GRANT UNION WINS A CLOSE ONE| PAGE A10
Wednesday, April 7, 2021
153nd Year • No. 14 • 16 Pages • $1.50
MyEagleNews.com
Three March deaths linked to care center outbreak
31 COVID-19 cases associated with outbreak
include residents, staff and close contacts
By Steven Mitchell
Blue Mountain Eagle
Grant County’s three
COVID-19-related deaths in
March were linked to an out-
break at a nursing home in
Prairie City.
The
Oregon
Health
Authority’s weekly report,
which lists outbreaks at con-
gregate care facilities that
exceed three infections and
at least one death, showed 31
infections were associated to
the outbreak at Blue Mountain
Care Center that began March
8 and remains active.
The report’s number
includes all cases and deaths
of residents, staff and close
contacts of residents or staff
who appear to have contracted
the virus from them. Grant
County Public Health Admin-
istrator Kimberly Lindsay
said it is important to remem-
ber the number of cases and
deaths include close contacts
outside of the facility.
While the cases and deaths
are signifi cant regardless of
where they occurred, she said
she did not want the county
Contributed photo
Blue Mountain Care Center in Prairie City.
to become “unnecessarily
alarmed” by assuming from
the report that all 31 infections
were only from the 40-bed
facility.
Derek Daly, the CEO of
Blue Mountain Hospital Dis-
trict, which manages the care
center, said that the facil-
ity had roughly 20 residents
before the pandemic. How-
ever, since then, he said the
admission
rate
had
been
spo-
radic because
COVID-19
regulations
on the state
Derek Daly
and federal
levels have
limited their ability to admit
certain patients they could in
the past.
Rebekah Rand, BMHD
director of EMS, and Lori
Lane, health information man-
ager, noted in a March 23
press release that there was no
way to determine defi nitively
how the virus entered the care
center. They said it could have
been in-person visits, residents
coming and going or commu-
nity spread in Prairie City.
Daly told the Eagle he
hopes staff members are fol-
lowing all the safety guide-
lines outside of work, but he
cannot mandate what they do
when they are off the clock.
“It would be my hope
health care employees in the
county are following guide-
lines in and outside of the
building,” he said. “That’s
what I try to portray outside
of work, but obviously there’s
personal freedom and liberties
that we as an employer can’t
get into mandating.”
Daly said BMHD could
See Outbreak, Page A16
CAPITOL PUNISHMENT
The Eagle/Rudy Diaz
John Day Police Chief Mike Durr, left, and Grant County Sher-
iff Todd McKinley, right, participate in a study session regard-
ing the future of the John Day Police Department March 31.
Keep JDPD
or consolidate?
Local law
enforcement
offi cials provide
insights into
possible merger
By Rudy Diaz
Blue Mountain Eagle
Contributed photo/FBI
Jonathanpeter Allen Klein, 21, right, a self-described Proud Boy, with brother Matthew Leland Klein, 24, left, according to the FBI.
FBI arrests Heppner hunting ranch
employee in connection with Jan. 6 riot
By Bryce Dole
EO Media Group
The agents from the Fed-
eral Bureau of Investigation
couldn’t tell John Flynn too
much, only that they were
there because of “people that
were at the Capitol,” he said.
Early on March 23, agents
had been snooping around the
headquarters of Ruggs Ranch, a
100,000-acre hunting preserve
outside of Heppner in Morrow
“KIDS THINK DIFFERENT AT THAT AGE. THEY’RE
NOT TOTALLY MATURE. THEY HAVE DIFFERENT
THOUGHTS AND IDEAS ABOUT LIFE, AND I JUST
(WANTED TO) INFLUENCE HIM WITH MY OPINION.”
— John Flynn
County that’s described on its
website as “Where World Class
Bird Hunting & Luxurious Lodg-
ing Meet.” The agents told Flynn
they were waiting for a friend
who was out hunting. Flynn, the
ranch owner, didn’t recognize the
name they provided.
He asked them to leave.
Shortly after, Flynn’s
employee called and said the
agents had moved to another
part of the property. Flynn drove
over to tell them they were tres-
passing. The agents told Flynn
they were awaiting orders from
their boss, he said.
The FBI later told Flynn
they had arrested one of his
employees — Jonathanpeter
Klein, who, along with his
brother Matthew Klein, was
accused of storming the U.S.
Capitol on Jan. 6.
The two brothers were
the fi rst Oregon residents to
be charged for being directly
involved in the insurrection
intended to prevent Congress
from certifying the election of
President Joe Biden. Federal
authorities say the Kleins were
caught on camera storming the
Time on the ranch
Jonathanpeter
Allen Klein
Matthew
Leland Klein
building. Now they face a slew
of federal charges.
The Klein brothers are
among the more than 300 peo-
ple who have been charged
in connection with the riot.
Authorities reportedly believe
that at least 100 more people
could be charged.
According to the FBI, Jon-
athanpeter Klein is a self-de-
scribed member of the Proud
Boys, a far-right group widely
known to engage in violence at
protests and whose leadership
has come under scrutiny from
agents and prosecutors nation-
wide for the group’s central role
in the insurrection.
Flynn was confused. In the
two months Klein had worked
at the ranch, not once had he
mentioned anything about the
Capitol, Flynn said.
Flynn met Klein in late
January. The 21-year-old
came to the ranch search-
ing for work and a change of
pace. Klein had been living in
Portland, where he stripped
roofs by day and worked at
a Domino’s Pizza at night,
Flynn said.
Flynn obliged. He described
Klein as a hardworking and
upbeat employee with “good
core values” who customers
complimented for his man-
ners. Flynn said he appreciated
Klein’s conservative Christian
upbringing.
“I think the reason he really
liked it over here was because
he lived in Portland and he’s
homeschooled and from a very
conservative family of mission-
aries,” Flynn said, adding that
Klein had frequently voiced
irritation at the Black Lives
Matter protests in downtown
Portland. “I think he had a hard
time understanding that this is
how people are and this is how
people live. You don’t have to
See Arrests, Page A16
Law enforcement leaders
in Grant County weighed in
on options for the John Day
Police Department.
JDPD Chief Mike Durr
and Grant County Sheriff
Todd McKinley spoke to
the John Day City Council
on March 31.
John Day Mayor Ron
Lundbom asked Durr if he
had any ideas on how to
keep the department going,
after City Manager Nick
Green previously said the
city would need to request
voter approval for a tax to
maintain operations or con-
solidate with the county
sheriff ’s offi ce.
Durr summed it up suc-
cinctly: “You need more
money.”
The price of service
Durr, who will retire
later this year, said it would
hurt him to see the depart-
ment go away. However,
he added that money will
be needed to continue with
operations and meet the
growing expenses. He said
he understands it’s a tough
request.
“We’ve got our own cul-
ture, and working here is a
little diff erent than in other
places, and I am proud of
the guys that work here and
in our community,” Durr
said.
In the past year, JDPD
received about 1,900 calls
for service from dispatch
that generated 212 cases
that were investigated.
The department oper-
ated with three officers
most of the time because
one officer was in train-
ing, Durr said. Now the
JDPD is fully staffed
TOWN HALL
PLANNED APRIL 8
John Day is hosting a
town hall at the Grant
County Fairgrounds
pavilion on April 8 at
6 p.m. This event will
give community mem-
bers a chance to learn
about the city’s budget
next year and the future
of the John Day Police
Department.
“We will have some
refreshments available
with plenty of seating,”
said John Day Mayor
Ron Lundbom. “We will
also have it available by
Zoom where you can
write your questions be-
forehand. It is important
that we gather as much
info as possible before
we put together our
2021 budget.”
The city also plans to
talk about the waste-
water treatment plant,
downtown revitalization,
housing, pool and infra-
structure investments.
again with four offi cers.
“These guys are moti-
vated, and they love their
community, and they want
to do what’s best for it,”
Durr said. “When you’re
done with your shift and
you go home, you’re just
not done.”
Durr said, while there
are concerns at times with
burnout due to the amount
of calls and limited staff ,
they continue to focus on
off ering great service and
helping any way they can:
from investigating homi-
cides to helping a person
change a tire.
“I’m not trying to sway
the council which direc-
tion you want to go, but
last year, we did everything
from investigating a justi-
fi ed homicide all the way
down to assisting ambu-
lance,” Durr said. “Our
See JDPD, Page A16