Bank holds school supply drive

JOHN DAY — Grant County branches of the Bank of Eastern Oregon are holding a school supply drive for local elementary school students.

Throughout the month of August, area residents can drop off donations of pens, pencils, notebooks, crayons and other school supplies at the BEO branches at 200 W. Main St. in John Day and 178 NW Front St. in Prairie City.

The supplies will be distributed after school resumes.

The John Day branch will hold a drawing for several backpacks filled with school supplies. Community members with children in elementary school are encouraged to stop by the branch and fill out a ticket for the drawing, which will be held on Aug. 25.

Seneca groundwater meeting set

SENECA — The Oregon Water Resources Department will host a community meeting from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 16, in Seneca to discuss upcoming changes to groundwater permitting in Seneca and other parts of Grant County located within the Harney Basin.

This meeting will cover the tools OWRD uses to manage groundwater, the agency’s vision for improving the groundwater situation in the basin, and how the community can stay informed as the rulemaking process continues.

The meeting will be held in the gym at Seneca Elementary School, 101 Park Ave. OWRD staff will make a presentation on the Harney Basin Groundwater Study and will answer questions from the public.

BPA won’t raise wholesale rates

PORTLAND — The Bonneville Power Administration will keep its average Tier 1 power rate and all its transmission rates flat for the next two-year pricing period, which begins Oct. 1, the agency announced.

BPA is a federal agency that markets electricity from 31 hydroelectric dams and one nuclear plant to more than 140 electric utilities throughout the Pacific Northwest.

The rate proposal includes $258 million in planned net revenue to cover contingencies such as market volatility and other unexpected costs.

The proposal still has to be approved by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. BPA will file the proposal with FERC along with a request for interim approval while the matter is under review.

Youth pheasant hunts slated

PRAIRIE CITY — Youth hunters can sign up now for free pheasant hunts around the state starting in September, including one in the Prairie City area.

The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife is organizing the events for hunters 17 and under who will have completed a hunter education class by the time of the event.

The Grant County hunt will be held on private land in the John Day Valley near Prairie City on Sept. 16 and 17.

Participants must have a valid hunting license. Youth hunters between the ages of 12 and 17 must also have an upland game bird validation. Both must be purchased before the event.

Online registration is required in advance. To register, log into the youth’s account at odfw.huntfishoregon.com/login. Go to Purchase from the Catalog and look under Category/Class/Workshop/Outdoor Skills.

For help signing up, contact Myrna Britton at 503-947-6028 or Myrna.B.Britton@odfw.oregon.gov.

—Blue Mountain Eagle