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About The Blue Mountain eagle. (John Day, Or.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 10, 2018)
The Blue Mountain EAGLE Grant County’s newspaper since 1868 W ednesday , O ctOber 10, 2018 • n O . 41 • 18 P ages • $1.00 www.MyEagleNews.com Four vie for three council seats in John Day Three incumbents, one challenger By Richard Hanners Blue Mountain Eagle Three of the four can- didates vying this year for three four-year positions on the John Day City Council are incumbents, while the challenger is a former may- or. Councilors Gregg Haber- ly, Paul C. Smith and Shan- non Adair and former may- or Chris Labhart will be on the ballot for the three seats. Mayor Ron Lundbom is run- ning unopposed for re-elec- tion to a two-year term. The city is busier than ever with numerous projects aimed at promoting eco- nomic development, from a new sewer treatment plant that will produce merchant- able reclaimed water and a broadband network to an In- novation Gateway project at the former Oregon Pine mill and perhaps a new aquatic facility. The council candidates described their qualifica- tions and why they are run- ning. See COUNCIL, Page A18 Gregg Haberly Chris Labhart Paul C. Smith Shannon Adair SURVIVING Contributed photo Visiting Gov. Kate Brown’s ceremonial office are Prevent Child Abuse Oregon Executive Director and chaperone Tracey Blood, at the desk, and, in back, Grant Union student Tanner Elliott, volunteer/ chaperone Wade Cates and Grant Union students Tyler Blood and McKeely Miller. The students visited the Oregon Capitol during their trip to the Oct. 2 gubernatorial debate. Grant Union student questions gubernatorial candidates Three students attend debate, tour Capitol By Angel Carpenter BREAST CANCER ‘The sooner they detect it, the better’ By Angel Carpenter Blue Mountain Eagle B reast cancer survivor Janet Hill Ten years prior to her diagnosis, Hill of John Day said she compares had a cyst on her breast drained and was her ordeal to a car accident. told it may need to be drained in the future. “You don’t think it When she detected a lump, she didn’t will ever happen to worry. you,” she said. “You don’t get Mammograms and ultrasounds in your car and think, ‘I’m go- didn’t pick up her cancer, possibly ing to get in a wreck today.’” due to dense breast tissue, she said. Hill was diagnosed with After a routine check up, her stage 3A breast cancer in ear- doctor asked if she had any other ly October last year and had a concerns, and Hill mentioned the lump mastectomy two weeks later, just she found. Janet Hill before Halloween, she said. From there, biopsies were per- formed, and a surgery was scheduled soon after. Because the tumor was 8 centimeters in size, doctors think she may have had the tumor for five years before the diagnosis. Cancer spread to a few of Hill’s lymph nodes — 36 were removed — but not to distant organs. Hill owns and operates two local busi- nesses, Java Jungle & Tropical Tan and The Floor Store. Before her diagnosis, she had been feeling tired, but she thought it was just due to her busy life, helping customers and making orders, doing inventory and paperwork. All of that slowed down. Once she recovered from the mastecto- my, Hill received 20 chemotherapy treat- ments, then 30 rounds of radiation. “I lost all my hair around Thanksgiving time,” she said, adding she also experi- enced brain fog from chemo. See SURVIVORS, Page A18 Blue Mountain Eagle A John Day high school student was in the spotlight Oct. 2 along with sever- al other youths asking questions of Or- egon’s three gubernatorial candidates in a televised debate. Democrat Gov. Kate Brown, Re- publican Rep. Knute Buehler and Inde- pendent Patrick Starnes debated ques- tions asked by students ages 12-19 at Roosevelt High School in Portland. Students peppered the candidates with questions with a range of topics, including gun safety, teen suicide, the foster care system and child homeless- ness. Grant Union High School senior McKeely Miller put rural Grant Coun- ty’s internet access issue at center stage. Describing how the lack of reliable, high-speed internet “sets a barrier in the classroom and the workforce,” she asked the candidates how they would approach the problem. Buehler, who had a turn to speak first, said it’s a topic he’s heard about while traveling through Eastern Ore- gon and that he understands the impor- See DEBATE, Page A18 The Eagle/Angel Carpenter Event organizer Kimberly Ward, left, and Janet Hill decorate their team’s cart. Other members of the ‘Miss Piggy’ team were Jeanette Hueckman, Jonna Bishop and Gail Burton, who is Ward’s mother.
