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About The Blue Mountain eagle. (John Day, Or.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 23, 2019)
PRAIRIE CITY EARNS HOMECOMING WINS OVER DAYVILLE/MONUMENT The PAGE A9 Blue Mountain EAGLE Grant County’s newspaper since 1868 Wednesday, October 23, 2019 151st Year • No. 43 • 18 Pages • $1.50 MyEagleNews.com State Justice Department investigating Grant County Sheriff’s Office deputy Seven months of paid administrative leave for Mobley has cost the county more than $39,000 By Sean Hart Blue Mountain Eagle The state Justice Department is investigating criminal allegations against a Grant County Sheriff’s Office deputy. The Oregon Department of Jus- tice said an investigation involv- ing Deputy Abigail Mobley was ongoing but did not provide any details. Mobley was placed on paid administrative leave March 18 and has remained on leave through Oct. 17, according to county records obtained by the Eagle. Grant County officials have declined to discuss the cir- cumstances surrounding the leave. Attorney Dominic Carollo, on behalf of the county, said in an Aug. 28 statement that records requested by the Eagle regard- ing the circumstances behind the leave were exempt under a state statute that shields “investigatory information compiled for criminal law purposes.” “To the best of the County’s knowledge and belief, they are part of a pending criminal investi- gation being conducted by a third- party state agency,” Carollo said. Grant County Human Resources Manager Laurie Wright said Oct. 17 that the “pub- lic records requested by the (Blue Mountain Eagle) are part of infor- mation that was referred to the Oregon Department of Justice.” In response to an Aug. 21 records request from the Eagle, a DOJ employee said Oct. 17 the agency possessed no records related to active investiga- tions of or complaints against Grant County Sheriff’s Office employees. After further questions from See Deputy, Page A18 Into the workforce Students with barriers to employment gain practical work experience Department of Human Services Vocational Rehabilitation Program. This year, the Grant County Education aul Hendrix-Mills was busy Service District received a grant to expand sanding down a 1948 Studebaker YTP to all schools in the county, includ- ing Prairie City, Dayville, Long Creek and on Sept. 27 at 1st Choice Auto Monument. Body in John Day. Tami Sasser, the youth transition spe- The 20-year-old landed the cialist for Grant School job last summer after District 3 and program working at the auto shop coordinator for the ESD, through a Summer Youth said both the summer pro- Work Experience Program gram and YTP “help transi- internship. tion students with a barrier He is just one of many to employment into adult- success stories stemming hood and help them find from the program that jobs or college or perma- allows high school students nent positions as adults.” and young adults to brush There have been 25 stu- up on work skills and gain dents, ages 15-21, over the job experience. past two years in Sasser’s Being part of the pro- gram led to a permanent summer program. job for Hendrix-Mills, and Hendrix-Mills, who that is the ultimate goal of earned his GED in 2018, the program. said the summer work pro- gram helped him move Similarly, the Youth The Eagle/Angel Carpenter from a job in a fast-food Transition Program at Stubbs, who restaurant to the auto body Grant Union Junior-Senior Jessie in Grant shop and said he appre- High School, which has participates been in place for several Union High School’s Youth ciates the guidance he years, aims to give students Transition Program, picks up receives from shop owner opportunities to explore some birdseed to load up for Jeb Bowling and his job interests and gain job a customer at Pioneer Feed in coworkers. Hendrix-Mills is usu- skills and social and cus- John Day. ally busy prepping vehi- tomer service skills. The cles for paint jobs. program expands what the “I’m learning the right tool for the right school’s life skills classes can provide, pre- paring students to work at various jobs in job will make it a lot easier,” he said. their community. See Students, Page A18 Both programs are funded through the By Angel Carpenter Blue Mountain Eagle P The Eagle/Angel Carpenter Paul Hendrix-Mills sands a 1948 Studebaker on Sept. 27 at 1st Choice Auto Body in John Day. He started the job last summer through Grant Union’s youth transition program. Hemp: Plenty of risk, reward possible in growing newest cash crop Top hemp states by acres cultivated By George Plaven EO Media Group When Paul McGill first considered growing hemp ear- lier this year, he was intrigued by the enormous potential payoff. McGill and his wife, Dianne, moved from Portland to Salem in 2014 to buy True North Orchards, with 3 acres of U-pick fruit including apples, pears and plums. The couple immediately took to the life- style, though they continued to work off-farm jobs to make ends meet. Seeing an opportunity to boost their bottom line, McGill planted a half-acre of hemp in early July. Harvest began Oct. 5, which he figures will take about a month to finish, cutting it by hand. “Thus far, we’ve been very pleased with the results,” McGill said. The McGills are among (As of Sept. 2019) Colorado* 86,234 acres Oregon* 61,873 Kentucky 60,000 EO Media Group/George Plaven Several hundred field workers pick hemp flowers on a late September morning at Hemptown USA’s Oregon farm in Central Point. nearly 2,000 farmers taking part in a hemp-propelled gold rush across Oregon, where experts predict the newly legal crop could generate a $1 billion farm gate value this year. That would make it the state’s most valuable agricultural commod- ity — ahead of the power- house nursery, hay and cattle industries. Since hemp was legal- ized in the 2018 Farm Bill, the floodgates have opened for farms large and small to cap- italize on the booming new industry. Oregon now has more acreage in hemp than the acre- age devoted to potatoes and onions combined. Only Colo- rado, with 86,234 acres, grows more hemp in the U.S. Like most farmers, McGill is growing hemp for cannabi- diol, or CBD, an extract made from the flowers that is said Montana 42,000 Tennessee* 40,075 *Includes greenhouse cultivation Source: New Leaf Data Services Capital Press graphic to have multiple health bene- fits. Hemp fiber from the stalks can also be used to make paper, textiles, building materials and food ingredients, among other products. “I don’t think they’ve even truly reached the scope of potential for what this biomass can be used for,” McGill said. While the average cost of growing hemp is estimated at between $8,000 and $15,000 per acre, farmers can bring in upward of $50,000 per acre, depending on the markets and yields. The promise is so great that McGill recently left his day job at an irrigation supply company to become a full-time farmer. But the high potential rewards of growing hemp are accompanied by equally high risks. First-time growers such as McGill are learning about hemp as they go, and mistakes can be costly, putting huge dents in their yields. Federal regulations are still being writ- ten that could crimp the indus- try, and this year’s early rains across the Willamette Valley have threatened to ruin whole See Hemp, Page A18
