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About The Blue Mountain eagle. (John Day, Or.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 6, 2021)
SNOWFLAKE TOURNEY JOHN DAY GOLF CLUB KICKS OFF NEW YEAR PAGE A7 Wednesday, January 6, 2021 MyEagleNews.com 153rd Year • No. 1 • 16 Pages • $1.50 COMMITTEE CONFLICT Budget Committee member who voted against increasing commissioner salaries last year may be replaced by commissioner’s subordinate The Eagle/Steven Mitchell BOB QUINTON Served on the Grant County Budget Committee for about two years. Todd McKinley waits to be sworn in as Grant County Sheriff Monday at the county court- house. JIM HAMSHER County commissioner and Prairie City mayor CHRIS CAMARENA Prairie City’s Public Works Director A new sheriff in town McKinley, Raschio are sworn in for new positions By Steven Mitchell Blue Mountain Eagle Steven Mitchell and Eagle file photos SAM PALMER County commissioner SCOTT MYERS County judge By Steven Mitchell Blue Mountain Eagle G rant County Court recently reappointed 20 incumbents to various boards and commit- tees, but the members are con- sidering replacing a Budget Committee member who voted against increasing county commissioner salaries last year. County Court members asked two- year incumbent Budget Committee member Bob Quinton to reapply for his seat as they consider another applicant, Prairie City’s Public Works Director Chris Camarena. County Judge Scott Myers said appointing Camarena to the Budget Committee could create a direct con- flict of interest because County Commis- sioner Jim Hamsher, who is also Prairie City’s mayor, is Camarena’s immediate supervisor. Quinton, vice president and commer- cial loan officer at the Bank of Eastern Oregon, said he did not see the county publicly advertise his seat. He said the court sent him a letter nearly two months ago asking if he would continue serving on the committee. Quinton said he filled out the form, stating that he would “absolutely” like to continue serving on the Budget Committee. See Committee, Page A16 There’s a new sheriff in town. Roughly 20 people showed up at the Grant County Courthouse Jan. 4 to see a vet- eran lawman Todd McKinley be sworn in as the county’s new sheriff, along with other elected officials. “It was quite a journey to get here,” McKinley said in a phone interview from the sheriff’s office in between swearing in his deputies. “(The job) began immediately after being sworn in,” he said. McKinley said his new deputies were “relieved” to finally have a chance to sit down and talk to him since he could not do so after November’s election. He said the conversations have been pos- itive, and he is excited to take the helm. He said his first conversation was with outgoing Sheriff Glenn Palmer. “It went well,” McKinley said of his con- versation with Palmer. “I’m going to leave it at that.” McKinley, who defeated Palmer by about 500 votes, said he wants there to be less tur- moil coming out of the sheriff’s office. “There is always some turmoil in a sher- iff’s office, but I don’t want the office to be the cause of it,” he said. He said he wants people in the commu- nity to feel like they can reach out to their sheriff’s office. See Ceremony, Page A16 John Day Logging company sues, halts distributions to Black Oregonians Great Northern Resources claims COVID-19 fund is ‘racial exclusionary policy’ By Steven Mitchell Blue Mountain Eagle A John Day-based lawsuit has halted further distributions of COVID-19 funds earmarked by the governor for Black-owned busi- nesses and families. The state’s $62 million relief fund for Black Oregonians will no lon- ger issue grants, as it deposited the remaining $8.8 million with a federal court Dec. 17 as legal challenges to its constitutionality continue. John Day logging company Great Northern Resources, which lists Tad Houpt and Grant County Commis- sioner Sam Palmer as agents, filed a lawsuit alleging race-based discrimi- nation when its grant application was denied. The lawsuit is ongoing. Great Northern and a Port- land-based, Latino-owned coffee company and restaurant had asked U.S. Judge Karin Immergut to issue a preliminary injunction or restrain- ing order to stop the fund distribut- ing money based on race, according to a complaint filed in U.S. District Court Dec. 11. Immergut denied those requests in November, according to an amended class-action lawsuit filed with the U.S. District Court Dec. 6. In those instances, the Oregon Cares Fund set aside $200,000 for Great Northern if they prevailed in their legal challenges, according to a legal brief filed Nov. 10. This led Immer- gut to find that they couldn’t show the irreparable harm needed to war- rant an injunction in a Nov. 20 legal opinion. This time around, Great Northern Resources — the original plaintiffs in the case — joined with Salem electri- cal contractor Dynamic Service Fire and Security and sought class-ac- tion status for the suit, according to a complaint filed Dec. 6. According to the amended class-action lawsuit, the plaintiffs applied for grants from other fed- eral and state sources but were unsuccessful. EOMG file photo See Lawsuit, Page A16 Tad Houpt, part owner of Great Northern Resources, addresses a crowd in John Day in 2016.