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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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
ROSEBURG, OR – A temporary rule prohibits wild spring Chinook salmon harvest on the mainstem Umpqua River and reduces the North Umpqua bag limit, ODFW announced today. Feb. 1 – June 30, 2025: • Only hatchery spring Chinook may be kept on the mainstem Umpqua River. Harvesting wild spring Chinook (jacks and adults) is prohibited. • Just one adult wild spring Chinook per day, 10 per year, may be kept on the North Umpqua River. • Anglers may still retain hatchery spring Chinook....
CONDON, OR - During the 72nd anniversary celebration of the Condon Elks Lodge held Dec. 14, nine new members were initiated into the Lodge, the largest 'class' of new members to be initiated in several years. The newest Lodge members of Condon Elks Lodge No. 1869, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, are Chanel Kelly, James Spisla and Shannon Binder, all of Condon, Noah Levine of Wilsonville, Pat Becker of Tualatin, Greta LaRue Salvo of Bend, Meredith Conlee of Spokane,...
Oregon schools and road departments suffered a significant setback when the U.S. House of Representatives failed to take up the Secure Rural Schools Act. Wheeler County schools and the county's road department are looking at a $580,908 shortfall. As Congress worked to prevent a government shutdown before Christmas, lawmakers passed a stop-gap funding plan at the eleventh hour. The temporary spending plan did not reauthorize several government programs, including the Secure...
It's been another busy year for the Gilliam County Road Department. Road Master Dewey Kennedy appeared before the Gilliam County Court last Wednesday and provided information on recent projects and events. Kennedy said that the road crew had finished 2.5 miles on Ferry Canyon, outside of Condon, where they rebuilt the road, installed culverts, did mud drainage. The road is ready to pave by May or June of 2025, Kennedy said. The Baseline East project, which runs on Baseline...
The Oregon Frontier Chamber of Commerce tracked spending over the holiday season and found that $171,000 was generated for forty businesses in Gilliam, Wheeler, and Sherman counties. While the counties are the least populated in Oregon, the spending power generated in the fall season is remarkable. Kicking off in November, shoppers at local establishments use a punch card for each purchase made. So, that cup of coffee at the Condon Local or Conaway's Coffee in Condon, or at...
Another bomb hoax has occurred at the Condon School, nearly one year after a series of bomb threats triggered evacuations in schools throughout the state. On Tuesday, December 17, just before 3:30 p.m., and as students were preparing to be released for the day, the Condon School received a phone call from an unknown number. The caller said that there was a bomb in a building and another outside on school grounds. The caller was a male, with a European accent, said Gilliam...
Cottonwood Canyon State Park in Oregon has been officially certified as an International Dark Sky Park by DarkSky International. This recognition makes it Oregon's second state park to receive the certification and the sixth International Dark Sky Place. Other certified locations in Oregon include Prineville Reservoir, Oregon Caves National Monument, Oregon Outback (Lake County), the town of Antelope, and Sunriver International Development of Distinction. "The Dark Sky Committ...
Asher Community Health Center CEO Albert Pacheco has given his resignation to the board and will depart by Christmas. Pacheco joined Asher Clinic in 2021 after serving as the leader of a federally qualified health center near Los Angeles for several years. Pacheco helped to navigate through the choppy waters of COVID, and oversaw an expansion of services in his tenure at Asher Health. As a federally qualified health center (FQHC), Asher Community Health gets a majority of its...
The Dalles, OR - The US Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Manufacturing and Energy Supply Chains (MESC) announced that CGCC has been selected to join the Industrial Training and Assessment Centers (ITAC) network. The ITAC network trains energy and manufacturing workers while helping small- and medium-sized manufacturers improve productivity and lower their energy bills. "This grant enables us to build on several prior initiatives in CGCC's Advanced Manufacturing and...
SALEM, OR – On January 1, 2025, new laws will go into effect to make Oregon safer, cleaner, and more affordable. These changes will directly impact the day-to-day lives of Oregonians, covering everything from stopping drug use on public transportation and lowering the cost of prescription drugs to making it cheaper to repair electronic devices and increasing transparency in public education. "Oregonians aren't satisfied with the status quo, and neither are we. These changes in...
Avangrid, a provider of sustainable energy solutions, is integrating immersive virtual reality (VR) technology into its training programs for wind and solar technicians. The technology is being implemented at the company's National Training Center (NTC) in Sherman County, Oregon, to complement traditional hands-on training methods and prepare employees for complex real-world challenges. The VR modules offer trainees the opportunity to become familiar with various machines and...
Sherman County authorities responded early Sunday morning to reports of a vehicle crash in Wasco, with reported damage to the historic Wasco Train Depot. Deputy Sol Jacobsen of the Sherman County Sheriff's Office said he received a call at approximately 7:40 a.m. Sunday, and proceeded with caution to the crash site due to icy roads. The vehicle, a 2012 white Ford F250 pickup, crashed into the eastern corner of the Train Depot on Clark Street, Wasco's main thoroughfare, just...
There were high hopes when the Royal Stag opened in 2022. Owner Shawn Hawkins put a considerable amount of time and money into the venture. As co-owner of Tiger Town Brewing in Mitchell, Hawkins brought experience in the restaurant industry and a track record of boosting the profile of a small Wheeler County community. But just over two years later, Hawkins had to pull the plug on the venture. Employees of The Royal Stag were notified last week that the establishment was...
A respected population study from Portland State University (PSU) was released last week and shows that Gilliam County had the fifth-highest growth rate in Oregon over the past four years. Sherman County grew, but at a slower rate, and Wheeler County's population decreased at the third highest percentage statewide. The study's estimates show that several counties in Oregon are experiencing growth while others are seeing population declines. Gilliam County grew at a rate of 2.1...
The Woolery Project, a 501c3 nonprofit organization with an all-volunteer board, led by Olex's Rod McGuire and Arlington's Julius Courtney, has been fundraising for several years in an effort to build an events and community center above Arlington. The Woolery has held events in Arlington and Ione in recent years, with auctions and dinners provided by McGuire's Paradise Rose Chuckwagon. Land was donated to the Woolery by the City of Arlington. Engineering plans were developed...
After being closed for six months, the Arlington Community Childcare Center has reopened. Temporary licensing is in place until December 31st, and permanent licensure is expected soon. Director Ashley Bayliss told the Gilliam County Court that after considerable work, the center has had its inspections and is now a certified center, not just a certified family home, as it was previously. "The daycare has its own status and is not dependent on a director," Ashley Bayliss told...
Gilliam County is taking steps to bolster its emergency response and wildfire management efforts, with updates on a promising grant opportunity shared during a recent county court session. Herb Winters, Manager of the Gilliam Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD), informed the court about a FEMA grant that could reshape the county's approach to emergency preparedness. The court plans to apply for the grant, with Gilliam SWCD serving as the sub-grantee. A pre-application...
