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About The Blue Mountain eagle. (John Day, Or.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 10, 2018)
A18 News Blue Mountain Eagle SURVIVORS Continued from Page A1 Asked how she made it through, Hill said, “A lot of it is mental — you have to re- ally make yourself mentally strong.” Hill said losing the ability to keep up with her busy life- style made her feel she was failing. “I called a nurse and said, ‘I don’t know if I can keep doing this,’” she said. “The nurse said, ‘You can. You just need to pace yourself.’” She said her friend and employee Heather Rookstool was a great support for her and took on more responsibil- ities at work. “Heather really stepped up to the plate,” Hill said. Her sister was “a big im- pact,” and other family mem- bers were also supportive, she said. She recalled meeting a complete stranger in the Port- land area, who, upon seeing Hill without her hat, gave her a thumbs up and said, “I was just like you a year ago.” Hill’s next challenge will be reconstructive surgery in a couple months. She said, although the mammogram didn’t pick up her cancer, she still believes Contributed photo A total of 41 participants enjoyed Saturday’s Rally for the Cure golf scramble, the ladies golfing in support of the cause and releasing balloons in memory of loved ones. they are important. “The sooner they detect it, the better,” she said. “If you get it really early, you don’t have to do the radiation.” She was surprised to learn how many different kinds of breast cancer exist and em- phasized the importance of women being aware of their bodies. Hill said she’s attended Tough Enough to Wear Pink and Rally for the Cure events and never thought she might one day have breast cancer herself. “It’s more common than you think,” she said. “I didn’t realize how common it is.” Through the ordeal, Hill learned just how tough she is. “If I can do it, anyone can do it,” she said. Wednesday, October 10, 2018 41 golfers Rally for the Cure in John Day COUNCIL It was rainy and cool, but 41 women enthusiastically braved the weather at Sat- urday’s Rally for the Cure golf scramble. Eleven teams, with dec- orated golf carts and col- orful, creatively themed outfits, participated in the event benefiting the Susan G. Komen Foundation, held at the John Day Golf Club. Pink and white balloons were released that after- noon in memory of loved ones who had breast cancer. Members of the winning team were Melody Miller, Kathy Gregory, Julie Proc- tor and LaVonne Slinkard. The winner of the chip up contest was Melody Miller. “We raised just over $4,000 from golf entries and auction,” said organiz- er Kimberly Ward, adding attendance was up by 12 this year. “The weather didn’t stop anyone from having a good time and re- membering the cause.” Adair was appointed to the council last September to fill the position vacated by Lisa Weigum. A 1985 Grant Union High School graduate, Adair has a bach- elor’s in business adminis- tration from Oregon State University and is a co-own- er of the 1188 Brewing Company in John Day. Adair said she worked outside the area for 10 years after college but re- turned because she wanted to raise her children in John Day and start a business here. She coached the high school dance team for 19 years and started Body Fit- ness & Dance in John Day, which she later sold. “Having a business here, it made sense to be on the city council,” she said. Adair is a board mem- ber of the Grant County Chamber of Commerce. She said part of her job with the council is to make connec- tions between businesses and the council. A goal is to help John Day merchants work together for the good of everyone. She also serves on the city’s Technical Advisory Committee, which assists in planning for the city’s many economic develop- ment projects. The urban renewal plan, Innovation Gateway project, sewer treatment plant and plan- ning for parks, recreation and pool are all tied together and related, she said — one impacts the other. The public should expect to see changes in the next few years as these projects move from planning to im- plementation, she said. All projects take time, and it’s important to communicate progress to the public. She encouraged residents to come to council meetings and listen to the discussion. DEBATE Continued from Page A1 tance of leveling the playing field and closing the opportu- nity and achievement gap that has developed between urban and rural Oregon. He said he will work diligently to bring Oregon together. “I believe that I’m unique- ly qualified to bridge that gap and create one Oregon, which we all desire,” he said. Brown said she’s already been involved in helping with the solution, noting she worked with a Republican leader “to invest $1.8 million to build internet access” in Grant County through an ap- propriation to the city of John Day. “It’s so key for our rural communities that our schools be connected, that our homes be connected and, of course, our businesses be connect- ed,” she said. “It gives rural Oregon the opportunity to grow and thrive and create good-paying jobs in every single nook and cranny across the state.” Starnes said he served on the McKenzie school board, Contributed photo Grant Union High School senior McKeely Miller asks a question directed at candidates for governor, from left, Rep. Knute Buehler, Gov. Kate Brown and Patrick Starnes during the Oct. 2 debate at Roosevelt High School in Portland. with only 200 students in the school district. “We struggled with that directly — having access,” he said. “I feel like the biggest important job for the governor is to connect these dots that are already existing ...” “I thought Gov. Brown did a pretty good job responding to my question,” Miller said, adding Buehler “acknowl- edged that it was a problem but didn’t necessarily address the solution.” Miller said she felt the debate was a good opportu- nity to highlight issues from her community. She said she liked the format and the op- portunity for young people to ask questions, but she wished there had been more youths representing the eastern side of the state. One student from Prineville and another from Pendleton were the only other students from east of the Cas- cades. Miller said an exciting mo- ment came after the debate. “We were able to meet the only female state governors S ’ D Y O Twice Upon L L A Time Everyday Quality Used Furniture Refurbished Mattresses Jewelry Home Accessories & Kitchen Antiques & Collectables 406.214.9176 109 S. Main St. Prairie City, OR. 97869 Open Tues-Sat 9:30-5:30 Owned & Operated by a Veteran 79534 in Oregon in the whole state history, Gov. Brown and for- mer Gov. Barbara Roberts,” she said. Joining Miller in attending the debate and on a tour of the state Capitol were two fellow students, senior Tanner Elliott and junior Tyler Blood. Elliott, who is Grant Union’s student body presi- dent, said attending the debate live was a different experi- ence. “It’s more personal,” he said. He said it was unfair that students more often directed their questions to Brown and Buehler, excluding Starnes. “The rest of it was good,” he said. “It was fun to see Gov. Brown and Buehler ‘ex- change blows’ with one an- other.” Elliott said it will be a close race. “It’s going to be a crucial election to see if Oregonians want change or if they want to stick with the policies of the past and present,” he said. Elliott, who wants to be involved at the state level and “hopefully the national level” of government, said he has a summer internship planned with Sen. Ron Wyden’s office. “The youth of this country should get more involved,” he said. “We have some major problems facing our country, and we need great leaders and great people to solve these problems.” Blood said she thought the debate went well, but she was disappointed in some of the candidates’ answers. She said both Buehler and Brown, at times, didn’t answer how they would solve an issue. Blood, who is the junior class president at Grant Union, said one girl from Portland was “very tenacious” in her questioning. The girl wanted a direct answer on how to stop LGBT bullying in schools. She agreed rural areas were underrepresented. “I thought it was too bad that we only had a couple representatives from frontier communities,” Blood said. Students selected to ask questions at the debate had entered a video demo and were interviewed before being selected from a Children First for Oregon panel of judges, which hosted the debate along with Pamplin Media Group and KOIN News. Continued from Page A1 Shannon Adair Gregg Haberly Haberly was appointed to the city council about six years ago and was re-elect- ed. Born and raised in John Day, he started a Polar- is dealership in John Day about 30 years ago. He is a member of the Grant County Chamber of Commerce, the Oregon State Snowmobilers Associ- ation and the Grant County Snowballers. He’s also vol- unteered for the county’s search and rescue group. Haberly said he wants to serve on the council to help John Day and Grant Coun- ty by helping make the de- cisions that will make the city a better place for people who choose to move here. He said he has no specific concerns and no agenda. Us- ing taxpayers’ money wisely and making wise decisions is his goal, he said. Haberly said the public may not recognize the future benefits the current projects will provide the city. He not- ed that the city is not accu- mulating debt, and people who say that should come to city council meetings and learn about these projects. Some people may think the city is moving too fast, but Haberly said he thinks everything’s fine. He’s a businessman who tries to make wise businesslike de- cisions, he said. He credited City Manager Nick Green with obtaining grant mon- ey to pay for planning and building. Proceeding in a positive manner is important, Haber- ly said. Supporting broad- band was the right move for the city because it’s the wave of the future, he said. Grant County was once a prosperous place until envi- ronmentalists got involved, he said. The community needs to work together to succeed. The city also needs to keep the public informed, Haberly said. Paul C. Smith Smith has been on the council for six years after being appointed in 2013. He has bachelor’s and master’s degrees and worked in ed- ucation for 30 years. He re- tired from the Grant County Education Service District about two years ago, where he handled curriculum and grant writing. Like many candidates, Smith wanted a position on the city council because he wanted to serve the commu- nity. He said he’s vested in the community — he built a house here, raised his chil- dren here and worked in the community until he retired. Smith said he’s a fiscal conservative who is con- cerned about infrastructure, particularly ensuring the integrity of the city’s wa- ter and sewer systems and maintaining roads. He sup- ports plans for a new treat- ment plant that will produce reclaimed water because water is a critical resource in this area. He cited Prairie City’s recent problems as an example. Smith said he also wants to ensure the financial in- tegrity of the numerous city projects. He hopes financing for the new sewer treatment plant can be met with sales of reclaimed water, rather than by raising customer rates. Taking on the downtown Weaver Building project was a hard decision, but once the state fire marshal got involved, the city was con- cerned the building would have been condemned. The goal is to mitigate asbestos, address fire hazards and then sell the building, he said. The incentive provided in the urban renewal pro- gram will help address the city’s aging and inadequate housing stock, he said. The city needs more rental units, he noted. After two years of plan- ning projects and getting them through bureaucratic red tape, he wants to see them completed in the next four years. He doesn’t want the city to bite off more than it can chew, but he also wants the city to be progressive about the steps it takes to help the commu- nity thrive. Chris Labhart Labhart has lived in John Day since 1962 and is no newcomer to local govern- ment. He has a bachelor’s in language arts from Western University and taught for 33 years in Salem and John Day before retiring in 2003. Growing up, Labhart worked on ranches bucking hay and delivering calves, in timber mills in Mt. Ver- non and John Day and with the Forest Service’s road department. Today he is a tour guide at the Kam Wah Chung State Heritage Site and runs the Friends of Kam Wah Chung store. He also taught hunter safety courses for more than 20 years. Labhart served as may- or of Canyon City and then more than 20 years as a John Day councilor and mayor. He also served one term as a Grant Coun- ty commissioner. He also has participated in numer- ous civic organizations, including the Grant County Chamber of Commerce, the John Day Senior Center, the Blue Mountain Hospital District board and a region- al health advisory commit- tee covering 12 Eastern Or- egon counties. As mayor, he helped the Third Street extension and new fire hall projects move forward, and he worked to get the Oregon Trail Electri- cal Cooperative to buy out the previous utility compa- ny and take over service for the area. Labhart said he wants to be involved in the commu- nity and has much to offer the city council. He said he works well with a variety of groups and has a “great network” of local and state government officials. Looking forward, Labhart noted that increas- ing broadband access for the area is extremely important if the city wants to keep young workers. He said he’d rather be proactive than re- active and supports the In- novation Gateway project, but he notes that with the hospital bond soon ending, there will be competition for funding for a new city sewer, junior-senior high school and swimming pool facility.