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About The Observer. (La Grande, Or.) 1968-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 7, 2019)
2A — THE OBSERVER MONDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2019 LOCAL D aily P lanner Missing man found dead in Wallowas TODAY Today is Monday, Oct. 7, the 280th day of 2019. There are 85 days left in the year. EO Media Group TODAY’S HIGHLIGHT On Oct. 7, 2001, the war in Afghanistan started as the United States and Britain launched air attacks against military targets and Osama bin Laden’s training camps in the wake of the Septem- ber 11 attacks. ON THIS DATE In 1960, Democratic presidential candidate John F. Kennedy and Republican opponent Richard Nixon held their second televised debate, this one in Washing- ton, D.C. In 1979, Pope John Paul II concluded his week-long tour of the United States with a Mass on the Wash- ington Mall. In 1985, Palestinian gun- men hijacked the Italian cruise ship Achille Lauro in the Mediterranean. In 1992, trade representa- tives of the United States, Canada and Mexico initialed the North American Free Trade Agreement during a ceremony in San Antonio, Texas, in the presence of President George H.W. Bush, Canadian Prime Min- ister Brian Mulroney and Mexican President Carlos Salinas de Gortari. In 1996, Fox News Chan- nel made its debut. In 2003, California vot- ers recalled Gov. Gray Davis and elected Arnold Schwarzenegger their new governor. LOTTERY Megabucks: $3.4 million 24-25-28-29-32-39 Mega Millions: $55 million 11-38-44-48-70-17-x2 Powerball: $80 million 6-14-36-51-54-4-x2 Win for Life: Oct. 5 16-18-25-43 Pick 4: Oct. 6 •1p.m.:8-7-0-8 •4p.m.:7-3-2-7 •7p.m.:7-6-5-8 •10p.m.:7-4-5-7 Pick 4: Oct. 5 •1p.m.:2-0-9-7 •4p.m.:0-2-1-5 •7p.m.:3-0-0-6 •10p.m.:3-0-4-1 Pick 4: Oct. 4 •1p.m.:0-2-7-9 •4p.m.:6-1-9-8 •7p.m.:0-6-2-5 •10p.m.:3-8-0-5 NEWSPAPER LATE? Every effort is made to de- liver your Observer in a timely manner. Occasionally condi- tions exist that make delivery more difficult. If you are not on a motor route, delivery should be before5:30p.m.Ifyoudonot receiveyourpaperby5:30p.m. Monday through Friday, please call 541-963-3161 by 6 p.m. If your delivery is by motor carrier, delivery should be by 6 p.m. For calls after 6, please call 541-975- 1690, leave your name, address and phone number. Your paper will be delivered the next business day. QUOTE OF THE DAY “Being right half the time beats being half-right all the time.” — Malcolm Forbes, American publisher Sheriff’s Office, said a drone operated by the Umatilla County Sheriff’s Office search and rescue team located Den- nis’ body. McClay said searchers later found his body in what they described as a “waterfall, crevice area” on a steep slope above the East Eagle trail. Baker County Sheriff Tra- vis Ash described the location as a chute. McClay said it appears that Dennis fell on Sept. 28, the day he arrived in the area to hunt for deer. “We believe that he died the day he went hunting,” McClay said. Sturm said Barney was reunited with Dennis’ wife, Patty, and that the dog, although he has lost some weight, is doing well. On her Facebook page Sturm, who traveled from her home at Ridgefield, Washington, to partici- pate in the search, posted: “I watched as men and women came down that mountain after searching from sun up to sun down, some strangers, a lot of friends and family and Un- cle Andy’s brothers along with SAR members. Sit- ting by the fire to warm up with tears in their eye they wouldn’t give up. Thank you to each and everyone of you that searched.” Jayson Jacoby USFWS photo A mere greater sage grouse, rear, struts for a female at a lek, or mating ground. A environmental lawsuit aims to restore grazing prohibitions on 22,000 acres across 13 sites in Eastern Oregon. ENVIRONMENTALISTS SUE TO BRING BACK ■ ■ Environmental groups seek to reinstate grazing prohibitions By Mateusz Perkowski EO Media Group PORTLAND — Environmentalists want to reinstate grazing prohibitions on 22,000 acres across 13 sites in Eastern Oregon to improve studies of sage grouse habitat. The Oregon Natural Desert Association, Audubon Society of Portland and Defenders of Wildlife have filed a lawsuit seeking to over- turn a federal plan that re-opened the “research natural areas” to cattle earlier this year. Banning grazing from the 13 sites is neces- sary for the U.S. Bureau of Land Management to understand how cattle affect “sage brush plant communities,” since there are “almost no ungrazed areas on public lands” within the bird’s range in Eastern Oregon, the complaint said. “If implemented as approved, BLM through this plan amendment will abandon science, se- verely limiting the agency’s ability to contribute to conservation of the sage grouse,” according to the environmental plaintiffs. A representative of the BLM said the agency doesn’t comment on pending litigation as a matter of policy. Jerome Rosa, executive director of the Ore- gon Cattlemen’s Association, said the organiza- tion is concerned by the lawsuit because it took a lot of work to persuade the Interior Depart- ment and BLM to restore grazing within the “research natural areas.” “Grazing is compatible with sage grouse habitat,” while research can still occur in areas that are grazed, Rosa said. “They’re really important to the ranchers who make their living on those areas,” he said. Controversies over the bird’s status under the Endangered Species Act are deep-rooted in the West, where its population has substan- tially declined in the past two centuries. Environmentalists long pushed for the sage grouse to be protected as a threatened or endangered species, but the federal govern- ment ultimately decided such a listing wasn’t warranted in 2015 after finding that resource management plans and conservation agree- ments would sufficiently protect the bird. Under the resource management plans for Oregon, the Obama administration eliminated grazing from nearly 22,000 acres within the 13 “research natural areas” that would serve as a control baseline in scientific studies. In 2019, however, the Trump administration updated Oregon’s RMPs to once again permit cattle within those areas due to “economic impacts to certain livestock operators.” The environmental plaintiffs claim this change violates the National Environmental Policy Act because the BLM “failed to give good reasons for its reversal of policy” and didn’t take the required “hard look” at the policy’s environ- mental impacts. The policy shift also violates the Federal Land Policy and Management Act due to the range degradation and impairment from graz- ing, which is “a destructive and inconsistent use of these specially-protected areas,” the complaint said. The Oregon Cattlemen’s Association believes the “massive” amount of acreage within the 13 sites is excessive, since research can occur on smaller plots, said Rosa, the group’s executive director. “They can have control areas within those allotments without it being such a large size and scale.” Searchers found the body of Andrew Dean Dennis of Haines late Sunday morning in a nearly sheer rock chute in the Wallowa Mountains, eight days after the 60-year- old Haines man failed to re- turn from a planned one-day deer-hunting trip. It appears that Den- nis died from a fall in the steep terrain near East Eagle Creek, his niece, Candy Sturm, said Sunday. Sturm said her uncle’s body was found near where searchers trapped Dennis’ dog, Barney, on Saturday evening. The site is near where Curtis Creek crosses the East Eagle trail, about 2 miles from the trailhead where Dennis parked his vehicle on Sept. 28. Dennis’ body was ini- tially spotted by a drone, according to a post Sturm made on her Facebook page. Searchers found Dennis about 11:30 a.m. Sunday, according to a press release from the Baker County Sher- iff’s Office. “His death appears to be a tragic accident,” according to the press release. “No foul play is suspected.” Ashley McClay, the public information officer for the Come in today and let our “People Who Care” 1123 Adams Ave La Grande 541-963-5741 redcrossdrugstore.com CARING staff help your FALL be HAPPY & FESTIVE! FAMILY OWNED P ublic S afety r ePort UNION COUNTY SHERIFF Arrested:TaeraLynHarris,22, unknown address, was arrested on a Umatilla County warrant charging failure to appear in court. The warrant was connected to an original charge of possession of a controlled substance-meth. Arrested:LukeAllenSauer,31, unknown address, was arrested on a Baker County warrant charg- ing a probation violation. The alleged probation violation was connected to an original charge of weapon offense. Arrested:DustinJohnMathis, 28, unknown address, was arrest- ed on charges of second-degree burglary and second-degree theft. Arrested:SalvadorRamos Barriga, 38, unknown address, was arrested by the Grant County Sheriff’s Office in Ephrata, Washington on a Union County warrant charging unlawful deliv- ery of methamphetamine and unlawful possession of metham- phetamine. Arrested:JeffreyGlennWise- man, 56, unknown address, was arrested on charges of hit and run, driving under the influence of intoxicants with accident, and reckless driving. Arrested:CarmonDeon Hendricksen, 31, unknown ad- dress, was arrested on charges of second-theft, and conspiracy to commit second-degree theft. Arrested:JosephWilliamDial, 28, unknown address, was arrested on charges of second-degree theft, conspiracy to commit second- degree theft and possession of a controlled substance-methamphet- amine. Accident:Atleastoneperson was injured in a traffic accident Wednesday on Owsley Canyon Road. The accident was reported at9:19p.m. Cited:AUnionCountyjuvenile was cited on a charge of minor in possession, vape. Arrested:DanielSeanMcGrane Newton 32, La Grande, was ar- rested on charges of third-degree theft and conspiracy to commit first-degree theft. Arrested:JeremyKyleMatte, 31, La Grande, was arrested on charges of second-degree theft and conspiracy to commit first- degree theft. LA GRANDE POLICE DEPARTMENT Arrested:ZiaArealHernandez, 23, unknown address, was ar- rested by the Moses Lake Police Department on a Union County secret indictment warrant charging unlawful possession and unlawful delivery of methamphetamine. Arrested:JesseJoeShodin,45, unknown address, was arrested while lodged in the Union County Jail on a parole and probation detainer. Arrested:RobertAllenFox,57, unknown address, was arrested on charges of first-degree rob- bery, menacing and third-degree theft. Arrested:ToddKevinMcCoy, 58, a transient, as arrested on a Union County warrant charging possession of methamphet- amine. Arrested:JosephWilliamDial, 28, unknown address, was ar- rested while in the Union County Jail on a Lake County warrant charging a probation violation. The warrant was connected to an original charge of dangerous drugs. Arrested:AUnionCounty juvenile was cited on a charge of minor in possession-vape. Arrested; Chad La Vern Profitt, 46, unknown address, was arrested by the Baker County Sheriff’s Office on two Union County warrants. One warrant charged supplying contraband, unlawful manufacturing/deliv- ery of a schedule IV controlled substance and an order to show cause. A second warrant charged failure to report as a sex offender, two counts. Arrested:WilliamTroyMitchell, 38, unknown address was ar- rested on a Union County warrant charging a probation violation. The warrant was connected to an original charge of possession of methamphetamine. LA GRANDE FIRE DEPARTMENT Firefighters responded to five calls for medical assistance on last Thursday, 14 on Wednesday, nine on Tuesday and nine on Monday. There's a pill to prevent HIV. It's called PrEP. Contact a PrEP coordinator today! 215 Elm Street La Grande (541) 963-5440 northwestfurnitureandmattress.com New Lease on Retirement Enjoy what matters! Give us a call GRANDE 1809 Gekeler Ln. Ronde Retirement & Assisted Living La Grande 541-963-4700 Hay una píldora para prevenir el VIH. Es PrEP. Comoniquese con su navegador de PrEP! Call us at 541-393-4768, email kmathew@allianceor.org, or visit us at HIValliance.com
