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Innocent verdict is returned

After deliberations lasting about 90 minutes Thursday afternoon, a Circuit Court jury found the Rev. Rodney LeRoy Smith of John Day not guilty of breaking and entering a structure other than a dwelling.

The four-day trial, which opened Monday of last week, was on the first of two separate indictments handed down by a county grand jury on Feb. 6.

Last week’s case involved the indictment naming Chester’s Market in John Day. As yet unscheduled is trial on the second indictment which names the John Day Pharmacy. The indictments cover Jan. 16-17.

Rev. Smith, who is pastor of the John Day Church of the Nazarene, was represented by John Day attorney Claud Ingram.

County District Attorney Grace K. Williams called in Wasco County District Attorney Donald H. Turner to handle trial work for the state.

The state’s case was built around the testimony of approximately two dozen witnesses. In his concluding remarks to the jury, Ingram accused the prosecution of trying to overwhelm the panel with a heavy volume of evidence, which he termed a “smoke-screen.”

He dwelled at length on conflicts in testimony of several witnesses between the preliminary hearing and the trial itself, terming the group generally the “faulty memory gang.”

Ingram also had unkind words for John Day police, which at one point he likened to the “Keystone Cops.”

The jury panel consisted of Sammie Laurance, John Day; Emma Bringman, Seneca; Clyde Cavender, Thirza Heise, Ruth Peterson and Darrell Farrens, all of Monument; Eva Weaver, Marx Kuykendall and Kenneth Moore, all of Mt. Vernon; Virginia Winegar and John Donaldson, Prairie City; and Betty Sheedy, John Day.

Considerable testimony was devoted to alleged breaking and entering of the drug store. In his instructions to the jury, however, Judge J.R. Campbell asked the panel to consider the Chester’s Market case only.

Though Ingram had been serving as a court-appointed attorney for the John Day pastor, Judge Campbell ordered Smith to pay his attorney’s fees.

Commissioners, judge o

ppose welfare plan

Grant County officials have taken a dim view of the proposed reorganization of Oregon’s welfare administration in letters to the House Task Force on Government Reorganization.

Three weeks ago the McCall Administration Management ’70’s Task Force on welfare proposed the closing of county welfare offices and their replacement with a series of regional offices with satellite offices below them.

County welfare commissions, under the plan, would become largely advisory with no actual responsibility for sifting welfare applications.

The plan ran into immediate opposition in Morrow County. Judge Paul Jones of Heppner, backed by Morrow County welfare commissioners, said the plan was harmful to county government and would not improve welfare administration in Morrow County.

Morrow County is joined with Wheeler and Gilliam counties in a single welfare district served by one administrator. Under the Management ’70’s Task Force plan, this organization would become a satellite office under a McCall District 12 welfare office in Pendleton.

Grant’s views on the reorganization were sent to the House Task Force on Government Reorganization because this is the legislative body weighing Governor Tom McCall’s proposed human resources department proposal.

The Oregon House of Representatives panel is headed by newspaper publisher Robert C. Ingalls (R., Corvallis).

Grant County Commissioner Joe Officer, who is chairman of the County Public Welfare Commission, said in a letter to Ingalls:

“It has concerned our staff that the (Management ’70’s) study was not done in more depth in considering the needs of Eastern Oregon. It has been said that the Management ‘70’s Task Force did not visit counties east of Deschutes and Wasco. Conditions of size and travel in Eastern Oregon are considerably different.”

Officer’s letter noted road mileages to Pendleton and other points, the hazards of winter travel and other factors.

His letter concluded by stating agreement with Judge Jones’ fears that county governments “are being relegated to a subordinate role rather than a cooperative role in the area plan of the Governor’s.”

City votes plan group

Prairie City city councilmen decided Monday evening to adopt a planning ordinance and appoint a city planning commission, and John Day attorney Tom Mosgrove was asked to draw up the ordinance.

Councilman Roger Kimberling introduced the subject, asking his colleagues what they thought about forming a planning group to help solve city problems in the years ahead.

Even though the City Council meets twice monthly, its members do not have time to devote to all city problems. A city planning commission could make recommendations to the council on sidewalks, sewers, storm drainage and other matters.

All decision-making would continue to rest with the council, he stressed.

All present were in favor. Councilman Johnny Richan and Joe Stewart said the planning group should be broadly representative of the city’s residents, not solely businessmen on the main street.

Prairie City would become the second city in the county to set up a planning commission. John Day did so last month. At last week’s County Chamber of Commerce meeting, Mt. Vernon Mayor Herman DeSouza indicated his city is also giving the matter thought.

Room rates due to rise

A five-member budget committee unanimously approved a $781,087 operating budget for Blue Mountain Hospital District for 1970-71 Friday night.

The approved figure compares with this year’s operating budget requirement of $750,140. However, the amount to be raised by taxes is up only $2,773 ($95,400 proposed for 1970-71 vs. $92,627 in the current budget).

Another hike in hospital room rates was indicated sometime during the new budget year. Hospital district directors said they h ave not decided when to make the increases, but laid out a room rate schedule that advances room rates from the current $34 a day rate to $40. Other rates will rise accordingly. The $34 rate was set about a year ago.

It was observed that the rates, even with the increase, are still below those charged by other hospitals.

Vern Groen, John Day, was budget committee chairman, and James Wishart, Prairie City, was secretary. Other members were John H. Saunders Jr., Seneca; Al Brown, Dayville; and Clayton Gibbs, Bates.

Groen touched off consideration of the document with a non-financial subject, the status of the county’s physician population. He said his Main STreet John Day business office lends itself to visits by the public who want to know about the doctor situation.

Groen asked if there would be a sufficient number of doctors in the county in the future. Dr. Roger Bothwell, who attended the session, said a medical school classmate of his has made a commitment to move here at the end of August and that a physician in Eugene and two other doctors are very interested.

“All this hinges on getting a new clinic built,” Dr. Bothwell added. The job can be done with private capital, he said.

Dr. Bothwell said a four-man clinic should be built near the John Day hospital. He emphasized that the building was crucial in attracting doctors, nothing that an Arizona physician who had been interested probably will go to Prineville because of a good offer.

Traylor hurt

Dave Traylor, John Day, was injured seriously Sunday when thrown from a horse and was to be transferred from Blue Mountain Hospital in John Day to a Veterans Administration hospital in Vancouver, Washington, at mid-week. Traylor suffered a back fracture in the mishap. Friends plan to have a benefit dance for him Saturday night at the Ye Olde Castle, John Day.

‘People wonderful,’ reports new pastor

The new pastor of the Long Creek Community Church is the Rev. Bill Reed.

Rev. Reed, who had a church in Conover, Wisconsin, for two years prior to coming to Long Creek, is a 1968 graduate of Bryan College in Dayton, Tennessee, where he graduated with a bachelor of arts degree in Christian education.

A burning desire to entire religious life didn’t find fulfillment until Rev. Reed was 25 and entered college. Before starting on his chosen goal he worked for the Douglas Aircraft Company in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Rev. Reed said that he can always remember that, even as a young boy, he wanted to become a minister. He is affiliated with the Village Missions of Kansas City, Missouri, who sent him to fill the post in the Long Creek church.

The area in Tennessee where he is from is quite similar to the Blue Mountains, he says. Rev. Reed says he thinks this area is quite beautiful.

The Reeds have found the people very friendly and warm.

Rev. and Mrs. Reed are the parents of two children, Mark, 11, and Laurie, 9.