The board of directors of the public company that oversees the rail reload facility rejected a plea from a local agriculture family to remove a contract requirement that prohibits them from speaking publicly about the project.

Measure 22-64 stipulates the Malheur County Court must meet three times a year to consider the plan that includes counties in eastern and southern Oregon.

Candidates for the Ontario School Board and the Treasure Valley Community College Board had a chance to introduce themselves and their views to the public April 28 at Four Rivers Cultural Center.

The STARR program at the Oregon Human Development Corporation is offering help with up to 12 months of back rent for certain populations. Immigration status will not be considered, so undocumented community members can apply.

Tom Vialpando wrote fluctuating state Covid mandates create frustration and impact businesses. He also sought guidance from the governor regarding the next steps in the Covid response.

Saint Alphonsus Medical Center Ontario recently learned it made an elite national list. The hospital was cited for providing care that could be a model for others.

The local high desert range is parched and future forecasts do not call for a deluge of moisture. The dry conditions may create greater wildfire challenges in the coming months.

In Remembrance of Ruby Chloe Linville: Ruby passed away in her sleep at home in Ontario, Oregion in the early morning hours on April 15. (Submitted Information)

A petition to recall Ontario city councilor Freddy Rodriguez is close to the requisite 494 signatures needed to force the matter to a vote. But that hasn't preempted a seemingly unending stream of drama on Facebook and at city council meetings.

Snake River Correctional Institution officials said that if they test their workers for Covid before entry, delaying the start of shifts, it "could strike a powder keg" with adults in custody, who have been on lockdown for Covid for months.

Born in Massachusetts, just after the second world war, Kitty was the oldest daughter of native New Englanders Ted and Millie. Teddy Jr., Kitty, Carol, Barbara, Karen, and Mike comprised the large family, which moved around a lot. While most of Kitty’s formative years were spent in Massachusetts, the family moved to Texas where Kitty attended Catholic primary school and enjoyed being a Campfire Girl. With both a New England and Southern flare, Kitty would later become an excellent cook, especially learning the talents of her maternal ‘Ma. Returning to Massachusetts for high school, Kitty met her best friend Dot and stayed close to home after graduation – but not for long. (Submitted Information)

Executives from a Utah company, rPlus Hydro, recently briefed the Malheur County Court on a proposal to build a pumped storage facility. Matthew Shapiro, chief executive officer of rPlus Hydro, said the project could generate 300 new jobs and generate a significant amount of electricity.

After being at a low level of risk for the coronavirus, Malheur County is now considered at "high risk" for the spread of the virus. On Friday, new limits take hold on some local businesses and institutions.

A former member of the Southeast Oregon Resource Advisory Council notes that with a new administration, there's an opportunity to restore conservation efforts that languished in the past several years.

After the governor announced that 15 counties would be moving into the category of "extreme risk" for Covid last Friday, U.S. Rep. Cliff Bentz released a statement criticizing the restrictions, which include a shutdown of indoor dining for eight of the 20 counties he represents. Malheur County is still in "moderate risk," with indoor dining allowed.

The latest Census tally gives Oregon a new Congressional district. Oregon's current representatives say that will give the state added clout in decision-making on matters of national and state import, and also offers constituents one more place to get help.

The $16 million project will create more than 50 affordable rental units inside the mothballed facility in Ontario. The project is scheduled to kick off in June.

Derrick Draper quit the school board during a meeting April 20 at which he and colleague Eric Evans were censured by the board for their treatment of Superintendent Nikki Albisu. But his name will remain on the ballot for the May 18 race.

Reagan Desmond, general counsel for Klamath Drainage D, said KDD obtained the state permit from the Oregon Water Resources Department in the 1970s as a backup for situations when Reclamation would be unable to satisfy the district’s Project right in full.

Five out of five incumbents face challengers in an unusually busy race.

Two cultural icons converged in Bend on Saturday when the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile parked in front of the last Blockbuster video rental store on Earth. It was a flashback to childhood for Pittman, who remembers singing the Oscar Mayer song in the grocery store with her mother and looking for the Wienermobile on road trips with her family. Charles Health System, always loved the old advertisements for Oscar Mayer on TV, but never had a chance to see the Wienermobile in person.

In this series, the Malheur Enterprise introduces Malheur County students focusing on career goals through vocational education.Jeremiah Wright is finding understanding about the world and skills for work through his vocational classes at Harper School.

Across the state, Latinos make up 13% of the population and 25% of Covid cases, but only 6% of vaccinations. In Malheur County, local providers are looking to improve access and information-sharing within the Latino community.

There will be 20 contest races on the May 18 ballot that run the gamut from school boards to cemetery districts. Local ballots for the election were mailed between April 28.

There will probably be enough of the wet stuff to go around this year for farmers but the long-term irrigation water picture remains blurry.

Despite the recommendation of its own staff to extend the shelter's operations through the end of June and give the shelter a chance to become permanent, Ontario's city council decided to close the tiny homes at the end of May in response to neighbors' concerns.

Students and administrators say that changes to adjust to Covid haven't derailed either their academic or social lives.

William Earl Strauchon November 1962-April 2021 Passed from this life April 18 due to a farming accident. Deeply loved by his grieving family. (Submitted Information)

EDITORIAL: The Ontario School Board should release the report that led to censure of two directors, and make it clear to the public that the acrimony and bad behavior of past months will not continue. The community and its children deserve that transparency.

Russel “Rusty” Wayne Girvin, 99, of Vale, Oregon was born August 15, 1921, in Creighton Valley, Nebraska, and passed away April 18, 2021, at Pioneer Assisted Living in Vale, Oregon. His parents were John and Jennie Dickinson Girvin. He left Nebraska when he was 15 and moved with his family to Vale on March 13, 1937, during the Nebraska Dust Bowl. He had two brothers, Blaine and Bob, and four sisters, Margaret Ross, Thelma Marcum, Erma Tschida and Bonnie Magnuson. (Submitted Information)

Since the state eased Covid restrictions, many local restaurants are welcoming record numbers but a lack of available employees created new, and lingering, challenges.

Estate of Elizabeth Lee McBride, Estate of Norma Joann Ebright, Notice of Sale, Malheur Education Service District, Valley View, Jordan Valley

Issues at play include decorum and civility on the board, rebuilding trust with the community, equity, and the return to in-person instruction.

Positions include Cook & waitress, Equipment Operator, Elementary Teacher, CDL Driver, Production Worker, Metal Fabricator

Volunteers armed with shovels and rakes and paint brushes fanned out across the county and into Idaho Saturday, April 24 as part of the annual community enhancement program.

The Ontario Area Chamber of Commerce is hosting an open forum on Wednesday, April 28, for the public to hear from candidates for seats on the boards of the Ontario School District and Treasure Valley Community College.

Covid cases are on the rise in the region, as Malheur County struggles to boost the vaccination rate – now the second worst among Oregon counties. Officials are gearing up for a return to tighter restrictions on businesses and gatherings.

Jessica Bruder, an Oregonian/OregonLive reporter from 2006 to 2008, traveled for several years throughout the West and worked alongside her subjects at low-wage jobs to research the 2017 book.

The moon will put on a show this spring, with supermoons in late April and May as the moon's orbit brings it closer to planet Earth. The popular terms "pink moon" and "flower moon" refer not to the color of the moon but the timing in spring, as early flowers bloom.

State police are still investigating the head-on collision that occurred at about 3:46 a.m. Friday. Jennifer Haueter, 31, Vale, died in the crash while another Vale resident was seriously injured.