As a member of a 25-person team, R.N. Melanie Thomas treated earthquake victims who were in desperate need of medical care

By Randy Parks
Burns Times-Herald

On Jan, 12th, a 7.0 magnitude earthquake jolted southern Haiti, and one of the hardest hit areas was the capital city of Port-au-Prince. Buildings were reduced to rubble, leaving millions injured, homeless, and struggling to survive. The expected death toll was estimated at more than 200,000.

Medical Teams International (MTI), formerly known as Northwest Medical Teams, immediately began sending disaster response medical teams of doctors, nurses and other health professionals to help those injured in the disaster. The first team arrived in Port-au-Prince on Jan. 15.

On Jan 20, Melanie Thomas of Burns, a registered nurse and a volunteer on the Disaster Response Team, received the call to go join the Disaster Team for three weeks in Port-au-Prince, and 24 hours later she was on a flight to Florida.

Because of the damage to the Port-au-Prince airport, only military and private aircraft were allowed to fly in and out of Haiti.  Thomas and four other medical volunteers flew to Fort Lauderdale, where they then flew to Port-au-Prince on Howard Hedinger’s private Leer jet.

Hedinger is the Chief Executive Officer of American Industries and donated his jet to fly medical teams back and forth for a week to Port-au-Prince, and his employees donated the money to pay for the fuel.

Thomas was on a medical team of about 25 people working in various locations throughout Port-au-Prince, giving medical aid to thousand of Haitians.

King’s Hospital was a hospital created after the earthquake, as it was one of the few buildings structurally safe. The medical team of orthopedic surgeons, physicians, anesthesiologists, and nurses hit the ground running, giving medical care and operating on Haitians injured in the earthquake. “When the destruction is that overwhelming, the priority for us as a team was to help every person we could medically,” Thomas said. “There was rubble everywhere. Nothing was straight. All the buildings were leaning or fallen over. It was like driving through Universal Studios or a movie set, except it was real.”

Medical teams would also go out in mobile teams of four to five people to areas outside of Port-au-Prince that had not yet received medical care, including Carrefour, the epicenter of the earthquake.

A refugee camp of 17,000 people on five acres, all living under sheet tents with no running water, electricity, or bathroom facilities is where Thomas and others camped for days and nights giving medical care to anywhere between 300 and 500 patients a day. All of those people in the camp lost their homes, belongings, and even family members in the earthquake. “Sleep was overrated, and so often we were very busy, that as a team, we were constantly reminding each other to drink water, and eat something,” Thomas said.

The injured
Thomas stated that as word spread that medical help was available, the injured began to arrive in droves. Most injuries the team saw were broken and crushed bones, and open wounds, but also included pneumonia, scabies, respiratory problems, malaria and typhoid fever.

Thomas said one boy came in and pulled off his shoe, and half of his foot was gone. A woman limped in with a fractured femur. “Eight days she had had that fracture. That’s how long it took her to get to medical care,” Thomas said.

Another patient who arrived was a 12-year-old girl who had run out of her home when the quake hit, ran back in to pick up something she forgot, and as she ran back out, was struck by a car. The girl got stuck under the car and suffered third degree burns on her face from the muffler. Because the medical team had limited resources, the girl was flown to Miami for better care.

With every aftershock, the Haitian people would run from whatever building they were in to an open area. “People are still sleeping in the streets out of fear of another building coming down on them,” Thomas said.

The relief effort
There were several other organizations in Haiti to help with the disaster. They included World Relief, U.S. Army and Marines and Red Cross. This was the biggest medical team Thomas had been on, and even with the elite medical personnel she had the privilege to work with, there were no ego or control issues. “It was great teamwork,” she stated. “We decided we were going to do whatever it takes, and the cohesiveness among all of us could not be outdone. We were sweaty, dirty, hungry, exhausted and yet every team member had an encouraging smile, a heart full of compassion and the desire to help.”

Three weeks and thousands of patients later, Thomas arrived back in Harney County. “There were so many people who needed help,” Thomas said. “And everybody had a story.”

This was Thomas’ fifth trip to Haiti, and she plans to return again for 10 days with a medical team on June 17.

Often asked why she goes on these short term medical trips Thomas said, “I’m a firm believer in pay it forward, and if I can help just one person with the kindness I’ve been shown in my life, then the whole experience is worth it.”

A few things have changed but the focus is still on books, coffee

By Lauren Brown
Burns Times-Herald

Kris and Maranda Robbins recently bought the Book Parlor in downtown Burns from Janice Morefield. After closing for two weeks to change things around a bit, the business re-opened on Feb. 9 providing customers with an enlarged sitting area to  read, chat and drink coffee.

Locals can check out the changes during a three-day open house March 11-13. There will be drawings and sales each day.
Maranda will run the counter at the bookstore and confesses that she’s been a devoted customer of the Book Parlor since she and her husband moved to Burns nine years ago to open Robbins Equipment. “I’d come here all the time,” she said. She’s a big fan of authors James Patterson, Stephenie Meyer and local young adult and children’s author S.A. Bodeen.

Kris is originally from Baker City, while Maranda hails from Boise, but both agreed that Burns is a great place to live and raise a family. “We love it here,” Maranda said. The couple has three children Alivia, 8, Trenton, 5, and Addison, 2.

The Book Parlor is a family-friendly business that allows Maranda to bring her kids to work when need be.  She revamped the store adding more seating up front, removing a wall and moving the coffee counter to the back, where she can keep an eye on her kids in the back room. However, she wanted to keep the rustic decor and the homey, comfortable feel that Morefield cultivated.

The Book Parlor will continue to sell Alann Brothers coffee and specialty drinks. In addition to books, the store features three exclusive lines of merchandise: Flirty Aprons, Danielson Designs picture frames and Country Presents home decor items. Maranda makes book orders each week for customers who want books that the store doesn’t have in stock.

For those who miss Morefield, Maranda said the previous owner will fill in for her on Wednesdays.

One new feature that the bookstore now offers is wireless Internet for visitors and locals who want to bring in their laptops.
The Book Parlor, 433 N. Broadway, is open 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.

By Debbie Raney
Burns Times-Herald

The 1A girls basketball season officially began for the Crane Mustangs on Dec. 1. Like all the other 1A basketball teams in the state, the Mustangs’ ultimate goal was to play their last game on March 6, in one of the trophy rounds of the OSAA state tournament in Baker City. Crane not only made it to the final possible day of action for the 2009-2010 season, they claimed the third-place trophy for the year.

At the state tournament in Baker City, the Mustangs defeated McKenzie in the quarterfinals, lost to Helix in the semi-finals, and then downed Mohawk for third place. Throughout the tournament Natalie Bentz was recognized as the Qwest Player of the Game in both the McKenzie and Mohawk games, and Brenda Otley was selected for player of the game against Helix.

In addition, Bentz was named to the all-tournament first team. September O’Crowley earned placement on the all-tournament second team.

Crane vs. McKenzie

The Mustangs quarter-final victory against the McKenzie Eagles had Crane coming out on top, 51-44.

The Mustangs were first to score after a Brenda Otley steal set up an Emilee O’Toole assist to Natalie Bentz in the paint. Crane had a 13-7 lead at the end of the first quarter, with the Eagles hitting two 3-pointers to keep in the running.

Three more 3-point shots by the Eagles at the opening of the second quarter had the teams even at the midway point in the period. Once the Mustangs stopped the Eagles’ outside attack they were able to pull back to a 28-20 lead going into the half.

Bentz and September O’Crowley picked off the ball at the top of McKenzie’s key, going all the way to the net on the other end at the beginning of the third. The Eagles tried a full-court press, but Crane pushed through to take a 45-30 lead into the final quarter.

The Eagles almost had a chance to take the game away after a let down by the Mustangs in the first six minutes of the fourth quarter. While McKenzie downed 12 unanswered points, Crane didn’t hit a shot, committed four rebounds and racked up their seventh team foul for the half. At 1:45, another Eagle 3-point shot put the score at 45-42. Finally, at 1:25 Brooke Nyman made Crane’s first point of the fourth, hitting the front of a shooting foul. She, Otley and Buermann finished the game shooting foul shots, making four out of five.

1    2    3    4   Final
Cra     13  15   17   6      51
McK     7  13   10   14     44
OSAA official stats:
Points — Bentz 18, Otley 9, O’Crowley 8, O’Toole 7, Buermann 6, Nyman 3.
Rebounds — Bentz 11, O’Crowley 9, Buermann 2, O’Toole 2, Nyman 2, Otley 1.
Steals — Otley 2, O’Crowley 2, Bentz 1, O’Toole 1.
Assists — Buermann 3, O’Toole 3, O’Crowley 2, Otley 1.

Crane vs. Helix

It just never came together for the Mustangs in the semi-final game against the Helix Grizzlies. Crane started the game off track, was never able to get pointed in the right direction and took a 42-34 loss.

The Mustangs only hit two shots in the first quarter — both were Bentz baskets. By halftime, they had taken a slight, two-point lead, 14-12.

The third quarter proved to be the Mustangs’ undoing. After baskets by  Otley and Buermann, Crane’s defense let Helix nail nine points in a row. Emilee O’Toole downed a bucket for Crane in the middle of the period, but four more for the Grizzlies made the score 30-22 in Helix’s favor as the fourth quarter began.

The Grizzlies spread their offense, using up clock to start the fourth. Crane got the first five points of the fourth on an O’Crowley bucket and an O’Toole basket with a foul attached. After the initial run, the Mustangs lost the intensity again, and let the Grizzlies finish the win.
1    2    3    4   Final
Cra     4   10    8   12     34
Hel     6    6   18   12     42
OSAA official stats:
Points — Bentz 7, O’Toole 7, O’Crowley 7, Buermann 5, Otley 5, Nyman 3.
Rebounds — Bentz 9, O’Crowley 8, Otley 4, O’Toole 3, Nyman 3, Buermann 1.
Steals — O’Crowley 2.
Assists — O’Toole 3, O’Crowley 2, Buermann 1, Bentz 1.

Crane vs.  Mohawk

After suffering through the semi-finals the day before, the Mustangs found third/fifth-place game, and overpowered the Mohawk Indians 63-39.

In spite of four missed shots inside the key in the opening quarter, Crane had the upper hand controlling the boards on both ends. In the first quarter, the Mustangs recording rebounds were Buermann (2) O’Crowley (4), Bentz (1) and Nyman (1).

The shots started to fall during the second quarter for Crane, and as a team, they hit for 19 points. Going to halftime, the Mustangs had a 27-13 advantage over the Indians.

Picking up at the top of the third quarter exactly where they left off at the end of the second, Bentz scored on Crane’s opening possession of the period. Buermann and O’Crowley both hit put-back shots, and then two Otley buckets outside kept the ball rolling. To start the fourth, the Mustangs were ahead 51-23.

Nyman, O’Crowley and Bentz scored their final baskets of their high school careers at the beginning of the final quarter. Fellow senior Savannah Duff came into the game and got one final point as well, hitting the back end of a shooting foul. With just under four minutes remaining, the starters left the floor, and Crane’s bench ended the season.
1    2    3    4   Final
Cra     8  19   24   12      63
Moh    6   7    10   16      39
OSAA official stats:
Points — Na. Bentz 22, O’Crowley 18, Otley 6, Buermann 5, O’Toole 4, Nyman 4, Landon 2, Duff 1, Steeves 1.
Rebounds — Na. Bentz 12, O’Crowley 9, Buermann 7, Nyman 4, Steeves 3, Landon 2, Duff 2, Corrigan 1, Otley 1.
Steals — O’Crowley 1.
Assists — Nyman 3, O’Crowley 3, Buermann 2, Na. Bentz 2, O’Toole 1, Otley 1, Duff 1.

Ribeiro named to All-Tourney team

By Randy Parks
Burns Times-Herald

The Burns girls basketball team capped off another successful season with a fifth-place finish at the OSAA Class 3A state tournament held March 3-6 at Willamette University in Salem.

The Hilanders also earned the Sportsmanship Trophy at this year’s event.

In their first game of the tournament, the Hilanders took on a gritty Rainier squad that was determined to keep the pace slow.

With both teams playing a zone defense, baskets were hard to come by, and the first quarter ended with the teams tied at 5-5.

The Hilanders’ Brea Ribeiro and Taylor Lee each dropped in four points in the second stanza to help Burns get out to a five-point lead by halftime.

The scoring almost came to a complete standstill in the third quarter as the two teams combined for only five points.

Ribeiro sparked the Hilanders’ offense with a 3-pointer and a field goal in the fourth quarter as the Hilanders pulled away for a 27-19 win.

Ribeiro and Lee each finished with nine points to lead Burns in scoring, and Ribeiro was named the Hilanders’ Qwest Player of the Game.

Burns— Brea Ribeiro 9, Taylor Lee 9, Siegner 3, Ja. Higle 2, Root 2, McConnell 2, Nonnenmacher, Dinsmore, Johnson. Totals 9-29 8-13 27.
Rain— Kaylea Knox 10, K. Crape 4, Nagunst 3, Schwegler 1, Coffman 1, Sutfin, H. Crape. Totals 7-34 2-10 19
3-point goals: BURNS 1 (Ribeiro); RAIN 3 (Knox 2). Rebounds: BURNS 30 (Lee 8); RAIN 24 (Schwegler 5, K. Crape 5, Knox 5). Assists: BURNS 3 (Nonnenmacher 1, Higle 1, Siegner 1); RAIN 3 (Nagunst 2).
1    2    3    4   Final
Bur      5   8    2    12     27
Rain    5   3    3     8      19

Burns vs. Regis
The Hilanders hopes for a second consecutive state title came to end in the semifinals as they lost to the Regis Rams 44-29.
The first quarter belonged to the Rams as they jumped out to a 16-6 lead.

The Burns defense tightened up in the second quarter, allowing just one field goal as the Hilanders cut the lead to two by halftime.
The Burns offense struggled again at the start of the third quarter, but caught a little bit of a lift as Teri McConnell came off the bench and sank a couple of baskets to keep Burns to within seven.

The Rams would let the Hilanders get no closer however, as they outscored Burns 17-9 in the final quarter to move into the championship game while sending Burns into the third-place game.

Lee finished with 10 points and five rebounds to lead the team in both categories, and was named Burns’ Qwest Player of the Game.

Burns— Taylor Lee 10, McConnell 6, Ja. Higle 5, Ribeiro 4, Nonnenmacher 2, Johnson 2, Dinsmore, Fisher, Je. Higle, Siegner, Hodge. Totals 12-38 4-8 29.
Regis— Kasse Keudell 14, B. Buck 13, Koenke 7, Gescher 4, Dolby 2, R. Buck 2, Alley 2, Webb, Lulay, Reynolds. Totals 13-29 16-22 44
3-point goals: BURNS 1 (Ja. Higle); REGIS 2 (Kuedell 2). Rebounds: BURNS 22 (Lee 5); REGIS 22 (B. Buck 8). Assists: BURNS 4 (Ja. Higle 1, Dinsmore 1, Lee 1, Ribeiro 1); REGIS 8 (Koenke 5).
1    2    3    4   Final
Bur      6   10   4    9     29
Reg    16    2    9   17    44

Burns vs. Santiam Christian
In the game to determine third and fifth places at the tournament, the Hilanders and Eagles both got off to good starts.

Ribeiro and Lee each scored four points in the first quarter as the two teams finished the period tied at 12-12.

Burns’ offense more or less disappeared in the second quarter as they were held to just four free throws over the eight minute span.
Santiam Christian, led by Tayla Woods’ 10 points, put 16 on the board to take a 12-point halftime lead.

The Hilanders’ shooting woes continued into the second half as they connected on just five of 29 attempts from the field, and finished the game shooting only 22.2 percent.

Woods went on to score another 16 points in the second half to lead her team to the win.

Ribeiro finished with 11 points to lead the Hilanders and was named the Qwest Player of the Game for Burns.

Ribeiro was also named to the All-Tournament Second Team for her performance over the three games.

“It was a good season,” Burns coach Alice Herauf said. “A lot of people just look at the end result and forget about the journey to get there.”

Herauf pointed out that the team had won the Cascade Christian and La Pine tournaments during the season, were Eastern Oregon League champions, received the Sportsmanship award and also had the highest team grade point average among 3A teams in the Dairy Farmers of Oregon academic standings. “This season had a lot of good memories,” Herauf said.

S.C.— Tayla Woods 30, Davis 9, Land 5, Herrold 4, D. Woods 3, Waite 1, Henricks, Miller, Chambers, Mathews. Totals 17-41 17-23 52.
Burns— Brea Ribeiro 11, Lee 6, Ja. Higle 4, Johnson 4, Siegner 3, Nonnenmacher 2, Dinsmore 2, Fisher, McConnell, Hodge, Sanders. Totals 10-45 11-16 32
3-point goals: S.C. 1 (Davis); BURNS 1 (Ribeiro). Rebounds: S.C. 27 (Davis 6); Burns 35 (Lee 7, Siegner 7). Assists: S.C. 9 (Land 7); BURNS 9 (Nonnenmacher 3).
1    2     3    4   Final
S.C.     12   16  13   11    52
Bur     12    4    8     8    32

Regis won the tournament by defeating Vale 52-39. Fourth place this year went to Willamina, a 51-48 winner over Coquille.

Colahan, team set new tourney records for blocks

By Randy Parks
Burns Times-Herald

The 30-year drought is over.

For the first time since 1980, the Burns boys basketball team returned home from the OSAA state basketball tournament with a trophy in hand.

The Hilanders went 1-2 and placed sixth at this year’s Class 3A tournament played March 4-6 at Willamette University in Salem.

Burns opened the tournament with the daunting task of trying to knock off the No. 1-ranked Dayton Pirates.

The Hilanders fell behind 35-21 in the first half, but came out inspired in the third quarter. Two 3-pointers by Caleb Feist and one by Zach Dobson helped the Hilanders chip away at the Pirates’ lead. A basket by Dylan Thompson then cut Dayton’s lead to 44-37, but Dayton responded with a 9-0 run to go back up by 16 by the end of the quarter.

The Pirates then outscored Burns 21-13 over the final eight minutes for a 76-52 win.

Feist finished with 16 points, including four 3-pointers, and was named the Qwest Player of the Game for the Hilanders. Dobson and Carraig Colahan each added nine points for the Hilanders.

Jacob Gonzales came off the bench to lead the Pirates to the win, finishing with 17 points.

Burns— Caleb Feist 16, Dobson 9, Colahan 9, D. Thompson 7, Potter 6, McConnell 3, First Raised 2, C. Thompson, Heinz. Totals 20-49 6-11 52.
Day— Jacob Gonzales 17, Craig 13, T. Bernards 10, Ostling 10, Hedgecock 7, N. Bernards 6, Hernandez 5, Kruchok 3, Flores, Coleman, Garcia. Totals 31-54 12-17 76
3-point goals: BURNS 6 (Feist 4); DAY 2 (Hedgecock 1, Gonzales 1). Rebounds: BURNS 26 (Dobson 5, McConnell 5); DAY 33 (Hedgecock 6). Assists: BURNS 7 (Potter 2, D. Thompson 2); DAY 19 (T. Bernards 6)
1    2    3    4   Final
Bur     9   12   18   13     52
Day    16  19   20   21     76

Burns vs. Warrenton
The Hilanders bounced back from the Dayton loss the following morning with a 46-38 win over Warrenton to advance to the consolation finals.

Colahan was a force on the inside for Burns, setting a new 3A state tournament record for blocks with six, and the Hilanders as a team set a new record for blocks as well with eight.

After leading by two at the end of the first quarter, Colahan scored six points in the second quarter and D. Thompson added four to help Burns go up 22-12 by halftime.

The Warriors cut the lead to eight by the end of the third quarter, but the fourth quarter was even, and the Hilanders walked away with the win.

D. Thompson finished with 16 points and Colahan recorded a double-double with 11 points and 12 rebounds. Colahan was also named the Qwest Player of the Game for Burns.

Warr— Cameron Hackwith 13, Jannusch 5, Sleutel 5, Morrison 4, Patterson 4, Ferrell 3, Johnson 2, Kerr 2. Totals 16-47 5-11 38.
Burns— D. Thompson 16,  Colahan 11, Potter 6, Feist 5, Dobson 4, Heinz 3, McConnell 1, C. Thompson, Adams, Stampke, First Raised. Totals 17-46 10-25 46
3-point goals: WARR 1 (Sleutel); BURNS 2 (Feist 1, D. Thompson 1). Rebounds: WARR 34 (Hackwith 12); BURNS 36 (Colahan 12). Assists: WARR 5 (Patterson 3); BURNS 9 (Dobson 3)
1    2    3    4   Final
War     6    6   11   15     38
Bur     8   14   9    15     46

Burns vs. Cascade Christian
In the consolation finals, Cascade Christian outscored Burns 35-26 in the second half to pull out a 55-44 victory.

The first half was close throughout, and by the time halftime rolled around, the Challengers were up by two.

Cascade Christian upped their lead to six by the end of the third quarter, and then outscored Burns 19-14 in the fourth quarter to get the win.

The Challengers were led by Colton Cochran who scored 26 points, including 18 in the second half. With the victory, the Challengers placed fourth in the tournament.

D. Thompson finished with 15 points to lead the Hilanders in scoring, Dobson added 12 and Colahan finished with 11 points and 11 rebounds. Colahan was also named the Qwest Player of the Game for the second time.

Burns— D. Thompson 15, Dobson 12, Colahan 11, Feist 2, Potter 2, C. Thompson 2, McConnell, Heinz, Adams, First Raised. Totals 13-36 15-25 44.
C.C.— Colton Cochran 26, Rasmussen 9, Joffer 8, Morse 6, Litton 4, M. Smith 2, Hoffman, Siliga, Marshall, Wipf, A. Smith. Totals 18-42 18-26 55
3-point goals: BURNS 3 (D. Thompson 2); C.C. 1 (Joffer). Rebounds: BURNS 28 (Colahan 7); C.C. 32 (Cochran 11). Assists: BURNS 7 (Feist 3); C.C. 8 (Cochran 3)
1    2    3    4   Final
Bur      9    9   12   14     44
C.C.    10  10   16   19     55

Horizon Christian took home the championship trophy by defeating Dayton 53-44 in the title game.
Nyssa placed third after downing Harrisburg 52-35.

The Harney County Cancer Support Group meets the second Wednesday of each month at Glory Days Pizza, on Highway 20 in Burns, at 4 p.m. For more information, call Tonny Calloway, evenings, at 541-573-7867.

Burns City Council meets the second and fourth Wednesday of each month at Burns City Hall, 242 South Broadway, at 6 p.m.

Storytime for preschoolers is scheduled at the Harney County Library, 80 West D St., each Wednesday at 10:30 a.m. Contact the Harney County Library for more information 541-573-6670.

Bring the babies to Lapsit Storytime at Harney County Library, each Wednesday at 10 a.m. Enjoy music, stories, rhymes and fingerplays especially for babies and toddlers.

Burns Elks Lodge, 118 North Broadway, meets each Wednesday at 7 p.m.

Alcoholics Anonymous meets each Wednesday at 7 p.m. at Four Square Church, 74 S. Alvord, Burns.

The Burns High School class of 1960 is planning a class reunion for this summer. Classmates are invited to attend a planning meeting on March 11 at 7 p.m. at Glory Days Pizza. For more information, call Velda Mims at 541-573-7194 or Ann Lessar at 541-573-2730.

Tai Chi is held every Thursday at the Harney County Senior and Community Services Center, from 9:30-10:30 a.m. All ages are welcome to participate.

Kiwanis Club of Burns-Hines meets for a no-host luncheon each Thursday at Glory Days Pizza, 690 Oregon Ave., at noon.  Diane Rapaport is will be the guest speaker on March 11. She will discuss the connection between good health and Tai Chi and will be offering a short demonstration. The public is welcome.

Take Off Pounds Sensibly meets each Thursday at Hines City Hall, 101 East Barnes, at noon. Call 541-573-2896.

Narcotics Anonymous meets each Thursday at 7 p.m. at Four Square Church, 74 S. Alvord, Burns.

Friday morning book club with Lisa at Harney County Library is held from 9 to 10 a.m. each Friday with stories and crafts for ages 7-10.

Alcoholics Anonymous meets every Friday at Foursquare Church at 7 p.m.

Harney Safe Kids will hold a question and answer session on March 13, from 9 to 11 a.m. in the Harney District Hospital conference room. The session will provide information on four injury prevention sports clinics planned throughout the summer.

The 91st birthday of the American Legion will be observed at a potluck on Saturday, March 13, at the Harney County Senior Center. All members, veterans, service personnel, National Guard members and their families are invited. Women veterans will be especially honored. There will be special guest speakers and the High Desert Fiddlers will perform. Bring a hot or cold dish. For more information, call 541-573-2610 or 541-573-6724.

Harney County Relative Collectors Genealogy Group meets on the second Saturday of the month, at the Harney County Library from 9:30-11:30 a.m. There is no cost to join the fun. For more information, call 573-3258, and leave a message for Richard.

The Harney County Radio Association meets every second Saturday of the month, at 10 a.m., in the basement meeting room of the Harney County Courthouse. All amateur radio operators and interested parties are welcome.

ALANON meets each Saturday at 7 p.m. at Four Square Church, 74 S. Alvord, Burns.

The Harney County Cattlewomen will hold a quarterly meeting on March 14 at 1 p.m. at Crystal Crane Hot Springs.

Oregon Old Time Fiddlers, District 9, holds a potluck and jam session the second Sunday of each month at Harney County Senior Center, 17 South Alder, at 1 p.m. with music from 2 to 4 p.m. Call 541-573-1323.

Alcoholics Anonymous meets each Sunday at Foursquare Church for 12X12 study, at 7 p.m.