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Manchester, Vermont-Highland Hills Ranch, nestled just outside Condon, Oregon, has clinched the esteemed title of 2024 Orvis Wingshooting Lodge of the Year, marking its third triumph in this category. Founded in 2002 by Sherman County native Dennis Macnab, the ranch has become a hallmark destination for upland bird hunters. The lodge was built by renowned contractor Dave Allstott of Heppner, Oregon. Spanning 3,000 acres along Rock Creek, Highland Hills Ranch boasts an...
Gilliam County voters will receive ballots for the special recall election of Judge Elizabeth Farrar Campbell and Commissioner Pat Shannon on April 10. We will be voting “No” on both. There is no doubt that the Gilliam County Court unleashed discord when it passed resolution 2023-01 in December. That order stripped the county court of its judicial functions. The court then held listening sessions and discussed the potential of changing the county’s governing structure to a... Full story
In late February, a two-day old calf was killed by a wolf or wolves in Lost Valley in Wheeler County. Last week, wolves killed a calf in Morrow County and wolf sightings have been on the rise in north-central Oregon. Wolf depredation of livestock has become a part of life for ranchers in Wallowa, Baker, and Umatilla County over the past decade. But wolves are now moving further west through the Blue Mountains and into the sparsely populated and livestock rich ranches in...
To the Editor, I am writing in response to the letter to Gilliam County from Rachel Boyer in last week’s Times Journal. Gilliam County is audited yearly. These audits are kept in the Gilliam County Clerk's Office for public view. You will find no adverse findings. As an elected official, I welcome the investigation of “several” agencies. Rachel, I wish you the best in your future endeavors. —Ellen Wagenaar, Condon...
National Public Health Week, April 1-7, is an opportunity for North Central Public Health District (NCPHD) to highlight the many programs we offer to keep our communities safe. Going strong this year is a free tobacco cessation program, which launched in 2023, available to Wasco, Sherman, and Hood River County residents. It offers not only free cessation counseling for people of any age, but also free nicotine replacement therapy, such as gum, lozenges or patches, for those...
By Trysten Lofthouse, 4-H Student Reporter The “Super Swine” 4-H hog club met on March 21 at 6pm at the 4-H pavilion. All swine club members were present. The Pledge of Allegiance was led by Clyde, 4-H Pledge by Zane. Who has pigs? Trysten, Marie, Mark. We passed out the Barn Bible and talked about daily work with pigs, and learned how to properly brush the pig’s hair. We discussed getting our ideas started for next meeting. We learned about nutrition and played Swine Jeopa...
April 4, 2024 10 years ago— Senator Ron Wyden will be back in Fossil to conduct his 700th town hall in the seat of Wheeler County, where by the way, he conducted his first town hall session as a United States Senator in 1996. The C-W Knights girls’ basketball team was invited to the Portland Trailblazer game for their ‘State Champions Night’. The team was given tickets in the 100 level to enjoy the game against the New Orleans Pelicans. All 14 members of the JV and Varsity teams were able to attend, along with their coaches....
To the Editor, Gilliam County voters timing is everything. I have been studying budget law and the recall ballots will be mailed out this next week which does not give time for the county to adopt a budget and approve tax appropriations due to budget law timelines. That being said, I am not willing to put all my eggs in one basket. If two county court members are recalled there will not be a quorum to continue county business. The Governor of Oregon will appoint an interim county judge, that person will have to accept the... Full story
A friend recently laughed that in a conversation with a city dweller, she said that in small towns we don't just know everyone's name, we know the names of their dogs. The names of three of my favorite dogs evoke memories that always make me smile. My husband and I bought our first home in Fossil in 1975 while teaching at Fossil Grade School. Our next-door neighbors were Bob and Margaret Misener, and their English Springer Spaniel, Oscar. Oscar wasn't a spry puppy when we met...
Dear Editor, It is disheartening to witness a recurring trend in our political landscape: individuals seeking elected positions with no intention of fulfilling their terms. This unethical practice not only undermines the trust of the electorate but also deprives voters of their rightful voice in governance. Whether it's judges, sheriffs, county commissioners, or other officials, the decision to run for office knowing that one will not complete their term is a betrayal of public trust. Elected positions are not stepping...
Letter to the Editor: I have been reading and listening to the comments made by the Elected County Court members and other folks about a total County shutdown if the recall is successful in removing some of the officials. Basically, the lights will have to be turned off and everyone will need to go home due to not having an operational budget in place! This is totally avoidable, I call on the Elected County Officials to step up and do the job duties of your station and move forward with implementing an emergency budget or...
Judge Elizabeth Farrar Campbell presented a million dollar (actually $1,143,600) contract for Court approval on February 7th. It was NOT approved. But if it had been, more than a million dollars would have gone to a Portland firm in exchange for 9,500 hours spent consulting 10 county organizations over the next three years. When asked, Judge Campbell was either unwilling or unable to identify the targeted organizations. Seems like a lot of money for an extraordinary number of hours. More disturbing is the fact Campbell’s p...
When you can't defend your policy or actions the only thing left is fear mongering and scare tactics. The common theme of the County Commissioner's and the Judge. We can't get a budget done or passed if we get recalled. The lights will all go out in our county, no one will get paid, the seniors will suffer, and you will not have law enforcement. This is simply not true. We have consulted several Budget professionals with a combined budget writing and adopting experience of over 50 years, 5 times the level of our County Court... Full story
To the Editor and Gilliam County Voters, “Reputation is an idle and most false imposition; oft got without merit, and lost without deserving." – William Shakespeare (Othello) In last week’s edition, a letter to the editor drew comparisons between my time serving as Gilliam County Judge with the Elizabethan Era. While Mr. Ball intended this as a scathing indictment, I see it as a Comedy of Errors. Don’t get me wrong; there are many comparisons to draw between my tenure at Gilliam County and the Elizabethan Era. For instanc...
As a bookseller I meet a lot of dead people, or rather, obtain their books, see mementos of them, and meet their spouses, family members, neighbors and colleagues. It’s nice to meet a man who is very much alive. It was nice to pull in yesterday to the parking lot at Bickfords Senior Living in Iowa City, Iowa and meet Dr. Peter Morris Green. I spent a fine, memorable hour with him. I was drafted by Dr. Green’s daughter, the cultural anthropologist Dr. Sarah Green, to obtain, so...
Lately I have contemplated the excess in our society. Most people I know struggle with spare rooms, attics, basements, garages, outbuildings and storage units full of things they don’t know what to do with. They get caught in the indecision twilight zone and they want to keep the thing and dispose of it all at the same time. I call a good problem a champagne problem. Champagne problems are good things to have! As I contemplated on the champagne problem of excess, I r...
Sherman County Sheriff Brad Lohrey received a remarkable honor from one of the largest sheriffs' organizations in the nation. The Western States Sheriffs' Association honored Lohrey with its esteemed Sheriff of the Year award in March. The organization encompasses 18 states, including Oregon, Washington, Wyoming, Utah, Idaho, California, Arizona, Nevada, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, South Dakota, Colorado, Kansas, Montana, Texas, Missouri and Oklahoma. One of the big...
