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SATURDAY-MONDAY • March 14, 2020
Sheriff’s race
Sheriff ’s
group
now backs
deputy
Observer staff
LA GRANDE —
The Union County Law
Enforcement Association
changed who it is endorsing
for sheriff in the primary
election.
The local union in early
November
2019 endorsed
Sheriff Boyd
Rasmussen,
who is running
reelection.
But Thursday
Bowen
the associa-
tion changed
its tune and
reported it now
backed deputy
Cody Bowen.
Bowen was
Rasmus-
the president
sen
of the asso-
ciation when
it unanimously supported
Rasmussen, stating in the
endorsement letter that
during his 15 years as
sheriff he lead with “Hon-
esty, Excellence, Respect,
Integrity, Firmness, and
Fairness with Compassion
and Courage.”
Bowen at the end of Jan-
uary entered the race for
sheriff and stepped down
as president of the local.
Thursday, sheriff’s detec-
tive Jason Mckaig, the
new association presi-
dent, announced the group
“reconsidered and re-voted
for an endorsement of a
candidate for the 2020
Union County Sheriff’s
Election.”
According to the state-
ment, the association
“agreed that it would be
best to re-vote once Deputy
Cody Bowen made the
decision to run for Sheriff
of Union County. Cody
Bowen was not in the can-
didacy at the original time
of our vote.”
Rasmussen, Bowen, and
the other two challengers
in the race, Bill Miller of
Elgin and Shane Rollins of
Cove addressed the union,
according to Mckaig, and
the association was “proud
to announce we offi cially
endorse Cody Bowen for
Union County Sheriff.”
“It feels good to have
that support,” Bowen said.
“I didn’t ask for it, so it is
very humbling.”
While the endorsement
for Rasmussen noted the
vote was unanimous, the
See Sheriff / Page 5A
•
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Coronavirus
THE VIRAL EFFECT
 From schools to
movies, community
is feeling the effect
of coronavirus
By Phil Wright
The Observer
LA GRANDE —
Alexia Brigg’s cell phone
lit up again and again
Friday morning.
“I’ve been getting tons
of text messages from par-
ents asking if I’m going to
be open,” she said.
Briggs operates the
state-licensed Sweet Pea
Daycare with her mother
in La Grande. She cares
for about 16 children from
as young as a few months
to 13 years. The mes-
sages came in the wake of
Oregon Gov. Kate Brown’s
order late Thursday to shut
down K-12 schools state-
wide for two weeks begin-
ning Monday, the latest
fallout in the new corona-
virus crisis.
Anxious parents were
eager to fi nd out if Sweet
Pea would be running.
Briggs said she would be
open, but she’s usually full.
She said she has heard of
local parents taking the
week off work to care for
their children and offering
to care for others. That
Staff photo by Ronald Bond
Patrons gather ahead of an afternoon movie showing Friday at the Granada Theatre in La Grande. The movie house
is just one of several local businesses that could be impacted by the coronavirus.
INSIDE
For a list of local
cancellations, see
Page 5A.
could be problematic.
Oregon law, she
explained, allows an adult
to care for three children
who are not their own. But
add a fourth, she said, and
the adult needs a day care
license. Given the situa-
tion with the virus, she said
she hoped the state would
be a lenient with parents
in those situations. She
also said she had not been
expecting the announce-
ment about the school
closures.
“This is similar to
summer,” she said, “but
it’s something that’s being
thrown on you — for
summer you can prepare.”
Organizations of all
stripes nixed outings, gath-
erings and fundraisers.
(For the latest list, see the
accompanying sidebar.)
Eastern Oregon University,
La Grande, announced stu-
dents will take fi nal exams,
which begin Monday, via
remote access and not in
person. The university also
suspended all non-essential
travel and activities until
further notice.
The effects of dealing
with the virus and trying
to curtail the outbreak also
touched on the Granada
Theatre.
La Grande’s lone movie
house shows fi rst-run
fl icks, but studios are
See Effects / Page 5A
Boost coming to fi ne
arts in local schools
 $90,000 to help
purchase musical
equipment,
including baby
grand piano
By Dick Mason
The Observer
Staff photo by Sabrina Thompson
Quilt Quester Kathy Parish works on a baby blanket Thursday morning. Quilts from
the local group are on display at Cook Memorial Library, La Grande, until May 19.
Fabric art on display
 Local Quilt
Questers club
builds community
with stitches
By Sabrina Thompson
The Observer
UNION — Every
week, a group of women
come together in the
basement of the Union
Methodist Church with
fabric and thread to make
quilts. The Cook Memo-
rial Library, La Grande,
has some of these works
on display in an annual
exhibit showcasing the
creativity of the Quilt
Questers, a group focused
on building community.
The Quilt Questers
began in the 1980s as a
way to help with outreach
for the church.
The group has gone
from eight or 10 people
to more than 100 quilters
and now has around 40
members.
Earlene Lamb, former
Quilt Questers president,
said having a strong orga-
nizational system has
helped the group maintain
a steady membership.
“It is amazing what an
email list and Facebook
page will do,” she said.
See Quilts / Page 5A
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Lamb and other mem-
bers described the group
as a place of support
and conversation. For
those who join with little
knowledge of quilting,
Lamb said there is always
someone ready to assist.
She explained the group
has a culture of helping
one another whenever
needed.
“The quilters are
like family,” Lamb said.
“Especially for those who
might not have family in
the area. We look out for
each other.”
The organization also
LA GRANDE — The
La Grande School Dis-
trict’s fi ne arts program
will get a big boost in
2020-21.
The program is set
to receive an addi-
tional $90,000 from the
school district for the
purchase of new music
and art equipment and
curriculum materials.
Scott Carpenter, the
school district’s educa-
tional director, made
the announcement
Wednesday at a meeting
of the La Grande School
Board.
The district’s elemen-
tary school music pro-
gram will be among the
biggest benefi ciaries of
the additional funding.
The funding will allow for
the purchase of 35 violins,
four cellos and two basses
for the school district’s
strings program. This is
an after-school program,
known as the Fiddle Club,
which Central Elemen-
tary School music teacher
Carla Arnold runs for 65
students in grades three
through eight.
In addition, the dis-
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trict’s three elementary
schools offer supervised
instrument practice time
to students for one hour a
week.
Arnold said the new
instruments will give
the Fiddle Club a tre-
mendous lift because the
instruments it now has
are aging. She also said it
gives her hope the school
district may someday
reinstate its orchestra pro-
gram, which it cut in the
1980s.
“It (the additional
funding) helps in many
ways, emotionally and
vision wise,” Arnold said.
The funding also will
cover the cost of new
music curriculum, per-
cussion instruments and a
full set of risers for all of
the elementary schools for
choir concerts.
An addition, the new
funding helps cover the
cost of a grand piano for
high school auditorium.
The district will purchase
the piano for $20,000
from Ontario. The Tiger
Booster Club will pay half
of this cost.
“I’m extremely grateful
to the Tiger Booster
Club,” said Kevin Durfee,
the choir teacher at the
middle school and high
school.
The grand piano will
be a big step up from what
the one now in the high
school auditorium.
“It is a professional
See Grant / Page 5A
CONTACT US
541-963-3161
Issue 32
2 sections, 14 pages
La Grande, Oregon
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