NEWS
MyEagleNews.com
Wednesday, March 25, 2020
A5
Grant County declares emergency over coronavirus
By Steven Mitchell
Blue Mountain Eagle
Grant County Court
declared a local state of
emergency March 18 in
response to the coronavi-
rus to qualify for state and
federal reimbursements for
resources used to respond
to the global pandemic.
The declaration will
give the county flexibility
in responding to the public
health crisis.
In addition to the dec-
laration, the court for-
mally appointed Deputy
Dave Dobler as temporary
emergency
management
coordinator.
Dobler was named
incident commander of
the county’s coronavirus
response team on the rec-
ommendation of Grant
County Sheriff Glenn
Palmer in an emergency
court session March 6.
County Judge Scott
Myers said the intention is
to have Dobler in the posi-
tion on a temporary basis.
Dobler said he wanted
to be clear that he is only
stepping into the role
because he was asked by
the court.
“I’m taking hits in the
public like I moved in on
this position,” Dobler said.
County Commissioner
Jim Hamsher said the
court’s efforts are proac-
tive, and the community
needs to understand that
the court, not the sheriff’s
office, oversees emergency
management in the county.
Myers said Dobler will
work full time, 40 hours
per week, in an emergency
management role. Human
Resources Manager Lau-
rie Wright said the county
plans to pay Dobler out
of the emergency man-
agement budget at his law
enforcement hourly rate.
Dobler said he is not leav-
ing law enforcement as he
does not want to lose his
certifications.
The county also approved
$9,000 for supplies at the
emergency operations cen-
ter for radios, whiteboards
and a Go-to-Meeting con-
ference call service among
other things.
Dobler said communica-
tion is critical and that many
conference call services are
down.
“The reason for the
radios is several-fold,”
Dobler said. “One is there
are some things we want
to do with community sup-
port, neighborhood watch
and law enforcement. We
want to make sure we have
closed, simple, easy-to-use
radios.”
Myers asked Dobler,
who also serves as the sher-
iff’s search and rescue coor-
dinator, to track all pur-
chased items for emergency
management and make sure
The Eagle/Steven Mitchell
Grant County Court’s special meeting March 18 was limited
to 25, and attendees were not to sit within 3 feet of another
during the proceedings.
not to comingle resources
with search and rescue.
Myers emphasized to the
court, public and department
heads that emergency man-
agement items may be reim-
bursable on the state end
federal level with the coun-
ty’s emergency declaration.
The court moved that any
purchases over $200 would
need collective approval.
The court agreed that the
courthouse would remain
open for now because fewer
than 20 people are usually in
the building at one time.
Frances Preston said the
virus could have been in the
county since January.
Myers said, without the
ability to test for the virus, it
is impossible to know.
Law Enforcement in Grant County
making adjustments for COVID-19
By Rudy Diaz
Blue Mountain Eagle
The Grant County Sheriff’s office
announced adjustments are being made
due to concerns with COVID-19.
Their patrol service will see little to no
change, according their press release, but
they have closed the office to public entry.
Call 541-575-1131 to report issues if possi-
ble, and patrol staff will have the option to
handle some issues over the phone.
Concealed handgun permits and fin-
gerprinting are suspended for now, but
Sheriff Glenn Palmer is working with
other law enforcement agencies to see if
permits can be considered valid until the
office is open again.
The Grant County Jail has also sus-
pended all visits and will be adding addi-
tional time for telephone use in the mean-
time. Attorney-client visits are also asked
to use phone consultations when possible.
People were asked to use PayPal to put
money on the books for an inmate.
The John Day Police Department is
also taking precautions to keep their offi-
cers healthy so they can continue service.
They are not allowing the public into
their office at this time to maintain a ster-
ile environment.
Prior to the rise of COVID-19, a pri-
ority for Chief Mike Durr was face-to-
face contact from law enforcement when
they would receive a complaint, but now
they are taking care of non-emergent com-
plaints over the phone. The department
will continue with regular patrol and con-
tinue their work. Also, all sex offender reg-
istrations will be done by phone according
to the JDPD. If people are due to register,
call the JDPD at 541-575-0030.
“We don’t know for sure
if its been here,” Myers said.
“We don’t know if it’s here,
or still yet to come.”
County Commissioner
Sam Palmer said, when he
was in Washington, D.C.,
the last week of February,
he spoke with the Federal
Emergency
Management
Agency, Homeland Security
and heads of state, and there
was just idle chatter here
and there about the corona-
virus — nothing that indi-
cated a global pandemic was
coming.
Hamsher said he had fol-
lowed the news, state brief-
ings, and information on
the state health authority
website.
He said, before the
county’s March 6 emer-
gency meeting, he met with
businesses and saw a lax
approach to the virus from
some of them that prompted
the emergency meeting for a
more proactive approach.
Judge Kathy Stinnett
asked the court to hear from
the department heads since
the front row seats were
reserved for them, and they
were asked to be at court.
Haley Walker, Grant
County Regional Airport
manager, said she is con-
cerned about the county’s
limited
work-from-home
policy.
The court said the policy
is based on guidance from
the Oregon Health Author-
ity, Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention and
Grant County Public Health
Department, with some
changes to fit the County’s
needs.
Walker said she is wor-
ried about what a county
employee with an essen-
tial job function who cannot
telecommute will do if there
is a reduction in hours from
a shutdown.
Hamsher
suggested
Walker find tasks for
employees at the airport.
Walker said her employees
likely would not be affected,
but generally speaking, she
wanted to ask the question.
Palmer said the Oregon
Department of Employment
had addressed those scenar-
ios and that he would dis-
seminate the information
through the EOC.
Wright said Klamath
County, who provided a
template for Grant County,
has paid regular wages in
the event of a shutdown but
allowed employees to use
accrued time off if they have
it if they have chosen not to
work.
Wright said, in Klamath
County, those who are sick
with the virus use sick leave.
Wright said at the state
level, though, anyone who
is out sick is required to take
two weeks off.
Grant County Health
Department Director Kim-
berly Lindsay, who was in
the meeting by phone, said
the medical aspects of the
county’s policy were sound
but that the information is
ever-changing.
“We are trying to find our
way in a dark room right
now,” Lindsay said.
Louise Laduke, a for-
mer Blue Mountain Hospital
doctor, stressed the impor-
tance of the county staying
on top of prevention efforts.
“This can kill millions of
Americans,” Laduke said.
Laduke contrasted Ita-
ly’s response with that of
South Korea. She said South
Korea’s cases plateaued
because they tested a lot and
followed cases.
“Italy did not do that,”
Laduke said.
Temporary Oregon state park closure starts
March 23 and affects camping and day use
Blue Mountain Eagle
At the direction of Gov. Kate
Brown, and in keeping with the guid-
ance that all Oregonians should stay
home and stay healthy, the Oregon
State Park system will close at the
end of the day Monday, March 23.
Day-use areas will be closed starting
March 23 at 5 p.m. Campers need to
check out no later than 1 p.m.
The Oregon Parks and Rec-
reation Department previously
ordered a campground closure that
would have started April 3, and
advised travelers to avoid day trips
to full parks. With new guidance
from the Governor, and clear signs
that travelers are not following
advice to avoid full parks, a state-
wide state park closure is necessary.
Beaches can be closed by OPRD at
their discretion and will be closed if
social distancing practices are not
followed.
All daytime park services will
be closed statewide, including park-
ing areas and restrooms. Campers
will be refunded for all canceled
nights. All travelers are advised to
follow the guidance to stay home to
stay healthy. City and county parks
and other public land managers are
open at their discretion, with the
recommendation they do so only if
they can adhere to social distancing
practices.
“We would have preferred an
orderly shutdown of the system and
to remain open for daytime visits,
but our concern for the effects on
rural health care systems requires
us to move up and expand our
plans,” said Lisa Sumption, direc-
tor of the Oregon Parks and Recre-
ation Department. “We know this
will cause a disruption, since we’re
suspending service to everyone,
even people who live near a park.
Reducing contact between people
is more important than recreation at
the moment.”
Know before you go:
Travel Oregon travel alerts:
https://traveloregon.com/
travel-alerts/
State park service reductions and
closures: https://bit.ly/OPRD-covid
Oregon Department of Forestry:
https://www.oregon.gov/ODF
Oregon Department of Fish
and Wildlife: https://myodfw.com/
visit-odfw-wildlife-areas
COPS AND COURTS
Grant County Sheriff
The Grant County Sher-
iff’s Office reported the fol-
lowing for the week of Feb.
26:
Concealed
handgun
licenses: 12
Average inmates: 18
Bookings: 7
Releases: 9
Arrests: 2
Citations: 0
Fingerprints: 6
Civil papers: 18
Warrants processed: 3
A s s i s t a n c e / We l f a r e
check: 0
Search and Rescue: 0
Justice Court
Violation of the basic
rule: Jamie L. James, 36,
Vancouver,
Washington,
Feb. 16, 75/55 zone, fined
$165; Gregory A. Harestad,
71, Portland, Feb. 19, 79/55
zone, fined $265; David A.
Hartt, 66, Riddle, Sept. 27,
85/55 zone, fined $265.
Exceeding speed limit:
Bryan M. Crow, 32, Junc-
tion City, Jan. 13, 56/25
zone, fined $265; Kenneth
A. Kolstad, 71, Big Bend,
Feb. 27, 88/65 zone, fined
$440; Lucas D. Palmer, 27,
Mt. Vernon, Jan. 31, 58/45
zone, fined $165.
Exceeding length: Tye L.
Taylor, 55, Midvale, Utah,
Jan. 15, fined $115; Mat-
thew J. Barnes, 32, Citrus
Heights, California, March
3, fined $115.
Driver failing to report
accident: James R. Miller,
20, John Day, March 9,
fined $220.
Carless driving—acci-
dent: James R. Miller, 20,
John Day, March 9, fined
$220.
Falsified log entries:
Eric D. Valle, 30, Brawley,
California, Nov. 14, fined
$265.
On March 18, the court
granted a judgment for Ray
Klein Inc., Professional
Credit Service, against
Joshua Zeigler, Prairie City,
for $615.11.
On March 18, the court
granted a judgment for Ray
Klein Inc., Professional
Credit Service, against
Joshua Scott Herburger, Mt.
Vernon, for $635.96.
On March 18, the court
granted a judgment for Ray
Klein Inc., Professional
Credit Service, against
Terry L. Whitten, John Day,
for $562.62.
On March 18, the court
granted a judgment for Ray
Klein Inc., Professional
Credit Service, against Erika
R. Prophet, Prairie City, for
$690.04.
On March 18, the court
granted a judgment for Quick
Collect Inc. against Robert
Copenhaver for $300.
On March 20, the court
Oregon State Police
March 16: Arrested a
69-year-old man for violating
a “no contact order” issued by
Grant County Circuit Court.
March 17: Stopped a vehi-
cle near West Main Street
and Northwest Third Ave-
nue in John Day for not hav-
ing a front license plate. The
driver, Devan J. Haynes, 26,
was misdemeanor suspended.
OSP cited and released the
driver for driving while sus-
pended and also issued vio-
lation citations for improper
display, failure to install igni-
tion interlock device and
driving uninsured. The vehi-
cle was not towed.
March 17: Responded to
a noninjury, non-blocking
vehicle crash on Highway
395C, near milepost 41.5 in
Harney County. When OSP
arrived, the vehicle was on
its wheels in the ditch on
the north bound side of the
road. Oregon Department
of Transportation arrived on
scene and conducted traffic
control. The owner of the
vehicle didn’t want the vehi-
cle towed. The owner said
he would remove the vehi-
cle. The vehicle was tagged
and left at the scene.
Dispatch
John Day dispatch worked
98 calls during the week
of March 16 to March 22,
including:
• John Day Police
Department
March 18: Received a
report of a dispute on West
Main Street.
March 20: Received a
report of theft on West Main
Street.
March 20: Dispatched for
a report of theft on West Main
Street.
March 21: Conducted a
traffic stop and cited Blaine
Ross of Canyon City for fail-
ure to register vehicle.
• Oregon State Police
March 16: Responded to a
report of calves on Highway 26.
March 20: Dispatched to a
report of pigs on Highway 26.
• Grant County Sheriff’s
Office
March 16: Received a report
of theft on Highway 395 S.
March 19: Received a
report of shots fired on Ridge
Road.
• John Day ambulance
March 17: Responded to
an unresponsive 82-year-old
woman on Broken Leg Lane.
March 18: Received a call
of a 59-year-old woman com-
plaining of illness on Highway
402.
March 19: Responded
for a patient who fell in the
bathroom on South Johnson
Avenue.
March 20: Responded for
an elderly woman with diffi-
culty breathing on Highway
26.
March 22: Responded for a
65-year-old man with difficulty
breathing on West Main Street.
ATTENTION
Grant SWCD Weed Control Dept.
Working for You in 2020
HIGH SCHOOL SENIORS
Are you ready for the next step?
Don’t forget to apply for a
Silvies Valley Ranch
Educational Scholarship.
Open to Grant & Harney County students.
Postmark deadline is
April 1, 2020
Applications are available from your
school’s guidance counselor or online at
www.silvies.us
S177194-1
Thanks to the Grant County Court and Northeast Oregon Forests Resource
Advisory Committee, Grant Weed Control is able to offer a 25% Cost
share program for Noxious Weed Control on Private Grazing Lands,
through a Title II funded Grant Project. This program will provide a
maximum $5,000 of noxious weed control services with a $1,250 maximum
landowner contribution to qualifying participants. To be eligible for
participation, the treatment property must not be actively irrigated and
must be primarily managed for livestock grazing, minimum of 20 acres in
size, located within Grant County, and must contain priority noxious weed
species. Applications for this limited weed control assistance opportunity
will be ranked and funded according to a priority noxious weed list.
Contact the Grant Soil and Water Conservation District Office at
(541) 575-1554 or visit 721 S. Canyon Blvd., John Day, OR 97845 for
applications and additional information.
This application deadline for this program is April 10th, 2020.
granted a judgment for
Suzette Mael, against Rhonda
Jacobs, Prairie City, for $658.
EST.
1883
SILVIES VALLEY RANCH
S173768-1
Arrests and citations in
the Blue Mountain Eagle are
taken from the logs of law
enforcement agencies. Every
effort is made to report the
court disposition of arrest
cases.