Sorted by date Results 251 - 275 of 315
By Olivia Burbank, 4-H Student Reporter The Terrific Tomatoes 4-H Club met on Feb. 22nd at 3:30pm at the extension office. Attending were Kynlie, Olivai, Erin, Sebastian, Roper, Avery, Adin, Even, Sara Jo. Excused absences were Andrew, Ireland and Harley. The Pledge of Allegiance was led by Olivia. The 4-H Pledge was led by Avery. Today we came up with a club name and talked about what we wanted to grow and learn about. We felt soil and talked about different types of erosion...
By Gabby Jette, 4-H Student Reporter A Stitch-in-Time 4-H Sewing Club met on February 18, 2024 at the ESD Conference Room. President Aaron Bates conducted the meeting. Kylee Anderson led us in the Pledge of Allegiance and Gabby Jette led the 4-H Pledge. Club leader Donna Bates told us we would be delivering our star ornaments that we made in December to residents of Summit Springs Village. Donna will message us with a time and date. Kiefer Takagi made an announcement that our...
A short explanation of what's really been going on in Gilliam County. We, as a group, do not feel that what has been going on with our County Court is fair and just. We have asked the Court on several occasions to speak to the people before they make their motions to remove probate and our Judge position as we know it. We have written to them, gone to some their homes, and shown them other opinions. It’s been Public Comment material in many of their meetings. There are opinions from several attorneys that clarify how they h...
Message from the Mayor With the new year upon us the city council is looking forward to things we can do to enhance our community. With that in mind, we had a goal setting meeting earlier this month and discussed some exciting projects coming up and wishes for the future. Some things discussed were completing the downtown beautification projects, the ASR water conservation project, and bigger wishes such as updating our city park. You are invited and encouraged to attend council meetings and give us your thoughts for future...
What people are saying… Following Judge Elizabeth Farrar-Campbell, Commissioner Pat Shannon and Commissioner Leah Watkins, Gilliam County Court’s 1) illegal probate transfer, 2) restructuring of our county government, 3) abolishing County Judge position and, 4) sneaking off to Salem for a “fix” … here’s what’s being said: “the action of 3 people (Court members Liz, Leah, Pat) has created total chaos in Gilliam County” “not in the best interest of our County” “it is truly sad, disappointing, and to a certain extent genuinel...
I am writing today to make it clear to the public where I stand in the matter of the County Court’s recent order 2023-01 transferring probate cases to Circuit Court permanently. I am going to recommend to the County Court to remove transfer of probated cases from the order through an amendment of the order. While I firmly believe the order is sound based on legal counsel, I do not believe it is in the best interest of Gilliam County to spend valuable tax dollars to prove its constitutionality. I also believe we should e...
1. Approximately 15 employees have quit/resigned, retired/retired early, had 40 hr. with benefits positions cut to 15 hr. no benefits, found new jobs, and/or are currently looking for new jobs. Per Commissioner Shannon, this is a Crisis. This is a Crisis of their own making. Why has it taken 5 years for them to address this? 2. Frontier Justice openly published the legal opinion of a highly respected Counsel. Why is the Court denying the public the same transparency? 3. Judge Campbell stated in open public meeting she would...
A great time held by all, during BINGO night at Isobel Edwards Hall. It’s always fun to hear people laughing and joking. We plan to do it again on the first Saturday of each month. $18 can get you 4 cards and play all games. Thank you all for participating, and the volunteers that keep it going. —Sandy Speer...
A short explanation of what's really been going on in Gilliam County. We, as a group, do not feel that what has been going on with our County Court is fair and just. We have asked the Court on several occasions to speak to the people before they make their motions to remove probate and our Judge position as we know it. We have written to them. It’s been Public Comment material in many of their meetings. There are opinions from several attorneys that clarify how they have not followed the law. We're not trying to be Vigilantes...
Ready, set… In football it’s the Quarterback sneak; it’s an offensive move intended to deflect attention and gain advantage. In Gilliam County it’s the Judge Elizabeth Farrar-Campbell sneak: equally offensive and played to divert public attention. Most recently the Judge Elizabeth Farrar-Campbell sneak was used when the judge announced she’d probably be in Salem during the Court’s first February meeting; working on early childhood education, she said. Ah, but the sneak; she was running (some say frantically) around Sale...
The Gilliam Court members want to change to a Board of Commissioners. The first step is to eliminate the judicial duties of the Judge. The Court passed Order (or if you prefer Resolution) 2023-01 on December 6th 2023, in their minds the action eliminated all the Judge’s judicial duties. In Order 2023-01, there are seven “Whereas”, which provide information used to justify the Order, it’s one those “Whereas” I want to comment on. Oregon Revised Statutes (ORS) are Oregon State laws. The Court used ORS 111.115 in a “Whereas” t...
The County Court is now operating like a cabal intent on a coup. This is a rare event in the history of any Democracy and the carnage that accompanies this type of perfect storm is Catastrophic and could be irreparable. It is time to speak up. Commissioner Shannon, you speak of wanting public input and even mention Town Hall meetings. This is after you have voted to approve an illegal Order 2023-01 that gives Probate to Circuit Court. You have stated privately and in public meetings you want to do away with the County Court...
As I write this today, my main concern is for Gilliam County residents and electorate who enjoy the opportunity to vote when major actions are being proposed that completely change the nature of our County government. The following actions happened without that opportunity to vote. Order 2023-01 dated December 6, 2023 transfers two duties of official responsibility assigned by state law to the county's elected Judge. They are: 1. Juvenile Court Jurisdiction 2. Probate Jurisdiction In this letter I want to solely address...
The article on Bill Bowerman contained a number of errors, and I wanted to offer a correction of the ones pertaining to the waffle iron and the Condon High School track. I called Jon Bowerman to verify my recollection of the facts. There were several waffle irons over the years, because Bill’s running shoe sole experiments were a little tough on Barbara’s appliances. Years later, one of the waffle irons found on the Bowerman place along the McKenzie River fundamentally changed the local Condon-Wheeler track program. Jon and...
1 years ago— Donna Birtwistle will provide a report on a recent visit to Alaska and will tell about the Yukon Quest and other sled dog races during lunch at the Sherman County Senior Center in Moro. The heaviest snowfall of this winter was 11.5 inches on February 8. The greatest depth of snow on the ground was 24 inches February 9. February has been the wettest since 1986. South Gilliam County Rural Fire Protection District Volunteer Firefighters met and honored their Firefighter of the Year, Roger Weddle. Weddle’s fire hou...
1 years ago— Doug Slagle motored up from Salem to watch the Super Bowl with friends Bob and Heather Devine and their daughter Haley. Haley, by the way, is a pilot for Horizon Airlines and is on her way to a new assignment which will have her domiciled at Medford. The Fossil Volunteer Fire Department has been recruiting people to help keep our fire department from totally disbanding. Turn out has been good and interest is being renewed. Even teens who are not quite old enough are showing an interest. This is very e...
MORO, OR - Interested in gardening and want to experience the deep satisfaction that comes from growing a portion of your own food? Want to stretch your food budget by growing, eating and storing food that you grew yourself? Need tips and budget-friendly ways to have a vegetable garden in the space that is available to you? Mark your calendar for the Seed to Supper gardening classes in Sherman County. Seed to Supper is a free, comprehensive beginning vegetable gardening...
February 19 marked the birthday of one of Wheeler County's most famous residents, the legendary track coach and co-founder of Nike, Bill Bowerman. William Jay Bowerman was born in Portland on February 19, 1911 to Jay Bowerman and Elizabeth Hoover Bowerman. Bill's father was Oregon's thirteenth governor and his mother was a descendent of early pioneers that helped to establish Wheeler County. When he was just two years old, Bill's parents divorced and Bill moved to Fossil with...
Last week I introduced The Green Book. Published by Mr. Vincent Hugo Green, an African-American U.S. Postal Service worker in New York, in 1936, it ran until 1966. The Green Book helped African-Americans travel slightly more safely during the era of Jim Crow laws. African-Americans bought and drove their own cars partly to get away from segregated cars, buses, ferries, trains and aeroplanes. Kathleen Franz, in “African-Americans Take to the Open Road,” quotes George Sch...
Last week I wrote about how to cook beans from scratch and why they are so much better than canned beans. Did I inspire you enough to go to the store and buy a bag or two? I hope so! Taking the next step to make refried beans is almost too easy. Refried beans are not really fried twice as the name suggests. The word “refried” comes from the Spanish word “refritos”, which means “well-fried”. Refried beans are simply cooked beans that are mashed and fried in a skillet with some...
The Oregon Frontier Chamber of Commerce (OFCC) is thrilled to extend an invitation to residents of Gilliam, Wheeler, and Sherman County for their annual meeting on Thursday, February 22, 2024. The event will take place at the recently renovated Spray General Store, with festivities kicking off at 5:30 PM. The choice of the Spray General Store as the venue for this year's annual meeting holds special significance. The store has been a beneficiary of the tri-county chamber's...
Tucker Carlson, Roseanne Barr and other terrible comics like to claim that “white supremacy” and “white privilege” is a hoax and that, owing to the fact of Oprah Winfrey and Barack Obama, America is a “post-racial” country. Freedom is the law of the land! Go anywhere. Do anything. Imagine for a moment, however, that you’re a 33-year-old African-American long-haul trucker from Anniston, Alabama, in 1947. You haven’t slept in two days, you’re tired of sleeping under your truck...
Last week I wrote about falling in love with refried beans and learning how to make them. They are simple to cook and are the ultimate comfort food on a cold winter day. The number of people who don't know how to cook beans from scratch surprises me and they eat them from cans. Are they afraid of the beans? Is it because there is so much confusion about the right way to cook them – to salt or not to salt, that is the question! Presoak or no? Cooking beans from dried is not m...
The Condon Local will open for Valentines Day and will offer flowers, balloons, and gifts for one day only this week. Owners Jeremy and Sarah Kirby have been reorganizing the store and are not ready to reopen, but they are eager to see people in the community and to open for Valentines Day. The couple has been working to change the layout of the store and have made some big changes, including moving the Powell's Books section to the front of the store. They aren't ready to...
It’s time to hit the pause button on restructuring the Gilliam County Court. This statement applies to all of us, not just the county judge, commissioners, and candidates in this year’s election. Yes, the Gilliam County Court has been moving quickly in recent months. Yes, they voted to transfer juvenile and probate court in rapid order and with little input. And yes, they voiced their approval for restructuring the county court into a board of commissioners. But these cha...
