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About The Observer. (La Grande, Or.) 1968-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 6, 2019)
LOCAL FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2019 THE OBSERVER — 3A L OCAL B RIEFING UNION COUNTY SENIOR CENTER MENU From staff reports Comedian/psychologist presents ‘Brain, Behavior and the Workplace’ LA GRANDE — Research sug- gests that fi nding meaning in one’s work is more important than money in terms of long-term happiness. Dr. Matt Bellace, a clinical psychologist and stand-up comedian, will use humor to convey a powerful message in “Brain, Behavior and the Work- place,” from noon to 1:30 p.m. Sept. 12 at the Presbyterian Friendship Center, 1204 Spring Ave., La Grande. The program will focus on supporting members of the workforce in making healthy mental and physical choices. The current research on adult brain functioning and emotions will be presented and there will be time for questions and answers. Lunch will be provided for those who register by noon Sept. 10 at https://brain_behavior_workplace. eventbrite.com. This free presen- tation is sponsored by the Union County Safe Communities Coalition and the Center for Human Develop- ment. New ‘Moms & Pops’ store opens in Elgin ELGIN — An eclectic new shop, Moms & Pops Almost Everything Store, is opening at 810 Inkwood in Elgin. The store offers new and used household items, “farm and auto stuff,” hardwood, hardware and more. The community is invited to stop by Saturday. The store’s regular hours will be 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Trail Blazers’ Rip City Rally comes to town LA GRANDE — The annual Rip City Rally is coming to Northeast Oregon next week. A team of Trail Blazers and Moda ambassadors and staff will be in La Grande Sept. 10. As part of the Trail Blazers’ and Moda’s partnership to showcase healthy and active living, events will focus on providing activities for kids, including school assemblies, youth basketball PE takeovers and on-court youth basketball. There will be a free 45-minute clinic at the La Grande Middle School for boys and girls age 10-17 that will focus on working to improve fundamental skills, build teamwork and engage athletes in long-lasting healthy, active lifestyles. This clinic will begin at 7 p.m. Sept. 10 in the LMS gym. The visit will conclude with a ceremonial fl ag raising with city of- fi cials, followed by a free community fair from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. featuring activities for all ages, on Adams Avenue between Third and Fourth streets. Go to www.trailblazers.com/ rally for updates and information all along the rally. Founded in Portland in 1955, Moda is a health company committed to building healthier communities by helping our members get well sooner and live well longer. Beginning ballet class offered to adults LA GRANDE — Cook Memo- rial Library is hosting a free Ballet Basics class for adults from 12:10 p.m. to 1 p.m. on Tuesdays beginning Sept. 10. Exploring the fundamentals of ballet, this drop-in class is perfect for the beginner. Ballet slippers or similar dance shoes and dance or workout apparel are encouraged. Call 541-962-1339 or go to www. cityofl agrande.org/library for more information. Lessons learned on 35-day walk through Spain LA GRANDE — Cook Memorial Library is hosting “500 Miles through Spain: Lessons from the Camino de San- tiago” at 7 p.m. Sept. 10. Presenter Jamie Jacobson, who spent 35 days walking alone across Spain on the Camino de Santiago, will share photos, stories and lessons learned along the way. Everyone is welcome to this free event. Free tai chi class resumes Tuesday LA GRANDE — Tai Chi: Moving for Better Balance will resume Sept. 10 at the Presbyterian Friendship Cen- ter, 1204 Spring Ave., La Grande. The free class, which is open to all ages, skill levels and abilities, will be held at 9 a.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays. O BITUARIES George L. Bryant 1923-2019 Elgin George Leon Bryant, 96, of Elgin, died Sept. 3 at his home. A graveside service will be held at 10 a.m. Sept. 7 at the Elgin Cemetery, followed by a reception at the Bryant Center at the Elgin Harvester’s Church of the Nazarene. George was born May 25, 1923, in Spring- fi eld, Illinois, one of six sons of Grover and Gladys (Fry) Bry- ant. He served as a corporal in an artillery unit in the Korean War. In his younger years, he held various jobs, including working on a tunnel construc- tion project in Alaska, driving truck on the Oregon Coast and serving as a fi refi ghter in Las Vegas. George met Millie Ruth Bicket at a New Year’s Eve party in Beavercreek in 1952. They were married on May 29, 1953, and had four children. George and Millie made their home in Beavercreek, where they owned and operated the only Grade A goat dairy in Oregon for 12 years. In 1975, George and Mil- lie bought a cattle ranch on Clark Creek in Elgin and worked side by side for many happy years. George was a very devoted family man and loved being surrounded by his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. He also loved animals and had a very compassionate and kind heart. George was chosen Cattle- man of the Year in 1989. He was a co-recipient with Millie of the Outstanding Coopera- tor of the Year from the Union Soil and Water Conservation District in 2001. George and Millie were very active in their church. Surviving relatives include his children and their spouses, Michael and Vicki Bryant of Beavercreek, Joni and Mark Simmons of Elgin, Melanie and Todd McClure of Elgin, and Lori and Brian Herron of Elgin; 10 grandchildren; and 20 great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents, five brothers, and his wife, Millie. Online condolences may be made to the family at www. lovelandfuneralchapel.com. Joe W. Herr 1966-2019 Enterprise Joe Willis Herr, 53, of Enter- prise, died Aug. 20 at Wallowa Memorial Hospital. Friends are welcome to share their memories and stories of Joe at an informal celebration of life and potluck beginning at 2 p.m. Sept. 7 at the Hurricane Creek Grange Hall in Joseph. Those who would like to bring a dish to share are asked to call Nancy Parmenter at 480- 323-6002. Joe was born Jan. 24, 1966, in Yakima, Washington, to Joe Willys and Gladys Grace (Klein) Herr. He attended A.C. Davis High School in Yakima. Joe resided in Denver, Colo- rado; Marysville, Granite Falls and Arlington, Washington; and in Enterprise. He studied at the Denver Automotive and Diesel College in Colorado and Edmonds Community College in Washington. Joe was married to Lisa Renee Herr for 31 years and had one daughter and one son. Joe worked as a boat builder, an aviation machinist, a landscaper and horticulturist, in property maintenance and as an architect and contractor. He collected knives, models, stones and rocks, and antique and vintage tools. He loved woodworking, camping and fishing and enjoyed baseball, football and track. Surviving relatives include his wife, Lisa Herr of Enter- prise; daughter and son-in-law, Amanda and John Grunalt of Marysville, Washington; son, Zakary Herr of Enterprise; sisters, Sheila Eastwood and husband, John, of Port Angeles, Washington, Linda Bryant of Westminster, Colorado, and Mary Herr of Haleiwa, Hawaii; and two grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents. UPCOMING FUNERALS AND VISITATIONS Sponsored by Emily L. (Lopez) Cheevers La Grande 1933-2019 Emily Louise Cheevers, 86, of La Grande, died Aug. 30 at her home. There are no services planned at this time. Arrange- ments are entrusted to Daniels- Knopp Funeral, Cremation & Life Celebration Center. Emily was born June 15, 1933, in Ventura, California, to Louis and Elvira (Sarabia) Lopez. On Jan. 21, 1956, she married John Alan Cheevers. Emily worked as an operator and dispatcher for Bell Telephone in Los Angeles, California, and later for General Telephone in Gresham. In 1972, she and John moved to Sandy. After John passed away in 1998, Emily moved to Port- land. In 2013, she moved to La Grande. Emily was a member of the Catholic Church and the Eagles Auxiliary. She enjoyed dancing, sewing and crocheting. Her greatest joy was being sur- rounded by her grandchildren. Surviving relatives include her children and their spouses, Jeri Ward of Sandy, John Jr. and Brenda Cheevers of Union, Lou and Dawn Cheevers of Leander, Texas, and Lorena and Brad Emerson of Kansas City, Mis- souri; 14 grandchildren; and 17 great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her husband, John, and siblings, Louis Lopez and Raymond Galarza. Memorial contributions may be made to the Grande Ronde Hospital Hospice. Glenn E. Standley Formerly of La Grande Glenn E. Standley, 77, for- merly of La Grande, died Sept. 3 at his residence in Salem. A graveside service will be held at 4 p.m. Sept. 14 at the Elgin Cemetery. An obituary is forthcoming. Loveland Fu- neral Chapel & Crematory is handling the arrangements. Sept. 7 George Bryant: 10 a.m., graveside service, Elgin Cemetery; followed by reception at Elgin Harvester’s Church of the Nazarene. Marvin Cunningham: 2 p.m., graveside service, Grandview Cemetery; followed by 3 p.m. celebration of life, Cunningham residence, 2004½ E. N Ave., La Grande. Joe Herr: 2 p.m., informal celebration of life and potluck, Hurricane Creek Grange Hall, Joseph. Michael Lowery: 2 p.m., celebration of life, Eastern Oregon Livestock Show Clubhouse, Union. Sept. 13 George Gilchrist: 2 p.m., memorial service, La Grande First Christian Church. Sept. 14 Donald Kilpatrick: 11 a.m., memorial service, Imbler Christian Church. John Shenfi eld: 3 p.m., funeral service, Island City Lighthouse Pentecostal Church. Glenn Standley: 4 p.m., graveside service, Elgin Cemetery. 1504 ALBANY ST., LA GRANDE Sept. 9-13; Lunch served 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. age 60+ $3 suggested donation; others $6 Monday: baked potato bar, fresh fruit, salad, dessert. Tuesday: cabbage rolls, rice, sweet cucumber salad, baked rolls, fresh fruit, dessert. Wednesday: fried chicken, mashed potatoes & gravy, steamed vegetables, rolls, Jell-O, cake. Thursday: ravioli, salad greens, steamed vegetables, garlic bread, fruit. Wildlife officials kill cougar that had threatened jogger The Associated Press SALEM— Four days after a cougar chased a jogger in an Oregon forest, state and federal wildlife officials on Wednesday tracked down and killed a mountain lion be- lieved to be the same animal. The runner’s frightening encounter with the cougar oc- curred Saturday in the Dunn Forest, a research facility managed by nearby Oregon State University’s College of Forestry that is popular with runners, hikers and mountain bikers. Authorities quickly closed the forest, which is blanketed with Douglas fir and other trees, as wildlife officials hunted for the aggres- sive animal. There are 6,500 cougars in Oregon, the state wildlife department says, and they generally avoid humans. But last year, a cougar killed a woman hiker near Mount Hood, the first person known to have been killed by a cougar in the wild in Oregon, and the second in the Pacific Northwest that year. Peter Idema, 68, of Corval- lis, was out for a morning run when he saw the small cougar approaching, its ears back, which is a sign of aggression. “I’m screaming, and trying to make myself large — all the things you’re supposed to do when you have a moun- tain lion coming,” Idema told Oregon Public Radio. “And it just kept coming. It got right up to me, ears back.” Idema says he kicked the cougar hard in the face, briefly sending the animal scamper- ing into the bushes before it again began to chase him. “It wasn’t behaving like it should have behaved. It had plenty of chance to leave,” Idema said. “And it just kept coming and coming.” The cougar followed Idema until two hikers with a dog arrived on the scene, causing the cougar to leave. Idema was not injured by the cougar, but he received minor scrapes and cuts from falling while he was running away, the Oregon Depart- ment of Fish and Wildlife said. Offi cials have been search- ing for the cougar since Saturday, using hounds, call boxes which emit the sound of a distressed animal and can attract a cougar, and traps and snares. The hounds picked up the cougar’s scent on Wednesday about 400 yards (365 meters) from where the incident occurred, and staffers from the state wildlife department and the U.S. Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services followed it onto adjacent private property, where the cougar was treed and shot. The cougar fi t the descrip- tion provided by the runner, who said the cougar was thin but not emaciated. “We believe this aggressive cougar was captured and put down today,” said Brian Wolfer of the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. “The agency’s priority is human safety. We will not relocate a cougar that has shown ag- gressive behavior.” The carcass was taken to a laboratory within OSU’s College of Veterinary Medicine for examination. It weighed 75 pounds (34 kilograms) and is estimated to be 1 to 2 years old, the state wildlife depart- ment said. P UBLIC S AFETY R EPORT LA GRANDE POLICE DEPARTMENT UNION COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE Accident: At least one person was injured in a traf- fi c accident at Cove Avenue and 21st Street Wednesday. The accident was reported at 6:22 p.m. Arrested: Rebekah Rose Esquivel, 21, unknown ad- dress, was arrested on a pa- role and probation detainer. Arrested: Trevor Alan Nichols, 21, La Grande, was arrested on charges of possession of a controlled substance-meth, third-degree escape and on a parole and probation detainer. Accident: James Joseph Bellisle, 56, unknown ad- dress, was arrested on a Umatilla warrant charging hit and run. Arrested: Ben J. Davison, 47, unknown address, was arrested on two warrants. The first was a Umatilla County warrant charging a probation violation connected to an original charge of traffic offense. The second warrant was a Irrigon North Morrow County warrant charging failure to appear in court and was connected to an original charge of traffic offense. LA GRANDE FIRE DEPARTMENT Firefi ghters responded to 10 calls for medical assis- tance on Thursday and eight on Wednesday. Firefi refi ghters responded to a trash fi re on Adams Avenue on Thursday at 2 a.m. The fi re caused no injuries or property damage. REG COALWELL 1939-2017 Happy Birthday, My Love. It’s been nearly two years since I lost you and I haven’t yet been able to fi gure out how to live without you and I don’t think I ever will. You were my life. How I wish we could have had a few more years together. I miss you terribly. Till we meet again, My Love.