SPORTS
Wallowa Co. sweeps OOL awards
✁✂✄☎ ✆✁✝ ✞✟✠✡☛☞✌✍✎ ✏☛✑✌✎
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↕➙➛➛➙➜ ➝➞ ➙➟ ➠➡➢ ➜➢➤
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WEDNESDAY ➥ ➦➧➨➩➫ ➭➯➲ ➳➵➭➸ ➥ $1.50
Elgin City
Council
moves to
purchase
equipment
from La
Grande
IC council
elects
president
✜✢✣✛✤✈✛✤✣⑤⑥⑦
A MAYOR’S LIFE
REMEMBERED
Island City’s city council
has a new president.
Stan Terry was elected
council president at Mon-
day night’s city council
meeting. Terry is begin-
✮✭✮✯ ✳✭ ✺✲ ✪ ⑧★ ❍✦✧✳ ✵✥✪ ❈★✥✩ ❍✩✪✧★✺ ✴✮ ★ ✧✳★ ✰✧■
✰✴✫✮✰✭
ed to the council in 2014
and was re-elected to Po-
sition 1 in November 2018
after running unopposed.
Terry, who grew up in
Lostine, served as a state
trooper from 1984 to 2003.
He has resided in Island
City since 1989. He is suc-
ceeding Robb Rea as coun-
cil president. Rea stepped
down after being elected
mayor in November.
The council president’s
responsibilities
include
serving in the role of may-
or when the mayor is not
able to attend a meeting.
Monday’s meeting was
❇✒❆✼✗✚✽✗✾❡✔✘✿❀✙✽
❚❤✛✜✢✣✛✤✈✛✤
At its regular meeting
Tuesday night, Elgin’s city
council moved to purchase
a closed cir-
cuit television
video inspec-
tion van from
the City of La
Grande’s pub-
lic works de-
partment to
aid Elgin’s current sewer
renovation project.
Because the City of La
Grande is looking to buy a
new CCTV van for around
❏❑▲▲❢
❁❂❃❃✸❃❃❃✸✭✧ ✴✬★✩★✱✧✴✪★✺✺
its old van at a discounted
price of $10,000 to Elgin’s
public works department,
which had been renting
the van from La Grande
regularly beforehand.
❄✺✯✭✮ ❅✥❈✴✩ ❉✺✺✥✮ ❊✫✬❈
said this purchase could
potentially save the city
tens of thousands of dollars
as its public works depart-
ment begins renovating
the wastewater system in-
house, especially because
renting the truck from La
Grande costs Elgin about
$2,300 each instance.
“We’ve spent well over
$10,000 on renting the van
✥✺✩★✥✱❈✸❋ ❊✫✬❈✪✥✭✱ ✱✫✩✭✮✯
the meeting. “I don’t think
we should pass this up.”
A CCTV inspection van
is typically used to assess
and evaluate problem areas
within sewer systems that
are experiencing issues
❖▼◆P◗❘P◗❙❧P ❯❱❲❳ ❝ ❲
❨❩❬❭♦❪♦❫❬❴❵❛❜
❝
❜
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♠
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♠❩❝❞❞❴❫♥❩❝♥❩❵♦❫❴❬r❴r④
❇✒✓✔
✕❦✖✗✘✙✚
❚❤✛✜✢✣✛✤✈✛✤
On a September day in 2012,
Dan Pokorney, then mayor of La
Grande, put in a grueling day in
order to deliver a message of hope
— a typical day for this man dedi-
cated to community service.
Pokorney arrived at La Grande
High School’s track just before 10
p.m. Sept. 29 to provide concluding
remarks for the 15th annual Drug Free
Relay. Pokorney’s appearance capped
an exhausting day, which started in
Salem where he attended a meeting
of the League of Oregon Cities before
rushing back to La Grande for the
relay. The 12-hour event, which had
more than 100 participants on 17
teams, was conducted to promote
and support drug- and alcohol-free
lifestyles in Union County.
“This is not the end, only the
beginning,” Pokorney told the re-
lay participants. “This commu-
nity cares and is not going to stop
working until it is drug free.”
Pokorney’s relay appearance
was one of about 635 community
events he attended from 2011 to
2015 while mayor.
This remarkable number is evi-
dence of the dedication of a tireless
public servant, one whose inspiring
story tragically ended Monday. Po-
korney, 65, passed away in La Grande
of Columbus chapter and much
more. At Our Lady of the Valley
,Pokorney’s work included operat-
ing its booth at the Union County
Fair for years and helping lead
many church projects.
“He was volunteer par excel-
lence,” said Colleen MacLeod, a for-
mer Union County Commissioner.
MacLeod and her husband, Al, are
✥✦✧★✩✪✫✬★✩✭✮✯✥✰✥✩✱✭✥✰✥✩✩★✪✧✲
✧✳★ ❍✩✪✧ ✩★✯✫✺✥✩ ⑨✴✮✧✳✺❈
❸❹❺❻❼❼❽❾❿
❿ ➀➁➂ ❼ ➂❽❻
✧✳★✴✵✮★✩✪✴✦✶✴★✷★✥✮✪✸✥✰✴✬★★✥✮✱ ✧✴❍✺✺ ✧✳★✰✴✫✮✰✭✺⑩✪ ✴❶★✮❷✴■
➃➄❼ ❼❽➋➁ ❼➁ ➇ ❻ ➁ ➅➇❾❻➈❾❼
❺➉➊❼❺➈
❻❺➇➇
➁ ➎❻❽❹❸❹❾➇❹➁
❻ ❼➍❺➃➁ ❼ ❺➋❺➀➌➂➄➇➁
❼➌❼❽❿❺ ❿ ❼❼➍❺➉
➁❻➅❼❽ ➐ ✭✮✯✥✮✱✪✳✴✹★✺✪✮✴✵✴✬✧✳★✪✭✱★✵✥✺✻
❿➁➇❼❺❻❼❽❼➍❺➁➀ ➃❽❻➃❺➀❻➇➏
➑❏➒➓➔→➣→↔➓↕❢➙▲→↔➛↕↔
➛➒❢→↔→▲➜➒➝↔➒➓➞↕
sition 2 seat on Feb. 25 at
a special meeting. He was
named to the council at its
Feb. 11 meeting. Position 2
was Rea’s council seat.
Williams is a district sales
manager for Northwood
Manufacturing in Union
County. He is no stranger
to community service, for
he is also a volunteer for the
Elgin Stampede rodeo and
a member of the La Grande
School District’s budget
committee. He is eligible to
serve on the budget com-
mittee because Island City
is in the La Grande School
District.
sandwich shop in La Grande, where
Pokorney was a regular each morning
and made a habit of lending a hand.
“He would help us open each morn-
Pokorney had lived in La Grande
since May of 1973, when he moved
here from Nebraska with his wife,
Linda. He made his mark on the
La Grande community over the
next 45 years, serving not only as
mayor but also as a city councilor,
a member of the La Grande School
Board, a volunteer for Our Lady of
the Valley Catholic Church where
he was a member of its Knights
in front of our shop and those next to
ours,” Colleen MacLeod said.
MacLeod believes that Pokorney’s
good deeds will not go unrewarded.
“There will be no waiting in line
for him at the pearly gates. His tick-
et is already punched,” she said.
Di Lyn Larsen-Hill, who served as
mayor of La Grande about 20 years
ago, said it was clear that Pokorney
was comfortable in his role as mayor.
“He loved being mayor. He liked the
ceremony of being mayor,” she said.
See Pokorney / Page 5A
Conference aims to help
girls achieve their goals
✪✫✰✳✥✪ ✭✮●✴✵✥✮✱ ✭✮❍✺✧✩✥■
➥➦➧➨ ➩➫➭➯➲ ➳➵➵➸➳➺ ➻➼➭➨➳➽ ➾➲ ➚➨ ➾➲➪
➶➳➲➧➨➭➫➵➶ ➹➫➺➺ ➘➭➴➷➫➬➨ ➷➫➲➳➺ ➮➳➭➨➨➭ ➳➬➷➫➮➨
❇✒➟❀✗✚✕✔
❚❤✛✜✢✣✛✤✈✛✤ ✘✕✗❇❡✚✔➠❡➡
tion of groundwater, which
can overwhelm the sanita-
tion process and even lead
✧✴ ✴✹★✩●✴✵✲ ✷★✰✥✫✪★ ✧✳★
wastewater system beneath
Elgin hasn’t been fully up-
dated since 1964, the city’s
See Elgin / Page 8A
meeting for Clint Williams,
the council’s newest mem-
ber. Williams was sworn in
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ë♦❝ä❜❞❩♠❴♥❴❫è❴❬✐❵❫♦♦♥④
More than just security
There will be a one-day
conference for girls age
14 to 18 aimed at giving
them tools for achieving
career goals on March 16
hosted by Soroptimist of
La Grande.
Soroptimist organiza-
tions all over the world
have held “Dream It Be It:
Career Support for Girls”
conferences. This is the
ference will be held every
year from now on.
The conference will fo-
cus on helping girls dis-
cover their dreams, set
goals, overcome obstacles
and put their dreams
into action. There will
be speakers from many
women in the community,
from professionals in the
⑨★✱✭✰✥✺ ❍★✺✱ ✧✴ ✥ ⑨✥✪✪✥✯★
➥➱➨➮➸➭➫➲✃➶➸➳➭➬➯➳➲❐➭➳➵➬➨❒➴➵➬➨❮➴➯➘➫➲➳➺➧➳➷➨➳➸➵➫❰➸➨Ï➴Ð
❇✒➟❀✗✚✕✔
❚❤✛✜✢✣✛✤✈✛✤ ✘✕✗❇❡✚✔➠❡➡
❍✩✪✧ ✧✭⑨★ ✧✳★ ➢✥ ➤✩✥✮✱★
Ñ✴Ò ✭✪ ✥ ✺✭✧✧✺★ ✱✭✬★✩★✮✧ ✥✧
✧✥✺ ✪✧✥✬ ✪✥✦★✲ ❄✺✥✭✮★ ➢✥■
if anyone steps out of
line or breaks rules. The
What do you imagine
when you picture a se-
curity guard? You might
think of an intimidating
person standing quietly,
ready to jump into action
❅✚❇❉❊
◗✬✫✵✹✭✫✫❯❯❯ ❯ ❯ ✯◗
❳❩✿✫✫✵❬✵✭❃❯❯ ❯ ❯ ❭◗
❳✸❪✵✰✫❯❯❯ ❯ ❯❯ ❯ ✮◗
❳❂✸✫✫❫✸❂❃❯❯❯❯ ❴◗
Grande Ronde Hospital,
where the most impor-
tant tool is compassion.
GRH brought in securi-
ty guards to protect nurs-
❵✭✿❂❛❜❜❝❯❯❯❯❞◗ ❡✭✰✸❂❃❯❯ ❯ ❯ ❯ ❯ ✮❛
▲✸✱✱✭❂❝❯❯❯❯ ❯❯ ❯ ❯ ✷❛ ❢✾✸❂✱✫❯❯❯ ❯ ❯ ❯ ❯ ✽❛
❄❜✵✱✬✿❂✵✭✫❯❯❯ ❯ ✮❛
❄✾✵✹✵✸✹❯❯❯ ❯ ❯ ❯ ❭❛
FRIDAY
es and patients around
two and a half years ago
as part of a pilot program
aimed at keeping hospi-
Rochelle, GRH facilities
director, said the security
See GRH / Page 5A
Soroptimist branch will be
hosting the event, but Fam
Moulton, who is a board
member of the La Grande
Soroptimist and chair of
this project, said the con-
❣❤✐❥❦❤❧ ♠✉♦♦ ♣qrst✈✇①q②①③s④✈t⑤q♣⑥✇st①⑦q②
⑧⑨⑩❶❷❸❹
⑧❸➄➅➆➇➈➉
❺❻ ❼❽❾
❿➀➁➂➃
➊➋➌➍➎➏ ➐➎➑➋➒
➓➎➔→➣↔➋➍➣↔→➍
✘✙✚✛✜✘✛ ✢✣
✤✥✶✦✧★✩✦✩✶★✶
✪✫✫✬✭
✮✯ ✸✹✫✼ ✯✽ ✾✿❀✭✫
✷ ▲✿ ✫✭✰✱✵
❁❂✿✹❃✭✼ ❄❂✭❀✸✹
therapist.
The girls attending will
receive help with resumes
and cover letters and prac-
tice possible interview
questions. They will be
given a gift bag with tools
to help them succeed. The
See Girls / Page 5A
❍✜●❉ ✜ ✣✛✙❏❨ ❅❇❉✜▼
✁✂✄✄ ❚☎✆ ✝✞✟✆✠✡✆✠ ☛✆☞✟✠✌✌✍ ✂✎
✺✏✑✲✒✓✔✲✔✑✓✑ ✌✠ ✟✆☛✻ ✂☛ ✆✍✂✕✄ ✎✌
☛✆☞✟♥✄✂✖✠✂☛✻✆✌✞✟✆✠✡✆✠✳✗✌✍✳
❙◆❖❲P❆❈❑✴❋■❘ ❙ ❆❙❖◆ P❘ ❱■ ❲ Online at lagrandeobserver.com