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About The Observer. (La Grande, Or.) 1968-current | View Entire Issue (May 14, 2020)
2A — THE OBSERVER DAILY PLANNER TODAY Today is Thursday, May 14, the 135th day of 2020. There are 231 days left in the year. TODAY’S HIGHLIGHT On May 14, 1940, the Netherlands surrendered to invading German forces during World War II. ON THIS DATE In 1643, Louis XIV became King of France at age 4 upon the death of his father, Louis XIII. In 1796, English physician Edward Jenner inoculated 8-year-old James Phipps against smallpox by using cowpox matter. In 1804, the Lewis and Clark expedition to explore the Louisiana Territory as well as the Pacifi c Northwest left camp near present-day Hartford, Illinois. In 1863, Union forces defeated the Confederates in the Battle of Jackson, Mississippi. In 1948, according to the current-era calendar, the independent state of Israel was proclaimed in Tel Aviv by David Ben-Gurion, who became its fi rst prime min- ister; U.S. President Harry S. Truman immediately recog- nized the new nation. In 1955, representatives from eight Communist bloc countries, including the Soviet Union, signed the Warsaw Pact in Poland. In 1961, Freedom Riders were attacked by violent mobs in Anniston and Bir- mingham, Alabama. In 1968, John Lennon and Paul McCartney held a news conference in New York to announce the creation of the Beatles’ latest business venture, Apple Corps. In 1998, the hit sitcom “Seinfeld” aired its fi nal episode after nine years on NBC. In 2001, the Supreme Court ruled 8-0 that there is no exception in federal law for people to use marijuana for medical purposes. In 2003, more than 100 immigrants were aban- doned in a locked trailer at a Texas truck stop; 19 of them died. (Truck driver Tyrone Williams was later sentenced to nearly 34 years in prison for his role in the deaths; of the 13 others indicted in the case, two had charges against them dismissed, one who cooper- ated with prosecutors was sentenced to the three days in jail and the others were given sentences ranging from 14 months to 23 years.) In 2008, the Interior De- partment declared the polar bear a threatened species because of the loss of Arctic sea ice. LOTTERY Megabucks: $1.3 million 17-26-29-30-38-42 Mega Millions: $266 million 7-16-27-44-52-5 x5 Powerball: $77 million 12-18-42-48-65—PB-19 x5 Win for Life: May 11 9-22-53-74 Pick 4: May 12 • 1 p.m.: 4-8-6-5; • 4 p.m.: 2-6-7-4 • 7 p.m.: 4-5-8-4; • 10 p.m.: 7-7-3-2 Pick 4: May 11 • 1 p.m.: 6-3-8-9; • 4 p.m.: 0-1-0-1 • 7 p.m.: 0-5-5-3; • 10 p.m.: 3-8-1-6 DELIVERY ISSUES? If you have any problems receiving your Observer, call the offi ce at 541-963-3161. TODAY’S QUOTE “Silence cannot hide any- thing — which is more than you can say for words.” — From the play “The Ghost Sonata” by Swedish author-playwright August Strindberg (born 1849, died this date in 1912) THURSDAY, MAY 14, 2020 STATE/REGIONAL OSP looks at big cuts due to coronavirus Proposal would close nine field offices, cut 199 jobs By Gary A. Warner For the Oregon Capital Bureau SALEM — The Oregon State Police would make the “heartbreaking” decision to lay off almost 200 per- sonnel and close nine fi eld offi ces under a proposal submitted to Gov. Kate Brown. Brown has asked all state departments for how they would cut their budgets by 14% over the next year, the maximum the governor can order on her own. The numbers are expected to be a starting point for fi lling an expected $3 billion hole in revenue due to the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The next Oregon budget forecast is set to be released May 20 by the state Offi ce of Economic Analysis. State police would implement an estimated $27 million reduction in its budget by cutting 199 positions and closing fi eld offi ces in Prineville, La Pine, McMinnville, St. Helens, Albany, Hermiston, Grants Pass, Government Camp, and Tillamook. That would leave the posts in Pendleton, La Grande and Enterprise for northeast Oregon. “This is a planning exer- cise — a hypothetical, and this is not a layoff notice,” Map by Oregon State Police Oregon State Police has proposed signifi cant cuts to deal with the loss of revenue due to the COVID-19 crisis, including closing nine stations. said Oregon State Police Superintendent Travis Hampton in a “straight- talk” statement to OSP staff released Tuesday afternoon. There was bipartisan support for keeping the budget knife away from OSP. “We are going to have to fi nd a way to fund essen- tial services, and that defi - nitely includes OSP,” said Sen. Betsy Johnson, D-Scappoose, one of the chairs of the Joint Ways & Means Committee in the Legislature. Rep. Jack Zika, R-Red- mond, said lawmakers in both parties think there needs to be a larger state police force. “This would be a steep cut — too steep,” Zika said. “They just hired a bunch of troopers. It doesn’t make sense to turn around and lay them off. That’s a cut to public safety.” Hampton told OSP per- sonnel that Brown and the Legislature also could tap into the state’s “rainy day” funds to patch the budget gaps for OSP or other departments. But to meet the governor’s forecasting request, state police would reduce or suspend 199 posi- tions, including 102 posi- tions in fi eld operations and services bureaus and 39 positions in forensic labora- tories and pathology opera- tions, including suspending operations in Springfi eld and Central Point. Hampton said the overall effect on forensic services would be “severe.” Another 39 would come out of headquarters sup- port, internet technology, central records, human resources and the offi ce of professional standards and dispatch. Hampton said 18 posi- tions assigned to training, procurement, fl eet and the Oregon State Athletic Com- mission also would fall to the budget ax. OSP would remove all positions from its Dignitary Protection Unit and fi rearm investigative unit. The Oregon Fire Mar- shal Bureau would have its budget cut but not lose any positions. It is funded by sources other than the state general fund. Positions funded by Oregon Lottery and tribal gaming revenue could face cuts under other budget proposals. Hampton said “scenarios are endless, complex and almost unimaginable to fathom” amid the crisis. But he chose to shutter offi ces and specifi c operations rather than taking a “thin- soup” approach and spread reductions across the force. “I would look to build this agency around our core mission — the protection of people, property and nat- ural resources,” he said. Hampton said the offi ces chosen for closure were near enough to stations that would remain open, making the reassignments less onerous for those forced to move. He also said the fi nal outcome is unknown. “Team, there is no crystal ball for this job, but times like these deserve straight talk,” he said. “If our agency will be spared to a degree, or face more drastic reductions, we likely won’t know for many weeks.” Record jury award stands in wake of fatal road rage crash Attorney: Verdict sends message to transport industry on dangers of losing self control By Phil Wright The Observer PORTLAND — Road- raging commercial drivers caused the head-on crash in 2016 near Burns that left Matthew Allison with serious injuries and took the life of his wife, Sara Allison. Now the record jury verdict he won in May 2019 in federal court in Pendleton remains standing. Portland-based attorney Tom D’Amore and law partner Steve Brady repre- sented Matthew Allison, 27, of Boise, and the estate of his wife in the lawsuit. “We are proud of the result of this case,” D’Amore said. “It’s a relief that the case is offi cially over and the defendant cannot appeal again. There is a feeling that justice has been done.” ‘Pay the verdict’ The jury awarded a total of $26.5 million to the plaintiffs. But Horizon Transport in July fi led a 42-page motion asking the federal court for a new trial or to reduce the amount of the jury verdict. The court denied both. “It’s a pretty high stan- dard, though, to take away a jury verdict or issue a new trial,” D’Amore said. The defendants then appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. D’Amore said the company wanted to settle, just as it had wanted to settle at trial. “We pretty much said no, pay the verdict,” D’Amore said. The Ninth Circuit has a mediation program, which contacted the parties and urged them to show up and participate. They did, D’Amore said, and the sides resolve the case in April— with the $26.5 million ver- dict intact. The estate of Sara Allison won economic damages of of almost $2.4 million and non-eco- nomic damages of $10 mil- lion. Matthew Allison won $600,000 in economic damages and $7 million in non-economic damages. The defendants also had to pay $6.5 million in punitive damages with 70% going to the state of Oregon’s Crime Victims Fund to pay for care for other victims of crime. But no amount of money, D’Amore stressed, will make up for the loss of Sara Allison, who in 2014 worked full time while caring for her husband when he developed leukemia. “Sara was his every- thing, his caretaker, the bread winner for the family, his whole reason for being,” D’Amore said. Celebration ends in tragedy Matthew Allison during the course of two years overcame the blood dis- order and subsequent health problems. After completing physical therapy in April 2016, the couple took a trip through Oregon. “It was our way to cel- ebrate having got through that tough time together,” Matthew said at the trial. “It was a much-needed break.” They enjoyed a concert in Portland, hiked in Mount Hood National Forest and on June 5 they visited at Crater Lake before the push home to Boise. They stopped in Burns to fuel up their Ford Focus and have Matthew take over as driver. But he testifi ed his wife saw how exhausted he was, so she decided to let her husband sleep. They were on narrow Highway 20 east of Burns when then crash occurred. James Decou, Peter Barnes and Corey Frew were driving semitrailers for Utah-based Smoot Brothers Transportation from Salt Lake City, Utah, to Eugene, according to D’Amore, depositions, court documents and police reports. Near Mountain Home, Idaho, they has a run-in with a motorhome driver, Jonathan Hogaboom of Taylor, Michigan. He was driving a 45-foot long, $750,000 luxury motor- home for Horizon Transport from Indiana for delivery in Oregon. According to court records, he cut off Barnes on the freeway and slammed on the brakes to shoot for an exit. Hogaboom and the three truckers met up again on Highway 20 in Eastern Oregon. They raced to pass each other, cut each other off and pulled in front of each other only to slam on the brakes. Hogaboom on more than one occasion blasted the big RV’s air horn when he was next to one of the semis and fl ipped the bird to one driver. Decou tried to pass Hogaboom, who would not let the trucker back into the westbound lane. Near mile- post 156, Decou and Sara Allison saw each other in the same lane. She jerked the car to the right and off the road and into the dirt. Decou hit the brakes, slid and turned to the left. The semi plowed into the car, mashing the driver’s side. Sara Allison died in the crash. Matthew Allison suf- fered broken ribs, a lacer- ated spleen, head trauma and more. The verdict gives him the ability to take care of himself medically and even afford a caretaker if he needs one, D’Amore said, but he remains “just men- tally decimated” from the death of his wife. Outcome sends message The four commer- cial drivers in this case, D’Amore said, lost control of their senses and tempers and ignored other people on the road. He and his partner aimed to do more than win a verdict — D’amore said they wanted to wake up the trucking industry to the dangers of road rage. Judging from industry mag- azines reporting the verdict, he said, they hit that mark. “They don’t talk about plaintiff verdicts,” he said. “We tried to make the point that road rage was getting worse, and it’s because of these folks who have com- mercial licenses and are trained in this and are on the road all the time.” With the legal action at an end, D’Amore said Mat- thew Allison is on a trek to Utah and wants to be alone for two months. “He’s been living with this disaster for the past two years or so, and so he is just kind of seeing what he wants to do for the rest of his life,” D’Amore said. “He wants to be left alone, and we’re going to honor that.” Be ready for roadwork in Eastern Oregon The Observer LA GRANDE — The Oregon Department of Transportation urges drivers to stay alert and pre- pare for work zones. The state road agency reported it has more than 36 key highway construction projects this year in Eastern Oregon, from fi xes to pave- ment, sidewalks and bridges to safety improvements to extending the life of the transportation system. The big project near La Grande is the construction of a third lane on Interstate 84 through the eastbound side of Ladd Canyon, mile- post 270-273. ODOT esti- mated the project will con- clude in November. I-84 also will see mul- tiple safety enhancements between Pendleton and La Grande, ODOT reported, including new variable message boards, road sen- sors/cameras and lighting from milepost 214-260. That work also wraps up in November. The Highway 30 turn- around near Gangloff Park west of La Grande is getting new illumination. ODOT reported the work ends in September. Highway 30 also is getting ADA side- walk ramp upgrades at various intersections in La Grande between 20th Street and McAlister Road. That work continues until November 2021. Crews are upgrading sidewalks ramps on Highway 82, the Wal- lowa Lake Highway, in La Grande, Island City, Elgin and Imbler. That work also continues until November 2021. Perhaps the more signif- icant project is realigning the hairpin corner at Minam Curve. ODOT reported the safety improvement should be complete in August. Highway 237 is getting sidewalk ramp upgrades in downtown Cove between Foster and Church streets and in Union along Main Street and between Bryan and Oregon streets. Throughout all of this work, the Oregon Depart- ment of Transporta- tion advised there will be road closures, pedestrian detours, occasional fl aggers and minor delays. ODOT will share addi- tional updates throughout the construction season. For more information on key projects visit www.tinyurl. com/odot-region5. For up-to-date traffi c condition information, visitTripCheck.com. Road condition informa- tion also is available by phone by dialing 511, or 800-977-6368. 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