June 11, 1992: Kam Wah Chung Grand Marshal
Ruth Harris sports a Chinese hat donated to the
museum by Dave Traylor. The hat is about 100 years
old and came from a relative of Traylor’s involved in
the Boxer Rebellion.
Kilpatrick is happy that
his car body was made of
good solid steel, because the
mark of the bullet, which
glanced off to the side of the
car, was said to have been in
a direct line with Kilpatrick’s
head when he was driving the
car.
After firing the shot, offi-
cers state that Howard went
to his cabin, got a high-pow-
ered rifle and walked to John
Day, where he was arrested.
Kilpatrick and Casey, after
the shot was fired, kept right
on traveling as fast as they
could, on to the airport and
then back to Canyon City –
but via another route.
50 years ago
June 15, 1967
State Offers Job Service
For County
Beginning Monday the
Oregon State Employment
Service will operate a reg-
ular job placement service
from their temporary office
in Keerins Hall, at the Grant
County Fairgrounds.
Harold Tapp, statewide
supervisor of community
employment development,
said the service would
probably be available only
during the time when his
group is conducting the
present economic base and
worker potential studies in
Grant County.
“If there appears to be a
continuing need for the ser-
vice, and if the community
wishes to furnish quarters
from which the service can
be operated, then it will be
continued for at least the
remainder of the summer,”
said Tapp. “If it appears
the service is not needed,
or if office space is not
available, then the service
will be discontinued when
the county-wide survey is
completed. In the mean-
time, persons interested in
Burn bans
in effect
securing employment and
employers needing help are
both invited to contact the
office in Keerins Hall.”
The placement service
being offered is the same
as that of any major office
of the Oregon State Em-
ployment Service. It will
include listings of available
jobs throughout the state
and California, Idaho and
Washington.
In addition, an occu-
pational testing and coun-
seling service will be
combined with a job devel-
opment program. Under this
program, the State Employ-
ment Service attempts to as-
sess the qualifications and
potentials of each individ-
ual applicant, and then to
locate suitable employment
for them, either locally or
wherever desired.
This service, in reverse,
is also available to all Grant
County employers. “Every
effort will be made to fill
county job openings with
county applicants. But if a
skill not locally available is
involved, we will try to fill
the job opening by bringing
in the needed worker from
some other area,” he said.
25 years ago
June 11, 1992
Expanded Kam Wah
Chung a hoedown success
This year’s Kam Wah
Chung Festival held in
store a number of dif-
ferent events from years
past, but still remained
a good source of family
fun.
In addition to annual
events such as the Chi-
nese dinner, the art show
and parade, the Festival
Association also brought
in John Day’s Rex Redden
and his Brokentop Lum-
berjack show, the carnival
rides and the food conces-
sions. There were a total of
10 entries in the parade that
celebrated John Day’s Chi-
nese heritage. Ruth Harris,
a long time member of the
Kam Wah Chung Festival
Association, served as this
year’s grand marshal and
was pulled along the pa-
rade route in a rickshaw.
Other entries in this year’s
walking parade included
more rickshaws, the local
Boy Scout troop, and the
Grant County Fair Court.
However,
probably
the most different event
and the most enjoyed was
this year’s Blue Mountain
Country Music Showdown.
With the host band, the
Dalton Gang from Tucson,
Arizona, a total of seven
entrants competed in the
showdown.
Canyon City’s Gary
Claughton took the first
place honors in the so-
lo-duo category, which
the fiddle duo of the John
Day’s Alyse Nicodemus
and Christian Krutsinger
captured the second place
honors. Brian Demes of
Madras placed third and
Mt. Vernon’s Anthony
and Trista Morin came in
fourth.
In the band category,
the group Countryfied,
from Prineville, took first
place. Stacy Reynolds and
group came all the way
from Burns to compete and
went home with second
place, while the Mountain
Swallowtails of Canyon
City and Seneca placed
third.
Claughton
also
went home as the overall
Grand Prize Winner for the
showdown.
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Lightning McQueen sets out to prove
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FRI - THURS (12:45) (4:00) 7:00 9:45
THE MUMMY PG-13
An ancient princess is awakened from
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FRI - THURS (12:45) (4:10) 7:10 9:50
yd
am
’s
Great selection
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N
Fire season is here, and
burn bans are in effect.
The Grant County Fire
Defense Board, in conjunc-
tion with the Oregon Depart-
ment of Forestry, went into
fire season June 7. No open
burning is allowed. Burn bar-
rels are allowed with a permit
from 6-10 a.m. Check with
local jurisdictions for local
restrictions.
All debris and slash burn-
ing on lands protected by
Oregon Department of For-
estry’s John Day Unit is pro-
hibited. This includes private
ownership in Grant, Morrow,
Gilliam, Harney, Umatilla,
and Wheeler counties which
are part of ODF’s Central
Oregon District. Fuel condi-
tions and changing weather
patterns have increased the
risk of rapid fire spread from
uncontrolled fires. For more
information, call 541-575-
1139. This burn ban does not
apply to campfires, but pre-
cautions should be taken.
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O UT OF THE P AST
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