The year 2024 was a remarkable one in Malheur County.
The county was sorely tested by catastrophic wildfires that disrupted life on many fronts. And once again, excessive heat struck for days in a row, wilting crops and people.
There was personal tragedy, from fatal crashes to the discovery of the remains of a missing young woman to destructive fires that left families homeless.
There was good news. New businesses opened around the county, with ambitious entrepreneurs hoping to fill unmet needs. Lifeways went down the path of a dramatic expansion of services for the community’s mentally ill and addicted residents. The Malheur County Fairgrounds got to show off new buildings, finally replacing some damaged by long-ago winter storms.
And Malheur County largely shrugged when it came to elections. Turnout was low. One reason was most local offices had only one candidate running. Still, the county kept up its support for Republican Donald Trump and his successful run to return to the White House.
As the year goes into the history books, here are some of the notable events and stories from the year, selected by the news team at the Enterprise.
–Les Zaitz, editor
WILDFIRES
An arsonist set a fire in July not far from the community of Ironside, triggering a range fire that burned more than 133,000 acres. The fire surrounded Brogan, burned along farmland in the Willow Creek area and at one point threatened Vale.
“I’ve never seen a stretch of heat this long with winds that constantly blew this strong with fuels that way in 32 years,” one fire commander said.
The Cow Valley Fire was still being corralled when a lightning-caused fire started on July 17 in Baker County and turned south into Malheur County, again stressing communities, ranchers and fire services. The Durkee Fire eventually covered 294,265 – the second-largest wildfire in the U.S. this year.
The cost to landowners and to the government of repairs is mounting into the millions. Some federal grazing land is off limits until grasses recover.
UPDATE: Investigators from federal and local agencies are hoping reward money will loosen lips. So far, the promise of $8,000 hasn’t yielded any definitive tips. At year’s end no arson arrests have been made.
SCHOOLS SHUTTERED
As part of a reorganization, the Ontario School District announced in January that students from two rural schools – Cairo and Pioneer Elementary Schools – would be shifted to other Ontario schools for the 2024-2025 school year. The move upset parents and teachers alike. Superintendent Nikki Albisu suggested the district would put the schools to new uses, such as a magnet school for focused instruction.
UPDATE: As the new school year opened, Cairo and Pioneer schools remained dark, unused. Albisu has stayed silent about the district’s plans for the buildings, ignoring press inquiries.
LIFE IN PRISON
The man who murdered Nyssa reserve officer Joseph “JJ” Johnson as he sat in his patrol car in April 2023 pleaded guilty in Malheur County Circuit Court. Rene Castro made no statement during his plea hearing in March 2024 or at his sentencing a month later. He was spared the death penalty, but agreed to serve the rest of his life in prison with parole possible after 30 years.
UPDATE: For safety concerns, Castro has been moved out of the Oregon prison system to serve his time in another state. Officials aren’t disclosing where he is now.
RAIL SALE
The Malheur County Development Corp. struggled through the year to figure out what to do with the dead-in-the-water Treasure Valley Reload Center. Turns out, officials had been privately talking to a Missouri company about buying the half-done project – and the county industrial park that largely exists just on maps. In December, Jaguar Transport Holdings went public with its plan to buy it all – but no price has been disclosed.
UPDATE: The development company, Malheur County, and Jaguar Transport Holdings signed a letter just before Christmas 2024 giving the Missouri company exclusive right to buy the project. The three are bound to stay mum unless all three agree to any public statements going forward.
ADRIAN ON TOP
Reading scores for students in Malheur County schools continued to be disappointing – with one exception. Last year’s third graders at Adrian Elementary School posted the best reading score in the state. That means more students then were reading at the third-grade level. Since the pandemic, schools have seen students fall behind in reading ability, sometimes reading at levels expected at much earlier grades.
UPDATE: Adrian school officials allowed an Enterprise reporter to sit in on reading work at the school this fall. Administrators and teachers say a very focused approach, which included hiring more reading specialists, has driven Adrian’s success.
FOUND AT LAST
For months, the family of Gwen Brunelle searched the rangeland north of Jordan Valley, hoping to find a clue what happened to the 27-year-old from Boise. She disappeared in June 2023, triggering the most extensive search ever undertaken by the Malheur County Sheriff’s Office. Then, a private company’s drone photography of the terrain was shared with experts in image analysis. One from Texas in April 2024 spotted something out of place. Searchers went to the location and found Brunelle’s remains.
UPDATE: A memorial service was held in Boise on June 1, 2024. “While the cause of death is undetermined at this time, it is believed she died from a combination of dehydration and exposure,” the family said in Brunelle’s obituary. A scholarship fund in her name was established for those participating in 4-H.
MONEY MONEY MONEY
Nikki Albisu, superintendent of the Ontario School District, in late February agreed to take $50,000 from the district to walk away from a federal lawsuit she had filed against the district. She got an additional $40,000 for her attorney costs. Albisu, known for her own sharp elbows in public matters, sued the district in 2022 in U.S. District Court, claiming she had suffered gender discrimination. She detailed in her complaint instances involving former Ontario School Board members dating back five years.
UPDATE: Four months after the settlement, the Ontario School Board awarded Albisu a $25,000 pay raise, moving her pay to $170,346, and extended her contract until 2027. In 2022, Albisu signed a three-year contract with an annual salary of $145,300 and annual cost-of-living increases.
DEADLY CRASH
A popular Vale High School junior driving his sister home was killed in a head-on collision April 24 on U.S. 20 west of Vale. A driver traveling east on the highway crossed into the other lane, according to the Oregon State Police. Wyatt Cannon was described as a nerdy, fun-loving teen who knew how to bedevil his parents.
“Wyatt was an incredible young man and the Vale School District is devastated by this loss,” said Superintendent Alisha McBride. The community turned out at Vale High School to celebrate his life in a ceremony led by Brian Wolfe, former Malheur County sheriff.
UPDATE: Hunter Brucker, 22, of Redmond, in August was indicted for second-degree manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide among other charges. Brucker is scheduled to enter a plea to the charges in Malheur County Circuit Court on Jan. 29.
CARTEL DRUG LINKS
Unfolding drug cases showed Ontario’s links to deadly cartels of Mexico as an elderly couple were sentenced in February for their roles in methamphetamine trafficking. Maria Medina-Zevada, 70, and her husband, Efren Avilez-Lopez, 81, had ties to the deadly significant Sinaloa drug cartel in Mexico, according to federal court records. Their son by then was already imprisoned on drug trafficking charges, and his wife, living in Ontario, was convicted in August 2023 for possessing 40 pounds of methamphetamine, a kilo of heroin and a firearm. Her son, Efren Alexander Aviles-Pacheco, who goes by Alex, was caught in Nampa in 2022 for possessing methamphetamine, fentanyl and an illegal firearm.
UPDATE: In December, Efren Alexander Aviles-Pacheco was sentenced to 15 years in prison. That same day, his sister, Esmeralda Aviles-Pacheco of Ontario, was indicted on fentanyl and methamphetamine distribution charges in an Idaho U.S. District Court.
INVASION ALARM
The word in October that a quarter-sized mussel had returned to the Snake River in Idaho sent jolts through officials in Malheur County and the state. The invasive quagga mussels are voracious and tough to control. In Oregon, officials ramped up efforts to keep mussels from getting into waterways.
“Once mussels invade a body of water, they are virtually impossible to remove,” according to state game officials. Malheur County’s farming industry is said at risk because the mussels can plug up pipes needed to move irrigation water.
UPDATE: Malheur County said it would pursue a state grant to step up educating the public about quagga mussels. County officials say getting people involved in preventing the importation of the mussel is a key strategy for them. A decision on the grant is expected in January.
SMITH SENT PACKING
Greg Smith, Malheur County’s former economic development director, lost a contract at Eastern Oregon University following a lengthy investigation by the Enterprise. Smith for 20 years had run the Small Business Development Center in La Grande, a role ended when university officials cut his contract. Smith also faced scrutiny for his role at a Boardman public agency after a questionable process he used to bolster his pay there.
UPDATE: The federal government is reviewing the spending of the Columbia Development Authority, managed by Smith. Federal officials are questioning information first reported by the Enterprise – that Smith continued to claim full-time pay for the agency while acting as a state legislator in Salem.
ADRIAN ON TOP – AGAIN
The high school football season was a record maker for Malheur County. Three times worked their way through the season to get to the final game – the state championship game. Two of the teams lost in the title game – the Vale Vikings and the Harper Hornets (playing in their first-ever title game.) The Adrian Antelopes went through the season racking up big scores against opponents and did so in the title game against North Douglas.
UPDATE: Adrian is likely to be a 1A power again in the next season. The roster of 21 players included only four seniors.
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