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About The Observer. (La Grande, Or.) 1968-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 3, 2020)
2A — THE OBSERVER TuESday, NOVEmBER 3, 2020 LOCAL/REGION Daily Batten down the hatches for cold, snowy winter Planner TODAY Today is Tuesday, Nov. 3, the 308th day of 2020. There are 58 days left in the year. TODAY’S HIGHLIGHT IN HISTORY On Nov. 3, 1936, President Franklin D. Roosevelt won a landslide election victory over Republican challenger Alfred “Alf” Landon. ON THIS DATE In 1900, the first auto- mobile show in the United States opened at New York’s Madison Square Garden un- der the auspices of the Auto- mobile Club of America. In 1911, the Chevrolet Motor Car Co. was founded in Detroit by Louis Chevrolet and William C. Durant. (The company was acquired by General Motors in 1918.) In 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson soundly defeat- ed Republican Barry Gold- water to win a White House term in his own right. In 1970, Salvador Allende was inaugurated as presi- dent of Chile. In 1979, five Communist Workers Party members were killed in a clash with heavily armed Ku Klux Klansmen and neo-Nazis during an anti-Klan protest in North Carolina. In 1986, the Iran-Con- tra affair came to light as Ash-Shiraa, a pro-Syrian Lebanese magazine, first broke the story of U.S. arms sales to Iran. In 1992, Democrat Bill Clinton was elected the 42nd president of the United States, defeating Presi- dent George H.W. Bush. In Illinois, Democrat Carol Moseley-Braun became the first Black woman elected to the U.S. Senate. In 1994, Susan Smith of Union, South Carolina, was arrested for drowning her sons, Michael and Alex, nine days after claiming the children had been abducted by a Black carjacker. In 2004, President George W. Bush claimed a re-election mandate a day after more than 62 million Americans chose him over Democrat John Kerry; Kerry conceded defeat in make-or-break Ohio rather than launch a legal fight reminiscent of the conten- tious Florida recount of four years earlier. In 2014, 13 years after the 9/11 terrorist attack, the resurrected World Trade Center opened for business, an emotional milestone for New Yorkers and the nation. LOTTERY Megabucks: $3.8 million 5-18-23-37-40-44 Mega Millions: $118 million 14-19-34-39-59 —11 x2 Powerball: $127 million 2-6-40-42-55—PB-24 x3 Win for Life: Oct. 31 12-20-24-32 Pick 4: Nov. 1 • 1 p.m.: 4-9-2-7 • 4 p.m.: 0-1-4-5; • 7 p.m.: 3-3-3-1 • 10 p.m.: 0-6-2-2 Pick 4: Oct. 31 • 1 p.m.: 3-6-3-2 • 4 p.m.: 0-6-2-7 • 7 p.m.: 4-9-8-1 • 10 p.m.: 7-6-6-4 Pick 4: Oct. 30 • 1 p.m.: 2-3-9-8 • 4 p.m.: 5-6-8-0; • 7 p.m.: 3-6-0-3 • 10 p.m.: 0-0-2-3 DELIVERY ISSUES? If you have any problems receiving your Observer, please call 541-963-3161. By Ellen Morris Bishop For EO Media Group SALEM — Brace your- selves for a stormy, cold winter. A relatively mild November may lure North- east Oregon into compla- cency, but in late December and all of January, storms will come, winds will blow and snow will fall. “Last winter was sort of a ‘nothing-burger,’” said Pete Parsons, an Oregon Department of Agriculture meteorologist. “This winter is going to come with extra mayonnaise.” With colder water tem- peratures in the tropical Pacific, weather is moving into La Nina conditions, which promise wetter and colder winters in the Pacific Northwest, Rocky Mountains and the Great Plains. Parsons is basing his forecast on the analog winters of 1959-60, 1970- 71, and 1995-96 when El Nino (warm water in the tropical Pacific) shifted to La Nina (cold water in the tropical Pacific). “The first year you move out of El Nino and into a La Nina tends to be pretty volatile in the Pacific Northwest,” Parsons said. “It’s cold and snowy. You tend to get more mountain snow than normal. Look for a very different winter than we’ve had for the past two (winters). “We’re moving towards a colder signal in the Pacific Decadal Oscil- Phil Wright/The Observer, File Jeremy Jones and his children Jeremiah and Kylie shovel their driveway Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2020, in La Grande during the midst of the big snow storm that moved over the region and prompted local school closures. Weather is moving into La Nina conditions, which promise a wetter and colder winter in the Pacific Northwest. lation. That will make it colder than it’s been for the last seven years or so.” The winter of 2016-17 was a La Nina year, Par- sons noted, and we could have similar conditions this year. But, Parsons said, cli- mate change has also resulted in warmer waters in the northern Pacific that add some uncertainty to the seasonal forecast, he said. For November, Par- sons sees mild tempera- tures and normal precipi- tation in Northeast Oregon due to high-pressure ridges developing over the Pacific Northwest. “In El Nino years, like the last two winters, we tend to get cold weather early in the season,” he said. “But in La Nina years, the protective ridge over us develops in the fall then goes away, and so we get cold temperatures descending on us later in the season. La Ninas start out mild, but just wait until January. That’s when we can have some really cold weather.” His long-term forecast for this winter shows that in December, the protective high-pressure ridge begins to weaken, allowing the jet stream to direct more cold Arctic air our way. “That’s a stormy pat- tern, and it will drive more storms our way.” Parsons said. “December is likely to be stormier than normal, with lower snow levels than normal.” That means, he said, the start of a good winter snowpack, with near- or above-average snowfall in the mountains. “It’s likely that cold-air outbreaks will hold off until after Christmas,” Par- sons said. “From about that point through January is the prime slot for really cold weather.” In January, with the pro- tective high-pressure ridge moving to the west over the Pacific, Parsons expects periods of cold and pos- sibly frigid weather. “There’s cold air dumps, really significant ones, that are almost cer- tainly going to occur,” he said. “The question is whether they dump into the Northern Plains and into the Rockies, or move west over us. We are almost always going to get at least one Arctic event into the Pacific Northwest.” There is a good chance of overall below-average temperatures in January. “It’s possible that we would have multiple out- breaks of Arctic air, and the one or more could ‘lock up’ over us,” Parsons said. Winter weather could also include windstorms and rain-on-snow flood events, though those are more likely on the west side of the state. “Doesn’t that make it interesting?” Parsons said. “Would you want the same thing every year? La Nina makes for some really vol- atile weather. So batten down the hatches.” Tai chi at the Summerville grange brings better balance A new 3-month course starts Nov. 9 By Sabrina Thompson The Observer SUMMERVILLE — It’s not something you see every day. A knight in armor led a cowgirl and others in Halloween cos- tumes through the flowing movements of an ancient Chinese art Friday, Oct. 30, at Summerville’s Pleasant Grove Grange. Summerville resi- dent Laura Zambrano was wrapping up a Tai Chi: Moving for Better Balance session, a twice-a-week class she leads on the front lawn of the grange. While the three-month- long class concluded Friday, she is not waiting to get people moving again. She said a new round of classes begins Monday, Nov. 9, at 11 a.m. and will continue every Monday and Friday. The classes work to improve balance and coordination and are beneficial for all ages. Tai chi is a Chinese exercise that incorporates breathing, body movement and meditation. The Sum- merville class focused on a simplification of one of Sabrina Thompson/The Observer Laura Zambrano dresses as a knight to lead her tai chi class, which also donned cos- tumes for Halloween, on Friday, Oct. 30, 2020, at the Summerville Pleasant Grove Grange. A new round of classes begins Nov. 9. the styles of tai chi. Zam- brano also teaches a tai chi class at the Grande Ronde Retirement and Assisted Living. “The elderly need exer- cise the most,” Zambrano said. “This year, with COVID, the elderly are unable to go anywhere or do much exercise. And this is a type of movement spe- cifically to (help prevent) elders from falling.” Zambrano’s first round of the outdoor classes in Summerville began in August. During the course she taught her students eight forms of tai chi, which the class eventually learned to blend into a con- tinuous flowing movement. “I’ve seen improve- ments in their confidence over the three months,” Zambrano said of class participants. “One of Sheriff’s office provides details of deadly Hermiston shooting By Jade McDowell East Oregonian HERMISTON — An alterca- tion between four males resulted in the shooting death of two of them and a gunshot wound to a third, according to Umatilla County Sheriff Terry Rowan. Rowan said at 8:18 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 29, dispatch received a call from Alejandro Madrigal of Umatilla stating he and his father, Jaime Madrigal, had been in an altercation with Raymon Rios and Hugo Mad- rigal-Leon on Sagebrush Road near Bensel Road outside Herm- iston. According to Rowan, Ale- jandro said Jaime had been shot and Alejandro had shot Rios and Madrigal-Leon in self-defense. Law enforcement arrived to find Raymond Ryan Rios, 18, and Hugo Madrigal-Leon, 19, both of Hermiston, dead. Rowan said Jaime was treated at the hospital for a gunshot wound, and Alejandro had some injuries stemming from the initial alter- cation. They cooperated with law enforcement. He said the sheriff’s office, Umatilla Morrow Major Crime Team, the Oregon State Police Forensics Lab and Umatilla County District Attorney still were investigating and “sorting things out” in regards to who shot whom, but it appeared Ale- jandro’s assertion he had shot Rios and Madrigal-Leon was correct. Rowan said at this time he was not aware of whether the shooting had any connections to other shootings earlier in the year. The deadly encounter repre- sented the fourth and fifth pos- sible homicide deaths in or just outside of Hermiston this year. Law enforcement also has reported at least four drive-by shootings of vehicles or homes where no one was injured, and in August a man was seriously injured in a shooting in the parking lot of the Hermiston Safeway. Hermiston Police Chief Jason Edmiston said the pandemic has caused such unusual cir- cumstances this year that it is hard to consider crime statistics from 2020 and previous years an “apples to apples” comparison. Overall, however, reported crime in Hermiston for the first three quarters of 2020 has dropped by 32% compared with the same period in 2019, and violent crime is down 23%, according to records Edmiston provided the East Oregonian. But the increase in shooting incidents in the area compared to recent years is an unfortunate, serious development, he said. The third-quarter crime report shows either one or zero homicides or attempted homi- cides each year in Hermiston from 2011 to 2019. FBI data going back even further shows the same trend of one or zero homicides per year reported by HPD going back to 2009. my favorite things about teaching the class has been seeing their faces so happy. They never missed a class.” The class of four stu- dents, all Summerville res- idents, would meet outside the grange for an hour to go through the forms. The outdoor location and space allowed for proper social distancing and fresh air. Zambrano said the next set of classes will con- tinue to be outside as long as the weather permits. To allow for proper social dis- tancing, she limits class sizes to nine students. Susan Hoyt said she enjoys the class because it is a different form of regi- mented exercise. “I joined because I thought it would be fun and a good way to see friends you don’t see very often because we all get too busy,” she said. “And since it is outside, it is a safe way to meet people and get together.” Carol Messinger, a former dancer, said she appreciates having a way to continue moving even if she can’t dance anymore. She said the class has given her a better sense of how to use her body correctly. “For me it was a chal- lenge getting here and doing (the) movement,” student Jacque Lee said. “It was a fun challenge to rise up to.” Zambrano taught the class in collaboration with Community Connection of Northeast Oregon. The nonprofit provided a guide- book for each student to practice their movements and meditations at home. News briefs BMTD hires office assistant as McHaddad deals with health issue LA GRANDE — The Blue Mountain Translator District hired an office assistant Saturday, Oct. 31, to assist the organiza- tion’s executive director, Alex McHaddad, as he recovers from a health issue. Curtis Carson will take on some of McHaddad’s workload for the next two pay periods, which will run through Nov. 25. McHaddad, who is suffering from a respiratory condition, will continue to handle management duties. McHaddad, who also is running for mayor of La Grande, said he has been tested for COVID-19, and his test was negative. The Blue Mountain Translator District is a government entity that provides over-the-air televi- sion signals in Union and Baker counties. OTEC announces scholarship opportunities BAKER CITY — Oregon Trail Electric Cooperative announced in a press release it would begin accepting applications for a number of academic scholarships on Sunday, Nov. 1. The scholarships include $5,000 awards available to high school students, returning college stu- dents and adults entering educa- tional or technical programs. The cooperative also announced four incoming Eastern Oregon Univer- sity freshmen will have the oppor- tunity to have their entire four years of tuition and fees paid for if they commit to attend and grad- uate from EOU. In addition, the cooperative will award two scholarships to attend lineman school and four to attend trade school, for $5,000 and $2,500, respectively. “We are committed to helping our future leaders grow and our scholarship program is one way we recognize our responsi- bility to support the communi- ties we serve,” Joe Hathaway, the cooperative’s communications manager, stated in the release. “OTEC is proud to once again sponsor these educational oppor- tunities for members and their families in Baker, Grant, Harney and Union counties.” Applications for the scholar- ships are due Jan. 31, 2021. Addi- tional information can be found at otec.coop/scholarships. — The Observer
