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About The Observer. (La Grande, Or.) 1968-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 18, 2019)
2A — THE OBSERVER WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 18, 2019 LOCAL Officials get look at new fire truck D AILY P LANNER TODAY Today is Wednesday, Dec. 18, the 352nd day of 2019. There are 13 days left in the year. By Bill Bradshaw EO Media Group TODAY’S HIGHLIGHT On Dec. 18, 1998, the House debated articles of impeachment against President Bill Clinton. South Carolina carried out the nation’s 500th execution since capital punishment resumed in 1977. ON THIS DATE In 1787, New Jersey be- came the third state to ratify the U.S. Constitution. In 1865, the 13th Amend- ment to the Constitution, abolishing slavery, was de- clared in effect by Secretary of State William H. Seward. In 1916, during World War I, the 10-month Battle of Verdun ended with French troops succeeding in repulsing a major German offensive. In 1917, Congress passed the 18th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution prohibit- ing “the manufacture, sale, or transportation of intoxi- cating liquors” and sent it to the states for ratifi cation. In 1940, Adolf Hitler signed a secret directive ordering preparations for a Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union. (Operation Barbarossa was launched in June 1941.) In 1944, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the govern- ment’s wartime evacuation of people of Japanese de- scent from the West Coast while at the same time rul- ing that “concededly loyal” Americans of Japanese ancestry could not continue to be detained. In 1956, Japan was admit- ted to the United Nations. In 1957, the Shippingport Atomic Power Station in Pennsylvania, the fi rst nuclear facility to gener- ate electricity in the United States, went on line. In 1972, the United States began heavy bombing of North Vietnamese targets during the Vietnam War. Staff photo by Sabrina Thompson Union County deputy sheriff Tony Humphries helps Owen Quintanilla shop for his family Tuesday at the Island City Walmart during Shop with a Cop. Bringing Christmas joy ■ Local law enforcement officers hold annual Shop with a Cop event at Walmart By Sabrina Thompson The Observer LA GRANDE — Fifteen local elementary school students had the opportunity Tuesday to shop for their family alongside local law enforce- ment offi cers at Walmart during La Grande’s 11th annual Shop with a Cop event. Members of the La Grande Police Department, Union County Sheriff’s Offi ce and Oregon State Police took children around the store with $150 each to spend on parents, siblings and other relatives. Once the children com- pleted their lists, they could pick out an item for themselves. Each child also went home with a $100 Safeway gift card, and those whose family did not have a Christmas tree received one. “It is a great one-on-one relation- ship we get to have with the kids while they’re shopping,” La Grande police Sgt. Jason Hays said. “We build that relationship and they can see the po- lice are someone safe they can go to.” Hays has been coordinating the event since 2008 when he heard about other police departments offering shop Eastern students help feed hungry By Sabrina Thompson The Observer LOTTERY Megabucks: $7.5 million 8-23-26-30-32-43 Mega Millions: $40 million 22-30-53-55-56-16-x2 Powerball: $160 million 3-6-12-32-64-13-x3 Win for Life: Dec. 16 4-12-49-58 Pick 4: Dec. 17 • 1 p.m.: 9-9-7-6 • 4 p.m.: 9-1-6-3 • 7 p.m.: 3-5-3-8 • 10 p.m.: 2-2-7-1 Pick 4: Dec. 16 • 1 p.m.: 8-0-0-2 • 4 p.m.: 5-9-8-2 • 7 p.m.: 1-4-6-2 • 10 p.m.: 7-9-5-1 NEWSPAPER LATE? Every effort is made to de- liver your Observer in a timely manner. Occasionally condi- tions exist that make delivery more diffi cult. If you are not on a motor route, delivery should be before 5:30 p.m. If you do not receive your paper by 5:30 p.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. with a cop programs. Hays said public support for the event has grown over the years with businesses and pri- vate donations occurring year-round to supplement a $2,000 grant from Walmart. The offi cers who participate volunteer their time in helping the kids shop, wrap their gifts, eat lunch with them and help bring the kids and the gifts back home after the event. “We get to give back something positive to the community,” Hays said. “Everyone benefi ts from this, the par- ents, the offi cers, the kids, they all get something out of it.” Most of the children did not need the full two hours they had to shop, though many wandered back and forth around the store. Toys and clothes fi lled the carts that each offi cer pushed around, and as the morning went on the youth opened up, their timid greetings at the beginning of the morning evolving into camaraderie. “It is so fun to see (the children’s comfort level change). When they fi rst get off the bus they aren’t sure about giving you a high fi ve, and then as the day goes on they warm up to LA GRANDE — An Eastern Oregon University sociology class did its part in helping those in need by collecting nearly 500 pounds of food and toiletries during a project partnering with Haven from Hunger, an emergency food pantry started by EOU students. Bill Grigsby, EOU professor of sociology who teaches the social welfare class, assigned his students a project regarding the topic, and after conversa- tion about the needs of the community, they selected a food drive. “The project has multiple goals,” Grigsby said. “One, to alleviate household food in- security. Two, to build social capital — that is, work with community partners such as schools, public agencies, nonprofi ts. Three, to raise awareness of the problem in the community and dispel the notion that it is some- how caused by laziness and lack of motivation, rather than poverty, struggle and hard choices. Four, to reduce the stigma people feel around asking for help.” Students visited 99 houses in the Eagle Cap area and along N Avenue in La Grande to speak with residents about the need for food and toiletries in the community. They left bags for those who were not home to put items into and came back on a third day to collect donations. They gathered a total of 496 pounds of donations that will stock the food pan- try at the Koinonia House, or K House, at 900 Sixth St., where Haven for Hunger operates its pantry. “It started out as another grade in the class (but) it FAMILY OWNED you more,” said state trooper Kainoa Delatori. During the shopping trip, Alicia Wimer, mother of student shopper Tobias Wimer, ran into her son and the offi cer with him, joking she wasn’t looking into the cart. She said she is grateful her son has the opportunity to participate. “I’m really happy for him,” she said. “It feels really good. The idea that he can give gifts to his family makes my heart melt.” Once the children had selected their gifts, they had pizza and drinks with their shopping partners. Hays said this allows the children even more time to get to know the law enforcement offi cers and form a bond with them. Many of the offi cers at the event said interacting with the kids and seeing the joy on their faces is the reason they participate in the annual event. “My favorite part was getting myself a gift,” said Matthew Lopez, who was paired with state trooper Chas Koenig, then added, “and getting my family things because Christmas is about family and giving.” became more interesting,” sociology junior Megan Boals said. “We are alleviat- ing the need for those who are hungry and helping keep the pantry going.” In the study of sociol- ogy, students are working toward understanding different perspectives that make up society, including the perspective of those who can’t afford basic needs. “Food is essential to life, and I believe that everyone should have access to it,” junior Maliah Russell said. “I am humbled that I am doing my part in helping our community, and I am humbled in the fact that so many community members were willing to donate and help make this small food drive successful.” This drive is one of the smaller ones, compared to the multiple drives hap- pening during the holiday season. However, according to Grigsby, no matter the size of the drive, it helps provide a vital service to those who need food in case of emergency. “We are a small player in the overall food bank system,” Grigsby said. “But we do fi ll a niche for those in urgent need of a few days’ worth of food, when food stamps may be exhausted and the monthly food bank has not yet arrived. But it’s been good for those students who have participated.” ENTERPRISE — Enter- prise city offi cials got their fi rst look at the Enterprise Fire Department’s latest ad- dition Monday, Dec. 9 — a new pumper/tender truck made by Pierce Manufactur- ing in Florida. The truck, which holds 3,000 gallons of water for extinguishing blazes, arrived Nov. 25 to replace a 1978 tender in which the engine blew a year and a half ago, Fire Chief Paul Karvoski said. He showed the truck to the offi cials before last week’s city council meeting. The $272,000 truck was paid mostly through a federal Assistance to Firefi ghters Grant, but only cost the city $11,000, he said, adding the annual competitive grant for $500 million had 45,000 ap- plications this year. “We got lucky,” he said. “I’m glad we fi nally got a new truck.” The department’s fl eet now is comprised of two 1,600-gal- lon pumper/tenders, one of which is considered the “fi rst- out truck,” Karvoski said. The new truck, also a pumper/ten- der, holds nearly double the water. The fl eet also has two rescue trucks, a ladder truck for reaching tall structures, a city pumper designed to connect to city fi re hydrants and a wildland truck with a 350-gallon tank designed for use on grassfi res. Karvoski said the new truck brings the department up to speed. While it was down a truck, the depart- ment was able to rely on the two other pumper/tenders and, he said, in an emergen- cy, they have a mutual-aid agreement with the Joseph Fire Department. Although the department now is fully equipped, there are needs for the future, Karvoski said. He’s prepar- ing to apply for another grant through the same program to replace old, underperforming extrication equipment often used to extract people trapped in crashed vehicles, but also to tear through metal doors, cages and anything else fi re- fi ghters need to get into. La GRANDE AUTO REPAIR 975-2000 www.lagrandeautorepair.com MOST ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY AVAILABLE Joe Horst ACDelcoTSS This offer won’t hang around long. Subscribe today! THE OBSERVER’S SPECIAL HOLIDAY GIFT TO YOU Buy a three month subscription to T HE O BSERVER and get one month free! Offer for new and existing subscribers QUOTE OF THE DAY “Whoever wants to be a judge of human nature should study people’s excuses.” — Christian Friedrich Hebbel, German poet and dramatist Act fast - offer valid through December 31, 2019 215 Elm Street La Grande (541) 963-5440 northwestfurnitureandmattress.com To take advantage of this special offer please call the office at 541-963-3161 or our call center at 1-800-781-3214
