The 59th annual Harney County Chamber of Commerce Awards Banquet will be held on Jan. 24. Tickets are available at the Harney County Chamber of Commerce Office. Tickets are pre-sale only. For more information, call the chamber office at 573-2636.

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.

An organizational meeting for Harney County Farmers Market will be held on Monday, Jan. 26, at 6 p.m. in the Hines City Hall meeting room.  Currently, the market needs to establish a non-profit board of directors.   Volunteers are needed to take on the task of market publicity, market accountant and market location organizer.

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 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 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.

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

Hines Common Council meets at 7 p.m.at Hines City Hall the second and fourth Tuesdays of the month.

County looks at possibility of road improvements

By Debbie Raney
Burns Times-Herald

As the Obama Administration and Congress forge an economic stimulus bill, local governments across the nation are scrambling to make a plan to spend any funds that could come their way — Harney County included.

At the Jan. 7 meeting of the Harney County Court, Association of Oregon Counties representatives John Oshel and Mac Alliason presented information on the possibility of using the funds for county road improvements. Oshel said the most likely use would be for over-lay projects, but there would be definite limitations. The projects would need to be ready to be bid out within six months of the funding becoming available. This would mean that there could be no water issues or right-of-way issues that would require environmental studies.

To qualify for the stimulus money, the projects would also need to create jobs. This would require the work to be contracted out.

Harney County Road Superintendent Eric Drushella will create a prioritized list of possible roads throughout the county where work could begin immediately. Roads suggested during the court meeting included the east end of Sod House Lane, portions of the South Steens Road that have already had prep-work done, and the Crane/Venator Road.

In a related subject, the court discussed the legal width for county road right-of-ways. Judge Steve Grasty presented a copy of the Oct. 7, 1920, Commissioner’s Journal. In the journal it states, “It is ordered that all right-of-way for highway in the future be 80 feet in width.” A 1977 journal discussion used this date and decision as reference, and Grasty suggested it go on record that in 2009, this would also be the point of reference for right-of-way decisions.

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In other county court business, a public hearing was scheduled for Jan. 21 for Resolution 2009-01, in the matter of requesting that the Oregon Economic and Community Development Commission exempt the Echanis Wind Project from property taxation under the Strategic Investment Program.

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Fred Flippence from the Harney County Library Foundation Board presented the foundation’s annual report. Flippence told the court that like all funds the past year, the value of the foundation’s investments had decreased. Flippence also complimented Library Director Cheryl Hancock on the improvements she had made at the library. Improvements include increased inventory, back-room cleanup and equipment purchases.

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Annual official appointments were made with the following appointments for 2009:

Justice of the Peace, Pro-Tempore — Sandra Richards and Stephen Finlayson;

Newspaper — Burns Times-Herald;

Budget Officer — Steve Grasty;

Medical Examiner — Dr. Thomas Fitzpatrick;

County Health Officer — Dr. Holland Haynie.

Commissioner Jack Drinkwater was selected to continue to be Harney County’s representative on the Greater Eastern Oregon Development Corporation Board of Directors.

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Discussion was held on the Court Facilities Summary Report, commissioned by the Oregon State Legislative Joint Interim Committee on Court Facilities. The reports, completed on all 48 Oregon courthouses, are exempt from public disclosure, as they discuss the weaknesses relating to security in the facilities. The report requests that a local committee be formed to review the findings and make recommendations regarding improvements and possible funding sources. Commissioner Dan Nichols volunteered to chair the committee and will coordinate with Circuit and Justice Courts as well as maintenance staff.

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The Harney County Library Advisory Board by-laws, which were revised in August, were approved.

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A contract for technology services from ASI was approved.

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A public hearing was held on Land Use File #08-58, in the matter of updating the Harney County Zoning Ordinance and the Subdivision and Partitioning Ordinance. Proposed updates to the ordinance were reviewed. The public hearing will be continued on Jan. 21.

ODA Director urges industry to be visible in Salem

Oregon agriculture will be focusing on some key issues in the weeks and months to come as state lawmakers convened the 75th Legislative Assembly in Salem on Monday. Money matters will dominate the conversation throughout the session, but there is sure to be some legislative proposals discussed that could have significant impact on farmers, ranchers and others associated with one of the state’s leading industries.

“The Oregon Legislature always has an opportunity to impact the agriculture industry,” said Katy Coba, Director of the Oregon Department of Agriculture. “This session, the No. 1 focus is the state budget. Most of the budget is directed to education, human services and public safety. From the standpoint of the total budget, natural resource agencies are not a big player. But there are legislative committees that focus on natural resource issues. That means Oregon agriculture will be in a position to take advantage of opportunities.”

Coba urges agriculture groups and associations to be visible at the State Capitol and provide education about the industry, especially to the newly elected urban legislators.

“There are a lot of new players this session, and that’s something our agricultural folks need to recognize,” said Coba. “When they come to town, the industry always wants to meet with their own legislators and lawmakers they know very well. But they also need to reach out to many of these new legislators and teach them about the importance of agriculture to the state’s economy, the environmental benefits agriculture provides, and how the legislature can work together with the industry to maintain a viable Oregon agriculture.”

ODA’s director is confident that legislators will listen. She believes there is general appreciation of agriculture already given the support for family farms and supporting locally-grown products. Sensitive issues such as pesticide use and farm labor will no doubt be discussed, but Coba insists that the agriculture industry must be at the table.

“Everyone should have realistic expectations about this session,” said Coba. “The first thing the industry needs to do is be in a position to have a conversation with legislators. As the issues become more clear and specific legislation is better understood, industry representatives will be better able to weigh in at the State Capitol.”

The State Board of Agriculture, which represents all sectors of the industry, will be actively involved at the legislative level. With its biennial report to the legislature on the state of the industry, the board hopes to emphasize the importance of agriculture to Oregon’s economy and way of life.

Several key issues expected to arise in the 2009 session will certainly get the attention of Oregon agriculture. As always, water, labor, and transportation are topics to be addressed and remain critical to the success of Oregon agriculture. There will be some new issues to address as well. Renewable energy and the development of a cap-and-trade system for greenhouse gas emissions will attract agricultural interest. Pesticide use- particularly applications made near schools- is expected to receive attention once again. Even though immigration is primarily a federal issue, the topic will probably come up at some point in the next few months.

There is also a specific proposal from the governor to end the practice of field burning in the Willamette Valley — something the grass seed industry has been gearing up for in the past several months.

“There will no doubt be an active debate on field burning with a lot of discussion about environmental tradeoffs,” said Coba. “Those tradeoffs may include more tilling of the soil or the potential increase in the use of pesticides to treat insects, weeds, and diseases.”

Still, the legislature’s primary task this session will be approving a state budget. That includes funding the programs of the Oregon Department of Agriculture and other natural resource agencies involved with the industry. The U.S. economic crisis has not spared the State of Oregon, which faces a huge revenue shortfall. ODA is hoping to protect its core mission and programs centering on food safety, natural resource protection, and agricultural development and marketing. Resources for new initiatives are simply not available.

“We are now in a position of having to reduce our response to many of the requests we receive while maintaining viable programs with fewer resources,” said Coba. “At the same time, there have been new demands placed on the agency, such as becoming involved in water quantity policy discussions that have been occurring at the state level, or responding to the increasing interest in Oregon’s air quality and agriculture’s impact on that natural resource. With these additional budget reductions, we will not be able to provide the level of service that we have in the past nor are we in a position to take on additional workload.”

Coba said the industry needs to tell legislators what state agency programs are critical and what is the best way to fund those programs. Tough choices are expected to be made when it comes to creating a budget for the 2009-11 biennium.

“It is always critical for the agriculture industry to express to the legislature how they feel about ODA’s programs,” said Coba. “We have a number of advisory groups that work with us on budget issues. Many of our programs are funded through user fees and we are proposing fee increases in at least a couple of areas this session. In the meantime, we will continue to work on being more efficient, innovative, and creative at finding ways to save money, time, and effort.”

Nonetheless, Coba is hopeful that ODA, like the agriculture industry itself,  can come through 2009 in good enough shape to take advantage of an economic recovery when it comes.

Zabala, Wheeler also receive all-state honors

By Randy Parks
Burns Times-Herald

Courtney Toney, a senior at Burns High School, was recently selected as the 2008 Player of the Year in Class 3A Volleyball.

Two of Toney’s teammates, Mattea Zabala and Jessica Wheeler, also received all-state honors. Zabala was named to the first team all-state, and Wheeler received second team honors.

The 2008 Hilander volleyball team finished with an overall record of 45-3, won the Eastern Oregon League title with a perfect 10-0 record and placed fourth at the 3A state volleyball tournament.

The all-state teams are as follows:

Player of the Year:  Courtney Toney, Sr.,  Burns

Coach of the Year: Matt Leichty, Sheridan

First Team: Courtney Toney, Sr., OH, Burns; Bethany Dickey, Sr., OH, Sheridan; Mattea Zabala, Sr., MB, Burns; Tayla Woods, Jr., S/OH, Santiam Christian;  Amber Moser, Sr., MB, Sheridan; Raeanne Hanks, Sr., MB, Rainier; Taylor VanDomelen, Sr., OH, Valley Catholic.

Second Team:  Becca Sellars, Jr., OH, Cascade Christian; Samantha Kemper, Soph., MB, Valley Catholic; Hannah Brewster, Sr., L, Cascade Christian; Jamie McMahon, Soph., S, Creswell; Jessica Wheeler, Sr., MB, Burns; Kayleigh Whelchel, Jr., OH, Sheridan; Anna Wruck, Soph., MB, Santiam Christian.

Honorable Mention: Chandler Gabria, Soph., MB, Creswell; Breanna Holtz, Jr., S, Cascade Christian; Kiersten Hendrix, Jr., S/OH, Santiam Christian; Molly Hockema, Sr., OH, Gold Beach; Shelby Mooney, Jr., OH, Vale.

The all-state teams are selected by a vote of coaches from the top three teams in each 3A league from around the state.

The Harney County Farm Bureau will meet at the Country Companies office in Burns at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 14. All are welcome to attend. For more information, call Shane Otley at 493-2756.

The Harney County Cancer Support Group meets the second Wednesday of each month at Glory Days Pizza, on Highway 20 in Burns, at 4 p.m. For more information, call Tonny Calloway, evenings, at 573-7867.

Harney County Fair Board meets the second Wednesday of each month in the Hibbard Building at the Harney County Fairgrounds at 7 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.

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.

Burns Planning Commission meets the third Thursday of each month at Burns City Hall, 242 South Broadway, at 7 p.m.

Harney County Historical Society meets the third Thursday of each month at the Elks Lodge, 118 North Broadway, at 11:45 a.m.

The Alternative Energy Club (AEC) meets the third Thursday of each month at Harney County Library, 80 West D St., at 7 p.m.

Silvies River Spinners meets the third Thursday of each month at 650 East Washington at 7 p.m.

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. St. 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 Avenue, at noon.

Take Off Pounds Sensibly meets each Thursday at Hines City Hall, 101 East Barnes, at 11 a.m. Call 573-2896.

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

Teen Late Night at Harney County Library will be held on Jan. 16, from 6-8 p.m. The evening includes music, snacks, games and more. Open to kids in grades 6-12.

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.