➲➳➳ ➵➸➺➻ ➼➽➾➚ ➪➸➶➽ ➹➘➹➵ ➴➻➸➶ ➪➸➶➽
➷➬➮➱➬✃❐❒❮➬❰Ï➬ÐÏ❐
SPORTS
Tigers drop home opener
ÑÒÓÔÕÖ×Ô×ÒÖØ
ãâäå ÷
æçè ÙÚÛÚÜÝÞßà
èé êëìíîíïðñ áâÛ ïòóôõïíö
øùøúø
ûÜüàßýÞäÚ þÞâÚÿ þÞ ✻ ÜÞâýÚ
❊ ✁✂✄☎ r❡✆❡✝✞✂✟✠✡✆✟☛✠✞☞✌✍✂✎❡✏❡✠✠❡✄✍✄✑✒✆✟
❘❡✑✂✍✞❡☞ ✟✠✄✂✠❡ ✓ ✔✔✔✒✆✟☛✠✞☞✌✍✂✎❡✏❡✠✠❡✄✍✄✑✒✆✟
❜❝❝❞ ❞❡② ❢❝ ❝❣❤ ❥❡❦❣❧❞ ♠❣♣♠q❤r♣❧❤ s❡❦❧tr❢✉❧❤♠✈❝❝✇ ❝① ③❦④r✇
FRIDAY-SUNDAY ❘ ❚❱❲✐❳ ❨❩❬❭ ❪❫❴❵ ❘ $1.50
UC Fair
Association
requests
help from
county
LG City Council passes
utility licensing ordinances
❬ ✇❴❣♠❢❝ ❝♣➪➪✐❥❫❦ ✉❪❵② ❞❵♣➪ ❝❵❢❫❢❝❢❦➪ ♣❞ ❝❢❫② ❦s✐❥❜❢❥➶
❫♣ ❪❥❥♣❴❥❝❢❥➶ ❪➹❪❵❜❦ ❞♣❵ ❴❵❣❪❥ ❞♣❵✐❦❫❵② ❢➪s❵♣✉✐➪✐❥❫❦
❇✕ ❆✖✗✘✙✗ ✚✛✜✢✣✤♦✙
❚❤✥ ✦✧★✥✩✈✥✩
proposed in the fall of 2016, then the
spring of 2017, but was tabled by the
council, according to the ordinance
packet provided by La Grande City
highways that are owned or con-
trolled by the city, so under the pro-
posed ordinance, utility providers
wanting to run lines or access those
areas would pay a fee to the city.
City Manager Robert Strope com-
pared the agreement between a city
and its utilities providers to the lease
agreement between a renter and the
property owner.
“It’s a common practice to enter
into a franchise agreement that sets
the parameters for (utility provid-
ers’) operation in the right-of-way,
and part of that is a franchise fee,”
he said. “Think about it like you’re
renting an apartment and you have
a lease agreement, and it tells you
what you can do with the apartment
and if something breaks it outlines
❄✮❅❅❈ ❉✼✲ ❅✲✿✾✴❅✮✷✾✫✰ ✱✲❃✰✲✴ ❋✬✾✿✼✷✴❀
❁✼✫ ✼✮✴ ✷✫ ❃● ✾✷❈ ❍ ✪✬✮✰✺✼✾✴✲ ✮✿✬✲✲❀
of-way” as public streets, alleys and
ment is really similar to that.”
Under this ordinance, which
passed unanimously Wednesday
night, utilities providers must apply
for a license to operate in right-of-
Wednesday evening’s city council
meeting in La Grande mainly fo-
cused on two ordinances — one for
general utility right-of-way licens-
ing and the other for renewing Or-
egon Trail Electric Co-op’s franchise
agreement — but heated public com-
ments on city spending and praise
✪✫✬ ✭✮ ✯✬✮✰✱✲✳✴ ✵✬✶✮✰ ✪✫✬✲✴✷✬✸ ✫✹✺✲
were also present.
The utility license ordinance,
which will establish “a licensing fee
for utilities which are located within
✷✼✲ ✽✾✷✸✳✴ ✬✾✿✼✷✴❀✫✪❀❁✮✸❂ ❁✮✴ ❃✬✴✷
×ØÙØÚÛ ÜÝ ÝÞßàáÜâã
äØâßÛ Øå ÚØÜâã
àâÛÞæÜâã ÜâàççåØçåÜàÞßè
éæß ÜâÞßãåÜÞÛ Øê ÞæÜÝ
ëØìâëÜá ÜÝ âØÞ ÞØ Ùß
íìßÝÞÜØâßÚèî
ï ðñÔòóÔô õÕÔöÔôñÖ÷
öøùúû úü ýø þûøôÿÔ
❁✮✸ ✮✬✲✮✴■ ✮✰✱ ✮✬✲ ✲●❏✲✺✷✲✱ ✷✫ ❏✮✸
a 7 percent fee to the city based on
gross revenue. Utilities subject to this
fee include electric, gas, general com-
munications, water, sanitary sewer,
garbage and others. Cable providers,
❇✕ ➘✜❛➴ ➷✗✢♦✘
❚❤✥ ✦✧★✥✩✈✥✩
The Union County Fair
❍✴✴✫✺✾✮✷✾✫✰ ✾✴ ✮✴➬✾✰✿ ✪✫✬
help from Union County
in paying its liability insur-
ance premium.
①③④⑤④ ➠❶ ➡⑤⑧ ➡➢⑩➤⑦⑩➥ ➦❹ ➧⑨❹➤➨⑩ ①❹⑨❼⑥ ➩ ➫⑩⑦⑨⑩❹⑤❺④➤ ➨❺⑨⑩⑦⑤④⑨
➝❿➭➑❿➌➊ ➍➓ ➒➉❿ ➯➄ ➲➌➄➂➋❿ ➳➍➒➄➌➆ ➵❾➔➑ ➸❿➌❿ ➉➍➂➍➌❿➋ ➄➒➺❿➋➂❿➊➋➄➆➻➊
➭❿❿➒➁➂→ ➓➍➌ ➒➉❿➁➌ ➔➌➑➄➂ ➓➍➌❿➊➒➌➆ ➀➌➍➼❿➈➒ ➍➓ ➌❿➀❾➄➈➁➂→ ➒➉❿ ➈➌➄➑ ➄➀➀❾❿ ➒➌❿❿➊
➁➂ ➒➉❿ ➆➄➌➋ ➍➓ ➽➌➒ ➵❿➂➒❿➌ ➾➄➊➒ ➁➂ ➯➄ ➲➌➄➂➋❿ ➸➁➒➉ →➍❾➋❿➂ →➁➂➚➍ ➒➌❿❿➊↕
meanwhile, will pay only a 5 percent
fee, as mandated by the FCC.
However, this license fee is “re-
duced by any franchise fee paid by
the utility,” according to the packet.
❑✫✬ ✲●✮▲❏❅✲■ ✶✲✺✮✵✴✲ ✭✮ ✯✬✮✰✱✲✳✴
gas and electric utilities already pay
a 5 percent franchise fee, they will
see only a 2 percent increase (two
cents per dollar) in their payments
in order to reach the 7 percent fee
outlined by this ordinance. Water,
sewer, telephone and telecom pro-
▼✾✱✲✬✴ ❁✾❅❅ ✰✫✷ ✲●❏✲✬✾✲✰✺✲ ✮ ✪✲✲ ✾✰❀
crease because they already pay a 7
percent franchise fee.
In a story published on Nov. 21,
2016, The Observer reported OTEC
administrators wrote an editorial
to the paper concerning this rise
in operating costs should the or-
✱✾✰✮✰✺✲ ❏✮✴✴❈ ❍✷ ✷✼✲ ✰✲●✷ ✬✲✿✵❅✮✬
session of the city council on Dec.
14, 2016, during the ordinance’s
second reading, The Observer re-
ported “packed council chambers
and passionate public statements”
as this proposed ordinance “caused
citizens to be as vocal as (the may-
or) can remember,” in a story pub-
lished on Dec. 16, 2016.
But the second reading of the 2019
utilities licensing ordinance did not
cause the same uproar.
Strope said this is because the
Nonprofit builds beds
for children in need
❝q❪s❫✐❵ ♣❞ ❭♠✐✐s ❢❥ t✐❪✉✐❥♠② ✇✐❪❝✐
On Saturday there will be
a fundraiser at the Riveria
❍✺✷✾▼✾✷✸ ✽✲✰✷✲✬ ✪✫✬ ✷✼✲ ◗❅✵✲
Mountain chapter of Sleep
in Heavenly Peace, a non-
❏✬✫❃✷ ✷✼✮✷ ✶✵✾❅✱✴ ✪✬✲✲ ✶✲✱✴
for children who need them.
The Blue Mountain chap-
ter of Sleep in Heavenly
Peace was established in
January and isn’t yet active.
Elgin residents Katie and
Pete Trick are co-presidents.
The fundraiser is a craft
fair, and there will be a
The Oregon Govern-
ment Ethics Commission
is moving forward with an
investigation
to determine if
the Enterprise
School Board
✮✷✲✱ ✷✼✲ ✰✫✰❏✬✫❃✷ ✾✰ ❱❲❳❱
in Twin Falls, Idaho, and
realized the mission of the
▼✾✫❅✮✷✲✱ ✲●✲✺❀
✫✬✿✮✰✾❯✮✷✾✫✰ ✺✫✵❅✱ ✶✲✰✲❃✷
utive session
ÓÔÕÕÖ
laws, includ-
ing if it dis-
cussed the job performance
Eastern Oregon.
“We started looking
around and we saw there
was a big need to take care
of kids in the town and the
whole county,” Pete said.
For many families, chil-
✱✬✲✰✳✴ ✶✲✱✴ ✮✬✲ ✮ ❅✵●✵✬✸■
businesses as well as vitits
with the Easter Bunny
from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m.
There will be a display with
one of the beds that Sleep
in Heavenly Peace builds,
leaving many kids sharing
with their siblings or their
parents — some even just
✫✪ ✪✫✬▲✲✬ ❮✰✷✲✬❏✬✾✴✲ ❍✷✼❀
letic Director Larry Wells
✾✰ ✲●✲✺✵✷✾▼✲ ✴✲✴✴✾✫✰ ❁✾✷✼✫✵✷
①③④⑤④⑥ ⑦④⑧⑨⑤⑩⑥❶ ④❷ ❸❹⑤❺⑩❻⑨❺⑦❼
✴❅✲✲❏ ✫✰ ✷✼✲ ❨✫✫✬❈
Sleep in Heavenly Peace’s ❽❾❿❿➀ ➁➂ ➃❿➄➅❿➂❾➆ ➇❿➄➈❿ ➉➄➊ ➋❿❾➁➅❿➌❿➋ ➍➅❿➌ ➎➏➐➐➐ ➑❿➋➊
motto is “No kid sleeps on ➊➁➂➈❿ ➁➒➊ ➓➍➔➂➋➁➂→ ➁➂ ➣➐↔➣↕ ➙➛➜➜➛➝➞ ➟➍❾➔➂➒❿❿➌➊ ➓➍➌
✷✼✲ ❨✫✫✬ ✾✰ ▲✸ ✷✫❁✰❈❂ ❉✼✲✬✲
are now 137 chapters of the
organization in the U.S.
The organization builds the
beds with the help of volun-
teers and delivers them to
homes complete with mat-
tresses and bedding — all
for free.
Mickelson was featured in
CNN’s Heroes series in De-
cember. In the CNN report,
he said he started the or-
ganization because he met
children who were sleeping
✫✰ ✷✼✲ ❨✫✫✬ ✾✰ ✼✾✴ ✺✫▲▲✵❀
✰✾✷✸❈ ❍✷ ✷✼✲ ✶✲✿✾✰✰✾✰✿■ ✷✼✲
✰✫✰❏✬✫❃✷ ✺✫✰✴✾✴✷✲✱ ✫✪ ✮
❽❾❿❿➀ ➁➂ ➃❿➄➅❿➂❾➆ ➇❿➄➈❿ ➑➔➁❾➋ ➑❿➋➊↕
group of friends who made
and delivered 11 beds. Now
the organization, which has
✰✫ ❏✮✾✱ ✴✷✮❩ ▲✲▲✶✲✬✴■ ✼✮✴
delivered more than 4,000
beds.
The Tricks said when
they established the Blue
Mountain chapter in Janu-
ary, they took a trip to Twin
Falls to the Sleep in Heav-
enly Peace headquarters to
build beds and deliver them
to families. They described
their visit as a heartwarm-
✾✰✿ ✲●❏✲✬✾✲✰✺✲❈
“When you take the time
to go deliver it to these kids
and set it up, they climb up
on their bed and they don’t
want to come down. That’s
when it gets you the most,”
Pete said.
For his full-time job, Pete
owns and operates Red
Roof Construction, where
Katie also holds a full-time
position as an HR manager.
The couple has been mar-
ried for seven years and is
originally from Northern
See Beds / Page 5A
❏✱❑P◗
⑤⑥⑦⑧⑨⑥⑩ ❶❷❸❸ ❹❺❻❼❽❾❿➀❺➁➀➂❼➃❾❽➄❺❹➅❿❼❽➀➆❺➁
✂✄☎✆✆✝✞✝✟✠✥✥✥✥ ✥ ✹✡ ✏✟☎✍✑✒✒✓✥✥✥ ✥✽✡ ✕✗✝✘✝☛✘✥✥✥ ✥ ✥ ✥ ✹✑
➭➫➯➦➧➨
➢➧➩➤➫➦➧➨
✂☛☞✝✌✆✥✥✥✥ ✥ ✥ ✥ ✺✡ ✔☛♦♦✟✍✓✥✥✥✥ ✥ ✥ ✥ ✥✷✑ ✕✖♦✠☛☛✍✆✥✥✥✥ ✥ ✶✡
✂✍☛✆✆✎☛✍✠✥✥✥✥ ✺✡ ✕✒✝♦✖☎✍✝✟✆✥✥✥✥ ✥✸✑ ✙✗☛✍♦✆✥✥✥ ✥ ✥ ✥ ✥ ✽✑
➞➜ ➟➠➡
➙➙➛➜➞
→➑➣➓↔➋ ↕↔➉➒➔➋
➇➍➉➎➏➐➌➑➐➉➒➓➔
MONDAY
$7,400 annually for its
portion of liability insur-
ance under the county’s
❏✫❅✾✺✸ ✮✰✱ ✲●❏❅✮✾✰✲✱
✷✼✮✷ ❃✰✮✰✺✾✮❅ ✮✴✴✾✴✷✮✰✺✲
would help the Union
✽✫✵✰✷✸ ❑✮✾✬ ❍✴✴✫✺✾✮✷✾✫✰
complete badly needed
maintenance.
“We are facing some
challenges on the grounds
this year that require im-
mediate attention for the
safety of those who attend
the fair yearly and use the
See LGCC / Page 5A
❇✕ ❐♦✘✗❒✙ ❇♦✘✙
❚❤✥ ✦✧★✥✩✈✥✩
and the Tricks will be there
to answer questions about
the organization.
The Tricks said they per-
sonally know Luke Mick-
elson, who originally cre-
✬✮❙✲ ❁✾✷✼ ❏✬✾❯✲✴ ✪✬✫▲ ❅✫✺✮❅
✃✼✲ ✴✮✾✱ ✷✼✲ ➮✽❑❍ ❏✮✸✴
See Fair / Page 5A
Ethics commission
investigates Enterprise’s
executive session actions
❬ ❭❪❫❴❵❜❪② ❝❵❪❞❫ ❞❪❢❵ ❣✐❥✐❞❢❫❦ ❧♠❴✐ ♥♣❴❥❫❪❢❥
❇✕ ◆✤✗✘❛✜✢❛✗ ❇✛✘✜❖✛P
❚❤✥ ✦✧★✥✩✈✥✩
➮✽❑❍ ➱✬✲✴✾✱✲✰✷ ❍▲✸
Horn, an Observer em-
ployee, made the request
at a meeting of the Union
County Board of Com-
missioners Wednesday.
❙❈❍❖❖▲✲❇❆❙ ❉ ❈❖❯◆❙ ▲❖✁❙ ◆ ❉ ❉
giving him an opportunity
to request a hearing.
Wells resigned from his
position Feb. 22 — an-
nouncing the intent to do
so Jan. 4 — citing what he
claimed were unethical ac-
tions by the school board
and Superintendent Erika
Pinkerton regarding the
athletic eligibility of Enter-
prise High School senior
Justus Even.
The investigation comes
after OGEC conducted a
preliminary review of a
✺✫▲❏❅✮✾✰✷ ❃❅✲✱ ❰✮✰❈ Ï❲ ✶✸
Ilene Wells, wife of Larry
Wells, into the actions of the
board. In its preliminary re-
view, which was provided
to The Observer by Larry
Wells, the ethics commis-
sion stated it doesn’t have
jurisdiction over, and there-
fore didn’t address, several
of Ilene Wells’ complaints.
The commission, though,
does have jurisdiction over
at least three of the allega-
tions, including that “the
statutory authorities cited
✶✸ ✷✼✲ ✶✫✮✬✱ ✪✫✬ ✷✼✲ ✲●✲✺✵❀
tive sessions did not match
the topics discussed in those
✲●✲✺✵✷✾▼✲ ✴✲✴✴✾✫✰✴ Ð Ñ✷✼✮✷Ò
✶✫✮✬✱ ▲✮✱✲ ✮ ❃✰✮❅ ✱✲✺✾✴✾✫✰
❁✼✾❅✲ ✾✰ ✲●✲✺✵✷✾▼✲ ✴✲✴✴✾✫✰
Ð ✮✰✱ ✷✼✲ ✶✫✮✬✱ ✱✾✴✺✵✴✴✲✱
the employment-related
performance of an employ-
ee without providing that
employee with notice or an
opportunity to request an
open hearing,” OGEC wrote
in its preliminary review.
The review summary
recommended an investi-
gation into possible viola-
tions of ORS 192.660 by the
Enterprise School Board,
which includes Chair Kate
Fent and board members
Heather Melville, Mandy
Decker, Mike Wiedeman
✮✰✱ ❍✱✬✾✮✰ ❄✮✬✿✵✲✴✴❈
“The board is working
with the state to address
the concerns that have
been raised. We look for-
ward to resolving the mat-
ter through the appropriate
channels, but will otherwise
not comment while the
investigation is pending,”
Fent told The Observer.
The ethics commission
voted on March 7 to move
See Ethics / Page 7A
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