Free football contest. Cash prizes. Page A13
The
Grant County’s newspaper since 1868
Blue Mountain
EAGLE
TIGERS FACE OFF
AGAINST PROSPECTORS
– PAGE A9
W edNesday , s ePtember 12, 2018
• N o . 37
• 18 P ages
• $1.00
www.MyEagleNews.com
Investigation into couple missing
after fire treated as homicide
Possible remains
being tested
By Richard Hanners
Blue Mountain Eagle
Eagle file photo
With the round-trip to John Day and back to the dumping
station at Ricco Ranch Road in Prairie City being about
an hour, as many as three water tenders at a time can be
seen adding water to the city’s water system. Well tests
at Faiman Springs produced 475 gallons per minute on
average, enough to meet the city’s water demands.
Drought conditions have
lowered water tables in the area
and impacted the infiltration
galleries on Dixie Creek and
the city’s main wells nearby.
The city declared a water emer-
gency Aug. 6 after the level in
the city’s million-gallon water
reservoir dropped to 1.5 feet
over the Aug. 4-5 weekend.
Water tenders continue to
haul water from John Day to
Prairie City, Brown said. The
total cost since trucking began
Aug. 12 is around $40,000, she
said. The cost of trucks, drivers
and fuel can run from $80 to
$100 per day.
Brown said John Day City
Manager Nick Green “has been
very generous” in providing the
treated water to Prairie City at
no cost.
cide.
Grant County Sheriff Glenn Palmer
said evidence collected at the scene of
the fire on Nan’s Rock Road between
Mt. Vernon and John Day is believed to
be of human origin, and testing is being
conducted by the Oregon State Medical
Examiner’s Office in Clackamas.
The possible remains have not been
identified, Palmer said in a Sept. 5 press
release.
“This agency is not prepared to re-
lease any identities in this case of any-
one,” Palmer said. “As the investigation
progresses we will release information
to the public as it becomes available.”
Terry Smith, 67, and Sharon Smith,
65, have been missing since their off-
the-grid and isolated home was de-
stroyed by a fire July 17-18. Their sil-
ver or light gray 2006 Toyota Tacoma
with Oregon license 714EGG also went
missing.
Two cadaver dogs from the Crook
County Sheriff’s Office searched the
scene following the fire with negative
results, Palmer said in an Aug. 2 press
release.
Family and friends told the Eagle
about the social nature of the Smiths
and how unusual it would be for them to
disappear for any length of time without
communicating with their friends and
family.
Cathy Hinshaw, Sharon’s sister who
See WATER, Page A18
See HOMICIDE, Page A18
Faiman Springs well
produces enough
water for Prairie City
Water fees will
increase to repay
state loan
By Richard Hanners
Blue Mountain Eagle
Prairie City is making prog-
ress on addressing its water
emergency, but a water fee in-
crease is on the horizon, City
Recorder Bobbie Brown told
the Eagle.
Marciel Well Drilling &
Pumps of Mt. Vernon has been
testing the three wells at Faiman
Springs and found that one well
produced 475 gallons per min-
ute on average, Brown said.
That’s enough water to meet
the city’s demand. The compa-
ny is now testing the other two
wells at the site.
T
he investigation into the couple
missing after their house in the
Laycock Creek area burned in
July is being treated as a homi-
Contributed photo
Sharon and Terry Smith
Missing couple always
working, always busy
‘Terry would give you
the shirt off his back’
By Richard Hanners
Blue Mountain Eagle
The two people who have been
missing since a fire burned their
cabin on Nan’s Rock Road July 17-
18 were a social couple who kept in
touch with friends and family on a
daily basis.
Terry and Sharon Smith were also
known to let people stay on the 80-
to 100-acre property in the Laycock
Creek area between Mt. Vernon and
John Day that the couple bought in
the mid-1990s, according to Sha-
ron’s sister Cathy Hinshaw, who
lives in Hawaii.
Terry and Sharon first met in ju-
nior high school in Springfield, Hin-
shaw said. He was 13, and Sharon
See COUPLE, Page A18
Several contested races slated for November
Prairie City to see
new faces in city hall
By Richard Hanners
Blue Mountain Eagle
The deadline for local elections
was Aug. 28. Several contested races
have emerged with new and familiar
names, and one city saw no candi-
dates file for three city council posi-
tions.
Gordon Larson and Sam Palmer,
the top two candidates in the May
election for Grant County commis-
sioner, will face off in the Nov. 6 gen-
eral election.
A four-way race for three seats in
the John Day City Council includes
three incumbents and a challenger
who served as mayor and councilor.
In Prairie City, Mayor Jim Hamsh-
er did not file for re-election, and two
candidates are vying to take his place.
Six candidates have filed for three
seats on the city council, including one
incumbent.
A three-way race for two city coun-
cil seats will take place in Mt. Vernon,
and two contested races are lined up
for Long Creek — three candidates
for Position 3 and two candidates for
Position 4.
No candidates filed for three seats
on the Monument City Council.
Grant County
County clerk — four-year term
Brenda Percy
County commissioner — one po-
sition, four-year term
Gordon Larson
Sam Palmer
Canyon City
City council — three positions,
four-year term
Jim Johnston
Francis Kocis
Don Mooney
Dayville
Mayor — two-year term
Ilah Bennett
City council position 2 — four-
year term
Emmaleigh Larson
City council position 3 — four-
year term
Joseph M. Letosky
City council position 4 — four-
year term
Valli Hettinga
Granite
Mayor — two-year term
Ronald Ray Simonis
City council at large — four-year
term
Todd E. Lounsbury
John Day
Mayor — four-year term
Ron Lundbom
City council — three positions,
four-year term
Chris B. Labhart
Shannon Adair
Paul C. Smith
Gregg Haberly
Long Creek
Mayor — two-year term
Don Porter
City council position 3 — one po-
sition, four-year term
Leslie Barnett
Louis Springstead
Alvin C. Hunt
City council position 4 — one po-
sition, four-year term
Denise Porter
Daniel T. Morrow
See RACES, Page A18