Radio station changes hands and call letters

By Randy Parks
Burns Times-Herald

On Friday, July 16, Leighton (Linc) Reed-Nickerson and his wife, Joan, became the new owners of the local radio station and the changes were almost immediate.

The AM station call letters were changed from KZZR to KBNH and the FM went from KQHC to KORC-FM. The formats, contemporary country and Classic Hits, have remained the same so far, but Reed-Nickerson said they are still deciding what changes they will make there.

Reed-Nickerson took over manning the microphone for now, but said he is hoping to find someone to take over as newscaster.

Reed-Nickerson has a long history in the broadcasting industry, having gotten his ham radio license at age 14 and his first class broadcasting license when he was 17. “When I was 17, I wanted to either be an engineer or an English teacher,” Reed-Nickerson said. “I visited a radio station and decided right then that’s what I wanted to do.”

Reed-Nickerson said he hasn’t worked on the air so much as the engineering side of both radio and television.

His career began in Massachusetts, and through the years he worked in a variety of states until he ended up working for Tektronics and living in Camas, Wash. He left Tektronics in 1998, but stayed in the telecommunications industry, working for Rohde & Schwarz and Qualcomm until he retired in 2009.

Reed-Nickerson said he soon became bored with retirement, bought a station in Waldport that had gone dark and got it back on the air in March as KORC-AM.

While he had no plans to expand as a radio station owner, Reed-Nickerson said he received word that the Burns station was for sale. “We came over, checked it out and decided we could make it work,” he said.

Reed-Nickerson added that Joan is actually the majority owner of KBNH and KORC-FM and plans to spend about three days a week at the station. “She has her own business, rebuilding steam locomotives and steam tractors,” Reed-Nickerson said. He noted that her projects usually end up as movie stars, having been used in the films “Stand By Me,” “The Changeling” and others.

While changes are imminent at the local station, Reed-Nickerson said he wants to get input from the public before making any final decisions. “We’re going to be very open with the community, listen to what they’d like to hear and make it a local station,” he said.

Reed-Nickerson added he’d like to have news blocks at 6, 7 and 8 a.m., noon and 5 p.m. as well as expand local sports coverage and live shows.

While they have yet to decide on music formats, Reed-Nickerson stated it’s important to have a consistent sound.

Although most of Reed-Nickerson’s time has been spent inside the studios since he took over, he’s anxious to get out and meet people. “I think it’s important to  share thoughts and yourself with the community,” he said. “Listen to what they have to say.”

And for those who wonder if this is just a passing fancy, Reed-Nickerson has no plans on a quick re-sale. “I love it here. This is the kind of country I love, and we’ll be here for a while.”

Court recognizes the importance of supporting local veterans

By Lauren Brown
Burns Times-Herald

Harney County may once again have a full time Veteran Service Officer.

At the Harney County Court meeting on July 21, Judge Steve Grasty proposed that the county make up the difference to bring the position back up to full time.

Currently, the position filled by Guy McKay is a half-time position, though in the past year it was a full time position.

The Veteran Service Officer’s office resides at the Harney County Senior Center and is paid for mainly through state funds. With recent state budget cuts, the position was cut to slightly less than half time.

Judge Grasty noted that with the National Guard members recently returned from the Middle East and the Veterans Administration Clinic opening here in Burns, veterans are using more services than ever.

He said he would like the county to step up and fund the position at a cost of $25,000 to bring it back to full time.

Grasty said the county has money in the general fund to make this happen. He has heard from several local veterans on the issue. “The need is apparent,” he said.

Audience member Linda Johnson said that Harney County has one of the highest ratios of veterans in the state, and that veterans are a segment of the population that need support. She complimented McKay on all the work he has done for local veterans. “He’s brought the awareness way up,” she said.

Grasty said he would draw up some documents and come back to the court with some more solid numbers at the Aug. 3 county court meeting.

•••

The court discussed a letter from Wayne Baron asking the county to forgive the debt owed by 4R Recycling and to give Bill Wilbur back a $5,000 cleaning deposit.

Baron stated that he felt 4R provided a community service and showed locals the benefits of recycling.

County Treasurer Nellie Franklin said that 4R owed the county more than $6,000 in taxes, deferred rent, building rent and baler rent. She also noted that 4R was a private business and didn’t feel the county should subsidize it. She pointed out that C&B Sanitary also provides recycling and the county doesn’t subsidize it. “This is not the way to do business,” she said.

Judge Grasty pointed out that Baron did clean up the building and grounds before moving out. “I think one of the important things to recognize here is that an incredible service was performed for this community for a time,” he said.
Grasty said he would collect more information to present to the court at the next meeting before they make a decision on whether or not to forgive 4R’s debt and return the cleaning deposit.

•••

The court approved an intergovernmental agreement between Eastern Oregon counties. Grasty said being part of the agreement that includes Baker, Grant, Malheur, Morrow, Umatilla, Union and Wallowa counties will help the Eastern part of the state band together on issues regarding sage grouse habitat and wind energy.

Commissioner Dan Nichols worried that the way the agreement was written might encourage power plays between counties.

However, Grasty said that Harney County can decide whether or not it wants to participate on any given issue.
Grasty and Commissioner Jack Drinkwater voted in favor of the agreement, while Commissioner Nichols voted against it.

In other business:

• the court discussed whether or not the county should approve part-time benefits for employees in the Home Health and Hospice department.

Grasty said it was hard to find nurses to provide hospice care, and that allowing two employees to go from full time to part-time would not increase what the county currently pays for insurance.

There were concerns about the precedent this would set and the court felt more discussion was needed. It will be on the agenda for the next meeting;

• Sue Licht, a preservation architect for the Oregon State Parks Department, gave a presentation on work at the Pete French Round Barn and the Frenchglen Hotel.

The court wanted to know why local contractors had not been used for the projects.

Licht replied that they would love to use local workers, however, preservation work requires certain qualifications and techniques that are often learned at field schools. But she noted that project contractors will often sub-contract out work to local contractors and that can provide a learning opportunity as well;

• the court discussed selling the former Crane landfill. Someone has expressed interest in the property. Grasty said that the county would need to advertise the sale and that some restrictions would likely need to be placed on the property;

• the court moved the date of the next county court meeting from Aug. 4 to Aug. 3 to accommodate Commissioner Nichols’ schedule;

• the court approved the sale of 140 acres to Roaring Springs Ranch for $15,000;

• the court appointed Wayne Evans and Stacy Davies to serve on the Harney County Planning Commission;

• Assessor Ted Tiller gave a presentation on the Department of Forestry’s tax for providing fire protection for privately owned forest land. Tiller said that this is a tax that originates from outside the county, so the county has no control as to the rate, which has jumped significantly in the last couple of years.

The court decided to contact a representative from the Department of Forestry to further explain the increased tax rate;

• the court signed the Oregon Jobs and Transportation Act of 2009 Local Agency Agreement for Fund Distribution between the Oregon Department of Transportation and Harney County. The county will receive $4.1 million as a result of the agreement;

• the court approved donations to the Harney County Opportunity Team in the amount of $5,000 and the High Desert Partnership in the amount of $20,000. Both donations were included in this year’s budget;

• Judge Grasty said that with the publication of the Bureau of Land Management’s North Steens Transmission Line Draft Environmental Impact Study, he would like the county to do everything in its power to make sure the comment period is not extended, as he anticipates the environmental groups will attempt to do. He said perhaps the county should write a letter discouraging that from happening.

The next county court meeting will be at 10 a.m. Tuesday, Aug. 3, at the courthouse.

Heated discussion on 50/50 rule splits board vote

By Dylan Thompson
Burns Times-Herald

The Harney County School District  No. 3 Board of Directors met on July 20 in an attempt to settle the uprising animosity that has been circling around issues over the contract between the school district and Silvies River Web Academy, also known as the Silvies River  All-Prep Academy (SRAPA).

Katie Baltzor, the charter school’s newly appointed principal, began the conversation with a detailed presentation on the school’s determination to set off in a new direction. She explained that, contrary to the words of Tim King, the school’s former director, the school would no longer be advertised as a “money-maker,” but instead as a “viable solution to educating students in a non-traditional way.”

Baltzor explained that the school didn’t intend to target students already attending regular public school within the district. The school would, however, aim to provide education to students already being home-schooled or those who would naturally perform better in a charter school environment.

Controversy peaked when the discussion turned toward the 50/50 rule, a law designated to control the percentage of out of district students a charter school can claim. According to the law, over 50 percent of a charter school’s enrollment needs to come from within the school’s supporting district, allowing for the rest to be pulled from communities out of district.

Contrary to the law, however, the Silvies River Web Academy plans to enroll the same out of district students that finished last year’s school year with the academy, a total that exceeds 50 percent. Baltzor, and SRAPA Board Member Stacy Davies explained to the board that the Oregon Department of Education (ODE) had already signed off to allow the academy to proceed into next year’s school year with the disproportionate student ratio. At this time, the Department of Justice, who is currently investigating the legalities of the web academies’ past actions, has not.

A third party, the adhoc committee, composed of members of both the school board and the SRAPA, as well as concerned members of the public, had previously been created to study the pros and cons of continuing a contractual agreement between SRAPA and school district No. 3.

Tim Colahan, a member of the committee, was cautious about rushing into another agreement with the charter school. Quoting Spanish philosopher George Santayana, he said, “Those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it,” referring to the swift way the board had made an agreement with Tim King back in the 2008-09 school year.

Tammy Wheeler of the adhoc committee agreed with Colahan, and sternly advised the committee to seek legal council before agreeing to the action plan.

Still, the final decision to allow the academy to go against the 50/50 rule remained in the hands of the school board.

Baltzor presented the board with an action plan that, if approved by the board, would temporarily allow the academy to operate outside of compliance with the law. Despite objections from board member Ralph Dickenson, who argued that the board should keep in compliance with the law, and vice-chair Steve Bull, who echoed the adhoc committee’s previous advice to seek legal council, the  rest of the board voted to pass the action plan 3-2.

A second motion was carried unanimously to reopen the contract with the charter school based on a recommendation from ODE. The board stated that they would work with ODE, the SRAPA, and legal representation from the Oregon School Board Association to renegotiate the contract.

The school board thanked the adhoc committee for all of their work.

In other news:

• business manager Petrina White gave a preliminary report on the budget for the upcoming school year.

Superintendent Bob Sari explained that the budget is pending on the outcome of House Bill 4899.

• Nancy Walker stated that the new playground equipment at Slater Elementary School was up and will be ready by the start of the school year. She thanked Steve Hoyt and Andy Root for their donation of machinery and materials. She also thanked the community volunteers who helped erect the structure;

• Burns High School Principal Ron Wassom reported that the windows at the high school were coming along nicely, and that the Eagle Scouts had done a great job of painting the football field bleachers;

• The board unanimously passed motions to maintain the organization of the board, retaining Dennis Townsend as Chair, and Steve Bull as Vice-Chair. The organization of the new fiscal year was also unanimously maintained;

• The board then approved the hirings of Tami Postles and Rachel Akins as the new dance team head coach and volunteer coach respectively. They continued to approve the 2010-2011 spring coaching recommendations;

• Finally, the board approved the confidential and supervisory contracts.

The next Harney County School Board meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, Aug 10, though a meeting to readdress the issues with the charter school was discussed to be scheduled for the week of July 25 – July 31.

By Randy Parks
Burns Times-Herald

The High Desert Swim Team (HDST) hosted the High Desert Invitational July 16-18, and with more than 60 swimmers present, the team was able to rack up enough points to firmly secure first place in the team standings, as well as garnering the sportsmanship award by popular vote.

Senior swimmers Carraig Colahan and Taylor Lee were honored for their years of commitment to the program. In addition, Colahan posted a perfect score, winning all six of his events.

The swim team will be in action at home one last time this season when they host the Cascade East District Championship meet July 30-Aug. 1.

Individual results for the HDST are as follows:

Men 12&U 400 Free
2nd — Klus, Taylor (7:01.66)
Women 13&Ov 400 Free
4th — Siegner, Chelsea (6:02.58); 6th —  Siegner, Charli (7:01.03)
Men 13&Ov 400 Free
3rd — Blackburn, Beau (6:18.88); 4th — Thein, Jackson (6:34.90)

Men 10&U 200 Free
1st — Goss, Bryce (3:51.18); 3rd — Bailey, Zane (4:11.80); 5th — Hoke Daniel (4:24.57); 6th — Cook, Gage (4:31.06); 7th —  Bradach, Zane (5:32.14)
Women 11-12 200 Free
1st — Hoke, Madison (3:21.08); 3rd — Beers, Kaelin (3:49.67); 4th — Bradach, Isobel (3:55.72); 5th — Bennett, Layle (3:59.45); 6th — Nonnenmacher, Abby (4:08.82)
Men 11-12 200 Free
2nd — Obradovich, James (3:21.75); 3rd — Stallings, Kalib (3:34.69); 4th —  LaChapelle, Kalib (3:41.04)
Women 13-14 200 Free
8th — Obradovich, Maria (3:16.20); 9th — Lee, Megan (3:23.16); 10th Holland, Kenzie (3:38.59); 11th — Riess, Ellie (3:41.46)
Men 13-14 200 Free
2nd — Nonnenmacher, Seth (2:52.31); 6th — Feist, Austin (3:18.06); 7th — Cook, Justin (5:57.57)
Women 15-Ov 200 Free
1st — Lee, T. (2:56.36); 2nd — Fenton, Abbey (2:59.73); 3rd — Johnston, Bailey (3:33.07)
Men 15-Ov 200 Free
1st — Colahan (2:28.91); 5th — Stanwyck, Dylan (2:55.69)

Women 6&U 25 Free
Zamora, Elizabeth (1:08.72)
Women 8&U 50 Free
2nd — Hoke, Alicyn (55.82); 3rd — Garner, Jenna (1:03.40); 4th — Hueckman, Allie (1:06.67); 9th — Bradach, Josie (1:36.74); 10th — Riess, Trina (1:37.37); 11th — Johnston, Georgia (1:55.80)
Men 8&U 50 Free
2nd — Goss-Bodily, Garrett (55.35); 5th — Bradach, Zane (1:05.30); 6th — Beers, Dustin (1:05.46); 7th — Moulton, Anthony (1:30.77)
Women 9-10 100 Free
9th — Riess, Bekka (2:12.96); 10th — Presley, Ashlie (2:57.02); 11th — Johnston, Emma (3:13.77)
Men 9-10 100 Free
3rd, Goss B. (1:44.46); 5th —Zamora, Isaac (1:47.77); 7th — Bailey, Z.  (1:57.88); 8th — Bailey, Luke (2:03.10); 9th — Cook, G. (2:04.14); 12th — Hoke, D. (2:14.07); 14th —  Klus, Emmett (2:23.31); 16th — McCanna, Mitchell (2:43.20)
Women 11-12 100 Free
1st — Crafts, Taylor (1:25.82); 2nd — Hoke, M. (1:30.26); 6th — Cooley, Morgan (1:40.93); 8th, Beers, K. (1:42.74); 10th — Johnston, Grace (1:47.66); 11th —  Bennett, L. (1:49.35); 12th — Nonnenmacher (1:50.14); 14th — Bradach, I. (1:51.08); 19th — Moulton, Mackenzie (2:15.64); 20th — Carpentier, Christianna (2:27.42)
Men 11-12 100 Free
1st — Klus, T. (1:27.82); 4th — Obradovich (1:34.37); 6th — Blackburn, Jake (1:39.57); 7th — Riess, Matthew (1:41.23); 8th —LaChapelle (1:41.47) — 10th — Stallings (1:43.91)
Women 13-14 100 Free
8th — Lee, M. (1:26.36); 9th — Calkins, Katy (1:26.39); 10th —Obradovich (1:26.53); 16th — Holland (1:41.39); 17th — Riess, E. (1:43.12)
Men 13-14 100 Free
4th — Thein,  (1:22.12);  10th — Feist (1:26.72); 11th — Blackburn, Garrett (1:28.68); 13th — Cook, J. (2:47.99)
Women  15-18 100 Free
4th — Lee, T. (1:15.09); 5th — Siegner, Che. (1:15.75); 7th — Fenton (1:21.41); 9th — Pettyjohn, Laura (1:23.04); 12th — Siegner, Cha. (1:26.24); 13th — Johnston, B. (1:35.44)
Men 15-18 100 Free
1st — Colahan (1:02.87)

Women 8&U 25 Breast
2nd — Hoke, A. (48.70); 3rd — Garner (1:02.82)
Men 8&U 25 Breast
3rd — Bradach (35.81)
Women 9-10 50 Breast
2nd — Riess, B. (58.51)
Men 9-10 50 Breast
2nd — Goss (1:01.99); 4th — Zamora (1:08.11); 6th — McCanna (1:23.81)
Women 11-12 50 Breast
2nd — Cooley (53.02); 4th — Crafts (54.41); 6th — Beers (56.13); 7th — Nonnenmacher (56.94); 9th — Johnston, G. (1:02.94); 13th — Carpentier (1:06.93); 16th — Bennett (1:15.68)
Men 11-12 50 Breast
2nd — Obradovich (50.03); 4th — Klus, T. (56.50); 8th — Riess, M. (1:06.53); 9th — LaChapelle (1:10.26); 10th — Blackburn, J. (1:11.29); 11th — Stallings (1:11.43)
Women 13-14 100 Breast
4th — Lee, M. (1:45.82); 6th — Obradovich (1:50.49); 9th — Calkins (1:54.98); 12th — Riess, E. (1:59.00)
Men  13-14 100 Breast
1st — Feist (1:41.15); 3rd — Thein (1:44.34); 6th — Blackburn, G. (2:01.50)
Women  15-18 100 Breast
1st — Lee, T. (1:26.95); 2nd — Pettyjohn (1:33.72); 4th — Fenton (1:38.94); 7th — Siegner, Cha. (1:47.21); 10th — Johnston, B. (2:07.33)

Women 8&U 100 IM
2nd — Garner (3:08.85)
Women  09-10 100 IM
5th — Riess, B. (2:27.36)
Men 9-10 100 IM
3rd — Zamora (2:07.85); 6th — Hoke (2:36.27); 7th — McCanna (3:03.26)
Women 11-12 100 IM
2nd — Crafts (1:46.55); 4th — Cooley (1:50.33); 5th — Hoke, M. (1:52.35); 6th —  Johnston, G. (2:09.73); 7th — Bennett (2:14.67); 8th — Bradach (2:18.12); 10th — Nonnenmacher (2:22.47); 11th — Carpentier (2:37.07)
Men 11-12 100 IM
3rd — Obradovich (1:47.86); 5th — Stallings (2:01.66); 6th — LaChapelle (2:03.47)
Women 13-14 200 IM
6th — Lee, M. (3:41.10); 7th — Obradovich (3:45.02); 11th — Calkins (3:56.37); 13th — Riess, E. (4:18.90)
Men 13-14 200 IM
3rd — Thein (3:34.13); 4th — Feist (3:44.19)
Women 15-18 200 IM
4th — Siegner, Che. (3:07.82); 5th — Lee, T. (3:07.84); 6th — Fenton (3:17.09); 7th — Pettyjohn (3:23.46); 9th — Siegner, Cha. — (3:31.98)
Men 15-18 200 IM
1st — Colahan (2:49.44)

Women 6&U 25 Back
Zamora (50.03), Houck, Halle (56.23)
Women 8&U 25 Back
2nd — Hueckman (29.76);  3rd — Hoke, A. (29.87); 5th — Garner (34.65); 6th —  Riess, T. (40.42); 7th — Johnston, Georgia (43.61); 9th — Zamora (50.23); 11th —  Bradach, Josie (1:13.32)
Men 08&U 25 Back
2nd — Beers (28.68); 3rd — Goss-Bodily (32.30); 5th — Bradach, Z. (34.18); 7th — Moulton (46.89)
Women 9-10 50 Back
4th — Presley, Ashlie D, (1:10.95); 6th —  Riess, B. (1:13.34); 8th — Johnston, Emma (1:30.16)
Men 9-10 50 Back
3rd — Goss (56.98); 4th — Hoke (58.82); 5th — Zamora (1:00.15); 9th — Bailey, L. (1:09.52); 12th — Klus, E. (1:15.49); 13th — Cook, G. (1:17.08); 14th — Bailey, Z. (1:17.46); 15th — McCanna (1:28.21)
Women 11-12 50 Back
2nd — Cooley (50.14); 3rd — Hoke, M. (51.60); 7th — Johnston, Gr. (56.38); 10th — Moulton (57.80); 12th — Nonnenmacher (1:02.79); 13th — Bradach, I. (1:03.65); 14th — Bennett (1:05.68); 16th — Carpentier (1:13.87)
Men 11-12 50 Back
2nd — Obradovich (52.87); 3rd — Riess, M. (55.49); 4th — Blackburn, J. (56.36); 5th — Stallings (56.55); 6th — LaChapelle (56.95)
Women 13-14 100 Back
3rd — Obradovich (1:36.78); 7th — Calkins (1:40.92); 13th — Holland (2:01.86); 14th — Riess, E. (2:03.55)
Men 13-14 100 Back
3rd — Thein (1:38.13); 4th — Blackburn, G. (1:41.39); 10th — Cook, J. 3:22.36)
Women 15-18 100 Back
3rd — Siegner, Che. (1:26.72); 4th — Fenton (1:33.70); 7th — Siegner, Cha. (1:41.94); 8th — Johnston, B. (1:49.42); 10th — Pettyjohn (1:54.58)
Men 15-18 100 Back
1st — Colahan (1:22.88)

Women 8&U 25 Fly
2nd — Garner (40.53)
Men 8&U 25 Fly
2nd — Bradach (47.00)
Men 9-10 50 Fly
3rd — Zamora (1:08.20); 5th —  Bailey, L. (1:17.39)
Women 11-12 50 Fly
3rd — Cooley (51.55); 4th — Hoke, M. (51.69); 7th — Beers (55.06); 9th — Johnston, Gr. (1:03.15); 11th — Carpentier (1:27.62)
Men 11-12 50 Fly
2nd — Klus, T. (55.29); 4th — Blackburn, J. (1:05.27); Riess,  M. (1:07.08)
Women 13-14 100 Fly
7th — Lee, M. (1:58.57); 9th — Calkins (2:13.53)
Men 13-14 100 Fly
3rd — Feist (1:46.20); 5th — Blackburn, G. (2:13.30)
Women 15-18 100 Fly
3rd — Lee, T. (1:25.52); 4th — Siegner, Che. (1:30.62); 5th — Fenton (1:34.96); 8th — Pettyjohn (1:47.96)
Men 15-18 100 Fly
1st — Colahan (1:14.59)

Women 8&U 25 Free
3rd — Hoke, A. (26.89); 4th — Garner (29.46); 5th — Hueckman (29.64); 8th — Bradach, J. (41.82); 9th, Riess, T. (46.30); 10th — Johnston, Ge. (59.27); 12th — Zamora (1:01.09)
Men 8&U 25 Free
3rd — Goss-Bodily (26.36); 4th — Bradach (27.28); 6th — Beers (31.00); 8th — Moulton (43.89)
Women 9-10 50 Free
8th — Riess, B. (1:02.80); 9th — Presley (1:17.01); 10th — Johnston, E. (1:36.42)
Men 9-10 50 Free
3rd — Goss (46.28); 4th — Zamora (48.19); 7th — Bailey, Z. (50.69); 9th — Bailey, L. (52.78); 10th — Cook, G. (54.67); 11th — Hoke (54.83); 14th — Klus, E. (1:03.93); 16th — McCanna (1:14.67)
Women 11-12 50 Free
1st — Hoke, M. (40.32); 5th — Beers (44.04); 6th — Cooley (44.54); 10th — Nonnenmacher (45.45); 11th — Johnston, Gr (47.99); 12th — Bennett (49.74); 13th — Bradach, I. (49.91); 18th — Moulton (58.18); 19th — Carpentier (1:10.70)
Men 11-12 50 Free
1st — Klus, T. (38.94); 4th — Obradovich (40.82); 6th — Blackburn, J. (42.66); 7th — Riess, M. (43.01); 10th — LaChapelle (44.64); 11th — Stallings (45.13)
Women 13-14 50 Free
5th — Obradovich (36.54); 7th — Lee, M. (37.27); 9th — Calkins (37.48); 15th — Riess, E. (43.11); 19th — Holland (45.51)
Men 13-14 50 Free
2nd —  Feist (35.63); 5th — Thein (36.58); 6th, Blackburn, G. (36.70); 10th — Cook, J. (1:17.92)
Women 15-18 50 Free
3rd — Siegner, Che. (32.03); 5th — Lee, T. (33.17); 9th — Siegner, Cha. (36.43); 11th — Pettyjohn (38.19); 12th — Johnston, B.  (41.84)
Men 15-18 50 Free
1st — Colahan (28.14)

Judy Flathers, 97, died on July 2, of complications from Alzheimer’s disease.

She was born on Nov. 2, 1912, in Klepp, Norway, to Carl and Bertha Severson Gunderson.

Flathers graduated from high school in Lewistown, and was a homemaker.

She married Robert Flathers on Jan. 18, 1948, in Lewistown, Mont. He died in 1985.

Flathers is survived by her daughter, Shirley Smith of Eugene; son, Bob Flathers of Burns; five grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren.

Services were held on July 8 at Lane Memorial Funeral Home. Contributions in Flather’s memory may be made to the Alzheimer’s Foundation.

Rod Knieriem died on July 25 at Harney District Hospital.
He was born on Nov. 12, 1954, to Roy and Dolores Knieriem in Sellersville, Pa.
Knieriem enjoyed his work in the auto body business and made many friends through the business. He loved the outdoors, and he was an avid hunter and fisherman.

Knieriem is survived by his wife, Lorie Knieriem of Burns; son, Robert Knieriem of Edgewood, Wash.; brothers, Rick Knieriem and Randy Knieriem of Burns, and Ted Knieriem of Centervalley, Pa.; stepson, Garret Griffith; stepdaughter, Nichole Lantus; and granddaughter, Nicole Knieriem.

There will be no services held at his request. Contributions in his memory may be made to the family to help with costs, in care of LaFollette’s Chapel, P.O. Box 488; Burns, OR 97720.  LaFollette’s Chapel is in charge of arrangements.

Harney County Health District board of directors meets the fourth Wednesday of each month in the board conference room of the hospital, in the entrance off N. Grand, at 6 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.

High Desert Park and Recreation District board of directors meets the fourth Wednesday of each month in their office at Lincoln Junior High School, 550 North Court, at 7 p.m.

Make a splash at Harney County Library. The summer reading challenge continues at 10:30 a.m. Bubbles, bubbles, bubbles! Large, small, square, round —  what shapes can you create?

Burns Butte Sportsmen’s Club holds Twilight Trap Practice every Wednesday through September. For more information, call Ralph Steelman at 541-573-2099.

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.

A Bone Health Nutrition Workshop sponsored by The Aspens and Harney District Hospital will be held on July 29 from 2 to 3 p.m. in the Aspens Conference Room. Learn all the ways calcium improves your nutrition and ways to work it into your diet. The workshop will feature Sonni Svejcar and the “Better Bones and Balance” program. The workshop will be hosted by Amy Dobson, Harney District Hospital Dietary Supervisor and Kristen Peila, Aspens Activity Director. For more information, call Peila at 541-573-2222.

Burns Campmeeting Tent Services will be held at the Burns Paiute Reservation, upper level pavilion, July 29-Aug. 1. The services will feature Shekinah Ministries from Warm Springs and Randy Tassitsie from Winnemucca, Nev. For more information, call Sandra Teeman at 208-445-7495.

Make waves at Harney County Library! Join us for this final program of the Summer Reading Challenge. Magic, ventrilioquism and family fun with Steve Taylor. Free and open to all, beginning 6:30 p.m.

Tai Chi: Moving for Better Balance is held every Thursday at the Harney County Senior Center. The beginner class is held from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. The intermediate class is held from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. All ages are welcome.

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.

Reading Club meets at the Harney County Library each Friday from 9 to 10 a.m.

Harney County Save A Stray will have an adoption event on July 31 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Big R. We have several kittens ages 3 to 4 months old up for adoption to good homes. These kittens will be spayed and neutered, had their first shot and de-wormed. We have all colors and also may have a few adult cats. A small adoption fee will be asked to cover the cost of the altering and shot.

A class reunion for the 1949 and 1950 Burns Union High School graduates will be held at Silver Creek Falls State Park, east of Salem, in conjunction with the annual Harney County Picnic on Aug. 1. For more information, contact Kathleen O’Keeffe Lane at 503-656-2967 or e-mail Klane1@comcast.net; or Janette Frost Jarvis at 503-363-5326.

Farmers Market is held in Hines Park each Saturday, from 7:30 a.m. to 1  p.m. For more information, call 541-573-2251.

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