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About The Blue Mountain eagle. (John Day, Or.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 19, 2018)
A6 COMMUNITY Blue Mountain Eagle Thursday, Jan. 10 The deadline for What’s Happening items is 5 p.m. Friday. Call the Eagle, 541-575-0710, or email editor@bmeagle. com. For meetings this week, see our list in the classifi eds. Quickbooks for Ag seminar • 4-8 p.m., Extension Offi ce classroom Space is limited to 20 people. RSVP by Jan. 4. The price is $10 per person. For more information, call 541-575-1911 or stop by the offi ce at 116 NW Bridge St. in John Day. Wednesday, Dec. 19 Food bank distribution day • 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Grant County Food Bank The Grant County Food Bank will hold its monthly food distribution day on the third Wednesday instead of the fourth because of the holidays. The food bank is located at 530 E. Main St., Suite 9, in John Day. For more information, call 541-575-0299. Grant Union winter music program • 6:30 p.m., Grant Union Junior-Senior High School The Grant Union combined choir and junior and senior high school bands will present their winter music program in the school’s old gym. Admission is free. Wednesday, December 19, 2018 Friday, Jan. 11 Tuesday, Dec. 25 Christmas dinner • 12:30 p.m., John Day Senior Center Sheriff Glenn Palmer and his wife, RoseAnn, will host a free community meal, including turkey, ham, mashed potatoes, gravy, dressing, rolls, vegetables, drinks and dessert. Cancer benefi t dinner • 4:30 p.m. and 6 p.m., John Day Golf Club The dinner will support gastrointestinal stromal tumor cancer research. There will be two dinner times at 4:30 p.m. and 6 p.m. Dinner includes chicken or beef enchiladas, Mex- ican rice, refried beans, chips and salsa with fl an for dessert. The cost is $15 for singles, $25 for couples and $7 for kids 7 and under. For more information, call Linda McClellan at 541-620-2352 or call 541-575-0170. Grant County’s CASA hit by perfect storm County court hears plea for funding By Richard Hanners Blue Mountain Eagle CASA of Grant County is recovering from a per- fect storm that included skyrocketing needs and 100 percent staff turnover. Since Hanna Hinman became executive director, 15 court-appointed special advocate volunteers have been trained to meet needs in Grant and Harney coun- ties that have doubled in just two years. According to her pre- sentation to the Grant County Court on Dec. 12, the number of children in foster care in Grant County increased from 20 in fiscal year 2016 to 40 this year. In Harney County, the number increased from 29 to 76, she said. A number of fac- Grant County Roadmaster Alan Hickerson informs the Grant County Court on Dec. 12 about an opportunity to lease a new road grader at an unusually low price. Hannah Hinman, executive director of CASA of Grant County, updates the Grant County Court on Dec. 12 about an increasing need for services and a request for funding. Andrea Officer, the Grant County Victim Assistance director, informs the Grant County Court on Dec. 12 about funding for an intervention specialist. tors explain the dramatic increase, Hinman said. The state Department of Human Services’ move to a new policy called differ- ential response separated many children from par- ents and siblings. On top of that was the opioid epidemic that trended nationwide and a sudden influx of people with domestic troubles in Harney County, she said. Making matters worse is a current shortage of fos- ter parents. Hinman has been suc- cessful in training up a new batch of CASA vol- unteers to represent the children’s needs, but some court cases are old and complicated and beyond the abilities of the new advocates. She is also facing a potential budget shortfall. Public Notice Request for Proposals San ta No Claus rth P ole Community Connection of Northeast Oregon, Inc. is accepting proposals for an agency-wide single audit con- ducted in accordance with Code of Federal Regulations Title 2 Part 200 for the period ending June 30, 2019. Licensed CPAs may request a copy of the RFP from Diana at 541-963-3186 x1004. Prairie City Post Office Customer Appreciation Dec. 21st 9 a.m. - 2 p.m. For more information please call 541-820-4476 3 336 3 3635 3 3 36 36 3 3 36 36 Deadline for submission is January 15, 2019. Hinman projects $134,600 in revenue this year, with 60 percent from state and federal sources, 24 per- cent from community and foundation grants, 12 per- cent from fundraising events and 4 percent from individual donations. She expects the state CASA organization will go to the legislature next year to lobby for increased funding. In the meantime, she asked the county court to provide $6,700, or 5 percent of the local CASA budget. She said she will ask Harney County for the same. Commissioner Rob Raschio spoke highly of the CASA volunteers and commended Hinman for her work. The court agreed to prepare a budget resolu- tion on her request for their next meeting on Dec. 19. In other court news: • Grant County Vic- tim Assistance Director Andrea Offi cer had good news for the court. Fund- ing for a victim interven- tion specialist was lost when the county was not awarded a federal Violence Against Women Act grant. A total of $42,120 in funding for the posi- tion was accessed instead from the federal Victims of Crime Act through the state using a $5,000 match provided by the county court. The position will be filled by Kimberly Neault, who has served as a victim advocate for two years. She has a bachelor’s in sociology and commu- nity health and more than 75 hours of specialized training. • The court agreed to approve a lease agree- ment with Western States Equipment for a Caterpil- lar road grader that Road- master Alan Hickerson called a “midnight moon- light special” and “smok- ing deal.” If the county meets the requirements of the lease agreement for five years, Western States will buy back the nearly $200,000 grader at $4,000 less than what the county paid for it. The court expressed interest in acquiring a sec- ond grader if one becomes available. • The court turned down a memorandum of under- standing with the Social Security Administration in which the county would inform the federal agency about people receiv- ing Social Security pay- ments while incarcerated in exchange for a small payment. Calling it a “bounty on the mentally ill,” Raschio noted that people who were in jail awaiting trial would lose benefits before they were found guilty. Lost benefits would trans- late into lost housing and lost payments to land- lords, which could affect the local economy, he said. • The court approved providing $10,000 to John Day for 911 dispatch ser- vice. Raschio noted that because of funding the city was able to get from the legislature to pay for local 911 for two years, the county saved $110,000. this holiday season as you celebrate the miracle of His birth with us CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP Prairie Baptist Church UNITED METHODIST 238 N. McHaley Prairie City Christmas Eve Traditional Candlelight Service......8:00pm 541-820-3696 Christmas Eve Candlelight Service. Monday, December 24th at 7:00 pm 126 NW Canton John Day Sunday, Dec. 23 Breakfast.....9:00 am Service......10:00 am Christmas Eve Service at 6:00 pm Old-Fashioned Christmas SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST CHURCH 110 Valley View Dr. • John Day Bible Classes (all ages) Saturday at 9:30 am Worship Saturday at 11:00 am The Church of the Nazarene 521 E. Main • John Day December 24 th th 12/23 Sunday 521 E. Main John Day service @ • 10 a.m. Morning Worship begins at 10:45am Christmas Eve Candlelight Services at 6pm Christmas Eve - Traditional candle light service with lessons and carols 12/24 at 7 p.m. 541-575-2348 KJV ST. ELIZABETH CATHOLIC CHURCH Christmas Eve Mass 5:00 pm with Children’s Live Nativity. Christmas Day Masses 9:00 am 12:30 pm VICTORY BAPTIST CHURCH 108 S. Washington St. • Canyon City ...the Father sent the Son to be the Savior of the world. I John 4:14 SUNDAY, DEC. 23 RD Sunday School............................9:45 am Sunday Preaching & Junior....11:00 am Sunday Evening.........................3:30 pm St. Thomas Episcopal Church 139 Washington St. Canyon City Christmas Eve Traditional Candlelight Service Carols and Holy Eucharist 7:00 pm 541-620-1436 90618 CORNERSTONE
