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THURSDAY • February 6, 2020 • $1.50
Not
guilty:
Senate
acquits
Trump
Good day to our valued subscriber Patty Hindman of La Grande
Winter work land
■ Article one falls
by 52-48 decision;
Article two goes
down, 53-47
By Lisa Mascaro
and Mary Clare Jalonick
The Associated Press
WASHINGTON — Presi-
dent Donald Trump won
impeachment acquittal
Wednesday in the U.S. Sen-
ate, bringing to a close only
the third presidential trial in
American history with votes
that split the country, tested
civic norms and fed the
tumultuous 2020 race for the
White House.
With Chief Justice John
Roberts presiding, senators
sworn to do “impartial jus-
tice” stood at their desks to
state their votes for the roll
call — “guilty” or “not guilty”
— in a swift tally almost
exclusively along party lines.
Visitors, including the presi-
dent’s allies, watched from
the crowded gallery. Roberts
read the declaration that
Trump “be, and is hereby,
acquitted of the charges.”
The outcome Wednesday
followed months of remark-
able impeachment proceed-
ings, from Speaker Nancy
Pelosi’s House to Mitch
McConnell’s Senate, refl ect-
ing the nation’s unrelenting
partisan divide three years
into the Trump presidency.
What started as Trump’s
request for Ukraine to “do
us a favor” spun into a far-
reaching, 28,000-page report
compiled by House investiga-
tors accusing an American
president of engaging in
shadow diplomacy that
threatened U.S. foreign rela-
tions for personal, political
gain as he pressured the ally
to investigate Democratic
rival Joe Biden ahead of the
next election.
No president has ever been
removed by the Senate.
A politically emboldened
See Trump / Page 5A
Staff photos by Phil Wright
Jeremy Jones and his children Jeremiah and Kylie shovel their driveway Wednesday in La Grande during the midst of the big snow storm that
moved over the region Tuesday night and prompted local school closures. Truckers to police to plow drivers took on dealing with the snow. Lo-
cals reported snow was anywhere from 8 - 14 inches deep around La Grande, including a measurement of 13-3/8 inches on North Third Street.
The National Weather Service reported 5.5. miles northeast of La Grande received 17.5 inches of snow.
CCNO bridges gaps in services Kids
Club to
close in
June
By Sabrina Thompson
The Observer
LA GRANDE — Com-
munity Connection of
Northeast Oregon is the
closest Union, Baker, Grant
and Wallowa counties have
to a one-stop shop for all
community services.
The nonprofi t organiza-
tion established in 1969 has
been working since then to
bring local communities the
programming and partner-
ships that help anyone who
needs it. Jeff Hensley, assis-
tant director at Community
Connection, said the model
works well.
“Instead of us doing ev-
erything and being spread
too thin, we can work with
other agencies,” he said.
Community Connection
provides an array of servic-
es, from housing assistance
to youth and senior pro-
gramming and health and
wellness programming. The
organization also is the lo-
cation of the Union County
Regional Food Bank, which
By Dick Mason
The Observer
Observer fi le photo
Raymie Blanchard examines onions in November 2019 at Community Connection
of Northeast Oregon’s Regional Food Bank, La Grande. Community Connection
serves Union, Baker, Grant and Wallowa counties.
INDEX
Business ...... 1B
Classified ..... 4B
Comics ......... 7B
Crossword ... 5B
Voetberg, chair of the board
at Neighbors Together, said
the partnership helps with
organization, especially
when there are donations
coming in from a variety of
sources.
is the distribution center for
21 food pantries across the
four counties.
One pantry, Neighbors
Together, has partnered
with Community Connec-
tion for years. Hannah
WEATHER
Dear Abby .... 8B
Horoscope ... 5B
Lottery.......... 2A
Obituaries .... 3A
SATURDAY
Opinion ........ 4A
Sports .......... 7A
Sudoku ........ 7B
Weather ....... 8B
“If you want to have a
comprehensive food bank,
you have to work with
CCNO,” Voetberg said. “If
these stores did donations
individually, it would be
See CCNO / Page 5A
Full forecast on the back of B section
Tonight
Friday
39 LOW
45/32
Rain and drizzle
Mainly cloudy
FUTURE BIZ LEADERS COMPETE
LA GRANDE — The
sounds of children playing
and laughing have reverber-
ated daily from this three-
story brick building at 2609
Second St. each fall, winter
and spring for the past 130
years.
Soon this joyful daily
clamor may be an echo of the
past at the Riveria Activity
Center in La Grande.
Kids Club, a certifi ed child
care center with education
features, run at Riveria by
Community Connection of
Northeast Oregon, is set to
close June 2. Community
Connection’s board of direc-
tors has voted to discontinue
it for fi nancial reasons.
See Kids Club / Page 5A
CONTACT US
HAVE A STORY IDEA?
541-963-3161
Call The Observer newsroom at
541-963-3161 or send an email to
news@lagrandeobserver.com.
More contact info on Page 4A.
Issue 16
3 sections, 26 pages
La Grande, Oregon
Online at lagrandeobserver.com