NEWS
MyEagleNews.com
John
Day man
guilty of
weapons
charges
Blue Mountain Eagle
CANYON CITY —
A John Day man has
been convicted of multi-
ple charges in connection
with a May 25 incident in
which he fi red at least one
shot at imaginary “intrud-
ers” he thought were try-
ing to break into a garage
at a house on Lower Yard
Road.
There were no actual
intruders and no one was
hurt, according to law
enforcement. Christopher
Ryan Hoppe, 39, was taken
into custody without fur-
ther incident.
In a bench trial on
Wednesday, July 6, in
Grant County Circuit
Court, Judge Robert F.
Nichols found Hoppe
guilty of three counts of
felon in possession of a
fi rearm, one count of felon
in possession of a restricted
weapon (brass knuckles)
and one count of third-de-
gree criminal mischief (for
damaging a door).
The judge found Hoppe
not guilty on two counts
of recklessly endangering
another person, and Hoppe
was acquitted of three
counts of fi rst-degree theft.
A sentencing hearing is
scheduled for 2 p.m. Aug.
11 in Grant County Circuit
Court.
Wednesday, July 13, 2022
PAC wants a redo on pool bond
By JUSTIN DAVIS
Blue Mountain Eagle
JOHN DAY — A political action com-
mittee made up of residents in the John
Day/Canyon City Parks and Recreation
District is looking to get the pool bond
back on the ballot.
The PAC, called Yes to JDCC Swim
Center, was formed in April to sup-
port Measure 12-80. Now the group has
amassed over 200 signatures on a change.
org petition calling for the bond to be put
back on the ballot in November.
The $4 million bond measure, which
would have added 70 cents per $1,000
of assessed valuation to property tax bills
within the district’s boundaries, failed after
balloting in the May 17 election ended in
an 802-802 deadlock.
PAC members Ashley Armichardy,
Chris Cronin and Jesse Schaefer say the
time is right to put the pool bond back on
the ballot, arguing that a tie vote isn’t a
defi nitive outcome.
The eff ort began almost immediately
after the May vote was fi nalized.
“We were just waiting for the offi cial
results,” Schaefer said. “We knew it was
going to be really close. We were ready to
get organized again. The fi rst thing we did
was write a letter and submit it to the John
Day/Canyon City Parks and Rec board
asking them to resubmit the bond to the
ballot for the November election.”
Cronin said she was disappointed that
the bond failed but stressed that it is hard
to pass a levy in Grant County: “I felt like
we had the momentum to go forward and
we knew there were other yes votes out
there that didn’t get to be counted.”
“A 50/50 split was by no means a
defi nitive answer against a pool levy or
a pool bond, so we’re ready to go again,”
Armichardy said.
Schaefer added that the result was dis-
appointing knowing how much support
there was for a pool and that one vote was
the diff erence between the bond passing
or failing.
The bond had and still has opponents,
and the women say the PAC is ready for
the opposition.
“The information that we have is that
A3
Mt. Vernon
man charged
with having
explosive device
By STEVEN MITCHELL
Blue Mountain Eagle
Bennett Hall/Blue Mountain Eagle, File
A sign urges voters to approve a $4 million bond measure to fi nance a new com-
munity pool. The vote ended in a tie.
they are operating under a lot of misinfor-
mation,” Cronin said.
An agreement to sell Gleason Park and
Gleason Pool to the state for the expansion
of the Kam Wah Chung State heritage site
was already in place before the vote. The
“redo, not brand new” campaign against
the pool bond, PAC members say, misled
voters as to what their options were.
The subject of building a new pool by
way of a bond became a political issue,
something Cronin thinks should never
have happened.
“To me, a pool shouldn’t be political,”
she said. “It should just be something that
we want for our community. I can under-
stand if people are worried about the cost,
but for it to rise to the level of personal
attacks and viciousness was surprising to
me.”
Armichardy referenced the sale of
Gleason Pool in November 2021 and
added that the outcome of the bond had
nothing to do with whether or not that sale
would move forward. She added that once
the Kam Wah Chung expansion project
breaks ground, it will be apparent that the
only way to get a pool in the community
is to pass the bond measure.
Pool bond opponent Bob Pereira said
he is aware that there is a group trying to
get the pool bond back on the ballot, call-
ing it “round three.”
Pereira also pushes back on the redo
issue, saying that repairing the pool was a
possibility right up until the start of dem-
olition of the old pool facility. Pereira
added that he believes the demolition of
the pool was premature because the vote
had not been certifi ed yet and was done
out of spite.
Time is working against supporters of
a pool, however. The $2 million state lot-
tery grant that was allocated toward the
pool’s $6 million total cost will eventu-
ally expire and have to be returned if the
pool is not built. Another hurdle is a state-
ment by a Parks and Rec representative
that the district board wouldn’t seek to put
the bond back on the ballot in November.
“They’d thought that a group of citi-
zens could put it forth, but a group of cit-
izens can’t put a tax levy on the ballot,”
Cronin said. “They need to make the deci-
sion. We’re hoping to convince them that
this is worth doing again.”
Yet another obstacle in the way of the
pool bond is the possibility that the county
might put a law enforcement bond on the
November ballot. Some observers worry
that having two tax levies on the same bal-
lot could mean one or both would fail.
Despite those circumstances, the PAC
members said they hope people will sign
the petition to put the pool bond back on
the ballot this fall.
“We need people to come forward and
voice their support so Parks and Rec feel
confi dent that that’s the right thing to do,”
Cronin said. “We feel it is. ... We feel like
there is a good chance that this could go
forward this time.”
MT. VERNON — Grant County
sheriff ’s deputies and Oregon state
troopers arrested a Mt. Vernon man on
a weapons charge and others including
possession of an improvised explosive
device Wednesday, July 6.
A little after 9 a.m. Wednes-
day, Grant County deputies and state
troopers arrested Chance Fleetwood,
23, near Ingle Street in Mt. Vernon,
according to a Grant County Sheriff ’s
Offi ce press release.
McKinley said Fleetwood was act-
ing erratically, walking around and
brandishing brass knuckles. He said
offi cers found the explosive device
while arresting Fleetwood.
McKinley said the explosive
device was rendered safe and was not
a threat to the arresting offi cers. How-
ever, he added, it could have been. The
device, he said, was not just a “chunk
of fi reworks.”
McKinley said the Grant County
Sheriff ’s Offi ce obtained a warrant to
search Fleetwood’s home at 400 Cot-
tonwood St. in Mt. Vernon.
The Grant County Sheriff ’s Offi ce
and OSP searched the home a little
after 8 p.m. Wednesday and recovered
additional materials for making explo-
sive devices, according to the news
release.
McKinley thanked those who see
“things of concern and report them to
the appropriate authorities.”
Fleetwood was arraigned in Grant
County Circuit Court Thursday, July
7, on one count of unlawful pos-
session of a destructive device, one
count of manufacture of a destructive
device, two counts of carrying a con-
cealed weapon without a permit and
one count of second-degree disor-
derly conduct.
WHAT’S HAPPENING
SATURDAY, JULY 16
Grant County Farmers Market
• 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., South Wash-
ington Street, Canyon City
Locally-grown produce and
other items for sale in an open-air
setting every Saturday from mid-
June through mid-October.
Public Archaeology Day
• 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Kam Wah
Chung State Heritage Site, North-
west Canton Street, John Day
Archaeologists from the South-
ern Oregon University Laboratory
of Anthropology will be on hand to
answer questions from the public
as they dig for artifacts at the site
of the former Gleason Pool, home
of the soon-to-be-expanded Kam
Wah Chung State Heritage Site.
There will also be informational
exhibits and hands-on activities.
Sponsored by SOU Laboratory of
Anthropology, Oregon State parks,
Malheur National Forest, John Day
Fossil Beds national Monument
and local museums.
Lecture
• 4-6 p.m., Canyon City Com-
munity Center
W HAT’S
HAPPENING
Sam Roxas-Chua Yao, a poet,
writer, sound recordist and artist
in residence at the Portland Chi-
natown Museum, will give a free
public lecture as part of Public
Archaeology Day.
Do you have a community
event you’d like to publicize? Email
information to editor@bmeagle.
com. The deadline is noon Fri-
day for publication the following
Wednesday.
• Dusk, Grant Union Junior/
Senior High School, 911 S. Can-
yon Blvd., John Day
A free series of family-friendly
movies screened outdoors on
the football fi eld at Grant Union.
Tonight’s selection: “The Mitchells
vs. the Machines.”
SATURDAY, JULY 30
Grant County Farmers
Market
• 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., South Wash-
ington Street, Canyon City
Locally-grown produce and
other items for sale in an open-air
setting every Saturday from mid-
June through mid-October.
SUNDAY, JULY 31
SATURDAY, JULY 23
Grant County Farmers
Market
• 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., South Wash-
ington Street, Canyon City
Locally-grown produce and
other items for sale in an open-air
setting every Saturday from mid-
June through mid-October.
Family Movie Night
Silvies Sunday Slam
• 11:30 a.m., The Retreat and
Links at Silvies Valley Ranch, 11
miles south of Seneca on Forest
Road 3930
Couples date: Any two peo-
ple play for $50 apiece (husband/
wife, boyfriend girlfriend, father/
daughter, mother/son, etc.). Sun-
day Slams, open to all Grant and
Harney County residents, include
golf, cart, range balls and a hotdog
lunch. Check-in at the gatehouse
starts at 11:30 a.m., with the fi rst
tee time at 1 p.m. Call 800-SIL-
VIES to sign up.
Showing Movies Since 1940!
1809 1st Street • Baker City
 JULY 15-21 
Lela would like to
thank everyone
who attended her
100th Birthday
Party. Thank you
so much for the
money, candy,
cards and snacks.
WHERE THE
CRAWDADS SING
Fri - Sun
Mon - Thurs
1:00, 4:00, 7:00
4:00, 7:00
THOR:
LOVE
& THUNDER (PG-13)
Thor enlists the help of Valkyrie, Korg and ex-girlfriend
Jane Foster to fight a galactic killer known as Gorr the God
Butcher, who intends to make the gods extinct.
Fri - Sun
Mon - Thurs
1:10, 4:10, 7:10
4:10, 7:10
MINIONS:
THE RISE OF GRU
Sincerely,
Your Friend
Lela Sloan.
(PG-13)
A woman who raised herself in the marshes of the deep
South becomes a suspect in the murder of a man she was
once involved with.
(PG)
The untold story of one twelve-year-old’s dream to become
the world’s greatest supervillain
Fri - Sun
Mon - Thurs
1:20, 4:20, 7:20
4:20, 7:20
**SHOWTIMES SUBJECT TO CHANGE. VISIT
OUR WEBSITE OR CALL AHEAD TO VERIFY**
www.eltrym.com
(541) 523-2522
New CEO Joins
Blue Mountain Hospital District
John Day, 7/8/2022 — Blue Mountain
Hospital District is pleased to announce
Cam Marlowe, MBA, as the new Chief
Executive Officer. Cam started on June
27th and is currently working side-by-side
with outgoing CEO Derek Daly the first
three weeks of July to ensure a smooth
transition.
Cam comes to us with 26 years of
healthcare management experience in
multiple healthcare settings throughout
Oregon and Idaho. He was also BMHD’s
CFO between 2018 and 2020. He holds
a masters degree in business as well as
a bachelor's degree in both healthcare
administration and finance.
“I’m excited for the opportunity to work
with many of the same providers, health-
care professionals, support staff, BMHD
Board of Directors, community leaders
and partners that were here during
my time as CFO.” said Cam Marlowe,
BMHD’s new CEO. “I also look forward
to getting to know and work with many
others and to continue to build upon the
strengths that already exist in the hospital, clinic, EMS, home health/hospice, and
care center services that BMHD offers. I am honored to work with such a wonderful
group of well-intentioned individuals with such a strong desire to provide the best
care for the residents and visitors of Grant County.”
On behalf of the Board of Directors, Amy Kreger, BMHD Board Chair stated “Cam’s
BMHD familiarity and experience gained through previously serving as our Chief Fi-
nancial Officer, along with the Grant County relationships he has sustained in recent
years, make him a great fit for our organization and community we serve. We believe
Cam’s strong background and experience in healthcare leadership, finance, and
operations will serve him well as the next CEO of Blue Mountain Hospital District.”
Cam and his wife Amy have three adult children and are proud grandparents to one
grandson. They look forward to rekindling old friendships and enjoying everything
Grant County has to offer.
Please welcome Cam and Amy!
The City of Mt. Vernon would like to thank
the following for their generous donations to
the Mt. Vernon Kids Summer Lunch Program:
Judi Bennett
Rebecca Carey
Brad & Laurie Cates
Roy & Evelyn Cates
Chester’s Markets
Brenda Coley
Ersela Dehiya
Figaro’s Pizza
First Community Credit
Union
Frontier Equipment
Frontier Rental
Jerry & Laura Gill
Wes & Laura Grant
Harrison Ranch
Iron Triangle LLC.
John Day Auto Parts
John Day True Value
Sandi Johnson
Delinda Kluser
Land Title Company of
Grant County
Kathleen Lee
Charlotte McCumber
Old West Federal Credit
Union
Oregon Telephone Co
Kara & Scott Patterson
Taylor Palmateer
Rhonda Sorenson
Marge Walton
Adele Wilson
Without these donations this program
would not be possible.