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MONDAY • November 18, 2019 • $1.50
Good day to our valued subscriber Bob Roberts of La Grande
Reckless
driver to
appear
in court
HOUSE DISTRICT 58
■ ■ Arrested on
multiple charges for
wild driving on I-84
By Dick Mason
The Observer
A plea hearing date has
been set for Jelson Colindres-
Barahona, of SeaTac, Wash-
ington, who was arrested by
the Oregon State Police Nov.
11 on seven charges related
to driving recklessly on a 17-
mile stretch of Interstate 84
between North Powder and
La Grande.
The plea hearing for
Colindres-Barahona is
scheduled for 1:15 p.m. Dec.
10 at the Union County
Courthouse.
Colindres-Barahona, 34,
was arrested by the OSP
after allegedly driving an
SUV wildly on Interstate 84
westbound 3 miles north of
North Powder until being
stopped 5 miles west of La
Grande. He allegedly drove
1.5 miles in the wrong direc-
tion in the eastbound lanes of
I-84 in the milepost 283 area,
about 3 miles north of North
Powder, said OSP senior
trooper Robert Routt. The
trooper, in a written report,
said Colindres-Barahona
almost crashed into a com-
mercial vehicle while driving
the wrong way.
Colindres-Barahona was
clocked by the OSP driving
at speeds of 95 mph 106,
mph and 110 mph. He made
two passes of vehicles in a
construction zone in an area
in which vehicles were pres-
ent, according to the OSP.
Once Colindres-Barahona
pulled over he was arrested
reportedly without incident,
at about 8:30 a.m. Routt said
on Friday.
Colindres-Barahona
was arrested on charges of
unsafe passing on the left, no
operator’s license, exceeding
the speed limit by driving
more than 100 mph, reckless
driving, driving under the
influence of intoxicants (con-
trolled substance), reckless
Associated Press file photo
The Oregon House of Representatives is shown during a recent session. Greg Barreto, District 58 representative, has declared he
won’t seek re-election in 2020. No candidates have yet filed to run on the Republican ticket.
NO HEIR
APPARENT?
■ ■ Search for Greg Barreto’s replacement reveals names, no serious candidates yet
candidates, but no one has yet jumped in
the race.
The Republican representative in neigh-
boring District 57, Greg Smith of Heppner,
threw out three names who could enter
the GOP primary — Pendleton Mayor
John Turner, Wallowa County Commis-
sioner Todd Nash, and Tim Seydel, the vice
president of university advancement at
Eastern Oregon University.
But when interviewed, all three men
said they didn’t intend to jump into the
race.
A former Blue Mountain Community
College president and a retired Marine,
Turner lost the 2014 Republican pri-
mary to Barreto, the president of Barreto
Manufacturing.
Turner said he doesn’t have as much
time to spend in Salem as he did in 2014
By Antonio Sierra
EO Media Group
PENDLETON — Greg Barreto’s
announcement he will not seek a fourth
term as the state representative for
House District 58 revealed a field devoid
of candidates.
The Republican from Cove, however,
said he is working to remedy that situa-
tion. He said he identified two potential
party members for his position and
asked them to run. One turned it down,
he said, and the other has not ruled it
out but is hesitant.
He also said he is not keen on politi-
cians hand-picking their successors. The
choice of the district’s representative,
Barreto said, should be up to the voters.
Local Republican committee chairs
and insiders identified a few potential
and he’s happy in his current role.
Elected to the Pendleton City Council
in 2016, Turner said he won’t make a
decision on running for a second term as
mayor until January.
Seydel called it a “huge compliment” to
be named as a potential successor.
“I have a lot of respect for the (state)
senators and representatives who repre-
sent Eastern Oregon,” said Seydel, who
has worked at Eastern for 20 years and
is an EOU graduate.
But Seydel, who visits legislative ses-
sions frequently in Salem to advocate for
Eastern, said the possibility of running is
not on his radar.
“I’m not even thinking about it. At this
point I am not planning on running,” he
said.
See Heir / Page 5A
Nash
Seydel
Turner
See Court / Page 5A
Best of La Grande High School saluted
■ ■ Tiger Booster Hall of Fame inducts athletes, staff,
community supporters during weekend ceremony
By Dick Mason
The Observer
The Gilbert Event Center at
Eastern Oregon University served
as the school’s temporary library in
2014-15.
Today the facility does not lend
books, but Saturday night it was
filled with La Grande High School
graduates whose accomplishments
speak volumes.
Many of LHS’s finest alumni and
athletes were saluted at the Gilbert
Center during the annual LHS
Tiger Booster Hall of Fame Banquet
and Induction Ceremony. The Tiger
WEATHER
INDEX
Classified .......3B
Comics ...........7B
Crossword .....5B
Dear Abby .....8B
Home .............1B
Horoscope .....5B
Lottery............2A
Obituaries ......3A
WEDNESDAY
Opinion ..........4A
Sports ............7A
Sudoku ..........7B
Weather .........8B
Booster Hall of Fame was created
to honor outstanding alumni, teams
and community supporters who have
“made La Grande proud.”
Those inducted into the Tiger
Booter Hall of Fame Class of 2019
were Doug Trice, named Outstand-
ing Male Athlete; Kaci Boylan,
Outstanding Female Athlete; Delmer
Hanson, Outstanding Alumni; M.J.
Goss Motors, Outstanding Commu-
nity Supporter; and the 1985 boys
Full forecast on the back of B section
Tonight
Tuesday
40 LOW
46/30
Rain and drizzle
Spotty showers
NO ESTATE MONEY FOR LEE
track and field team. Retired LHS
Principal Andrea Waldrop was also
was touted, being inducted into the
Tiger Booster Wall of Fame.
Doug Trice, a 1970 LHS gradu-
ate, was recognized for his athletic
accomplishments and his work as a
Special Olympics volunteer. He was
a star running back for the LHS foot-
ball team in the late 1960s and later
made his mark in the football
See Tigers / Page 5A
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More contact info on Page 4A.
Issue 137
2 sections, 18 pages
La Grande, Oregon
Online at lagrandeobserver.com