A2
NEWS
Blue Mountain Eagle
House destroyed in Ritter fi re
By TONY CHIOTTI
Blue Mountain Eagle
RITTER — No one was
injured in a fi re that destroyed
a house in Ritter on Wednes-
day, Sept. 21.
A structure fi re was
reported at 2:11 p.m. at the
residence of Vega Nuñez on
School House Lane.
Nuñez managed to escape
from the residence and make
her way to a neighboring
ranch to call for help, accord-
ing to information from
the Grant County Sheriff ’s
Offi ce.
The structure was “a total
loss,” according to Sheriff
Todd McKinley.
Contributed Photo
The home of Vega Nuñez was destroyed in a blaze on Wednes-
day, Sept. 21, 2022, but fi refi ghters and neighbors kept a brush
fi re from spreading beyond the immediate area.
Long Creek Fire and sev-
eral neighbors were on scene
to contain the brush and grass
fi re, which spread to the
northeast of the structure.
McKinley wanted to thank
the members of the Rit-
ter homeowner fi re crews
that showed up to fi ght
the fi re with their personal
equipment.
“This is what neigh-
bor helping neighbor is all
about,” McKinley said. He
also said those eff orts helped
prevent the fi re from spread-
ing to other homes.
The Offi ce of the State
Fire Marshal is investigating
the fi re.
While no cause has yet
been reported, McKinley said
that this is a good time for
homeowners to do a check
of their heating sources and
smoke alarms as cooler
weather approaches.
Youngster’s gift aids grief center
By STEVEN MITCHELL
Blue Mountain Eagle
JOHN DAY — A second-year 4-H’er
made good on his pledge to donate the pro-
ceeds from selling his market steer at the
Youth Livestock Auction in August to the
John Day-based grief center Thadd’s Place
on Friday, Sept. 23.
The charitable gift has become some-
thing of a tradition for Tate Waddel. The
11-year-old, who has cerebral palsy and
requires regular physical therapy, donated
the proceeds from the sale of his 4-H steer
last year to Blue Mountain Hospital’s Reha-
bilitation Services Department.
This year, Tate gave the nearly $12,000
brought in by his steer — donated by the
Loop Ranch and purchased by Iron Trian-
gle — to the John Day nonprofi t grief cen-
ter Thadd’s Place.
The grief center — the only one of its kind
east of the Cascades — will use the funds to
pay a licensed clinical social worker, accord-
ing to Tirza Shaff er, Thadd’s Place’s execu-
tive director.
Shaff er said the grief center saw roughly
300 people, many of them children, last year.
Tate’s mother, Simmie Waddel, said it
SALEM — As Oregon reg-
ulators hit the brakes on autho-
rizing new irrigation wells, the
decision is raising concerns that
scant groundwater data may
LOCAL BRIEFING
Malheur lowers fi re restrictions
JOHN DAY — In the wake of recent rains, the Mal-
heur National Forest has rescinded public use restric-
tions on the Blue Mountain and Prairie City ranger dis-
tricts in the northern part of the forest effective Friday,
Sept. 23, forest officials announced.
At the same time, officials reduced the industrial fire
precaution levels from Level 2 to Level 1 and lowered
the fire danger rating from high to moderate.
Forest visitors who want to have campfires are
reminded to use existing fire pits whenever possible
and keep water and a shovel handy. Chainsaw users are
asked to practice safe operations, maintain their equip-
ment, and carry a shovel and water or a fire extinguisher.
Fire danger remains high in the Emigrant Creek
Ranger District, which covers the southern portion of the
forest. Phase B public use restrictions and Level 2 indus-
trial fire precautions remain in effect.
Free parenting classes start soon
CANYON CITY — A six-week series of free parent-
ing classes is being offered to Grant County residents.
The Triple P Positive Parenting Program aims to give
parents tools and strategies to enhance child develop-
ment while making parenting more enjoyable.
Sponsored by Families First, Community Counseling
Solutions and the Frontier Early Learning Hub, classes
will be held from 5:30 to 8 p.m. on Thursdays starting
Oct. 6 at the Painted Sky Center for the Arts, 118 Wash-
ington St. in Canyon City.
The weeks of Oct. 24 and 31 will be reserved for indi-
vidual phone consultations, with the final class being
held at the art center on Nov. 10.
Free dinner and child care will be offered with each
class.
Register online at https://tinyurl.com/bdevzm6s. For
more information, call 541-575-1006 or email ffhvkat@
gmail.com.
Local student enrolls at USU
Steven Mitchell/Blue Mountain Eagle
Tate Waddel goes up for a high fi ve Friday, Sept. 23, 2022, at Thadd’s Place, after do-
nating the proceeds from the sale of his 4-H steer to the John Day-based grief center.
was important for their family to donate the
funds to Thadd’s Place this year.
For one thing, she said, Thaddeus Cow-
an-Thompson, who the grief center was
named after, was in her 4-H club (along with
Shaff er, Thadd’s sister).
“It’s just hard to lose somebody,” she
said. “We don’t know how to do it some-
times. So just having some guidance (with
the grief process) is helpful.”
The stigma surrounding mental health,
Simmie said, is detrimental to the grief
process.
“It’s human nature,” she said. “Until
you talk about (grief), you feel alone
until you can associate what you’re going
through with somebody else and not feel
alone.”
Groundwater data gaps may hinder wells
By MATEUSZ PERKOWSKI
Capital Press
Wednesday, September 28, 2022
indefi nitely hinder new drilling.
The state’s Water Resources
Department is preparing to
revise its groundwater regula-
tions, but in the meantime plans
to err on the side of caution in
issuing new well permits.
Up to 80% of well per-
Kenneth Robert Moore
March 28, 1941 ~ September 4, 2022
Kenneth Robert Moore, 81
years old, of Mount Vernon went
home to be with his Lord on Sep-
tember 4, 2022. He was born
at his grandmother’s farm to Ira
Dale and Leora Mae Moore on
March 28, 1941 in McMinnville.
Ken was raised in Beaverton
where he attended and graduat-
ed from Beaverton High School
in 1960. He was a member of
the All National Guard Rifle Team
and Hillsboro Rifle Team. Ken
received many accolades for his
fine marksmanship.
In 1966, Kenneth accepted a
position with ODFW and moved to Grant County. On September
27, 1966, Ken married Diana Olson. They had two children, Vic-
toria and Daniel.
Ken “The Griz” Moore was an avid hunter and trapper. He sea-
sonally guided big game in Alaska for many years, and was known
for his convictions for the proper game management. Some of
his other interests included: Target shooting with friends, reading,
gardening, preserving his harvests, collecting antiques and Indi-
an artifacts, rock hounding, and garage saling. Ken was a simple
man. In his heart he was born in yesteryear, and lived his life this
way.
On February 13, 1993, Ken married Jane Richert. On that day,
he gained three more daughters and one more son. Ken and Jane
together opened the Canyon Mountain Traders Antique Store.
Ken is survived by his brothers Norm Moore of Chemult and
Bill Moore of Paris, Kentucky; his wife of 29 years, Jane Moore;
his daughter Victoria Stacey (Kevin) of Lyons; and his son Daniel
Moore (Heather) of Bend; and his grandchildren Ashley, Mac-
Kenzie, Sabrina, Dakota and Storm; and great-grandchild Charlie.
In his blended family, he had six children, 13 grandchildren
and 19 great-grandchildren, all who loved him very much.
A celebration of life will be held at a later date.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to:
Blue Mountain Hospice, John Day Church of the Nazarene, or the
NRA. Paid for by the family of Ken Moore.
mit applications have tradition-
ally been approved even when
it’s unknown whether the local
aquifer is over-appropriated, but
the agency recently decided to
reverse that policy.
New permits are now likely
to be denied if such information
is lacking, which is intended
to prevent groundwater from
being depleted — already a seri-
ous problem in some basins.
The policy shift may pre-
clude new well permits until
OWRD has enough groundwa-
ter data to make such determina-
tions, but collecting and analyz-
ing the information takes time
and money.
During a Sept. 22 public
meeting in Salem on Oregon’s
groundwater policy, some par-
ticipants wondered whether
such data gaps will become a
DEATH NOTICES
Alva D. Conlee
Alva D. Conlee, 90, of John Day passed away Sept. 21,
2022, with his loving family by his side. A memorial ser-
vice with honors is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 8, 2022,
at 11 a.m. at the Canyon City Cemetery. Following the ser-
vice, a reception will be held at the John Day Elks Lodge.
To send an online condolence to the family, visit www.
driskillmemorialchapel.com.
BIRTHS
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
Ag heritage commission recruiting
SALEM — The Oregon Agricultural Heritage Commis-
sion is seeking a new member to fi ll an open seat represent-
ing natural resource issues.
The commission oversees the Oregon Agricultural Her-
itage Program, created by the Legislature in 2017 to help
protect the state’s working farms and ranches. Commis-
sioners also make grant funding recommendations to the
Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board, which administers
the program.
Applications will be accepted until Oct. 31. To apply,
visit the program’s website at https://tinyurl.com/mrxj5399.
— Blue Mountain Eagle
4-Hers earn state honors
Blue Mountain Eagle
Grant County 4—H
exhibitors brought home
several awards from this
year’s Oregon State Fair.
Each exhibitor had to first
qualify at the Grant County
Fair before advancing to
the state fair competition.
Art
Jordan Ross: Junior Drawing
(person) — Blue & Exceptional
Award
Jordan Ross: Junior Multiple
Media (person) — Blue & Excep-
tional Award
Kaila Shaffer: Junior Multiple
Media (giraffe) — Blue
Abigail Humphreys: Junior
Stenciling (home décor) — Blue
Mahayla Moss: Junior Stencil-
ing (Welcome sign) — Blue
Paizley Harmon: Intermedi-
ate Drawing, wood burning (home
décor) — Blue
Sophia McKinley: Senior Paint-
ing (person) — Blue
Sophia
McKinley:
Senior
Drawing (person) — Red
Cake Decorating
Mahayla Moss: Junior Dec-
orated Cupcake (flower) Ph. 2
— Blue
Clothing & Textiles
Audrey Colson: Junior Non-gar-
ment (pillow case) Level 1 — Blue
& Exceptional Award
Container Gardening
Mahayla Moss: Junior (fairy
garden) — Blue & Exceptional
Award
Nina Kim Latelle Ensign
Nina Kim Latelle Ensign was
born on Aug. 3, 2022, to Clayton
and Thea Ensign of John Day. She
weighed 7 pounds, 14 ounces, and
measured 19.5 inches. Nina joins
sisters Ava and Anna and brother
James. Grandparents are Craig and
Jan Ensign of Long Creek and Wes
and Terry Aasness of Mt. Vernon.
Last Week’s Temps
John Day ...........................................................HI/LO
Wednesday ..................................................... 68/48
Thursday .......................................................... 67/39
Friday ............................................................... 72/43
Saturday .......................................................... 76/44
Sunday ............................................................. 84/48
Monday............................................................ 91/52
Tuesday ........................................................... 88/52
long-term impediment to new
well drilling.
“You can’t wait for decades
to get enough data to make a
decision,” one participant said.
Questions were also raised
about the geographic extent
of the problem and whether
OWRD will commit to
increased groundwater monitor-
ing to obtain the data.
One participant asked if
farmers can access a map show-
ing where information is insuffi -
cient, or if being denied a permit
is the only way to fi nd out.
While OWRD does have
good data available through its
online groundwater information
system, it doesn’t have a map
delineating specifi cally where
data is insuffi cient, said Ivan
Gall, administrator of the agen-
cy’s fi eld services division.
LOGAN , Utah — Max Bailey of John Day has enrolled
in Utah State University for the fall semester, the university
announced.
Bailey will be one of 4,500 fi rst-year students starting col-
lege at Utah State this fall.
Vegetables & Herbs
Mahayla Moss: Junior fresh cut
herb (mint) — Blue
Educational Displays
Porter Adams: Junior (beef arti-
ficial insemination) — Blue
Brett Burril: Junior (beef cuts of
meat) — Blue
Audrey Colson: Junior (German
shorthair pointers) — Blue
Lilly Rockhill: Intermediate
(five common houseplant pests)
— Blue
Food & Nutrition
Brooklyn Grassl: Junior Muffin
(poppy seed) Level 1 — Blue
Parker Grassl: Junior Muffin
(banana) Level 1 Red
Laynie Harmon: Intermediate
Shortened Cakes Level 3 (chocolate
chip cake) — Blue
Sierra Jenks: Intermediate Yeast
Bread with added ingredient (herb
bread) Level 3 — Blue
Food Preservation
Mahayla Moss: Junior Fruit-
Based Product (strawberry butter)
— Blue
Mahayla Moss: Junior Dried
Fruit (cinnamon apples) — Blue
Mahayla Moss: Junior Food
Preservation Gift Pack (Christmas
theme) — Blue
Leathercraft
Nevin Thomas, Junior assembly
techniques (knife sheath)— Blue
Presentations (live contest)
Lilly Rockhill: Intermediate
Impromptu Speaking — Red
Photography
Abigail Humphreys: Junior
Landscape (snow scene/tractor)
— Blue
Brooklyn Grassl: Junior Land-
scape (sunset powerlines) — Blue
Madalynn Grassl: Intermediate
Plants (yellow flower) — Blue
Madalynn Grassl: Intermedi-
ate Landscape (sunset rimrocks)
— Red
Hannah McKinley: Intermedi-
ate Animals (kitten) — Red
Lilly Cave: Senior Architec-
tural (bridge waterfall) — Blue
Lilly Cave: Senior Animals
(wild dog) — White
Eggs
Kaila Shaffer: Junior Brown
Eggs — Red
W EATHER F ORECAST FOR THE WEEK OF S EPT . 28-O CT . 4
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
Monday
Tuesday
Partly
cloudy
Partly
cloudy
Mostly
sunny
Sunny
Sunny
Sunny
Partly
cloudy
81
64
72
76
81
81
79
46
40
41
45
47
49
48