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About The Observer. (La Grande, Or.) 1968-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 5, 2020)
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2020 SHERIFF Continued from Page 1A Miller said it has been a diffi cult campaign and felt it was necessary he run for the position, even if it was going to be an uphill battle. “I hope the sheriff’s offi ce all the best as it moves for- ward,” Miller said. Miller Bowen has served with the Union County Sher- iff’s Offi ce since 2009, starting as a reserve deputy. He has basic police offi cer training credentials from the Department of Public Safety Standards and Training and serves as a school resource offi cer. He starts in his new position Jan. 4. “The support has been humbling,” Bowen said. “Thank you to everyone who supported, donated and offered words of encourage- ment to me.” And La Grande voters elected a familiar face as mayor. Steve Clements will return for a fourth consec- utive two-year term as the town’s top elected offi cial. He received 3,361 votes (63.5%) to defeat challenger EOU Continued from Page 1A open through winter break, and the univer- sity encouraged students to remain on campus if possible between terms. Students who travel home will have to com- plete a COVID-19 test before returning to their residence hall for winter term. Seydel credited such testing schemes as crit- ical to the success of Eastern’s fall term. “One of the turning points for us was doing mass testing of all the incoming students,” Seydel said. “We did 881 or so tests in one day up on campus. Getting the students here, getting them to self-isolate and quarantine before doing the test, doing the test, then taking care of those few students who did test positive, we got them into a situation where (we could) start having students on campus.” Testing also is a key feature of East- ern’s plan to resume athletics. The Cascade Collegiate Conference, of which Eastern is a part, released its plan for returning to play Saturday. Athletes competing in basketball, football, volleyball, wrestling and soccer, as well as coaches, managers and trainers will be required to undergo weekly testing. Additionally, student athletes will con- tinue to be screened for symptoms “each day a practice or team activity of any kind occurs.” (For more on that plan, see Sports on page A7.) The CCC’s plan still requires approval by THE OBSERVER — 5A Alex McHaddad, who received 1,899 (35.9%) Cle- ments had words of praise for McHaddad. “Alex ran a good race. He had some good ideas which are worth pursuing,” Clements said. “I want to thank him for participating in the process.” Clements also had praise for the voters. “I want to thank the Clements voters of La Grande for believing in me,” Clements said. McHaddad was philo- sophical about the loss. “We had a free and fair election. This is what the voters wanted. I’m glad we live in a democracy,” McHaddad said. He said two good things McHaddad came out of the race. He said his campaign appears to have succeeded in getting the city to post information packets about upcoming council meetings online a week before meetings, and he saved a cat. McHaddad said while campaigning he found a cat in a cistern, and he pulled it out to safety. RESULTS Continued from Page 1A STATE RACES Secretary of State Shemia Fagan (D) — 51.11% Kim Thatcher (R) — 42.61% State Treasurer Tobias Read (D) — 52.49% Jeff Gudman (R) — 40.90% Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum (D) — 56.69% Michael Cross (R) — 40.78% Senate District 29 Bill Hansell (R) — 76.01% Mildred O’Callaghan (D) — 23.83% House District 58 Bobby Levy (R) — 59.95% Nolan Bylenga (D) — 27.02% LOCAL RACES Cove Mayor Sherry Haeger — 60.82% Nathiel Conrad (incumbent) — 38.08% Measure 31—103 — Adopts new city charter Yes — 64.93% No — 55.49% Imbler Mayor Jason Berglund Sr. — 54.75% Rick Vicek (incumbent) — 44.13% Island City Mayor David Comfort — 50.22% “I saved a cat, that made the campaign worthwhile,” McHaddad said. Clements said during Margaret Spence — 49.48% La Grande Mayor Steve Clements (incumbent) — 63.51% Alex McHaddad — 35.88% Council Position 2 Nicole Howard (incumbent) — 50.86% Denise Wheeler — 48.65% Council Position 3 David Glabe — 49.92% Corrine Dutto (incumbent) — 49.50% Council Position 4 Mary Ann Miesner (incumbent) — 57.55% Kristine Alf Rippee — 41.82% Council Position 6 John Bozarth — 50.99% David Moyal — 48% North Powder Council Position 4 Justin Wright — 42.98% David Schwehr (incumbent) — 28.93% Patricia Martin — 27.69% Union Measure 31—102 — Adopts revisions to the city charter Yes — 44.51% No — 55.49% Union County Measure 31—101 — Requires com- missioners to hold meetings regarding the relocation of state borders Yes — 52.42% No — 47.58% his campaign he wanted to continue guiding La Grande as it takes on the challenges the COVID-19 crisis poses. He noted the council will discuss how to help business the pandemic has hurt at an upcoming work session in November. “I want to do every- thing I can to help busi- nesses that will be hurt by COVID-19 this winter,” Clements said. And in the tightest race in the county, just fi ve votes Wednesday separated the two candidates vying for mayor of Island City. David Comfort has 337 votes to 332 for Margaret Spence. Island City voters have cast 671 votes in all in the mayor’s race, including two write-ins. Comfort said if he wins he would be “totally excited.” However, if he loses he would stay com- mitted to public service, such as continuing to serve on the city’s budget committee. “Win or lose I will stay involved,” he said. Comfort said he would be delighted to have the chance to serve as mayor. “Island City has a super council and a great staff,” Comfort said. Spence said Tuesday she was “excited to see what the outcome is.” The winner will succeed Delmer Hanson. For more coverage of local races, visit The Observer online at www. lagrandeobserver.com. Bentz winning 2nd Congressional District the state before play can begin. “I give a lot of kudos out to our coaches working with student athletes to make sure they don’t all just mingle together and spread anything,” Seydel said. “They’ve done a fan- tastic job.” Seydel and Aldrich both extended those kudos to the rest of the campus community and praised students and employees alike for adhering to proto- cols. Nonetheless, there have been incidents of noncompliance. “They’re there. Of course they’re there,” Aldrich said. “This isn’t easy on people. It’s quite a big change, but (we are) really pleased with the percentage of people that are com- plying. I mean, we’re talking about small pockets where we’re having to deal with some noncompliance.” Aldrich said the uni- versity deals with non- compliance on a case- by-case basis, and that he had had a “lot of crucial conversations.” Even so, he said, he is impressed with the on-campus compliance compared to that in the community at large. “We are really for- tunate to have the stu- dents we’ve got and the employees that we have,” Aldrich said. “They understand how important it is. ... If you compare that to my observations that I see when I’m out in the com- munity, I’m glad I’m not having to deal with the noncompliance in the community.” Winter classes are scheduled to begin at EOU on Jan. 4, 2021. By Gary A. Warner Oregon Capital Bureau Republican Cliff Bentz of Ontario is winning by a wide margin in the race for the open congressional seat representing Central and Eastern Oregon. Unoffi cial voting returns Wednesday, Nov. 4, in the 2nd Congressional District showed Bentz with 60% of the vote against 37/8% for Democrat Alex Spenser of Klamath Falls. Libertarian Robert Werch of Grants Pass had 3%. “We’re leading — I have been cautiously optimistic from the start,” Bentz said from his home in Ontario during Tuesday’s elec- tion night. “I’ve had a good reception in all 20 counties of the district.” Bentz would be the only Republican among the two Bentz U.S. Senators and fi ve U.S. House mem- bers representing Oregon. He said he worked with U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley and Rep. Susan Bonamici, D-Beaverton, when they were all in the Legislature together. He’s worked with U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden on state issues as well. Bentz said he’ll seek a bipartisan approach to the state’s efforts to handle the COVID-19 virus and an economic recovery from the pandemic’s impact. The delegation can also work on wildfi re recovery — about 2,400 homes were destroyed in Talent and Phoenix, near Ashland, part of the district. He also hopes to cooperate on trans- portation legislation. “I am happy to work with all of them,” Bentz, 68, said. If Bentz wins, he will retain a seat the GOP has held for 40 years. Retiring U.S. Rep. Greg Walden, R-Hood River, has repre- sented the district since 1999. The district has 50,000 more registered Republicans than Demo- crats. Walden usually won re-election with over 60% of the vote. Democrats hold the other four U.S. House seats, along with both U.S. Senate seats. Given the district’s heavy Republican tilt, Bentz was favored to win the seat after his victory in the May Republican primary. Bentz won 31% in a fi eld of 10 candidates that included former Rep. Knute Buehler, R-Bend, and former Sen. Jason Atkinson, R-Ashland. CD2 sprawls across nearly 70,000 square miles, including all of the state east of the Cascades and a swath in the southwest that goes as far west as Grants Pass. It includes all or part of 20 of Oregon’s 36 counties. Greater Idaho measure has narrow lead Commissioners to hold meetings on topic in 2021 By Sabrina Thompson The Observer UNION COUNTY — The measure requiring county commissioners to hold public meetings to discuss the proposal to make the county part of a new state of Greater Idaho is passing in Union County. Measure 31-101 retained a narrow lead from election night Tuesday, Nov. 3, with 52.4% of the vote to 47.6%, or 7,401 votes to 6,719 votes, according to Union Count’s unoffi cial results. “I am glad people have a chance to have their voice heard,” the Move Oregon Idaho Border chief petitioner Mike McCarter said. “I hope these num- STORAGE BUILDINGS bers get up to the state Legislature and show them at least 50% of the resi- dents in counties where the measure is passing are not happy with the way the government is working.” More than 950 people signed the petition to get the measure on the ballot, mandating the county board to hold three public meetings to dis- cuss the public’s interest in changing the Ore- gon-Idaho border and making Union County a member of Idaho. Commissioner Donna Beverage said the board will hold the meetings. A similar measure made the ballots in Douglas, Jef- ferson and Wallowa coun- ties, but out of those three, it was only passing in Jef- ferson County, according to the unoffi cial results on the Oregon secretary of State’s election website. The Central Oregon county was passing the measure 51.2% in favor to 49% against. Wallowa County voters were defeating the mea- sure, 50.5% against to 49.3% for. Douglas County voters were rejecting the measure with an even wider margin — 56.7% against to 43.3% in favor. Bank of Eastern Oregon. WHERE WE MEET All Your Financial Needs in one place. Ag and Commercial Real Estate Loans Term Loans • Lines of Credit Checking • Savings • On-line Banking • Mobile App La Grande www.CountrysideSheds.com Have a Happy & Safe Halloween 2514 Cove Avenue (541) 624-5040 Hours: 9 AM-5 PM (541) 663-0246 Locally owned and operated for over 25 years 10505 N. McAlister Road (Corner of Hwy 82 & N. McAlister Rd.) 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