Central Oregon Veterans Ranch restores land, people
The Central Oregon Veterans Ranch is a life-saving resource where veterans can farm and find emotional support. The 19-acre working ranch is located in the high desert between Bend and Redmond. Alison Perry, a licensed professional counselor, founded the Central Oregon Veterans Ranch in 2014. Veterans have worked to rehabilitate 12 acres of irrigated pasture by planting native grasses and installing new sprinklers. The ranch also has a community garden, greenhouse and several types of livestock. All services provided at the ranch are free. (George Plaven/Capital Press)
Newberg councilors file complaint after clerk releases race results online
A pair of Newberg city councilors have filed a complaint with the elections division of the Secretary of State’s Office, claiming that Yamhill County Clerk Keri Hinton erroneously released online results for three contested council races, despite an order by the state to not post the results. Hinton removed the results less than an hour later Tuesday, but the councilors argued that by then the damage was done. The Secretary of State’s office ordered Oct. 21 that Yamhill County hold a supplemental election Dec. 20 and distribute new ballots when it was determined that residents of the three contested council districts received ballots that only allowed them to vote for candidates from their district, which is an error because although Newberg councilors represent specific districts, they are elected at-large. (Gary Allen/The Newberg Graphic)
Wallowa Lake Dam construction delayed by a year
Funding delays and rising costs are pushing back the construction of the refurbished Wallowa Lake Dam by a year. Still, design and funding progress are underway, according to Dan Butterfield, president of the Wallowa Lake Irrigation District. The cost of the entire project has skyrocketed, with inflation and the increased cost of construction materials. What was originally estimated to be a $16 million project is now projected at a low estimate of $21 million, he said. (Bill Bradshaw/Wallowa County Chieftan)
Washington forest board nixes smaller buffers
A board that regulates logging has rejected a proposal by small-forest landowners to shrink buffers between streams and tree-cutting, sparking a one-man protest. After the vote last week, Ken Miller, of the Washington Farm Forestry Association, sat at a microphone and compared the majority of the Washington Forest Practices Board to “emperors drunk on power.” The vote capped a seven-year campaign by the forestry association to allow non-commercial forest landowners to harvest more timber. (Don Jenkins/Capital Press)
Grant County sheriff threatened with prosecution while arresting Forest Service burn boss
On Oct. 19, the U.S. Forest Service carried out a prescribed burn with help from the Oregon Department of Forestry in Grant County. When the fire escaped the burn area and scorched more than a dozen acres of private land in Bear Valley, Grant County Sheriff Todd McKinley arrested Rick Snodgrass, the federal employee in charge of the operation, on charges of reckless burning. The incident inflamed Western land use tensions. Now, a document obtained by the Blue Mountain Eagle shows that a federal employee warned McKinely while he was carrying out the arrest that he, too, could face prosecution for obstructing the federal government. (Tony Chiotti/Blue Mountain Eagle)
