Good morning….
Greg Smith is still costing Malheur County even though he’s been gone for a year.
The Malheur County Development Corp. board recently agreed to pay a bill from Ontario law firm Yturri Rose for $6,338. The bill covered the Ontario law firm’s work defending the development company against public records efforts by the Enterprise.
This stemmed from Smith’s long-standing efforts when he operated in Malheur County to delay and obstruct access to public records.
While the development company’s name will be on the check, it’s Malheur County who will have to put up the money. The county also continues paying $10,000 a month for the company’s executive director and covers other costs. That’s because the development company has only bills and no income.
Meantime, Smith disclosed to ethics regulators that his household takes in $1 million a year in income. He’s a state representative from Heppner who set up his own company as he went into the Legislature. An investigation by the Enterprise raises questions about where all that money comes from.
This is the kind of journalism the community expects from us – watching out for the public interest, putting the spotlight on public officials.
But we also report on the everyday events that make life hum in Malheur County. We bring you stories that are uplifting and encouraging. And we depend on readers like you to subscribe.
One of our most popular stories in recent days was about plans for a cluster of cottages meant just for military veterans. Reporter Pat Caldwell talked to the developer about what’s behind the project.
Another story that got attention was about a local family donating to spruce up a Vale city park. The donation is to honor a long-time community supporter.
While we’re talking about donating, we’re into the season of fundraisers. Organizations of all kinds turn to people like you and local businesses to raise money for their causes. The annual fundraiser for the Boys & Girls Club is coming up soon. In Nyssa, they’re raffling off a big tent to raise money to replace the carpet in the local senior center.
Meantime, Valley Family Health is considering a substantial upgrade in its Nyssa operation. The organization is keen to hear what citizens think of the idea.
In school news, the Nyssa School Board is down to two candidates to be superintendent, including the person doing the job on an interim basis. And in Ontario, the Ontario School Board went ahead with a major change in its elementary system that will leave two schools dark.
And congratulations to the Vale Viking girls basketball team. The team finished third at the state OSAA 3A tournament which wrapped up Saturday.
Our news team is also following up on a crash that destroyed a Malheur County Sheriff’s Office patrol rig. No one was injured in the crash outside Vale.
In Salem, legislators are moving along with reforms that could be significant here in Malheur County. A package to push even harder to address the housing shortage is advancing. That’s likely to bring more money to local nonprofits. And legislators finally passed reforms to Measure 110, the voter-approved measure that decriminalized some drug possession. The reforms give law enforcement stronger tools while ramping up Oregon’s efforts to help those suffering addictions.
Finally, our colleagues at the Argus Observer had a momentous week last week. They printed their last editions to come out on Sundays, Tuesdays and Fridays. The Ontario operation also was shuttering its press plant, shifting the work to a contract printer in Idaho. The newspaper now will come out on Tuesdays as before and added Saturdays – and will be delivered by mail. These are testing times in journalism, to be sure.
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–Les Zaitz, editor and publisher, Malheur Enterprise
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