Harney County Senior Center Holiday Craft Fair will be held on Nov. 22. For more information, call Selena Westlake at 573-6024.

Denio Turkey Shoot will be held on Saturday, Nov. 22.  An Outside Shoot (near arena) will be held from 9 a.m. – 3 p.m.  and will include iron sites, 100-yard off-hand rifle shoot, 200-yard any rifle shoot, 25-yard pistol shoot and creative shooting. An Inside Shoot (community hall) will include 22s with peep sights from 2-8 p.m. A Youth Shoot will also be held. Competitors must hold a Hunter Safety Card or have parent supervision. Concessions will be provided by the Fields Schools students from 11 a.m. until 7 p.m. Other activities will include Bingo from noon until 2 p.m., Fields School Cow Plop Bingo and a used book sale.

The Gifted Angels Holiday Craft Sale will be held on Nov. 22, at the corner of Tennyson and Juniper Avenue (across from the Aspens), from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.

Alanon holds an open meeting each Saturday at Foursquare Church at 7 p.m.

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.

Harney County Library Advisory Board meets the last Monday of each month (except for those dates that fall on national holidays) in the library, 80 West D St., at 6 p.m. The public is welcome to attend. Use the back door to the left. For more information, call 573-7339.

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 Club 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.

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.

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.

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

A free “Supersize Me!” Workshop will be held on Tuesday, Nov. 25, from 5-6 p.m. in the Harney District Hospital Conference Room. Get some interesting information on “make mine bigger” eating habits and how many calories they can add to your meal. For more information, call Amy Dobson at 573-8318.

A breast cancer support group meets the fourth Tuesday of each month in the Harney District Hospital conference room, from 5:30-7 p.m. For more information, contact Sonni at 573-5750.

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.

Patient Assist, Needy Med Program trained volunteers will be at the Harney County Senior Center each Tuesday, from 1-4 p.m. For appointments call the Senior Center at 573-6024.

Boy Scout Troop 440, sponsored by the Burns Lion’s Club, meets each Tuesday from 7-8:30 p.m. at the LDS Church in Hines. Boys ages 11-18 are welcome to join.

The Boys & Girls Club holds a cooking class, open to all members, each Tuesday.

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

Eric Drushella will be the new Harney County roadmaster when Kerry Landers retires on Jan. 1

By Randy Parks
Burns Times-Herald

For 38 years, Kerry Landers has held the position of Harney County Road Supervisor. That will change with the new year as Landers has announced he’ll be retiring on Jan. 1.

Stepping in for Landers as the new roadmaster will be Eric Drushella, who began two months of on-the-job training on Nov. 3. “Right now I’m just picking Kerry’s brain for as much information as I can,” Drushella said in his first week on the job.

Background

Drushella began his career in the world of roadwork in the mid ’90s when he went to work for R.L. Coates’ Deschutes Redi-Mix. “I think it was in 1996,” Drushella said. “We worked on streets in Burns and Hines, and on Highway 20.”

Drushella was the supervisor at the batch plant, overseeing rock sales, concrete batching and a number of other duties.

From there, Drushella went to work for the Tire Factory in Hines for a short time and then secured employment with Harney Rock and Paving in 2001.

Drushella said he initially handled estimates, job costing and safety issues, but the longer he was with Harney Rock and Paving, the more comfortable he felt handling other tasks as well. “I’d just kind of help out whatever needed done,” he said. “It might be batch concrete, driving truck, filling in for a supervisor, whatever.”

Road Supervisor

“I have no idea what made me apply for this job,” Drushella laughed. “No, seriously, I just wanted to do something different. I wanted a new challenge.”

Drushella said the past seven years that he has spent at Harney Rock have been a good experience, and hopes the 10 years or so total he’s had in the road construction business will serve him well.

A good portion of the county’s road department  duties include maintaining and improving the county road system, plowing snow, building roads and bridge repair.

“My biggest challenge right now is, in my mind, getting a schedule of roads that need attention and bridges that need to be replaced,” Drushella said. “Kerry has already established a priority list, what needs to be done right away and what can wait, and I need to learn that from him.”

While Drushella continues his work with Landers, he credits the work crew of about 16 employees for making the transition easier. “Those guys have years and years of experience, and they’re good at what they do,” Drushella said. “There’s no way I, or anyone could do this job without them.”

Budget concerns

In an effort to provide equal maintenance to the many roads in the county, the monies provided to the road department are split as equally as possible to each area. “Let’s say we spend ‘X’ amount of money in the Fields area on roads. We then try to spend that same amount in Drewsey, Princeton, Riley and so on,” Drushella said.

The road department is aware they have to watch the budget because it’s unknown how long the Payments In Lieu of Taxes (PILT) will continue. They have been approved by Congress for four more years, but the amount will be reduced each year. “The department has done a good job  of budgeting, knowing the payments will dwindle down,” Drushella said. “And the county (court) has done a good job of making it work.”

To help compensate for a dwindling budget, expenses have been cut in a number of ways, including attrition. Paving projects have been put on hold as well because of the rising cost of asphalt.

“The budget is a concern, but you can’t let it drive you,” Drushella said. “You do the best with what you have.”

Because there are so many different aspects to the job and no training manual in print, Landers will be available as a consultant.

“There’s no doubt I’ll have questions for Kerry as we go along, but I’m excited,” Drushella said. “A little overwhelmed right now, but excited. And I’ll take it one day at a time.”

Michele Woods of Baker City will also address dating violence

Whether parents like to think about it or not, their children have likely come into contact with a bully at school.

Teens who date may have even experienced bullying in a relationship.

This is why HHope, the Harney County Juvenile Department and the Harney County District Attorney’s Office have joined together to bring speaker Michele Woods to this community for four special presentations to area students and parents.

Woods is the Executive Director of MayDay Inc. of Baker City. She has had more than 600 hours of training on issues regarding domestic violence and sexual assault.

She will speak at Hines Middle School from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. today, Nov. 12. She will then move on to Burns High School to speak to students from 11 a.m. to noon and will then head to Crane. Woods will also offer a presentation to parents at 7 p.m. at the Lincoln auditorium, 550 N. Court in Burns.

During her presentations, Woods will talk about healthy teen relationships, respect for oneself and others as well as boundary setting.
Woods noted that teenagers will often hide dating violence from their parents for a number of reasons:

• teens are inexperienced with dating relationships;

• they are pressured by peers to act violently;

• they want independence from their parents;

• and they have “romantic” views of love.

Teen dating violence is influenced by how teenagers look at themselves and others. Woods will talk about how teenagers can choose better relationships when they learn to identify the early warning signs of an abusive relationship, understand that they have choices and believe they are valuable people who deserve to be treated with respect.

As for more general bullying, Woods noted that adolescence is tough, but with the advance of technology, teens today have redefined the social battleground. Cell phones, instant messaging and personal Web sites such as MySpace and Facebook are now common weapons of “cyber bullying” used to spread gossip, rumors and bequeath public lashings — leaving teenagers with painful battle scars.

The technology often appeals to the strengths of girls, allowing them to fight with emotionally stinging words instead of physical brawn. Although boys and girls both participate in Internet hazing, experts say that girls are more invested in the potential of cyber bullying.

Woods will talk about how cyber bullying plays on the vulnerabilities of adolescence. Web sites have been created to vote for a school’s biggest slut, ugliest student, the most hated and so on. Woods said that there are many kids who would never bully face-to-face but do online.

The Harney County Clerk’s Office submitted the following results from the Nov. 4 general election, which had a 86.9 percent turnout in Harney County. The results are the total of Harney County’s votes:

President/vice president

John McCain — 2,592
Barack Obama — 946
Ralph Nader — 51
Bob Barr — 29
Write-in — 27
Chuck Baldwin — 21
Cynthia McKinney — 10

United States Senator

Gordon Smith — 2,570
Jeff Merkley — 753
David Brownlow — 242
Write-in — 5

Representative, 2nd district

Greg Walden — 2,906
Noah Lemas — 520
Richard D. Hake — 74
Tristin Mock — 61
Write-in — 5

Secretary of State

Rick Dancer — 2,359
Kate Brown —973
Seth Alan Woolley — 79
Write-in — 5

State Treasurer

Allen Alley —  2,168
Ben Westlund — 1,032
Michael Marsh — 153
Write-in — 3

Attorney General

John R. Kroger — 1,667
J. Ashley Albies — 524
James E. Leuenberger — 475
Walter F. Brown — 128
Write-in — 22

State Senator

Ted Ferrioli — 2,817
Write-in — 46
State Representative
Cliff Bentz — 2,802
Write-in — 131

County Commissioner

Dan Nichols — 2,736
Write-in — 143

Commissioner of Labor and Industry

Brad Avakian — 1,069
Pavel Goberman — 457
Mark Welyczko — 308
Write-in — 36

Judge of the Supreme Court

Martha L. Walters — 2,032
Write-in — 37

Judge of the Court of Appeals

Timothy J. Sercombe — 2,009
Write-in — 36
County Clerk
Maria Iturriaga — 3,158
Write-in — 24

Harney County Sheriff

Dave Glerup — 2,184
Tim Alexander — 1,231
Write-in — 36

Mayor, City of Burns

Len Vohs — 507
Loretta Carter — 249
Yvonne Warden — 232
Write-in — 44

Burns Council position 1

Dan Hoke, write-in — 47

Burns Council position 2

William R. Renwick — 750
Terri C. Holt — 290
Write-in — 12

Burns Council position 3

Darwin Johnson, Jr. — 810
Write-in — 23

Mayor, City of Hines

Ruth Schultz — 584
Write-in — 18

Hines Council position 1

Nikki Morgan — 476
Write-in — 9

Hines Council position 2

Brent Drury — 489
Write-in — 19

Hines Council position 3

Kevin Taylor, write-in — 8

Harney Soil & Water Conservation District Zone 2

Frank Burns — 2,040
Write-in — 51

Harney Soil & Water Conservation District Zone 1, 5 and at large

No candidates filed

Measure 54

Yes — 2,175
No — 1,211

Measure 55

Yes — 2,386
No — 948

Measure 56

Yes — 1,684
No — 1,768

Measure 57

Yes — 2,028
No — 1,450

Measure 58

Yes — 2,037
No — 1,494

Measure 59

Yes — 1,430
No — 2,029

Measure 60

Yes — 1,762
No — 1,774

Measure 61

Yes — 1,931
No — 1,583

Measure 62

Yes — 1,312
No — 2,165

Measure 63

Yes — 2,215
No — 1,300

Measure 64

Yes — 2,129
No — 1,336

Measure 65

Yes — 983
No — 2,389

Pellet mill or biomass project up for consideration

By Debbie Raney
Burns Times-Herald

With the reauthorization of the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act (SRS2008), Harney County will once again receive national forest related Payment in Lieu of Tax (PILT) funds.

At the Nov. 5 meeting of the Harney County Court, Resolution No. 2008-17 was signed, allocating a percentage of the county’s funds to Title II and Title III projects. The resolution states that Harney County will allocate 14 percent of the full county payment to Title II and 1 percent to Title III.

Judge Steve Grasty told the court that in the past the money allocated to these funds had been keyed to forest health. The projects included thinning, fence work and some road work. But that, said Grasty, “only kept a few people busy.” Grasty said he would like to use the PILT funds for something long-term, such as a pellet mill or other biomass project, if the court was in agreement. He said he has been in conversation with the Department of Energy and they have proposed a grant that would be used to put a mill in the area.

“If possible,” said Grasty, “I’d like to keep the money the first year and put it into something that would provide long-term work.” The county will receive approximately $450,000 this year.

Mark Maliwauki, Harney County Economic Development Coordinator, was in attendance at the county court meeting and said that due to supply, he didn’t know if a pellet mill and another biomass project would be viable.

•••

In other business, the court reviewed the intergovernmental agreement between Lake and Harney counties mental health services.

Because of concerns regarding the perception that could arise of double payment to Harney Behavioral Health employees Chris Siegner and Vern Brown, Judge Grasty presented a letter he had written to Siegner. In the letter, he stated that all payment of salary, benefits and personal expenses must come through the Harney County payroll and accounts payable department and that neither Siegner or Brown would accept any direct payment from Lake County. All reimbursement for travel, meals, etc … would be through actual receipts, with no per diem payments.

Grasty also requested that the agreement contract date be extended to June 2010, to coincide with the fiscal year rather than calendar year. Siegner will also be asked to present quarterly updates to the court, and the agreement will contain a termination clause, allowing both counties to terminate.

•••

Patty Dorroh, Director of the Commission on Children and Families, introduced Brett Jantze to the court. Jantze was selected as the new commission program coordinator.

Dorroh also informed the court that the commission has been awarded a nationally competitive grant for $125,000 each yea for five years. The grant will be used to reduce underage substance abuse and build the community coalition.

•••

The court signed a letter of support for the BLM’s recently released Western Oregon Plan revision. The letter states that not only would the plan improve harvest, which would in turn generate significant receipts for county governments, it would “provide family wage jobs, opportunities for locally-owned business, sustainable ecosystems and carbon sequestering forests.”

The letter was drafted by the American Forest Resource Council.

•••

The county court meeting originally scheduled for Nov. 19 was rescheduled for Monday, Nov. 24.

By Randy Parks
Burns Times-Herald

Another 3A state volleyball tournament and another trophy for the Burns Hilanders.

The Hilanders shook off a quarterfinal loss to Valley Catholic in their first match and came back to win their next two matches to place fourth at this year’s OSAA/U.S. Bank/Les Schwab Tires 3A State Volleyball Championship held at Lane Community College in Eugene Nov. 7-8.

In their final match of the season, Burns defeated Creswell in three games, 25-22, 25-17, 28-26, to secure the fourth place trophy.

“Our last match of the season, the girls were having a ‘little’ fun,” Burns coach Paula Toney said “They were back to playing the Burns game and being in control. Strong serving, better blocking and defense once again provided the win.”

After falling behind 6-1 in the first game against Creswell, Burns came back to tie the score at 7-7. The teams stayed even for the next few points until the Hilanders were able to forge a 21-14 lead.

The Bulldogs then got the momentum on their side and closed to within 22-21. Burns won two of the next three points and closed the game out with Jamie Higle serving the final point.

The second game was dominated by the Hilanders as they led from start to finish to go up two games to none.

The Bulldogs weren’t going to go away easily however, and they led the early part of the third game until Burns finally tied it at 13-13. The score see-sawed back and forth from there until Creswell got on a short roll and led 23-19. Burns won the next point, and a block by Mattea Zabala brought the Hilanders to within two. Burns captured the next two points on mistakes by Creswell to tie the game at 23-23.

Burns fought back after the Bulldogs had twice more taken a one point lead, and finally grabbed a 27-26 lead on a Creswell serving error. A hitting error by the Bulldogs on the next serve gave Burns the game, match and trophy.

Burns vs. Santiam Christian

In a match-up of two highly-touted teams, the Hilanders defeated the Eagles three games to one, winning 25-23, 25-20, 24-26, 25-23.
“This was the match-up we expected, just not on this side of the bracket,” Toney said. “We played more relaxed and were able to put up some blocks with Jessica Wheeler topping the blocking with 9 blocks, and with Courtney Toney, Maddye Dinsmore, and Kaci Nonnenmacher stepping up defensively for the win.”

Leading 12-10 in the first game, the Hilanders’ C. Toney  served seven straight points to give Burns a comfortable lead. The Eagles did come back to close the gap to 24-23, but Burns scored the next point to grab the win.

Burns controlled the tempo in the second game and only trailed once on their way to a two games to none lead.

It looked like Burns would win the match in a three-game sweep when they led 22-19 in the third game, but the Eagles rallied back to tie the game at 23-23. Burns won the next point, and then appeared to have won the game on a shot by Zabala, but a Hilander player was ruled under the net, and the point went to Santiam Christian for a 24-24 tie.

The Eagles then scored the next two points to force a fourth game.

The final game was close throughout, with neither team able to get more than a three point advantage. When the Eagles went ahead 23-20, it looked like the match would be decided by a fifth and final game.

The Hilanders had different ideas however, as they won the next five points to knock the Eagles out of the tournament and advance to the trophy round.

Burns vs. Valley Catholic

Burns arrived at Lane Community College with only one loss during the season (finals of the Sisters tournament), a No. 1 ranking in the 3A class and considered one of the favorites in this year’s state tournament.

Despite all their earlier success, the Hilanders could never get into rhythm in their opening match against Valley Catholic and lost in four games, 15-25, 23-25, 25-21, 20-25.

“Maybe it the pressure, being ranked No. 1 all season, having the target on our backs,” Toney said. “I don’t know. We just didn’t play well. Valley Catholic came out firing. We couldn’t get a block on them and struggled to get into our groove. That was Valley Catholic’s best match of the tournament.”

Burns seemed to be sleep-walking in the first game as the Valiants jumped out to a 20-12 lead and coasted to the win.

In the second game, Valley Catholic used a late rally to pull ahead 24-20, and then held off a charge by Burns to win by two.

The Hilanders got off to a fast start in the third game, going ahead 10-4, and then never trailing on their way to the win.

In the fourth game, the Hilanders trailed throughout until finally pulling even at 19-19. The Valiants scored the next point, but Burns came back to tie the game again.

Unfortunately for the Hilanders that was as close as they’d get as Valley Catholic racked up the next five points for the upset win.

Valley Catholic also won their next match, defeating Cascade Christian, and then lost to Sheridan in the championship.

Two Hilanders did receive post-tournament honors for their performances. Zabala was named to the first all-tournament team and C. Toney received second team honors.

Burns has now won a trophy at the state volleyball tournament six years in a row: three-1st, one-2nd, one-3rd, one-4th.

By Debbie Raney
Burns Times-Herald

It was a bitter sweet ending to a stellar season for the Crane Mustangs volleyball team. The Mustangs made their first trip to the state championship tournament in nine years last weekend, and though they were kept out of the trophy positions, Crane didn’t go down easily.

The Mustangs’ first match at the tournament, held at Pacific University in Forest Grove, was against Griswold on Friday, Nov. 7. The Mustangs lost to the Grizzlies in five games — 20-25, 25-11, 26-24, 16-25, 11-15. Crane coach Sherri Hussey commented that nerves played a small role in the Mustangs’ first game loss, “they were all playing tight.”

The Mustangs jumped to an early lead in the second game, pushing to a 13-5 advantage, and then 18-10 before sealing the win.

In the third game of the match, Crane trailed 7-12, when an injury put starting middle Natalie Bentz out for the remainder of the tournament. Alex Borelli took the court to replace Bentz, and the Mustangs launched a gradual comeback, eventually tying the game at 20, and holding on for the win for a 2-1 advantage over the Grizzlies.

Hannah Buermann moved to the middle for the next two games, with Emilee O’Toole coming in to hit outside.

In the fourth game, the teams played point for point, tied up until 13. Griswold then made a run and scored eight straight points, taking the score to 14-21. Side-out points gave the Grizzlies the win. For the deciding fifth game of the match, the two teams again played even, trading points to 11-all. Griswold took the serve and ended the game and the match. Crane went to the consolation side of the bracket to face Prospect, and Griswold went to the championship side, and would end up falling to Imbler in the championship on Saturday.

Coach Hussey said that following the Griswold match, Marci Gallagher, the Grizzly Coach, told her that Crane was “the best team they had played all year.”

“They [the Mustangs] really played together to fill in when Natalie got hurt,” said Hussey. “They played as a team.”

The Mustangs’ second match of the state tournament was against the Prospect Cougars. Again, Crane took the match to five games, but the deciding game went to the Cougars, and the Mustangs lost 18-25, 25-22, 27-25, 27-29, 11-15.

“We tried the same lineup as we used against Griswold, but it wasn’t working,” said Hussey. “Prospect’s offense was scrappier, and unorthodox.”

In the first game, the Mustangs played keep up from the first serve. The Cougars kept one to two points ahead the majority of the game, allowing Crane to lead only once, at 14-13.

The Mustangs did the same to Prospect during the second game, always keeping just out of reach, one or two points up.

During the third, the Mustangs were trailing 14-19 before pulling back. Lindy Steeves, Lily Valentine, O’Toole and Buermann rotated into server’s position, each player squeezing the margin closer and closer. The teams were tied at 23, and again at 24 and 25. The Mustangs got side out point 26, and then Brooke Nyman served the winning point for Crane.

The Mustangs led by as many as six points during the fourth game, before Prospect caught up and tied the score at 18. The teams traded points, with the score again being tied through 27. The Cougars got two points in a row to take the game, and push the match to a fifth.

At 10-10 in the final game, Prospect went on a four-point run and then got the winning point on a side-out. The Cougars went on to defeat Southwest Christian for the fourth-place trophy.

Coach Hussey remarked on the Mustangs’ tournament, “They did so good. At a state-level game, we made a new team. People were playing new positions, next to different people. Hannah had never played middle, Emilee came in and had awesome serves. September (O’Crowley) was dominating at the net.”

O’Crowley was named to the tournament first-team all-stars.

The state tournament not only marked the end of the 2008 season, it marked the end to Coach Hussey’s tenure as head coach. She officially passed the reins down to Lindsey Robertson, who assisted this season.