TRACK AND FIELD, SOFTBALL TEAMS PLACE SECOND AT STATE | PAGE A11
Wednesday, May 26, 2021
153nd Year • No. 21 • 24 Pages • $1.50
MyEagleNews.com
Turnkey not a fi t
Organizers drop plan
to convert hotel to
transitional housing
By Steven Mitchell
Blue Mountain Eagle
The Eagle/Steven Mitchell
Attendees at a community meeting vote no to pursuing a Project Turnkey grant to turn a hotel
intro transitional housing.
Organizers
abandoned
the idea to buy and convert a
hotel into transitional housing
Thursday.
Grant County offi cials
applied for a Project Turn-
key grant, a statewide pro-
gram that converts motels
and hotels to permanent tran-
sitional or emergency hous-
ing, but according to a Thurs-
day press release, they are
not going to accept funding
to purchase Dreamers Lodge
for transitional housing. The
housing was intended for peo-
ple impacted by wildfi res,
COVID-19 and those released
from incarceration as they
enter back into society.
“After careful consid-
eration and listening to the
sentiment of Grant County
residents, the Project Turn-
key Steering Committee has
decided not to accept the
funding to purchase Dreamers
Lodge for transitional hous-
ing,” the press release said.
See Turnkey, Page A14
A LOVING HOME
Foster parents say the
experience is rewarding
By Rudy Diaz
Blue Mountain Eagle
ay is Foster Care Appreciation
Month, but foster parents around Ore-
gon continue their work year-round.
An average of 7,435 children were
in foster care on a daily basis in Ore-
gon according to the 2019 Child Welfare Data Book
from the Department of Human Services.
Locally, Lynn and Jason Marsh joined the many
foster parents in the state when they received a letter
from DHS.
Jason said the letter they received from DHS is usu-
ally sent to relatives when a child is going to be placed
in foster care.
“We got a letter and decided to answer and say
we’re interested,” Jason said. “We’ve done relative
foster care so we fostered our fi rst son with the inten-
tion of adoption.”
Preston, 3, who was adopted in January of last year,
was the fi rst child fostered by the Marsh family. They
recently fi nished the paperwork to offi cially adopt his
brother, Jackson, 22 months, in March of this year.
Lynn said foster families being relatives was more
common than she thought.
Jason said DHS assisted the couple with paperwork
and training to prepare for their new journey.
M
See Foster, Page A14
Contributed photo
Preston, left, and Jackson, right, were adopted by Lynn
and Jason Marsh after being fostered.
Contributed photo
From left Jason, Preston, Lynn and Jackson Marsh
enjoy a Halloween together. The couple were
foster parents
for the children before adopting them.
County votes to require discussions on relocating Idaho border
Former hospital employee
elected to seat on board
By Rudy Diaz
Blue Mountain Eagle
The unoffi cial results are in from
the May election, and Grant County
voters approved requiring the county
court discuss relocating Idaho’s border.
Forty-fi ve percent of registered vot-
ers turned in ballots during this elec-
tion, about half of the amount from the
November’s turnout of 84.6%.
Of the 2,367 votes on discussing
relocating Idaho’s border, 1,471 (62%)
said yes and 896 (38%) voters said no.
The ballot measure is part of an
eff ort to move the Oregon and Idaho
border to extend Idaho’s jurisdiction
over counties in Eastern and southern
Oregon, according to a press release
from the Citizens for Greater Idaho
The Eagle/Steven Mitchell
Mike McCarter
organization.
“This election proves that rural Ore-
gon wants out of Oregon. If Oregon
really believes in liberal values such
as self-determination, the Legislature
won’t hold our counties captive against
our will,” said Mike McCarter, presi-
dent of Citizens for Greater Idaho. “If
we’re allowed to vote for which gov-
ernment offi cials we want, we should
be allowed to vote for which govern-
ment we want as well.”
Grant County Clerk Brenda Percy
said all the ballots brought in May 18
were counted, and 23 ballots were chal-
lenged. The ballots either lacked a sig-
nature or had the signature challenged.
“Letters have been sent to all of
those constituents, giving them 14
days to rectify the issues. June 1 is the
deadline,” Percy said. “I don’t foresee
any of these ballots changing the out-
come of the election.”
Blue Mountain Hospital District
Shawna Clark won the spot in posi-
tion 2 with 1,587 votes (72%). Chris
Labhart was in second with 439 votes,
and Teena Ballard in third with 175
votes.
Linda Ladd won the at-large posi-
tion with 72% of the votes.
Karla Averett won the position 1
spot with 98% of the votes.
Education Service District
Laurel Nelson and Robert Cockrell
won seats in the Grant County Educa-
tion Service District.
School districts
At Grant School District 3, Jake
Taylor, Haley Walker, Aaron Lieual-
len and Chris Labhart won their zone
elections.
At Prairie City School District
4, Chris Camarena, Dwight How-
ard, Jenni Workman, Jenny Shaw and
Jamie McKay won their election on the
school board.
At Monument School District 8,
Casey Schultz and Liz Lovelock won
their bids on the board.
See Election, Page A14