2A — THE OBSERVER DAILY PLANNER TODAY Today is Thursday, June 4, the 156th day of 2020. There are 210 days left in the year. TODAY’S HIGHLIGHT On June 4, 1998, a federal judge sentenced Terry Nich- ols to life in prison for his role in the 1995 bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City. ON THIS DATE In 1812, the Louisiana Territory was renamed the Missouri Territory, to avoid confusion with the recently admitted state of Louisiana. The U.S. House of Repre- sentatives approved, 79-49, a declaration of war against Britain. In 1919, Congress ap- proved the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, guaranteeing citizens the right to vote regardless of their gender, and sent it to the states for ratifi cation. In 1939, the German ocean liner MS St. Louis, carrying more than 900 Jewish refugees from Germany, was turned away from the Florida coast by U.S. offi cials. In 1940, during World War II, the Allied military evacua- tion of some 338,000 troops from Dunkirk, France, ended. British Prime Minister Win- ston Churchill declared: “We shall fi ght on the beaches, we shall fi ght on the landing grounds, we shall fi ght in the fi elds and in the streets, we shall fi ght in the hills; we shall never surrender.” In 1942, the World War II Battle of Midway began, resulting in a decisive American victory against Japan and marking the turning point of the war in the Pacifi c. In 1944, U-505, a German submarine, was captured by a U.S. Navy task group in the south Atlantic; it was the fi rst such capture of an enemy vessel at sea by the U.S. Navy since the War of 1812. The U.S. Fifth Army began liberating Rome. In 1972, a jury in San Jose, California, acquitted radical activist Angela Davis of murder and kidnapping for her alleged connection to a deadly courthouse shootout in Marin County in 1970. In 1985, the Supreme Court upheld a lower court ruling striking down an Alabama law providing for a daily minute of silence in public schools. In 1986, Jonathan Jay Pollard, a former U.S. Navy intelligence analyst, pleaded guilty in Washington to con- spiring to deliver informa- tion related to the national defense to Israel. (Pollard, sentenced to life in prison, was released on parole on Nov. 20, 2015.) In 1990, Dr. Jack Kevorkian carried out his fi rst publicly assisted suicide, helping Janet Adkins, a 54-year-old Alzheimer’s patient from Portland, Oregon, end her life in Oakland County, Michigan. In 2000, President Bill Clinton and Russian President Putin ended their summit by conceding differ- ences on missile defense, agreeing to dispose of weapons-grade plutonium and pledging early warn- ing of missile and space launches. LOTTERY Megabucks: $2.2 million 5-8-15-16-21-29 Mega Millions: $378 million 9-20-23-26-29-8 x3 Powerball: $135 million 13-32-41-58-60—PB-14 x2 Win for Life: June 1 2-12-32-51 Pick 4: June 2 • 1 p.m.: 2-2-0-6; • 4 p.m.: 3-0-6-5 • 7 p.m.: 0-0-9-3; • 10 p.m.: 9-2-6-3 Pick 4: June 1 • 1 p.m.: 3-6-8-5; • 4 p.m.: 1-4-9-6 • 7 p.m.: 2-6-4-0; • 10 p.m.: 7-6-7-5 DELIVERY ISSUES? If you have any problems receiving your Observer, call the offi ce at 541-963-3161. TODAY’S QUOTE “If America forgets where she came from, if the people lose sight of what brought them along, if she listens to the deniers and mockers, then will begin the rot and dissolution.” — Carl Sandburg, Ameri- can writer (1878-1967) THURSDAY, JUNE 4, 2020 LOCAL PHASE 2 PROTEST Continued from Page 1A Continued from Page 1A that bring in the diversity will show the red city that we shouldn’t be separated. I’ve seen city folks, busi- ness owners, open up and talk to the college kids.” While social dis- tancing guidelines to stay 6 feet apart to help curtail the spread of the coronavirus went out the window at the gathering, the majority donned face masks. The protesters’ chants included, “I can’t breathe” and “Black lives matter,” much like many across the nation, and also yelled messages of equality — “we all bleed red” and “we are one” among them. About midway through the rally, they marched to the corner of Island and Adams before returning to city hall, where drivers largely supporting the rally and honked their vehicle horns. “We’re just ready to see change, especially within our own commu- nity,” EOU student Josie Shea said. “We want to see everyone feel loved, everyone feels accepted, regardless of their race, color, gender, etcetera. We’re here to make a change.” Shea said the support from passers-by and from the protest itself was a huge positive. “So much community. So much respect. There have been a few that don’t support, and it’s obvious, but the ones that do, it’s great. We’ve seen coaches, teachers, staff, tons of dif- ferent people from EOU out here.” James Kelly, another La Grande resident at the protest, commented on equality being present between people on either side of any dividing issue in the country, even if they don’t notice it. “I think people that are on different sides of the fence have more in common than they like to (admit). I think that’s it,” he said. “We all want freedom. We all want to have the ability to speak our mind. That’s the shows one case is active. Wallowa County has had only two cases, and one of those active. The state added that case to the county May 23. According to data on the Oregon Health Authority website, Union County is meeting all of the previous prerequisites — whether part of the overall state num- bers, region numbers or individual county numbers. The entire state currently is below the threshold of emer- gency department visits for COVID-19-like illnesses, which is to be “less than the history average for fl u.” Meanwhile, the county itself has the adequate number of contact tracers, while the region Union County is in is continuing to meet require- ments for testing capability and managing a surge in hospitalizations should one arise. Additionally, Union County is meeting the requirements of contact tracing new cases and not having an increase of more than 5% in the previous seven days. Currently, the only cri- teria Wallowa County does not meet, according to the OHA website, is for having fewer than 30% of new cases not contact traced to a known source over a sev- en-day period. The factors, though, were last updated May 27, and the county would be a week past the cutoff for that criteria by June 5. Staff photo by Ronald Bond Hundreds of people gathered Tuesday at La Grande City Hall for a racial equality protest. ONLINE For more photos and video, go to lagrandeobserver.com. starting point. Because we don’t agree doesn’t mean we should close our ears. That’s what hap- pens now. I think we’re in a very divisive time in America, but I think upris- ings like this are emblem- atic of a different problem. If we can’t come together and fi nd common ground, we’re screwed, that’s what I think. We’re not going to always agree, but I do believe that if we can’t fi nd common ground and fi nd some semblance of civility, then our democra- cy’s in trouble.” One man with with a rifl e slung on his back confronted and instigated the protesters. The clash at moments became testy between him and a few protesters, despite efforts of police and other indi- viduals to diffuse the sit- uation, and boiled over, leading to his arrest on a charge of disorderly con- duct. Police did not arrest any protestors, and nobody was injured. One other tense moment came late in the evening. A group of armed residents arrived at the Cook Memorial Library, diagonal to city hall, and expressed concerns related to rumors that rad- icals or members of the group Antifa was possibly infi ltrating the group. That group eschewed social distancing and masks. They said they did not want to see the pro- test turned to riot, as as happen in some big cities, including Portland. Even- tually, members from both sides crossed to the other to engage in conver- sation and diffuse much of the angst. There was graffi ti at the Island Avenue underpass, and La Grande police Lt. Jason Hays said it appears linked to the protest “because it is all related to the stuff at the protest.” “Black lives matter” and “no justice, no peace” were among the slogans in spray paint. Police do not have a suspect, but an investigation is ongoing. “That was the only place that we found graf- fi ti,” Hays said. “I got a call on this really early this morning, thinking it’s going to be all over the place. It is defi nitely connected to the protest. As far as graffi ti goes, it seems to be isolated.” Many protesters said for change to happen, conver- sations need to take place beyond Tuesday. We have to keep peace- fully protesting,” Thayer said. “We have to keep it peaceful. Violence is not the answer. It is never the answer.” “Don’t stop talking about it,” EOU student Kelsey Ranger said. “It starts at home, so we need to teach at home that this is not OK. Stand up for everybody. Don’t let it go. Stand up for what you believe in.” Added Kelly: “Let’s hope this moment is a cat- alyst for change. This has been a long time coming.” nating activity for their 12 years of school,” Greif said. There was a sense of longing for tradition from the seniors. Several said walking across the stage to receive their diplomas was something they had been looking forward to for years. “It sucks we don’t get the graduation we planned on having at the beginning of the year,” graduate Ty Hammond said. “COVID ruined it, but at least we have what we are having and I am able to still have friends around and my family supporting me.” ELGIN Continued from Page 1A distancing guidelines due to coronavirus concerns, the school closed the com- mencement to the general public and limited families and supporters to groups of 25. They and the graduates had to stay at their cars, and Elgin Superintendent and High School Principal Dianne Greif went around to the cars to hand gradu- ates their diplomas. “I believe our students needed to have a culmi- Tax Problems: RESOLVED FLOODING There are many ways we can tackle IRS or State tax relief together: Continued from Page 1A He fears the fl ooding may be worse than it appears since it can’t be seen from a distance. Merrigan said he cannot believe Union County has been hit with two major fl oods in such a sport span. “Farmers must feel like they have a target on their backs,” he said. Phil Hassinger’s 1,200- acre family farm, 7 miles northwest of Cove and oper- ated by his sons Jed and Seth, is among those the fl ooding hit hard. The Hassinger farm’s levy along Catherine Creek began to collapse the morning of Sunday, May 24, threatening to ravage an 80-acre fi eld that had a 50-acre peppermint crop. Phil Hassinger learned of the breach from son Jed. “Early Sunday morning Jed raced, on his motor- cycle, from an area of the levee that contained a weak spot. I knew from his body language we were in trouble. Jed confi rmed that a breach in the levee was pouring at least 50,000 gallons of water each minute onto the vulnerable mint crop,” Phil Hassinger said. There was no time to spare. “It was 7:30 a.m. We knew if we didn’t do some- thing quickly we would lose ✔Tax Levies & Liens Release ✔Resolve Back Taxes ✔Wage Garnishment Release ✔Payroll Tax Negotiation ✔Stop Penalties and Interest ✔Tax Preparation & Bookkeeping Services ✔Tax Debt Negotiation & Settlement 844-945-2056 Staff photo by Dick Mason One solution for oxygen at home, away, and for travel Introducing the INOGEN ONE – It’s oxygen therapy on your terms Seth Hassinger, left, and his brother Jed Hassinger, exam- ine the pump they are using to remove fl ood water from a wheat fi eld on their family’s farm between Cove and Alicel. the peppermint fi eld,” he said. He, his wife, Trudy, and their sons put out a request for help, and it was answered in heroic fashion. “People from all over came. Soon we had all of the people we needed. In four to fi ve hours we sealed off the levy,’’ Phil Hassinger said. A key portion of the work involved bringing fi lled sandbags in boats and then rowing them downriver to the breach. The extraordinary hands of assistance the Hassingers received will not soon be forgotten. “It was an incredible (Memorial Day) weekend,” Jed Hassinger said. The Hassinger farm escaped major damage but it did take on so much water that extensive pumping must continue for the next several weeks. Phil Hassinger said in the 40 years he has had his farm, he has never had to deal with two major fl oods in a year. Jed Hassinger, who grew up on the farm, said fl ooding seems to be a growing problem. He noted there also were major fl oods in 2019, 2011 and 2010. Each at the time seemed to be a once in a 50-year type of event. FAMILY OWNED No more tanks to refi ll. No more deliveries. No more hassles with travel. The INOGEN ONE portable oxygen concentrator is designed to provide unparalleled freedom for oxygen therapy users. 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The- aters and churches, as well as additional indoor and out- doors activities previously restricted, will be allowed to resume should they be able to meet distancing and sanitization requirements. Churches and theaters also are to meet occupancy lim- itations. Recreational sports and pools also will be able to resume, according to updated guidance. And youth sports and overnight camps will be allowed to resume. Restaurants and bars will see their curfew extended from 10 p.m. to midnight, will be allowed to use approved outdoor space to increase their table space, and may use partitions to help with physical distancing requirements. Union County’s applica- tion also included an invi- tation to Brown to visit the county. Each county in the state except Multnomah is in Phase 1 of reopening. As of Wednesday, Union County had reported 4,399 cases of COVID-19. There have been 159 deaths and 2,164 recoveries. 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