A2 Blue Mountain Eagle Wednesday, February 16, 2022 NEWS LOCAL BRIEFING Merkley plans virtual town hall GRANT COUNTY 4 U. 66HQ-H൵0HUNOH\ZLOOKROG a virtual town hall meeting for Grant County residents at 3 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 20. Following the usual format for an in-person town hall, the VHQDWRU ZLOO VSHDN DQG WKHQ WDNHTXHVWLRQVDQGFRPPHQWV from constituents. To join the meeting by computer or mobile device, send an email to TownHall@ PHUNOH\VHQDWHJRY ZLWK Grant County in the subject line. To join by phone, call 669- 254-5252, then enter meeting ID 160 850 4332, participant ID # and passcode 28152932. Malheur archaeologists publish work -2+1 '$< ² 7KH ZRUN of two Malheur National For- est archaeologists is show- cased in the winter 2021 edition of the Oregon Histor- ical Quarterly, a special issue on the Chinese diaspora in Oregon. Don Hann9s article, <Chi- nese Mining Kongsi in East- ern Oregon: A Case of Cul- tural Amnesia,= discusses the joint ventures formed by Chi- nese miners and the import- ant role they played in Grant County9s mining boom. ,Q ³6WDFNHG 5RFN )HD tures: Archaeological Evi- dence of Chinese Miners on the Malheur National For- est,= Katee Withee shines a light on the daily lives of Chi- nese miners in Grant County as revealed by excavations of WKHLUFDPSVRIWHQPDUNHGE\ carefully constructed stone hearths. More information about the special edition of the TXDUWHUO\ LV DYDLODEOH online at https://tinyurl. com/5672adsa. ODOT seeks input on funding decisions There are three was for the SXEOLFWRSURYLGHIHHGEDFNRQ the proposal: " An online open house, which can be accessed at KWWSVWLQ\XUOFRPG\IVPN " Written comments, which can be submitted through the commission9s public com- ment page at https://tinyurl. com/bdfv8uz7. " Commenting at a meet- ing of the commission on Thursday, Feb. 17, or March 10; instructions on how to sign up can be found online at https://tinyurl. FRPIGYDN SALEM 4 The Oregon Department of Transportation LVVHHNLQJLGHDVIURPWKHSXE lic on the best way to spend PLOOLRQLQÀH[LEOHIXQG ing coming to the state under the federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. The agency has submit- ted a proposal to the Oregon Transportation Commission that lays out nine program areas to invest in, including accessibility, public transpor- tation and highway enhance- ments. The proposal is avail- able online at https://tinyurl. FRP\FNKNYEY Student makes college dean9s list FREDERICK, Mary- land 4 Destiny Fairless of John Day was named to the Hood College dean9s list for the fall semester, the college announced. The list recog- nizes the academic achieve- ments of students who earn at OREGON CAPITAL INSIDER least a 3.5 grade point aver- age while completing a min- imum six semester hours of FRXUVHZRUN )DLUOHVV JUDGX ated in January with a bach- elor9s degree in history. Blue Mountain Eagle We’re investing in Salem coverage when other news organizations are cutting back. Get the inside scoop on state government and politics! Balbina Escudero January 20, 2022 Balbina Escudero, 93, of John Day passed away on Jan- uary 20, 2022 at St. Anthony Hospital in Pendleton, Oregon. Balbina was born and raised in a small farming community in Northern Spain to Mariano and Josefa. In October of 1948, she married John Escudero, who lived in the same small town. In 1958 they moved, with their two sons, from Spain to Bates, OR. They lived in Bates until 1975, when the sawmill and Bates itself closed. They then moved to John Day, where Balbina lived the rest of her life. In John Day she worked at Dreamers Lodge for many years. She enjoyed traveling and exploring new places and cultures. While traveling she met some wonderful people and made dear friends that were very special to her. Throughout her life she loved to make things grow. She always had beautiful flowers around her house, and always had a garden, including last summer. But for Balbina the most important things in her life were family and friends. She was strong willed and fiercely independent, caring and loving, and she enjoyed life. Balbina was preceded in death by her husband John Escude- ro, her parents Mariano and Josefa, and her siblings Samuel and Prepe. She is survived by her sons John and Joe Escudero, five grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren. A Mass of Christian Burial attended by family was held on Thursday, January 27th, 2022 at St. Elizabeth Catholic Church in John Day, followed by interment at St. Andrews Catholic Ceme- tery in Canyon City. There will be a Celebration of Life service in late spring to be announced. Memorial contributions may be made to St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital through Driskill Memorial Chapel at 241 S. Canyon Blvd., John Day, Oregon 97845. Paid for by the family of Balbina Escu- S281707-1 dero Steven Mitchell/Blue Mountain Eagle Patty Ross, left, presents Nichole Rule with a check donated by a Grant County resident on Friday, Feb. 11, 2022. Ross helped organize a fundraising dinner at the Mt. Vernon Community Center for Rule, who is o ghting cancer. 8There is hope in humanity9 Friends, family rally to help Mt. Vernon woman with cancer By STEVEN MITCHELL Blue Mountain Eagle MT. VERNON 4 More than 100 people showed up to the Mt. Vernon Commu- nity Center Friday, Feb. 11, IRUDEHQH¿WGLQQHUDQGDXF tion for a woman recently diagnosed with cancer. Doctors in December diagnosed Mt. Vernon resi- 24/7 F ORECAST A UTOMATED : 541-575-1122 R OAD CONDITIONS : 511; TRIPCHECK . COM NOAA W EATHER R ADIO FOR J OHN D AY 162.500 MHz donate to the auction. Ross said $11,000 came in from the dinner and auc- tion and that others made monetary donations. According to Ross, even SHRSOH ZKR GLG QRW NQRZ 1LFN\ DQG 5XVW\ VKRZHG XS IRU WKH HYHQW WR PDNH donations. Not only did the event raise money to help the Rules, but it brought their extended family together. 1LFN\¶V VLEOLQJV ZKRP she had not seen in years, came out for the event, along ZLWK KHU NLGV ZKR WUDYHOHG from Las Vegas, Idaho and the other side of the state. <I9m just so over- ZKHOPHG´ 1LFN\ VDLG <For everybody to come together for me, it9s just been awesome.= Ross said the auction, din- QHUDQGIXQGUDLVLQJH൵RUWOHIW her and the handful of vol- unteers who organized the event with a <really warm IHHOLQJ MXVW WR NQRZ WKDW you9re helping somebody that9s going through a really rough time.= <There is hope in human- ity,= Ross said. Bringing back 8old-time religion9 ple will stand up in front of the congregation and sing by themselves. He said the special gives a person an opportunity to shine, and sometimes the singer will amaze others with their talent. <It9s a very unorganized and nondenominational,= he said. <We have some Adven- tists. We have all the denom- inations, represented at one time or another.= By ERICK PETERSON East Oregonian ECHO 4 Not every churchgoer appreciates the tide of change, according to one Hermiston resident. Doug Fehrenbacher said WKHUHDUHPDQ\EHOLHYHUVOLNH himself, who prefer hymns. They have been sidelined, in his estimation. He is trying to EULQJWKHPEDFNWRSRSXODULW\ with musical services at Echo Community Church on the ¿UVW6XQGD\RIHYHU\PRQWKDW 5:30 p.m. ³,WKLQNDORWRIROGHUSHR ple, people who have been Christians for a long time, feel left out,= he said. <The last thing an 80-year-old woman wants is to learn a new song. 7KH\OLNHWKHRQHVWKH\NQRZ´ He said people are allowed to sing the hymns they choose at his services from pro- vided hymnals. Attendees are accompanied by Louise Sundvall, a fellow Hermiston resident. <She is just absolutely out- standing,= Fehrenbacher said. ³1RW RQO\ GRHV VKH NQRZ DOO Last Week9s Temps John Day ...........................................................HI/LO Wednesday ..................................................... 55/32 Thursday .......................................................... 59/32 Friday ............................................................... 58/29 Saturday .......................................................... 56/29 Sunday ............................................................. 56/32 Monday............................................................ 44/29 Tuesday ........................................................... 43/27 dent Nichole Rule (who goes E\1LFN\ZLWKEODGGHUFDQ cer. Since then, accompanied by her husband, Rusty Rule, and her cousin, she has been PDNLQJORQJWULSVRXWVLGHWKH county for chemotherapy, and surgery is in her future. Cancer treatment isn9t FKHDS DQG WKH ELOOV TXLFNO\ began piling up. But friends rallied around to help, and WKH UHVXOW ZDV ODVW ZHHN¶V spaghetti dinner and auction. Patty Ross and a handful RI RWKHU YROXQWHHUV NLFNHG into gear and reached out to businesses for items to The importance of hymns He called his services important because music is Doug Fehrenbacher n ips through a hymnal Wednesday, Feb. 9, vital to the Christian faith. <I feel in so many church 2022, in the living room of his Hermiston home. services they use the music the songs, but she can run that Sundvall plays piano, but as a means of bringing people NH\ERDUGVREHDXWLIXOO\´ it is Fehrenbacher who is the IURP WKHLU SUREOHPV DQG R൵ Sundvall said she has been worship leader. He sings and the streets to where they can IRFXVRQWKHVSRNHQZRUG´KH playing piano for around 80 directs the service. years, though she has not He said he used to hold his said. In his services, however, played hymns exclusively. She services at a church in Herm- started with classical music, iston; however, his services Fehrenbacher puts total atten- tion on the music, he said. His then played for churches. became a problem. <I add my style to it,= she <As our numbers grew and services do not even have a said of church music. She JUHZ LW VHHPV OLNH ZH ZHUH sermon. After the hymns and described her style as <South- interfering with the other min- the special, there is only a fel- lowship get-together, which is ern gospel= with <life and istries,= he said. pep.= He expressed his feel- at the end of the service. He said people have a good ing the services were unap- SUHFLDWHG VR KH WRRN WKHP time with this and travel from elsewhere. The Echo church Richland, Washington, and invited him, he said, and has Walla Walla to attend. These hymns have served ³EHQW RYHU EDFNZDUGV´ KHOS him, as well as his congrega- ing put this together. <They9ve been just won- tion, Fehrenbacher said. He derful,= he said. <I can9t say added that hymns such as <It is Well with My Soul= have enough about them.= In one of his Echo Com- KHOSHGKLPGXULQJGDUNWLPHV munity services, attendees He said he will continue sing- sing six songs. Then, they ing hymns and giving others S279213-1 have what Fehrenbacher calls opportunities to sing them for <a special.= One or two peo- as long as he can. Ben Lonergan/East Oregonian W EATHER F ORECAST FOR THE WEEK OF F EB . 16-22 Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday Monday Tuesday AM clouds PM sun Partly cloudy Mostly cloudy Partly cloudy Snow showers Mostly cloudy Mostly cloudyy 32 28 27 26 45 24 52 28 55 28 53 38 38 40