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THURSDAY
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• $1.50
October 8, 2020
Good day to our valued subscriber Diane Anger of La Grande
Ronald Lee
murder trial
canceled
Mental evaluation finds
Lee unfit to proceed or
aid in his defense
By Sabrina Thompson
The Observer
LA GRANDE — Ronald
Dwight Lee of La Grande is
headed to the Oregon State Hos-
pital in Salem instead of to a
murder trial for the death of his
wife Loretta Williams.
Lee, 73, was to face a Union
County jury in November on
charges of murder and conspiracy
to commit murder more than a
year after pleading not guilty.
But state court records show Cir-
cuit Judge Thomas Powers on
Tuesday, Oct. 6, signed a order
fi nding Lee is unfi t to proceed.
The state has accused Lee of
killing Williams in November
2018 at her home in Cove. At the
time the two were divorcing.
Dick Mason/The Observer
Island City Elementary School kindergarten teacher Dakota Jenkins on Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2020, points to someone coming to pick up
one of her students after school.
See, Trial/Page 5A
Oregon gets
boost to
COVID-19
testing
No longer online
Students, teachers
enjoy return to
their classrooms
By Suzanne Roig
The Bulletin
SALEM — Oregon will
receive up to 80,000 rapid
COVID-19 tests per week from
the federal government, doubling
its testing abilities and allowing
people who don’t show any symp-
toms of the virus to be tested.
Gov. Kate Brown announced
the testing boost Tuesday, Oct. 6.
The fi rst communities to receive
these antigen tests, which will
produce results in 15 minutes,
will be those affected by wild-
fi res, she said.
“I know it hasn’t been easy.
We’ve learned a new way of living
that involves masks, physical dis-
tancing and the ever-popular Zoom
rooms conferencing,” Brown said
in a press conference Tuesday.
“We have certainly seen a rise in
COVID cases recently. This was to
be expected coming off of Labor
Day weekend and the intense wild-
fi res that forced so many Orego-
nians from their homes.
By Dick Mason
The Observer
UNION COUNTY — Close to 250 of
the La Grande School District’s youngest
students are no longer going online each
weekday morning and afternoon for
classes. Instead they are getting in line
— for recess and school bus rides.
The boys and girls are children in
kindergarten through third grade who
started attending school in person this
week for the fi rst time in at least six
months after being taught only online by
the school district due to the COVID-19
pandemic.
The young students have been able to
attend on-site since Monday, Oct. 5, after
the La Grande School District met the
state’s K-3 COVID-19 safety standards.
The students are the only ones in the
La Grande School District able to attend
classes on-site.
Island City Elementary School Prin-
cipal Brett Smith said Tuesday the chil-
dren appear very happy to be back at
school. This is most evident at the end of
Dick Mason/The Observer
Island City Elementary fi rst grade teacher Kailie Sells talks with students after classes
on Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2020.
the school day.
“Some have been asking teachers
‘Can we stay?’ and ‘Do we have to go?’”
Smith said.
Island City second-grade teacher
Kylee Goodwin said children seemed
eager while being taught online to get
back to a bricks and mortar school.
“Some wanted to know when they
were going to get back to real school,”
Goodwin said.
Children are not the only ones
See, Schools/Page 5A
See, Testing/Page 5A
Joseph teen comes back from the brink
Cross-country runner
Keelan McBurney keeps
going after injury
By Bill Bradshaw
Wallowa County Chieftain
JOSEPH — The accident nearly
cost Joseph Charter School cross-
country runner Keelan McBurney
his leg, but he is not letting it keep
him down.
It was May 15 when McBurney,
then 15, went to visit a friend who
lived about three miles south of
Joseph. He decided to keep the
friend, who was the same age and
has since moved out of the area,
anonymous.
The accident
“About 45 minutes later,” said
his mom, Chantay Jett, “I get a
call from his friend who is so
distraught that he’s not able to
speak on the phone. I could hear
Keelan in the background and he
said, ‘Mom, I’ve been in an acci-
dent. I think I broke my leg. It’s
really bad. You need to come
immediately.’”
Jett said the two had driven
the friend’s mom’s car down the
INDEX
Business ....... 1B
Classified ...... 2B
Comics .......... 5B
Crossword .... 2B
WEATHER
Horoscope .... 3B
Letters ........... 4A
Lottery........... 2A
Nation ........... 8A
SATURDAY
Obituaries ..... 3A
Opinion ......... 4A
Spiritual ........ 6A
State .............. 7A
driveway to the mailbox and upon
returning, McBurney was guiding
the friend into a parking spot at the
house when the friend thought he
had the car in reverse, but it was
in drive. The friend hit the gas,
panicked, hit the gas harder and
pinned McBurney to the house,
crushing his left leg.
See, McBurney/Page 5A
Keelan McBurney of Joseph
shows the scar from the surgery
that saved his leg after an
accident in May.
Full forecast on the back of B section
Tonight
Friday
42 LOW
73/46
Clearing
Mostly sunny
STAYING SAFE ON HALLOWEEN
Bill Bradshaw/Wallowa County Chieftain
CONTACT US
541-963-3161
Issue 120
2 sections, 14 pages
La Grande, Oregon
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