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About The Observer. (La Grande, Or.) 1968-current | View Entire Issue (April 18, 2020)
COMMUNITY SATURDAY, APRIL 18, 2020 COMMUNITY Local streaming Meetings channel now available • UNION — The Union Rural Fire Protection District’s board will hold its monthly board meeting by video confer- encing Tuesday, April 21, at 7 p.m. Anyone from the public who would like to join may email union.rfpd@outlook. com for instructions. Union County Senior Center takeout lunch menu Pickup from 11:30 a.m.- 12:30 p.m. at 1504 N. Albany St., La Grande For delivery, call 541-963- 7532 before 10 a.m. Age 60+, $3 suggested donation; all others, $5 April 20-24 Monday: Swiss patty melt with sautéed onions, mushrooms and brown gravy, mashed potatoes, salad greens, rolls, fruit. Tuesday: Reuben sandwich, potato salad, fruit garnish, light dessert. Wednesday: spaghetti, Caesar salad, garlic bread, berry cobbler. Thursday: cashew chicken casserole, broiled tomatoes, vegetable salad, rolls, fruit tarts. Friday: handcrafted pizza, salad greens, fresh fruit, cookies. Observer staff LA GRANDE — The Blue Mountain Trans- lator District has launched the streaming version of a local TV channel, avail- able online at www.bmtd. org/now. The district board in March approved the plan to get a public access channel going as soon as pos- sible due to the COVID-19 crisis. The board in a press release reported the over- the-air station, Channel 16-4, remains in devel- opment but could begin broadcasting this month. In the meantime, the district is partnering with local governments to lives- tream public meetings and facilitate community par- ticipation. Additionally, local government meetings are archived on BMTD’s website for on-demand viewing. The Blue Mountain Translator District also announced it will stream educational programming. “Content creators in the community interested in distributing their local pho- tographs, videos and pod- casts on the channel are welcome to contact the district,” according to the press release. The organization will run public service announcements for local governments and non- profi ts at no charge. The district will stream other news of public benefi t at its discretion. The nonprofi t local gov- ernment special district receives funding through $100 annual service charges. “It is more important than ever for antenna TV viewers who avoid payment to begin contributing so that news and information continue to reach Northeast Oregon,” the district stated in the announcement. “BMTD welcomes dona- tions and underwriting for station operations from the corporate community, and will recognize sponsors on air and online in accor- dance with FCC rules.” For more information, contact Executive Director Alex McHaddad at 541- 963-0196 or email bmtd. org@gmail.com. Sheriff ’s unit rescues couple stuck in snow on Mount Harris ELGIN — An Elgin couple who went out Thursday four-wheeling in their 1994 Chevrolet S10 Blazer ended up stuck in snow on Mount Harris overnight before rescuers found them. The Union County Sheriff’s Offi ce in a press release reported the couple called Friday at 3:17 a.m. and said they were stuck at about the 4,100-foot ele- vation level and were not sure where they were. “We were able to ‘ping’ the phone (which is not always particularly accu- rate), and started our only patrol deputy that way,” sheriff’s Capt. Craig Ward said in the press release. The sheriff’s offi ce acti- vated its search-and-rescue unit at about 5 a.m. Two teams, one in a four-wheel-drive pickup with chains and the other in a tracked side-by-side utility vehicle, headed into the location. A sher- iff’s deputy and one of the rescue teams found the couple, who were uninjured. The sheriff’s offi ce also reported that the ride off the mountain was not smooth. “The patrol vehicle began to transport the sub- jects out, but became stuck three times due to eleva- tion change and warmer temperatures,” according to the release. Search and rescue had to help in freeing the vehicle, and all units made it back to a main road by noon. The sheriff’s deputy gave the couple a ride to their home. THE OBSERVER — 3A Enterprise fi refi ghters extinguish chimney blaze By Bill Bradshaw EO Media Group ENTERPRISE — Two fi re trucks and several fi re- fi ghters from the Enter- prise Fire Department responded to 603 Depot St. Wednesday afternoon to extinguish a chimney fi re. Assistant Fire Chief Dan Niezen said the likely cause was a build-up of creosote. Glenda Cummins owns the home. She said she expected her place sustained some water damage. No one was injured in the fi re. The call to 911 came in at 2:40 p.m., Niezen said. Cummins said her hus- band, Rob, fi rst saw smoke from the kitchen window. She said they sprayed fi re extinguishers into the fi rebox of the fi replace insert, which nearly extin- guished the blaze. “We’d gotten it taken care of and about the time the fi re department rolled in, it fl ared up again,” she said. “This is a stubborn one,” Niezen said. “It just Photo by Bill Bradshaw/EO Media Group Enterprise volunteer fi refi ghters Tyler Micka, left, and Chuck Simpson feed a hose down a chimney at 603 De- pot St., Enterprise, Wednesday. Assistant Fire Chief Dan Niezen said it appeared a buildup of creosote caused the chimney fi re. doesn’t want to go out.” The fi re department cleared the scene later that afternoon. Niezen said he attended a similar call to the same address about 20 years ago. PUBLIC SAFETY REPORT WEDNESDAY THURSDAY 12:51 a.m. — A caller reported a possible domes- tic disturbance on the 2400 block of Riddle Road, La Grande. Law enforcement arrived and talked to the people involved. 10:04 a.m. — A La Grande resident on the 1500 block of 21st Street complained about loud music. A La Grande police offi cer and Union County sheriff’s deputy arrived and resolved the problem. 9:55 a.m. — A caller reported a burglary on the 62000 block of Chandler Lane, La Grande. A Union County sheriff’s dep- uty contacted the caller and planned to follow up. 2:16 p.m. — La Grande police received a report of vandalism on the 2200 block of Fir Street. 8:52 p.m. — Law enforce- ment and emergency services responded to a traffi c crash on Foxhill Road, La Grande. Bran- don R. Gaines, 35, suffered minor injuries and received a citation for driving under the infl uence of intoxicants. 10:50 p.m. — La Grande police responded to the 2900 block of Third Street on a report of a car prowler in the area. An offi cer did not fi nd anyone suspicious. FRIDAY 12:17 a.m. — La Grande police received a report of a possible disturbance on the 2400 block of R Avenue. OBITUARIES Norvin ‘Skip’ Coles Jr. Formerly of La Grande • 1950-2020 Norvin “Skip” Coles Jr., 70, of Baker City and for- merly of La Grande, died April 13. A celebration of his life will be held at a later date. Known as Skip, he was born March 18, 1950, to Norvin Sr. and Eleanor Coles. He was raised in La Grande and partici- pated in both Cub and Boy Scouts. In 1965 he won the NRA Junior Indoor Rifl e Championship. Skip grad- uated from La Grande High school in 1968. As a young teenager, Skip worked for Bro- goitti farms. He worked there until he went to the big city of Portland for employment. In 1975, Skip married Debby Doud. They divorced in 1998. In 1976, Skip welcomed his daughter, Tiffany, into the world, which was a proud and memorable moment in his life. Skip settled on a job working for Boise Cascade in Elgin. He and his young family moved to Cove and later to North Powder, where he had quite a com- mute to work. After 36 years, Skip retired and moved to Baker City. Skip had a natural green thumb. He loved plants and at one time probably had more than 200 houseplants. His gar- dening did not end inside, The most valuable and respected source of local news, advertising and information for our communities. eomediagroup.com and his yard was the delight of the whole neigh- borhood. Skip’s favorite color was blue, which was evident since his ward- robe was almost entirely blue. He also liked col- lecting all kinds of glass- ware that he displayed in his home. Skip had a fond- ness for cats and espe- cially enjoyed spending time with his Siamese cat Thomas. Skip never met a stranger, which was some- thing he learned from his parents. He loved his family and always stayed in touch with all his cousins. Survivors include his daughter, Tiffany Coles and her companion, Blaine Sanchez, of Baker City; brother, James Coles of Kansas City, Missouri; sister, Karen Coles of La Grande; longtime com- panion, Carlis; three grandchildren and one great-grandchild; and numerous nieces, nephews and cousins. He was preceded in death by his parents, Norwin and Eleanor Coles, and baby brother, Richard Coles. Memorial donations may be made to a charity of your choice in care of Tami’s Pine Valley Funeral Home and Cre- mation Services, P.O. Box 543, Halfway 97834. Online condolences may be shared at www. tamispinevalleyfuneral- home.com. La GRANDE AUTO REPAIR 975-2000 Upcoming local services are pending due to efforts to curb the spread of the coronavirus. Beverly Hays We are in this together, and no matter the situation we will be here for you. We have received a dramatic increase in calls from families wanting to pre-arrange their funeral or final wishes, but who are uncertain how to proceed with the social distancing restrictions. At Loveland Funeral Chapel we have designed and implemented a new pro- gram so we can help everyone during these uncertain times. Your safety and privacy are important to us. If you are uncomfortable meeting with us in per- son at this time, we understand. You can prearrange all of your wishes and plans in the secruity of your own home, using the mail, phone, as well as electronic media. If you would like more information please call us and we will help you. Elgin Beverly Hays, 87, of Elgin, died April 14 at her home. Arrangements are by Daniels-Knopp Funeral, Cremation & Life Celebra- tion Center of La Grande. 1508 4th St., La Grande 541.963.5022 www.lovelandfuneralchapel.com DOC TALK Q&A: COVID-19 (NOVEL CORONAVIRUS 2019) A: Travel limitations have now been recommended by our Governor, the President, local and state Public Health Departments, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Unless your job requires it, or you have a special exception due to family needs, I urge you to stay home and practice physical distancing. Countries and US states that have initiated “no travel” recommendations have a much lower and slower spread rate of COVID-19. Limiting travel, along with good hand hygiene and physical distancing have been the best ways of preventing viral spread. -Brian Reynolds, MD, GRH Emergency Department Physician Your trusted GRH doctors are answering your COVID-19-related questions through this Doc Talk Q&A series. For more information on physical distancing and Oregon ’s coronavirus response, visit healthoregon.org/coronavirus. www.lagrandeautorepair.com MOST ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY AVAILABLE Joe Horst ACDelcoTSS As we navigate COVID-19, we want to be sure and remind you that the safety and health of our patients, staff and community is our number one concern. We are working closely with CHD, OHA, and other partners to respond appropriately and as effectively as possible. For the latest updates from GRH, visit our web page dedicated to COVID-19 News & Updates: grh.org/covid19.
