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LONE ROCK, OR (4:40 PM July 14, 2024) — A fire in Gilliam County, Oregon has grown significantly this weekend and area residents near Lone Rock are under a Level 3 Evacuation Order from the Gilliam Co. Sheriff's Office. An Emergency Alert was sent out by Frontier Regional 911 at 3:58 PM on Sunday, July 14, urging local residents in the town of Lone Rock and those who live nearby to evacuate. The Memorial Hall in Condon is serving as an evacuation center and will have l...
CONDON, OR (11:45 AM, July 15, 2024) - A rapidly escalating grassland fire near the town of Lonerock, in Gilliam County, has necessitated significant emergency response efforts since its outbreak on Saturday, July 13. Initially spanning 4,200 acres, the fire surged to over 50,000 acres within a mere 24-hour period. In response to the escalating threat, the Gilliam County Sheriff's Office issued a Level 3 "Go Now" Evacuation order for the town of Lonerock on Sunday, July 14,...
Several summer camps for area youth have been put together by the Condon Arts Council, in collaboration with the North Central Education Service District (NCESD). The classes are funded by the 21st Century Learning Grant, a five-year grant that the NCESD was awarded – and by a grant from the Roundhouse Foundation, that the Condon Arts Council secured last fall. With the combined funds, the Condon Arts Council will hold four camps between July 8 and August 2nd for youth b...
A group gathered at the A-Town Station in Arlington to celebrate the anniversary of the Co-Starters class that brought them together. Pictured are (L-R): OFCC Board Member Diana Kirkham, OFCC Exec. Director Brittany Dark, Several entrepreneurs gathered at the A-Town Station last Wednesday to celebrate the one-year anniversary of the entrepreneurship class known as Co-Starters. Co-Starters is a product of the organization Reinventing Rural, which was founded by CEO Brad Attig....
The sounds pouring off the front porch of the Spray General Store last Friday were not of the traditional Western Country variety. Jenny Don't and the Spurs, a four-piece group that plays what they call, "Surf Western" or "Cow Punk" music, brought their unique sound to Spray. It was a real treat for the 80 people in attendance. The group, which has been performing together since 2012, has steadily grown its audience over the years. The band typically plays to several hundred...
FOSSIL, OR - Overnight, the town of Fossil will be transformed into a haven for bluegrass music lovers from all over the country. Starting Friday, July 5, the Wheeler County Bluegrass Festival will kick off its twenty-second year. The festival is known for bringing marquee talent to Oregon's smallest county seat, and this year will be no different. Headliners on Friday and Saturday will include Skillethead, a modern yet traditional five-piece band from Eastern Oregon that brin...
MORO, or — Avangrid, Inc. (NYSE: AGR), a leading sustainable energy company and member of the Iberdrola Group, celebrated the grand opening of its National Training Center (NTC) in Sherman County, Oregon on June 25. The NTC is a world-class facility located near Moro, where many of Avangrid’s operating wind and solar farms, and will serve as a centralized location to train and upskill technicians working across Avangrid’s onshore renewable energy portfolio. “It was a pleasur...
Starting July 15, the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) will construct a new bridge on Highway 206 over Rock Creek on the Condon-Heppner Highway. The project will take at least four months to complete and all traffic will be diverted to other routes for at least three weeks. ODOT will replace the 90-year old Rock Creek Bridge – which sits 10.6 miles east of Condon at milepost 51.67. A significant portion of the highway will be closed on both sides of the bridge and a...
Boardman, OR - The Boardman Chamber of Commerce is excited to present the highly anticipated BAM Trail Boardman Pro-Am, an event organized by Bass Angler Magazine (BAM). This bass fishing competition is set to take place from June 28th to 30th on the scenic Columbia River in Boardman, Oregon. The Boardman Pro-Am promises to be a fun experience, featuring some of the finest bass anglers from the West. Against the picturesque backdrop of the Columbia River, competitors will vie...
The Biden Administration announced the formation of the Columbia River Task Force on June 18, following the release of a report on the river's past and future impacts on Native American Tribes. Nik Blosser, the former Vice President of Portland General Electric and chief of staff for Gov. Kate Brown, was appointed Executive Director of the task force. The report on the Columbia River was completed by the US Dept. of the Interior. The report is highly critical of federal dams...
Newspaper publishers are calling the events of June 3 "Black Monday" – the day that dozens of local newspapers were sold or ceased print operations in Oregon. The Pamplin Media Group announced that it was selling to the Carpenter Media Group out of Mississippi. Robert Pamplin Sr. was once the CEO of Georgia Pacific lumber and left a fortune to his son, Robert Pamplin, Jr. The younger Pamplin created an empire in the newspaper industry, catering to Christian news and c...
At the regular board meeting held on June 11, 2024, the Condon Community Food Pantry provided an update on its recent activities. The Coordinator Report revealed that the pantry served 70 households and 171 individuals in the past period. This was made possible with the help of 10 dedicated volunteers who collectively contributed 76.5 hours of service. In terms of food donations, the pantry received significant support from various sources. Safeway donated 154 pounds of food,...
To say that Stacy Bird enjoys life on her family's farm would be an understatement. A fifth-generation resident of Sherman County, Stacy grew up and lives near Starvation Point, not far from Cottonwood Canyon State Park. Stacy's deep roots on the farm and in the county have guided her journey as a photographer. This is evident in a series of photos that are currently on display at the Sherman County Historical Society Museum in Moro, Oregon. Bird says that she first became...
Customers lined up on opening night for the Wild Sage Restaurant on Friday, June 14. Located inside the Hotel Condon, the restaurant is owned by Aly Sedlock, of Mayville. The Wild Sage is the product of many years of effort and hard work in the culinary industry for Sedlock. Raised in Salem, Aly Sedlock says that she aspired to work in business while she was in high school and as a young adult. But instead of looking for a degree in business administration, Sedlock instead...
Kara Davis came to Gilliam County in 2023, after winning the election for District Attorney. Davis took over after longtime DA Marion Weatherford was elected as a Circuit Court Judge. Now, Davis is set to return to Wasco County after winning the primary election for Wasco District Attorney against sitting DA Matthew Ellis. Davis narrowly defeated Ellis in the May primary election, and the vote was only certified last week. Davis won by just 160 votes and will take office in Ja...
The Condon Elks Lodge hosted an event by the Condon Arts Council last Friday, which brought more than 50 people to the Lodge. Boots for youngsters and adults were polished and ready for the dance floor, as the arts group hosted line dancing instructor Natasha Rosenthal. Natasha is the childhood friend of Clara Steward, who joined the Condon Arts Council board of directors in May. Rosenthal and Steward grew up together in Midland, Michigan. Steward had been hoping to get...
Oregon pharmacies are in trouble. And none are in a more precarious situation than the mom-and-pop drug stores that once defined the industry. Small-town, family-owned, and multi-generational pharmacies like Murray's Drug are at the forefront of a fight to push back against corporate greed, that many say is responsible for a monopoly on prescription drugs. John and Ann Murray are the owners of Murray's Drug – which was started by John's parents, Rod and Meg Murray in 1959. J...
The news of EO Media Group’s plan to sell the company, or to potentially restructure as a non-profit certainly got our attention. To be honest, it was a scary week. The Times-Journal has been printed weekly by the EO Media Group for decades. We communicate with their staff weekly and depend on them for printing The Times-Journal. We have also looked to the EO Media Group and its many publications as a guide. We have admired their work in sustaining legacy newspapers in E...
Gilliam Co. Museum in full swing The Gilliam County Historical Society is welcoming visitors to the Gilliam Co. Historical Museum this summer. On June 18, Camden Jones will become the new Curator at the Historical Museum, located next to Burns Park and the Gilliam Co. Fairgrounds in Condon. Jones is a teacher at Condon High School and resides in Condon with his wife Jessica and their baby Rosemary. Others in the community and from the Historical Society board of directors...
Oregon Governor Tina Kotek appointed Cris Patnode as Gilliam County Judge on June 4 – two weeks after Patnode captured nearly 62% of the vote for county judge in the primary election. Patnode was sworn into office on June 11, 2024 and will serve as the county's executive officer. By carrying more than 51% of the vote in the primary election, Patnode secured victory in the race for county judge – which had been vacant since the recall of Elizabeth Farrar Campbell on April 30....
Sarah Waters was inside the Spray Museum last year when she stumbled on a cookbook that was put together in the 1980s. Inside were recipes and stories of people from the Spray area, many of whom had long since passed away. While flipping through the pages, Sarah recalled her own childhood experiences, and how recipes could tell a story of family and community bonds. So began the quest for Waters to create a Wheeler County Heritage Cookbook. Sarah Waters moved to Spray in...
Western band Jenny Don't and the Spurs have been booked to play the Spray General Store on June 28. This is a big get for the small community venue that is bringing in big-time talent. Jenny Don't and the Spurs describe themselves as a "Western Cowpunk" band. They are currently touring the United States and after the show in Spray, the band will head for Belgium to kickoff their European tour. With a new album being released on June 14, the show in Spray is sure to be a big...
Finding work for young people has long been a cause for concern in Wheeler, Gilliam, and Sherman counties. It has been said that the biggest export for this region is its children. But new data coming from the U.S. Census Bureau's Quarterly Workforce Indicators shows that the tri-county area is outpacing other Oregon counties and that young people are filling jobs. The data, which shows changes in the workforce by age over the past decade, indicates that young people are being...
A blacksmith shop, a flour mill, a general store, three churches, a hotel, a school, a Grange and an Odd Fellows Hall. These hallmarks of a thriving town were once found in Mayville, Oregon. And many still remember it as a community, not a ghost town. Those people, their descendants, and others who have ties to Mayville will meet at the Stinchfield property on June 22 for the second Mayville Reunion. Nearly 100 people attended the first Mayville Reunion in 2019. Organized by...
Cris Patnode has emerged victorious in the Primary Election for Gilliam County Judge and will be the county's next executive officer, capturing more than 61% of the vote. The Primary Election was held on May 21 and garnered 57% participation from registered voters. Patnode defeated Commissioner Leah Watkins and Condon Mayor Jim Hassing. By eclipsing 51% of the vote, Patnode won the election outright, with no need to hold a general election in the fall. In all three precincts,...
