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About The Observer. (La Grande, Or.) 1968-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 20, 2019)
Sports Inside GOL could join hybrid FRIDAY-SUNDAY • December 20-22, 2019 • $1.50 La Grande Student art on display at Cook High-speed chase ends in crash, arrest, 2A Not tired of tying, 1B Good day to our valued subscriber Susan Manley of La Grande Eruption puts doctor on the FRONT LINES Union County County board OKs fee increase ■ Eastern Oregon University works showcased at library ■ 15% hike for food service licenses goes into effect in first of the new year By Sabrina Thompson By Dick Mason The Observer The Observer LA GRANDE — The art of select Eastern Oregon Uni- versity students is on display at Cook Memorial Library, La Grande. Paintings and screen prints from Susan Murrell’s beginning and intermediate art classes at the university hang near the circulation desk and young adult fi ction section. “As an artist, having others view your work is the end of the process and the begin- ning of the conversation,” Murrell said. Students fi nished the works during fall term. The pieces took anywhere from a couple of days to two weeks to complete, from concept to ready-to-display. Some pieces feature landscapes and the beauty of the area, while oth- ers highlight people or topics important to the artists. Student Mary Edwards said her grandmother, who died last month, was the inspiration for her print, “Honey.” “Her nickname was ‘Honey,’ and I wanted to make a memorial piece that I felt showed her personality: bright, happy and busy as a bee,” Edwards said. The image of her grand- mother came from a photo Edwards had. After manipu- lating the photo in Adobe Photoshop to add roses and bees, she used a stencil through different printings in cerulean, magenta, yellow and black. “I wanted to fi nd a way to show my grandmother respect because she was always loving toward her family,” Edwards said about the fi nished print. Jan Ng’s two acrylic paint- ings come from Murrell’s class assignment dealing with realism and Valentine, based at Whakatane Hospital, 30 miles south of White Island, treated many of the survi- vors right after the volcano blew, an unanticipated event that left at least 16 people dead and more than two dozen injured. The physician is the son of Eric and Meg Valentine of La Grande. Eric Valentine reported when his son arrived at Whakatane shortly after the eruption, the hospital, about the size of Grande Ronde Hospital, had 20 patients from the eruption. “They all suffered from various degrees of steam burns from the brief but intense steam and ash eruption on White Island,” Eric Valentine said, discussing what his son told him. Medical staff treated and released a few of the patients but others need- ed critical care, placing enormous stress on the hospital personnel. “They were spread very thin,” Eric Valentine said. The New Zealand Herald LA GRANDE — The fees Union County restaurant owners pay for food service licenses will jump beginning January. The Union County Board of Commissioners voted Wednesday to approve a request from the Center of Human Development to boost the annual fees for food service licenses by 15%. The increase also applies to the owners of public pools and spas and the owners of tour- ist facilities including motels. The fees — part of the Environment Health Services Program — cover the cost of CHD’s inspections to ensure restaurants, motels and pools and spas are safe for the com- munity. The county board approved the fee hike after Carrie Brogoitti, public health administrator for the center, told the county board on Dec. 4 the license fees for those providing these services have not changed since 2014. Increasing the fees this much, she explained, would equate to raising them 3% each year since 2014. Rico Weber, fi nancial coor- dinator for the center, told the commissioners on Wednesday the CHD has been able to transfer money from other programs with stronger fund- ing into the Environment Health Services Program to compensate for the lack of revenue. Thus the program was not self supporting. The fee increases take effect in January. Some of the new higher license fees include $507 for a restaurant with 15 or fewer seats, and $725 for a restaurant with at least 150 seats. The food service license fee for operat- ing a bed-and-breakfast will be $217 a year. The fees for See Art / Page 5A See Volcano / Page 5A Photo by Eric Valentine Meg Valentine and her son, Matt Valentine, pose for a photo in 2009 in front of the volcano on White Island, New Zealand. The volcano erupted Dec. 9, killing at least 16 people. Matt Valentine is a doctor there and treated survivors at a hospital emergency department. By Dick Mason, The Observer LA GRANDE — The stunning Dec. 9 volcanic eruption on New Zealand’s White Island jolted the small nation and the life of Dr. Matt Valentine, an emergency room physician with deep La Grande roots. Photo courtesy of the New Zealand Herald A recent view of the eruption at White Island, New Zealand. White Island, also known as Whakaari, erupted while 47 people were visiting the volcano, which is about 30 miles off the coast of New Zealand’s North Island. See Fees / Page 5A Weather poses risks as holiday approaches ■ AAA Oregon/Idaho says 1.4 million Oregonians expected to travel during this holiday season By Alex Castle EO Media Group PENDLETON — More Ameri- cans will be traveling this holiday season than ever before, but if those in Eastern Oregon want to join them, they’ll need to be prepared for the risks of winter weather in the region. A report from AAA Oregon/ Idaho said a record-breaking 115.6 million Americans, and 1.4 million Oregonians are expected to travel 50 miles or more between Sunday and Jan. 1. More than 90% of those travelers, the report said, will travel INDEX Outdoors ..... 1B Classified ..... 2B Comics ......... 7B Crossword ... 4B See Travel / Page 5A WEATHER Dear Abby .... 8B Horoscope ... 3B Lottery.......... 2A Obituaries .... 3A MONDAY Opinion ........ 4A Sports .......... 7A Sudoku ........ 7B Weather ....... 8B Observer fi le photo Cars and semis wait for the reopening of Interstate 84 in 2016 along Oregon Highway 203 near the Flying J Travel Plaza. Weather could cause travel issues during the holiday season. CONTACT US Full forecast on the back of B section Friday Saturday Sunday 39 LOW 44/34 43/28 Cloudy Cloudy and breezy Mostly cloudy UPSIDE DOWN CHRISTMAS TREE 541-963-3161 Issue 149 2 sections, 16 pages La Grande, Oregon Email story ideas to news@lagrande observer.com . More contact info on Page 4A. Online at lagrandeobserver.com
