NEWS
MyEagleNews.com
Wednesday, November 16, 2022
A3
ODOT faces regional labor shortage
By DICK MASON
The Observer
LA GRANDE — A labor short-
age has Oregon Department of Trans-
portation offi cials juggling schedules
and resources in Eastern Oregon as the
winter season’s icy grip tightens.
The department’s Eastern Oregon
region, which is composed of Mor-
row, Umatilla, Union, Wallowa, Baker,
Grant, Harney and Malheur counties,
has 300 total positions. The region now
has 38 vacancies, about 25 of which
are permanent and seasonal road main-
tenance positions, according to Ken
Patterson, the manager of ODOT’s
Area 5 region.
The vacancies mean some ODOT
crews may have to do more with less
as they work to keep Interstate 84 and
state highways clear of snow and ice.
“We will do as much as we can with
the people we have,” Patterson said.
The employee shortage is linked to
a falling number of seasonal workers,
who are hired to work from November
through April.
“Our No. 1 concern going into win-
ter is seasonal labor,” said Rich Lani,
the manager of ODOT’s District 12,
which covers Umatilla and Morrow
counties and the northern half of Union
County.
Stricter regulations
ODOT’s labor shortage is more dif-
fi cult to address today than it was two
years ago because of a new state regu-
lation that makes the process of earn-
ing a commercial driver’s license more
time-consuming.
The additional regulations make
it harder to fi nd potential employees
who are ready to begin driving snow-
plows and trucks. ODOT is hiring peo-
ple without CDLs and then helping
them earn the accreditation. However,
a number of employees leave ODOT
after receiving their CDLs because
they are now able to land higher pay-
ing jobs elsewhere.
“Having a CDL gives you more
options,” explained Ace Clark, man-
ager of ODOT’s District 13, which
includes all or portions of Union,
Baker and Wallowa counties.
Ace Clark/Contributed Photo
An Oregon Department of Transportation snowplow clears a roadway in Bak-
er County.
Group works to recover MIA remains
By MICHAEL KOHN
The Bulletin
BEND — Americans who join the
U.S. armed forces are given a prom-
ise. Their remains will be brought
home should they fall in battle while
fi ghting overseas.
Bend resident Derek Abbey leads
one group that intends to make good
on that promise.
Abbey is the chief executive offi -
cer and president of Project Recover,
a nonprofi t organization that scours
the Earth for the remains of American
service members missing in action in
all wars and military confl icts since
World War II.
Recovered or still lost, they are
equally remembered on Veteran’s
Day.
More than 80,000 American ser-
vice members are considered miss-
ing in action by the Department of
Defense. Around 72,000 of those
MIA service members fought in
World War II; another 7,000 fought
in the Korean War, and nearly 1,600
fought in Vietnam.
“The numbers drive us more
towards World War II missions, but
we focus on where the information
takes us,” said Abbey, a Bend resident
for the past three years. “We are evi-
dence and science focused so that is
what drives us.”
In addition to running the non-
profi t, Abbey has participated in
more than 15 missions to search for
the remains of service members. His
next trip is to the jungles of Palau
where the U.S. fought Japanese forces
in pitched battles over the far-fl ung
Pacifi c archipelago.
Dick Tobiason, a retired Army
lieutenant colonel and Vietnam War
vet who lives in Bend, said there are
several American groups that look for
MIA Americans, and Project Recover
is among those doing crucial research
and recovery work.
“Everyone that looks for them
improves the chances of recovery,”
said Tobiason, who is leading the Vet-
erans Day parade Friday in Bend.
Project Recover relies on dona-
tions to operate. One of its biggest
donors is the Friedkin Group, a pri-
vately held consortium that operates a
number of businesses including Toy-
ota distribution. Abbey believes that
even though the nonprofi t is run by
just a few people, it’s every Ameri-
can’s mission to bring home service
members killed in combat.
“We make a promise that we will
do everything we can to return them
if they fall in battle, and that prom-
ise doesn’t have an expiration date,”
said Abbey. “Not everyone can take
Project Recover/Contributed Photo
An archaeologist inspects material
found at a potential MIA site deep in
the jungle of Palau.
off to the jungles and waters around
the world so we do that on behalf of
all Americans.”
Project Recover, which began as
the BentProp Project, has located, doc-
umented, and conducted the recovery
of dozens of service members since it
began operating nearly three decades
ago. The organization has worked in
more than 20 countries and territories,
including Korea, Kuwait, Vietnam,
Denmark, and Micronesia, among
other places.
Much of the work is done with cut-
ting-edge technology, including torpe-
do-shaped robotic submersibles that
can dive deep underwater to search for
planes and shipwrecks. Once a wreck
is located, team members scuba dive
to the ocean fl oor when possible to try
and identify the plane. After amassing
information about the plane, they then
try to identify the crew.
Surviving families of the MIA ser-
vice members and pilots are informed
of the discovery. Remains and per-
sonal items are repatriated when pos-
sible. To date, Project Recover has
repatriated the remains of 15 Ameri-
cans that had been missing in action
for decades.
Abbey’s fi eld teams include an
archaeologist, and all information
is shared with the host nation. Any
human remains that are found are
brought to the Defense POW/MIA
Accounting Agency labs in Nebraska
or Hawaii, where researchers use
DNA and other methods to try and
identify the MIA service members.
“Fifteen MIA cases have been
closed,” said Abbey. “These service
members were repatriated back to
their families and received full mili-
tary honors upon their return.”
For those families who have
received word that their MIA relative
was located, it can be a life-changing
experience. That is what happened to
Casey Doyle, a lieutenant colonel in
the U.S. Marine Corps whose grand-
father went missing in World War II
when his B-24 aircraft was shot down
over Palau. Doyle said his father and
grandmother spent their lives wonder-
ing about their loved one, sometimes
considering the possibility that he
could still be alive somewhere.
“While loved ones always hold to
any hope that the MIA might be alive,
it can be incredibly painful to think
that the service member might choose
to not come home. That idea can fes-
ter into life-altering changes,” said
Doyle.
Project Recover spent years locat-
ing the crash site of the B-24 and even-
tually found the remains of Doyle’s
grandfather.
“Although it has been more than
10 years since my grandfather was
properly returned and buried next to
his wife, I still fi nd it hard to put into
words my family’s and my gratitude,”
said Doyle. “They literally changed
the history of my family. They healed
wounds that had only grown, not
diminished, for my family over the
many years since my grandfather
disappeared.”
Even after a great discovery, the
work still continues. Sites located
and documented by Project Recover
associated with more than 100 MIAs
remain open, awaiting recovery
eff orts or offi cial identifi cation, Abbey
added.
WHAT’S HAPPENING
SATURDAY, NOV. 19
FRIDAY, DEC. 2
Cowboy Christmas Coro-
nation Dinner
• 5 p.m., Trowbridge
Pavilion, Grant County Fair-
grounds, 411 NW Bridge St.,
John Day
The 2023 Grant County
Fair and Rodeo court will be
crowned at this gala aff air,
which features a tri-tip din-
ner, a no-host bar and music
by DJ Chris Gibson, as well
as live and silent auctions.
The cost for dinner is $18
per person or $34 per couple.
For more information, call
Whitney Richey at 541-228-
4604 or Mindy Winegar at
541-620-8058.
Carrie Young Memorial
Dinner and Auction
• 5 p.m., John Daty Elks
Lodge, 140 NE Dayton St.,
John Day
The 30th annual Carrie
Young Memorial Dinner and
Auction will feature a dona-
tion-only dinner of spaghetti,
salad and bread as well as live
and silent auctions to raise
money to provide Christmas
presents and necessities to
Grant County senior citizens
and assisted living residents.
THURSDAY, NOV. 24
Community Thanksgiv-
ing dinner
• 1-4 p.m., John Day Elks
W HAT’S
HAPPENING
Lodge, 140 NE Dayton St.,
John Day
Volunteers will dish up
a free Thanksgiving dinner
to all comers at the John Day
Elks Lodge. The traditional
menu will include turkey, ham,
mashed potatoes and gravy,
green bean casserole, sweet
potatoes, rolls, stuffi ng, cran-
berries and pies. Those who are
disabled or homebound can call
the lodge at 541-575-1824 to
request deliveries. Leave a mes-
sage with your name, address,
phone number and how many
meals you will need.
SATURDAY, DEC. 3
Blue Mountain Hospital
Bazaar
• 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Trow-
bridge Pavilion and Keer-
ins Hall, Grant County Fair-
grounds, 411 NW Bridge St.,
John Day
Hosted by the Blue Moun-
tain Hospital Auxiliary, this
annual event will feature a
wide array of holiday gift
items, many of them hand-
crafted. Lunch, pie and coff ee
will be available. A portion of
the proceeds goes to support
projects of the Blue Mountain
Hospital District.
FRIDAY, DEC. 9
Holiday Showcase
• 6:30 p.m., Grant Union
High School, 911 S. Canyon
Blvd., John Day
This 24th annual event
will feature special perfor-
mances by Grant Union Gold
SATURDAY, DEC. 10
Ugly Sweater Christmas
Bazaar
• Monument Senior Cen-
ter, 269 Main St., Monument
Wear an ugly sweater to be
entered into a drawing. Tables
are available at a cost of $15.
To reserve a table, call Jeanne
Strange at 541-934-2001.
Timber Truckers Light
Parade
• 6 p.m., Main Street, John
Day
The annual parade of log
trucks, big rigs and work
vehicles decked out in festive
holiday lights will begin at
former Grant Western Lum-
ber Co. site just west of John
STRUCTION, LL
N
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C
AW
Featuring:
•
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Monday - Thursday
7am-
6pm
Monday
- Thursday
7am-
6pm
Friday
8am
- 5pm
Friday Sharpe
8am - 5pm
Mendy
FNP
Serving Eastern Oregon since 1959!
Heppner
Condon
Boardman
(541) 676-9158
(541) 256-1200
(541) 481-9474
S283676-1
139101
MyEagleNews.com
~ Thanksgiving
~ Christmas
~ New Years
S286526-1
Blue Mountain Eagle
CCB#186113
NLY
YS O
E
K
R
TU
RS
KED NUMBE
O
M
S
TED
LIMI
A MAN
WAKES
UP in the
morning
after sleeping on...
an advertised bed, in advertised
pajamas.
He will bathe in an ADVERTISED TUB, shave with an ADVERTISED RAZOR,
have a breakfast of ADVERTISED JUICE, cereal and toast, toasted in an
ADVERTISED TOASTER, put on ADVERTISED CLOTHES and glance at his
ADVERTISED WATCH. He’ll ride to work in his ADVERTISED CAR, sit at an
ADVERTISED DESK and write with an ADVERTISED PEN. Yet this person
hesitates to advertise, saying that advertising doesn’t pay. Finally, when his
non-advertised business is going under, HE’LL ADVERTISE IT FOR SALE.
Then it’s too late.
AND THEY SAY ADVERTISING DOESN’T WORK?
DON’T MAKE THIS SAME MISTAKE
Advertising is an investment, not an expense. Think about it!
541-910-6609
and
Much
More!
TURKEYS.HAMS.
PRIME RIB.
www.MurraysDrug.com
Grant County Marines say "Thank you"
Pat Holiday for your generosity paying
for our luncheon each year,
Nov. 10, on the Marine Corps Birthday.
You are a True Patriot! "Semper Fi"
Roofing
• General Construction
Remodeling
Fences
Decks
Storage Sheds
Andy Wolfer
Pharmacy • Hallmark Cards • Gifts • Liquor Store
Mendy
Sharpe FNP
Apppointments
available
Day, then travel east on Main
Street to Third Street Exten-
sion before looping back
around to the Elks Lodge,
where a chili feed and awards
ceremony awaits the partici-
pants and their families. This
year’s theme is “Christmas
Memories,” and entrants can
sign up at the former Grant
Western Lumber site from 2
to 5:30 p.m., The entry fee
is $10. For more informa-
tion, call Leslie Traylor at
541-620-4032.
Do you have a commu-
nity event you’d like to pub-
licize? Email information to
editor@bmeagle.com. The
deadline is noon Friday for
publication the following
Wednesday.
and Body, Fitness & Dance.
Don’t get left behind, call today! Kim Kell 541-575-0710
r
u
o
y
n
i
l
l
Ca n ow!
o rder
Russell’ s Custom Meats & Deli
“It’s worth the extra mile”
235 N. Canyon City Blvd.
Canyon City • 541-575-0720
