Gov. Kate Brown has the local area on her radar and wants to talk with the members of the Eastern Oregon Border Economic Development Board - a group of local residents tasked by the Legislature to tackle the county's economic challenges.

The Vale Alumni Association is accepting applications for the 2019 Hall of Fame Inductees through Friday, Feb. 22. Members will be voting on the next inductees at the next VAA meeting on Monday, Feb. 25 at 5:30 p.m. at the Malheur ESD meeting room.

Now open five days a week from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., the facility furnishes lunches, games and fellowship. The center is at 100 Longfellow Street in Vale.

The Jordan Valley girls basketball team took home the 1A District 8 title after defeating Crane 53-49 last weekend, as the boys team wrapped up its season. The Lady Mustangs received a first-round bye in the state playoffs and will host a game on Saturday against a lower seed.

The Vale Community Methodist Church will be hosting a Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper on March 5 to mark the start of Lent. The supper will be served from 5:30 to 7 p.m. There is no charge, but donations will be accepted. Also coming up, a Vale High School student will be running a baseball and softball equipment drive on March 2 from 12 to 4 p.m. at Logan’s Market parking lot.

Positions available include Feed Mill Employee, Ranch Hand, Life Guards, Program Assistant, Lead Groundskeeper, Special Education Teacher & Case Manager

The search for a new Ontario police chief attracted five applicants last month. City officials have interviewed four applicants by phone, inviting one candidate for an in-person interview set for next Tuesday, Feb. 26, but they say the search is not closed.

In a new letter, Malheur County officials lay out the reasons why the state should provide $26 million for the Treasure Valley Reload Center. The letter concedes the need for "tough answers" to concerns over whether the public project will work.

On the Treasure Valley Reload Center project, tough questions need to be answered by the Malheur County Development Corp. to ease the worries of state officials and the community. As board and county officials try to make the case for the rail center, an important detail to keep in mind is that the $26 million needed to build it is taxpayers' money.

A preservation blueprint for renovating the First Bank of Vale, one of the oldest buildings in town, is under review by the Malheur Country Historical Society. The preliminary plan opens up doors to seek grants to cover the estimated $250,000 cost of renovating the historic building.

Summons, Annual meeting, Estate of Norman Neil Bryson, AT&T Update

Sarah Poe gained her first experience with the medical field when she was 16. Now the New Plymouth native will be at the helm of arguably one of the county's most important agencies.

Richard “Dick” Baker Scott, Barbara (Bobbie) Neil Maggard, John E. Kelly Sr., Curtis Gale Venhaus, Deborah Lynn Wonka, Irvin C. Easom, Erwin K. Blackledge III, Rocky Allen Jones, Gilbert John Gallegos, Jr.

Malheur County wrestlers traveled to the 3A Special District 4 tournament in Burns last weekend, where the Nyssa Bulldogs wrestling team notched an impressive first place-finish in Class 3A. The Bulldogs are sending 13 wrestlers to the State Championships in Portland this weekend.

Years of work to develop the Treasure Valley Reload Center, the rail shipping center in Nyssa, comes to a crucial junction. State officials are considering whether to turn over $26 million for the project - or wait for more work on the plan.