RECORDS AND MORE
SATURDAY, AUGUST 1, 2020
OBITUARIES
COMMUNITY
Meetings
Daniel B. Girdner
• LA GRANDE — The Blue
Mountain Translator District
Board of Directors will meet
Tuesday, Aug. 4, at 6:30 p.m.
via phone and video confer-
ence. Members of the public
may participate via phone
(dial Conference Number: 253-
215-8782 and use Meeting ID:
89434971892). The meeting
will be streamed live at www.
bmtd.org/now. Meeting mate-
rials will be posted online
prior to the meeting at www.
bmtd.org/public-notice.
1969-2020 • Formerly of Cove
Honors
La Grande residents earn
master’s degrees
SALT LAKE CITY — Sabri-
na Coggins and Shauna Kret-
schmer, both of La Grande,
earned a degree from West-
ern Governors University.
Coggins received a master
of science degree in nursing,
leadership and management
(BSN to MSN). Kretschmer
received a master of science
degree in special education.
WGU is an online,
nonprofi t university and
has graduated more than
190,000 students from
across the country since its
inception in 1997. Designed
to meet the needs of busy
working adults, WGU’s com-
petency-based model makes
it possible for students to set
their own study schedules.
Daniel Bryan Girdner,
50, formerly of Cove, died
May 28.
Daniel was
born Dec.
17, 1969, in
La Grande
and grew
up in Cove.
He earned
a degree in drafting and
worked for a time for an
architect. Daniel loved
basketball and was a
Phoenix Suns fan. One
of his greatest moments
was going to Russia where
he taught basketball to
kids attending a camp in
Siberia.
When Daniel was diag-
nosed with muscular dys-
trophy, he quickly learned
lessons in perseverance,
endurance and humility.
Daniel had a sincere heart
for others. He was an inspi-
ration to everyone he met,
and everyone was his
friend. Family meant every-
thing to him.
Daniel had a quirky
sense of humor and a great
laugh and was spontaneous
with his antics. His faith
in God was what gave him
the strength to face each
day with his contagious
smile. He leaves behind
a legacy of strength and
determination.
Surviving relatives
include his parents, Robert
and Charlotte Girdner;
sisters, RuthAnn Zigler,
Sharon Markum and
Nancy Acord; brother, Ste-
phen Girdner; three nieces
and nine nephews; and
eight great-nieces and six
great-nephews.
He was preceded
in death by his sister,
Esthermarie.
THE OBSERVER — 3A
PUBLIC SAFETY REPORT
Upcoming
local
services
WEDNESDAY, JULY 29
8:03 a.m. — A caller reported
a stoplight was malfunctioning
at the intersection of Island
Avenue and Walton Road,
Island City. The dispatch center
advised the Oregon Department
of Transportation about it.
1:59 p.m. — The Union
County Sheriff’s Offi ce received
a report of neglected horses on
the 800 block of North Eighth
Avenue, Elgin.
2:27 p.m. — A caller reported
goats on the loose on the 69500
block of Heritage Lane, Cove.
The animal enforcement offi cer
contacted their owner, who
agreed to retrieve them.
3:39 p.m. — La Grande police
received a report of two dogs
inside a hot vehicle on the 3000
block of Island Avenue. The
vehicle was gone by the time
the animal enforcement offi cer
arrived.
5:11 p.m. — A caller reported
dogs in a hot car on the 1900
block of Cove Avenue, La
Grande. The animal enforce-
ment offi cer resolved the
problem.
5:33 p.m. — A caller reported
Aug. 2 — KEITH
WALKER: 1 p.m. outdoor
memorial service, Spring
Creek.
Aug. 15 — PAUL
WAGONER: 11 a.m.
celebration of life, Indian
Rock; casual dress pre-
ferred.
Aug. 29 — MIKE MAY:
4 p.m. memorial service,
Riverside Park Pavilion,
La Grande; please wear
masks and respect social
distancing.
— Calendar
courtesy of Loveland
Funeral Chapel,
La Grande
Menus
Brief
Ladd canyon paving
starts Sunday
LA GRANDE — The free-
way improvements in the
Ladd Canyon area will con-
tinue with concrete paving
the night of Sunday, Aug. 2,
through Thursday, Aug. 6.
Crews will work from
about 10 p.m. to 10 a.m., and
electrical work will continue
for lighting and a weather
information system.
Work crews also will close
the eastbound slow lane one
evening this week to smooth
out the bumps in that lane
going through the work
zone. ODOT also asks drivers
to use caution on the Ladd
Creek Road off-ramp, which
will have a gravel surface un-
til paving work in late August
or early September.
THURSDAY, JULY 30
7:50 a.m. — Cattle were
loose in the area of the 62100
block of Igo Lane, La Grande. A
Union County sheriff’s deputy
responded and contacted the
owner of the cattle.
1:46 p.m. — A Union resident
on the 400 block of East Fulton
Street reported possible mail
theft.
4:23 p.m. — A caller reported
loose livestock in the area of
the 69500 block of Heritage
Lane, Cove.
6:27 p.m. — A Union County
sheriff’s deputy responded to
a report of animal abuse on
the 500 block of Detroit Street,
Elgin. The subjects were not
abusing the dog, but the deputy
warned them for trespassing.
11:48 p.m. — La Grande po-
lice received a complaint about
a loud party on the 1200 block
of V Avenue.
Real ID now
available by
appointment
Union County Senior
Center lunch menu
Pickup 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 suggest-
ed donation; all others, $5.
AUG. 3-7
Monday: pork sliders,
steak fries, coleslaw, fresh
fruit, cookies.
Tuesday: chicken pot pie,
salad greens, cottage cheese,
fresh fruit, cookies.
Wednesday: honey-glazed
ham, scalloped potatoes,
spinach salad, fresh bread,
fruit, dessert.
Thursday: hand-crafted
pizza, Caesar salad, fruit,
cookies.
Friday: turkey-bacon-av-
ocado wraps or shrimp
croissant sandwiches, broc-
coli-raisin salad, fruit, chips.
a dead cow at Union Junction
Lane and Curtis Road, Union.
6 p.m. — The Union County
Sheriff’s Offi ce received a report
of a burglary on a non-residen-
tial structure on the 73000 block
of Catherine Creek Lane, Union.
By Sabrina Thompson
The Observer
Photo contributed by Robin Maille
Robin Maille sews masks to help provide 1,000 masks for the La Grande School District.
Sewing up 1,000 masks
for La Grande schools
By Sabrina Thompson
The Observer
LA GRANDE — Com-
munity members and busi-
nesses have made at least
290 masks for students
and staff in the La Grande
School District.
Oregon State Univer-
sity Extension Service
Family and Community
Health Program is leading
the effort to provide cloth
masks for the upcoming
school year with Robin
Maille, an assistant pro-
fessor of practice in the
program, coordinating the
project. The La Grande
School District initially
asked Maille to help fi nd
1,500 masks, but lowered
the amount to 1,000.
“You can be creative
with these cloth masks,”
Maille said. “These masks
are more sustainable and a
good investment.”
Maille has received
donations from businesses
and community members
and is sewing masks to help
add to the collection. She
also helps those making
masks with getting fabric
and materials. She said it
is important to have masks
available for those who may
not have one or for those
who forget them.
“A lot of kids will come
already with masks, but
kids lose things all of the
time,” Maille said. “Having
a stock of these masks will
be important when people
forget or lose their own.”
The La Grande School
District will start the year
with distance learning, but
Maille said she still is col-
lecting masks for when the
school district does reopen.
“We are going to reopen
at some point, so this is a
good way to be prepared,”
Maille said.
SALEM — Oregonians
can obtain Real IDs when
renewing or applying for
driver’s licenses or identi-
fi cation cards.
Real IDs came out of
the Real ID Act that Con-
gress passed in 2005 to
establish federal secu-
rity standards for driver’s
licenses and other forms
of identifi cation. Starting
in October 2021, anyone
entering federal build-
ings, nuclear power plants
or boarding a commercial
airliners will have to show
either a military ID, stan-
dard ID and passport or a
Real ID.
Oregon is the last state
in the union to comply
with the federal law.
The Oregon Legisla-
ture objected to the fed-
eral unfunded mandate
and passed a bill banning
the state from spending
any money to become
Real ID compliant. The
Legislature in 2017, how-
ever, passed a bill that
Sen. Bill Hansell spon-
sored to allow Oregon to
move toward compliance.
The Republican from
Athena said Real ID is
not a requirement but has
benefi ts.
“If you don’t want it,
you don’t have to get it,”
Hansell said. “I think,
though, that it is going
to be a real asset to
Oregonians.”
Obtaining a Real ID
for the fi rst time requires
an in-person appointment
at an Oregon Driver and
Motor Vehicles Services
offi ce and proof of iden-
tity, proof of Social Secu-
rity number and proof of
address.
“Appointments are how
we’re limiting the number
of people inside DMV
offi ces for safe social dis-
tancing to prevent the
spread of COVID-19,”
DMV spokesperson David
House said. “We are
requiring appointments
for all forms of ID issu-
ance and a few other ser-
vices that must be done in
person, but all other ser-
vices must be done online
or by mail. We have no
idea how long we’ll need
to limit in-person visits
and by appointment
only, but it’s likely to be
months because we have
a huge backlog due to
COVID-19.”
The DMV issued
10,990 Real ID licenses,
permits and ID cards from
July 6-27. This is 35% of
the 31,342 issuances of all
types of cards during that
time. The DMV estimates
one-third of Oregonians
are choosing the Real ID
option.
Collaboration serves Pacifi c Islander community FAMILY
OWNED
The Observer
Masks and food boxes
were distributed to the
Pacifi c Islander
community by mem-
bers of the Eastern
Oregon Chapter of the
COFA Alliance
National Network, with
help from donated
food from Community
Connection and Nella
Mae’s Farm.
northwestfurnitureandmattress.com
Photo submitted by Eastern Oregon University
the Eastern Oregon Chapter
of the COFA Alliance
National Network worked
with other partners and dis-
tributed more than 14,000
masks to historically mar-
ginalized community mem-
bers in Eastern Oregon.
In addition, Commu-
nity Connection of North-
east Oregon helped provide
much-needed food boxes to
families, serving more than
300 people altogether, and
Nella Mae’s Farm, Cove,
donated fresh produce for
marginalized families and
Eastern Oregon University
students.
The Howard Family
Steel on the inside where it matters most.
Shops
Garages
Commercial
Industrial
www.WSBNW.com
855 • 668 • 7211
10106 N. ‘C’ • Island City
Sandy, OR
An Independent
Insurance Agency
Reed & Associates for
excellent service LOCALLY!
Nicole Cathey
215 Elm Street La Grande (541) 963-5440
S199235-1
LA GRANDE — When
the pandemic hit Union
County and the sudden
surge in numbers escalated,
Union County became a
priority for Pacifi c Islander
leaders statewide, according
to a press release from
Eastern Oregon University.
Organizations such
as the COFA Alliance
National Network and
United Territories of Pacifi c
Islanders Alliance Portland
worked with Oregon Health
Authority and the state’s
Asian Pacifi c Islander Com-
munity Support Sub-Com-
mittee to collaborate on
addressing the needs of
Pacifi c Islanders in Union
County, some of whom
“were experiencing micro-
aggression and stigma in
addition to the lack of basic
needs from COVID-19
impacted unemployment
issues,” the press release
stated.
Through these efforts,
30,000 masks were brought
to Union County to help
support communities of
color and other vulnerable
populations. Members of
541-975-1364
Toll Free 1-866-282-1925
would like to thank
everyone for the calls,
cards, flowers and moral
support with the loss of
our beloved son and
brother. Paul will
always be a part of
our lives.
Medicare, Auto, Home
insurance and Annuities
www.reed-insurance.net
Kevin Reed