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Road crews with the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) provide essential services in the region. Winter conditions require local ODOT crews to manage remote and dangerous state highways. But recently, ODOT leadership released preliminary plans to close maintenance facilities in Spray and Condon. Those plans are now under scrutiny and are getting pushback. During the Gilliam County Court meeting on September 4, Gilliam County Judge Cris Patnode said that ODOT's...
Helping early learning centers and ensuring that quality childcare is available to people in Gilliam County is a key goal for the Gilliam County Court. The previous Gilliam County Court created a resolution to create an investment fund for childcare centers in the county. At last week's Gilliam County Court meeting, the court discussed how this effort would be structured and what role the county should play in managing the funds. In 2022, the Gilliam County Court began...
Washington, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden announced today that $16,100,000 is coming to Baker and Union counties to support communities located near a proposed new transmission line in Eastern Oregon. The funds will support job training programs, as well as economic development projects for housing, business development, and improved regional infrastructure. "This critical funding will help ensure that Eastern Oregon's electricity needs are met for...
Cooler temperatures and favorable weather are on the way for Wheeler County, giving hope to firefighters and locals who have confronted multiple wildfires this summer. More than 10 fires are burning in parts of Wheeler County as of press time. Nearly 160,000 acres have burned in Wheeler County, starting with the Lone Rock Fire in July. New fires, including the Buckhorn Fire which began on Monday, have sprung up and fires from neighboring counties have spread into Wheeler...
Cattle producers in Gilliam County got a show of support from the Gilliam County Court, which has pledged $150,000 to help pilot a virtual fencing technology for producers impacted by the Lone Rock Fire. More than 300 miles of fence burned during the Lone Rock Fire. Cattle ranchers have had to move livestock to other areas and to buy extra feed. The Natural Resource Conservation Service district is working with the federal government to get funds to those impacted by fires...
Oregon City, OR - On Sunday, Oregon will take a significant step in addressing its drug crisis with the launch of the Oregon Drug Intervention Program (ODIP) following the passage of House Bill 4002 earlier this year. This new law, championed by Rep. Annessa Hartman (D-Oregon City and Gladstone), represents a balanced approach to combating substance abuse by recriminalizing small drug possession while prioritizing treatment and recovery over incarceration. "I've spoken with...
Gilliam County is moving ahead with a deflection program in partnership with Community Counseling Solutions – but Sherman and Wheeler County have opted out of this new program. After Measure 110 was rescinded and hard drugs were recriminalized under HB 4002 – funds that were dedicated to drug treatment were kept in place. The structure outlined in HB 4002 gave counties the option to participate in deflection programs, which would provide treatment options in lieu of jail tim...
Oregon's highest needs schools that are focused on revamping literacy instruction and boosting student reading proficiency will get federal financial help next year. The U.S. Department of Education announced last week that it will send Oregon schools $11.5 million next school year, and could potentially allocate up to $57 million over the next five years to help the state's Early Literacy Success Initiative. That initiative was passed by the Legislature in 2023 with an... Full story
The Condon Community Pool has provided people from Condon and the surrounding area with a quality source of entertainment and exercise for many years. But after several years of climbing costs to maintain the pool, the Condon City Council is asking for significant upgrades to be made. The Condon swimming pool was built sometime in the late 1950s or early 1960s. It is owned by the Condon School District. In 2011, the City of Condon established a partnership with the Condon...
The summer of 2024 is shaping out to be one of the worst wildfire years in Wheeler County's history. After local volunteers and firefighters from around the country worked to fight more than 118,000 acres of wildfire from the Lone Rock Fire in the northern part of Wheeler County, the Shoe Fly Fire is now burning at more than 20,000 acres as of press time, with 0% containment. On Tuesday, the Wheeler County Sheriff's Office ordered Level 3 – Go Now – Evacuations for areas jus...
The Times-Journal building in Condon is in the midst of a large renovation project, and a significant amount of work was done over the Labor Day weekend. Demolition on the building's front façade began last Friday, and framing commenced over the holiday weekend. Builder Ken Carpenter, owner of Shellback Interiors, LLC and local jack of all trades Mike Durfey worked on the historic building, which was constructed by Fred Wilson in 1903. The front façade has been remodeled s...
On Sunday, Oregon once again made hard drugs illegal with the enactment of House Bill 4002, a law designed to reform the controversial Measure 110 that decriminalized drug possession in 2021. This shift marks a significant policy reversal as the state seeks to address the spiraling overdose crisis, homelessness, and safety concerns that have plagued Oregon since Measure 110's implementation. HB 4002 gives law enforcement the authority to detain individuals using hard drugs,...
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is accepting applications for funding that will help rural businesses create and save jobs in their communities. USDA is making loans and grants available under the Rural Economic Development Loan and Grant (REDLG) programs for fiscal year 2025. Through the programs, USDA provides zero-interest loans to local utilities which they then provide to local businesses for projects to create and retain employment in rural areas....
This summer's historic wildfires in Oregon have taken a toll on ranchers and their more than a million cows and other livestock, prompting a unified plea by the state's top leaders for federal help. Gov. Tina Kotek declared a state of emergency and invoked the Emergency Conflagration Act nine times to deploy state resources to help ranchers and local communities. And then at the end of July and again in early August she called on the U.S. government for help. She asked the... Full story
Oregon State Representative Greg Smith (R-Heppner) has organized a meeting with the leaders of Blue Mountain Community College and Columbia Gorge Community College to discuss the growing crisis with EMS Services in the area. The two community colleges are the primary institutions in the region that provide training and testing for Emergency Medical Responders (EMRs) and Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs). Gilliam County and Wheeler County are not in tax-paying districts for...
In the August 22nd issue of The Times-Journal, we reported that the Mermaid sailboat, an all–wooden ship from the 1930s, had sunk in the Arlington Marina. The Mermaid had been in the Arlington Marina for more than 8 years. Approximately 900 gallons of diesel were on board the ship when it sank, which brought the federal government into Arlington to oversee cleanup requirements. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) led efforts for the spill response, with appropriate conta...
Dr. Kathleen Wilder has become North Central Public Health District's (NCPHD) Public Health Officer, replacing Dr. Christopher Van Tilburg, who has served as the Health Officer of Hood River County Health Department (HRCHD) since 2018 and both HRCHD and NCPHD since May 2023. Van Tilburg remains in the Hood River County position, where he will continue regional work with Wilder and NCPHD. Wilder has been Deputy Health Officer at NCPHD since last summer and will take the lead...
As Oregon faces a record-breaking wildfire season, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) has reached out to hunters, expressing concerns about the significant impacts on wildlife, habitats, and the upcoming fall hunting opportunities. In a recent communication to current hunting license holders, ODFW acknowledged the challenges posed by the fires and outlined steps being taken to address them. For many hunters, the anticipation of the fall hunting season is the...
The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) authorized the lethal removal of one wolf from the Logan Valley Pack in Grant County on August 23, 2024. This decision comes after the pack was linked to four separate depredation incidents over the past four months, resulting in four injured cattle and two dead calves. In response to the depredations, local livestock producers implemented numerous non-lethal measures to mitigate the conflict. These included increased human pre...
Is there anything better than a "coffee" sign for the weary driver or sleep deprived worker or parent? Coffee drive-through huts are seemingly everywhere in cities like Bend and in thoroughfares like Sisters. Throughout the Northwest, motorists que up in their cars, waiting to place their order. Now, folks looking to get a caffeine fix in Condon can do so at Conaway Coffee, located just off of Main Street and Highway 206 by Oregon Street. Sarah Conaway has thought about...
More than 300 people packed into the Heppner Elks Lodge on Saturday, August 24, to celebrate Pat and Trisha Sweeney's retirement. Every chair in the place was occupied, and the line for tri-tip sirloin and side dishes snaked around the venue. The open bar was a test for the Elks staff and volunteers, as well-wishers and longtime friends gathered to celebrate one of the region's most beloved families. Pat and Trisha, owners of Sweeney Mortuary, capped 46 years in business and...
LA GRANDE, OR - Eastern Oregon University named 591 students, including several local students, to the dean's list for the 2024 spring term. Qualifying students achieve and maintain a grade point average of 3.5 or higher on a 4.0 scale while completing a minimum of 12 hours of graded coursework for the term. Local kids named to the dean's list are: Tyler Longacre of Arlington, studying Health Science and Chemistry-Biochemistry; Megan Aamodt of Condon, studying Health Science...
Part 2 of a series that explores the challenges and potential solutions for ambulatory services in Wheeler, Gilliam, and Sherman counties Last week we covered the crisis unfolding in Fossil with its volunteer ambulance crew. In Fossil, the two remaining Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) resigned in July. The Fossil City Council oversees the volunteer ambulance and has been searching for answers. Similarly, in Spray, fewer people have stepped up to volunteer with Emergency...
A beloved boat thought to have been built in 1938, sank quickly in Arlington on August 14. "The Mermaid" had been docked in the Port of Arlington's Marina for about eight years. Its owner, who lives in Goldendale, is thought to have taken it out the day before. Local residents first noticed that the wooden boat was taking on water early on August 14th. Within hours, the ship had noticeably dipped below the water's surface. The boat hung onto the side of the marina's boardwalk,...
Grant Wilkins has been juggling a lot of things in the past couple of months. In May, Wilkins won the primary election for Gilliam County Commissioner #2. Just weeks before the primary, a recall election ousted Pat Shannon from office. Wilkins knew that he'd be pushed to start his term before January of 2024. This came to fruition when he was appointed to the role in mid-June. As a Control Operator with Portland General Electric, where he has worked for the last 24 years, Wilk...
