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