CHIP study/proposal leads the way for board’s OK

By Lauren Brown
Burns Times-Herald

Harney District Hospital will move forward with starting a chemotherapy program for patients thanks to approval from the board of directors at the Jan. 27 meeting.

Community Health Information Partnership Coordinator Cody Hodges provided the board with an in-depth analysis and an enthusiastic recommendation to proceed with the chemotherapy program.

In the report he noted that each year, there are 150 to 250 individuals from Harney County receiving cancer treatments. Patients currently have to drive to Bend or Boise for care. If Harney District Hospital (HDH) were to administer some of those treatments, it could drastically cut down the number of trips patients would have to make out of town.

Through Hodges’ research he discovered that the greatest number of Harney County patients (111) receive treatment at Cancer Care of the Cascades (CCC) so he approached them regarding a partnership with HDH. Hodges wrote that staff from “CCC toured our facility and engaged staff and physicians in productive discussions culminating in a general agreement to provide training, clinical and logistical support, patient advocacy and oncology services.”

Hodges told the board that over the years many chemotherapy drugs have become less toxic for patients and could be easily administered at HDH.

He noted that the hospital would not need much equipment to implement a chemotherapy program, just training, compassion and support. Financial costs to  start the program would be relatively low, he said.

His report outlines a program in which HDH would start out small, offering a list of 16 drugs for chemotherapy treatment.
The process would begin with Harney County patients who would initially be referred to CCC, where the cancer diagnosis is made or confirmed.

A treatment plan would be developed by the oncologist at CCC and communicated to the HDH Chemotherapy Unit and the designated family physician in Burns, John Day or Lakeview.

Physicians may receive extra training through CCC and may be involved in on-going cancer care education.

The first cycle of chemotherapy would be administered at CCC with subsequent cycles often being administered at HDH, with communication by fax, e-mail, phone or video-conference before and after each cycle.

Hodges’ report also included an appendix charting the projected costs and income of the proposed chemotherapy program.
Hodges estimated that HDH could see as many as 50 patients within the first year of offering the program.

Harney District Hospital Chief Executive Officer Jim Bishop was excited about the proposal. “It looks like we can provide a really successful program for the community,” Bishop said.

The board agreed and voted unanimously (with the exception of board member Shana Withee, who was absent from the meeting) to proceed with the chemotherapy program.

In other business:

• Gretchen Bates from the hospital’s foundation presented the board with some donations. The Harney Hospital Foundation donated $1,200 to the hospital’s swing bed program, $500 to the Better Bones step sets and $25 to the first responders.

The foundation will have its annual meeting at 5:30 p.m. Feb. 16. Bates said that many of the members have been involved with the foundation for a number of years and it may be time for some other people to step in. She also encouraged people to become members of the foundation. It costs $10 for an individual and $50 for a family. People who donate more than $500 will have their named engraved on a plaque;

• CEO Bishop praised RN Julie Burri for her involvement with the trauma hospital site survey conducted on Aug. 17. The hospital received a three-year full status Level IV trauma hospital categorization. “They were very impressed,” Bishop said. They also praised Dr. Holland Haynie for his involvement with the trauma system;

• the board approved a letter written to the community regarding the hospital’s recent arbitration with Skanska. The letter was submitted to the newspaper for publication;

• Chief Clinical Officer Ron Wulff stated that the hospital is interviewing for the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) manager position and that after some discussion, it was decided that the EMS manager job description would include having a paramedic license. The hospital has received 19 applications for the position.

• Denise Rose from the hospital’s development and recruiting department stated that Sonni Svejcar’s breast cancer outreach program was selected as the No. 1 outreach program in Oregon and southwest Washington. Svejcar was honored at a dinner in Portland.

She also noted that the hospital will host a Monte Carlo Night on Feb. 20 at the Burns Elks Lodge. All funds raised will go toward a mammography machine;

• Chief of Medical Staff Dr. Haynie stated that Nurse Practitioner Toni Feist has begun work at the High Desert Medical Clinic and this has helped consolidate medical records;

• Board member Ann Vloedman reported on the board’s recent retreat in which the board discussed self-assessment, CEO succession planning, board involvement in personnel decisions and updating the strategic plan.

The next Harney District Hospital board meeting will take place at 6 p.m. Feb. 24.

The newly remodeled Burns-Hines VA Clinic located in the Racine Building opened on Jan. 19; staff members are ready to see patients

By Lauren Brown
Burns Times-Herald

About two years after a public meeting in which Harney County veterans made certain that their outcry for a clinic of their own in Burns was heard, that clinic has blossomed into fruition.

The Burns-Hines Veterans Administration (VA) Clinic officially opened in the newly remodeled Racine Building on Tuesday, Jan. 19.
Clinic Manager and social worker Steve Bull said that though they are still in the process of moving in, the clinic is operational.

The new clinic consists of three exam rooms, a blood draw room, mental health office and a group meeting room. A minor procedure room has the equipment to perform EKG scans as well as bladder scans.

The Racine Building also houses the hospital’s sleep clinic and in the future, will contain the Home-based Primary Care program in which medical personnel will travel to rural parts of the county to care for patients.

Burns-Hines VA Clinic hours are 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. Dr. Tom Fitzpatrick and LPN Diane Brinkley see patients each Monday and Tuesday.

Registered Nurse Steve Hagan sees patients Monday through Friday, which Bull said extends the clinic’s ability to handle medical questions when Dr. Fitzpatrick is not there.

Bull said that most of the clinic’s lab tests are sent to Boise for processing, though if there is an urgent problem with a patient, those labs can be sent to Harney District Hospital for a quicker turn around.

In the same vein, patients requiring X-rays or other services are referred to the Boise VA Clinic, unless there is an urgent need. In those cases, tests can be done at Harney District Hospital with approval from the Boise VA.

In addition to offering medical and mental health services, the clinic also offers health education programs to help veterans lose weight, stop smoking and learn about diabetes.

In October 2007, representatives from the VA visited Burns to see how much interest there was in starting a clinic here. Burns was one of several sites under consideration. The representatives expected a turnout of six to 10 veterans and were surprised when more than 200 showed up to voice support for  a local clinic.

As a result, the Burns clinic was created and started seeing patients in September 2008 at the High Desert Medical Center.
Now, with the Racine Building remodeled to fit the specifications of the VA clinic model, Harney County veterans have a clinic of their very own. “A lot of veterans have been waiting for this clinic to exist,” Bull said. “There are a lot of things that the local doctors can handle.”

Having local care available eliminates some of those long trips to Bend or Boise, which is convenient especially in the winter time.
“This is a big thing in the community in terms of taking care of people and honoring veterans,” Bull said.

The Burns-Hines VA clinic is located in the Racine Building at 271 N. Egan in Burns. For more information, veterans can call the clinic at 541-573-3339.

Native American speakers use life experiences to illustrate how to overco me obstacles

By Lauren Brown
Burns Times-Herald

“When you share your greatness, you’ll be embraced,” said motivational speaker Chance Rush during a community workshop at the Burns Paiute Tribe’s Gathering Center on Jan. 22.

The tribe hosted both Rush and Emcee One (aka Marcus Anthony Guinn) as part of a day of goal setting and role modeling activities. Later that night, the pair also hosted a talent show, which included music by Emcee One.

Both Rush and Emcee One are from Oklahoma. They used their experiences growing up as young Native American men to provide examples for Paiute youth and adults as to how to go about living a productive life that they can share with others.

Rush talked about how being involved in track and field as a youth eventually led to a college scholarship. Despite coming from a single parent home and despite the fact that he was illiterate up until the eighth grade when he taught himself to read, he was able to mine his talents to better his life. He also drew on his faith in God.

Emcee One said his mother had him when she was 14 and later died of AIDS. He said that all his life, people told him he would amount to nothing, but he knew better. His goal was to be a part of the music industry, and he made that happen. He currently has an album available through iTunes.

Both Rush and Emcee One encouraged youths to lead alcohol and drug-free lives. Emcee One noted that while the music industry makes $14 billion each year, with its marketing strategists, the alcoholic beverage companies make $18 billion each year on underage sales alone. Such companies are experienced at marketing their products to hook people at a young age. He noted how in many convenience stores, alcoholic beverages are placed right next to pop drinks or ice cream. He told youths they need to be aware of these marketing tactics.

He also spoke about the the acronym V.P.D.R., which stands for Vision, Passion, Discipline and Risk. In order to achieve a goal, he told kids, you have to see it in your mind. “Passion happens after you’ve seen it,” he said. Once the passion is there, the discipline to take the necessary steps to achieve your goals comes more easily. When discipline falters, it is usually because the vision needs to be recast, he said.

Once those three things are in place, it is time to take the risk to see the goal through. “Success won’t come without risks,” he said. The group then talked about healthy risks such as those involved with sports, education, employment, hobbies, tradition and culture.
Both Rush and Emcee One talked about how vital  parents are in the lives of their children. “Parents are the No. 1 influence in their children’s lives,” Rush said.

For those who find it hard to draw positive examples from their own family life, Emcee One stressed the importance of making the right choices. “You might not have the example,” he said. “You will have to be the example.”

Both speakers talked about connecting with other people in the community and stepping out of their comfort zones.

“There are a lot of wonderful things going on in this community,” Rush said. “We survived colonization. We survived massacres. There’s a reason we are still here. We have this opportunity to be on a playing field.”

Rush noted that while sometimes it seems as if there are two worlds, one Native American and one white, that is not the case. “We have two ways of living, but we live in one world. You share your ways with other people.”

Julia Olson took over on Dec. 15

By Randy Parks
Burns Times-Herald

About two weeks before the start of the new year, Julia Olson began her new endeavor as Executive Director at the Harney County Chamber  of Commerce.

Olson started her new job on Dec. 15 after working the previous nine months as the office coordinator for the chamber. Olson said that by working as the office coordinator, she had the opportunity to meet a lot of business owners as well as learn about the chamber, so it was a fairly easy transition to take over when the previous director Jessica Boone left.

Olson said her parents had purchased property near Andrews about five years ago, and she began visiting the area at that time. “I absolutely fell in love with the country around here,” Olson said. She moved from Amity to her parents’ property in September 2008, but realizing there were no jobs in the south end of the county, she moved to Burns.

Olson said she started putting her resume out around town to find a job and eventually was hired as an assistant track coach at Burns High School. In March 2009, she began her office coordinator position at the chamber.

Olson has been kept busy with the chamber awards banquet coming up on Saturday, Jan. 30, and preparing for the 2010 John Scharff Migratory Bird Festival.

Olson noted that one of her goals as chamber director is to increase membership. “I’d like to get the word out that we’re here to help businesses,” she said. “Another goal would be to bring the chamber more exposure and let the community know what we’re doing for them.”

Although she hasn’t lived in Harney County all that long, her enthusiasm is evident. “The people here have really preserved the history, and that’s what makes this place so special: the country and the people,” she said.

Jan. 9 event involved 12 speakers from across state

By Tim Smith
Harney Tea Party Committee for Burns Times-Herald

Harney County and Southeast Oregon citizens hosted their first People’s Tea Party on Saturday, Jan. 9. About 300 citizens gathered in Burns, in spite of typical cold winter conditions, to listen to and question 12 speakers from across Oregon about the issues that are facing Oregon and the nation.

The emphasis of the Tea Party was on tax Measures 66 and 67 and controlling the infringement of government on the private sector. Other topics of concern were cap and trade, education, water, job creation, patriotism, federal control of health care, freedom of speech and voter importance.

Participants of the Harney Tea Party, held at the Burns Elks Lodge included the Cascade Policy Institute, Oregonians In Action, FreedomWorks, Americans For Prosperity, Harney County 9/12, Harney County Republicans, Oregon Firearms Federation, Senator Ted Ferrioli, Allen Alley, Common Sense for Oregon and Voter Impact Project. Local citizens participated with the speakers in four public comment and question and answer periods.

All of the speakers present had some firm common opinions. They warned that passing Measures 66 and 67 would be economically disastrous for Oregon and that these measures were not at all about cutting education, as suggested by ads; they encouraged all citizens to stay involved and be more informed; and were glad to see that Harney County is clearly concerned about its future.

After five hours of presentations and discussions about the need for changes in our government, the participants completed the program with a pledge adapted from the Declaration of Independence. The participants stood and solemnly pledged — “We here assembled do pledge to right these wrongs, to return our nation to the people and to reaffirm and reinstitute the principles of our founding fathers and Constitution. And for the support of this declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine providence, we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes and our sacred honor.”

Sponsorship for the event came solely from local citizens and organizations. A second Harney County People’s Tea Party is planned for late summer 2010.

At board meeting, Bob Sari explained the potential ramifications of Measures 66 and 67

By Lauren Brown
Burns Times-Herald

At the Jan. 12 board meeting, Harney County District No. 3 School District Superintendent Bob Sari provided the board with information on how Measures 66 and 67 would affect the school district.

The ballots for the Jan. 26 special election have already been mailed out and Oregonians will decide whether to pass Measures 66 and 67, which would institute a $733 million tax hike enacted by the Oregon State Legislature in 2009. The measures would increase the corporate minimum tax from $10 to $150 and raise taxes on households that make more than $250,000 per year or individuals who make more than $125,000 per year.

Proponents of the measures say the money will go to fund education, health care, public safety and other services. Superintendent Sari noted that if the measures fail, the Burns-Hines school district could face a $500,000 budget shortfall.

Opponents argue that the tax hike would hurt small businesses.

Sari told the school board that the majority of Oregonians, 98 percent, will not be affected by the potential tax raise. However, if the measures fail he said he is working on grants and other ways to combat the considerable budget shortfall that would likely result.

In other business:

• Superintendent Sari noted that the district is looking to prevent the spread of infection that could result from another wave of H1N1 influenza. He said that he hoped parents would keep sick children home to prevent the spread of the virus;

• Business manager Petrina White said that at this point the district’s ending fund balance for the year looks like it will be $290,000. Of course, that is subject to change;

• Slater principal Gayle Mackey said that she found a good deal on playground equipment with a company that has a surplus of material. The company agreed to match Slater’s amount, so they can buy more equipment. Mackey said that local businesses have agreed to help install the equipment sometime next summer.

Mackey said that there was about 94 percent attendance for Slater parent-teacher conferences.

She also thanked Shana Withee for her work on their holiday shop, where kids can buy inexpensive presents for their family members;

• Hines Middle School principal Gail Buermann talked about a Tooth Taxi program that they are looking at offering for low income students in need of dental care.

She also commended her staff for being willing to critique themselves and improve.

• Student services director Geoff Robinson said he is working with a team on strategic planning for what to do with Title 2A grant funds totaling about $60,000.

He also talked about a new approach to staff development. This year, the district will have staff development days for three days after school is let out in June. Staff will participate in writing workshops and sessions on Singapore math;

• the board organized tours of the facilities with bond project manager Bill Renwick. One tour took place on Jan. 15 and the other is scheduled for Jan. 29;

• the board accepted the resignations of Dan Cashen who was a custodian at Burns High School (BHS); Jill Zaharko from her position as head track coach at BHS; and Julia Olsen from her position as assistant track coach at BHS;

• the board adopted policies regarding criminal record checks, graduation requirements, hazing and harassment and reporting requirements regarding sexual conduct with students. The board also conducted second readings on a number of policies relating to educational philosophy, district goals, board meetings and board member conduct, resignation of staff, human sexuality, graduation exercises and student policy objectives.

The next Harney County District No. 3 Board meeting  will be at 7 p.m. Feb. 9 at the district office.

4-H members must pay new participation fee

By Debbie Raney
Burns Times-Herald

The economic crunch has officially worked its way through all aspects of state funding. The latest pinch will be felt locally in the Oregon State University Extension Office.

At the Jan. 6 meeting of the Harney County Court, Shana Withee and Dustin Johnson presented to the court possible scenarios the extension office may be facing in the near future. Most of the change will be seen in the Family and Community Health portion of Withee’s job. She said 30 percent of her job title and funding is for teaching nutrition. To continue to receive federal funding, she may be required to make additions to the present program, including visiting rural schools.

If she is directed by the state to take this approach, an additional job will be added. Withee told the court that she wanted to forewarn the county that this could be a possibility, as finding room for another office space could be a problem in an already crowded area.

One change that has already been instigated in the extension office is a participation fee for all 4-H members. Beginning with the 2009-2010 enrollment, each participant will be required to pay a $15 fee. Withee explained that these fees will be used to fund activities at the state level such as judging teams and state fair events.

Withee said that in Harney County during the 2008-2009 4-H year, 426 youth were enrolled in the program in Harney County. There were also 102 volunteer leaders who helped to organize 64 clubs. In addition to the 4-H clubs, the local Extension Office puts on a five-day science camp during the summer, jointly organizes 4-H Camp at Logan Valley with the Grant County 4-H program, takes kids to a leadership retreat, offers babysitter training in partnership with Harney District Hospital and gets kids to the Oregon State Summer Conference. “This is a well-rounded program,” said Withee.

In other business during the Jan. 6 meeting:

• the court approved a request from High Desert Designs, Inc., (HDDI) asking to trade an overdue rent bill for improvements that had been made to the building at 29903 Hotchkiss Lane.

HDDI’s proposal said that the company had put in four 110 volt drops, two 220 volt drops, as well as outlets and a three-phase connection and steel pipe. “Rather than remove our property (drops, wiring, piping and connection materials) we propose that the county accept the above listed HDDI property and costs incurred to HDDI in exchange for the amount owing for past due rent.”
The rent due to the county from HDDI is, according to Treasurer Nellie Franklin, $2,050. During the discussion of the proposal, the question of whether an air compressor that HDDI had installed would be left as part of the equipment. It was agreed that a clarification would need to be made about the air compressor, in order for the court to make a decision;

• Malheur Wildlife Refuge Manager Tim Bodeen explained to the court the status of the refuge’s comprehensive conservation plan (CCP) process. Bodeen said that through public meetings, individual one-on-one meetings with permit holders  and meetings with organizations such as the Farm Bureau and Stockgrowers, the refuge had gathered comments and input that would now allow the process to advance to the next step of  developing the CCP.

“In February,” Bodeen said, “we’ll begin the real CCP.”

Commissioner Dan Nichols voiced concern that because of past history, people felt it would be a waste of time to voice their ideas and concerns. “The perception is that they’re not going to be paid attention to.”

Bodeen said he believed the process was allowing for all of those “people who care about the refuge,” to give input.
Nichols said, “That’s where the frustration is. The 7,500 residents are run roughshod over by those 65,000 visitors;”

• The court made the following appointments for the 2010 year: county budget officer, Steve Grasty; county medical investigator, Julie Burri; county health officer, Dr. Holland Haynie; pro tempore justice of the peace, Sandra L. Richards and Stephen Finlayson; and official newspaper, Burns Times-Herald.

• An addendum to the Operations Plan for Harney County Landfills was made to abide by Oregon’s 2007 Electronics Recycling Law. The law prohibits any person from disposing of computers, monitors and televisions at sold waste disposal facilities.

New signs will be posted at the Diamond, Drewsey, Fields, Frenchglen and Riley sites. Landfill operators will also be required to inspect incoming loads for the prohibited materials.

Noncompliance issues prompt council discussion

By Randy Parks
Burns Times-Herald

As the City of Burns Cemetery Committee continues to work on the re-plotting and long-range planning of the cemetery, Councilor Dan Hoke said they are now asking for the public’s input to deal with the sensitive topic of noncompliance issues within the cemetery.

Speaking at the Burns City Council meeting on Wednesday, Jan. 6, Hoke said items that are not in compliance with regulations include secondary markers, ornamental memorials, solar lights, iron works, flowers (both real and plastic) and planted trees.
Hoke stated that the committee is trying to bring the regulations up-to-date and they need to decide if they are going to continue to allow some of these items or hold fast to the regulations. “We are asking for the community’s input on how to deal with these noncompliance issues,” Hoke said. “If they want to see these items remain, we have to figure out how to do it within the regulations.”
Hoke added there may be a public meeting held, and when they get the information compiled, they will then address the council with their recommendation.

Comments may be submitted to Burns City Hall or Councilor Hoke at 573-7759.

Scott Franklin attended the meeting to express his concerns regarding the city’s Airport Committee. Franklin said City Ordinance 782 describes the Airport Committee and states that they shall not meet less than four times annually. Franklin stated the committee hadn’t met for several months and questioned why they hadn’t met. He also asked to be reappointed to the committee as his term had expired.

Burns Mayor Len Vohs asked Franklin to put his request for reappointment in writing and submit it to the city clerk.
Vohs explained that the Airport Committee had been temporarily suspended while an audit is being conducted on issues at the airport, and the council couldn’t discuss the restructuring or other issues per their attorneys. Vohs said once the restructuring is completed, the committee will be reappointed. He added that they hope to have the matter resolved within the next few weeks.
John Ebar was also in attendance with questions regarding safety issues at the airport.

City Manager Don Munkers reported that someone had replaced the fence around the VHF Omnidirectional Range navigation system (VOR) with metal panels that affected radio signals and that was a big safety issue. Munkers said the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) came and installed a new fence.

A public hearing was called to order just before 7 p.m. regarding the street vacation on South Harney Avenue.

Munkers told the council the vacation was necessary for the Monroe Street reconstruction between Teague Motor Co., the city and the state as according to the Monroe Street Project. A portion of the corner of West Monroe and Highway 20/395 will be given to the state, and South Harney between both properties of Teague Motor Co. will be given to them with an easement for the existing water line.

There was no public comment and the hearing was closed.
In other business:

• Police Chief Randy Cook informed the council the two new police vehicles should be arriving in Oregon within the next 10 days. They will then be painted and readied for operation.

Burns officer Newton Skunkcap also gave the council a presentation on a new video/audio piece of equipment the department recently purchased;

• City Manager Munkers recommended that the city give their 1976 American LaFrance pumper truck to the City of Hines with the condition that they cannot sell it. The discussion was tabled until the council can get input from Fire Chief Bill Guindon, who was on vacation;

• the council voted to donate $75 to the Robert Burns Night Scottish Dinner;

• the council voted to adopt Resolution 09-518 regarding a fire grant from the Oregon Department of Forestry.

The next council meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 27, at city hall.

Reporter Jennifer Jenks gives a firsthand account of her ride-along with police officers during a DUII saturation patrol on New Year’s Eve

By Jennifer Jenks
Burns Times-Herald

Most of us have had the not-so-enjoyable experience of having those red and blue lights suddenly flashing in our rearview mirrors signaling us to pull over. Have you ever wondered what it’s like on the other side of the lights? I got the opportunity to ride along with officers from the Harney County Sheriff’s Office on New Year’s Eve and see what it was like from a cop’s point of view. The following is a timeline of my evening:

8 p.m. — I met Sgt. Brian Needham at the Harney County Dispatch Office, located inside the sheriff’s office. He was filling out citations on two probation violation arrests he’d just made — one arrest was for possession of less than an ounce of marijuana and the other was for consumption of alcohol, open container and minor in possession of alcohol (MIP). He informed me that filling out these citations would not take long, but if the arrests were for driving under the influence of intoxicants (DUII), it would take over an hour because of all the paperwork involved. While he was filling out the citations, I asked him a few questions:

What’s the biggest worry for you on a night like tonight? “A drunk driver getting in a crash and hurting somebody, especially with the way the roads are tonight.”

What is a saturation and how is it different than a regular work night? “A saturation is not a lot different than a regular night. We are still enforcing traffic laws, but are concentrating on aggressive driving and DUII enforcement. We have two more officers than usual on duty. I usually work eight to 10 hours a day, but because of the saturation, I’m working longer hours.” By this time, Needham had already been on duty for 12 hours.

What’s the most dangerous situation you’ve ever been in? There was a shooting across the street about six years ago where one brother shot the other brother. I was across the street from him, and he had a gun. He never raised the gun toward me and ended up taking off running. We caught him a couple of hours later. I was prepared to shoot him if he’d moved the gun at all toward me.”

What are the best and worst things about being a cop? “The best is helping people out. The worst is when you have to throw someone in jail.”

Ginger, Needham’s wife, was working dispatch and said it had been a busy night. She’s worked for the sheriff’s office as dispatcher for 2 1/2 years and worked at the Burns Police Department for five years when dispatch was located there. She has worked New Year’s Eve before and informed me it was usually a busy night, but we didn’t usually have this much snow.
We left the dispatch office and stopped by the jail, in the next room, to explain a citation to a suspect.

8:23 p.m. — Only a few blocks after leaving the sheriff’s office, Needham pulled over a driver for not using his turn signal. He called in the license plate number first as he followed the vehicle, and then pulled him over. There were three passengers along with the driver. He talked to the driver and then came back and called in the information from two driver’s licenses (the driver and one passenger). The passenger was on probation for no alcohol, so Needham decided to request to perform a consent search. He called for backup. “You don’t do a consent search without backup for officer safety,” he informed me. He said they do a lot of consent searches on saturation nights to look for open containers. If they don’t consent, he just leaves, unless he has probable cause. If he suspects drugs, he can bring a drug dog in to smell around the car. If the dog “hits” on the car, that’s probable cause.

Needham asked the occupants to step out of the car and checked their pockets when the other officer showed up. He checked the trunk and the car interior. A third officer arrived. Needham found a pack of cigarettes in the car that he deduced belonged to a minor in the vehicle. He couldn’t put them in the minor’s possession unless she confessed they were hers, he said, so he told her he wouldn’t ticket her, and she admitted they were hers. He confiscated the cigarettes and gave the occupants multiple verbal warnings, and we went on our way.

8:46 p.m. — While driving around Washington Park to check out a report of possible careless drivers in the area, Needham explained that a lot of law enforcement is deterrence. “If people see you driving up and down the street in front of the bar,” he said, “they’re less likely to drive and more likely to call and ask for a ride.” He said they mostly do bar checks (walking through the bars) to check for underage drinking, overserving and probation violators and just to show a presence. They don’t do bar checks, he said, just to see who’s in the bar so they can pull them over later. “If we wanted to do that,” he explained, “we could just look at the vehicles around the bar.” He said they have had a big problem with bars overserving in the past. Bars are not supposed to serve individuals when they are visibly intoxicated (i.e. spilling their drinks multiple times, falling down, slurring their speech). Underage drinking used to be a huge problem as well, he said, and still is occasionally.

9:02 p.m. — Needham stopped to talk to a group of people about driving their four-wheelers on the road, which they’re not supposed to do. He said they’d had several of those that day because of all the new snow.

9:05 p.m. — Near Quail Court Apartments, a driver ran a stop sign right in front of us. Needham pulled him over near the First Pentecostal Church. The driver was driving without a license and had no insurance. He was issued citations for driving while suspended and no insurance, and the vehicle had to be towed. Needham explained that if a driver doesn’t have insurance, it’s an automatic tow. Otherwise, if the driver drives the vehicle again and gets in an accident, the police can be liable. He called for the next non-preference tow (there are two towing services: Teague’s and Sam’s Service), and then we had to wait for the tow truck to get there. The charge for the after-hours tow was $85 plus the vehicle owners have to pay about $25 per day for storage. The owners have to show proof of insurance before they can get their vehicles back. Needham told me he’d had three arrests and three tows that day already.

9:26 p.m. — While driving behind the high school, I asked Needham if it ever concerned him that someone might have a gun and shoot him when he pulls them over. He said he’s always concerned about it. “Doing a traffic stop is the most dangerous thing a cop does,” he explained. “You have no control at all. You don’t know if the person you just pulled over is wanted for murder or what.”

Needham told me he’d been in law enforcement for 13 years and with the Harney County Sheriff’s Office for 11 years. He said he initially went into law enforcement because it was a job. “I wasn’t one of those people who grew up wanting to be a cop,” he told me.

9:46 p.m. — We stopped to check out a minor walking down the side of Highway 20/Broadway near West A Street instead of using the sidewalk. Needham thought he could smell a faint odor of alcohol. The minor consented to being searched and to taking a breathalyzer test. He passed the test and was sent on his way with a warning to use the sidewalks from now on.

Needham said he had found a tin of Altoids during his consent search and thought that was probably what he smelled.

10 p.m. — We drove back by Washington Park again and then headed out toward Hines. Needham said they check the parks regularly, especially during the summer. We drove out to Eddie’s Truck Stop and saw multiple vehicles coming down Radar Hill. Needham called ahead to another officer to be on the lookout for them because it was unusual for people to be up there this time of year and this late at night. We followed two of the vehicles and saw that one of the drivers was failing to maintain his lane. Needham pulled him over for having an obscured license plate in America’s Best Inn parking lot. He didn’t smell alcohol on the driver and determined the driver was probably all over the road because he was in two-wheel drive and had chains on. He performed a consent search for alcohol and gave the driver a verbal warning.

10:32 p.m. — We drove back to Burns and witnessed an apparently intoxicated individual walking across the Safeway parking lot. Needham stopped to make sure that he was all right, and that he didn’t need a ride somewhere. He said he would rather give the man a ride than have him get in a car. “If you’re drunk, call someone to give you a ride,” he encouraged, “call us, but don’t drive.”

10:43 p.m. — We witnessed a man urinating on the side of a building while driving behind the bars on main street, but were unable to locate him by the time we turned around and went back. Needham explained that the most common things he pulls people over for are speeding and defective equipment (i.e. having a headlight or taillight out). He said officers were much busier this New Year’s Eve than last year. Last year, he remembered, there were a lot of traffic stops, but very few citations, and he didn’t remember any arrests at all. We checked for speeders on Highway 20. “Right now a lot of people are at the bars,” he told me. “You’ll be really slow until they get out.” He said they are usually busy between 5 and 8 p.m. because people drink before they head out to the bars so they don’t spend as much money. Then there’s a lull, he explained, and it picks up again between midnight and 2 a.m., when people are heading home from the bars.

10:54 p.m. — It started to get foggy and rainy, and Needham expressed concern that the roads would start getting really slick.

11:16 p.m. — Needham stopped a driver for having obscured plates and no license plate light in front of B&B Sporting Goods. He performed a consent search and gave the driver a verbal warning. As we headed back toward Burns, Needham offered, “What you’ll see later is a lot less traffic on the highway and a lot more traffic on the side roads.” People try to go on the back roads and on the road behind the fairgrounds to avoid law enforcement, he explained. He said it was getting a lot better lately, though, with people getting designated drivers and not drinking over the limit. “I guess the press and radio help in letting people know that we’re going to be out there in full force,” he mused.

11:35 p.m. —  At this point, Needham had been on the job for well over 15 hours and was ready to retire for the evening. I transferred to Deputy Lucas McLain’s vehicle in the Rite Aid parking lot.

11:38 p.m. — McLain stopped to back up another officer on a DUII stop on Broadway in front of the Dollar Plus Store. The driver was being given a Standard Field Sobriety Test (SFST). McLain said the driver had been drinking, but he passed the test, so they let him go. The SFST comprises a horizontal gaze test, where the officer passes a pen back and forth in front of the suspect’s face while the suspect follows the pen with his/her eyes; a walk and turn; and a one-legged stand. The horizontal gaze test checks for involuntary jerking of the eyes, McLain explained, which is caused by depressants (alcohol is a depressant), inhalants and PCP. The other tests check for bodily signs of impairment. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has done all the scientific research, McLain said, and shows that they’re accurate. The Oregon State Police (OSP) does the training. “These three tests have been adopted, I believe,” he said, “by all 50 states.”

11:45 p.m. — While driving around the back streets of Burns and down Egan toward the fairgrounds, McLain told me he had been in law enforcement for 8 1/2 years and on the road for 6 1/2 years (he started out in the jail). He said he had been working since noon that day, but regularly works 12 hour shifts.

11:56 p.m. — McLain pulled a driver over for no license plate light and gave the driver a verbal warning. Afterward, McLain told me about the two most dangerous situations he’d ever been in. During his first year on the road, he stopped a felon who ended up having two guns in the seat beside him and the felon reached for them. Instead of grabbing the guns, he grabbed a package of Ramen and then tried to drive off. Needham was there, as well, and tased the driver and the car died. McLain said they found out later that the driver had modified the bullets in his shotgun to be able to penetrate body armor. He said the guy ended up going to prison. The second situation was one where a suicidal man was shooting holes in his wall and floor. He said they were in a standoff with him for about two hours, when they finally got him to come out. McLain showed the same concern about traffic stops as Needham. “There are no routine traffic stops,” he said. “They’re each different, and they can turn out different each time. You never know what’s going to happen.”

12:14 a.m. — Two suspects were picked up by the Oregon State Police (OSP) for possible DUII and MIP. They were transported to the OSP office to do SFSTs. McLain explained that they were trying to give the suspects the benefit of the doubt and to give them every advantage to show they were not impaired (Red Barn Lane, where they were picked up, was covered with snow and ice). On the ride to the OSP office where the troopers said I could go with McLain to watch the SFSTs given, McLain said some people have complained to him about law enforcement pulling them over for equipment malfunction, like having their license plate light out. He explained that this was a good way to check on whether people have been drinking or are wanted criminals driving through town. “Most DUIIs don’t look like on TV or on commercials,” he said, “where they’re weaving all over the road and the alcohol comes pouring out the window.” It’s the .08 Blood Alcohol Content (BAC) drivers, he said, who are the most dangerous. He explained they tend to take more risks and feel more invincible. Drivers who are at a 1.5 to 2.0 BAC are moving slow and drifting all over the road and are easier to spot.

12:30 a.m. — Trooper Beckert administered a voluntary SFST to one of the suspects, a minor, who had been picked up on Red Barn Lane. A minor doesn’t have to have a BAC of .08 (the legal limit) to be given a DUII. They just have to show any sign of impairment, McLain explained. Beckert had the minor follow the tip of a pen with his eyes and then questioned the minor about his drinking history. He then had the minor walk nine steps heel to toe down the hallway, turn around, and walk nine steps back. He explained the test completely before administering it and made sure the suspect understood what he was being asked to do. The test had to be readministered because the suspect took too many steps and Beckert explained the test again exactly as he had done the first time. After completing the walk and turn test, Beckert asked the suspect more questions about how he ended up driving his vehicle into the ditch. He then explained the third test and made sure the suspect understood. In this test, the suspect had to stand on one foot while holding the other foot about six inches off the ground and counted until Beckert told him to stop.

Beckert told the suspect he definitely saw some signs of intoxication and arrested him for DUII. He told the suspect he was taking him to the jail to have him blow into a breathalyzer. Afterward, Trooper Alan Johnson performed the same tests on the other minor, who also showed signs of intoxication.

1 a.m. — After working a 13-hour shift, McLain was ready to head home and dropped me back off at the sheriff’s office. It was an educational and informative evening of new experiences for a new year.

Three-day event will introduce new owners to the community

By Randy Parks
Burns Times-Herald

In late October, business partners Benny Santos and Kevin Johnson took over operation of the local Subway restaurant.
To celebrate their new endeavor and to visit with community members and people passing through town, Subway is planning a grand opening Jan. 7-9.

Each day of the grand opening, Subway will be offering sandwich specials.

Santos and Johnson met several years ago when Johnson traveled to Brazil to pick up his son, who had finished his mission for the Church of Latter-day Saints. The two men became friends, and Johnson persuaded Santos to move to Harney County.

“We’re excited to purchase this business,” Santos said. “Kevin likes to stay busy, and I’m happy to be managing here. We have a good crew and are looking forward to meeting people during the grand opening.”