Disabled Services Advisory Council (DSAC) meets every fourth Thursday at the State Office Building small conference room, 809 West Jackson, at 1:30 p.m.

Harney County Soil and Water Conservation District board of directors meets the fourth Thursday of each month at the Rory and Ryan Best Western in Hines from 5-7:30 p.m. The public is welcome to attend.

Chamber Music Bell Choir meets each Thursday at 6:30 p.m., at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church, 393 West A. Street. Bell ringers are being recruited. For information, call Carol Sawyer, 573-6886.

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.

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

The Boys & Girls Club holds karaoke each Thursday. Members of all ages are welcome to join Hanna in the education room for a program that promotes the art of singing, as well as a fun way to practice reading skills.

Teen Night is held at The Boys & Girls Club each Thursday, from 6-7 p.m. for all teenagers.
Alcoholics Anonymous meets each Thursday at the Foursquare Church, at 7 p.m.

Harney County Babe Ruth will hold their annual meeting on Jan. 23. The meeting will be held in the Harney County Courthouse basement meeting room, at 7 p.m. For more information, call Sandy Whitmore at 573-3611, or Shannon Swindlehurst at 573-2117.

Harney Partners for Kids & Families meets the second and fourth Wednesday of the month.

Harney County Health District board of directors meets the fourth Wednesday of each month at the Racine building on North Egan at 6 p.m.

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

High Desert Park and Recreation District board of directors meets the fourth Wednesday of each month in their office at Lincoln Junior High School, 550 North Court, at 7 p.m.

Storytime for preschoolers is held Wednesdays at 10:30 a.m. at the Harney County Library.

Burns Fire Dept. meets each Wednesday at the Burns Fire Hall at 7 p.m.

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

Alcoholics Anonymous meets each Wednesday at the Foursquare Church at 7 p.m.

Three republican candidates have filed to fill Tom Butler’s seat in the Oregon House of Representative for District 60.

Butler announced his intent to resign in August so that he and his wife could serve on a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints mission in Latin America. He officially resigned on Jan. 4.

Tim Smith, Harney County rancher, Deon Strommer Baker City businessman and Cliff Bentz, Ontario attorney, have all filed for the seat.

Because Butler resigned before his term was up, the county courts within District 60 will vote to appoint a replacement. The appointed candidate will fill the seat until the May primary election. Prior to the appointment, the Republican Party in District 60 must first select nominees. On Jan. 12, the party nominated Smith, Strommer and Bentz for consideration by the county courts.

The appointment will be decided on Tuesday, Jan. 22, at Treasure Valley Community College, where county court officials from Harney, Malheur, Grant and Baker counties will convene to vote. Each county within the district receives a certain number of votes based on population.

Regardless of who receives the appointment, Smith, Strommer and Bentz have also all filed as candidates for the May primary.

Here is some information on each candidate:

Name: Cliff Bentz

Age: 56

Family: Wife Lindsay Norman; two children

County of residence: Malheur (raised in Drewsey)

Job title: Attorney, partner Yturri Rose, LLP law firm

Community involvement: Ontario School Board member, member of the Eastern Oregon University Foundation board and the Oregon Historical Society Board of Directors; former chair of the St. Peter Elementary School Board, served on the Oregon Water Resources Commission from 1988 to 1996, past member of the Project Dove Board of Directors.

Name: Tim Smith

Age: 58

Family: Wife Holly; two children

County of residence: Harney

Job title: Rancher, geologist

Community involvement: Chairman of the Harney County Republican Central Committee, Vice Chair of the Second Congressional District, Oregon Republican Party, chair of the Oregon Republican Party Rural-Urban Bridge Committee, chair of the ORP Credentials Committee and member of the state Groundwater Advisory Board for the Oregon Water Resources Commission.

Endorsements: Former Oregon Governor Vic Atiyeh, Republican gubernatorial candidate Ron Saxton, former state legislator Kevin Mannix and former Oregon House of Representatives member Denny Jones.

Name: Deon Strommer

Age: 49

Family: Wife Amy; eight children

County of residence: Baker

Job title: Small business owner (Subway restaurants in La Grande and Baker City) and licensed mortician.

Community involvement: Baker School Board Member, Union-Baker Education Service District Member.

Endorsements: Former District 60 Representative Tom Butler

By Lauren Brown
Burns Times-Herald

The City of Burns has hired two new police officers. Newton Skunkcap and Jeff Brewer will start work in the next couple of weeks, said Burns City Manager Justin Boone at the Jan. 9 council meeting.

Skunkcap grew up in Burns and worked for the Burns Paiute tribe before moving to Reedsport to work as an officer there for the last couple of years. Brewer is also a familiar face as he was born and raised in Harney County and has been working at the county parole and probation division.

“It’s nice to have two new police officers who know the area,” Boone said.

In other business:
• In his report, City Manager Boone said that the owner of the bowling ally, Troy Tribby, found a new investor, and will go ahead with his plans to renovate the building, with hopes for a summer grand opening;

• the council heard from Toni Steiner, a resident, who complained about speed at which the snow plows drive down her street. “Those trucks are flying,” she said. “They hit railroad ties and mailboxes. Gravel goes flying.”

Public Works Director Dave Cullens said that the plows aren’t supposed to go above 20 mph, and said he would talk to the drivers about their speed.

Councilor Len Vohs noted that the plow drivers have a tough job and commended them for working in less than ideal conditions;

• the council discussed the Special City Allotment grant. The city will receive $25,000 to put toward the resurfacing of a portion of Broadway Avenue from Railroad Avenue to Monroe Street;

• the council approved the purchase of a Chevrolet Colorado 4×4 crew cab truck for Fire Chief Bill Guindon. The truck, canopy and emergency lighting package will cost a total of $27,479.07. The truck will be purchased through a state bid process;

• during the councilor/mayor comments portion of the meeting, Councilor Bill Renwick noted that the watershed council is looking for support from the City of Burns to obtain funds for a groundwater assessment study. The watershed council would like to fund the study privately, as it will take four to five years to conduct and will cost around $500,000. The topic of groundwater in Harney County has been contentious lately because the state is threatening to stop allowing groundwater permits simply because they don’t know exactly how much groundwater there is here;

• Mayor Laura Van Cleave reminded councilors and residents that the next ordinance review session will be at 6 p.m. Jan. 16.

The next Burns City Council meeting will be on Jan. 23 at city hall.

By Randy Parks
Burns Times-Herald

Approximately 20 people attended a meeting on Thursday, Jan. 10, to discuss possible options for providing transitional housing for parolees.

Harney County Sheriff Dave Glerup opened the meeting by explaining that about two years ago, the state turned the Community Corrections program over to the counties. By state law, parolees and those who have been released from the state prison system are returned to the county where their last address was, and the county is responsible for housing them for a maximum of 90 days.

The county spent $4,800 in the last budget renting motel rooms and apartments to house the parolees. Glerup said they do everything they can to get the parolees to repay the county, but he recently learned of a grant available for transitional housing. “If we could get this grant for $100,000, it could be used to provide housing for up to six to eight parolees,” Glerup said. “Before we apply for the grant, we have to decide if there’s an existing building that could be used or do we build. If anybody has a better idea, I’m listening.”

Several residents in attendance were concerned that the facility would be in town and house sex-offenders. “They’re already here, living all over the community,” Glerup said. “Some of the motels and apartments we use are near parks and schools.”

When asked why the housing couldn’t be located outside of town, Glerup said the parolees need to be able to get to work and to appointments at health facilities, such as Harney Behavioral Health and the hospital.

Glerup said the parolees are on parole for anywhere from two to five years, meaning that’s how long they are to remain in the county for supervision. “If we had transitional housing, they’d all be under the same roof and that would make it easier to supervise them,” he said. “We could also charge them rent.” He added that having them in the housing could help isolate them from whatever situation or people who got them in trouble in the first place.

Glerup said that at present, Harney County Community Corrections is supervising 145 people, of whom 110 are felons.

Mary Ausmus wondered why the state prison system has to release people on parole. “Can’t they just stay locked up until the end of their sentence?” she asked.

In response, Harney County Judge Steve Grasty explained the state prisons are at capacity, and they parole people to create more space. “After the passage of Measure 11 several years ago, which established minimum sentencing guidelines, the prisons are full,” Grasty said. “Even though more prisons were built, there just isn’t enough room or money to keep everyone.”

Glerup said the meeting was an exploratory one to see if community felt the county should apply for the grant, continue as they have been or offer any other options. “If we go for the grant, we would have to spell out exactly how the money would be used,” Glerup said. “Whether we planned to build, purchase an existing building or whatever.”

There was some consensus among residents that the county should pursue the grant.

The county will be hosting another meeting to discuss the topic on Tuesday, Jan. 22, at 7 p.m. in the basement meeting room of the courthouse. All interested are encouraged to attend.

As has been reported over the past few months, no fire department is responsible for providing structural fire protection to the rural Harney Basin.

A group of Harney County residents has been working to find a solution to this problem.

The Formation Committee of the Harney Basin Rural Fire District has hit the ground running in 2008.
The group is composed of rural citizens interested in helping other rural residents obtain fire protection. Since organizing the group has held two public meetings that have been attended by more than 150 residents.

The committee is reviewing State of Oregon requirements for forming a special district and is organizing a meeting with the State of Oregon Special Districts Association to begin the process of conducting a Feasibility Study.

When completed, the Feasibility Study will characterize the equipment and personnel needs of the fire district and provide cost estimates for making fire protection happen. In the coming months, the committee will be circulating a petition to form a Rural Fire District. The petition will be presented to the County Court, which will hold a minimum of two public hearings to take public testimony on district formation.

By Debbie Raney
Burns Times-Herald

What were Harney County’s highlights for 2007, and what does 2008 have in store? The answers to these questions were the focus for the annual State of the County and Cities Address luncheon, sponsored by the Harney County Chamber of Commerce last week.

Representatives from the City of Burns, City of Hines, the Paiute Tribe, area agriculture and the Harney County Court gave short overviews of the progress, projects and problems of the past year, and what upcoming plans are.

Mark Maliwauki, Harney County Economic Development Coordinator, reviewed potential new businesses to the area as well as business expansions and improvements. His presentation included information regarding bio-mass production, Lane Microbusiness and the resurrection of the Community Response Team.

“I’m excited about the economic opportunities for 2008,” said Maliwauki.

Judge Steve Grasty spoke at the chamber luncheon on issues Harney County had faced during the past year, and those coming in the future. Many of the concerns centered around new construction and growth throughout the county.

“Land sales come with many problems,” said Grasty. “Among these are the meadowlands, roads and water.”

Forest health and loss of forest revenue were problems during 2007, and will continue to be at the top of the county’s focus in 2008. Grasty has a hand in forest trying to restore sustainable forests as a member of the Eastern Oregon Rural Alliance, the Blue Mountain Forest Advisory, and the Federal Forest Land Advisory Committee. On the heels of these matters are issues concerning road department funding.
Grasty said that with the reserve funding, the county has calculated that they will be able to continue the current level of service for six to eight years. During that time, the road department will get all of the work possible completed. “If we let it taper down,” said Grasty, “What we’ll end up with is a mess.”
Burns Mayor Laura Van Cleave told the luncheon attendees, “The City of Burns has had a significant amount of change.”

Van Cleave spoke of changes in the city’s police department and fire department, and praised the employees of Burns for going “above and beyond their call.”

New projects planned in the city for 2008, according to Van Cleave will include an airport revitalization, the Monroe Street project and using a $25,000 grant to repave sections of Broadway.

Hines City Manager Pam Mather presented an overview of completed 2007 projects. Among these was the instillation of new water meters and completion of the sewer lagoon.

Mather said in 2008, Hines hopes to get a new computer system up and running and work out new franchising agreements with Oregon Trail Electric and C&B Sanitary. Plans to construct a gazebo in the park is Hines’ future, with $1,195 already in the fund.

According to Mather, new police vehicles and fire trucks are proposed, as well as finding a way to enlarge the office space for the police force. “We’re very proud of our city,” Mather concluded.

Representing the Burns Paiute Tribe, Tribal Vice Council Chair Cecil Dick spoke on the status of the tribe. “We’re in pretty good shape.”

Activities currently under way include the potential for a geo-thermal plant, and working with Fort Hall and the Shoshone Paiutes to get an interest in Idaho Power. Dick also remarked that the tribe has outgrown the constitution that was developed in 1973, when the tribe was first recognized. “We need to get our laws in compliance with the constitution,” Dick said.

By Randy Parks
Burns Times-Herald

The Burns Hilander and Crane Mustang wrestling teams traveled to Redmond to compete in the Oregon Classic held Friday and Saturday, Jan. 11-12.

The tournament is run in a dual-meet format, and the Hilanders placed second out of the 16 3A teams taking part.

Competing at the 2A/1A level, Crane won two out of their four duals.

Burns began the tournament by winning all three of the duals in their pool. Burns beat Redmond JV 56-24, topped Myrtle Point 44-30 and defeated Colton 47-26.

The top seeds from each pool were then put into brackets, and the Hilanders defeated Reedsport 41-34 in their first round. Burns defeated Willamina 46-27 in the semi-finals and then lost to Glide 46-34 in the finals.

Complete individual results for the Hilander matches were unavailable, but in the finals against Glide, Hilander wrestlers picking up victories included: Nathan Young won by technical fall (TF) at 103 pounds; Chance Peasley won by TF at 125; Charlie White won by fall at 135; Josh Cate won by fall at 140; and Daniel Doverspike won by forfeit at 285.

Crane wrestled Culver in their first dual and lost 62-14. The Mustangs’ Matt Holloway won his match at 145 pounds by fall, Chris Brower won by a 7-6 decision at 171 pounds and Carl Neumann won by a 9-3 decision at 285 pounds.

In the next round, Crane beat Oakridge 42-30. Individual results for Crane are as follows:
112 — Lewis Whiting lost by fall
119 — Bri Brown won by forfeit
125 — Garrett DeGraw won by forfeit
130 — Kenny Willsee won by forfeit
135 — Clayton Macomber won by fall
140 — Jacob Brennan lost by fall
145 — Holloway won by decision, 7-0
160 — Justin Davis lost by fall
171 — Brower won by decision, 8-1
189 — Ray Thompson won by fall
285 — Neumann won by fall.
The Mustangs then took on Lakeview and lost 34-33. For the Mustangs:
112 — Whiting won by forfeit
119 — Brown lost by fall
125 — DeGraw won by forfeit
130 — Willsee lost by fall
135 — Macomber lost by major decision, 13-3
140 — Brennan lost by fall
145 — Josh Williams lost by fall
152 — Holloway won by decision, 8-6
160 — Davis lost by fall
171 — Brower won by fall
189 — Thompson won by forfeit
285 — Neumann won by forfeit.

The loss to Lakeview knocked the Mustangs out of contention for the brackets, but they did wrestle one more time and beat Central Linn 46-30.

Individually for Crane:
112 — Whiting won by TF
119 — Brown lost by fall
125 — DeGraw lost by fall
130 — Willsee won by fall
135 — Chase Creason lost by TF
140 — Brennan won by injury default
145 — Williams won by fall
152 — Holloway won by forfeit
160 — Davis lost by fall
171 — Brower won by fall
189 — Thompson won by TF
285 — Neumann won by fall.

Brown was also entered in the women’s tournament and came away with a fifth-place finish at 121 pounds.
Both Burns and Crane teams will be hosting tournaments this Saturday, Jan. 19. The Hilanders host the Woodfin/Robinson tournament beginning at 11 a.m., and Crane hosts the State 1A Championships at 10 a.m.

died on Jan. 5 from complications of old age.

He was born at home on Sept. 7, 1913, to William W. and Frances “Frankie” Ward Miller in Drewsey, the second youngest of four children.

Miller began his career as a buckaroo at the age of 16 working for Miller & Lux Cattle Co. He worked on several large cattle operations in Eastern Oregon and Northern Nevada.

Miller met his wife, Margaret Maxwell in northern Nevada while working for her father. They celebrated their 67th anniversary in August, 2007. The couple had four daughters and one son.

Miller and his wife retired in the Adrian area before moving into Park Place Assisted Living in Nampa, Idaho, in 2006. In the fall of 2007, Miler had to move to a skilled nursing facility.

Miller is survived by his wife, Margaret; daughters, Fran Ebbers and husband Bob, Margaret Skinner and husband Frank, Cheryl Searle and husband Dennis and Wilma Miller; son, Lawrence W. Miller Jr. and wife Cathy; and brother, Francis Miller and wife Marjorie.

He is also survived by 15 grandchildren, 28 great-grandchildren and many nieces and nephews.

Miller was preceded in death by his parents and sisters, Wilma Dunten and Claire Newell.

Funeral services were held at the LDS Owyhee Ward Chapel in Nyssa on Jan. 10, Services are under the direction of Dakan Funeral Chapel.

In lieu of flowers donations in Miller’s name may be made to the Nevada Buckaroo Hall of Fame, in care of Carl Hammond, 3007 Culp Lane, Burns, OR 97720.

Donna Viola Nelsen died on Jan. 7 after battling a long-term illness. She was surrounded by family.

Nelsen was born on June 10, 1947, in Willows, Calif., to Howard and Rosetta Koertje. She was the second of four children.

The family moved to Burns when she was just a baby. She learned to walk while living at the Roaring Springs Ranch, where her grandfather had once driven for the Harney County Stage.

She went to school at Slater Elementary. The family then relocated to Greenville, Calif., where she attended junior high and high school.

After school, Nelsen went to work for a nursing home. There she obtained training and became a certified nursing assistant.

It was while she was living and working in Greenville that she met her sweetheart, Ronald Nelsen. They were married in her parents’ home on June 17, 1965.

She continued her work at the nursing home until they moved to Fall River Mills. They had their first son, Kennith, while living there. After a time, they returned to Greenville, where their second son Kevin was born. They moved to Burns when Nelsen was offered a job at the nursing home in town. Their third son, Kelly, was born in Burns.

She worked for several years at the nursing home. She finally left that job to go into private health care, providing services to people in their homes. After a time, she retired from that work, but she continued to serve her family and grandchildren for the rest of her life.

Some of her hobbies and interests included knitting and crocheting, gardening, decorating her home and yard and collecting. She collected such things as wind chimes, Boyd’s Bears, Avon dolls and decorative plates. She especially enjoyed outdoor activities, including camping and fishing.

Nelsen is survived by her husband, Ronald; sister, Dorothy Price and husband Frank; brother, Howard and wife Mary; son, Kennith and wife Gail; son, Kevin; son, Kelly and wife Mandy; grandchildren, Zach, Tyson and Ieasha; and many nieces and nephews.
Nelsen was preceded in death by her parents, and brother, Leonard “Skip” Koertje.
She will be remembered for her caring, thoughtful ways and service to others.