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About The Blue Mountain eagle. (John Day, Or.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (July 24, 2019)
NEWS MyEagleNews.com Wednesday, July 24, 2019 A3 Bomb threat at local bank under investigation Community concert tips By Angel Carpenter Blue Mountain Eagle Authorities rerouted traf- fic on Highway 26 due to a bomb threat in downtown John Day on the afternoon of Thursday, July 18. Chief Mike Durr of the John Day Police Department said they were “erring on the side of caution.” Durr said a bomb threat was made via a phone call to Bank of Eastern Oregon. According to dispatch logs, the information was relayed to police at 12:09 p.m. Law enforcement found no suspicious devices, how- ever, during a search of the building. Roads had been closed due to a “danger of fly- ing glass,” Durr said, and the public was asked to stay away from the bank’s 200 W. Main location that afternoon. Traffic was blocked and rerouted on Main Street (Highway 26) from Canyon Boulevard to Canton Street. John Day police, Grant County Sheriff’s Office and Oregon State Police responded to the scene. By about 2:15 p.m. law enforce- ment cleared the scene. Durr said the John Day Police continue to lead the ongoing investigation. “If anyone has informa- tion or even rumors about it, I’d love to hear from them,” he said. Anyone with infor- mation can call the city police department at their non-emergency phone num- ber, 541-575-0030. hat to cowboys July 27 By Angel Carpenter Blue Mountain Eagle The Eagle/Angel Carpenter Police officers block off Main Street (Highway 26) in John Day from Canyon Boulevard to Canton Street because of a bomb threat at Bank of Eastern Oregon on Thursday, July 18. Moderate fire danger on north zone of Malheur forest Blue Mountain Eagle Malheur National Forest’s north zone moved to a moderate fire rating Thursday. While the fire danger rating has gone to moderate, the Industrial Fire Precaution Level is still at a 1, accord- ing to a press release. When the fire danger is “moderate” it means that fires can start from most accidental causes, but the number of fire starts is usually pretty low. If a fire does start in an open, dry grassland, it will burn and spread quickly on windy days. Most wood fires will spread slowly to moderately. Average fire inten- sity will be moderate except in heavy concentrations of fuel, which may burn hot. Fires are still not likely to become serious and are often easier to control. Campfires are allowed only in fire pits surrounded by dirt, rock or com- mercial rings and in areas not condu- cive to rapid fire spread, at a mini- mum clear of all flammable material within a radius of 3 feet from the edge of the pit and free of overhang- ing material. Use existing pits wher- ever possible. Campfires must be attended at all times and completely extinguished prior to leaving. Persons with campfires are required to have a tool that can serve as a shovel and 1 gallon of water in their possession, except in speci- fied developed recreation sites where campground host is present. The intent of this requirement is to ensure individuals with a campfire to have the tools necessary to completely extinguish their campfire. Wood cutting is still permitted all day with a one-hour fire watch after cutting. For more information, visit fs.usda. gov/malheur or call 541-575-3000. Drivers ready to tear it up at the July 28 demolition derby By Angel Carpenter Blue Mountain Eagle The Grant County Fair- grounds arena will be rockin’ and rollin’ on Friday, July 27 — not with music but with the crashing, bashing enter- tainment of the 30th annual Whiskey Gulch Gang Dem- olition Derby. The derby starts at 7 p.m. and gates open at 6 p.m. “It’s one of the truly big family events,” said Whis- key Gulch Gang president Colby Farrell. “We can fill the grandstands and have a good time and children enjoy it, too.” He said besides the loud noises and cars running into each other, “it’s a good place to see a lot people, because a good portion of the county comes out.” Last year, Wayne Saul of Mt. Vernon, who’s been involved in demolition der- bies 16 years, won the event. Chris Folger came in second Tickets at the gate are $12 for adults and $10 for ages 6-12. Presale tickets are $2 less. Children under 6 are free. The entry fee for drivers is $50 per car, which includes the driver and one pit crew person. Additional pit passes are $30 a person. Presale tickets are avail- able at the fairgrounds office, Les Schwab Tires, Nydam’s Ace Hardware and John Day True Value. Eagle file photo The top prize this year is The Eagle/Angel Carpenter The Whiskey Gulch Gang is back $2,000 with $1,000 for sec- at it. The group will host their 30th annual demolition derby ond and $500 for third. Win- at 7 p.m. on Saturday at the Grant County Fairgrounds. Gates ners of each heat receive open at 6 p.m. $200. Trophies are also given and tying for third were Tyler least 11 other drivers. out to all the winners, and Moodenbaugh and Steve “More participation is awards are given for Hard Patterson. Moodenbaugh always good, and keeps a Luck winner and best-look- also won the Most Aggres- good crowd coming out,” ing car. sive Driver trophy. The Grant County Wres- Saul said. “It’s fun because Saul’s been working on a you have the hometown tling Club will run the con- 1967 Chrysler, getting it in crowd cheering for you, and I cession stand. For more information, ship-shape for Saturday’s big like to support the local orga- nizations like the Whiskey contact Hugh Farrell at event. 541-575-0329. He’ll compete with at Gulch Gang.” An evening to celebrate National Day of the Cow- boy will include award-win- ning country music and cowboy poetry and humor at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, July 27, at the Prairie City foot- ball field. The community con- cert is sponsored by sev- eral local businesses, and a donations are welcome. A $10 donation is suggested. Andy Nelson, Joni Harms and Brenn Hill will share the stage, with an appearance by local cow- boy poet and novelist Kathy Moss. Nelson, of Pinedale, Wyoming, shares the her- itage and hilarity of cow- boy culture through poetry and storytelling. He has received the Male Poet of the Year numerous times from the Western Music Association. He also pro- duces and is the co-host of “Clear Out West Radio,” a weekly syndicated radio show. The audience will also be treated to the award-win- ning music of Joni Harms and Brenn Hill. Harms lives on a century ranch in Canby, Oregon, which was homesteaded by her great-great-grand- father in 1872. Her latest album “Lucky 13,” released in 2018, features a tribute song to Merle Haggard. In a review of the album, Country Music People Magazine wrote “these are some of the very best coun- try songs of recent years and prove that Joni Harms is one of country music’s most underrated writers.” Harms has 13 other albums, including “Oregon to Ireland” released in 2014, a lively concert recorded during a gig in Ireland. Her work has been described as wholesome western music, and reviews say she stands by her man- tra of “Let’s Put West- ern Back into Country” — which is also the name of her 2004 album. Harms is listed as No. 8 on the Top 30 Cowboy/ Western Albums, and Brenn Hill is No. 7. Hill was named the 2004 Academy of Western Artists Male Vocalist of the Year. A Western music singer and songwriter from Hooper, Utah, Hill’s 2018 album includes the title track “Rocky Mountain Drifter” and “Howlin’ on the Wind.” The community concert was organized by Moss and Wanda Winegar, owner of Bar W-B in Prairie City. Proceeds from the con- cert will benefit the Interna- tional Western Music Asso- ciation Columbia Chapter youth poetry and music program. Concertgoers can bring blankets or chairs to sit on to enjoy the performances at the football field, located near Prairie City School at Overholt Avenue and 12th Street. Eagle wins 16 awards at state competition Blue Mountain Eagle The Blue Mountain Eagle received 16 awards, including four first place titles, at the annual Ore- gon Newspaper Publish- ers Association’s com- petition. The event was July 18-19 at the Salishan Resort in Gleneden Beach. The awards are for work done during the 2018 calendar year. The contest was judged by newspapers from the Kentucky Press Association and the Eagle competed against other daily Oregon newspapers with similar circulations. The first place awards went to reporter Richard Hanners in education cov- erage for his story ”Arm- ing Teachers.” Reporter Angel Carpenter also won first place in the per- sonality feature story cat- egory for her work, ”No Limits,” about John Day artist Hans Magden. In addition, the newspaper won for best front page design and for best news graphic. The paper won a slew of second and third place awards as well, includ- ing third place for “Gen- eral Excellence.” The Eagle also won third place in the best special section division for “Journey,” its annual travel guide that will be published in the July 31 paper. We thank the City of John Day Police Department and all the first responders for their quick response, thoroughness and concern for our employees regarding last weeks incident. – Bank of Eastern Oregon You Never Know What You’ll Find At A Collectors West Gun & Knife Show! August 3 rd & 4 th Pendleton Convention Center 7t4BUBQ 4VOBQt*OGPDPMMFDUPSTXFTUDPN 128811 gon! For the first time in Eastern Ore We’re hiring for the 2019- 2020 School Year! Join our team of teachers! We are looking for fun, creative, and passionate early childhood educators. Teacher Assistants and substitute positions are available. 24 hrs -30 hrs per week, $12.50 an hour. Holidays are paid as well. A teaching license or certifications is not required. Contact Us Today for an application! Our Summer Office Hours are Tues-Thurs 9:00 am-1:00 pm Or call 541-575-1895, 541-968-9867 send your resume to: office@johndaynazarene.com Include a short paragraph about yourself, and why you want to teach with us. VETERAN BENEFIT EXPO19 9 A.M. TO 3 P.M. SATURDAY, JULY 27TH PENDLETON CONVENTION CENTER Learn about all of your Federal and State benefits Under one roof! NEW THIS YEAR: Veterans town hall meeting with odva director kelly fitzpatrick 6 p.m. july 26 same location WZ^Ed/EWZdEZ^,/Wz Every other Monday in John Day at Blue Mountain Hospital 170 Ford Rd. • 541-575-1311 W W W. E X P O.O R E G O N D VA .C O M
