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About The Blue Mountain eagle. (John Day, Or.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (April 25, 2018)
The Blue Mountain EAGLE PERSONAL RECORDS ABOUND AT GRANT UNION MEET — PAGE B1 Grant County’s newspaper since 1868 W edNesday , a Pril 25, 2018 • N o . 17 • 22 P ages • $1.00 www.MyEagleNews.com Discussion about guns in classrooms continues tonight By Richard Hanners Blue Mountain Eagle I Sheriff Glenn Palmer emphasized that arming teachers or staff would be a preventive measure — a shooter might avoid going to a school that was known to have armed teachers or staff. “ mpacts from the Feb. 14 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, in Parkland, Florida, where 17 stu- dents and staff were killed and 17 more were injured, have been felt nationwide as officials and citizens alike look for ways to prevent further mass shootings at schools. Nine days after the Parkland shooting, speaking at the Conser- vative Political Action Committee outside Washington, D.C., Presi- dent Donald Trump called for arming teachers as a way to prevent further school shootings. Zach Williams, the Grant School District 3 board vice chairman, told the Eagle he had brought up the idea of arming school teachers or staff in the past, but following the Parkland shooting, he raised the subject again during the board’s March 21 meeting. School resource officer The Eagle/Richard Hanners Grant County Sheriff Glenn Palmer addresses the Grant School District 3 board on the subject of arming teachers and staff during an April 18 meeting in Seneca. The school district has employed a school resource officer for safety in the past. Superintendent Curt Shelley told the Ea- gle funding for an SRO will be included in the next fiscal year budget, as the board and staff try to figure out how to make best use of the position. If the district hires an officer from the Grant County Sheriff’s Office or the John Day Police Department, the officer would undergo See GUNS, Page A12 As a parent, I would be comfortable with the idea.” M.T. Anderson, a rancher from Izee Candidates discuss issues at public forum County judge, commissioner, justice of the peace, district attorney on ballot By Richard Hanners Blue Mountain Eagle About 250 people attended a candi- date forum in the Trowbridge Pavilion at the Grant County Fairgrounds April 22. Former state senator Ted Ferrioli read questions to the 10 candidates for county judge, county commissioner, justice of the peace and district attorney. Scott Myers, the incumbent county judge running for re-election, said he supported the people’s right to vote on Initiative 12-71, which would allow sales of marijuana in Grant County for recre- ational use, but he wouldn’t say whether it was good or bad. If it passed, he said, he would vote to impose a tax on recre- ational marijuana sales. Several candidates agreed with Myers about not stating a position and their will- ingness to tax marijuana sales. County Commissioner and judge candidate Jim Hamsher suggested that having a single legal dispensary might stem the growth of a black market in the county. Commissioner candidate Tanner El- liott said he supported the initiative, saying the tax revenue will help the com- munity. The war on drugs has failed, he said, and while not completely harmless, alcohol was much worse than marijuana. Commissioner candidate Sam Palmer said he didn’t want to “support some- thing just for the money.” Otherwise, the county might as well be like Nevada and legalize prostitution, he said. Commissioner candidate Gordon Larson, who investigated drug cases for the Oregon State Police, said he was a See ELECTION, Page A7 ‘Darkness into Light’ Preventing child sex abuse By Angel Carpenter The Eagle/Richard Hanners Grant County candidates stand before the start of a forum at the Trowbridge Pavilion in the Grant County Fairgrounds on April 22. Regaining a voice silenced by abuse Blue Mountain Eagle Blue Mountain Eagle While child sexual abuse often hides in the shadows, a program this week intends to illu- minate ways to prevent it. Grant County adults are invited to “Dark- ness into Light, Stewards of Children” from 2-4 p.m. Friday, April 27, at the Canyon City Community Hall. Mary Ratliff, who will provide instruction, describes the program as an “evidence-in- formed training program designed to teach parents, youth-serving organizations and con- cerned individuals how to prevent, recognize and respond responsibly to child sexual abuse.” Tracey Blood, executive director of Prevent Child Abuse Oregon, who is a part of a local trauma-informed task force, said, “These can be difficult conversations to have, but having them can be the first positive step in creating awareness.” The Eagle/Angel Carpenter Tracey Blood, left, and Lisa Weigum are part of a community task force bringing an April 27 training on child sexual abuse prevention called “Darkness into Light” to Canyon City. Grant County adults are invited to attend from 2-4 p.m. Friday at the Canyon City Community Hall. The training is part of an ongoing effort by the task force to increase awareness of child See LIGHT, Page A12 Wade Cates is a survivor of sexual abuse. After years of silence, the Grant County native finally spoke out to his family and to police, regaining the voice he said was silenced by his abuser. Now, he is telling his story in hopes of preventing abuse and encouraging other victims to make their voices heard. Describe your story and how this has affected your life. As a 7-year-old boy, I began experiencing sexual abuse at the hand of a trust- ed family member. The abuse lasted seven years, becoming more severe as time passed. My silence lasted another seven years. During the pe- riod of abuse, I attended el- ementary and middle school in Grant County. During the period of silence, I was heav- ily involved in the communi- ty and went to high school, eventually graduating from Grant Union Jr./Sr. High School in 2013 and setting out to attain a college educa- tion outside of Grant County. After high school, the effects of the abuse I had endured slowly became in- creasingly evident in my See ABUSE, Page A12
