A free orientation to Eastern Oregon University and Treasure Valley CC Distance Education will be held on Monday, Feb. 23, from 6:30-8 p.m. at the Outreach Center on the Burns High School campus. Topics will include admission, registration, financial aid and planning for a degree. For more information call Regina at 573-5012 or Karen at 573-1576.

Harney Partners for Kids and Families meets on the third Wednesday of each month at noon, at Glory Days Pizza. Lunch is provided, RSVP to Michelle Bradach, president.

Babe Ruth meets the third Wednesday of each month in the courthouse basement meeting room, 450 North Buena Vista, at 7 p.m.

Oregon Hunters Association is for all hunters, whether rifle, bow, shotgun, muzzle loader or other. The local chapter meets at Linda’s Thai Room, the third Wednesday of each month at 6 p.m and is followed by a board meeting.

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.

Gospel meetings will be held each Sunday at 3:30 p.m. at the Ashlock’s house, 112 E. Circle Drive in Hines. All are welcome to join.

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 Municipal Airport Committee will meet on Feb. 19 at 9 a.m. in the Burns CIty Council Chambers. Discussion will be held on future plans for the Burns Airport.

Discover America’s Art in a live videoconference from the Smithsonian Institution. Noon-1 p.m. at Harney County ESD. Sponsored by Harney County Library and libraries of Eastern Oregon. Call 573-6670 for more information.

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. Lunch service begins at 11:45 a.m. for those interested in the $6 meal. February’s program will be presented by Karen Nitz, and the staff at the Western History Room of the Harney County Library. This program and lunch are open to all, not just Historical Society members.

The Alternative Energy Club (AEC) meets the third Thursday of each month at Harney County Library, 80 West D Street, 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 noon. 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 Feb. 20 from 6-8 p.m. The evening will include music, snacks, games and more! Open to students in 6-12 grades.

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.

Monte Carlo Night, a fund-raiser for Harney District Hospital, will be held at the Burns Elks Lodge on Feb. 21 from 7-10 p.m. For more information, call Denise Rose at 573-7281.

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

Gospel meetings will be held each Sunday at 3:30 p.m. at the Ashlock’s house, 112 E. Circle Drive in Hines. All are welcome to join.

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 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.

The Hines Volunteer Fire Department meets at the Hines Fire Hall each Monday at 7 p.m. (except the last Monday of the month). Prospective members may contact Fire Chief Bob Spence at 573-7477 or 573-2251.

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

Harney County Watershed Council meets the third Tuesday of each month at the EOARC (Section 5) on Hwy. 205 in the conference room at 5:30 p.m.

The Breast Cancer Support Group meets on the fourth Tuesday of each month at 5:30 p.m. in the Harney District Hospital Conference Room. For more information call HDH Outreach Coordinator Sonni Svejcar 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.

Valentine’s Day is a day for flowery declarations of love, but does that include wedding vows?

By Randy Parks
Burns Times-Herald

While Valentine’s Day may bring thoughts of flowers, gifts, candy, cards, and Cupid, is it a day for marriages?

Dewey Newton served as Justice of the Peace in Woodburn for more than 10 years and has held the same position in Harney County for about 10 years now. In that time, Newton has performed more than 700 marriages, and said the “love holiday” hasn’t been a particularly popular date.

“No, there aren’t really a lot of people who pick Valentine’s Day to get married. I did have two marriages on New Year’s Eve, maybe so the date would be easy to remember,” he laughed.

Newton did recall one particular marriage he performed on Valentine’s Day several years ago. The groom was a widower who acquired a new girlfriend, and they decided to tie the knot. “I remember Valentine’s Day was a Thursday when I married them. It was going to be paradise,” Newton said. “The following Monday the groom called wanting a divorce. I guess their relationship was OK until they got married.”

Another memorable moment for Newton was when he was asked to perform a ceremony at Triangle Park. “The bride and groom were on horseback, and their children were on horseback on either side of them,” Newton smiled. “And I’m standing in about three inches of wet snow. But we got through it.”

If the cost of an elaborate wedding has some people shying away, a trip to the Justice of the Peace may be a viable alternative, as Newton performs the ceremony in his office free of charge. In the event he does have to travel, there is a charge. That includes a trip to the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge for one wedding. “There was only one witness for that one, and I need two, so I went and got the refuge manager away from his dinner table to be a witness,” Newton said. “That trip, and one I did at the Frenchglen Hotel, I charged $100.”

Before a couple can be married, they must purchase a license for $50 from the County Clerk’s office. There is also a three-day waiting period after the license is purchased. “I guess it’s a cooling-off period,” Newton laughed. He added that the waiting period can be waived in special circumstances, as was the case this past Christmas season. “They were both in the military and were home for the holidays, but were leaving again soon, so the waiting period was waived,” Newton said.

Although the results of a wedding can last a lifetime, the ceremony itself is brief. “It takes about five or six minutes is all,” Newton said. “And it’s the only time I wear a robe.”

He will officially step down at the end of the 2008-2009 school year

By Lauren Brown
Burns Times-Herald

Harney County School District No. 3 Superintendent David Courtney notified the school board at the Feb. 10 meeting that he is officially resigning, effective at the end of the 2008-2009 school year.

In an e-mail to board members Courtney stated that he wanted to thank the board for their support during his eight years as the superintendent for District No. 3.

“During my first year here we had to cut $1.5 million from the budget and have been cutting ever since. This has taken a toll on my personal life as well as my blood pressure. I realize another school district will have the same problems, but I will not personally know the people that lose their jobs,” Courtney wrote in his e-mail to the board.

“I love Harney County and the people that live here. I hope to return to this county again someday after I retire,” he continued.

Courtney wrote that he feels he is leaving the district on as firm of financial ground as possible. Were it not for the economic downturn, the district would have a positive ending fund balance at the end of this year. He believes that if the federal stimulus package comes through, the district should be OK.

The District No. 3 board held a special meeting on Feb. 4 to discuss the search for a new superintendent. After listening to a presentation by Chuck Bugge, an executive search consultant from the Oregon School Boards Association (OSBA), the board voted to allow the OSBA to conduct a nationwide search for a new superintendent. Bugge told the board that the OSBA has successfully conducted more than 400 executive searches for school districts, education service districts, community colleges and other state agencies in Oregon since 1984. The base fee for the service is $6,500 and covers the consultant’s time, advertising costs including postage, printing the brochure and phone and clerical support expenses related to processing applications.

Bugge submitted a draft timeline, which lists the closing date for applications on April 30, with the board selecting interview candidates by May 12 and then selecting a potential new hire by June 9.

Mustangs look to  district tourney as regular season nears end

By Debbie Raney
Burns Times-Herald

Winning two easy games against Prairie City and Dayville/Monument last weekend kept the Crane Mustang varsity girls league record perfect, but looking ahead, it may be the last easy weekend for the team.

This week, the Mustangs will finish the High Desert schedule with three games — the first two will be at home, and the final game will be on the road.

Thursday, the Mustangs will once again face their toughest opponent of the year, the Adrian Antelopes. In December, Crane defeated the Antelopes by five points on their home court, and in January, the Mustangs took a one-point win in Adrian’s gym.

After a tough one on Thursday, the Mustangs will host Jordan Valley on Friday. In these teams first meeting of the year, Crane took a 57-34 win. Saturday will end the Mustangs’ regular season with a trip to Huntington. The Mustangs defeated the Locomotives 52-8 earlier in the year. Once this whirlwind weekend is over, Crane will head to the district tournament in John Day, beginning next Wednesday, Feb. 18.

On Feb. 6, the Mustangs beat Prairie City 61-24. As September O’Crowley hit the net on fast-breaks, inbounds, steals and offensive rebounds during the first quarter, the Mustangs dominated the game from the opening tip-off.

During the game, Brooke Nyman and O’Crowley were the only two Mustangs to go to the free-throw line. But, the two combined for 11 points from the strip, with Nyman shooting 7 out of 8, and O’Crowley 4 out of 5.

O’Crowley was the leading scorer for the Mustangs with 20 points and Nyman had 11. Natalie Bentz came alive during the third quarter and scored eight during the period, with Hannah Buermann adding eight for the game. Lindy Steeves and Jessica Cronin made four points for Crane, with Emilee O’Toole and Brenda Otley making two each.

On Feb. 7, Crane overpowered the Dayville/Monument Tigers 59-12.

Taking a 25-0 lead during the first quarter, the Mustangs controlled the court, and pushed to a 42-2 advantage by halftime.

Four of the Mustangs hit double-digits, with O’Crowley making 13, Nyman scoring 12, Bentz making 11 and O’Toole downing 10. Rounding out Crane’s scoring was Buermann with six, Cronin with four, Otley with two and Savannah Duff hit for one.