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Judge Cris Patnode and Commissioner Grant Wilkins were sworn in at the Gilliam County Courthouse on Monday. No guests or family members were present, likely because Judge Patnode and Commissioner Wilkins have been on the job for several months. Cris Patnode was appointed to the position over six months ago by Governor Tina Kotek, following the recall election of former Gilliam County Judge Elizabeth Farrar. Commissioner Wilkins joined the court in August. Patnode had served...
Wheeler County welcomed a new County Commissioner and Sheriff this week, swearing in Commissioner Matt Davis and Sheriff Jeremiah Holmes. At a standing-only event at the courthouse in Fossil, Sheriff Holmes took his oath, and then swore in his deputies. Matt Davis, who had been working as the Planning Director at Wheeler County for several years, was elected as the Wheeler County Commissioner #2 position. Davis has said that he is going to focus on long-term planning...
The City of Grass Valley has a new mayor. When nobody filed for the mayor position last spring, some thought that a write-in campaign would be lodged. But that didn't take shape either. A total of 33 votes were cast in the mayoral election in November, but none of the write-ins wanted the job. Ultimately, the council appointed Christian Ayles of Grass Valley as City Mayor. Ayles is employed by the OSU Extension Service in Sherman County and works with the Sherman County 4-H,...
Five counties in eastern Oregon are set to receive federal assistance to recover from the historic wildfires that ravaged rangelands, homes, and infrastructure during the summer of 2024. Recognizing the most excruciating fire season in Oregon's history, President Joe Biden announced on New Year's Day the approval of major disaster declarations for Gilliam, Grant, Umatilla, Wasco, and Wheeler counties, unlocking federal funding through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (F...
The Wheeler Soil and Water Conservation District will hold its annual meeting this Thursday, January 9, 2025, at the Rock in Spray. The meeting will feature a presentation by Russ Vaagen, Founder and CEO of Vaagen Timber, who will talk about forest restoration and mass timber production. The Wheeler SWCD is in the midst of a capital fundraising campaign to build a new headquarters and community center at Service Creek using mass timber materials. Mass timber has become a...
Excursions may be cancelled due to extreme winter weather, to keep our community members safe. Condon Meal Site Bus: Thursdays January 2nd, 9th, 16th, 23rd, 30th Thursday February 6th, 13th, 20th, 27th Please contact GC Transportation to request being picked up – 541-351-9545. Wildhorse Casino Bus: Wildhorse excursions are scheduled for the second Tuesday of the month. January 14, 2025 February 11, 2025 Depart Condon by 8:00/Arlington 9:00 11:00 am -3:00 pm at Casino Back i...
The Condon Caring Quilts group invites all interested sewists to join them for a "sew-in" on January 9th, 10th, and 11th (come one or all three days) at St John Parish Hall in Condon. The group plans fun filled days sewing quilts to be presented to military veterans living in the Condon area. Presentations will be made during Condon's 2025 Fabulous Fourth of July. Most necessary supplies will be provided during the sew-in, including irons, cutting mats, fabric and pre-cut...
First Day Hikes is a program of free, guided hikes offered by the fifty state park systems of the U.S. each year on New Year's Day. The program began in 1992 in Massachusetts, and then went nationwide in 2012. The purpose of the hikes in Oregon through the State Parks system is to encourage people to connect with nature, and to start out the new year on the right foot. On January 1, 2025, 25-30 people met at the Experience Center at Cottonwood Canyon State Park on the John...
Elizabeth Steiner, a Portland Democrat and former state senator, took the oath of office as Oregon's first female state treasurer in front of a crowd packed with legendary state politicians and prominent party figures. Oregon's first female governor, Barbara Roberts, and former Gov. Kate Brown sat front row as Steiner was sworn in Monday night by Gov. Tina Kotek at the Oregon Historical Society in Portland. Roberts, Brown and Kotek are the only three women to have served as...
Breakfast Bliss Waffles It's been awhile since I've created my own recipe and I've already written about most of them here. But now I have a new recipe to share with you – an original that I made up all by myself. Google said that no one else has thought of this same recipe so I call that "out-Googling myself". That happened only once before. That was when I blended an Asian ingredient into an Italian recipe; that's called fusion cooking. I added some tamarind paste to an I...
“If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other.” — Mother Teresa It’s hard to see peace and stability in our day-to-day lives. Anger and vitriol have become commonplace in our society, and the hatred that exists for our fellow Americans is hard to ignore. The events from January 6, 2021 were a turning-point in this nation. And the aftermath of the 2020 election set us on a truly ugly path. Thinking about that day, four years ago, I wonder...
Days of Yore for January 9, 2025 10 years ago— Members of the Port of Arlington Commission met with engineers and a host of representatives of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Jan. 5 at the Port office. The meeting wasn’t a social call, and the Corps representatives’ repeated chorus of “We’re here to help make this easier” wasn’t making anything any easier. The meeting was the latest in a series of often contentious gatherings over the past seven years, since the Corps of...
“Let’s go out to Dottie. Dottie, whadd’ya got?”, Part One It was just a $17 book, a signed Ann Patchett novel, The Dutch House, a nice-looking book that had gone to its new custodian in Montgomery, Texas, Dick Verinder. Upon its arrival he wrote by e-mail in thanks and asked if I’d like a book in return. “Wow! That’s never happened. Okay, sure.” A week later I received a signed and numbered copy of The Riviera Golf Courses, a brilliant little tome that was reissued in 201...
The nine participants from the 2024 Condon Elks Lodge Hoop Shoot pose with Exalted Ruler Cassandra Flatt and Coordinator Mark Griffith. (contributed photo) The Condon Elks Lodge #1869 hosted the annual Hoop Shoot at the Condon High School on December 8, 2024. Mark Griffith served as the coordinator for this year's shoot. Nine participants from Condon took part and several high schoolers helped out as judges. Evan Selby won the 8-9 year boys group. Tanessa Washington won the...
