2008: A year in review (slideshow)

For Grant County, 2008 was a year of turmoil to test the toughest folks.

The region’s major economic sectors felt continuing challenges from economic conditions and environmental conflict.

As the year closes, ranchers are still grappling with lawsuits over grazing allotments. Timber industry and environmental groups, who forged a precedent-setting agreement over the Thorn and Egley salvage sales, now are watching market conditions deteriorate and hopes for forest-health initiatives dwindle amid the continuing national housing meltdown.

The medical community also struggled, but is just starting to find new hires to fill gaps in the family medicine ranks. The doctor shortage was exacerbated by a well poisoning at the home of one doctor, an act that prompted his decision to leave the area and stirred outrage in the community.

Yet there were bright spots, as well. The Grant County Regional Airport continued its improvement projects and won a ConnectOregon grant to build a new terminal that will be shared with the U.S. Forest Service fire base. The Oregon State Parks and Recreation Department re-opened the Kam Wah Chung Museum and made plans to build a campground at Bates.

The Grant County Chamber of Commerce staged its first balloon festival, and the Grant County Fairgrounds held a successful 99th annual fair and rodeo, paving the way for a century year in 2009.

January

? Sheriff Glenn Palmer asks the public’s help in solving the poisoning of a residential well at the Little Canyon Mountain home of Dr. Joe Bachtold. The case, still unsolved, triggers turmoil in the community as Bachtold announces plans to leave the area and Blue Mountain Hospital struggles to fill vacancies on the area’s roster of physicians.

? Gusts up to 71 mph are recorded at the Grant County Regional Airport as a sudden windstorm rips through the region, damaging roofs and causing power outages.

? The 4-H Urban-Rural Exchange Program, which sends kids back and forth between Grant County ranches and Multnomah County suburbs, receives its second national award. Extension Agent Gary Delaney accepted the award at a range management association meeting in Kentucky; the theme was “Building Bridges.”

? Grant School District #3 officials propose to put the old junior high building, now home to the Blue Mountains Alternative School and other programs, up for sale.

February

? More than 100 area residents join the Eagle Challenge, a six-month fitness contest intended to encourage folks to lose weight, eat right, get some exercise and be healthy.

? Malheur National Forest Supervisor Gary L. “Stan” Benes announces that he will leave the Forest Service to take a job with the Bureau of Land Management in Montana. Benes cited family health problems as the reason for his departure after about two years at the helm of the John Day-based national forest.

? Early-rising residents got a celestial show when a fireball flashed across the sky. The meteorite trail was visible in three states, according to the U.S. Naval Observatory in Washington, D.C.

? U.S. Rep Greg Walden, on a swing through Eastern Oregon, stops in Prairie City and pledges to tack county payments legislation onto every “must-pass” bill that arises in Congress.

? The John Day City Council gives the OK for local contractor Mark Moulton to build a cabinet construction business at the airport industrial park.

March

? Grant County officials and the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department come up with a plan to transfer title of the former Bates Mill site for creation of a new state park and campground. In the arrangement, a new “Friends of Bates Park” transfers the title to the county, which is able to close the deal with the state for the amount required to pay off a $400,000 note from Old West Federal Credit Union on the property.

? The state Corrections Department notifies the county that it will gradually pull its contract prisoners from the Grant County Jail. New prison facilities elsewhere made the contract with the county unnecessary, officials said. However, local officials speculate that voters will approve an anti-crime initiative in November, triggering a renewed need for jail beds.

April

? Volunteers on some local city councils and planning commissions protest new ethics rules by resigning. The 2007 Legislature adopted a law that required more detailed reporting of financial matters and family ties, along with quarterly filings, from various volunteers for city and county boards.

? Local library advocates unveil a proposal to expand Grant County Library offerings and create a community center in a new location, possibly the old junior high building in John Day. The library board and Libraries of Eastern Oregon are still studying the possibilities.

? Doug Gochnour, a 31-year veteran of the Forest Service, is named the new suprvisor of the Malheur National Forest. Gochnour, who replaces interim supervisor Cassius Cash, comes from a post in Idaho’s Boise National Forest.

May

? Lion dancers and visiting dignitaries from across the state celebrate the re-opening of a restored Kam Wah Chung Museum in John Day.

? After two weeks of intense talks, conservation and timber representatives hammer out an agreement allowing salvage sales to move forward in the Thorn and Egley forest fire areas. Both sides claim credit for compromises – the industry forfeits volume and acreage and the environmentalists agree not to litigate over the logging – in order to get the sales off the books before the wood deteriorates past all value. The pact is hailed as unprecedented.

June

? The Oregon Natural Desert Association (ONDA) wins an injunction that bars ranchers from grazing their cattle on two allotments on the Malheur National Forest. The injunction hinges on adequacy of monitoring of impacts to fish habitat and waterways in the areas, but cattlemen see it as part of a larger movement to limit or eliminate grazing on public lands.

? Local family physician Dr. Robert Holland is named the 2008 Oregon Family Doctor of the Year at a professional conference in Gleneden Beach.

? Grant County Court decides not to keep Bill Harrington in the top post at the Grant County Center for Human Development, the county’s public mental health and counseling service, citing a lack of the required master’s degree for the post. The decision leads the way to more change for the agency, as the Court goes on to contract with a Heppner-based organization, Community Counseling Solutions to take over the functions of the Center.

July

? The Grant County Regional Airport wins a $4 million transportation grant to build a new terminal, replacing the old converted rancher house currently used to run airport operations. The plan calls for a shared facility that also will provide updated quarters for a Forest Service fire base and community meeting rooms.

? A Vancouver, Wash., developer gets ready to market affordable homes – in the $100,000-$150,000 range – at Strawberry View Estates on the east end of John Day.

? Renovations – from fresh paint to new wiring – are finished on the DeWitt Museum and Depot Park in Prairie City, thanks to funding through Grant County.

? Prairie City hires a new police chief, ending a long search. The department previously had one officer, but the city needed someone with supervisory credentials to meet insurance criteria. The chief is Randy Oxford, with 30 years experience in law enforcement.

August

? The Grant County Chamber of Commerce and Grant County government launch twin websites to provide updated information on local businesses, tourism opportunities and local government.

? Jose Ceja Medina, 32, is shot dead at his home in John Day. Police arrest Jessie L. Bratcher, 25, in connection with the death. Bratcher remains in jail as the new year begins, awaiting a hearing to enter a plea.

? Local ranchers Steve and Carolyn Mullin are feted as Grant County Fair and Rodeo grand marshals, capping more than 40 years of fair volunteerism and participation.

September

? The John Day Historic Preservation Foundation unveils a proposal to buy the parsonage building next to the historic Advent Christian Church building. Negotiations with the owner, the Chamber of Commerce, produce an agreement before year’s end, and the Foundation is continuing fund-raising to complete the purchase.

? Dr. Louise LeDuc joins the staff at Strawberry Wilderness Clinic, helping to fill the gaps in family medicine left by several doctor departures in the past year.

? The Grant County Stock Growers honor Ken and Cici Brooks as the 2008 Stockgrowers of the Year, citing their stewardship of the land at their Fox Valley ranch.

? The Prairie Wood Products sawmill shuts down, putting about 45 people out of work, in what company officials hope will be a temporary closure. The national economic downturn, coupled with poor timber supplies, provide the backdrop for the bad news.

October

? The Forest Service puts two salvage sales out for bid a second time after the first try draws no bidders. The lack of bidders for the sales, part of the Egley Fire Complex, is blamed on plummeting lumber values as the housing markets across the nation tanked.

? More than 100 people turn out for a Grant County Economic Summit, held in Canyon City. The audience listens to rapid-fire talks on timber, agriculture, government employment and tourism, followed by brainstorming for ideas to revive Grant County’s economy. The meeting spawns a new group, the Grant County Economic Council and an e-mail newsletter to bolster communications between the county’s varied interest groups.

? A busload of Grant County residents hits the road for Elgin, in Northeastern Oregon, to lobby Forest Service officials to increase timber harvests in the eight-county Iron Triangle area. The meeting, called by Rep. Greg Walden, provides opportunities for local folks to address the new Region 6 Forest Service Forester, Mary Wagner.

? Hot-air balloons lift off from Mt. Vernon for three days running, as the Grant County Chamber of Commerce launches its first Balloon Festival. Businesses and individuals donate time and money to get the event off the ground, and organizer Sharon Mogg of the Chamber declares it a success.

November

? A Halloween burglary attempt goes awry in Long Creek. Masked intruders armed with a gun and a golf club attack the homeowner, David Verstoppen, also known for his award-winning medical marijuana crop. Police, who believe the intruders were looking to steal the pot, later arrest three men in connection with the incident.

? Grant County Road Master Mark Hensley withdraws his plan to resign from the job after a group of business leaders fill a conference room at the department, urging him to stay. Hensley had planned to quit over frustrations with low expectations and poor attitudes shown by a few crew members.

? Sheriff Glenn Palmer wins re-election by a handy margin, defeating write-in challenger Mike Durr after a hard-fought campaign.

? Grant County voters bucked the tide in backing Republican candidates in the presidential and U.S. Senate races. But when the dust had settled, Democrat Barack Obama handily defeated Republican John McCain, and Democrat Jeff Merkley unseated longtime GOP Sen. Gordon Smith.

December

? The Oregon Board of Forestry visits timber projects in Grant County and talks with local folks at a board meeting in John Day. A lively discussion about the pros and – mostly – cons of collaboration ensues.

? The Grant County unemployment rate soars, with seasonally adjusted statistics for both October and November showing double-digits. Officials say that while Grant County has an unfortunate history of high jobless rates, the current trend comes sooner in the winter than usual.

? The Grant County Food Bank sees an increase in both donations and need, serving 377 individuals in 166 households in November alone.

? Despite a tough economic situation, community programs – from the Holiday Bazaar to the Holiday Dance Showcase to the annual school music programs – continue to draw standing-room-only crowds.