Powder and the pandemic
Inside
Elgin couple off ers frights, 2A
EOU football schedule, 6A
In Outdoors
Weekend
Edition
SATURDAY-MONDAY • October 10, 2020
Good day to our valued subscriber Dorothy Hunt of La Grande
• $1.50
Two recent
area calf
deaths not
by wolves
ODFW also says they
are not mutilation cases
By Ronald Bond
The Observer
4,305 votes for Bowen were just more than
half of the number of voters who did not
submit a ballot.
The race for second and third was much
tighter. Sheriff Boyd Rasmussen won by
only 133 votes over Bill Miller. That differ-
ence accounts for just 1.67% of the number
of voters who did not participate. A fi fth
of those who did not vote would have been
enough to make up the margin between
Bowen and Rasmussen. There even were
enough non-voters that Shane Rollins, who
fi nished fourth with 785 votes, could have
ended up closer in the race.
LA GRANDE — Two of the
most recent livestock depreda-
tions the Oregon Department of
Fish and Wildlife investigated in
Eastern Oregon lack any mark-
ings that point to a wolf.
The kills occurred in late Sep-
tember, one in Union County,
according to the ODFW investi-
gation report, which showed 25
depredation exams from July to
September.
The fi rst investigation was
Sept. 23 after a livestock producer
that morning found a dead 400-
pound calf in a large private pas-
ture in the Manning Creek area
of Baker County. Investigators
estimated the calf died the day
before.
“No attack or struggle
scene was found,” according to
ODFW’s report. “There were no
pre-mortem bite marks or hemor-
rhage found on the carcass. The
death of this calf was not wolf
related.”
The next morning, a landowner
in the McIntyre Road area of
Union County found a dead 500-
pound calf in a large forested pri-
vate pasture. The calf, investiga-
tors determined, died about three
days before the examination on
the carcass began. It was missing
intestines and muscle tissue from
its spine, ribs and hindquarters.
The examination of the site
found no signs of an attack or
struggle, and this carcass also
lacked pre-mortem bite marks or
hemorrhaging.
“The death of this calf was not
wolf related,” the reported stated.
Michelle Dennehy, ODFW
communications director, said
there is no evidence of the death
falling in the same camp as recent
mutilation cases that have been
reported around the state.
“There was nothing to suggest
the death or missing parts were
human caused,” she said. “The
missing portions of the animal
were consistent with scavenger
activity — not surprising since
there was sign of coyotes, fox and
scavenging birds at the scene.
This is virtually always the case
unless the carcass is found very
quickly after death. Had there
been evidence of human involve-
ment it would become a potential
criminal case and law enforce-
ment would take over.”
See, Vote/Page 5A
See, Wolves/Page 5A
Ronald Bond/The Observer
Lisa Feik, chief deputy for the Union County Clerk’s Offi ce, La Grande, conducts a test run of the county’s new ballot tally machine on Thurs-
day, Oct. 8, 2020. The new machine can sort out write-in and questionable ballots from others that scan OK. The machine is set for more test
runs, including one that can be watched by citizens Oct. 27, before the Nov. 3 election.
Every vote counts
Almost 8,000 voters in Union
County did not cast a ballot in
May primary
“I’ve been trying to tell people for years ‘You do count, you
just choose not to.’ They choose not to be heard because they
refuse to vote, and that’s my personal opinion.”
— Robin Church, Union County Clerk
By Ronald Bond
The Observer
This is the fi rst of a two-part series on
voting. The second part, breaking down the
margin between Kate Brown and Knute Bue-
hler in 2018, runs Tuesday, Oct. 13.
LA GRANDE — Robin Church is ada-
mant about voters making sure their voices
are heard.
The Union County clerk this week talked
with The Observer not only about the
importance of voting in next month’s gen-
eral election and understanding that votes
do count, but how margins — both large
and small — can be made up by the votes
that are left on the table.
Church wants to dispel a notion she said
Eastern Oregon residents often carry —
that their vote doesn’t count at the state
level.
That is true only if a person elects not to
vote, she said.
“I’ve been trying to tell people for years
‘You do count, you just choose not to,’” she
said. “They choose not to be heard because
they refuse to vote, and that’s my personal
opinion.”
Church cited the example of the close
2018 Oregon governor’s race between
Dates and places to keep in mind for the 2020 general election
• Oct. 13: Last day to register as a fi rst-time voter
in Oregon.
• Oct. 14: Ballots dropped off at post offi ce for
delivery.
• Oct. 27: Recommended last day to mail ballot.
• Nov. 3: Registration update deadline for voters.
• Nov. 3, 8 p.m.: Deadline to turn ballot in at drop
box.
BALLOT DROP-OFF LOCATIONS:
• La Grande: 1001 Fourth St.
Knute Buehler and Kate Brown. Less than
120,000 ballots decided the race in which
smaller counties didn’t vote at the level of
larger counterparts.
A local, more recent election — Union
County’s May primary for sheriff — points
to the importance of voting as well as being
sure to sign ballots.
In that election, registered voters in the
county cast 10,556 ballots out of more than
18,500. That’s a turnout of about 57%,
which means nearly 8,000 voters did not
take part.
Deputy Cody Bowen won the primary
easily to reach the November general elec-
tions with close to 42% of the vote. But the
• Island City: 10605 Island Ave.
• Imbler: 180 Ruckman Ave.
• Elgin: 890 Alder St.
• Union: 342 S. Main St.
• Cove: 504 Alder St.
• North Powder: 635 Third St.
MORE INFORMATION
• If you have not received a ballot by Oct. 21,
contact the Union County Clerk’s Offi ce at
541-963-1006.
La Grande renames fi eld to honor Doug Trice
By Dick Mason
The Observer
LA GRANDE — La Grande has
a new memorial to the late Doug
Trice, the community volunteer
who lifted young people to greater
heights without raising his voice.
Wednesday night, Sept. 7, the
La Grande City Council voted
to rename Community Field at
Pioneer Park in honor of Trice.
The name change took effect
immediately.
Councilor Mary Ann Miesner
said this is an excellent way to
salute the legacy of Trice, an
award-winning Special Olym-
pics coach and a hall of fame ath-
lete who died in his sleep at his La
Grande residence May 6, 2020, at
age 68.
“He touched a lot of lives in this
community,” Miesner said.
The fi eld’s offi cial new name is
Douglas Trice Community Field.
Lin Casciato, a retired La
Grande High School teacher and a
softball coach, said it is fi tting that
Trice’s name will precede the word
“community” because he gave so
much to the one in which he lived.
“I think it is a great honor,”
INDEX
Classified ...... 2B
Comics .......... 5B
Crossword .... 3B
Dear Abby .... 6B
WEATHER
Horoscope .... 4B
Letters ........... 4A
Lottery........... 2A
Obituaries ..... 3A
TUESDAY
Opinion ......... 4A
Outdoors ...... 1B
Sports ........... 6A
Sudoku ......... 5B
Casciato said. “I cannot think of
anyone more deserving of this.”
The La Grande Parks and Rec-
reation Department began pursuing
the name change after receiving
a recommendation to do so. An
electronic survey showed over-
whelming support for the name
change, and the Parks and Recre-
ation Advisory Commission voted
to recommend the name change to
the city council.
Trice’s contributions as a Spe-
cial Olympics coach were far from
overlooked during his life. He
was named an assistant coach for
Full forecast on the back of B section
Tonight
Sunday
40 LOW
54/44
A few showers
A shower or two
LA GRANDE CITY COUNCIL RACES
Team USA at the World Games
in Shanghai, China, in 2007. That
same year he received a Gover-
nor’s Gold Award from Gov. Ted
Kulongoski for his work in Special
Olympics. Four years later, Trice
was selected as a Special Olympics
coach for Team USA in Athens,
Greece.
Six months before his passing,
Trice was inducted into the La
Grande High School Tiger Booster
Hall of Fame. He was recog-
nized for his Special Olympics
See, Trice/Page 5A
CONTACT US
541-963-3161
Issue 121
2 sections, 12 pages
La Grande, Oregon
Email story ideas
to news@lagrande
observer.com.
More contact info
on Page 4A.
Online at lagrandeobserver.com