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About The Observer. (La Grande, Or.) 1968-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 4, 2019)
SPORTS Busy weekend for prep teams and Eastern Follow us on the web MONDAY • November 4, 2019 • $1.50 Ladd: Phase I winds down Good day to our valued subscriber Erna Helmick of La Grande Cove School District 2020 Election School project on track for early 2020 Free-for- all in race for Congress ■ Phase I of Ladd Canyon project moving forward ■ McLeod-Skinner affirms she will not run for Walden seat By Dick Mason The Observer The Oregon Department of Transportation has good news for motorists traveling through Ladd Canyon on Interstate 84. Both I-84 eastbound lanes at the west entrance into Ladd Canyon are now open almost continuously from milepost 271 to 273 for the fi rst time since last spring, ODOT has announced. The lanes were reopened this weekend as the fi rst phase of the Oregon Depart- ment of Transportation’s $30 million Ladd Canyon Freight Improvement project, which began in April, nears comple- tion. One eastbound lane at this site has been closed for much of that past six months to allow for construction work. Mike Remily of ODOT, manager of Ladd Canyon project, said that the open- ing of both lanes had been delayed by freezing weather. Remily explained that this has impacted the process of painting stripes on this por- tion of the freeway. “Striping paint doesn’t dry very quickly when it’s cold,” Remily said in an ODOT news release. Although both eastbound lanes from milepost 271 to 273 are now open, there may be some short closures of lanes over the next week to accommodate workers clean- ing the roadway drainage system in preparation for winter, Remily said on Friday. A reduced construction zone speed limit of 50 miles per hour remains in effect in the area despite the com- plete opening of both lanes, Remily said. He said that the reduced speed limit will be lifted later. One lane of traffi c is still See Project / Page 5A By Gary A. Warner EO Media Group project. Design West Architects, which has offi cers in Meridian, Idaho, Kennewick, Washington, and Pullman, Washington, is the project’s architect. The food service building will replace the school dis- trict’s current cafeteria and kitchen at Cove Elementary School. Pettit said the present cafeteria, where students in all grades eat, is not big enough for a school district like Cove’s, which has about 300 students. The cafeteria has a capacity of just 40 students, so multiple grades are not able to eat in the cafeteria at the same time. This means that class time is lost, and a number of high school stu- dents eat their lunches in school building hallways. The new building will have a capacity of 200, and Pettit said that between 150 and 160 students will be eating there at one time. It will be fi lled with new kitchen equip- ment that will replace the outdated appliances the school district now has. “It is obsolete,” Pettit said of the current kitchen. BEND — Jamie McLeod- Skinner said Thursday she’s in the 2020 race for Oregon secretary of state to stay, despite the surprise retire- ment of her former political foe, U.S. Rep. Greg Walden, R-Hood River. The Democrat from Ter- rebonne admitted the sudden chance at the seat she ran for in 2018 was enticing. But after a quick political gut-check, she signaled she would stay the course. “At this time, the best way I can serve my fellow Orego- nians is as secretary of state — I will continue to seek that offi ce.” McLeod-Skinner said. McLeod-Skinner’s deci- sion and Walden retiring without an heir apparent has turned the 2020 race for the sprawling 2nd Congressional District seat into a free-for-all among Democrats, as well as Republicans. McLeod-Skinner ran an energetic campaign against Walden in 2018, winning De- schutes County and holding the veteran Republican con- gressman to 56% of the vote overall. But Walden’s margin of victory of 17% shows how tough it is for Democrats to win in the district. The day after the 2018 election, McLeod-Skinner told followers on her Face- book page to save the yard signs for a rerun in 2020. But she also talked about a pos- sible statewide bid. McLeod-Skinner fi led to run for secretary of state in September and staked out a centrist spot geographically and politically. “There’s a sense that we need to connect with all the See Cove / Page 5A See Congress / Page 5A Dick Mason/The Observer Esteban Solis of the Mike Becker General Contractor construction company works at the construction site of the Cove School District’s future cafeteria building Friday. ■ New facility will help relieve crowding, provide food storage space at the school By Dick Mason, The Observer The Cove School District is making the biggest addition to its campus since the late 1970s, when its high school was built and the popularity of microwave ovens was starting to soar. The construction of the school district’s $1.8 million food service building, which began early this fall, is now less than four months from completion. “We are anticipating it should be fi nished by Feb. 28,” said Earl Pettit, superintendent of the Cove School District. Pettit said the future building’s initial day of operation is set for March 30, the fi rst day of school after spring break. The building’s foundation is complete, and framing work began last week. The building’s frame and its roof should be fi nished in about three weeks. Having the building, about 30 feet east Cove Elementary School, enclosed before winter will be a big plus because contractors will be able to do interior work after inclement weather hits. Pettit said the building work is on schedule and within its budget. “I couldn’t ask for a smoother project,” Pettit said. The Mike Becker General Contractor construction company of La Grande is the general contractor for the Union County Girl Scouts take Manhattan By Sabrina Thompson The Observer Four members of Union County Girl Scout Troop 50145 had the chance to travel to New York City to celebrate International Day of the Girl Child at the United Nations on Oct. 11. The girls spent two days at the U.N. learning about its role in the world. The youngest only participated in the second day due to her age. The fi rst day of the trip, the girls toured the U.N. and met with ambassadors and other girls who participated in the event. “It was something we heard about through Girl Scouts,” troop leader and mother to two of the girls, Angela D’Antonio, said. “It is a great opportunity. It is not every day you can meet people and see the U.N., and Girl Scouts is an international organization so the girls got to meet people from all over the world.” On the second day of the trip the WEATHER INDEX Classified .......4B Comics ...........7B Crossword .....5B Dear Abby .....7B Home .............1B Horoscope .....5B Lottery............2A Obituaries ......3A WEDNESDAY Opinion ..........4A Sports ............6A Sudoku ..........7B Weather .........8B girls took part in a mock-U.N. gen- eral assembly by choosing a country and researching it in small groups. The girls then took their fi ndings and presented them, acting as a representative of the country they selected. “I learned a lot about the Secu- rity Council and made a lot of new friends,” one of the girls from the troop, Miri Koltuv, said. “My favorite part was being able to see where the General Assembly Full forecast on the back of B section Tonight Tuesday 31 LOW 60/30 Clear Mostly sunny and Security Council meet and see the large number of countries repre- sented,” another girl from the troop, Sophia Thornburg, said. “I enjoyed meeting all of the new people from different places in the country and the world,” Olivia Thornburg, another troop member, said. This year’s theme for the event was titled, “Unscripted, unstop- pable” to celebrate the Beijing See Scouts / Page 5A CONTACT US HAVE A STORY IDEA? 541-963-3161 Call The Observer newsroom at 541-963-3161 or send an email to news@lagrandeobserver.com. More contact info on Page 4A. Issue 131 2 sections, 18 pages La Grande, Oregon GROWING WISE SWAPS LOCATION Online at lagrandeobserver.com