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About The Observer. (La Grande, Or.) 1968-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 27, 2019)
SPORTS Inside Measures rejected, 2A Big tire season, 1B Tigers sweep state awards FRIDAY-SUNDAY • December 27-29, 2019 • $1.50 Good day to our valued subscriber Fred Riggle of La Grande Imbler cold case from 1927 Union County S E T I EXC La Grande writer ■ Number of factors pushes board vote to end operations in 2019 By Dick Mason, The Observer E United Way calls it quits ight months ago, La Grande author Terrie Biggs took an unanticipated detour down a road fi lled with potholes, speed bumps and intrigue. Biggs emerged from this journey with a riveting story — one which may turn the thermostat up on one of Union County’s oldest cold cases. By Sabrina Thompson The Observer LA GRANDE — United Way of Eastern Oregon will close its doors the last day of 2019. Alex McHaddad, interim president of the La Grande- based charity, explained a number of factors played roles in pushing the organi- zation’s board to vote to end operations, including the structure of United Way of Eastern Oregon. Rather than have a specifi c focus or cause, he said, United Way of East- ern Oregon served as the collection point that passed contributions to other chari- ties and service organiza- tions in Union and Baker county, including Baker City Backpack program, the Mount Emily Safe Center and Shelter From the Storm. “Today people aren’t as familiar when funding is See Closure / Page 5A Staff photo by Dick Mason La Grande author Terrie Biggs explores an unsolved murder in Imbler from 1927 in her latest book, “The Unsolved Murder of John Mayfi eld and other stories and poems by Jerrold Winter Wright.” Biggs’ latest book details the 1927 murder of John Mayfi eld, a 45-year-old Elgin man. Mayfi eld was killed between 3 a.m. and 4 a.m. Dec. 27 by a gunshot to the head while sleeping inside an Imbler home not far from its front door. Biggs said Mayfi eld was sleeping in the home of Andy Coe, a man Mayfi eld knew and had been drinking with that night in Elgin. Nobody was ever charged for the murder, although Coe, who was in the home with his wife and children at the time of the shoot- ing, was held in a local jail as a suspect. He was released after a month behind bars, according to a Jan. 25, 1928, Observer story Biggs’ referenced in her book. She learned of the 1927 murder while working on a project about Jerrold Winter Wright, who was Mayfi eld’s great-nephew and died in 2010. Biggs, as a favor for Wright’s second wife, Carolyn (Howard) Wright, was transcrib- ing her late husband’s poems and written stories. “I volunteered because I wanted to help his family share his memories,” Biggs said. Biggs learned of the Mayfi eld homicide while transcribing Wright’s works, then began tena- ciously researching the murder not long after. Her book includes passages by Wright about the murder and plenty more. According to Wright, Mayfi eld was a bootlegger who made and sold alcohol during Prohibition. “Although he was never ar- rested for this, the law breathed down his neck a number of times,” Wright wrote. He also wrote about a fi ght Mayfi eld got into with two boys when he was about 11. He was so seriously injured a doctor thought he might die. Biggs said the beat- ing is believed to have had an emotional impact on Mayfi eld the rest of his life. WEATHER INDEX Classified ..... 3B Comics ......... 9B Crossword ... 6B Dear Abby .. 10B Horoscope ... 7B Lottery.......... 2A Obituaries .... 3A Opinion ........ 4A MONDAY Outdoors ..... 1B Spiritual Life 6A Sports .......... 7A Weather ..... 10B Oregon Capital Bureau See Display / Page 5A See Trainor / Page 5A By Dick Mason the roof of their home that are hard to fi nd today. “They don’t make these type of lights anymore,” Jill McCraw said. The display features thousands of colorful lights on their front roof, in- cluding heart-shaped confi gurations, a mass of striking lights covering the front exterior of their home, four 6-foot trees with strings of lights and an infl atable Santa in a sleigh in the front yard. By Claire Withycombe Jill McCraw credits her parents, Sam and Kari Rosti of Star, Idaho, with having a big infl uence on her family’s display. Her father purchased the infl atable Santa, and her mom taught her a lot about the art of put- ting up Christmas decorations while she was growing up in Star. McCraw also credits her husband and their young sons — Joey, Jace and Jordy — with providing her with See Cold Case / Page 5A ■ Union County Chamber of Commerce honors those who brighten winter nights LA GRANDE — Christmas lights of the past are helping a Union home sparkle in the present. The lights on display at Joel and Jill McCraw’s home at 780 Seren- ity Lane in Union won the Union County Chamber of Commerce’s honor as best decorated home in the county for 2019. The McCraw family’s display includes a type of fl ashing lights on ■ Graham Trainor sees young workers turning to labor movement PORTLAND — Graham Trainor has taken the helm at one of the state’s largest labor groups at a time when workers in Oregon — already a strong union state — ap- pear emboldened, engaging in ambitious bargaining, strikes and demonstrations. Trainor was elected in Sep- tember to become president of the Oregon AFL-CIO, a labor federation representing the interests of about 300,000 private and public sector workers. A longtime Oregon AFL- CIO staffer, Trainor is described by some as the heir apparent to Tom Cham- berlain, a widely respected labor leader who had led the federation since 2005. Union home has best holiday display The Observer Labor unions getting younger CONTACT US Full forecast on the back of B section Friday Saturday Sunday 26 LOW 37/29 36/28 Low clouds Partly sunny A shower or two 541-963-3161 Issue 151 2 sections, 18 pages La Grande, Oregon Email story ideas to news@lagrande observer.com . More contact info on Page 4A. A LOOK BACK AT THE YEAR THAT WAS Online at lagrandeobserver.com
