LOCAL BOY HELPS SAVE GRANDMOTHER’S LIFE | PAGE A3
Wednesday, April 29, 2020
152nd Year • No. 18 • 18 Pages • $1.50
MyEagleNews.com
Initiative
would require
meetings
about moving
Idaho border
‘Greater Idaho’ effort
would put Grant
County in Idaho
By Steven Mitchell
Blue Mountain Eagle
As more and more rural Ore-
gonians grow frustrated with pol-
itics on the west side of the state,
a separatist group that is seeking
to move Oregon’s border to cre-
ate a “Greater Idaho” is collecting
signatures to have the proposal on
the ballot for November’s general
election in Grant
County
that
would require
the Grant County
Court to meet to
discuss joining
Idaho.
County Clerk
Brenda Percy
Mike
McCarter
said the petition-
ers must submit 231 valid signa-
tures from active Grant County
registered voters by Aug. 5.
The petition is about the
“Greater Idaho” effort, a move-
ment that advocates for the adjust-
ment of the current state bound-
aries of Idaho, California and
Oregon, thereby increasing the
size of Idaho to encompass sev-
eral rural counties that are in Cal-
ifornia and Oregon. Grant County
is one of the 19 Oregon counties
the group seeks to have moved
into the jurisdiction of the state of
Idaho.
The petition mandates the
Grant County Court hold three
meetings a year for the specific
purpose of discussing the merit
of promoting the relocation of the
ldaho border to encompass Grant
County within the state of ldaho.
Greater Idaho spokesman
Mike McCarter said the move-
ment’s purpose is to preserve rural
values.
“There is a distinct difference
between rural and urban folk in
Oregon,” McCarter told the Eagle.
“I am itching to get over to Grant
County and talk to the people over
there.”
Although few people are col-
lecting signatures in traditional
ways because of social distancing,
petitions can still be downloaded
from greaterideaho.org or picked
up at certain locations.
McCarter said rural counties
have been outraged by laws com-
ing out of the Oregon Legislature
that threaten rural values. He said
rural voices are ignored because
they are outnumbered.
“I have been called everything
from ‘knuckle-dragger’ to ‘old
white man’ in trying to move this
forward,” McCarter said.
Contributed image
A graphic of the proposed sawmill over the water gardens at the city of John Day’s Innovation Gateway.
The next step for the Innovation Gateway
Plans include hotel, event center,
water gardens, pavilion
By Rudy Diaz
Blue Mountain Eagle
A new hotel, an event center reusing the sawmill shed
and a connecting lobby are some of the plans listed for the
John Day Innovation Gateway project.
A report from landscape architecture firm Walker Macy
details the plans centered on redeveloping the former Ore-
gon Pine property on the west side of John Day and build-
ing while honoring the history of the sawmill. This is an
important part of the Innovation Gateway because it is the
first sight for many visitors coming into John Day, accord-
ing to the report.
The proposed hotel is planned to be a three-story,
50-room building adjacent to the John Day River. The hotel
plans to offer eight cabins clustered to the north, across the
John Day River, set on ground screws to offer protection
Contributed image
See Innovation, Page A18
The materials for construction of the proposed hotel and event center.
Rilee Emmel
Sequoya Swearingen
Drew Lusco
The Eagle/Steven Mitchell
1188 Brewing Company Owner Shannon Adair, left, and head brewer John
Spencer talk at the restaurant Friday.
Local business owner pushes for
changes to small business aid
By Steven Mitchell
Blue Mountain Eagle
Before the government resumed
taking applications for the $660 bil-
lion aid program for small businesses
hit by the fallout of the coronavirus
outbreak on Monday, U.S. Sen. Ron
Wyden, D-Oregon, hosted a confer-
ence call Friday with Oregon small
business owners, including 1188
Brewing Company Owner Shannon
Adair, to push for cash payments for
small businesses to fill the gaps left by
the Paycheck Protection Program.
Wyden in March introduced a
small business rescue package that
provided cash payments through tax
refunds, as well as a wage credit to
help keep workers on payroll. The
wage credit was included in the coro-
navirus relief package passed by the
Senate on March 25, and Wyden is
pushing for inclusion of cash pay-
ments in the next coronavirus relief
package.
“Congress has to do more to pro-
mote the agenda of the smallest of the
small businesses in the next corona-
virus package,” Wyden said. “Small
See Business, Page A18
A season cut short
Senior athletes reflect
on the cancellation of
spring sports
By Steven Mitchell
Blue Mountain Eagle
With OSAA’s decision to can-
cel all remaining spring activities
and sports to stem the spread of
the coronavirus, local senior ath-
letes are watching an exciting time
of their life slip away and grappling
with what it all means.
“It is what it is,” Grant Union
senior Drew Lusco said.
Lusco, who signed to play foot-
ball with Eastern Oregon Univer-
sity, said he was looked forward to
playing a sport each season as he
has since sixth grade.
The senior said his goal this year
was to make it to the state cham-
pionships in shot put or discus.
Instead, he said he has been work-
ing for a local rancher to stay busy.
Lusco said he misses seeing his
classmates everyday as well. The
Grant Union valedictorian said he
is looking forward to some type of
graduation ceremony.
For Prairie City’s Rilee Emmel,
track and field, though not her pri-
mary sport, was a way for her to
get out and enjoy some physical
activity.
“I just liked being outside,”
Emmel said.
See Athletes, Page A18