’62 DAYS CELEBRATION PLANNED FRIDAY AND SATURDAY
The
PAGE A6
Blue Mountain
EAGLE
Grant County’s newspaper since 1868
W edNesday , J uNe 6, 2018
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Plea deal reached in Elliott shooting case
Charge amended to criminally negligent homicide
By Richard Hanners
Blue Mountain Eagle
A plea agreement has been
reached in the case of the John Day
man accused of shooting and killing
a neighbor near Dog Creek Road
and Marysville Road on Aug. 24,
2017.
Following a May 25 settlement
conference, Thomas Joseph El-
liott pleaded guilty to the amended
charges of criminally negligent ho-
micide with a firearm and unlaw-
ful use of a firearm. Sentencing is
scheduled for 10:30 a.m. June 26.
Elliott had been charged with
first-degree manslaughter, a class A
felony, in the shooting death of Todd
Alan Berry. The criminally negli-
gent homicide charge, a class B felo-
ny, carries a maximum penalty of 15
years in prison and a $325,000 fine.
According to Elliott’s petition to
enter a plea of guilty, the state and
defense will jointly recommend a
60-month sentence for the homicide
charge, with credit for time served
and eligibility for good-time reduc-
tion. He may also request a sen-
tence reduction to 48
months.
The recommend-
ed sentence also in-
cludes three years of
post-prison supervi-
sion and $16,405 in
Thomas
restitution. The sen-
Joseph
tence for the homi-
Elliott
cide charge would be
concurrent with the
unlawful use of a firearm charge.
Earlier on May 2, Grant Coun-
FOREST HEALTH,
ty Circuit Court Judge William D.
Cramer Jr. granted Elliott’s motion
to suppress statements made after he
was taken into custody.
Cramer ruled that “after unequiv-
ocally invoking his right to remain
silent, defendant did not initiate fur-
ther conversation of the crime being
investigated.”
The case was prosecuted by Col-
in Benson, senior assistant attorney
general, of the Oregon Department
of Justice.
Magone Lake is one of many
attractions on the Malheur
National Forest.
Eagle file photo
ECONOMIC HEALTH
Malheur forest projects lined up
Stewardship contract supports 268 jobs
From planting
and thinning to
fisheries and roads
By Richard Hanners
Blue Mountain Eagle
A
10-year stewardship
contract on the Mal-
heur National Forest
supported 268 jobs
in Grant and Harney
counties from 2015 through 2017,
according to a 2018 study by the
University of Oregon.
On top of that, the work value
of forest and watershed restoration
activities came to about $1.2 mil-
lion per year, and Malheur Na-
tional Forest operations added $3
million per year, the study found.
The stewardship contract also ad-
dressed economic uncertainty.
“The logs provided under the
stewardship contract have been
essential in keeping Malheur
Lumber, the lone traditional saw-
mill in Grant County, operating,”
the university study said.
The mill invested in equip-
ment to handle smaller-diameter
logs and to produce bioenergy
products, the study said. Iron
By Richard Hanners
Blue Mountain Eagle
W
The Eagle/Richard Hanners
Mark Webb, the executive director of Blue Mountains Forest
Partners, presents an update on the group’s work to the
Grant County Court.
Triangle established a bioenergy
production line in John Day, and
both Iron Triangle and Grayback
Forestry purchased and renovat-
ed facilities in Seneca to process
posts and poles.
Forest contract
The Forest Service awarded
the stewardship contract to Iron
Triangle in September 2013. The
contract’s goals were to promote
ecological restoration, reduce
the risk of wildfire and improve
economic vitality on 180,000 to
500,000 acres of forest land in
Grant and Harney counties.
The Forest Service at the time
estimated the value of the con-
tract at up to $69 million over
See FOREST, Page A12
ork on dozens of forest proj-
ects is scheduled at locations
across the Malheur National
Forest this year. Some projects have al-
ready occurred, while others are ramp-
ing up for the busy summer season.
More than 30 Forest Service work-
ers manned tables during a May 30
informational presentation at the Grant
County Regional Airport to let the
public know what’s planned for forest
lands this year.
“It can take two or three years be-
fore a project is actually implemented,
so people forget about them,” Prairie
City District Ranger Ed Guzman ex-
plained.
Large forest projects covering
thousands of acres can include timber
harvesting, precommercial and com-
The Eagle/Richard Hanners
Jim Boethin speaks with Prairie
City Ranger District hydrologist
Hazel Owens and fisheries
personnel during the Malheur
National Forest’s presentation at
Grant County Regional Airport
May 30.
mercial thinning, prescribed burning,
tree planting, culvert replacement, road
closures and fisheries or stream work.
Many projects are still undergoing
planning or review under the Nation-
al Environmental Policy Act, while
others are ready to go. Some, par-
ticularly prescribed burning and tree
planting, took place this spring.
See PROJECTS, Page A12
Board selects Uptmor as superintendent
New Grant School
District administrator
starts July 1
By Richard Hanners
Blue Mountain Eagle
The Grant School District 3
board announced their selection for
a new school superintendent May
29. Bret Uptmor will take over for
outgoing Superintendent Curt Shel-
ley beginning July 1.
“I’m grateful for the John Day
community for bringing me in, and
I’m excited to serve,” Uptmor told
the Eagle.
The school board and Uptmor
are working on the terms of a ten-
tative agreement, which will be fi-
nalized at a future board meeting.
The board received 18 applica-
tions for the superintendent posi-
tion after advertising began in mid-
April. The community met the final
three candidates in
person on May 23.
“We had an excel-
lent field of candi-
dates for the super-
intendent position,”
board
chairwoman
Bret
Chris Cronin said.
Uptmor
“After considering
all that we learned
about each of the finalists, the
board concluded that Bret Uptmor
emerged as the right candidate to
lead our district.”
Uptmor has been superintendent
of Wallowa School District since
2011, serving about 180 students.
He served as an assistant principal
and principal in the Ontario School
District for six years and was an
industrial technology teacher for
about 15 years.
Uptmor has a master’s and a
bachelor’s in industrial technolo-
gy education from the Universi-
ty of Idaho. He also has coached
soccer and track and commented
on Grant Union’s strong athletic
program.
“It’s fun to be in schools with
good sports programs, where ev-
eryone is enthusiastic and talking
about their teams,” he said.
Several big changes will be
awaiting Uptmor when he arrives.
The seismic update project will be
underway this summer at Hum-
bolt Elementary School, with a
follow-up project next year at the
junior-senior high school. Applica-
tions for a new principal at Hum-
bolt have been arriving, and Upt-
mor said he expects to be part of
the selection process if it isn’t com-
pleted in June.
Uptmor said he’s aware of the
recent community discussion on
school security issues in Grant
School District. He recalled the
tremendous effort taken by Ontario
School District to harden school fa-
cilities by addressing access issues.
During a tour of Humbolt Ele-
mentary in May, Uptmor noticed
areas where the wide open campus
could be changed to improve se-
curity. He said he doesn’t support
arming teachers but has had good
experience with school resource
officers.
“They understand students,”
Uptmor said. “They’re more than
just police officers.”
Uptmor said he spoke about
trauma-informed care during his
interview by the school board.
“We need to pay more attention
to that — not just in John Day but
across the country,” he said.
He recalled how schools in On-
tario held a “challenge day” where
students, teachers and staff broke
into groups and spoke openly about
their personal concerns.
“They were tough conversa-
tions,” he said.
Providing students with a sound
education is key to Uptmor’s edu-
cation philosophy.
See UPTMOR, Page A12