LOCAL
THURSDAY, JUNE 4, 2020
THE OBSERVER — 3A
COMMUNITY Man jailed in Tuesday night assault
Meetings
at Morgan Lake Campground
• LA GRANDE — The La
Grande School District
Board of Directors will meet
Wednesday, June 10, at 7 p.m.
Due to social distancing, the
meeting will be available
online, by phone and via the
Blue Mountain Translator Dis-
trict. The agenda and meeting
access information is avail-
able on the district’s website.
The school board’s second
meeting of its budget com-
mittee begins at 5:30 p.m.,
also virtually, before the reg-
ular meeting.
Briefs
Some campgrounds reopen
at Oregon state parks
SALEM — Oregon State
Parks announced that limited
overnight camping at select
parks across the state will
begin on Tuesday, June 9.
Included in the select list is
Wallowa Lake State Park.
RV and tent campers with
existing reservations for
a campground that opens
will be honored beginning
June 9. Not all sites or loops
may be available at open
campgrounds. The online
reservation system (www.
stateparks.oregon.gov),
which has been suspended
since April 28, is slated to
reopen for new reservations.
New reservations will be ac-
cepted one day to two weeks
in advance.
Additionally, a few eastern
Oregon campgrounds are
now open for overnight
stays. These include Minam
Park, Hilgard Junction and
Catherine Creek state parks.
The Observer
LA GRANDE
— La Grande police
Tuesday night arrested a
44-year-old man on accu-
sations of felony assault
and related charges.
Offi cers at 10:13 p.m.
responded to a call at
Morgan Lake on a report
of an assault, according to
the press release from the
La Grande Police Depart-
ment. Police contacted
the victim, a 48-year-old
La Grande man who
had several injuries. The
victim reported his friend,
Scott Neal of La Grande,
assaulted him.
“According to the
victim, they were friends
for the last 20 years,” La
Grande Police Lt. Jason
Hays said, “and the assault
was sudden and unpro-
voked. Motivation is
unclear at this time.”
The La Grande Fire
Department ambulance
arrived and transported the
victim to Grande Ronde
Hospital for medical
treatment.
Neal left the camping
site prior to police arrival,
according to the press
release, and offi cers asked
the the Union County
Sheriff’s Offi ce to bring its
in police dog, Molly.
Deputy Dane Jensen
arrived with Molly, who
found Neal hiding in
bushes approximately 100
yards from the camping
site. Offi cers took Neal
into custody and booked
him into the Union County
Jail. He faces charges of
strangulation, menacing
and second-degree assault.
Incident management team stands down
The Observer
UNION COUNTY —
The Union County Inci-
dent Management Team
has transferred command
of coronavirus response
to the Center for Human
Development Inc., Union
County Public Health,
according to a press release
form the Northeast Oregon
Joint Information Center.
“The local response to
COVID-19 has slowed to a
pace that allowed this tran-
sition,” the press release
said.
Carrie Brogoitti, public
health administrator for
the center, said the rate
of the disease is not over-
whelming the systems
in the county and people
are able to manage tasks
within their normal work
hours, which has lessened
the need for the Incident
Management Response
Team. In taking over com-
mand, Brogoitti said,
there will be no signifi cant
changes.
“We have been and will
continue to do the work we
are required to do,” Bro-
goitti said. “We will con-
tinue to take a lead role
in the public health spe-
cifi c components to the
response.”
The team consisted of
30 representatives from
various agencies and fi elds,
including emergency ser-
vices, law enforcement and
medicine.
The local joint informa-
tion center also reported
it is concluding daily
updates, and individual
organizations will provide
information regarding the
coronavirus and COVID-
19. However, the manage-
ment team and information
center will resume opera-
tions should the need arise.
Youth can grab a lunch and go
Free lunches
offered in Union
and Wallowa
counties

By Dick Mason
The Observer
LA GRANDE —
Youths in Union and Wal-
lowa counties again will
have an opportunity to
enjoy weekday lunches at
no cost this summer.
The free meals will be
available in several towns,
including La Grande,
Cove, Elgin, Wallowa,
Enterprise and Joseph.
The La Grande lunches
will be served at the
Riveria Activity Center
each weekday from
11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
by Community Connec-
tion of Northeast Oregon
from June 8 to Aug. 21.
The lunches will be free
to anyone age one to 18
regardless of where they
live or their family’s
income level. The cost for
people older than 18 is $4.
The meals will be avail-
able on a grab-and-go
basis. Nobody will be
allowed to eat meals
inside the Riveria Activity
Center, 2609 Second St.,
La Grande, because of
state social distancing rules
in place to protect people
from the COVID-19 pan-
demic, said Jeff Hensley,
assistant director of Com-
munity Connection of
Northeast Oregon.
The lunches will be pre-
pared at the Union County
Senior Center by its food
service staff led by Sydney
Gleeson, the center’s food
service nutrition depart-
ment manager. This will
be done to boost effi ciency
since meals are already
being prepared there for
the center’s senior meals
program, which is part of
Community Connection,
Hensley said.
“I can’t thank Sydney
and her staff enough for
taking on this project,”
Hensley said.
In previous years the
meals were prepared at the
Riveria Activity Center.
Community Connec-
tion has operated a lunch
program at Riveria since
2005. Hensley, who has
helped Community Con-
nection provide this service
at Riveria since that time,
said the most rewarding
part of being involved in
the project is observing
how much the youths
helped by the program wel-
come it.
“Seeing the smiles on
the faces of the children
makes all of the hard work
worth it,” he said.
The free lunches in
Cove are available at
Founders Hall on the
corner of Church Street
and Highway 237. Meals
can be picked up from
10-11 a.m. each weekday
through the end of July.
The lunches are free to
anyone age 18 or younger.
The Cove program,
which began providing the
lunches for the fi rst time
on June 1, is sponsored by
the Cove Ascension Camp
and Conference Center and
the Episcopal Diocese of
Eastern Oregon.
“We felt like we needed
to do something to lift the
community,” said Kim
Lee, operations manager
for Ascension center.
According to the cen-
ter’s website, signing up
for the service is required.
Additional information on
the program is available at
coveascensionschool.com.
The free lunches in
Elgin will be available
starting June 8 and will
be provided by the Elgin
School District. Youths
age 18 and younger will be
able to pick up the lunches
between 11 a.m. and noon
each weekday at the east
entrance of Stella Mayfi eld
Elementary School. The
grab-and-go lunches must
be eaten outside the school
building because of social
distancing regulations.
Meals will be avail-
able to adults for $4, said
Dianne Greif, superinten-
dent of the Elgin School
District.
The Elgin School Dis-
trict and Community Con-
nection will be reimbursed
by the U.S. Department of
Agriculture for the lunches
they serve.
WALLOWA COUNTY
The free meals to be
provided in Wallowa
County will be offered by
Building Healthy Fami-
lies. BHF will offer grab-
and-go curbside pickup at
sites in Wallowa, Enter-
prise and Joseph Monday
through Thursday from
June 15 to Aug. 6.
The lunches will be
free to all youths age 18
and younger from noon to
12:30 p.m. at the following
sites: the east side of Enter-
prise City Park, the east
side of Evans Park in Wal-
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In addition to local
donors, sponsors of the
Wallowa County summer
lunch program include the
Bank of Eastern Oregon,
Grace Lutheran Church,
The Ford Family Founda-
tion, Women’s Foundation
of Oregon and the Lora
L. & Martin N. Kelley
Foundation.
For additional infor-
mation on free lunches
in Wallowa County, call
Building Healthy Families
at 541-426-9411.
PUBLIC SAFETY REPORT
MONDAY
8:36 a.m. — A caller reported
a dead cat on the 100 block
of 13th Street, La Grande. The
animal enforcement offi cer
explained options.
1:28 p.m. — A caller reported
an unattended child on the 1200
block of Washington Avenue,
La Grande. An offi cer resound-
ed and found there was no
problem.
8:10 p.m. — La Grande police
received a report of a mentally
ill person on the 1900 block of
Third Street. Police checked
and determined the call was
unfounded.
11:02 p.m. — A caller report-
ed a burglary on the 1200 block
of X Avenue, La Grande. Police
responded and took a report.
11:19 p.m. — La Grande po-
lice took a report of vehicle theft
on the 1100 block of Jefferson
Avenue.
11:29 p.m. — La Grande
police arrested Christopher
Lee Cox, 25, for second-degree
burglary.
TUESDAY
9:12 a.m. — A caller reported
a cow on the road on Highway
203, La Grande.
10:02 p.m. — A La Grande
offi cer saw a person litter on the
1900 block of Adams Avenue
and advised the person to
pick up the trash and discard it
appropriately.
4:01 p.m. — La Grande police
received a report of a juvenile
tampering with mail on the
3200 block of Columbia Street.
9:04 .m. — A male verbally
threatened a La Grande police
offi cer on the 2000 block of
Adams Avenue. Oregon State
Police responded but did not
fi nd the person.
OBITUARIES
Shirley J. Stephens
La Grande
Shirley J. Stephens, 78,
of La Grande, died June
2 at St. Luke’s Medical
Center in Boise, Idaho.
Loveland Funeral Chapel &
Crematory will be handling
the arrangements.
Upcoming local
services are pending
due to efforts to
curb the spread of
the coronavirus.
Carl Monroe Nelson
February 14, 1946 - October 31, 2020
Carl Monroe Nelson, 74, of La Grande,
passed away on Wednesday, May 27, 2020,
at his residence, following an extended
illness. He went peacefully with his wife and
children by his side. The family will have a
celebration of life later this summer.
Carl was born on February 14, 1946, in
Ontario, Oregon to Samuel and Faye (Finch-
er) Nelson. He resided in Baker City, OR
and La Grande, OR. He attended Troutdale
High School. Carl married JoJean Culley (1965) who faithfully cared
for him during his extended illness.
Carl was employed in various occupations. He spent most of his
time as a woodsman, logger and forest fire fighter, also working at
Hilgard Boys home. He enjoyed hunting, fishing, picking huckleber-
ries and morels, horse backpacking and loved to watch old westerns.
He especially loved spending time with his grandchildren who were
the love of his life
Carl is survived by his wife, JoJean; children, Craig Nelson (Ang-
ie) of La Grande, OR, Carla Gorham (Travis) of La Grande, OR and
Anthony Nelson (Lori) of Tigard, OR; sister, JoeAnn Lawry of La
Grande; 6 grandchildren, Sam Wise, Derik & Austyn Nelson, Tristan
Gorham and Sophie & Sadie Nelson; 4 great grandchildren, Isaac,
Blakely, Jaiden and Wesley. He was preceded in death by his parents,
Samuel and Faye; brothers, Everett & Bill Nelson sister Sally Lawry.
Online condolences may be made to the family at www.loveland-
funeralchapel.com.
Charles “Leroy” Poe
September 6, 1946 - May 28, 2020
Charles “Leroy” Poe, 73, of Island City,
Oregon died May 28, 2020 at his residence.
A private graveside service will be held at
Summerville Cemetery. A celebration of life
will be held at a later time.
Leroy was born September 6, 1946 to
Charles E. Poe and Ruby Jewell (Dalton) Poe
in Stella, Missouri and lived in Jane, Missouri.
He was the 8th of 10 children. He lost his
father at the age of 11.
Leroy attended 1st thru 4th grade at En-
terprise Elementary in Jane, MO then moved
to White Rock Elementary in Jane, MO thru
the 8th grade, and later attended Rocky Com-
fort High School. At the age of 15, Leroy went
to Nebraska to work on a hay crew at a family
ranch. At the end of the summer, he took a
train to Burns, Oregon to live with a sister.
After a couple of years of bouncing around,
he got a job at the Edward Hines Lumber Co.
in Hines, Oregon. In 1980, Edward Hines
Lumber Co. closed the mill. In 1981, he was
hired at the Boise Cascade Plywood plant in
Elgin, OR and moved his family to Imbler,
OR. He retired from Boise Cascade in 2009.
In Burns, Oregon, he met Beverly Stude-
baker. They were married May 7, 1966 and
enjoyed 54 years together. They had a son
Mike Poe (Josette) Imbler, OR and a daughter
Sandy Wyland (Mike Bennett) La Grande,
OR. He has 5 granddaughters, Kira Bills
(Robert) Perry, Georgia, Chelsea Poe, Ken-
newick, WA, Jessica Wyland, La Grande, OR,
Katia Olson Elgin, Texas and Baily Bennett.
He has one grandson Brandon Wyland, La
Grande, OR. He has one great-granddaugh-
ter, Olivia Bills. He loved all of his family
very much. Despite the distance between him
and his siblings, he stayed very close to them
visiting with them often. He also stayed in
contact with many of his numerous nieces
and nephews and tracked what their families
were doing throughout the years.
Leroy liked to be active. He enjoyed
camping, hunting, fishing, woodworking,
construction projects, softball, bowling, golf,
playing cards, as well as socializing with
friends. In 1976, he pitched on a softball team
from Burns that finished 4th at the Northwest
Industrial Softball tournament, which was
the first time an Oregon team had placed in
the tournament. He completed numerous
construction projects over the years, home
additions, remodels, garages, sheds, etc. He
spent many hours in retirement honing his
woodworking skills. He made beautiful cedar
chests for 5 grandchildren as graduation gifts.
Leroy was a member of 3 camping organi-
zations (because each group only camped 1
week a month, he needed 3 groups), Good
Sams, The Happy Ramblers, and FMCA
Coaches for Christ. In retirement, the
summer months were filled with camping.
The winters were filled with woodworking
projects and attending the grandkids sporting
events and school activities. Everything in
his life was scheduled around the kids and
grandkids activities.
Leroy had an ornery streak, anyone that
worked with him knew this. He would often
laugh about pranks he pulled throughout his
life. He never had a neighbor he did not know
and he never had a neighbor that needed help
that he did not help.
Leroy is survived by his wife Bev, 2 chil-
dren, 6 grandchildren, one great-grandchild,
sisters, Mary Banks of Jane, MO, Charlene
Bennett Monett, MO, Delores Forrester (Jer-
ry) Rocky Comfort, MO; brother, Jack Poe
(Linda) Noel, MO; brother-in-law’s, Bob Hor-
ton Simco, MO, Marvin Studebaker (Maria)
Eugene, OR; sister-in-law, Evelyn Blubaugh
(Russell) Olathe, KS. He was preceded in
death by his parents; brothers, Bill Poe, Bob
Poe; sisters, Marie Wellesley, Ruth Horton,
Laurana Shrum; brother-in-law’s, Steve
Studebaker, Freddie Banks, Clint Bennett,
Roy Shrum and grandson Ryan Bennett.
Online condolences may be made to the
family at www.lovelandfuneralchapel.com.