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About The Blue Mountain eagle. (John Day, Or.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (July 26, 2017)
JOURNEY SPECIAL SECTION INSIDE The Blue Mountain EAGLE Grant County’s newspaper since 1868 W EDNESDAY , J ULY 26, 2017 • N O . 30 • 16 P AGES • $1.00 www.MyEagleNews.com City fi res cashier By Rylan Boggs Blue Mountain Eagle Eagle photos/Rylan Boggs Nick Stiner, No. 321, of Mt. Vernon collides with other drivers during the first heat of the 28th annual demolition derby at the Grant County Fairgrounds Saturday, July 22. In his first derby, Stiner went on to win first place in the main event. MUD, SWEAT GEARS & Stands packed for 28th demolition derby Derby-goers and drivers stand for the national anthem before the 28th annual demolition derby at the Grant County Fairgrounds Saturday, July 22. By Rylan Boggs Blue Mountain Eagle T he air was fi lled with mud, cheers and the acrid smoke from dying machines at the 28th annual demolition derby. The event pitted 18 drivers against each other in a vehicular gladiator match at the Grant County Fairgrounds Saturday. In the end, only one was left. Rookie Nick Stiner of Mt. Vernon drove his 1974 Ford LTD to victory in this year’s derby. “It’s my fi rst time,” he said before the race. “I’m just here to have fun.” Stiner said it took about 30-40 hours to prepare his fi rst derby car, and he had considerable help from fellow driver Tyler Nodine. The two removed all glass and fl ammable materials from the interi- or, reinforced the vehicle with two metal bars and chained the bumper and doors. A pit crew member works on a car in between rounds at the demolition derby at the Grant County Fairgrounds. See DERBY, Page A16 The city of John Day has fired an employee and has completed an investigation into discrepancies in sewer and water payments. City Manager Nick Green said Janine Weaver, who was hired Oct. 24, 2016, as the city secretary/cashier, was terminated July 10. Green said he could not com- ment about the termination. Weaver could not be reached for comment. The city has also completed an investiga- tion that be- gan the first week of July John into sewer Day City and water Manager payment is- Nick Green sues, Green said, but he declined to discuss the re- sults. The city is generating a report, he said, and plans to submit it to Grant County District Attorney Jim Car- penter next week. The city notified Carpen- ter as soon as concerns with the city’s accounting were discovered, Green said. Carpenter said he was “peripherally aware” of an investigation regarding a city employee but could not comment further. No charges have been filed as of Tuesday. The investigation also included an unrelated soft- ware issue in which June payments were not credited to residents’ accounts, Green said, and that issue has since been resolved. Green said, to the best of his knowledge, all resident account balances are cur- rently accurate. Residents urged to prepare for total solar eclipse By Angel Carpenter “ It’s pretty amazing how bad a car can get beat up and then get back in there.” Hugh Farrell, demolition derby organizer John Day receives $2M in state broadband, dispatch funding Innovation Gateway determined a priority by Oregon Solutions survey By Rylan Boggs Blue Mountain Eagle State legislators approved $2.25 million in funding for John Day earlier this month. John Day City Manag- er Nick Green said $1.82 million will go toward fi ber optic broadband service, and $420,000 will go to help fund the local dispatch center. The broadband funding, requested by Sen. Ted Ferr- ioli, will allow for nearly 70 percent of county residents to access high-speed inter- net, Green said. The local dispatch money will allow the city to free up roughly $100,000 allocated to fund the dispatch center and instead use it on commu- nity enhancing projects, ac- cording to John Day Mayor Ron Lundbom. “The 911 funds provide a critical bridging solution to provide us with time for the Grant County Court to refer See FUNDING, Page A16 The Eagle/Rylan Boggs John Day Mayor Ron Lundbom, right, speaks to the city council as City Manager Nick Green listens. Blue Mountain Eagle “Be prepared, and be pa- tient.” That is Grant County Emergency Coordinator Ted Williams’ advice for residents as the Aug. 21 total solar eclipse nears. There is still a big question mark sur- rounding the Ted event: How Williams many people will travel to and through our county? Williams speculates 50,000 may visit Grant Coun- ty, and the state is estimating 1 million statewide. Most motels and per- manent campsites in Grant County are full. Private camp- ing spots are also popping up, and some residents will rent rooms in their homes. With the surge in tourists, See ECLIPSE, Page A16
