COUNTY TEAMS MOVE ON IN POSTSEASON – PAGE B1
The
Blue Mountain
CLASS OF
EAGLE
2018
Grant County’s newspaper since 1868
PAGES A8-A9
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DANGERS OF
METH
An insidious
drug that
affects entire
communities
Meth deaths on the rise
400
The number of methamphetamine-related deaths
in Oregon tripled from 2007 to 2016.
Total drug-related deaths
334
Meth-related drug deaths
300
Source: Oregon State Medical Examiner
Alan Kenaga/EO Media Group
212
200
By Richard Hanners
Blue Mountain Eagle
73
232 deaths:
Up 217.8%
from 2007
100
T
he April 28 methamphetamine
bust that netted 10 locals in
John Day and Mt. Vernon ex-
posed a dark underworld that
may have been unknown to many resi-
dents in Grant County.
“This community, just like communi-
ties all across the country, is reeling from
the illegal drug epidemic,” Oregon State
Police Sgt. Tom Hutchison told the Eagle.
“Methamphetamine use is rampant, and
the ramifications are felt in just about ev-
ery call for service that law enforcement
officers deal with. Thefts and property
crimes, assaults, domestic abuse, child
abuse, rapes and other crimes are among
some of the byproducts of drug abuse.”
Contributed photos
Syringes and methamphetamine in
an illegal drug kit confiscated by
local police in 2016.
The Grant County Sheriff’s Office said
the investigation is continuing and more
arrests are expected, but meth use is more
than a crime story. Its impacts can be felt
throughout communities.
“Meth destroys all loyalties,” Grant
County District Attorney Jim Carpenter
told the Eagle. “Meth users will lie to,
steal from and hurt anyone, family, friend
or foe, to obtain meth to fuel their need.
Meth users and dealers will readily turn
on anyone, especially those they use with
or buy from, to escape the consequences
of their actions.”
A glass pipe with methamphetamine
residue that was seized by local
police.
0
’10
2007
Insidious drug
Meth is a synthetic drug that stimulates
the nervous system and is sold as pills, pow-
der or small chunks. Common street names
for meth include crank, speed and chalk. In
its pure form, which is smoked in a pipe,
snorted, swallowed or injected, the drug is
known as ice, crystal, glass and quartz.
According to the Oregon Health Au-
Local police found methamphetamine
and glass pipes in a kit sitting on the
passenger seat of this vehicle during
a traffic stop in 2016.
’13
2016
thority, the toxic properties of meth use
include agitation, psychosis, seizures,
respiratory arrest and death. Because it is
produced in illegal clandestine laborato-
ries, impurities and byproducts are often
found in meth that can cause unpredict-
able effects on users.
“Injury to the liver, kidneys, brain,
See METH, Page A10
Baggies containing methamphetamine
and two glass pipes used for smoking
in a drug kit confiscated by local
police during a traffic stop in 2016.
Ortelco partnering with broadband coalition
Network to expand
south in phases
By Richard Hanners
Blue Mountain Eagle
A public-private partnership
between the Grant County Digital
Network Coalition and Oregon Tele-
phone Corporation, and a plan for
phased expansion of broadband in-
ternet service south from John Day
to Burns, were unveiled by John Day
City Manager Nick Green May 8.
After nearly two years of private
negotiations with Ortelco, a mem-
orandum of understanding is being
drafted to explain the relationship
between the coalition, composed of
John Day, Grant County and Seneca,
and the local internet provider and
telephone company, Green told the
city council.
“Ortelco is excited to be able
to continue to do what we do best,
which is to continue to offer service
to outlying areas comparable to our
existing service areas,” Ortelco Gen-
eral Manager DeeDee Kluser told
the Eagle. “We look forward to op-
portunities ahead.”
Phased construction
Green announced the news as the
council prepared to vote on a reso-
Kick-starting construction
Housing incentive program moving forward
By Richard Hanners
Pricing gap
Blue Mountain Eagle
Kick-starting the home con-
struction sector in a rural econo-
my that’s seen significant popu-
lation decline over the past three
decades will not be easy, but a
housing incentive plan proposed
by the city of John Day has the
support of the state and local
builders, according to City Man-
ager Nick Green.
The city’s goal is to see 100
new homes built in the 20-year
life of the program. To encourage
new home construction as well
as remodeling, the city will offer
builders or homeowners cash in-
centives based on the increased
assessed value of the property.
About 158 acres of suitable res-
idential land exists in John Day for
new home construction, but only
five new homes have been built in
the city over the past 10 years. In
addition, many existing homes were
constructed in the post-World War
II boom and are in serious need of
repair. Green noted it’s hard to find
homes for sale in John Day that are
in the mid-range price of around
$250,000.
What’s blocking new home con-
struction or extensive remodeling is
a “cost-value disconnect,” accord-
ing to the urban renewal program’s
draft report. The average price of a
See HOUSING, Page A10
lution authorizing an application for
a U.S. Department of Agriculture
Community Connect grant worth up
to $3 million and requiring a 15 per-
cent match.
According to the resolution, the
city would use a portion of the $1.8
million in broadband funding it re-
ceived from the state last year to pay
the $450,000 match required by the
federal grant. The council unani-
mously approved the resolution.
Green told the council he didn’t
want to see the entire $1.8 million in
state funding spent in one shot run-
ning a cable the 70 miles from the
fiber backbone in Burns to John Day.
Instead, he wanted to use the state
money to leverage additional fund-
ing for the network in three phases.
In Phase 1, a fiber backbone would
be run from John Day to Seneca, with
See BROADBAND, Page A10
County seeks to dismiss
Sheriff Palmer’s lawsuit
By Sean Hart
Blue Mountain Eagle
The county is asking a judge to dis-
miss a lawsuit filed against it by the
sheriff seeking legal fees.
Attorney Gerald Warren, on behalf
of the county and Grant County Court,
filed a motion to dismiss May 2, argu-
ing the lawsuit was legally deficient
and that it was submitted too late and
incorrectly.
Attorney Benjamin Boyd, on behalf
of Sheriff Glenn Palmer, former civil
deputy Sally DeFord and the sheriff’s
office, filed a complaint in court March
16, asking a judge to declare that they
are not liable for legal fees from a law-
suit filed by The Oregonian newspaper.
The Oregonian sued Palmer, DeFord
and the sheriff’s office
to compel the disclo-
sure of public records
in May 2016. The suit
was dismissed when the
records were disclosed,
but a judge awarded
Sheriff
The Oregonian $28,337
Glenn
in attorney fees. Palm-
Palmer
er and DeFord also in-
curred $41,355 in fees
while represented by a private law firm,
Hostetter Law Group, according to their
complaint, which claimed the county is
legally required cover all of the fees.
Warren argues in the motion to dis-
miss that Boyd’s complaint fails to state
the “ultimate facts constituting a claim”
See PALMER, Page A10