GRANT UNION GOLD DANCE TEAM READY FOR SEASON
The
– PAGE A10
Blue Mountain
EAGLE
Grant County’s newspaper since 1868
W edNesday , N ovember 14, 2018
• N o . 46
• 18 P ages
• $1.00
www.MyEagleNews.com
Sam Palmer elected
county commissioner
Main focus will be economic development
By Richard Hanners
Blue Mountain Eagle
Sam Palmer has been
elected as a Grant County
commissioner.
Palmer received 2,027
votes (54.3 percent) over can-
didate Gordon Larson, who
received 1,687 (45.2 percent),
according to the final unoffi-
cial election results released
by County Clerk Brenda Per-
cy, who will certify the results
by December.
Palmer, the brother of
Sheriff Glenn Palmer, said
looking forward his main fo-
cus for Grant County is eco-
nomic development.
He said he’s talked to the
mayor of John Day and offi-
cials at other cities across the
county and received their in-
put on what their needs are.
His attention to Grant
County news has changed
since he won election. Palmer
said he feels the need to follow
events much closer and to keep
his constituents informed, and
he’s begun to meet with county
department heads.
See PALMER, Page A18
Build gingerbread
houses at Christmas
on the Prairie
The Eagle/Richard Hanners
Sam Palmer was elected
Grant County commissioner.
More inside
See full election results on
Page A3.
Christmas
on the
Prairie
FRIDAY, NOV. 16
5:30 p.m.: Tree lighting
ceremony with carolers at
the city park
SATURDAY, NOV. 17
All day: Ornament hunt
at participating businesses
for a chance to win a col-
lection of gifts
By Angel Carpenter
Blue Mountain Eagle
nna and Tom
Smith
have
been busy as
elves, spend-
ing many hours
mixing and rolling out dough
and baking parts for 125 gin-
gerbread houses for children.
This is the sixth year the
couple has provided the labor
of love for the Christmas on
the Prairie celebration in Prai-
rie City.
This year’s citywide event
— featuring a bazaar, an or-
nament hunt, hayrides, FFA
Dinner and Live Auction and
more — is Saturday, Nov. 17.
The gingerbread building
and decorating is from 10 a.m.
to 3 p.m. at the Teen Center,
145 W. Front St., and Santa
pays a visit there at 10:30 a.m.
until 3 p.m.
Anna said the idea behind
the gingerbread house project is
to provide all children with an
opportunity to “have a blast.”
“I wanted them to enjoy
something that they can have
fun with and take home,” she
said. “I wanted them to expe-
rience the whole gingerbread
thing.”
See TRADITION, Page A18
9 a.m. to 3 p.m.: Amer-
ican Legion Auxiliary
Christmas Bazaar at Prai-
rie City School
10 a.m. to 3 p.m.: Build
and decorate a gingerbread
house for children at the
Teen Center
10:30 to 3 p.m.: Santa
Claus at the Teen Center
(bring a camera)
10 a.m. to 3 p.m.: Hay-
rides by Monty Buck for
all ages at the old Texaco
11 a.m. to 2 p.m.: Grace
Chapel gift wrapping at the
old Texaco
All day: Free admission to
the DeWitt Museum with
door prizes for the 10th,
15th and 25th guest (com-
memorative
ornaments
available)
The Eagle/Angel Carpenter
Anna Smith rolls out the walls of one of 125 gingerbread houses she and her husband, Tom, will
have ready for decorating at the Saturday, Nov. 17, Christmas on the Prairie event. Gingerbread house
building and decorating is held for children 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Teen Center in Prairie City.
5 p.m.: Prairie City FFA
Dinner and Auction at
Prairie City Senior Center
with live auction, silent
auction and door prizes
(benefits chapter’s dues,
travel expenses, scholar-
ships and community ser-
vice projects)
Chester’s clerk helps save customer’s life
Medical emergency
averted by quick
action
By Richard Hanners
Blue Mountain Eagle
The quick thinking and action by a
checkout clerk at Chester’s Thriftway
may have saved the life of a customer
whose oxygen tank had run out.
Julie Ramirez said she had just
clocked in around noon on Nov. 7
when she heard a moaning and decid-
ed to check it out.
A man was slumped over his gro-
cery cart about 20 feet away, his face
an ashen gray and his lips turning
blue.
“What got to me was the moan-
ing,” she said.
Ramirez noticed the man’s knees
were wobbly and asked him if she
should call 911. She also noticed the
gauge on the man’s portable oxygen
tank read empty. Ramirez had taken
care of her father and her stepfather
over the years and was familiar with
oxygen tanks.
“White Dodge pickup behind
seat,” the man whispered to her.
“You’ll be fine,” Ramirez told him.
She raced out to the parking lot,
located the truck, grabbed a full tank
from behind the seat and ran back.
The man recovered soon after the new
tank was connected to his tubes.
Ramirez said she moved to John
Day from Redmond about two years
ago. She has a brother and niece here.
She said she did what came natural to
her.
“I was raised that way — that you
should help each other,” she said.
The Eagle/Richard Hanners
Julie Ramirez helped save the life of a customer at Chester’s Thriftway in
John Day on Nov. 7.