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The "tentatively final" Oregon Wildfire Hazard map was updated by the Oregon Department of Forestry on January 7 and shows that much of the tri-county area is at high hazard designation for wildfires. The map categorizes all land in Oregon under low, medium, or high wildfire hazard levels and identifies wildland urban interface (WUI) areas that are under increased risk of fire. The map shows that much of Gilliam, Wheeler, and Sherman counties are at high hazard designation...
The Wheeler County Court met last Wednesday, January 8, and welcomed Matt Davis as its new County Commissioner. Commissioner Davis and Judge Lynn Morley worked through several issues, Commissioner Ben Logan was not present for the session. The Court heard from Wheeler County Public Health Administrator Shelby Thompson, who is preparing to be deployed with the Idaho Air National Guard. Thompson has been with Wheeler County Public Health since 2021 and is a Flight Operational...
Kade Wilkins, Condon, was in Las Vegas last weekend to compete in the American Rodeo West Coast Qualifier Steer Wrestling for an opportunity to eventually win one million dollars at the American Rodeo April 10-11, in Arlington, Texas. The college Freshman at Walla Walla Community College was invited to the event by being the #2 Steer Wrestler in the Northwest Region of the National College Rodeo Association. The top four finishers advanced to compete in the next round for ten...
SALEM, OR - In a historic milestone for Oregon Senate District 29, Todd Nash was officially sworn in today as Oregon State Senator, becoming the first senator in state history to hail from Wallowa County. Senator Nash brings decades of practical experience, a steadfast dedication to his constituents, and a deep passion for amplifying the voices of Eastern Oregon in the Oregon State Senate. "It is a true honor and privilege to represent the people of Senate District 29, and I...
HEPPNER, OR — Bank of Eastern Oregon is proud to announce its school mascot debit card program contributed over $7,261 to participating area high schools in 2024. "The school mascot cards provide much needed extra funding for these student body programs," said Becky Kindle, EVP & Chief Operations Officer. Initiated in September 2013, the Bank of Eastern Oregon mascot debit card program serves the high school associated student body programs of Heppner, Riverside, Irrigon, I...
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Congressman Cliff Bentz (R-OR) has been selected to serve on three subcommittees of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce for the 119th Congress: The Subcommittee on Energy, the Subcommittee on Health, and the Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade. These subcommittees will play a key role in shaping the upcoming Reconciliation bill and will deal with legislations addressing our nation's energy policies, healthcare systems, and economic...
Planted winter wheat acres are up 2 percent according to the United States Department of Agriculture. Idaho growers seeded 760,000 acres of winter wheat for the 2025 crop, unchanged from 2024, but 1 percent above the 2023 crop. Oregon farmers planted 750,000 acres, up 1 percent from the 2024 crop and up 1 percent from 2023. Washington winter wheat growers seeded an estimated 1.85 million acres of winter wheat for harvest in 2025. This is up 3 percent from the area seeded in...
"Fire is a good servant, but a bad master." — ancient proverb I’ve heard a few people say that the 2024 fires that carved a path of destruction through Gilliam and Wheeler counties were “once in a lifetime” events. The kind of blazes that someone will ask about in 20 years after another fire hits, to which, we will certainly say, “oh no my boy – you should have seen that fire in 2024.” But it is hard to say with any certainty whether such megafires are one-offs or a part of...
Raymond Earnest Clarno was born in Walla Walla, Washington December 9,1929 to parents John Harold Clarno and Genevieve Adams Clarno. Ray passed away in Redmond on January 1, 2025, at the age of 95 with family by his side. Ray attended grade school in Dayton, WA. and graduated from high school in Myrtle Point, OR, where he was right half back on the Times All Star football Team. Ray attended Oregon State College as a member of the S.A.E. Fraternity, where he received two...
Last week I regaled you, Dear Reader, with my wondrous excitement at receipt of a book-gift from a customer, Dick Verinder. It was his press’s reissue in 2015 of Bernard Darwin’s The Riviera Golf Courses. In 1913, Darwin and his golfing entourage were playing then with “baffing spoons” and “niblicks,” with “mashies” and “brassies.” By 1927, he was lamenting a “most mournful” trend in golf as those colorfully named clubs were being replaced with numbered clubs. In “Mou...
It's no big secret that businesses in frontier counties rely on summer earnings to carry them through lean, and sometimes anemic, winter months. In particular, restaurants are known to cut way back in winter months and to make it up in busy when tourists and visitors come to small towns. But this year, area restaurants are struggling in the aftermath of a historic wildfire season that forced them to close and in some cases, even evacuate. So is the case for one of the best...
Days of Yore for January 16, 2025 10 years ago— Another long-held family ranch in Gilliam County has sold. Known as the Rattray ranch in the Mayville area, the original holdings have been in the family for over 100 years. Five generations of Rattray families have had an opportunity to live the life of rodeo, ranching, cattle production, range and wildlife management on the ranch. Recently the ranch was sold to Western Rivers Conservancy, the conservation group that several y...
The Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) has awarded $432,000 to Sherman County for transportation projects under the Statewide Transportation Improvement Fund (STIF). Sherman County Transportation Director Kelsi Phillips appeared before the Sherman County Court last Wednesday to discuss the funding and the projects that her office is working on. Sherman County Community Transit intends to use the funding for operational expenses for the dial-a-ride service, which...
Governor Tina Kotek has asked the Oregon Attorney General to take charge of the Gilliam County District Attorney's Office. The Attorney General's Office tapped Senior Assistant Attorney Dan Wendel to serve as the interim District Attorney for Gilliam County. Gilliam County's former District Attorney, Kara Davis, vacated the office at the end of December after being elected as Wasco County's District Attorney in the May primary election. Despite having several months to...
CONDON, OR - WorkSource Oregon, part of the American Job Center system coordinated by the US Department of Labor's Employment and Training Administration, is a network of workforce development services provided across Oregon to help individuals find and retain employment, as well as to assist employers in finding qualified candidates. It is a collaborative effort between state agencies, local governments, and community organizations. Together the Frontier Chamber and East...
