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About The Observer. (La Grande, Or.) 1968-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 20, 2020)
Sports Spor Inside Hove to call it a career, 2A Enterprise farmer able to fi nally move on, 1B EOU’s first lacrosse player Follow us on the web THURSDAY • February 20, 2020 • $1.50 Good day to our valued subscriber Roland Shaw of Cove Boy Scouts Verdict has BSA nearing ruins Wallowa County Union County Future of iconic inn looking pretty bleak Local shelter changes board ■ Legal issues have little effect on local troops ■ Blue Mountain Humane Association undergoes transition By Molly Young By Sabrina Thompson The Oregonian The Observer PORTLAND — The Boy Scouts of America fi led for bankruptcy, seeking protec- tion from a wave of sexual abuse lawsuits fi led by men and boys who say the organi- zation failed to protect them as Scouts. The monumental fi ling seeks to reckon with all abuse claims at once in a fi nal court process. By seek- ing Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, the national umbrella of the Boy Scouts signaled it hopes to survive after compensating what are expected to be thousands of victims. The move, while expected, is unprecedented. Never before has such a large and established nationwide youth nonprofi t fi led for bank- ruptcy. The organization fi led the court papers Tuesday just after midnight local time in Delaware, where the case will work its way through a federal bankruptcy court. The fi ling means the na- tional organization will be able to reorganize its funding while individual troops will continue to run their local units. “There is no signifi cant impact to us locally except the messaging that confuses people,” said Brett Bybee, ex- ecutive director for the Blue Mountain Boy Scout Council. Bybee explained the national organization is fi nancially separate from local units and the regional council, which wants to sup- port anyone who has been harmed while in Boy Scouts. “As a Boy Scout organiza- tion, we have a commitment to keep kids safe,” Bybee said. “Our program today is very safe. We have top of the line safety guidelines. We rec- ognize that there have been incidents in the past. Not in our council, but nationwide. We maintain we would like LA GRANDE — The Blue Mountain Humane Associa- tion has a new leader for the animal shelter. John Brinlee left as the or- ganization’s director. Beverly Beach is the new president of the association’s board of directors, and Erin Davis is the new shelter manager. The local association has been a partner with Union County and the sheriff’s offi ce animal control since 2016. Da- vis said this partnership may have lead people to believe police had been involved in the leadership change. However, Davis said, there has been no police involvement. Rumors in the community claimed police removed people from the shelter. La Grande police and Beach confi rmed nothing of the sort took place. The prior leadership was not without issues. In addition to Brinlee’s departure, other board members stepped down, along with treasurer Rae Trachel. Board meeting min- utes from June 2019 reported concerns over the director not properly handling funds. According to the minutes, the board drafted a new contract with Brinlee to address issues of overspending, not having enough detailed receipts to justify the spending and living arrangements, because during the time Brinlee was living on the shelter’s premise. There also was discus- sion of an investigation and internal audit. Davis said the volunteer board has been working hard during this changeover, in- cluding increasing the num- ber of members from four to eight with a ninth member coming on Monday. “We’re moving forward here,” she said. The Observer will follow- up with a fuller account of the situation at the shelter and association next week. Bill Bradshaw/EO Media Group The iconic, century-old Edelweiss Inn at Wallowa Lake Village is in need of a major restoration and can no longer hold events such as the Oregon Alpenfest. The inn’s owners, however, said restoration would cost far too much money. ■ Renovations of Wallowa County’s Edelweiss Inn proving too cost prohibitive By Bill Bradshaw, EO Media Group W ALLOWA LAKE VILLAGE — People in Wallowa County have long hoped for the restoration of the iconic Edelweiss Inn at Wallowa Lake. But it looks less and less like such a miracle will occur. “The cost is what’s making that thing impossible to restore. It would be a virtual rebuild,” co-owner Mike Lockhart said. “It would be a fairly major job.” The century-old building’s foundation, roof and fl ooring need work, he said, along with nearly everything in between. Lockhart and co-owner Bill Whittemore even looked into Oregon State Historic Preservation Offi ce grants for work on his- toric properties and archaeology projects. The annual Preserving Oregon grants pro- vide up to $20,000 in matching funds. But buildings must be listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Such a listing would be too restrictive for the partners’ liking, Lockhart said. Ten years ago, Lockhart and Whittemore had a construction company look at fully restoring the Edelweiss. The estimated cost was around $1.5 million. “There just isn’t enough business to fund that kind of development of the building. We’d need a lump sum of $3 million to re-do See Scouts / Page 5A See Inn / Page 5A EO Media Group fi le photo On the balcony of the Edelweiss Inn at Wallowa Lake, Swiss yodeler Arthur Brogli serenades diners at the 2014 Alpenfest breakfast. The Edelweiss hosted the Oregon Alpenfest from its inception in 1975 until the building was deemed too unsafe to use after the 2018 event. “The cost is what’s making that thing impossible to restore. It would be a virtual rebuild. It would be a fairly major job.” — Mike Lockhart, co-owner of the Edelweiss Inn at Wallowa Lake Oregon Legislature Republican lawmakers disrupt session ■ Rep. Greg Smith said legislation has area ‘feeling like we’re under the gun’ By Claire Withycombe, Jake Thomas and Sam Stites Oregon Capital Bureau SALEM — Republican lawmak- ers Tuesday put the brakes on the Oregon Legislature, disrupting an evening session of the House by Smith Kotek leaving in protest because they said their members needed more time to consider contentious bills. The House needs two-thirds of its 60 members to take votes. That INDEX Business ........1B Classified .......5B Comics ...........9B Crossword .....5B Helt WEATHER Dear Abby .... 10B Horoscope .....5B Lottery............2A Obituaries ......3A SATURDAY Opinion ..........4A Sports ............7A Sudoku ..........9B Weather ....... 10B means at least two Republicans must show up with Democrats to have a legal quorum. Just one — Rep. Cheri Helt, R-Bend — showed up for the fl oor work. Starting at 6 p.m., House Demo- crats milled about on the fl oor and chatted while waiting for enough other lawmakers to show up. They formed occasional huddles on the fl oor and in the sidebar. Rep. David Full forecast on the back of B section Tonight Friday 24 LOW 43/27 Partly cloudy Mostly sunny MERKLEY SPEAKS IN THE AREA Gomberg, D-Otis, at one point could be heard plunking out some notes on a piano that’s on the fl oor for musical performances. An hour in, when it was clear here would not be enough lawmakers to constitute a quorum, House Speaker Tina Kotek, D-Portland, issued retribution by gavel: She discharged Rep. Greg Smith, R-Heppner, from chairing a budget sub-committee, See Walkout / 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 22 3 sections, 26 pages La Grande, Oregon Online at lagrandeobserver.com
