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About The Observer. (La Grande, Or.) 1968-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 11, 2019)
LOCAL WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2019 LIBERTY Continued from Page 1A feeling of anticipation for the opening of the Putnam Building this spring is high. “It is like waiting for a child to be born,” he said. The Putnam and Liberty Theatre buildings have long been linked. Mammen noted the original owners of the Liberty lived in a portion of the Putnam. He also said at one time the Putnam Building had a door that opened onto the stage of the Liberty. The renovated Putnam Building will have more connections to the Liberty. These will include two small apartments to serve as dressing rooms for performers or places for traveling entertainers to stay, offi ces for theater staff and facilities for a possible future restaurant. The building will also feature a bakery, a mezzanine and a 16-foot tin ceiling. Much of the renovated build- ing, which was constructed in 1911 by Stephen A. Gardinier, who moved to La Grande from New York, is de- signed to look as it did in the 1920s. The Putnam Building, like the Liberty Theatre, is on the National Register of Historic Places. This means workers have had to conform to Na- tional Parks Service standards while doing renovation work, Mammen said. BUEHLER Continued from Page 1A 2nd Congressional District, which covers Central and Eastern Oregon. The Congressional seat opened when U.S. Rep. Greg Walden, R-Hood River, de- cided not to seek re-election next year. Buehler hinted at plans to run for the seat in October and made it offi cial Tuesday. “Many Oregonians are tired of being disrespected or ignored by Portland liberals and elite D.C. politicians,” Buehler said Tuesday in a press release. “In Congress, I will defend the values, rights and jobs threatened by the powerful arm of big govern- ment. I will be a conservative voice for the people and place I call home.” Buehler’s announcement comes about a year since he lost the governor’s race Staff photo by Dick Mason Jordan Alexander does electri- cal work Monday in the Putnam Building. Renovation of the historic building, part of the new Liberty Complex in downtown La Grande, could wrap up in early spring. Wallpaper in portions of the build- ing is from the old Palomar Club and will remain after the renovation. The restaurant and bar operated from 1948-53, Mammen said. The Palo- mar Club then moved to a new site in La Grande and was renamed the Tropidara and continued operating at least through the 1980s. to Kate Brown. The 2018 governor’s race was the most expensive in Oregon history. More than $35 million was raised between Brown and Buehler. The largest chunk went to television ads, primarily negative attack ads by the candidates on each other that blanketed the state. Buehler raised and spent more than $19 million during his campaign for governor. It set a new record for a Republican seeking statewide offi ce. The governor’s race was a rematch. Brown defeated Buehler in the 2012 race for secretary of state. Brown then became governor in February 2015 when Gov. John Kitzhaber resigned amid allegations of infl uence peddling in his administra- tion. Buehler said in October he had conversations with THE OBSERVER — 5A After the Palomar Club moved out, Wolfe’s Bakery occupied the spot from 1959 to 1968. Then came Jodi’s Hair Styling and Wigs, the children’s clothing store Genevieve’s, and 1210 Antique Store, which lasted from 1993 until the early 2000s, according to Jim Rygg, who owned the building from 1994 to 2014 when he sold it to the Liberty Theatre Foundation. The Mammens purchased the building from the Liberty Theatre Foundation in 2018. The sale agree- ment gives the foundation the fi rst right of refusal should the Putnam Building be put up for sale again. The Mammens’ renovation of the building has been funded with the help of a $100,000 grant from the Oregon Main Street Project earlier this year and $50,000 from the La Grande Urban Renewal Agency. For Dale Mammen, a retired attor- ney who initiated the drive to get the Liberty Theatre restored about 10 years ago, the building projects have been a labor of love. “It is a great retirement,” Mammen said. “I have enjoyed the opportunity to give something worthwhile back to the community.” People will have a chance to learn more about the complementary Put- nam Building and Liberty Theatre at 1010 Adams Ave. during an open house from 4-6 p.m. Friday. people who backed his past campaigns to gauge whether a run for Walden’s seat is a good idea. The Bend Republican considers himself fi scally conservative, but is more moderate than Walden on social issues such as abortion and LGBTQ rights. He is pro-choice and a supporter of gay marriage. The 2nd Congressional District is one of the largest in the country, covering more territory than any state east of the Mississippi River. The district includes all of East- ern and Central Oregon, and much of the southern part of the state. Walden’s departure leaves the seat up for grabs for the fi rst time in a generation. Walden won the heavily Republican district in 1998 and was reelected 10 more times, most recently last year. Walden always won with more than 60% of the vote — until Democrat Jamie McLeod-Skinner of Terrebonne held him to 56% in 2018. Buehler will face fi ve other Republican candidates for the congressional nomina- tion. Challengers are: State Senator Cliff Bentz, R- Ontario; former state Sen. Jason Atkinson; Mark Roberts, former Independent Party nominee for the con- gressional seat in 2018; Jeff Smith, a computer program- mer from Fairview; and Ken- neth Medenbach, who was a part of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge occupation in 2016. Three Democratic candi- dates have fi led to run for the nomination. The candi- dates are Medford resident John Holm, community or- ganizer Isabella Tibbetts and Raz Mason, a high school teacher from The Dalles. LEVY Continued from Page 1A “In order to be a successful farmer or rancher, by nature you’re a conservationist. You’re a steward of the land. Some people in urban areas get that, but many don’t.” Levy, who was born in La Grande, has experienced leadership in several differ- ent arenas. She represented Oregon’s 2nd Congressional District on the Oregon Fish & Wildlife Commission, which encompasses all of Eastern Oregon and is the state’s largest geographically. Levy eventually chaired the com- mission. She taught business classes at Blue Mountain Community College. She is president of the Eastern Oregon Women’s Coali- tion, which she cofounded, and helped establish the Eastern Oregon Economic Summit. She and her husband, Robert, co-manage their family farm near Echo where they raise hay, and Levy has a business raising guard- ian dogs to protect livestock against predators. Breeds include, Kuvasz, Kangal shepherd and Anatolian shepherd. Levy holds master’s degrees in education and business administration from Eastern Oregon Uni- versity and Portland State University. Levy said she plans on listening closely to constitu- ents about what they want and need. As a new ODFW commissioner in 2006, she visited all fi ve districts in a quest to discover what issues were most important to Oregonians. She said she plans to bring that same mindset to this new role. Of course, she said, she’ll keep the welfare of Eastern Oregonians top of mind. “I’m passionate about rural Oregon,” Levy said. “It’s where I live.” District 58 includes Union and Wallowa counties, part of Umatilla County and the Confeder- ated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation. Visit our Website for Rules & Details www.VisitUnionCounty.org NO MORE GUTTER CLEANING, OR YOUR MONEY BACK – GUARANTEED! 0 % AND! 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Miller recalled that Slodowski said the adviser who had taken over his mother’s ac- count claimed not to know anything about the arrangement. Slodowski did not work and was in the process of trying to fi le for disability due to a bad back according to Miller. State court records show Century 21 Eagle Cap Realty in March 2018 evicted Slodowski for not paying rent at WHISTLES Continued from Page 1A still hear it and I’ve never stopped loving it.” Others, however, see train whistles as a disruption and an annoyance. Landlords have said they have difficulty finding tenants for apartments near the tracks, and visitors have posted online reviews about not being able to sleep with the whistles going off. Calvary Chapel of La Grande sits right against the tracks at 1433 Jefferson Ave. Rob Collins, pastor for the church, said the whistles overpower his sermons at least twice during morning services. “It doesn’t interrupt the fl ow of things,” Collins said. “But we are very excited not to hear it anymore.” Pendleton established a Quiet Zone in the 1970s. Rail- road tracks cross city streets at 11 points. The community turned out for public hearings in the early 2000s to keep the whistle ban in place. “In Pendleton you have a train that ran through the middle of the town and you’re in a valley, so it echoed like the train was right next to you,” said Phil Houk, former mayor of the town and former risk manager 2414 Empire Drive, La Grande. Miller said with no money for rent, Slodowski had to fi nd somewhere else to live. “He said he’d moved all of his stuff into the storage unit and was going to have to call it his home,” Miller said. Miller soon lost the frequent contact he’d had with Slodowski, only seeing the man occasionally at Safeway or at town events. Slodowski also spent time at La Grande Stereo and Music, talking with those working there about music three to four times a week. Miller last saw Slodowski at the for Union Pacifi c Railroad. “Most people were generally happy about the Quiet Zone.” While reaction has been mixed in La Grande, the city went forward with pursuing the zone. The initial proposal to put four-quadrant gates at three of the crossings would have cost La Grande a minimum of $1.5 mil- lion. Further review found establishing the quiet zone would cut those cost with- out cutting public safety. La Grande shelled out more than $200,000 for the cross- ing improvements. Even with safety improve- ments, Houk said people need to take caution when crossing the tracks. “Trains can’t swerve around you on the tracks,” he said, “and they can’t stop immedi- ately.” Oktoberfest celebration Sept. 24, though he said the visit was brief. The most recent conversation before that run-in was in July, and Miller said Slodowski had shared he was ready to give up on life. After a long conversa- tion, the two parted ways with a plan to see each other at Oktoberfest. According to a news release from the La Grande Police Department, the last known contact anyone had with Slodowski was on Oct. 1. Police also re- ported Slodowski appeared to have died in October from natural causes. 541-786-8984 BEST Technology... Value... TV!... Add High Speed Internet /mo. 190 Channels America’s Top 120 CALL TODAY Save 20%! Subject to availability. Restrictions apply. Internet not provided by DISH and will be billed separately. 1-866-373-9175 Offer ends 11/13/19. 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