A2
NEWS
Blue Mountain Eagle
Wednesday, March 23, 2022
LOCAL BRIEFING
Genealogy seminar set for March 31
JOHN DAY — The Grant County Genealogical Society will
hold its spring seminar from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Thursday,
March 31, in the conference room of the Oregon State Univer-
sity Grant County Extension Oﬃ ce, 116 NW Bridge St., John
Day.
Professional genealogist Kate Eakman will teach three
classes over the course of the day.
Participants will learn how to use professional standards of
genealogical proof; how to use their family tree and other DNA
tools to make the most of their autosomal DNA test results; and
how to enrich their family research by putting it in the context
of the times.
To get the most out of the class, bring a laptop and your own
DNA results.
The cost for the one-day seminar is $35 in advance or $40 at
the door. For more information or to preregister, call 541-575-
1431 or 541-620-4053.
Fiber Fest oﬀ ers FFA scholarships
PRAIRIE CITY — The Prairie City Fiber Fest is accepting
applications for its annual FFA scholarship.
Applications are due by April 1.
The $1,000 scholarship will be awarded to a graduating
Grant County FFA member who is pursuing higher education.
Application forms and requirements can be found online at
www.prairiecityﬁ berfest.com or can be picked up from guidance
counselors at Prairie City, Grant Union, Dayville or Monument
High School.
The Prairie City Fiber Fest is a nonproﬁ t organization that
beneﬁ ts Grant County 4-H and FFA groups. Funding is also
available to 4-H and FFA clubs that assist with the annual Fiber
Fest, which will be held this year on July 29-31. For more infor-
mation, visit the group’s website or email pcﬀ 2019@gmail.com.
Applications open for art scholarship
JOHN DAY — Applications are being accepted for the 2022
Grant County Art Association Scholarship.
The association oﬀ ers a $1,000 scholarship to a graduating
senior or ﬁ rst-year college student from Grant County.
To be considered, submit a completed application, a 100- to
150-word statement on your immediate and long-term goals in
the art ﬁ eld and photos of three original artworks, one black-and-
white, one color and one in any medium.
All materials must be submitted by 5 p.m. April 10 via email
to eloiseboren@icloud.com.
Application forms and detailed instructions are available
from area high school guidance counselors. For more informa-
tion, call Eloise Boren at 541-388-4698.
Grant County Sheriﬀ ’s Oﬃ ce/Contributed Photo
Fire tore through this house on Marysville Road in Canyon City on Friday, March 18, 2022. No one was hurt in the blaze, but the house
was badly damaged.
Fire guts house in Canyon City
By JUSTIN DAVIS
Blue Mountain Eagle
CANYON CITY — Local ﬁ re and law
enforcement agencies responded to mul-
tiple 911 calls reporting a house ﬁ re at
61695 Marysville Road in Canyon City
on Friday, March 18.
At the scene, ﬂ ames could be seen
shooting from the roof along with a
large plume of smoke also rising from
the roof. Multiple ﬁ reﬁ ghters were bat-
tling the blaze with water hoses as
the ﬂ ames were coming out of the
rooftop.
No one was injured in the blaze, but
the house was badly damaged and is now
uninhabitable, John Day Fire Chief Don
Gabbard told the Eagle.
The ﬁ re was ﬁ rst reported at about
2:50 p.m., according to dispatch logs.
Grant County Undersheriﬀ Zach Mob-
ley was ﬁ rst on scene and veriﬁ ed nobody
was in the residence and let a dog out of
the house.
Gabbard arrived on the scene at
3:03 p.m. and observed heavy smoke
coming from the attic. He said the fire
appears to have started in the attic
near a wood stove, and extensive fire,
smoke and water damage has rendered
the home unlivable.
First responders from the Canyon City,
Prairie City, Mount Vernon and John Day
ﬁ re departments responded to the call.
The Grant County Sheriﬀ ’s Department
also responded to the 911 calls.
Two ﬁ reﬁ ghters exposed to heat and
ﬂ ames were examined by the ambulance
crew and later cleared to return to work,
Gabbard said.
The last engine to return from the ﬁ re
arrived back at the station at 7:35 p.m.
There were no injuries to persons residing
at the house due to the ﬁ re.
Grant County man succumbs to COVID
By BENNETT HALL
Blue Mountain Eagle
Joseph Hathaway/Contributed Photo
The OTEC Member Foundation donated $1,500 to the Day-
ville Fire Department.
$1,500 donated to Dayville Fire
DAYVILLE — The OTEC Member Foundation has donated
$1,500 to the Dayville Fire Department to help construct a new
ﬁ re hall and repair ﬁ re equipment.
The all-volunteer department has been without a ﬁ re hall
since 2020 but recently hit its fundraising goal and hopes to start
construction on a new building soon.
The foundation is a nonproﬁ t that that oversees Oregon Trail
Electric Cooperative’s charitable giving. The money came from
the foundation’s Member-to-Member Bill Round Up Program,
which lets members round up their monthly bill payments to the
nearest dollar.
— Blue Mountain Eagle
SATURDAY, 2nd APRIL
Grant County Fair Grounds
LAKE CREEK
YOUTH CAMP
GALA
$20 advance purchase
$25 at the door
Doors open at 5:00 p.m.
Dinner starts at 6:00 p.m.
Silent, Live and Dessert Auctions
Games and Music
Drinks by Spitfire Cocktails
Pleases Join Us for our
Annual Fundraiser Gala
and Tri-Tip Dinner
S284975-1
JOHN DAY — Another
Grant County resident has
been lost to COVID-19.
The latest fatality is an
86-year-old man who died
on March 11 in his home,
according
to
informa-
tion released by the Grant
County Health Department
on Friday, March 18. The
man had underlying health
conditions.
The man’s name was not
released. Public health offi-
cials in Oregon do not dis-
close the identities of people
who die from COVID-19,
saying it would be a viola-
tion of their privacy.
A total of 20 Grant
County residents have died
from COVID-related causes
since the coronavirus pan-
demic began two years ago.
The Health Department
on Friday also announced
that three people tested pos-
itive for the disease.
Grant County has a cumu-
lative total of 1,644 cases of
COVID-19, according to the
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
most recent tally from the
Oregon Health Authority.
OHA data also shows
that Oregon has had a total
of 700,960 cases and 6,960
deaths from the disease.
Just under 79.7 mil-
lion Americans have been
infected with COVID-19 and
970,405 have died, accord-
ing to data compiled by
Thank You
Johns Hopkins University.
The Centers for Dis-
ease Control and Prevention
strongly encourage every-
one 5 and older to get vac-
cinated against COVID and
everyone 12 and older to get
a booster shot when eligible.
According to the CDC, vacci-
nations are still the most eﬀ ec-
tive way to protect individu-
als and communities from the
disease.
Local residents who want
to get vaccinated can make an
appointment with any of these
providers:
• Grant County Health
Department: 541-575-0429.
• Strawberry Wilder-
ness Community Clinic:
541-575-0404.
•
Len’s
Pharmacy:
541-575-0629.
• Grant Union SBHC:
541-575-0366.
We want to express our appreciation
to all of those who sent cards,
offered words of condolence, or gave
a hug and a smile, at the loss of
our lovely granddaughter
Charlette Jamesina Burghard.
Thank you for all
your kind, caring thoughts.
The most valuable and respected source of
local news, advertising and information
for our communities.
Roger and Meridith Ediger
eomediagroup.com
S286249-1
Last Week’s Temps
John Day ...........................................................HI/LO
Wednesday ..................................................... 48/29
Thursday .......................................................... 52/34
Friday ............................................................... 57/38
Saturday .......................................................... 44/27
Sunday ............................................................. 42/30
Monday............................................................ 47/41
Tuesday ........................................................... 62/40
Steven Mitchell/Blue Mountain Eagle, File
A rapid test for COVID-19 is shown at the Grant County Health Department.
W EATHER F ORECAST FOR THE WEEK OF M ARCH 23-29
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
Monday
Tuesday
Mostly
sunny
Parly
cloudy
Partly
cloudy
Cloudy
Cloudy
Mostly
cloudy
Partly
cloudy
70
62
68
66
58
52
59
40
39
42
42
47
33
34