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About The Blue Mountain eagle. (John Day, Or.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (June 20, 2018)
A4 Opinion Blue Mountain Eagle Wednesday, June 20, 2018 The gift that keeps on giving N ot many things last forever, which makes the perpetual Stewart Scholarship’s timeless gift of education even more exceptional. Established by the late benefactors Wayne Stewart of Dayville and his son Eminger Stewart III of Mt. Vernon, who made a provision to set up a perpetual education fund upon his death, the endowment uses the interest from the fund to provide annual scholarships to Grant County students. The fund itself is never depleted, so the gift truly keeps on giving. Forever. Last year, $576,000 in interest was awarded as scholarships. More than 100 students received financial help toward their education, most receiving $5,000. Few students anywhere have access to such an amazing opportunity, and the fact most Grant County students who qualify receive the award is remarkable. Recipients can use the funds for undergraduate, trade or graduate school educational expenses, and are eligible for up to five years. Eminger Stewart left behind no survivors when he passed away in 2007, but this gift will help thousands of young people improve their lives. Much like the endowment, the benefit it funds is also everlasting. Education continues to provide benefits throughout a person’s life without being depleted. On average, a person with a high school diploma earns $712 per week, compared to $1,173 per week for a person with a bachelor’s degree, according to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics. The average unemployment rate for someone who has only completed high school is 4.6 percent, compared to 2.5 percent for someone who has earned a four-year degree. Not only is education rewarding in terms of earning potential, it opens new doors many may never have known existed. With the July 1 Stewart Scholarship deadline approaching, we acknowledge the philanthropic legacy left behind by the Stewarts with their scholarship endowment, and we encourage local students to learn from them. Invest in something that will continue to give back: your education. For more information about the scholarship, visit grantesd.k12.or.us and click on “Stewart Scholarship” at the bottom of the page. F ARMER ’ S F ATE Shampoo bottles and horseshoe nails By Brianna Walker To the Blue Mountain Eagle It’s the little things in life. “How do you open this thing?” my husband asked, walking out of the bathroom holding a bottle of toi- let bowl cleaner. “Is it broken?” I asked, tilting my head to see the bottle better. “I don’t know, but it seems to be stuck,” he said, still trying to twist it as he headed for the kitchen junk drawer. “Are my pliers still in here?” he asked, pulling the drawer open. “It’s a new bottle,” I said, “I can’t believe it’d be broken.” I took the bottle out of his hands to look at it. I squeezed the lid and turned — and it opened right up. I gave my husband that one eyebrow look. “Well, how was I supposed to know you had to squeeze it first?” “Guess that means I know how many times you have scrubbed the toilets in our house, then, huh?” I teased him. He gave me a pretend glare, “I just prefer to use Ajax when I clean them.” I rolled my eyes. “And to think, it is women who get a bad rap for not being able to open their own jars and bottles. First it was the shampoo bottle and now toilet bowl cleaner?” I smiled, and the years rolled back in my mind’s eye. My husband and I had just started Brianna dating, and he had Walker invited me to come stay the weekend at his parent’s house. His mom was quite hospitable: We had a delicious supper of baked potatoes with a cold cucumber sauce, and then she point- ed me in the direction of my bedroom and handed me a towel and wash- cloth. The next morning, I showered, then went upstairs to help with breakfast. I had just finished setting the table when my boyfriend walked up the stairs, “Did you use the sham- poo that was in the shower?” he asked. “Yeah, ” I answered. “Why?” “There was shampoo in the pump dispenser.” While I was showering, I had reached down to pump some sham- poo in my hand. The dispenser was locked but the bottle was half-empty. I unlocked the pump, squirted some in my hand — and then, thinking that maybe he was one of those super particular kind of guys, I squeezed it back down and locked it. “Well?” he asked. “What? Was I not supposed to use that shampoo?” “It was there to use. I just want to know how you made the pump dis- penser work.” “I unlocked it, and then —” “It unlocks?” he interrupted. He groaned, “You’re remember- ing that stupid shampoo dispenser, aren’t you?” I smirked. The little things often become big things over time. My grandma used to recite: For the want of a nail the shoe was lost, For the want of a shoe the horse was lost, For the want of a horse the rider was lost, For the want of a rider the battle was lost, For the want of a battle the king- dom was lost, And all for the want of a horse- shoe nail. It wasn’t a war — but a pesky bottle cap did cause me to lose out on having someone else clean the bathroom. It’s the little things for sure! Brianna Walker occasionally writes about the Farmer’s Fate for the Blue Mountain Eagle. L ETTERS TO THE E DITOR Arming teachers ‘neither dangerous nor irresponsible’ W HERE TO W RITE GRANT COUNTY • Grant County Courthouse — 201 S. Humbolt St., Suite 280, Canyon City 97820. Phone: 541-575-0059. Fax: 541- 575-2248. • Canyon City — P.O. Box 276, Canyon City 97820. Phone: 541-575-0509. Fax: 541-575-0515. Email: tocc1862@centu- rylink.net. • Dayville — P.O. Box 321, Dayville 97825. Phone: 541-987-2188. Fax: 541- 987-2187. Email:dville@ortelco.net • John Day — 450 E. Main St, John Day, 97845. Phone: 541-575-0028. Fax: 541- 575-1721. Email: cityjd@centurytel.net. • Long Creek — P.O. Box 489, Long Creek 97856. Phone: 541-421-3601. Fax: 541-421-3075. Email: info@cityoflong- creek.com. • Monument — P.O. Box 426, Monument 97864. Phone and fax: 541-934-2025. Email: cityofmonument@centurytel.net. • Mt. Vernon — P.O. Box 647, Mt. Vernon 97865. Phone: 541-932-4688. Fax: 541-932-4222. Email: cmtv@ortelco.net. • Prairie City — P.O. Box 370, Prairie City 97869. Phone: 541-820-3605. Fax: 820-3566. Email: pchall@ortelco.net. • Seneca — P.O. Box 208, Seneca 97873. Phone and fax: 541-542-2161. Email: senecaoregon@gmail.com. SALEM • Gov. Kate Brown, D — 254 State Capitol, Salem 97310. Phone: 503-378- 3111. Fax: 503-378-6827. Website: www. governor.state.or.us/governor.html. • Oregon Legislature — State Capitol, Blue Mountain EAGLE P UBLISHED EVERY W EDNESDAY BY Salem, 97310. Phone: (503) 986-1180. Website: www. leg.state.or.us (includes Oregon Constitution and Oregon Revised Statutes). • Oregon Legislative Information — (For updates on bills, services, capitol or messages for legislators) — 800-332-2313. • Sen. Cliff Bentz, R-Ontario – 900 Court St. NE, S-301, Salem 97301. Phone: 503-986-1730. Website: www.oregonlegis- lature.gov/Bentz. Email: Sen.CliffBentz@ oregonlegislature.gov. • Rep. Lynn Findley, R-Vale – 900 Court St. NE, H-475, Salem 97301. Phone: 503- 986-1460. Website: www.oregonlegislature. gov/findley. Email: Rep.LynnFindley@ oregonlegislature.gov. WASHINGTON, D.C. • The White House, 1600 Pennsylva- nia Ave. N.W., Washington, D.C. 20500; Phone-comments: 202-456-1111; Switch- board: 202-456-1414. • U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, D — 516 Hart Senate Office Building, Washington D.C. 20510. Phone: 202-224-5244. Email: wayne_kinney@wyden.senate.gov Website: http://wyden.senate.gov Fax: 202-228-2717. • U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley, D — 313 Hart Senate Office Building, Washington D.C. 20510. Phone: 202-224-3753. Email: senator@merkley.senate.gov. Fax: 202- 228-3997. Oregon offices include One World Trade Center, 121 S.W. Salmon St., Suite 1250, Portland, OR 97204; and 310 S.E. Second St., Suite 105, Pendleton, OR 97801. Phone: 503-326-3386; 541-278- 1129. Fax: 503-326-2990. To the Editor: A recent guest editorial has called “arming teachers” danger- ous and, therefore, irresponsible. Instead, the writer suggests that spending more money on armed guards and other security measures is the responsible answer to school shootings. First, the term “arming teachers” is so misleading regarding what has actually been proposed that it is re- ally false. What has been proposed is taking those select teachers who volunteer, screening for suitability, requiring intensive training of them during a week or two during the summer recess and requiring their identity to remain strictly confiden- tial. The confidentiality of their iden- tity is important so that a potential perpetrator would not know what teacher(s) may be armed and, there- fore, would not know what teach- er(s) to avoid and what teachers and classrooms it would be safe to target. Those who favor this approach are also not in favor of “arming teachers.” We are in favor of the ac- tual proposal of volunteers only, re- quiring intensive training and total anonymity. That is neither danger- ous nor irresponsible. It would be cost-effective, it would be a power- ful deterrent and it would save lives in the event of an attempted mass shooting. Reg LeQuieu Mt. Vernon Initiative preserves Second Amendment To the Editor: In response to the Grant County Second Amendment preservation ordinance under review by Judge Cramer, Blue Mountains Forest Partners Executive Director Mark Webb challenges this as being un- constitutional. Note this is a Second Amendment “preservation” ordinance. He says in his Blue Mountain Eagle interview that he knows if this is on the ballot it will pass by way of we the people, but that it too will be challenged if voted in. Does Mark Webb support the rights of the people in this coun- ty, this country? You decide. Sandy Rue Prairie City Slow down and care for life To the Editor: I am reminded of dialogue from a famous 1961 Audrey Hepburn movie, “Breakfast At Tiffany’s,” where she struggled with relation- ships, even with her cat. “I’m like Cat here, a no-name slob. We belong to nobody, and no- body belongs to us. We don’t even belong to each other.” But then, “Where’s the cat?” and then, “Ohh- hhh, Cat!!” She found her cat in the soaking rain, who meant more to her than she realized. My cat Roswell, however, af- ter charming, irritating, loving me for over 10 years, slipped out the door and crossed over the Rain- bow Bridge with his proud flitting, brushy tail and indignant “meow,” when he innocently ran out on Highway 395 in downtown Long Creek. The same day, a neighbor woman lost her 15-year-old cat the same way, crossing the highway. We are both heartbroken. My point? Our city has a radar speed trailer, a new crosswalk, pe- destrian crossing sign and, soon, children playing signs. Vehicles continue to blow through our town with no respect for the life here. Whether children, pets or deer. Peo- ple could take a few extra seconds to take a deep breath and slow down. Notice the surroundings. Look for children not paying attention, cats headed for an open field to hunt, dogs out of their yard, fawns look- ing for mom, cars trying to back out of a cafe parking area. Care for life! We do belong to each other! Leslie Barnett Long Creek L etters policy: Letters to the Editor is a forum for Blue Mountain Eagle readers to express themselves on local, state, national or world issues. Brevity is good, but longer letters will be asked to be contained to 350 words. No personal attacks; challenge the opinion, not the person. No thank-you letters. Submissions to this page become property of the Eagle. The Eagle reserves the right to edit letters for length and for content. Letters must be original and signed by the writer. Anonymous letters will not be printed. Writers should include a telephone number so they can be reached for questions. We must limit all contributors to one letter per person per month. Deadline is 5 p.m. Friday. 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