By Randy Parks
Burns Times-Herald

Flashback to the year 1981: Radio stations were playing “Bette Davis Eyes” by Kim Carnes, “Celebration” by Kool and the Gang, “9 to 5” by Dolly Parton and Olivia Newton-John’s “Physical.”

Movie-goers were flocking to the theaters to see “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” “Chariots of Fire” and “On Golden Pond.”

Television audiences  tuned in to watch “Dallas,” “The Jeffersons” and “Three’s Company.”

Ronald Reagan was sworn in as the 40th President of the United States and later that year, survived an assassination attempt on his life by John W. Hinckley Jr.

Sandra Day O’Conner became the first woman to be sworn in as a Supreme Court Justice.

MTV first aired and Major League Baseball experienced a seven-week strike resulting in a split season.

And at Burns Union High School, the Hilander boys basketball team, under the tutelage of head coach Page Dulaney, won the district title. It’s probably a safe bet to say that nobody at that time thought the next opportunity the Hilander boys would hoist another title trophy would be 2008.

The 1981 title

According to March 1981 issues of the Burns Times Herald, the Hilanders sported a 17-2 record and were in a dead-heat with Grant Union and Madras for the Greater Oregon League (GOL) title.

Both of Burns’ losses had come at the hands of Grant Union, one in the pre-season and the other as part of league play.

Burns had four games left in their GOL season, and they started that final stretch with a 44-41 win over Madras.

Madras then upset the eighth-ranked Prospectors, which set up a showdown between Burns and Grant Union the following weekend.

In that game, the Prospectors went up by 11 midway through the third quarter, and the Grant Union faithful were breathing a little easier.

Then Burns made their run. By early in the fourth quarter, the Hilanders had cut the lead to two, and Tim Wittrock of Burns made a basket to tie the game at 39-39.

After the Prospectors went back up by four, Alex Cooper scored to cut the lead back to two. Grant Union upped the lead to three by making one of two free throw attempts before Mike Howes sank a long-range shot to bring Burns back to within one.

With 28 seconds to play in the game, the Hilanders’ Jim Vinson banked in a shot off the glass for what would be the game-winning basket.

Following the 45-44 win over Grant Union, Burns beat Vale the next night 66-36. The Hilanders won the GOL crown the next weekend by downing Nyssa 63-42.

At the state tournament in Eugene, the Hilanders topped Seaside 47-45 in their first-round game. They would then lose to Marist 47-32 and were knocked out of the tournament with a 59-57 loss to Sherwood.

Fond memories

“It was awesome,” Vinson said when recalling the championship year. “The game with John Day was unbelievable. They had beat us twice, and then we played them here for the district title and beat them. The gym was packed, people screaming the whole game, it was great.”

About his game-winning basket, Vinson said, “I think they were looking for Wittrock to take the shot. They kind of left me alone, and I laid it in.”

Rodd Dinsmore was also a member of the 1981 team after having transferred from Mountain View High School in Bend in January. “It was a very fun time,” Dinsmore said. “Playing for Page and going to the state tournament. We beat Madras twice that year and then when we had John Day here, there wasn’t a place to even stand in the gym.”

“We had a great team, and we worked well together on the floor,” Howes said. “There was a lot of team camaraderie among the players. We’d get on the floor and just have a lot of fun. We’d also spend time together outside of school, we were all friends.”

The style of play for the Hilanders back then was uptempo Howes said. “We didn’t have a lot of height, so we ran. We just outran a lot of other teams.”

When asked about his long-range shot that brought Burns to within one in the Grant Union game, Howes laughed, “I wish we had a 3-point line back then. I was more of a defensive specialist, but if I did shoot, it was either a long one or a lay-up.”

About the game itself, Howes said, “It was outrageous. The gym was packed, there was a ton of tension and lots of school spirit.”

2008 champions

This year’s Hilander team saw their chance to win the Eastern Oregon League (EOL) title come down to the final game.

Both Burns and Umatilla sat at 7-2 in the league and the Vikings held the tiebreaker as they had beaten the Hilanders earlier in the season.

Just like their 1981 counterparts, the Hilanders were at home and down by three late in the game. Tommy Ghost Dog of Burns tied the score with a 3-point shot and with less than 10 seconds to play, Trevor Smith sank a free throw to give Burns a 61-60 win and the EOL title.

While standing at the free-throw line, “There were so many thoughts going through my head,” Smith said. “I just tried to stay focused. I always dreamed about being in that situation, and I’ll never forget it. It was definitely the best moment of the season for me.”

Senior Garrett Swisher said the league title was something the team felt they could win. “I thought we could do it at the end of last season,” he said. “We were going to have everybody but two players back.”

Swisher added that his favorite moment of the season was beating Vale for the second time. “We beat them by 20 or so and they were in second place at  the time.”

Burns coach Eric Nichols said that while he felt his team had a shot at winning the EOL, “Umatilla, on paper, was probably the favorite.”

The memorable moments for Nichols were the win over the Vikings at Vale and the final victory over Umatilla. “The Vale game, we drew up the play and then executed it to perfection. Tommy (Ghost Dog) nailed a 3-pointer for the win at the buzzer,” he said. “In the Umatilla game, we really struggled in the second quarter, but in the second half we came together and got it done as a team.”

Two teams, 27 years apart, joined together in history by league titles.

By Phil Kessinger
Harney Basin Rural Fire Dist. Committee

The Harney Basin Rural Fire District (HBRFD) Committee has been working on establishing the proposed boundary of the rural fire district.

Background

The committee has determined that there are basically two zones within the proposed area (see map on page 8). Zone A is mostly within 15 miles of Burns/Hines, with a likely “worst case” response time of 12-15 minutes from the Burns or Hines fire stations, 90 percent of the time. Zone B is 16-22 miles from Burns/Hines, with a response time generally greater than 20 minutes.

The HBRFD Committee recognizes that the rural Harney Basin has very different requirements than many other areas with rural fire districts. Many rural residents have multiple structures on their property and often the “lost cause” argument does not hold true in this area. For example, if you live in Zone B and your house is on fire, the fire department may not make it there in time to save your house, but they may be able to protect your barn, shop, equipment, haystack, etc. Or if your haystack catches on fire, the fire department may make it there in time to protect your home and other structures.
The HBRFD Committee has been working with representatives from the Special Districts Association of Oregon who provide assistance to up and coming rural fire districts. It will cost about $130,000 per year for the first three years to run this rural fire district.

Fire protection services will most likely be contracted from Burns and Hines. We have determined that if the HBRFD boundary extends out to encompass Zone B (the proposed rural fire district), the cost to residents within the fire district will be about $1.30/$1,000 of the final taxable value. If the rural fire district boundary only extends to Zone A (the green square on the map), the cost could be significantly higher, possibly up to $1.75/$1,000 of the final taxable value.

That is because there is less property within the smaller Zone A to amortize the expenses across.

Input needed

The HBRFD Committee would like to hear from residents within the proposed boundary who also do not live within the city limits of Burns or Hines. The committee needs to know if residents in Zone B (with a response time of more than 20 minutes) are willing to pay $1.30/$1,000 of the final taxable value, knowing that it is unlikely the fire engines can save the initial structure that is on fire. The committee needs to know if residents in Zone A are willing to pay up to $1.75/$1,000 of final taxable value if the Zone B residents are not willing to vote in the proposed larger district.

Here is the feedback the committee would like from rural residents:
1. Are you a resident of Zone A or Zone B?
2. Are you willing to pay $1.30/$1,000 of the final taxable value?
3. Are you willing to pay $1.75/$1,000 of the final taxable value?
4. Are you interested in being a volunteer in the rural fire district (in some capacity)?
A quick turn-around response is critical to meet the deadlines for filing. Send responses via e-mail to HarneyBasinRFD@yahoo.com

Responses can also be mailed to Harney Basin RFD, P.O. Box 1018, Burns, OR 97720.

A Web page with current information from the Harney Basin Rural fire District is located at
http://emc.rio.com/HarneyBasinRFD. html

In addition, the HBRFD Committee will be calling residents within both zones to ensure that there is a reasonable expectation of interest and concern regarding the funding and servicing of this rural fire district.

By Lauren Brown
Burns Times-Herald

Congressman Greg Walden made a two-day stop in Harney County last week, Feb. 21-22, to meet with locals on a variety of topics including the handling of last summer’s Egley Fire Complex, the High Desert Partnership and federal priorities and concerns in Harney County.

On Feb. 22, Walden organized a roundtable discussion on the 2007 Egley Complex Fire at the Harney County Senior and Community Services Center. According to Stan Benes, Malheur National Forest Supervisor, the Egley fire, which was started by lightning on July 6, burned about 149,000 acres, which included wildlife habitat and grazing land.

At the Feb. 22 roundtable, representatives from the county, the Bureau of Land Management, the Forest Service and other federal agencies were present as were representatives of ranching and farming groups, law enforcement and the cities of Burns and Hines.

Those present were each given a few minutes to explain of how they felt their agencies responded to the fire, which several acknowledged to be an especially severe event.

Benes stated that about $20 million was spent on suppression of the Egley fire. Taking into account the 100-degree temperatures and the lightning storms, “This was absolutely a worst case scenario,” he said. Benes noted that despite the well-trained firefighters and all the equipment used on the fire, it was simply more than everyone could handle to perfection. He said that while there was much room for criticism, overall, he felt those fighting the fire did a good job.

Burns District BLM Manager Dana Shuford stated that the BLM coordinated with numerous agencies during the fire and called in an incident management team as they were dealing with six uncontained fires on July 7, the day after the Egley fire started.

Now the BLM is currently working on installing fences, cattle guards, re-seeding and weed treatment in the Egley area. They’ve also been working with ranchers on ways to supplement displaced grazing.

He noted that the agency needs to:
• have a discussion about fire management on private land;
• figure out a way to update private citizens on a fire’s daily activity;
• work more closely with local fire associations;
• invest in and help with the development of a group of locals who can assist incident management teams who are not familiar with the area.
Shuford also mentioned the BLM’s “Earning Bridges” program, which involves strategies for effective community relations before, during and after a fire.
Walden agreed with Shuford in the utilization of local expertise during times of crisis.

Harney County Sheriff Dave Glerup talked about using local resources as well. “We have to have local involvement on the ground with these fires,” he said. He used the example of bringing in firefighters from West Virginia who clearly aren’t familiar with the area. “If it hadn’t been for our local firefighters, we could have lost several homes, including the judge’s (County Judge Steve Grasty),” he said.

A little understanding of the land, weather and people goes a long way. Glerup remembered another instance during the fire in which a landowner stood on his porch with a gun and threatened to shoot firefighters who were about to start a backfire.

Leon Peilstick, Harney County President of the Oregon Cattlemen’s Association, also heard frustration from local ranchers, who felt their concerns fell on deaf ears. Ranchers couldn’t see the reasoning behind the large back burns and wondered why the firefighters didn’t start out earlier in the morning to fight the fire.

During the roundtable, other concerns regarding invasive weed management and salvage operations were also discussed. Harney County Judge Steve Grasty underlined the importance of salvaging what is left of the burn. “Time is critical. We can’t wait on this,” he said.

Walden agreed. “It makes no sense to let this resource go away while it has value,” he said. Yet, as the issue gets tied up in political loopholes, the salvageable trees sit and wait.

As far as fencing and reseeding goes, funding is an issue. While Harney County is a priority, there are $56 million worth of requests to help various areas in the United States with restoration after fires. Unfortunately, there is little money to go around. Funding is given out on a first come first serve basis and Harney County is number 110 on the list.

After listening to almost everyone speak, Harney County Commissioner Dan Nichols offered his two cents. “People are tired of fighting,” he said. While the collaborative process has improved, Nichols noted that many people are still stymied by federal regulations and the threat of litigation that limit the utilization of local resources. “Congressman,” Nichols said addressing Walden, “We have to overcome that or it’s a perpetual cycle.”

By Randy Parks
Burns Times-Herald

The Burns girls varsity basketball team advanced to the quarterfinals of the 3A state basketball tournament by beating Portland Adventist Academy 64-30 on Saturday, Feb. 23.

Playing in front of the home crowd, the Hilanders got off to a quick start and held a 17-4 lead at the end of the first quarter.
Courtney Toney buried a 3-pointer to start the second quarter, and Burns was off and running. The Hilanders closed out the quarter on a 12-0 run and led by 30 points at halftime.

Baskets by Ashley Schouviller and Toney gave Burns a 47-14 lead before Sierra King scored the Cougars’ first field goal of the second half. After Monique Bentz of Burns knocked down a pair of free throws, the Hilanders’ Mattea Zabala scored twice and Brea Ribeiro added a basket to put Burns ahead 55-16. The quarter ended with the Cougars’ Kristin Johnson hitting a 3-pointer at the buzzer.

The Hilanders led by as many as 38 points in the final period before Portland Adventist scored the last four points of the game to provide the final margin.
Toney and Zabala led the Hilander scoring attack, each finishing with 18 points. Bentz added 10, Ribeiro six, Robin Higle five, Jaela Dinsmore four, Schouviller two and Amber Hodge one.

Burns had a great night shooting the ball, connecting on 28-of-49 field goal attempts (57.1 percent). They were also 5-of-6 from the free-throw line.
Portland Adventist was led by Sierra King with 11 points and Johnson with nine.

Burns will now play Myrtle Point at 3:15 today (Wednesday, Feb. 27) at Willamette University in Salem. The Bobcats advanced with a 50-46 win over Santiam Christian.

In other quarterfinal games on tap for today, Valley Catholic plays Creswell at 1:30 p.m., Harrisburg takes on Rainier at 6:30 p.m., followed by the Vale-Coquille match-up at 8:15 p.m.

The girls state championship game will be played at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, March 1.

1 2 3 4 Final
PAA 4 9 6 11 30
Bur 17 26 12 9 64

•••

Keeping the dream alive.

The Burns boys varsity basketball team beat Rainier 72-61 on Saturday, Feb. 23, to earn a trip to the quarterfinals of the 3A state basketball tournament at Willamette University in Salem.

Four different Hilanders scored in the opening minutes of the game to give Burns a 10-0 lead before Rainier got on the scoreboard with a 3-pointer by Hazze Walker. A free throw by Drew Heinz and a basket by Steven Smartt put Burns back up by 10, and they maintained that advantage throughout the quarter.

Two baskets by Tyler Fenton and another by Smartt to start the second period gave Burns a 25-11 lead. Heinz then scored the next four baskets, including a 3-pointer, for the Hilanders, and they went into halftime leading 37-20.

After the break, the Colombians closed the gap to seven by outscoring Burns 12-2 in the first few minutes of play. Following a free throw by Trevor Smith of Burns, Heinz came up with a steal and lay-in to build the lead back up to 10.

Rainier cut the lead to six with two baskets, but two free throws by Garrett Swisher and a bucket by Tommy Ghost Dog made the score 46-36 in favor of Burns.

Three consecutive baskets by Rainier brought them to within four, but as time in the period wound down, Fenton swished a 12-footer to give Burns a six point lead heading into the final quarter.

With 3:59 left in the game, Swisher made two free throws to put Burns ahead 56-48.

Rainier answered with a basket by Branden Staehely and on the Hilanders’ next possession, Kory Schuff stole the ball and was fouled on his way to the basket. Schuff missed both free throws however, and Fenton made a perfect pass to Swisher at the Hilanders’ end of the court. Swisher was fouled as he went up for the shot, but the bucket was good, as was the ensuing free throw.

After a Schuff free throw, Swisher again sank a basket and free throw to put Burns up 62-51 with 2:29 left in the game.

Rainier would get no closer than nine the rest of the way as Swisher, Smith and Heinz made their free throws, and Smartt and Fenton scored from the field.
For the Hilanders, Heinz finished with 18 points, Swisher had 17, Smartt added 14, Fenton 10, Ghost Dog nine and Smith four.

Smartt led the team in rebounding, pulling down 11, while Ghost Dog had 10.

Rainier’s Walker led all scorers with 19 points and Brandon Cataldo, a 6-foot, 10-inch sophomore, had 14 points and 14 rebounds.

The Hilanders’ appearance at the state tournament site will be the first in more than two decades, and Burns will face Horizon Christian at 3:15 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 28.

Other quarterfinal games on Thursday have Cascade Christian playing Harrisburg at 1:30 p.m., Regis against Westside Christian at 6:30 and Umatilla tips off against Portland Adventist at 8:15.

The tournament will culminate with the championship game at 8:30 p.m. Saturday, March 1.

1 2 3 4 Final
Rain 9 11 22 19 61
Bur 19 18 11 24 72

By Debbie Raney
Burns Times-Herald

The Crane Mustangs earned the right to advance to the 1A state basketball tournament in Baker City this week, by coming out victorious in both round-one and round-two play-in games. Crane defeated Southwest Christian at home, and then beat Imbler on the road, placing them into the final eight that will compete this week.

The Mustangs will play Horizon Christian at 3:15 p.m. Thursday in the quarterfinals. Other matchups set for Thursday are Mohawk versus North Clackamas Christian, Triangle Lake versus Country Christian, and Spray versus Columbia Christian.

•••

Cranes’ 77-66 win over Imbler on Saturday carried a message — a team can’t count their opponents out until the final buzzer.

The Mustangs took a quick lead in the opening minutes with Matt Stevens and Dallen Davies turning steals into points. Good defensive position under the boards by Baxter Davies, Royal Henricks and Jordan Conaway kept Imber from getting put-backs, and at the end of one, Crane had a 27-6 lead.

The Mustangs’ 22-point advantage held all the way through the second quarter, as B. Davies shot inside and D. Davies nailed two 3-pointers. At halftime, Crane was up 44-22.

The third quarter could have been the end of the Mustangs’ season. In the first four minutes, Imblers’ full-court press created five turnovers. Every one of those turnovers were taken to the net, and the Panthers were only 12 points down. When Crane finally began to get through the press, the teams ran even, and at the end of three, the score had the Mustangs leading 57-41.

When Imbler began to hit 3-pointers from both sides of the perimeter during the fourth quarter, the Panthers pulled to within eight points. Then, Conaway let everyone know that 3-point shots could drop on both ends of the court. During the final quarter, he made 14 points, and Crane stepped into the top eight 1A teams in the state.

Crane had three players not only hit double-digits, but make 20 or more points. D. Davies made 23, including four 3-pointers; B. Davies scored 22; and Conaway made 20. Rounding out the Mustang scoring was R. Henricks with six, Stevens with four and C. Henricks hitting two.

The Mustangs’ opponent in the first game in this week’s tournament, Horizon Christian, is the number-one team out of the Big Sky League. They defeated Days Creek on Saturday to earn advancement to Baker City. Overall for the year, the Hawks are undefeated with a 26-0 record.

CRA 27 17 13 20 77
IMB 6 16 19 25 66

Last Wednesday, the Mustangs defeated the Southwest Christian Wildcats, 58-41.

Crane jumped ahead in the first quarter, with Jordan Conaway downing a three to start the scoring. Royal Henricks blocked two Wildcat shots, and the Mustangs were ahead 11-6, midway through the first quarter.

The Wildcats began to penetrate Crane’s defense, getting inside for three shots, and then hitting two 3-pointers, and at the top of the second, the Mustangs trailed 16-15.

Cranes’ defense began to get in front of Southwest Christian during the second period, stopping their quick inside moves. The stepped up coverage held the Wildcats to only one basket from the field and two free throws before halftime. Offensively, Dallen Davies connected for two 3-pointer shots, and Baxter Davies got inside for three buckets in the paint. Going into the locker room, Crane was up 33-20.

It took three minutes before either team made a shot in the third quarter — at the five minute mark, B. Davies found the net. During the third, B. Davies was the only Mustang to score. The Wildcats made seven straight at the end of the quarter, to pull the score to a 10-point difference, 39-29.

Conaway was called for his fifth foul in the open minute of the fourth. With the two free throws, Southwest Christian pulled to within eight points. R. Henricks was fouled on the ensuing trip down the floor, making the shot and the free throw that followed. After B. Davies made a jumper, the Wildcats scored on back-to-back possessions, getting to within nine points of Crane again, with four and one-half minutes in the game. The Mustangs then went on an eight-point run to pull to an unreachable lead.

The win over the Wildcats sent Crane to a round-two matchup with the Imbler Panthers on Saturday.

B. Davies was the Mustangs top scorer against Southwest Christian, hitting for 21 points. D. Davies made 17, Conaway scored nine, R. Henricks put in seven, Matt Stevens made two points and Cody Henricks and Pete Joyce scored one point each.

CRA 15 18 6 19 58
SWC 16 4 9 12 41

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 Administrative Building, 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.

Frenchglen Education Foundation will hold an open house on Feb. 28, at the Frenchglen Hotel, from 6:30-8 p.m. Anyone interested in learning more about the foundation, or who has any suggestions and comments are encouraged and welcome to attend. Refreshments will be served. For more information, call 495-9811.

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.

The Prescription Assistance program through the Harney County Senior and Community Services Center is held each Thursday, from 1-3 p.m. Call Selena Westlake at 573-6024 to make an appointment.

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.

Boxing is held each Friday from 2-4 p.m. at the Boys & Girls Club. The fundamentals of boxing are taught to kids. Permission slips must be turned in prior to participation in this program.

Hines Middle School Reading Club meets each Friday from 10:30-11:30 a.m. at the Harney County Library.

The Boys & Girls Club has the Club Bucks Store open each Friday. This is an incentive program in which members earn “club bucks” by doing good deeds and helping out around the club.

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

Diabetes Support Group meets at the Harney County Health Building, 420 North Fairview, the first Saturday of each month at 2 p.m.

Alanon holds an open meeting each Saturday at Foursquare Church at 5:30 p.m.

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