NEWS
COPS AND COURTS
Arrests and citations in the
Blue Mountain Eagle are taken
from the logs of law enforce-
ment agencies. Every eff ort is
made to report the court dispo-
sition of arrest cases.
Grant County Circuit
Court
David W. Kreger, 28,
pleaded guilty to a count of
harassment committed on Jan.
27 and fourth-degree assault
committed on Feb 12. Kreger
was sentenced to 15 days in
jail, 18 months of supervised
probation, 30 hours of com-
munity service and ordered to
pay $300 in fi nes. Counts of
fourth-degree assault, stran-
gulation and harassment were
dismissed.
Grant County Sheriff
The Grant County Sheriff ’s
Offi ce reported the following
for the week of May 19:
Concealed
handgun
licenses: 7
Average inmates: 11
Bookings: 11
Releases: 14
Arrests: 1
Citations: 2
Fingerprints: 0
Civil papers: 16
Warrants processed: 8
Assistance/Welfare check:
0
Search and Rescue: 0
Andrew Roberts, 54, of
Vancouver, Washington, was
cited for violation of posted
speed, 46/35 zone.
Scott Iverson, 28, of Port-
land was cited for careless
driving and violation of posted
speed, 73/35 zone.
Dispatch
John Day dispatch worked
194 calls during the week of
May 17-23, including:
• John Day Police
Department
May 17: Jolin C. Goskin,
41, of Graham, Washington,
was cited for speed on High-
way 395 near milepost 1.
May 17: Kendal L. Fancher,
25, of John Day was cited for
speeding on Northwest Sev-
enth Street.
May 18: Stacey Heinrich,
54, of Mt. Vernon was arrested
for driving under the infl uence
of intoxicants.
May 18: Spencer Leif-
heit III, 44, of Mt. Vernon was
arrested for driving under the
infl uence of intoxicants.
May 18: Arrested Erik
Mountain, 43, of John Day for
second-degree criminal tres-
pass and third-degree theft.
May 18: Responded for a
report of a domestic distur-
bance on West Main Street.
May 19: Toby Thomas, 34,
of Mt. Vernon was cited for
speeding on Highway 26.
May 19: Kenneth Roche-
fort, 61, of Vancouver, Wash-
ington, was cited for speeding.
• Oregon State Police
May 20: Received a report
of an elk-versus-vehicle crash
on Highway 26.
• Grant County Sheriff ’s
Offi ce
May 17: Received a report
of theft on School House Lane.
May 21: Jeremiah Alsop,
39, of John Day, was arrested
on a Grant County warrant.
• John Day ambulance
May 17: Dispatched to an
elderly woman with back pain
on Northwest Canton Street.
May 18: Responded for an
83-year-old woman with dia-
betic issue on Brent Lane.
May 18: Responded for a
woman who fell on Highway
26.
May 21: Responded to a
report of a male subject who
was unconscious for a short
time.
May 22: Dispatched for an
elderly woman with diffi culty
breathing on Brent Lane.
• Long Creek ambulance
May 21: Along with the
John Day ambulance, dis-
patched to an elderly woman
with back and chest pain on
Highway 380N.
Wednesday, May 26, 2021
A5
John Day’s $1.8 million broadband
grant makes progress, almost done
By Rudy Diaz
Blue Mountain Eagle
The U.S. Economic
Development Agency agreed
to submit a letter of further
consideration to provide John
Day with $1.8 million for
the city’s community broad-
band project after several
resubmissions.
John Day City Manager
Nick Green said the city was
notifi ed last week by the EDA
of the agreement. If the $1.8
is awarded, it will fund 90%
of the total broadband proj-
ect cost. John Day will be
responsible for the remaining
10% match which is approxi-
mately $200,000.
Green said the match
funds will come from the
city’s IT Funds and a $50,000
grant from the Oregon Com-
munity Foundation.
“They’re sending a let-
ter of further consideration,
which is basically the pre-
award and terms for the EDA
grant,” Green said. “This let-
ter will say we answered all
of their questions, and this
will basically be a terms sheet
and layout the next steps to
get to an award.”
Eagle fi le photo
John Day City Manager Nick Green
The grant from EDA
would help fund broadband
fi ber internet to homes and
businesses in John Day and
support the Grant County
Cyber Mill.
The Cyber Mill, previ-
ously known as Grant County
Coworks, plans to provide
access to computers, printers
and broadband at facilities in
Seneca, John Day and Prai-
rie City.
The city now plans to pro-
ceed with the purchase of the
Cyber Mill location in John
Day, which is a building on
Main Street in between The
Outpost and a church, where
a gym used to be. The prop-
erty is currently listed for
$170,000.
EDA authorized this pur-
chase as a pre-agreement cost
and will count the expendi-
ture toward the city’s match-
ing funds commitment.
A request from the com-
mittee that reviewed John
Day’s application was to
either have a title to the
future Cyber Mill building in
John Day or a 15-year lease
agreement.
The building will be the
city’s until it is transitioned
to the Cyber Mill organiza-
tion. The Cyber Mill organi-
zation is currently working
on establishing a non-profi t
status.
“We can transition it off
our books and on to theirs if
we would purchase it,” Green
said. “We can transfer this as
an asset as soon as our obli-
gations under the grant agree-
ments are completed. We just
can’t do it before that.”
While council members
showed support for the Cyber
Mill coming to fruition, there
were some concerns on the
purchase of the site.
John Day City Councilor
Heather Rookstool had a con-
cern regarding the cost of
repairs for the site.
“I’m just nervous because
a year ago it was lower and
who knows what the prices
are going to be later (when
construction begins),” Rook-
stool said.
The council passed a
motion to off er up to $100,000
to purchase the building in a
six to one vote.
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