PRIDE meets the first Tuesday of each month, at 8 a.m. in the conference room at the Chamber office at 484 N. Broadway.

Medicare D assistance is available on the first Tuesday of each month, from 1-3 p.m., at the Harney County Senior Center. If you need help before that date, call 573-6024.

Harney Basin Writers meets at the Harney County Library the first and third Tuesdays of each month, from 2-4 p.m.

Harney Hospital Foundation meets the first Tuesday of each month in the Hospital Conference Room at 7 p.m.

Sylvia Rebekah Lodge meets the first and third Tuesday of each month at the I.O.O.F. Hall, 348 North Broadway at 6:30 p.m.

The Chamber Orchestra meets the first and third Tuesday of each month in the Burns High School band room, 1100 Oregon Ave., from 7-8:30 p.m. with Ken Peckham directing.

Harney County Democratic Party meets the first Tuesday of each month at the Harney County Courthouse, 450 North Buena Vista, at 7 p.m.

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.

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

Three men take on Basque tradition

By Lauren Brown
Burns Times-Herald

Some traditions are so tightly intertwined with culture that they become something more — they become part of one’s heritage, something passed down from generation to generation.

During the holidays, these links to the past seem to surface more frequently. Three Harney County men with Basque ties,  Pete Runnels, Tony Diaz and Joe Ebar, remember their relatives making chorizo, so they decided to get together to make a batch for their friends and family. “We all jumped at the opportunity,” Runnels said.

Chorizo is a spicy, garlicky sausage that most locals recognize from the annual Basque festival held in Hines Park each June.

Making chorizo is an involved process that takes a week, but the camaraderie and memories that were byproducts of the process are something Runnels, Diaz and Ebar want to hold on to. They will likely make this an annual Christmas tradition that they hope to pass on to their kids and so on. “It’s been a long process, but it was something we all remember,” Runnels said.

Diaz was the one with the chorizo recipe, which he had from Ebar’s  grandmother, Josephine.

Runnels said that he always remembered chorizo hanging up to dry in his grandmother, Martina Larraneta’s, laundry room. Diaz and Ebar had similar memories.  Their relatives used to run Basque boarding houses in Burns, and chorizo was a diet staple. “To them, it was a fact of life,” Runnels said. “They made it year-round.”

To begin their chorizo, Runnels, Diaz and Ebar started out with 100 pounds of pork shoulder. They cut the meat off the bone, ground it up and then used the giant mixer at Figaro’s Pizza to mix in paprika, salt and water.

They then stuffed little packets of garlic in the big tubs of meat. The garlic packets were rotated three times per day for three days. Then the meat was stuffed into hog casings using antiquated machines from the 1930s. They tied the casings and hung them to dry, poking holes in the casings to facilitate the drying process.

Runnels said the chorizo is still drying in his garage but should be ready just in time for Christmas.

Once the chorizo is done, he will give it away as gifts to his brothers and sisters, though his daughter threatened that there had better be some left when she arrives in Burns for the holidays. Runnels said that it’s traditional to eat chorizo as simply as possible — on a roll. “We don’t ever use ketchup,” he said. However, he noted other traditional dishes with chorizo include scrambled eggs and chicken and rice.

Runnels hopes making chorizo will become an annual tradition, and he’s grateful to Diaz for sharing the recipe. “It was fun. I’m sure we’ll all do it again,” he said. “It’s heritage that breeds tradition.”

City requests money to move forward with zone change

By Debbie Raney
Burns Times-Herald
Burns Interim City Manager Bill Guindon appeared before the Harney County Court on Dec. 17 to request assistance from the county to help pay for a traffic impact survey on West Monroe.

The survey is necessary to move forward in zoning changes for a proposed industrial site. The City of Burns requested $8,000 from the county, and Guindon reported the city would foot the bill for the remaining $1,000. The proposed land-use redesignation from residential to industrial would be on 100 acres adjacent to the Oregon Youth Authority. About 40 acres of the land is owned by the county and the other 60 is owned by the tribe. All of the property is within the Burns city limits.

According to Harney County Planning Director Brandon McMullen, the cities of Burns and Hines, the Paiute Tribe and the governor’s office have all worked together to make more industrial land available. The major inhibitor, said McMullen, is finding land that is not in the flood plain.

Harney County Judge Steve Grasty said the Southeast Regional Alliance (SERA) Capacity Building funds would suit this project, and he said he felt the alliance would be on board. The project will be presented to the SERA, but in the meantime, the court approved the $8,000 to fund the study.

Guindon told the court that Scott Fairly, from the Governor’s office, is still looking for other funding from the state. It would be a possibility that the county’s contribution would be considerably smaller.

On a related subject, Peggy Asmussen from Teague Motor Company, commented that she hoped the Monroe Street Intersection Project could successfully be completed. “We’ve tried to redo the intersection so many times it’s ridiculous,” Asmussen said. “It would be good for the city, as well as us. I encourage the city and the county to do something and get it taken care of.”

The intersection project would create a safer entrance and exit from Hines Boulevard to Monroe Street, near Teague’s new car lot. The City of Burns would trade equal land with Teague Motor Co., allowing the car lot to be moved away from the intersection, as well as redirecting traffic off North Grand.

Guindon explained that the Burns Planning Commission had already approved the project, and it would go before the council in January. He said that there are still clarifications to be made by the Oregon Department of Transportation.

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• In other business, the county court reviewed an updated business plan from Wayne Baron of the 4R Recycling Center and approved waiving the lease fee for the county-owned property until the center is again showing a profit;

• signed a memorandum of understanding with the Harney County Amateur Radio Emergency Services/Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Services;

• approved the appointment of Angie Witzel to the Behavioral Health Advisory Committee, to replace Chris Phillips;

• read a request from the Burns Paiute Tribe to support the acquisition of property near Christmas Valley, in Lake County. No action was taken.

Almost 100 people turned out for a Town Hall meeting hosted by wind power project developer Columbia Energy Partners at the Harney County Fairgrounds on Dec. 10.

With hot dogs and hamburgers provided by the Lions Club, residents mingled  with representatives from the company before and after the program. The fairgrounds meeting was the fourth the company has held, with earlier meetings in Fields, Diamond and Crane in September.

“We really appreciate people taking the time to come meet with us and hear  about the projects we have planned in Harney County,” said Columbia Energy Partners’ President Chris Crowley.

“We look forward to working closely with  the people of Harney County to help make Harney County part of Oregon’s  renewable energy economy,” Crowley said.

By Debbie Raney
Burns Times-Herald

Though they only got to play one and a half games during their Christmas Tournament, the Mustang varsity boys went into the holiday break with two more victories under their belt.

On Friday, the Mustangs took the court against the La Pine Hawk junior varsity and won 72-39.

Crane’s man-to-man pressure proved to be too much for the Hawks in the first quarter, and the Mustangs pulled to an immediate 27-9 lead. By the half, Crane was up 33-18, with the entire roster getting play time, and at the end of three, Crane led 59-30.

Three Mustangs got into double-digit scoring, with Dallen Davies hitting for 22, Jeran Conaway making 11 and Royal Henricks scoring 10. Ryan Opie and Joe Witzel made seven points each, with Jordan Conaway, Pete Joyce and Milton Merritt making four each. Max Miller and Raymond Thompson put in two points apiece.

Saturday’s game for the championship had the Mustangs on the court against the Grant Union Prospector J.V.s. The game was called at half-time, due to slick floor conditions on one portion of the north end of the gym.

At the half, Crane was leading 40-23.

The opening quarter had the Mustangs pulling away 25-11 with Henricks putting in nine of Crane’s points, as well as blocking one of the Prospectors’ shots.

In the second quarter, Opie hit two 3-pointers, with Merritt adding another, pushing the Mustangs’ lead.

Scoring totals had Opie leading the way with 11 points, followed by Henricks with nine and Davies hitting six. Joyce and Merritt scored five each and Miller and Thompson had two points apiece.

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The Crane Mustang varsity girls earned the championship of their own Christmas Tournament over the weekend, defeating the La Pine J.V. and Adrian teams.

Crane outran the La Pine Hawks 51-33 on Friday.

September O’Crowley led the offense for the Mustangs, scoring 16 points. Natalie Bentz put in 10, with Brooke Nyman hitting for eight. Hannah Buermann made five and Alex Borelli, Emilee O’Toole and Lindy Steeves put in four points each.

For the championship of the tournament, the Mustangs fought the Adrian Antelopes and held on for a 49-44 win.

The game came down to the final two minutes, with the teams tied at 43 with 1:53 on the clock. The Antelopes hit the front end of a one-and-one, to take the lead, but on the next trip down the court, O’Crowley took an offensive rebound back up for the go-ahead basket for the Mustangs. With 55 seconds remaining to play, O’Crowley was fouled, and went to the line for double-bonus, hitting one, and putting Crane up 46-44.

Adrian had the chance to tie it up again with with two free throws, but two misses gave the Mustangs the advantage. Nyman hit two shots from the charity strip with 15 seconds to play, spreading Crane’s lead to four points, and then O’Crowley downed another free throw for the final point of the game.

Buermann was an offensive catalyst for the Mustangs, scoring in each quarter, hitting outside shots, as well as lay-ins off  steals. She finished the game with 16 points. Nyman was also in double-digits, making 12.

O’Crowley put in nine points, Borelli hit for six, Steeves had four and O’Toole had two.

Saint Andrew Episcopal and Peace Lutheran’s annual Christmas Eve candlelight service will be held at 393 West A St. at 7 p.m. The service will alternate between singing Christmas carols and related biblical passages. Special music will be provided by The Brave Souls quartet. Members of the community are invited to attend.

Christmas Eve Vigil Masses will be held at Saint Charles Mission in Juntura at 10 p.m. M.S.T; at Holy Family Catholic Church in Burns at 11 p.m., and at Our Lady of Loretto Mission in Drewsey at midnight.

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

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.

Christmas Morning Mass will be held at Holy Family Catholic Church in Burns at 9 a.m.; and at Saint Thomas Mission in Crane at 11:30 a.m.

All Malheur National Forest offices will be closed Thursday, Dec. 25, and Friday, Dec. 26, in observance of Christmas. The offices will open again for regular business hours on Dec. 29.

All Malheur National Forest offices will be closed Friday, Dec. 26, in observance of Christmas. The offices will open again for regular business hours on Dec. 29.

Oregon Old Time Fiddlers, District 9, meets the first, third and fourth Friday of each month. Call Julia at 573-2770, for time and place.

Alcoholics Anonymous meets every Friday at Foursquare Church at 7 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.