SPORTS
↕➙➙ ➛➜➝➞ ➟➠➡➢ ➤➜➥➠ ➦➧➦➛ ➨➞➜➥ ➤➜➥➠
➩➫➭➯➫➲➳ ➵➸➫➺➻➫➼➻➳
EOU falls to Warriors
➽➾➚➪➶➹➘➪➘➾➴➷
➬➮➱➮✃❐❒❮❰ÏÐ➱ ÑÐÒÓ
ÔÕÖÖ× Ø ÙÚÛÜÛÝ ÞßÝàá âãÝÛäå
æçæèæ é✃ê❰❮ë❒Ò➮ ì❒Ð➮í ì❒ î✃❒Ðë➮
ïðñòóô õö÷öøùòúûü÷úýûùþÿ ò ✁ ö ✂ öûûöó ó ✄☎ ÷úð
✆ ö ✄ ò ùöþ úûóòûö ✝ ✞✞✞☎ ÷úýûùþÿ ò ✁ ö ✂ öûûöó ó ✄☎ ÷úð
✇①③③①④ ⑤⑥ ①⑦ ⑧⑨⑩ ④⑩❶
MONDAY ❷ ❸❹❺❻❼ ❽❽❾ ❿➀❽➁ ❷ $1.50
Proposed state
education
spending plan
is ‘survival
budget’
➂➃➃➄ ➄➅➆ ➇➃ ➃➈➉ ➊➅➋➈➌➄ ➍➈➎➍➏➉➐➎➌➉ ➑➅➒➌➇ ➓➌➔➅➒➐➏→ ➃➣ ↔➅ ➂➉➅➒➄➌
Dolls bring joy to seniors with dementia
❫ ➦❣❝❞② ♠✐❣✇✐❞➧ ❧♥②♠❥ ✐♥②s♥➨♥ ❞q➩s♥❢➫ ❞q❵ ❥❢✐♥❥❥ sq ❵♥➧♥q❢s❞
♠❞❢s♥q❢❥ ③➫ ✇s➨sq✇ ❢❧♥➧ ③❞③➫ ❵❣②②❥
❫ ❴❵❜❝❞❢❣✐❥ ❧❣♠♥
♣❜q❵sq✇ ①s②② ③♥
③❣❣❥❢♥❵
❇ ✌☎✄❦ ✍❛✆✎✂
❚❤✟ ✠✡☛✟☞✈✟☞
While the proposed $8.8
billion education budget by
top lawmakers for the 2019-
21 biennium would allow the
La Grande School District
to continue operating with-
✏✑✒ ✓✔✕✖✗✘ ✔✗✙ ✚✒✔✛ ✏✜ ✢✜✏✣
gram cuts, the school district
would not be able to increase
the services it provides stu-
dents.
“It is a status quo budget,”
said La Grande School District
Superintendent George Men-
doza. “We are very hopeful that
✒✤✥ ✚✒✔✒✥ ✦✖✧✧ ★✗✩ ✓✏✜✥ ✪✑✗✩✖✗✘
for education.”
Lance Dixon, superinten-
dent of the North Powder
School District, echoes the
feelings of Mendoza.
“We will not be cutting (un-
der the proposed budget),
which is a great place to start
❈✫✬✭t✮✯✰ ✫✱ ❈✫✲✲✬✳✴t✰ ✵✴✳✶✳✮✯✯
▲✷✸ ✹✺✻✺✼ ✽✼✺✾✺✿❀✾ ❁ ✼✺✾✷❂✺✿❀ ❁❀ ❲✷❃❂❄♦❅✺✼
▲♦❂❆✺ ❅✷❀❉ ❁ ✹✺❊♦✼✻ ❋♦❃❃●
❇ ✁r❛✂✄☎✆✄❛ ❇✝✂☎✞✝❡
❚❤✟ ✠✡☛✟☞✈✟☞
Community Kindness
of Eastern Oregon has
been helping seniors with
dementia by giving them
dolls and other comfort-
ing items. The new non-
profit has donated two
dolls to seniors so far and
has plans to donate at
least two more. Both dolls
were given to seniors at
Wildflower lodge, but Liz
Meyer, president of Com-
munity Kindness, said
she hopes to place dolls
with seniors all over the
area.
Lifelike baby dolls
dressed up in baby
clothes and being treated
like they are real babies
might seem strange, but
Meyer said the joy the
residents have when they
receive one is unique and
special.
“They light up,” she
said. “It sends them back
to the nurturing days of
being a parent and brings
back good memories.”
Jenna Wright, assis-
tant executive director
at Wildflower Lodge,
agreed.
“It really is absolutely
moving,” she said.
Wright explained resi-
dents with dementia can
often feel anxious or de-
pressed, and the dolls can
help relieve those feel-
ings. The residents don’t
⑧⑨ ⑩❶❶ ❷❸❶❹ ❺⑨❻❼❽❾❿
⑨❾ ⑩⑨ ❹❻➀❸ ➁➂➂❶➀❷❽⑨❾
❷⑨ ❷❸❽⑩ ➃⑨➄➄ ⑨❼ ❷➁➄➅❽❾❿ ❷⑨
❷❸❽⑩ ➃⑨➄➄ ➆❽⑩➇ ➈❶❼➉ ⑩➊❶❶❷➋
➌❷ ⑩⑨⑨❷❸❶⑩ ❷❸❶❹ ➁❾➃
❹➁➅❶⑩ ❷❸❶❹ ➂❶❶➄ ➄❽➅❶
❷❸❶➉ ❸➁➈❶ ➁ ❺❻❼❺⑨⑩❶➋➍
➎ ➏➐➑➑➒➓➔→➣↔↕➙ ➒➛➛→➛↕➒➑↕
➐➜➐➝⑤↕→➞➐ ➟→➔➐➝↕➠➔ ➒↕
➓→➡➟➢➠➤➐➔ ➥➠➟➣➐
necessarily believe they
are holding a real baby,
though.
“Just because some-
one has dementia doesn’t
mean they can’t tell the
difference between real-
ity and a doll,” she said.
“A lot of our ladies and
men in the community,
where they are in the
progression in the dis-
ease, they are looking
for their children. And if
those children are infants
in their mind, it can be
very comforting to have
that feeling of holding a
baby and then combining
it with the stimulation of
soft blankets, the smell of
baby powder, those kinds
of sensory things.”
Wright said often times
residents with demen-
tia become nonverbal,
and a doll can encourage
them to speak because
they might speak to the
baby, or want to show
their baby to others. The
doll also gives residents
a sense of responsibil-
ity, which can help fend
off feelings of depression
and improve their quality
of life.
Wright said the dolls
are a way to help resi-
dents with dementia deal
with the emotional hard-
ships that come with the
See Dolls / Page 5A
See Budget / Page 5A
A
new
life
awaits
for
the
Umatilla
Elgin earns
Chemical Weapons Depot
grant for
wastewater
system
❫ ➬s❢➫ ❢❣ ✐♥❝♥s➨♥
➮➱✃❐❒➱❮ sq ♣❜q❵sq✇
♣❣✐ ❥♥①♥✐ ♠✐❣❰♥❝❢
❇ ❍■❛✂❏❛ ❑✝☎✆▼r✎❏
❚❤✟ ✠✡☛✟☞✈✟☞
The City of Elgin received
nearly $500,000 in a Com-
munity Development Building
Grant from Busi-
ness Oregon, the
state’s economic
development agen-
cy, for revitalizing
the city’s outdated
④⑤⑥⑥⑦
wastewater sys-
tem. Business Or-
egon announced the award re-
cipients, which include Elgin,
Willamina, John Day, Dayville
and Grant County, on Feb. 28.
See Elgin / Page 5A
❇ ◆✎❖✂ P✎✞❛r☎❛✂✂☎
✠☞✟◗❘❙ ❯✉✡❱❳❨ ❩☞❘❬❭❨❬☛❪❳❙◗
HERMISTON — The giant
metal lock is nearly rusted
shut on bunker A-903 at the
Umatilla Chemical Depot in
northeastern Oregon. Once
we’re able to pry it loose and
open the 10-foot tall concrete
door, we’re walking into a lit-
eral time capsule.
Inside the cavernous room,
we find boxes and boxes of
sealed U.S. Army biscuits,
toilet paper, can openers and
potable water. One box dates
back to January 1964.
A-903 is only one of a thou-
sand identical bunkers sprawl-
ing in every direction as far as
the eye can see at the depot.
The rolling hills of the bun-
kers can be seen for miles from
Interstate 84. The entire site
covers nearly 20 square miles;
for comparison, that’s about
the size of the central Oregon
city of Bend.
The depot was built in the
ramp-up to World War II.
For nearly 50 years, 7 million
pounds of deadly chemical
weapons such as sarin, mus-
tard gas and VX nerve agent
were stored here.
Bill Elfering is a Umatilla
County commissioner and
member of the Columbia De-
velopment Authority, the re-
gional board working with
the U.S. military to transfer
the depot back to local con-
trol. He refers to the endless
rows of bunkers as “igloos,” a
strangely cute name for rooms
built to house weapons of war.
As we tour the site, Elfering
points out how they were built
in staggered rows.
“There was a concern that
one might set the whole thing
off and it would be like a string
of firecrackers on the Fourth of
July,” he said. “All of a sudden
it just went ‘pop, pop, pop.’”
The staggered design was
proven to work in 1944 when
one of the igloos did explode,
killing six people. At the time,
⑧❸❶❼❶ ➊➁⑩ ➁ ➀⑨❾➀❶❼❾
❷❸➁❷ ⑨❾❶ ❹❽❿❸❷ ⑩❶❷ ❷❸❶
➊❸⑨➄❶ ❷❸❽❾❿ ⑨➂➂ ➁❾➃ ❽❷
➊⑨❻➄➃ ➭❶ ➄❽➅❶ ➁ ⑩❷❼❽❾❿
⑨➂ ➯❼❶➀❼➁➀➅❶❼⑩ ⑨❾ ❷❸❶
➲⑨❻❼❷❸ ⑨➂ ➳❻➄➉➋➍
➎ ➵→➡➡ ➸➡⑥➐➔→➑➣➙ ➺➻➒↕→➡➡➒
➼➠⑤➑↕⑦ ➝➠➻➻→➛➛→➠➑➐➔
the depot’s administrators
were only able to tell who had
been killed in the blast by hav-
ing everyone on site clock out
after the explosion and then
tracking which time cards
were left.
“I think the earth would still
be shaking if they were to all
go off,” Elfering said.
A Time-Consuming Transition
It’s been years since weap-
ons were actually stored at the
Umatilla Chemical Depot. A
1993 United Nations resolu-
tion banned all use and stor-
age of chemical weapons. In
✩✘✪✫✬
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ßêëãìâçççççççççççíé
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WEDNESDAY
2004, a massive furnace was
built on the property, and all
of the weapons were incinerat-
ed. The depot officially closed
in 2012.
The property was supposed
to return to local control in
2015, but even today, much of
the land remains in the hands
of the military.
That could be about to
change. After years of nego-
tiations, locals are cautiously
optimistic that much of the de-
pot’s land will soon be back in
local control.
Dr. David Drotzman is the
mayor of the nearby town of
Hermiston. Hundreds of peo-
ple from the neighboring com-
munity worked at the depot
when it was in operation, and
a lot of those jobs are gone.
“Were those some good pay-
ing jobs? Absolutely,” he said.
“And have they been replaced
with the same level of jobs?
Maybe, maybe not.”
He’s eager to see new devel-
opment.
“Everybody’s wish list is
Costco. ‘When can we get a
Costco out there?’” he said. “I
think any employer that pro-
vides an opportunity for good
paying — above you know the
state average wages.”
The plan to redevelop the de-
pot has several parts. The first
phase, converting a portion of
the land to a National Guard
training center is already well
underway. Portions of the land
will also be designated as a
See Depot / Page 5A
❲✮✯✰✱✮✴ ✵✉✸✸ ✹✽✾✿❀❁❂❃ ✽❄ ❃❅✿ ❇❁❀❦ ✽✹ ❉ ❂✿❀❃❊✽❄
❋♦●❏❑▼◆
P◗ ❘❙❯
❝ ❞❡❢❢❞❣ ❤✐❥❧
❋❫❴❵❛❜②
❳❩❬❭❪
♠❞❥♣qr s✐q
t❥❥❞❣✈
ÏÐÑ ÒÓÔÕÐÖ×ØÙ ÚÛÐÓ ×ÑÜÝ ÏÕÜÐÞÒ
Baker City
man arrested
after high-
speed chase
➽✟☛➾❘➚ ➪✟➶☛ ➹❪❬➘➘
A Baker City man who led
police on a high-speed vehicle
chase through town Saturday
was arrested later while hiding
in a garage.
Ramon Nunez
Jr., 36, of 1221
East St., was ar-
rested about 6:21
p.m. at 2539 Ninth
➴⑤➑➐➷
St.
Nunez is in cus-
tody at the Baker County Jail
on charges of attempting to
elude police, reckless driv-
ing, unlawful use of a motor
vehicle, possession of a stolen
vehicle, first-degree criminal
trespass, two Malheur County
warrants charging him with
failure to appear and multiple
traffic violations, including
speeding, running a stop light
and careless driving.
The brief chase lasted just
a few minutes — from about
5:38 p.m. to 5:41 p.m. Satur-
day -— Baker City Police Chief
Dustin Newman said today.
The incident began when
police saw Nunez driving
about 70 mph in a 40-mph
speed zone on Highway 7
north of David Eccles Road,
a press release stated. He
was driving a 2005 Chevrolet
pickup truck pulling a small
flatbed trailer.
Nunez turned on to Sec-
See Chase / Page 5A
✖✗✘✙❆✖✙ ✚✛
❍❆❱✫ ❆ ✛✙✗❖❨ ✩✪✫❆✭
✜✢✶✣✤✥✦✣✦✶✥✶
■ ââîå í ✧
û âåìðãêïâ ✷ ùò þá ★ åâ
úá ▲ õáïæå ✷ ýõå ★ êï
❈ ✁✁ ❚✂✄ ☎✆✝✄✞✟✄✞ ✠✄✡✝✞☛☛☞ ✌
✺✍✎✲✏✑✒✲✒✎✑✎ ☛✞ ✝✄✠✻ ✠ ✄☞ ✓✁ ✌☛
✠✄✡✝♥✁ ✔✞ ✠✻✄☛✆✝✄✞✟✄✞✳✕☛☞✳
Online at lagrandeobserver.com