A2
FAMILY
Blue Mountain Eagle
Wednesday, April 29, 2020
OBITUARIES
Amateur radio operators conduct exam
Louise Hobbs
Blue Mountain Eagle
Grant County Amateur Radio Emer-
gency Service held an FCC-approved
exam session on Sunday, April 26, in John
Day.
Candidates who sat for the exam came
from Long Creek, Mt. Vernon, Bend,
Hermiston and Salem, according to a press
release. The exam proctors all came from
John Day.
The exam organizers kept the gathering
to under the 10-person limit, kept every-
one 6 feet apart and required the use of
face mask for all participants. They held
the exam outside.
Ed Ellesson, the volunteer examiner
liaison for Grant County Amateur Radio
Club said, “We had an exceptionally suc-
cessful test session with candidates passing
exams at every amateur radio level.”
Steve Fletcher, the ARES emergency
coordinator said, “Many amateur radio
clubs canceled their planned examination
sessions due to the COVID-19 restrictions.
Grant County decided to approach the
Louise Hobbs, 73, of John Day died on Sunday, April 26,
at Valley View Assisted Living with her family at her side.
Arrangements are under the direction of Tami’s Pine Valley
Funeral Home & Cremation Services. Online condolences may
be shared at tamispinevalleyfuneralhome.com.
Steve Parsons
Steve Parsons, 68, of Mt. Vernon died on Sunday, April 26,
at home, surrounded by his family. Arrangements are under the
direction of Tami’s Pine Valley Funeral Home & Cremation Ser-
vices. Online condolences may be shared at tamispinevalleyfu-
neralhome.com.
Norma Viola Rynearson
Contributed photo
Grant County Amateur Radio Emergency Service held an FCC approved exam session
April 26 John Day. Candidates who sat for the exam came from Long Creek , Mt. Ver-
non, Bend, Hermiston and Salem.
problem by obeying all the restrictions but
still holding the exam. As a result we had
people come here from all over the state.”
All five candidates obtained their
license or license upgrade.
Dustin Wylie, one of the three volun-
teer examiners who were present said,
“It was special. We got testing done that
nobody else did. We helped our commu-
nity as well as the state.”
Fossil Beds still plans on hiring YCC crew
Blue Mountain Eagle
John Day Fossil Beds National
Monument is still planning to sponsor
an eight-week long Youth Conservation
Corps program this summer.
Youths ages 15 to 18 are encouraged
to apply, provided that they do not reach
their 19th birthday before Aug. 9.
YCC team members will work June
15 through Aug. 11, earning the Oregon
state minimum wage of $11 per hour.
The schedule is Mondays through Fri-
days from 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. The YCC
team will work at John Day Fossil Beds
National Monument under the supervi-
sion of National Park Service staff.
“Of course, we will monitor the
COVID-19 (outbreak) on a day-to-day
basis and plan the safest route for staff
and youth at (John Day Fossil Beds
National Monument,” said Chief of
Facilities Shane Loescher.
The YCC team will focus on the
preservation of resources associated
with the James Cant Ranch and the sur-
rounding fossil beds. In addition, the
crew will have opportunities to visit
other historically significant areas in the
valley, gaining a more complete under-
standing of the John Day Valley history
and the issues facing the protection of
these resources in the future.
An application is available for down-
load with the online version of this arti-
cle at myeaglenews.com.
The Malheur National
Forest will soon begin inva-
sive plant control on the
forest.
Control will be conducted
using an integrated approach,
including prevention; man-
ual, mechanical, herbicide,
biological control and cul-
tural treatments; and resto-
ration work, according to a
press release.
Invasive species nega-
tively affect biodiversity,
wildlife habitat, wildlife
and domestic livestock for-
age and streamside vegeta-
tion. Invasive plants targeted
for treatment include spotted,
diffuse and other knapweeds;
Canada, bull, Scotch and
musk thistles; St. Johnswort;
houndstongue;
sulphur
cinquefoil; Dalmation and
yellow toadflax; whitetop and
other invasive mustards; and
leafy spurge.
Invasive plant control on
the forest is scheduled to begin
this spring and is expected to
continue through October.
Most herbicide treatments will
be spot application to indi-
vidual invasive plants using
backpack and truck sprayers.
Some broadcast application is
also planned along a subset of
roadsides and gravel pits.
Treatment sites are located
across the Malheur National
Forest, and herbicide treat-
ments in high-use areas will
be signed at the time of treat-
ment. A blue marker dye
that will fade over time will
be mixed with herbicides to
alert people of where prod-
uct has been applied. Herbi-
cides allowed for use include
aminopyralid,
chlorsulfu-
ron, clopyralid, glyphosate,
imazapic, imazapyr, metsul-
furon methyl, sethoxydim,
sulfometuron methyl and tri-
clopyr. Manual and mechan-
ical treatments will continue
Although their offices may be
closed, applications are also typically
available at Grant Union High School,
Prairie City High School office, Day-
ville School office, Monument School
office, Spray School office, Mitch-
ell High School office, Grant County
Library, National Park Service at John
Day Fossil Beds National Monument,
32651 Highway 19, eight miles north-
west of Dayville on Highway 19 headed
toward Kimberly.
The completed application must be
postmarked no later than May 25 to
John Day Fossil Beds National Mon-
ument, Attn: Shane Loescher — YCC,
32651 Highway 19, Kimberly, OR
97848.
as they have in previous years.
All treatments will be car-
ried out following the project
design features of the Record
of Decision for the Invasive
Plants Treatment Project.
Partners include Grant
Soil and Water Conserva-
tion District, Harney County
Weed Control, Harney County
Cooperative Weed Man-
agement Area, Burns Paiute
Tribe, Monument Soil and
Water Conservation District,
North Fork John Day Water-
shed Council, Oregon Depart-
ment of Agriculture, Rocky
Mountain Elk Foundation,
private landowners and per-
mittees. Funding includes
appropriated dollars and grant
money from Title II projects.
The public can identify
areas where edible and medic-
inal plants are collected so that
the Forest Service can imple-
ment an appropriate integrated
pest management strategy,
including avoidance.
George
Scott Sintay
June 20, 1971 ~ April 19, 2020
Local students make honor roll
at Oregon State University
Blue Mountain Eagle
Malheur National Forest to begin invasive plant treatments
Blue Mountain Eagle
Norma Viola Rynearson, 90, of Prairie City passed away April
18 at Sun Terrace Assisted Living in Hermiston. Due to COVID-
19 restrictions, a private family burial took place in the Prairie City
Cemetery last week. A celebration of her life will be announced at
a later date for both family and friends to attend. To offer online
condolences to her family, visit driskillmemorialchapel.com.
The following camp-
grounds will have no herbi-
cide use in 2020: Starr on the
Blue Mountain Ranger Dis-
trict, Big Creek on the Prai-
rie City Ranger District and
Yellowjacket on the Emigrant
Creek Ranger District. Roads
and invasive patches nearby
but outside of these camp-
grounds may still receive
herbicide application. The
remaining campgrounds may
have at least half the camp-
ground herbicide free in a
30-day period.
For more information on
the invasive plant program,
including a map of poten-
tial treatment sites, visit
fs.usda.gov/main/malheur/
landmanagement/planning.
For more specific informa-
tion on timing and location
of herbicide treatments, con-
tact Invasive Plants Special-
ist Jessi Brunson at 541-575-
3067 or by email at jessica.
brunson@usda.gov.
Paid for by the family of George Sintay
Names of students who
have made the scholastic
honor roll winter term have
been announced by Oregon
State University.
A total of 1,910 stu-
dents earned straight-A (4.0).
Another 5,529 earned a B-plus
(3.5) or better to make the list-
ing. To be on the honor roll,
students must carry at least 12
graded hours of course work.
From Grant County, Jen-
nifer I. McCloskey, a senior
from John Day studying
applied visual arts, earned a
straight-A average, and Joshua
T. Walker, a senior from Sen-
eca studying natural resources,
earned a 3.5 GPA or better.
Eastern Oregon University
announces winter term dean’s list
Blue Mountain Eagle
Eastern Oregon Univer-
sity named 581 students to the
dean’s list for the 2020 win-
ter term. Qualifying students
achieve and maintain a grade
point average of 3.5 or higher
on a 4.0 scale while complet-
ing a minimum of 12 hours of
graded EOU coursework.
Named to the list from
Grant County were James
Hercher and Carmen Vaughan
of Long Creek and Brianna
Zweygardt of Prairie City.
Grant County Futures Scholarship
now accepting applications
Blue Mountain Eagle
Qualified local residents
can now apply for the Grant
County Futures Scholarship.
Applicants must be enrolled
or planning to enroll in courses
through Eastern Oregon Uni-
versity or Blue Mountain Com-
munity College’s online degree
programs and courses offered
through the Grant County Cen-
ter in John Day. They must also
have been county residents for
one year, demonstrate finan-
cial need and provide letters of
recommendation.
The application is avail-
able at grantesd.k12.or.us/doc-
uments/scholarships/GC-Fu-
tures-Scholarship.pdf.
Funds are intended for the
2020-21 academic year. The
deadline is Thursday, May
21. Contact Ashley Armich-
ardy at 541-575-1550 or aar-
michardy@eou.edu with any
questions.
CORRECTION
In the April 22 edition, the Eagle reported that Grant County
Commissioner Jim Hamsher said he had access to a law enforcement
database. This is incorrect. Hamsher said he is privileged to confiden-
tial law enforcement information, not a law enforcement database.
The Eagle also reported that Bank of Eastern Oregon secured
loans for six small businesses in Grant County. The Bank of East-
ern Oregon secured loans for 33 small Grant County businesses
and five additional businesses with ties to the area.
The Eagle regrets the errors.
George Scott Sintay, age 48, died April 19, 2020 in his home in Richland, Washington as a result of lung cancer. Scott
was born in John Day, Oregon as the sixth child and first son to parents George and Susan Sintay. During his child-
hood he lived with his family in Oregon, Idaho, and California. His undergraduate studies took him to Brigham Young
University in Utah and Boise State University in Idaho. Scott met and married Nicki Collins at BSU where he earned
a bachelor’s degree in Communication. Scott and Nicki then moved to Indiana where Scott pursued graduate studies
at Purdue University, earned a master’s degree in Organizational Communication and completed doctoral studies in
Organizational Behavior.
Scott has always been an example and leader to those around him, and his dedication to mental, physical, and spiritual excellence was an inspiration to
many. From the age of 7, when Scott raced in his first 13.1-mile half marathon, to the months before his death, Scott loved participating in competition
sports. As an extremely strong endurance athlete, he could often be seen swimming the waters of the Columbia River and riding his bicycle throughout
the area. Scott competed in high school football, basketball, cross country, and track and in a marathon as well as many triathlons and extreme distance
bike races throughout his life. Among his favorite was the LATOJA bicycle race from Logan, Utah to Jackson Hole, Wyoming.
Scott’s faith in Jesus Christ permeated all facets of his life. As a young man, he accepted a call to serve as a missionary. He labored in Mexico for two years
teaching about Jesus Christ. Upon learning of his cancer diagnosis, Scott announced, “The Lord is calling me to labor in the spirit world” and shared his
conviction that “death is not the end. It is a continuation of an exciting eternal adventure. I will continue to do the Lord’s work.”
Scott will be missed by many including his wife Nicki, children Aubrey (Logan McDonald), Ammon (Analisa Reeder), Aaron-Michael (Kenedy Carey), and
Alena, granddaughter Gracie McDonald, parents and eight siblings.
A family memorial celebration including a fun run in Scott’s honor will be held June 20th in Seneca, Oregon.
A very heartfelt thank you to all of the friends and family
who sent cards, flowers and food to our family when
mom passed away. A special thanks to her care givers, Dr.
Bailey and staff; Blue Mountain Hospice and staff, and
Driskill Memorial Chapel. You are awesome. Our family
is very blessed to live in this community with such caring
health providers and caregivers.
Sincerely,
The families of Janice Officer,
Jim and Andrea Officer,
Patti Deist, and Karen Officer
S184547-1
Scott, Nicki, and their four young children moved to the Tri-Cities in 2004 where he became a State Farm agent. He also
served as adjunct professor at WSU Tri-Cities and BYU-Idaho. Scott loved helping people. He was thrilled to accept a position in 2014 as Temple Recorder
for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Columbia River Temple where he served until his death. He also loved to volunteer and served
faithfully in many capacities in his community, church, and family. He served as president of the Tri-Cities Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, TCYC board
member, and producer of the Forte show choir.
S186216-1
Last Week’s Temps
John Day ...........................................................HI/LO
Tuesday ........................................................... 67/38
Wednesday ..................................................... 53/37
Thursday .......................................................... 58/42
Friday ............................................................... 64/40
Saturday .......................................................... 66/40
Sunday ............................................................. 68/43
Monday............................................................ 69/47
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W EATHER F ORECAST FOR THE WEEK OF A PRIL 29 - M AY 5
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