Local Briefing: Feb. 8, 2023

Published 12:15 pm Tuesday, February 7, 2023

County students make dean’s list

LA GRANDE — Five students from Grant County made the 2022 fall term dean’s list at Eastern Oregon University, the university announced.

The students and their majors, listed by hometown, are:

Victoria Coalwell, business and accounting, John Day

Isaac Rigby, STM, health science and computer science, John Day

Kalli Wilson, arts, humanities and social science, communication studies, John Day

Aubrey Bowlus, education and multidisciplinary studies, Monument

Declan Zweygardt, business and agriculture entrepreneurship, Prairie City

To qualify for the academic distinction, students must maintain a grade point average of 3.5 or better while completing a minimum of 12hours of graded coursework.

John Day River rec meeting set

PRINEVILLE — The Bureau of Land Management’s Prineville District will hold a virtual public meeting to provide updates and answer questions about recreation on the John Day River. The meeting will take place from 6 to 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 8.

The BLM will present trends and accomplishments from the 2022 boating season and highlight upcoming projects and improvements planned for the river corridor this year and beyond. Attendees will be able to ask questions and provide feedback during the last 30 minutes of the meeting.

The meeting will be hosted online via Zoom. To participate, register in advance at http://bit.ly/3YagXJK. After registering, you will receive the Zoom meeting link and other details via email.

School Exclusion Day Feb. 15

PORTLAND — The third Wednesday in February is School Exclusion Day, which means children who do not have all the required immunizations by Feb. 15 may not be able to attend school or day care.

Under state law, all children in public or private school, preschool, Head Start and certified child care must have up-to-date documentation of all required immunizations unless they have an exemption.

According to state public health officials, immunizations are the best way to prevent communicable diseases such as whooping cough and measles.

COVID-19 vaccinations are not required for students in Oregon schools or child care, although the Oregon Health Authority strongly recommends that everyone stay up to date on COVID-19 shots.

Parents seeking immunizations for their children should contact the child’s pediatrician or their local health department. They can also contact 211Info by dialing 211 or visiting 211info.org online.

BEO Bancorp reports 2022 earnings

HEPPNER — BEO Bancorp, the parent company of the Bank of Eastern Oregon, announced consolidated year-end earnings of $8,585,000 for 2022, with average earnings per share of $7.13.

Total assets were $890.3 million, net loans were $488.8 million and deposits ended the year at $819.8 million, the company announced.

Net income rose 24.1% over the previous year, the company announced.

Return on average assets was 1%, compared with 0.93% in 2021. Return on average equity was 17.54%, up from 15.42% in the prior year.

Book value per share was $41.51 at the end of 2022, up 4.3% from the previous year’s $39.80, and shareholder equity also increased 4.3%.

Meanwhile, deposits grew 8.8% over the year and loan volume was up 4.8%, the bank announced.

BEO Bancorp operates 20 Bank of Eastern Oregon branches and four loan production offices in Oregon, Washington and Idaho, including branches in John Day and Prairie City.