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About The Observer. (La Grande, Or.) 1968-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 8, 2020)
Inside A new high school sports schedule Dust storm causes crash, 2A A hike into history, 1B in Sports Weekend Edition SATURDAY-MONDAY • August 8, 2020 • $1.50 Good day to our valued subscriber Joseph W. Hamm of La Grande Black Lives Matt er billboard coming to La Grande By Phil Wright The Observer LA GRANDE — An online campaign to erect a Black Lives Matter billboard in La Grande reached its crowdfunding goal. Maria Carmichael organized the fundraiser for a billboard dis- playing “Black Lives Matter” in her hometown. Carmichael on July 30 set up the GoFundMe.com account with a goal of $5,000 to pay for the billboard for Carmichael as long as a year, depending on the size and location of the sign. As of Friday morning, 124 donors cov- ered the $5,000 cost. Carmichael said because the sign is a political ad, she was required to pay for it upfront. The 2001 graduate of La Grande High School returned four weeks ago after spending 12 years in Hawaii, where she fi rst attended the University of Hawaii at Manoa William S. Richardson Contributed photo by Tom Strandberg, Oregon Department of Transportation This recent photo from an Oregon Department of Transportation drone shows the extent of the work on Interstate 84 through Ladd Canyon south of La Grande. The state road department’s $30 million project to improve the stretch should wrap up in November. Rolling toward completion $30 million project to improve Ladd Canyon section of Interstate 84 uses concrete lanes for semis See, Billboard/Page 6A Tech key to connectivity for students By Dick Mason The Observer UNION COUNTY — People who drive frequently through Ladd Canyon may feel like they have received an early Christmas present this November. The Oregon Department of Transporta- tion is making major progress in the fi nal phase of the $30 million Ladd Canyon Freight Improvement Project, including the installation of a 2-mile eastbound lane starting from its west entrance. “It should be ready by November,” said Ken Patterson, ODOT Region 5 area manager. The expanded space should reduce the number of times the state road agency has to close the freeway through Ladd Canyon for semitrailers blocking lanes after jack- knifi ng. Patterson said if a truck crashes in the future on the three-lane road, traffi c will be able to move around it while crews clear the wreck. Now when this happens, the freeway often must close. Ladd Canyon soon will be the fourth site on Interstate 84 in northeast Oregon where ODOT has installed a third lane. The others are Farewell Bend, Spring Creek and Cabbage Hill. Patterson said road closures due to jackknifed trucks have fallen signifi cantly School districts make sure students have access to tools for distance learning By Sabrina Thompson The Observer UNION COUNTY — School districts across Union County are addressing the lack of technology in some homes, and the need for additional assistance as a part of moving to distance education. When the pandemic fi rst closed schools in March, the Cove School District was ready with iPads for kindergarten through fourth-grade students and Chromebooks for fi fth through 12th grade students who needed the devices to stay connected during school. Additionally, hotspots were available to anyone who needed internet connectivity at home. “Last spring we were quickly See, Schools/Page 5A Staff photo by Dick Mason Tom Strandberg of the Oregon Department of Transportation examines one of the new concrete lanes crews are installing for semitrailer traffi c on Interstate 84 through Ladd Canyon south of La Grande. The lanes are 11 inches high, allowing ODOT to later shave down the surface as it wears out. at those three sites since the addition of the third lanes beginning in the late 1990s. “They have made a huge difference,” Patterson said. He anticipates the impact also will be great in the eastbound entrance into Ladd Canyon, where numerous semitrailers jackknife most winters. At Ladd Canyon, the roadway with a third lane will consist of two new concrete lanes and a third with new asphalt. Pas- senger vehicles will be able to drive in all three lanes, but trucks will be restricted to the two concrete lanes. Patterson said the three-lane east set-up provides car drivers with a lane to See, Roadwork/Page 5A OSP: Driver intentionally kills 6 pronghorn antelope EO Media Group CHRISTMAS VALLEY — A driver on April 26 in Lake County ran down six pronghorn antelope with his pickup. The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife reported the slaughter is the latest in a string of poaching thrill kills in Oregon. The driver, Michael Scott Phillips, 48, of Christmas Valley, told authorities he did it because he hates pronghorns, according to the press release from ODFW. Oregon State Police Fish and Wildlife Division troopers dis- covered a grisly scene of fi ve does and one buck pronghorn antelope, their carcasses strewn along Fossil Lake Road near INDEX Classified ..... 2B Comics ......... 5B Crossword ... 2B Dear Abby ... 6B ‘POACHING THRILL KILLS’ • The killing of six pronghorn antelope in Grant County is the latest in what the Oregon State Police Fish and Wildlife Division described as “poaching thrill kills.” • Three Oregon men were cited in May for allegedly poaching 27 big game animals in multiple counties over the past two years. • Two men in April were charged with poaching a pronghorn buck, a branch bull elk and six buck deer over the past year in Grant County. • In July, Oregon State Police identifi ed a poaching hot spot in Columbia County, where two elk and a buck deer were shot over a period of three months. Christmas Valley. The buck’s horns were missing, according to Fish and Wildlife, and one doe was eviscerated with a knife — her unborn fawn removed and placed on its mother’s carcass. May is fawning season for antelope in Oregon. Any preg- WEATHER Horoscope ... 2B Lottery.......... 2A Obituaries .... 3A Opinion ........ 4A TUESDAY Outdoors ..... 1B Records ........ 3A Sports .......... 6A Sudoku ........ 5B nant does would have given birth within a month had they not been killed. The division received the ini- tial report of the crime through the Turn In Poachers Line. The See, Killing/Page 5A Full forecast on the back of B section Tonight Sunday 50 LOW 81/48 Mainly clear Sunny and nice PANDEMIC PROFILES, PART 1 Contributed photo by ODFW The carcasses of fi ve does and one buck pronghorn antelope lay along Fossil Lake Road near Christmas Valley in Lake County. CONTACT US 541-963-3161 Issue 94 2 sections, 12 pages La Grande, Oregon Email story ideas to news@lagrande observer.com. 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