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About The Observer. (La Grande, Or.) 1968-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 8, 2020)
SATURDAY, AUGUST 8, 2020 THE OBSERVER — 5A KILLING ROADWORK Continued from Page 1A Continued from Page 1A caller reported hearing a man bragging about accel- erating his pickup to hit several pronghorns as they bunched together in the middle of the road. The man said he left the scene to get a hamburger, then returned later to retrieve the buck’s horns. Troopers served a search warrant on Phillips’ resi- dence in May. They recov- ered the horns and other evi- dence linking Phillips to the crime, according to divi- sion Sgt. Lowell Lea. Phil- lips confi rmed the antelope were bunched together in the road and said he acceler- ated to more than 60 mph to hit them. Phillips said he did it because he hates prong- horns, according to Lea. State police arrested Phillips on May 21. He is lodged in the Lake County Jail. “Not all poaching involves the use of a fi rearm,” Lea said. “This is not the fi rst case of people poaching with a vehicle. And poaching takes oppor- tunities away from hunters and others.” State court records show Phillips faces seven charges in all. Two relate to the killing the antelope — a wildlife violation for the taking of the antelope and a felony for fi rst-degree aggra- vated animal abuse. The other fi ve charges include unlawful use of a weapon, menacing and coercion for threatening a man on May 16 in Lake County. The antelope killing comes after three Oregon men were cited in May for allegedly poaching 27 big game animals in multiple counties over the past two years. A concerned citizen contacted the TIP Line to report the poaching ring. Restitution for the crimes, which occurred in Benton, Lane, Linn, Lincoln, Polk and Tillamook counties, may top $162,000. In April, two men were charged with poaching a pronghorn buck, a branch bull elk and six buck deer over the past year in Grant County. In July, the division iden- tifi ed a poaching hot spot in Columbia County, where two elk and a buck deer were shot over a period of three months near Weyer- haeuser property. All three animals were left to waste where they were shot, with little or no meat taken. The Oregon Hunters Association operates the TIP Line. Callers receive a cash reward or hunting pref- erence points if their report leads to a citation or arrest. The TIP Line rewards pro- gram is funded primarily through hunter restitution fees and fi nes. The reward for reporting a poached deer, elk or antelope is four pref- erence points or $500. Last year OHA awarded more than $21,000 in rewards, and ODFW awarded 143 hunter preference points to people who reported to the TIP Line. ODFW anti-poaching campaign coordinator Yvonne Shaw said the crimes refl ect wanton dis- regard for wildlife, wildlife laws and fellow Oregonians. “When people poach, they steal from all of us,” Shaw said. “Coming across a herd of pronghorns is a once-in-a-lifetime experi- ence that most Americans would hold as a treasured memory. Instead, a poacher has robbed the animals of their lives and everyone else of the experience.” pass slower moving semi- trailers, thus preventing getting stuck between large semis. Patterson said large trucks sometimes roll at only 20 miles per hour on the uphill passage while many cars are traveling at least 70 miles per hour. The truck lanes are made out of concrete instead of asphalt because it will hold up better under the weight of heavier vehicles. “We expect them to last for 50 years,” Patterson said. Concrete is more expen- sive than asphalt but has greater longevity, which will save the state money. “There is more of an upfront cost, but it is worth it in the long run,” Pat- terson said. He also said he antici- pates there will be fewer repair costs for the con- crete lanes during their lifespan. The asphalt lane, by contrast, will need extensive work, including patching, he added. The only problem Pat- terson anticipates with the concrete lanes is semis Stoneware Raku Upcycled Furniture Staff photo by Dick Mason The new concrete lanes through the Ladd Canyon portion of Interstate 84 south of La Grande cost more upfront than asphalt but will last longer under the strain of heavy semitrailers. will wear ruts into them. To address this, the lanes are 11 inches thick. This will allow ODOT crews to slice off the ruts and even out the concrete surface later, while leaving enough roadway for trucks to con- tinue traveling. The Ladd Canyon Freight Improvement Project started in April 2019. In that fi rst year, crews widened the shoul- ders of the east- and west- bound lanes of Interstate 84 for 10 miles between La Grande and Ladd Canyon, removed a bridge and installed a concrete box- like culvert large enough to accommodate semitrailers. Eliminating the bridge was benefi cial because it tended to get icy. Work on the second SCHOOLS Continued from Page 1A days,” he said. Since then, though, there have been few major problems thanks in part to Oregon State Police troopers, who Patterson credited with doing an excellent job of patrolling the work site. “The OSP has made a big difference,” Patterson said. “It gets a lot of atten- tion and respect.” “In our district’s mind, we have made technology a priority when learning. It is the future, and that is what Union School District is focused on.” Carter Wells, Union School District superintendent reopening plan addressed the need for students to have access to tech- nology with Chromebooks or hotspots available to check out. Mendoza said the school has enough Chromebooks for any stu- dent who needs one. The hotspots are more limited. The district only has 100 hotspots and is looking to get around 50 more for the coming school year. Hotspots likely will go to those who have been iden- tifi ed as in need, but Men- doza said the school district will work to get whoever needs help with internet access the assistance they need. Additionally, in ensuring accessibility to all students, all district super- intendents have said they will continue to work with children who have Individ- ualized Education Program plan or a 504 disability accommodation plan. “By their very nature, IEPs and 504 plans are individualized,” Pettit said. “Therefore, in the event we are tempo- rarily serving students through distance learning, those adjustments to the delivery methods of IEP/504 accommodations would also be individual- ized. Each accommoda- tion would need to be indi- vidually reviewed for the best method of delivery under whatever restrictions are driving the decision to shift to a distance learning model.” FAMILY OWNED S199236-1 able to have 100% stu- dent connectivity and have demonstrated that this is not a major barrier for instruction of Cove stu- dents,” Superintendent Earl Pettit said. “Quality of internet in Cove remains a challenge, but all students will have access to a device and internet.” Union School District Staff photo by Sabrina Thompson also had enough devices The La Grande School District has enough Chromebooks for every third- through for every student who needs one to have access while 12th-grade student to have participating in distance learning this fall. a Chromebook during the spring and intends to pro- intendent George Men- vide the same tools during trict is following a plan doza said. “We will have the upcoming school year. similar to the La Grande synchronous and asyn- Superintendent Carter School District’s model. The La Grande School chronous learning options Wells said the district is District announced its every day. We will have working to fi nd the best student grades, monitoring, device for younger children fall 2020 reopening plan Tuesday, Aug. 4, and is and feedback on their in kindergarten through going with a comprehensive progress. We will have second grade. distance learning model for embedded intervention “In our district’s mind, the start of the year. times. We will have a focus we have made technology “Comprehensive dis- on a well rounded edu- a priority when learning,” tance learning is going to cation as well as we have Wells said. “It is the be better than that distance electives, club offerings, future, and that is what learning we did last year this fall.” Union School District is in April and May,” Super- The school district’s focused on.” The Elgin School Dis- trict is in a similar posi- tion with enough iPads, Chromebooks and laptops for each student. Super- intendent Dianne Greif said the technology will be distributed to the stu- dents when school begins at the end of August. The devices were accumulated Steel on the inside where it matters most. a few years ago, she said, as a way for students to get engaged in online learning. “It’s how some of the Shops Garages Commercial Industrial classes teach, and espe- cially in the older grades, www.WSBNW.com it’s how they turn in assignments,” Greif said. North Powder School 855 • 668 • 7211 Sandy, OR District still is developing its plans. Superintendent Lance Dixon said the dis- phase of the project started in April this year. Traffi c through the construction area is restricted to 50 miles per hour. Patterson said drivers generally are obeying the speed limit but there were major exceptions this spring. “We had two drivers go through at over 100 miles per hour in a couple of La GRANDE AUTO REPAIR 975-2000 215 Elm Street La Grande (541) 963-5440 northwestfurnitureandmattress.com Grande Ronde Hospital and Clinics proudly welcomes: Steven Pinther, DO To the GRH Specialty Clinic team as an ENT/Otolaryngologist www.lagrandeautorepair.com MOST ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY AVAILABLE Joe Horst ACDelcoTSS Come In and to Browse CELEBRATE the Gallery Dr. Steven Pinther joins the GRH Specialty Clinic from Ascension St. John Macomb in Oakland, Michigan, where he completed his Otolaryngology and Facial Plastic residency, and worked as an adjunct clinical faculty member at Michigan State University. He is a graduate of the Pacific Northwest University of Health Sciences College of Osteopathic Medicine. 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