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About The Blue Mountain eagle. (John Day, Or.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 14, 2018)
News Highway projects slated for Grant County Culvert, hazard trees and stream work By Richard Hanners Blue Mountain Eagle Three highway projects will take place in Grant Coun- ty this year that may disrupt traffic flow. According to Oregon De- partment of Transportation Public Affairs Officer Tom Strandberg, the culvert under Highway 26 at milemarker 164.1 near Pine Creek will be replaced with a wider con- crete box unit. “During construction, trav- elers can expect lane closures, flaggers and delays of up to 20 minutes,” he said. The work involves trench- ing all the way across the highway. Strandberg said he wasn’t sure if temporary traf- fic signals would be used on this project. A hazard tree removal project on Highway 395 south of Canyon City is also on the schedule. There’s concern trees burned in the 2015 Can- yon Creek Complex fire could fall from steep slopes onto the highway. The plan is to leave the trees in place after they’re cut, laying horizontally across the slope to keep them from moving farther downhill. Strandberg said the project would be coordinated with ODOT’s maintenance depart- ment and must be assessed ahead of time by a state ar- borist. “When work does happen, traffic impacts will typically include lane closures, reduced speeds, flaggers, possible pi- lot cars, trucks or equipment on the roadway and delays of up to 20 minutes,” he said. Two more projects sched- uled along Highway 395 south of Canyon City will address potential flooding by Canyon Creek. Rock and debris will be removed from the stream bed near the curve at mile- marker 4.2, and the stream banks will be stabilized with rip-rap. The work will take place between July 15 and Sept. 15 to minimize impacts to native fish, Strandberg said. Crews also will place rock around the bridge footings at milemarker 7.25 to protect the structure from erosion and debris flow. Travelers can expect flaggers, lane closures and delays up to 20 minutes while the crews are working, Strandberg said. Twenty- four-hour flagging is possible during the “in-water work pe- riods,” he said. Legislature seeks ways to improve its harassment policies By Claire Withycombe Wednesday, February 14, 2018 C OPS AND C OURTS Arrests and citations in the Blue Mountain Eagle are taken from the logs of law enforcement agencies. Every effort is made to re- port the court disposition of arrest cases. Grant County Sheriff The Grant County Sher- iff’s Office reported the following for the week of Feb. 8: Concealed handgun li- censes: 7 Average inmates: 14 Bookings: 14 Releases: 15 Arrests: 2 Citations: 4 Fingerprints: 2 Civil papers: 31 Warrants processed: 2 Asst./welfare check: 8 Search and rescue: 0 Feb. 6: Tamara Michael, 47, Mt. Vernon, was cited for driving with a suspend- ed license and no insurance. Feb. 6: A male juvenile in John Day was cited for possession of marijuana. Feb. 6: A male juvenile in John Day was cited for DUII, possession of mari- juana, minor in possession of alcohol and operating a motor vehicle with improp- er lighting. Capital Bureau Justice Court Legislative leaders want to improve the Legislature’s process for addressing harass- ment complaints in the wake of Sen. Jeff Kruse’s resigna- tion. Kruse, R-Roseburg, will depart the Senate March 15 in the aftermath of an outside in- vestigation, released last week, determining the senator had repeatedly touched women, including fellow lawmakers, without their consent or in ways that made them feel un- comfortable. The report found he continued even after being told to stop by human resourc- es officials. Speaker of the House Tina Kotek, D-Portland, told report- ers Monday that she and Sen- ate President Peter Courtney, D-Salem, will announce how they plan to move forward on the issue in the next week or so. The Kruse investigation is the first time that the policies got a “full workout,” and out- side assessment of the Legisla- ture’s process is still a distinct possibility, Kotek said. The state capitol is a unique workplace that not only hous- es employees of the legisla- tive branch, but also elected officials, lobbyists and con- stituents under its roof. While interns are considered employ- ees and are covered by legisla- tive personnel rules on harass- ment, lobbyists and members of the public are not. The presiding officers of the House and Senate have limited powers when it comes to disciplining members under the state’s constitution, Kotek said. Lawmakers are inde- pendently elected, and their chamber can vote to expel them, but only after a lengthy process including an outside investigation and convening of a special committee on con- duct. “We have limited tools, short of expelling someone from a floor vote, to have a member leave, and I don’t think we’ll be able to fix that, to be very honest,” Kotek said. “That’s a constitutional issue... The Grant County Jus- tice Court reported the following fines and judg- ments: • Driving while suspend- ed: Tammy Mae Mask, 51, Scio, Nov. 25, fined $435; Olle L. Starnes, 47, John Day, Dec. 13, fined $435; Mitchel D. Long, 47, John Day, Jan. 7, fined $440; James M. Hancock, 43, Canyon City, Jan. 20, fined $435. • Driving uninsured: Da- vid L. Torres, 39, John Day, Jan. 12, fined $225; William C. Thomas, 63, John Day, Dec. 3, fined $260; Olle L. Starnes, 47, John Day, Dec. 13, fined $260; Mitchel D. Long, 47, John Day, Jan. 7, fined $260; James M. Han- cock, 43, Canyon City, Jan. 20, fined $260; Garland J. Weissenfluh, 51, Mt. Ver- non, Jan. 12, fined $225. • Violation of the basic rule: Shane O. Reinhart, 39, Athena, Jan. 28, 75/55 zone, fined $140; Patrick S. Saxon, 38, Sacramento, California, Jan. 27, 68/55 zone, fined $165; Robert S. McNitt, 47, Camp Sher- man, Jan. 13, 74/55 zone, fined $165; Scott H. Van- den Bos, 30, Wilsonville, Jan. 29, 75/55 zone, fined $165; Robert E. Wagner, 77, Spray, Jan. 12, 75/55 zone, fined $140. • Exceeding speed limit: but what are the things you can do up to that point?” In late October, Court- ney, the senate president, had Kruse’s door removed and removed him from policy committees as punishment for continued unwanted touching of women and failure to stop smoking indoors. “You would think that tak- ing someone’s door off and taking them off their commit- tees would have had the in- tended impact,” Kotek said. But Kotek said she thinks it’s possible to make everyone working in the building more comfortable reporting harass- ment. One idea to facilitate that: an anonymous tipline for com- plaints. Currently, reports go to legislative employee services or legislative counsel. As it stands, Kotek described the process as “clunky” and it can be hard on people who make complaints. “Given the political nature of this building, we have to en- sure trust and confidentiality as best we can,” Kotek said, “and I think that was why this took as long as it did, because until the senators came forward, I don’t think we all recognized how difficult it was out there.” Sens. Sara Gelser, D-Cor- vallis, and Sen. Elizabeth Steiner Hayward, D-Beaver- ton, made formal complaints about Kruse’s behavior last fall. The investigator, attorney Dian Rubanoff, made note of the fact that other women who told her they were harassed by Kruse only felt comfortable coming forward after seeing Gelser do so publicly. Although Oregon’s rules and procedures for addressing incidents of sexual harassment are held up as a model for oth- er states — the National Con- ference of State Legislatures showcased the policies of Ore- gon and several other state leg- islatures in a Feb. 9 webinar on preventing sexual harassment — Gelser says there’s a lot of room for improvement. The Corvallis Demo- crat filed a formal complaint against Kruse in November, more than a year and a half after initially reporting him privately to the Legislature’s human resources department. In that period, he continued to touch women at the capitol, including law students who worked for him and a lobby- ist, according to the investi- gation. Gelser said that while there are constitutional and due process considerations at play when a person accused of ha- rassment is an elected mem- ber of the Legislature, there should be stronger protections for people who are victims of harassment. “It’s a process designed to protect powerful people,” Gelser said. After the events of Captain America: Civil War, T’Challa returns home to his isolated, technologically advanced African national to take his rightful place as king. FRI & SAT (12:30) (3:45) 6:45 9:35 SUN & MON (12:30) (3:45) 6:45 9:30 TUES-THURS (1:20) (3:30) 6:45 10:00 Oregon State Police Feb. 4: Investigated a report of a person finding a dead mule deer on School House Lane in Ritter Jan. 6. Trooper found evidence it was shot. Feb. 4: Received a report of two bull elk heads and leg bones found in a ditch on Frank’s Creek Road near Dayville. The antlers and skull cap had been sawn off the elk heads. Feb. 4: Trevor W. Hunt, 40, Estacada, was cited for careless driving following a single-vehicle accident on Highway 19 near the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument. Feb. 5: Report of cows on Highway 26 near Belshaw Creek. Dispatch John Day dispatch worked 121 calls during the week of Feb. 5-11. Along with the various traffic warnings, trespass- ing, injured animals, noise complaints and juvenile complaints, these calls in- cluded: • John Day Police De- partment Feb. 5: Received a report of vehicles running stop signs in the Valley View Drive and Charolais Drive area. Feb. 7: Received a re- port of a vehicle that failed to stop for a school bus with its red lights on. Feb. 7: Received a report of a fraudulent check at a credit union in John Day. Feb. 7: Received a re- port of a theft on Southwest Fourth Street in John Day. Feb. 7: Kristopher Good- win, 27, John Day, was arrested on a Grant Coun- ty warrant at the Meadow- brook apartments. Feb. 7: Responded to a theft report on Southwest First Avenue in John Day. Feb. 8: Dispatched to a criminal mischief report on Kilbourne Street in Prairie City. Feb. 9: Received a report of harassment in John Day. Feb. 9: Allan Norris MacMillan Jr., 58, Prairie City, was arrested on South McHaley Avenue in Prai- rie City and charged with DUII. Feb. 11: Disposed of a possible drug syringe found in a business on East Main Street in John Day. • Grant County Sher- iff’s Office Feb. 5: Received a report of harassment on East Main Street in John Day. Feb. 6: Responded to a report of an unattended lla- ma in Mt. Vernon, which was moved to a ranch. Feb. 8: Responded with John Day police, John Day ambulance and the Forest Service for a report of a sui- cide on Laycock Creek. Feb. 8: Janet Phillips, 75, John Day, was arrested on a Grant County warrant on West Main Street in John Day. Feb. 8: Dispatched to Southeast Main Street in John Day for harassment report. Feb. 9: Received a report of a civil problem at a stor- age business on Wilderness Road in John Day. • John Day ambulance Feb. 5: Responded to a senior care facility in Prai- rie City for a 79-year-old woman. Feb. 5: Dispatched to Screech Alley Loop in John Day for a man. Feb. 6: Responded to Izee Paulina Lane in Can- yon City for a 76-year-old man. Feb. 7: Dispatched to East Main Street in Long Creek for a person with a heart attack. Feb. 9: Responded to Thompson Avenue in Mt. Vernon for an 82-year-old man with arm pain. Feb. 10: Dispatched to North Harris Street in Prai- rie City for a 74-year-old man who had fallen and in- jured a hip. Feb. 11: Responded to E Avenue in Seneca for a per- son with a possible stroke. Feb. 11: Dispatched to Northeast Seventh Avenue in John Day for an 85-year- old woman who had fallen. Feb. 11: Responded to a senior care facility in John Day for a 90-year-old wom- an. Payments may be made at the Tax Collector’s Office at the Grant County Courthouse in Canyon City, or the payment may be mailed and postmarked no later than February 15th, 2018. Please remember that delinquent taxes accrue interest at the rate of 16% per year. If you have any questions, please call the tax office at 575-0107 or 575-0189. PETER RABBIT (PG) Feature adaptation of Beatrix Potter’s classic tale of a rebellious rabbit trying to sneak into a farmer’s vegetable garden. FRI & SAT (12:30) (4:10) 7:10 9:40 SUN & MON (12:30) (4:10) 7:10 9:30 TUES-THURS (1:20) (3:30) 7:10 10:00 FIFTY SHADES FREED (R) Anastasia and Christian get married, but threats to their relationship remain. (12:30) (4:00) 7:00 9:45 FRI & SAT SUN & MON (12:30) (4:00) 7:00 9:30 TUES-THURS (1:20) (3:30) 7:00 10:00 $9 Adult, $7 Senior (60+), Youth Jolyn R. Kerr, 25, Canyon City, Jan. 27, 77/65 zone, fined $240; Corissa L. Wright, 32, Burns, Jan. 26, 75/65 zone, fined $165; Mi- chael A. Salanti, 61, John Day, Jan. 15, 67/45 zone, fined $225. • Violation of speed limit: James B. Haney, 38, Boise, Idaho, Jan. 20, 84/65 zone, fined $160; Harry L. Bettis, 83, Donnelly, Idaho, Jan. 31, 82/65 zone, fined $265. • Registration sticker ex- pired: Nicky J. Ballou, 40, John Day, Jan. 24, fined $115. • Failure to carry a val- id registration: Mitchel D. Long, 47, John Day, Jan. 7, fined $115. • Use of a cellphone while driving: Ethelene Yazzie, 49, Canyon City, Jan. 10, fined $225. • No operator’s license: David L. Torres, 39, John Day, Jan. 12, fined $135. The second installment of the 2017-18 property tax is due Thursday, February 15th, 2018 by 5:00 p.m. BLACK PANTHER (PG-13) 40394 Pamplin Media Group State Sen. Jeff Kruse, R-Roseburg, resigned Thursday over allegations he inappropriately touched female colleagues and staff members. While denying the allegations, Kruse said he would resign so that the Senate could get on with its work. A5 39581 Blue Mountain Eagle PO Box 185 Canyon City, OR 97820 Thank You We would like to thank the local ranchers who so generously donate beef for Grant County schools’ lunch programs. These generous donations provide good-quality meat to our kids, but also also provide a good example to us all of the good that comes from generosity. Any of us who have children in the local schools should voice their thanks and gratitude to the local ranchers that give to support our future generations. Maybe more of us should give! Customer Appreciation Day on Valentine’s Day - 8-5. Stop by for a refreshment for you and your furry friends. 40557 39780 59989 Hwy. 26, John Day 541 932-4428 Rick Rhinehart & family 39437
