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About The Blue Mountain eagle. (John Day, Or.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 5, 2020)
A10 NEWS Blue Mountain Eagle Wednesday, February 5, 2020 District Continued from Page A1 engineering of a new facility. If the aquatics district is approved, the purchase and sale agreement will provide an option to continue oper- ating Gleason Pool until the new pool opens. “The agreement would include an option to lease the pool back from the state for up to three years if voters approve the formation of the district,” Green said. “We would execute that leaseback option for the 2021 season.” If voters reject the aquatic dis- trict in a close election, Green said the proposal could be restructured after listening to the voters to try again in May 2021. “If it fails in November and in May, John Day has a pool without a budget,” Green said. “We have no tax base to pay for a pool — we relinquished that 30 years ago. We have no staff to operate the pool, and if we move forward with the sale agreement, we would have sold it. My very strong recommendation is if it goes down twice, there’s no point in asking a third time. Which Session Continued from Page A1 both chambers, would push through hefty pro- posals without giving the public enough time to weigh in. Senate Minority Leader Sen. Herman Baertsch- iger Jr., R-Grants Pass, opposes “robust” legisla- tion in such a compressed time, and said in an inter- view that Democrats “have a large appetite.” Senate President Peter Courtney, D-Salem, Ore- gon’s longest-serving Sen- ate president, was at the Capitol Monday, despite worries that he might be absent due to a hip injury that had kept him from attending a series of pre-session meetings last month. Despite using a walker, Courtney, 76, gaveled through a light agenda speedily, and drew that day’s floor session to a Eagle file photo Teammates and friends and family members cheer on swimmers at the East Cascade District Championships at Gleason Pool in John Day in 2019. Unless voters approve a new aquatics district, 2020 may be the final year of opera- tion for Gleason Pool. means, as sad as it is, Aug. 22 of this year will be the last day that Glea- son is a city pool.” If the new district fails, the city could choose to reopen Gleason Pool in 2021, according the meeting agenda, but a local option tax would be necessary for funding because close in less than an hour. In the House, things stretched on a bit longer, as Republicans voiced opinions in a series of pro- cedural “remonstrances.” “We get in a little too deep, in my opinion,” said Rep. Daniel Bon- ham, R-The Dalles, on the House floor Monday morning. Rep. Kim Wallan, R-Medford, even invoked the Beatles in criticizing policies pushed through by the legislature in the recent past, quoting from “Straw- berry Fields Forever.” “The line that was in my head was, ‘Living is easy with eyes closed,’” Wallan said. “‘Misunder- standing all you see.’” She concluded her floor speech: “We need to really dig down and see what our policies do to real people, really poor peo- ple, before we just cava- lierly decide this is what’s best for everybody,” Wal- lan said. “We need to look the city has not budgeted for oper- ating costs. “I don’t think it’s in the best interest that we have taxpayers do local option levies to fund a pool in this condition and forgo the oppor- tunity to have the state make a sub- stantial investment in the Kam Wah a little closer. I hope that we will keep the Beatles in mind this session, and keep our eyes open and try to understand.” Rep. Barbara Smith Warner, D-Portland, who leads Democrats in the House, extended an olive branch — albeit one laden with platitudes. “To my colleagues across the aisle, while I know that we won’t always agree on the path forward, I truly believe that there is more that unites us than divides us,” Smith Warner said. “… I hope we search for com- mon ground, and where our policy views diverge, I hope that we always assume the best intentions from each other.” The House of Repre- sentatives has sworn in four new members, and the Senate one new mem- ber, since last year’s ses- sion concluded, Senate Republicans haven’t ruled out a repeat Chung Interpretive Center,” Green said. With the retirement of the hospi- tal bond from the local tax rolls next year, taxes for the residents within the proposed aquatic district would not increase above current rates if the ballot measure is approved, Green said. “If you are for it, you need you to encourage the people that use it, like the swim team and every- body, to get out and get the voters to vote,” John Day Mayor Ron Lund- bom said. Angie Jones, Grant County Peo- ple Mover executive director, also reminded the audience that there is a public transportation system in the county that goes out to the areas in the proposed aquatic district that can help with transportation to the pool. In addition to the aquatics cen- ter, the city is looking into options to add an indoor recreation center to the area. Green said the possible rec center, however, would be a sepa- rate project not funded by the aquat- ics district. Green said he is having discussions with Grant School Dis- trict, Grant County and the parks and rec district about funding options. of their walkout that marked the last session. But if Republicans ditch, they could imperil legislation that would allocate state money to their districts or address constituent concerns. “My concern is if the short session blows up, there’s some things that need to be fixed that we won’t get to,” said Rep. Ron Noble, R-McMinn- ville, speaking before the session. While Boquist’s bag is packed and ready to go in case of another walkout, he said he only expects to be gone for one or two days. He said he just wants the greenhouse gas-reduc- tion bill to be put to the voters and that a boycott is a legitimate tool that has a bipartisan history. “I’m actually upbeat,” he said. Burdick again criti- cized the tactic employed twice last year by Senate Republicans. “I totally disapprove of walking out,” Bur- dick said. “They’re get- ting paid to do a job, and it’s their duty to show up for work. Their constitu- ents are not represented if they don’t show up, and I know that my con- stituents would be very, very mad if I just didn’t like the way things were going and didn’t show up. So I’m assuming they will show up.” On Monday, House Speaker Tina Kotek, D-Portland, stressed she talks regularly with House Minority Leader Christine Drazan, R-Canby. Timber Unity, a group agitating against what it says will be higher costs for rural Oregonians and people working in the nat- ural resource industry, is planning a rally at the Capitol for Thursday, Feb. 6. The group opposes pro- posed greenhouse emis- sions legislation. Contributed photo/Clancy Roth A cow was found dead and mutilated at Bar DR Land and Cattle, a Deschutes County ranch in Hampton. Cow Continued from Page A1 sagebrush. She said she believes the fiber was a fletch — part of a poisonous dart. Analysis, however, did not point to a suspect. But why, Roth said she wonders. Who would do such a thing? The crime site was remote — about a 45 minute drive to the nearest paved road and about 100 feet off the dirt road. In cow mutilation cases, theories abound about who’s responsible: aliens, demons, cults, black market organ traders. In the thousands of cases since the 1970s, no cul- prit has ever been caught. Deputy Roark said he thinks a cult is using the body parts for some kind of “bizarre medicinal practices.” The Roths said they also suspect a cult is involved. “We think it’s a satanic thing,” Roth said. “They’re probably taking the repro- ductive organs and using or selling them for satanic rituals.” She also said she wonders if the practice of cow mutila- tion is tied to certain times or numbers. The number on the cow’s ear tag, Roth said, was doubly unlucky: 1313. “I’ve seen too many crime scenes,” said Roark. “But this one’s got no evidence. Nothing. It’s really bizarre.” Those with information about the case should call the Lake County Dispatch Cen- ter at 541-947-2504. The Law Office of Robert Raschio would like to introduce and welcome our two new associates to the law firm. Greg Goebel graduated from law school at the University of Oregon as the youngest member of his class. During law school, he participated in the Frohnmayer Leadership Program and the University’s Army ROTC program. He also volunteered at the Eugene office of the Oregon Law Center and earned Pro Bono Honors for his service. Greg is happily married to Daisy Goebel, who is an Associate Planner for the City of John Day. They have been married for two years and are expecting their first child this Spring. When not working, Greg likes to lift weights, hike, and watch Star Trek. Kati Dunn has been practicing law for twenty-two years, twenty of that as a criminal defense attorney. She began her practice at the Newport office of Legal Aid Services of Oregon with a general practice including landlord-tenant law, family law, and benefits advocacy. For two years, she served as staff attorney at Southwest Oregon Public Defender Services in Coos County. In 2000, she joined Metropolitan Public Defender in Portland, the largest public defender office in Oregon as a misdemeanor attorney. In 2007, she was promoted to management as Attorney Chief of the Major Felony Division. In 2012, she was promoted to Multnomah County Director, assuming responsibility for the daily operations of a 100-employee office. S166841-1