Easter Sunday Services will be held at the following: Harney County Church of the Nazarene at 10:45 a.m., and a Non-denominational service at 10:30 a.m. at the Desert Historical Theatre (sponsored by the Burns Christian Church).
Alcoholics Anonymous meets every Sunday at Foursquare Church for 12X12 study, at 7 p.m.

The Harney County Health Department will be available at the Harney County Senior Center, 17 South Alder, to check blood pressure the fourth Monday of each month from 1-3 p.m. There is no charge for the clinic and results can be forwarded to a physician or nurse practitioner at your request.

Order of Eastern Star meets the second and fourth Monday of each month at the Burns Masonic Hall, 1210 West Taylor, at 7:30 p.m.

The Torch Club, a teen leadership and service group at the Boys & Girls Club, meets each Monday from 4:30-5:30 p.m.

ImageMakers, a photography program is offered to members of the Boys & Girls each Monday from 4-5 p.m. All ages are encouraged to learn and practice black and white, color and digital photography skills as well as image editing.

PRIDE meets each Monday in the Courthouse basement meeting room, 450 North Buena Vista, at 7:30 a.m. to network for community betterment.

The Burns Lions Club meets each Monday at noon at the Burns Elks Lodge, 118 N. Broadway, for lunch. Those interested in serving the community are welcome.

Narcotics Anonymous holds an open meeting each Monday at 7 p.m. at Foursquare Church.

HDH Sports & Physical Therapy will offer a free athletic injury clinic at that facility, 559 West Washington, every Monday from 5-6 p.m. A physical therapist will assess and treat athletic injuries and provide education for athletes and parents on self management of injuries. For more information call 573-1543.

Harney County Chamber Music Society Choir meets the second and fourth Tuesday, September-November and January-March. The choir meets in the Burns High School band room, from 7-8:30 p.m., with Marianne Andrews directing. Singers ages 13-up are welcome.

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

Alcoholics Anonymous holds an open meeting each Tuesday at Foursquare Church, at 7 p.m.

By Lauren Brown
Burns Times-Herald

In January, Liz Ruskin of Hines received a letter in the mail, which read in part: “I have been looking for my half sister for years. Her name is Elizabeth Ann Graham … I’m hoping you are the one I’m looking for.”

The letter, written by Kathy Wagner of Fort Worth, Texas, included several details regarding Ruskin’s childhood and was accompanied by pictures. She closed with, “If you are the person I’m looking for, I would love to correspond, but understand that you may not want to and that is fine.”

“I got the letter on a Saturday and I was just shaking,” Ruskin said as memories from her past began to surface. She was born in California and lived in Fort Worth for a time with her mother, step-dad and sister, Kathy, age 2. At that time, Ruskin went by the name Betty Ann.

Losing touch

At the age of 7, Ruskin was sent to live with her father and step-mother in California. She wrote letters to her mother and sister for a little while but soon lost touch. “We moved a lot,” she said. “I went to a different school every year.” The memories of her childhood home in Fort Worth slowly faded as she grew into a young woman and moved to San Francisco and then Alaska to be a commercial fisherwoman. She started going by Liz, which she felt was a little more sophisticated than Betty Ann, and she married Dennis Ruskin, changing her last name as well. Eventually, Ruskin and her husband ended up in Hines managing Hines Mobile Park.

Searching for family

All of this made it nearly impossible for Ruskin’s family in Fort Worth to find her. “I think my dad felt guilty about her having to move back to California, and he tried to find her for a really long time,” Wagner said. “I know he would call information or maybe go to the library and try to find all the Grahams in California that he thought might be one of the right ones.” Unfortunately, his efforts were never successful.

However, several years ago, Wagner began doing her own genealogy research at the local library. It was difficult searching for a sister who was probably married with an unknown last name. With the advent of the Internet, a whole new world of search tools opened up. “I posted notices in various people search sites that if anyone knew anything about the Grahams, to let me know. One lady told me about a site, Veromi.net, and I was able to look up people by first name, date of birth and state, and you didn’t necessarily have to have a last name.”

Wagner started by searching records in California, not knowing Ruskin had moved on to Oregon. But she eventually found a marriage record for Dennis Ruskin and Elizabeth Graham. At this point, Wagner had already sent out a handful of letters to Elizabeth Grahams, with negative results. So crossing her fingers, she sent Ruskin a letter. “This is a very difficult letter to write,” Wagner started off, “so please forgive me if I sound like some kind of weirdo.”

Finally found

Upon receiving the letter in the mail, Ruskin was shocked. “I hadn’t really thought about my childhood for a long time,” she said. Friends warned her that the letter could be a scam. “Somebody said, ‘Be careful, it might be someone looking for money or a kidney’,” she said.

However, with cautious optimism Ruskin called the number Wagner included in her letter.

“I was not home. She left a message and I called her back,” Wagner said.
“We were on the phone for two hours,” Ruskin said.

“It was so strange when we talked trying to verify if she was indeed my sister,” Wagner said.

“We just had too many memories alike,” Ruskin agreed.

Wagner experienced a mix of feelings when she finally found her sister. “I was excited — shocked that I had succeeded,” she said. However, she was also sad that she hadn’t found Ruskin before their mother passed away.

The two women became fast friends, talking weekly and e-mailing daily. The sisters have much in common. Both have sons and daughters born in the same years, and they share a similar sense of humor. “We laugh all the time,” Ruskin said. “Even if she weren’t family, she’d be a really good friend.”

The newfound sisters talked so much on the phone, that Ruskin’s husband finally suggested that she go for a visit. So on Feb. 21, Ruskin flew out to Fort Worth for a long weekend with her sister. The two spent the entire time catching up, looking at old pictures and visiting with family members. “I have a very large family apparently, and that’s just on my mother’s side,” Ruskin said. In addition to Wagner, Ruskin found out she had two more half-siblings, a younger brother Riley and a younger sister DeeDee.

The trip went too fast for Ruskin, who’s still amazed at how things have worked out.
From Jan. 5 to now, look what has happened to my life,” Ruskin said shaking her head in disbelief. “Everyone says this is like something you see on the ‘Today’ show or ‘Oprah’.” As she continues to talk, e-mail and exchange pictures with her newfound family members, Ruskin looks forward to the future. “We’ve got years of catching up to do. I’ve got a lot of teasing time to make up for.”

As warmer weather arrives and the snow starts to melt away it is a good time to burn your brush that has been piling up through the winter months. The City of Burns Fire Department encourages everyone to take a few minutes to review the Outdoor Burning Regulations.

Residents are reminded to keep in mind the following guidelines for outdoor backyard burning:

All back yard burning requires a burn permit which is available at Burns City Hall, 242 S. Broadway, during business hours Monday through Friday.

Fires shall be attended by a responsible person at all times and shall be extinguished at sundown.

A charged garden hose or fire extinguisher shall be made available within a close proximity of the burn area.

Fires in burn barrels shall not be conducted within 15 feet of a structure.

No flammable liquids are permitted to be used to ignite fires.

Opening burning sites shall not exceed an area bigger than 6 feet by 6 feet and no less than 50 feet from a structure.

The ground around the burning area shall be clear of burnable or combustible material for 10 feet around the area of burning material.

Burning of garbage, human or animal waste and petroleum products are strictly prohibited.

Monitor the local radio station or newspaper for changes in burning restrictions.

Be aware of weather conditions and the impact smoke may have on your neighbors.
Be mindful that individuals may be financially responsible for any damage that may occur when a fire gets out of control.

Contact the City of Burns Fire Department at 541-573-2320 if you have any questions.

By Randy Parks
Burns Times-Herald

During this year’s 3A state wrestling tournament Feb. 15-16, Burns High School junior Mike Schaff suffered a spleen injury and wound up having emergency surgery in a Portland hospital.

When the cost of the hospital stay began to mount, Schaff’s teammates and friends took action. On Friday, Feb. 22, they canvassed the town, collecting cans and bottles from 10 a.m until dark. The following day, they set up a bake sale at the high school during the basketball playoff games. Each fund raiser raised more than $1,000, which was donated to the Schaff family for medical expenses.

The wrestlers’ team spirit really shone bright the day they were leaving Portland to return home. The team stopped by the hospital to visit Schaff and wish him well. After they departed, the state championship trophy they had just won remained in Schaff’s room.

The public is invited to a benefit dinner for Schaff at 5:30 p.m. Saturday, March 15, at Burns Elks Lodge. Along with the dinner, there will be a silent auction and a “slave auction” where the wrestlers will be auctioned off.

By Randy Parks
Burns Times-Herald

Harney County is a long way from Munich, Germany, but there is a bond of friendship that has spanned the distance for the past 15 years.

Viola Becker, who lives in Munich, has been visiting Hines resident Marge McRae off and on for the past 15 years, thanks to a chance meeting her father had with McRae about 20 years ago.

“My father was visiting the West coast, flying around in a Cessna 172,” Becker said. “He just picked out Burns from a map and flew in.”

“He called the Silver Spur Motel after he landed at the airport and asked if there was anyone who could pick him up and give him a ride to town,” McRae said. “I was working for the chamber of commerce at the time, so I went out to get him.” She added that Becker’s father had only planned to spend a day, but ended up staying a week.

Becker was a teenager when she began visiting Harney County. “I was 16 when I came with Dad for the first time. Then I came again when I was 18, and when I was 20. It was like being in a school exchange program,” she laughed.

Each visit included spending time with McRae and exploring the countryside. “I love to come here,” Becker said. “It’s just wide open spaces. In Europe, everything is so congested.”

Becker not only inherited her father’s choice of scenery, but his love of flying as well. She said she decided at a fairly young age that she wanted to be a pilot and began working toward that goal.

Because she couldn’t afford to attend flight school right away, Becker began her career in the sky as a flight attendant. “I was living at home, so I could save my money,” she said.

As the funds grew, she began her pilot training. Becker said her first training was actually in Florida, and she she finished up in Germany. “It took about two-and-a-half years, off-and-on, to get my pilot’s license,” she said.

Although Becker was patient and worked hard for her license, the timing of attaining it couldn’t have been worse. “It was just after Sept. 11, so there were a lot of airports shut down,” she said.

Becker did eventually secure a job with a flight ambulance company and spent two years flying Lear jets around the world, picking up patients. Becker said some of the countries she flew into included Pakistan, Sweden, Nigeria, Israel, Afghanistan, Bangladesh and the Ivory Coast. “It was exciting, but we never did have a chance to really visit the countries. All we ever really saw was the airports and the view from the plane,” she said.

There was also little time for private life because there was always a chance a call would come in, and Becker would be off again to a foreign country.

Leaving the Lear jets behind, Becker got a job with the German airline LTU and has spent the past year flying passengers around in an Airbus 320. She has attained the rank of First Officer and should be flying the larger Airbus 330 this year.

While pursuing her choice of careers, Becker has stayed in contact with McRae through letters and phone calls and just recently returned to Burns after a five-year absence.

The two ladies spent a lot of time catching up, looking at pictures and traveling around the county. “She’s just a little-bitty girl, and she’s flying those great big planes! Can you believe it?” McRae laughed.

After spending a week with McRae, Becker had to return to her homeland and her work. The night before she left though, McRae gave her another taste of Harney County. “We’re having sheep stew tonight,” McRae said.

They may be separated by thousands of miles, but they will always be connected by their friendship.

By Randy Parks
Burns Times-Herald

The local lacrosse team, Nadzi-Tsa-Ga, opened their season by competing in a tournament in Boise, Idaho, March 7-8. Nadzi-Tsa-Ga finished the tournament with a 2-2 record.

“For the first tournament of the season we did well,” coach Rick Roy said.
In their first game on Saturday, March 7, Nadzi-Tsa-Ga edged Timberline High School from Boise 6-5. Gabe First-Raised scored the game-winning goal off an assist by McKinley Ridenour. First-Raised was also credited with an assist in the game.

Also scoring for Nadzi-Tsa-Ga were Cole Potter (two goals, assist), Chris Gillespie (two goals) and Andrew Roy (goal, assist).

Nadzi-Tsa-Ga played Canyon County High School from Nampa, Idaho, in their second game and lost 9-3. “It was a game of unforced errors on our part,” Roy said. “We didn’t play our game, and we couldn’t get the ball out of our end of the field.”

A. Roy, Gillespie and Potter each had a goal in the game.

On Sunday, March 8, Nadzi-Tsa-Ga downed Eagle, Idaho 4-1. A. Roy finished with three goals and an assist and Potter added one goal. “We should have won by more, but their goalie was good,” Roy said. “We played as a team, and the result was a win.”

In their final game of the tournament, Nadzi-Tsa-Ga took on Lake City High School from Couer d’Alene, Idaho. Nadzi-Tsa-Ga got out to an early lead in the game, but couldn’t hold it and lost 10-3.

Nadzi-Tsa-Ga will be hosting a tournament this Saturday, March 15. Teams attending include Timberline varsity and JV, Boise High School varsity and JV, Bend High School varsity and JV and Sisters varsity.

Games start at 10 a.m. and will be played at the Burns High School (BHS) track field and at the Hines Middle School (HMS) field. The schedule for games is as follows:

10 a.m. — Nadzi-Tsa-Ga vs. Timberline JV at BHS. Bend varsity vs. Boise varsit at HMS.

11:30 a.m. — Sisters varsity vs. Timberline varsity at BHS. Bend JV vs. Boise JV at HMS.

1 p.m. — Nadzi-Tsa-Ga vs. Boise JV at BHS. Bend varsity vs. Timberline varsity at HMS.

2:30 p.m. — Bend JV vs. Timberline JV at BHS. Sisters varsity vs. Boise varsity at HMS.
Concessions and souvenir T-shirts will also be available.

Jessica Klatt, a 2007 graduate of Burns High School, competed in the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo.

Top air rifle and air pistol shooters from around the United States competed for spots on the U.S. Olympic Team at the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Shooting (Airgun) Feb. 29 – March 3.

Forty-two of the top women in the nation competed for the one slot available for air rifle. Klatt had just previously come from the NCAA qualifiers as the top air rifle shooter. She said that “even though I shot a personal best for this range, I didn’t get the scores I was expecting. I gained more experience and learned a lot as far as nerve level goes during this competition. It has really prepared me for the NCAA championships in March and the Junior Olympics in April.” Klatt finished 29th after three days of competition.

Klatt is a varsity member of the University of Nevada rifle team, which will be competing as one of the final eight teams during the NCAA championships on March 14 at West Point, N.Y.

She will also be competing in air rifle and .22 smallbore as an individual in the Junior Olympics on April 4 at the Olympic Center in Colorado.

Ruth Dorsey Culp, 90, died at the Yuma Regional Hospital in Yuma, Ariz., on March 4 after a battle with cancer.

Memorial services will be held at a later date in Burns.

Culp is survived by her daughter, Patricia McDonald of Burns; grandchildren, Dorothy Linville of Rushville, Ind., Debbie Seaman of Anchorage, Alaska, Bev LaFollette of Burns and David McDonald of Burns; and eight great-grandchildren.

She is also survived by her brothers, David Dorsey of Ukiah, Calif., and Bob Dorsey of Dayton; niece, Ruthie Miller of Burns; nephew, David Litscher of Burns; and numerous nieces and nephews.

Culp was preceded in death by her parents, George Dorsey and Gladys Harris Dorsey; sister, Rowene Litscher; brothers, Norwood Dorsey, Martin Dorsey, Elwyn Dorsey and Vaughn Dorsey.

Contributions in Culp’s memory may be made to the American Cancer Society in care of LaFollette’s Chapel, PO Box 488, Burns, OR 97720.