A graveside service for Violet Phares Hale will be held at the Burns Cemetery on Friday, Feb. 19. Following the service, a memorial will be held at Faith Baptist Church.

Hale died on Feb. 14 at the Riverbend Hospital in Springfield.

LaFollette’s Chapel is in charge of arrangements.

A funeral service will be held for Harold Otley, 92, at the Harney County Fairgrounds Memorial Building on Thursday, Feb. 18, at 11 a.m. Otley died on Feb. 15.

Harney County Court meets the first and third Wednesday of each month at the Harney County Courthouse, 450 North Buena Vista, at 10 a.m.

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

Harney Grant Babe Ruth board 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 541-573-6670.

Bring the babies to Lapsit Storytime at Harney County Library, each Wednesday at 10 a.m. Enjoy music, stories, rhymes and fingerplays especially for babies and toddlers.

Burns Elks Lodge, 118 North Broadway, meets each Wednesday at 7 p.m.

Alcoholics Anonymous meets each Wednesday at 7 p.m. at Four Square Church, 74 S. Alvord, Burns.

High Desert 9-12 Patriots will meet on Thursday, Feb.18, at 7 p.m. in the  courthouse basement meeting room.The High Desert 9-12 Patriots is a newly formed group of citizens concerned about the current direction of the nation and the state. If you support such things as limited government, a smaller national debt, and a return to the founding principles of our national Constitution, please feel free to come to this open meeting,  regardless of political affiliation. For more information, check the local Web site www.meetup.com/High-Desert-9-12-Patriots or call Gretchen Bates at 541-573-7595.

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.

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 Ave., at noon.

Take Off Pounds Sensibly meets each Thursday at Hines City Hall, 101 East Barnes, at noon. Call 541-573-2896.

Narcotics Anonymous meets each Thursday at 7 p.m. at Four Square Church, 74 S. Alvord, Burns.

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.

Friday morning book club with Lisa at Harney County Library is held from 9 to 10 a.m. each Friday with stories and crafts for ages 7-10.

Alcoholics Anonymous meets every Friday at Foursquare Church at 7 p.m.

The Robert Burns Masonic Lodge will hold a Masonic Family Breakfast on Saturday, Feb. 20, from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. at the Masonic Lodge. All are welcome.

An All-American Boxing Club Show will be held on Feb. 20 at the Old Camp Casino. Doors will open at 6 p.m., with bouts to start at 7:30 p.m.

Harney District Hospital will sponsor “A Night at the Bellagio” on Saturday, Feb. 20, at 7 p.m. at the Burns Elks Lodge.

ALANON meets each Saturday at 7 p.m. at Four Square Church, 74 S. Alvord, Burns.

Alcoholics Anonymous meets each Sunday at Foursquare Church for 12X12 study, at 7 p.m.

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 Search and Rescue meets the last Monday of each month at the Search and Rescue Building, 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 to 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.

HDH Sports & Physical Therapy will offer a free athletic injury clinic at that facility, 559 West Washington, every Monday from 5 to 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 541-573-1543.

Burns Fire Dept. meets each Monday at the Burns Fire Hall at 7 p.m.

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 541-573-7477 or 541-573-2251.

Narcotics Anonymous meets each Monday at 7 p.m. at Foursquare Church, 74 S. Alvord, Burns.

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.

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

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 541-573-5750.

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.

All 0 to 3-year-olds and their parents are welcome to attend play group at the Early Childhood Center at 655 W. Fillmore, weekly on Tuesdays at 10:30 a.m.

Patient Assist, Needy Med Program trained volunteers will be at the Harney County Senior Center each Tuesday, from 1-3 p.m. For any questions on Medicare A, B, C or D, or for appointments call the Senior Center at 541-573-6024.

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 meets each Tuesday at 7 p.m. at Foursquare Church, 74 S. Alvord, Burns.

Early Sunday edition features inaccurate information

Hoyt Wilson, owner of Mann Lake Ranch, found himself on the front page of The Sunday Oregonian this week. So did the wind energy projects planned for his ranch and other nearby private lands.

But there was an interesting story behind the story, too.

Early editions of The Sunday Oregonian, printed Saturday, had a picture of the  high Steens, viewed from the east, with a huge headline that read: “Picture a hundred turbines here.” But no turbines would be visible in the picture or anywhere nearby.

“I got hold of a paper as early as I could on Saturday, and when I saw that, I immediately called The Oregonian,” said Chris Crowley, President of Columbia Energy Partners, the company developing the wind projects. “The headline and picture were completely false. Not one turbine would be visible in the picture they showed. As soon as I said that to the editor, you could hear her thinking, ‘Uh-oh,’ ” Crowley said.

By 3:30 p.m. Saturday The Oregonian agreed to change the picture and headline. The new version shows a much larger version of a photo of Hoyt Wilson with a headline that reads, “For Harney County, turbines on Steens is simple math.” The sub-headline reads: “Officials see a smart, green investment during the recession, but environmentalists want to keep the mountain pristine.”
Unfortunately, the early version of The Oregonian was put on trucks for delivery to Harney County, so anyone who has the paper delivered here saw the old version.

Harney County Judge Grasty was not happy. “To me this is just a bald-face lie. They took a picture of the high Steens and imposed a headline over it. This is wilderness, we couldn’t do it, and wouldn’t do it. That is nothing there’s ever been a conversation about. If there was, I’d vote against it. I’m aghast that The Oregonian would stoop this low.”

To see what the story looked like in the Portland area, go to:
www.oregonlive.com/environment/index.ssf/2010/02/oregons_steens_mountain_could.html
To see simulations of what the projects will look like from places the public is likely to go, see:

http://columbiaenergypartners.com/blog/