Harney County Library will be closed on Monday, May 31, in observance of Memorial Day.

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.

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 Basin Writers meets the first and third Tuesdays of each month at the Harney County Library, from 2 to 4 p.m. Writers of any age and writing style are encouraged to attend.

Silvies River Spinners meets the first Tuesday of each month at Native Circle, 90 W. Adams in Burns, at 5:30 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 Avenue, from 7-8:30 p.m. with Liz Taylor  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.

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.

Evan Franulovich opens new martial arts school in downtown Burns

By Randy Parks
Burns Times-Herald

On April 12, Evan Franulovich opened the doors to Martial Arts America-Burns, Oregon at 405 North Broadway in Burns.

Franulovich said he has gotten a very enthusiastic response since opening, with more than 20 students signing up for classes.

The facility has affiliation with Martial Arts America schools in Junction City and Boise, Idaho, and Franulovich said he has pretty much adopted the curriculum of those schools. “It’s a family-focused curriculum,” he noted.

Franulovich said his martial arts training began with judo classes when he was a high school exchange student in Belgium. He has since studied other styles, and recently earned his black belt in Tae Kwon Do. “My wife works for the Bureau of Land Management, and we’ve moved around because of that, so I didn’t stay at one school long enough to work up to a black belt,” he said.

The school offers classes in Tae Kwon Do as well as other styles of self-defense, and cardio kick boxing. Diane Rappaport also offers Tai Chi classes.

Classes for children ages 3 to 6 are a half-hour long, while classes for older kids and adults last 45 minutes. They are held in the afternoon and evening hours on a staggered schedule Monday through Thursday. “People are busy doing other things, so I’ve tried to make the schedule flexible,” Franulovich said.

While most people acknowledge the benefit of self-defense in taking a martial arts class, there are other aspects which shouldn’t be overlooked. “It improves overall fitness, balance, flexibility and coordination. Plus it gives a person confidence,” Franulovich said. “And research shows that kids become focused, and adults can reduce stress.”

Franulovich added that if a child is interested in studying martial arts, it shouldn’t reduce his/her participation in other activities, but rather enhance it. “Whether it’s baseball, basketball, wrestling, football or whatever, these classes can help a child’s reflexes, strength and agility,” he said.

The average time it takes to earn a black belt in Tae Kwon Do is three to four years, and if a student accomplishes the feat, it also demonstrates dedication on their part.

The school has a pro shop selling uniforms and other gear, and offers both single and family plans for classes. Franulovich has set the price of classes lower than comparable schools around the state, and said it’s somewhat difficult to put a money figure on what a person receives. “It’s hard to gauge the value of what you achieve,” he said. “It’s a positive culture, you learn leadership skills and become trained in a life-long art.”

Those interested may also attend out-of-town competitions, and Franulovich is planning on hosting a competition locally in the future.

While Franulovich is happy with the initial response, he would like to double the number of students enrolled. “With more people, we can do more fun drills and activities,” he said. “It’s a worthwhile activity, and I’d like to see more people involved.”

For more information, call 541-573-KICK (5425).

Officials with the Boise Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Center and community partners cut ribbon on May 14 at the new Burns-Hines VA Clinic in Burns.

The dedication ceremony of the new VA clinic included a tour of the new facility, located at 271 N. Egan Avenue. The Department of Veterans Affairs estimates there are about 7,000 veterans living in the four county (Grant, Harney, Baker and Malheur counties) catchment area of the Burns-Hines VA Clinic.

“The opening of the Burns-Hines VA Clinic in Burns will enable veterans in Eastern Oregon to access the high quality health and medical service they deserve from VA and the country they have served,” said Steve Bull, Clinic Manager.  “We hope all eligible veterans in the catchment area of this clinic take advantage of this great resource.”

The Burns VA Clinic was temporarily located in the High Desert Medical Center until it moved to its permanent location on Egan Avenue in January 2010. The new building has four exam rooms, a patient waiting area and plenty of parking.

The Burns-Hines VA Clinic is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and provides a variety of services to veterans, including patient care, preventive care, mental health, lab exams, vaccinations and other general medical needs. Urgent and emergency care can be accessed at the local community hospital.

The clinic is staffed by five VA employees — Steve Bull, M.DIV, LCSW; Dr. Tom Fitzpatrick, MD; Steve Hagan, RN; Diane Brinkley, LPN; and Marsha Wilson, PSA.

In order to access the Burns-Hines VA Clinic, veterans must first enroll and become eligible for VA health services. Veterans who wish to enroll can contact Guy McKay, Veterans Service Officer at  541-573-6024.  McKay also initiates VA claims for health services, compensation, pension and educational benefits.

The Burns-Hines VA Clinic will operate under the umbrella of the Boise VA Medical Center. Other VA outreach clinics in the Boise VA Medical Center jurisdiction include Caldwell, Twin Falls and Salmon, Idaho, with services being provided in Mountain Home, Idaho, soon.

By Debbie Raney
Burns Times-Herald

Eighteen Crane Mustang athletes will end the 2010 track and field season with the ultimate opportunity — competing at the OSAA 1A state championship meet.

The Mustangs qualified seven girls and 11 boys at the District 4-1 meet in Baker City. The top two finishers in each event at the district level qualified for advancement to the state meet. Crane took the championship in nine boys events and seven girls events, and placed second in five boys events and four girls events.

In addition, the Mustang boys earned the district team championship by racking up 186.5 team points. Second place in the boys meet was Imbler with 97. Crane’s girls team finished the meet in second place with 144 points, behind Imbler with 181.5.

The Mustangs who will be competing this weekend in Monmouth at Western Oregon University are Emilee O’Toole (3 events), September O’Crowley (4 events), Natalie Bentz (4 events), Beth Milburn (2 events), Nicole Bentz, Hannah Steeves, Alycia Jenkins  (2 events), Levi Miller (2 events), Tanner Titus, Dan O’Crowley, Jeran Conaway (2 events), Gus Titus, Lewis Whiting, Lance Moser (2 events), Blake Steeves (4 events), TJ Potter (3 events), Wilson Witzel and Milton Merritt (2 events).

Results from the District 4 meet follow:

Boys
100 meters — 8-Lance Moser, 12.72.
200m — 3-Jeran Conaway, 24.58; 6-Milton Merritt, 25.50.
400m — 3-Merritt, 57.89; 4-Levi Miller, 58.54; 10-Blaise Schulz, 1:06.04.
800m — 2-Miller, 2:15.34; 4-Tanner Titus, 2:20.85; 11-Schulz.
1,500m — 1-T. Titus, 4:39.04; 2-Dan O’Crowley, 4:40.99.
3,000m — 1-Gus Titus, 10:03.23; 2-Lewis Whiting, 10:12.61; 3-O’Crowley, 11:50.51.
110m hurdles — 1-Blake Steeves, 16.44; 3-Wilson Witzel, 19.35.
300m hurdles — 1-TJ Potter, 43.21; 2-Witzel, 45.37.
4×100 relay — 1-Merritt, Potter, Moser, Miller, 47.41.
4×400 relay — Steeves, Moser, Potter, Merritt, 3:44.37.
Javelin — 3-Conaway, 160.00; 4-Witzel, 132.2.5.
High jump — 2-Conaway, 6-01; 9-Moser, 5-02.
Pole vault — 1-Conaway, 12-0; 4 tie-Zach Cody, 9-0.
Long jump — 1-Steeves, 20-04.5.
Triple jump — 1-Steeves, 44-06.25; 6-Cody, 34-11.5.

Girls
100 meters — 2-Emilee O’Toole, 13.34; 6-Bethany Milburn, 13.94; 9 tie-Janessa Fowles, 14.84.
200m — 2-O’Toole, 28.23; 4-Nicole Bentz, 30.64; 7-Savannah Duff, 32.11; 11-Fowles, 33.15.
400m — 1-September O’Crowley, 1:00.44; 2-Natalie Bentz, 1:03.45.
800m — 2-Alycia Jenkins, 2:33.51.
1,500m — 1-Alycia Jenkins, 5:18.36; 5-Delilas Korth, 5:54.61; 8-Iris Gunkel, 6:23.63.
3,000m — 3-Korth, 12:29.14; 4-Gunkel, 12:48.98.
100m hurdles — 5-Milburn, 18.443; 7-Duff, 19.06.
300m hurdles — 1-O’Crowley, 46.27.
4×100 relay — 1-O’Toole, Milburn, Na. Bentz, Ni. Bentz, 53.23.
4×400 relay — 1-Hannah Steeves, Na. Bentz, Milburn, O’Crowley, 4:22.34.
Shot put — 9-Shayla Lundy, 24-08.5.
Discus — 4-Steeves, 78-02.
Javelin — 8-Lundy, 77-0.
High jump — 1-Na. Bentz, 5-04; 8-Lundy, 4-06.
Pole vault — 1-O’Crowley, 9-06.
Long jump — 9-Duff, 13-10.75.
Triple jump — 6-Ni. Bentz, 29-01.5.

By Randy Parks
Burns Times-Herald

The Burns Hilander track teams competed in the Eastern Oregon League (EOL) Championships on Friday and Saturday, May 14-15, at Riverside High School in Boardman, and seven Hilander competitors qualified for the 3A state meet with their performances.

The 4×400 relay team of Maddye Dinsmore, Brea Ribeiro, Jamie Higle and Jen Higle not only won the race, but also broke the BHS school record again with a time of 4:04.00.

The same four also teamed up for a first-place finish in the 4×100 relay with a time of 50.15.

Dinsmore set a new school record in the 100 meter preliminaries with a time of 12.54, and then broke that record in the finals with a time of 12.43. She also qualified for state in the 200 meters with a winning time of 25.72.

Ja. Higle and Ribeiro will also be competing in four events at the state meet as they placed first in two individual races. Higle won both the 400 meters (58.19) and the 800 meters (2:24.16), and Ribeiro placed first in the 100 meter hurdles (16.83) and the 300 meter hurdles (48.79).

Chelsea Siegner qualified for state with a second-place finish in the discus. She and Anna Clemens will also go to state as alternates for both relay teams.

For the boys team, Carraig Colahan won the discus with a throw of 163’ 3”, and got third in the shot put, but got the automatic distance to go to state.

“Great performances by everybody involved,” Burns coach Eric Nichols said.

Nyssa won the girls meet with 121 points, followed by Burns with 103 points, Vale 83, Grant Union 81, Umatilla 69 and Riverside 65.

Nyssa won the boys meet as well, compiling 161 points. Grant Union finished second with 131 points, followed by Riverside with 113, Vale 33, Umatilla 29 and Burns 25.

The OSAA 3A State Track Meet will be held Friday and Saturday, May 21-22, at Western Oregon University in Monmouth.
Individual results for the Hilanders from the EOL meet are as follows:

Girls
100m — Dinsmore 1st (12.43); Je. Higle 4th (13.36).
200m — Dinsmore 1st (25.72); Je. Higle 4th (27.49); Clemens 5th (29.66).
400m — Ja. Higle 1st (58.19); Clemens 6th (1:09.36).
800m — Ja. Higle 1st (2:24.16).
100m hurdles — Ribeiro 1st (16.83).
300m hurdles — Ribeiro 1st (48.79).
4×100 relay — Burns (Ribeiro, Dinsmore, Je. Higle, Ja. Higle) 1st, 50.15.
4×400 relay — Burns (Ribeiro, Je. Higle, Ja. Higle, Dinsmore) 1st, 4:04.00.
Shot put — Che. Siegner 9th (29’ 1”).
Discus — Che. Siegner 6th (106’ 2”); Charlie Siegner 8th (83’).
Javelin — Siegner 4th (104’ 3”).
High jump — Molly Fitzpatrick 9th (4’ 2”).

Boys
100m — Philip Kness 4th (12.26).
Shot put — Colahan 3rd (47’ 8”); Landon Hanner 7th (42’ 5”).
Discus — Colahan 1st (163’ 3”); Dylan Stanwyck 6th (114’ 8”).
Javelin — Stanwyck 3rd (156’ 7”); Hanner 8th (135’ 11”).
Pole vault — Kness 4th (10’).

Joseph Charles Lafferty, Sr., died on May 1.

He was born on Oct. 31, 1958, in Ontario.

Lafferty grew up in Harney County, graduating from Burns High School in 1977. During his senior year, the Hilanders were the state champions in basketball. He worked as a timber faller  and worked for 17 years for Jim Howden.

Lafferty was a great elk hunter and he had a great sense of humor, always laughing and joking around. During the summer he would cut wood, and he always had a wall of wood ready for the winter months.

During the Harney County Fair parade, a few of the logs Lafferty had cut would be on a truck with Lafferty on the front. He was proud of his Indian heritage.

Lafferty is survived by his mother, Lucine Schaffer of Burns; brothers, Don Lafferty of Burns and Robert Lafferty of Pine Ridge, S.D.; sisters, Ramona Standing Soldier of Burns and Delores Lafferty of Burns; sons, Charles Lafferty and Joseph Lafferty, Jr.; and daughters, Hope Lafferty, Richanda Lafferty, Makayla Lafferty and Cierra Winters Lafferty. He is also survived by his grandchildren, Ethan, Ekidas and Tidus.

Services were held on May 7 at Holy Family Catholic Church, with internment in the Burns Cemetery.

Nick Martell, 78, died on  May 15 at the Ray Hickey Hospice House in Vancouver, Wash. 

He was born on Jan. 21, 1932, in Prindle, Wash., to Tony and Rosalie Martell.

A former Vancouver resident, Martell had lived the last 15 years in Hines. He was a veteran of the United States Navy during Korean War from 1951-1955, and a member of the Veteran’s Foreign Wars Yates-Gonzalez Post #9612.

Martell worked as a fireman for the Vancouver Fire Department and was a sheriff for Clark and Skamania counties. He served as a reserve officer for the Hines Police Department. He also worked as a locksmith in both Clark County and Harney County.
Along with being a former private pilot, Martell also enjoyed photography, was a member of the Eagles and Moose Lodge and liked spending time with his family and friends.

Martell is survived by his daughters, Nickee Breiman and husband Barry of LaCenter, Wash. and Michelle Martell of Vancouver; sons, Rick Martell of LaCenter and Eric Martell of Battle Ground, Wash.; mother, Rosalie Martell of Vancouver; brothers, Victor Martell and wife Delores of Nevada, and Erwin Martell of Las Vegas; sisters, Anthonette Miller of Vancouver, Marie  Fronk and husband Dick of Vancouver, Gloria Cameron of Vancouver, Louise Hollenbeck of Vancouver, and Julie “Dolly” Martell of Vancouver; former wife, Arpa Martell of Vancouver; seven grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by his wife of 24 years, Barbara Martell; father, Tony Martell; and sister, Jennie Herrod.

There will be no public services for Martell. Contributions in his memory may be made to the American Lung Association. Brown’s Funeral Home and Cremation Services in Camas is in charge of arrangements.  To send condolences or to sign the online guestbook, go to: www.brownsfh.com.

Judi Rockwell Diaz died on May 16.

She was born on Dec. 4, 1951, to Archie and Helen Rockwell in Fort Worth, Texas.

As a child, Diaz traveled the world with her military family — older sister, Penny and brother,  Skip.  They settled as a family in Burns, where Diaz graduated, married and had her children Nikki and Jason Moss.

She found her soul mate, Gene Diaz. They were married on March 30, 1996, at Lake Shasta. She loved riding motorcycles through Central Oregon and taking summer trips to Lake Shasta to enjoy time with friends. Diaz loved her dog “Minnie” who was with her always.

Diaz had four grandchildren, Rebecca, Connor, Aniston and Avery.

Family and friends will hold a celebration of  life for Diaz in Burns at the Burns Elks Lodge on Friday, May 21, at 4 p.m.

Contributions in her name will be accepted at any U.S. Bank.

A memorial service will be held for 78-year-old Donald Hammon on Saturday, May 22, at 3 p.m. at the Valley Golf Club. Hammon died on April 24. He was born on Oct. 4, 1931.

Contributions in Hammon’s memory may be made to the Harney County Little League Baseball, or the Harney County Senior Citizen Center, in care of LaFollette’s Chapel, PO Box 488; Burns, OR 97720.