2A — THE OBSERVER
History
and More
TODAY
Today is Tuesday, Jan. 5,
the fifth day of 2021. There
are 360 days left in the year.
TODAY’S HIGHLIGHT IN
HISTORY:
On Jan. 5, 1925, Demo-
crat Nellie Tayloe Ross of
Wyoming took office as
America’s first female gov-
ernor, succeeding her late
husband, William, following
a special election.
ON THIS DATE:
In 1914, auto industrialist
Henry Ford announced he
was going to pay workers
$5 for an 8-hour day, as op-
posed to $2.34 for a 9-hour
day.
In 1949, in his State of the
Union address, President
Harry S. Truman labeled his
administration the Fair Deal.
In 1957, President Dwight
D. Eisenhower proposed
assistance to countries to
help them resist Communist
aggression in what became
known as the Eisenhower
Doctrine.
LOTTERY
Megabucks: $6.5 million
1-4-7-27-46-47
Mega Millions: $401 million
8-24-53-68-69 — 7 x5
Powerball: $384 million
3-4-11-41-67 — PB 5 x2
Win for Life: Jan. 2
9-44-56-68
Pick 4: Jan. 3
• 1 p.m.: 9-1-4-4; • 4 p.m.: 8-8-8-8
• 7 p.m.: 8-0-7-9; • 10 p.m.: 2-2-3-5
Pick 4: Jan. 2
• 1 p.m.: 6-4-6-4;• 4 p.m.: 3-3-9-1
• 7 p.m.: 2-2-1-2; • 10 p.m.: 3-0-5-7
Pick 4: Jan. 1
• 1 p.m.: 4-1-7-8; • 4 p.m.: 6-5-8-9
• 7 p.m.: 4-0-5-4; • 10 p.m.: 1-8-8-9
History-making LG New Year happenings
By DICK MASON
The Observer
LA GRANDE —
Watching football games
on New Year’s Day is an
American ritual, one dating
back more than a century.
This tradition in La
Grande may have gotten
its start Jan. 1, 1908, when
fans gathered to watch a
gridiron game between La
Grande High School and
a city team referred to as
the Pickups. The game,
according to Observer
archives, was one of the
first — and possibly the
first — documented grid-
iron contests played on
New Year’s Day in this
community’s history.
The contest ended in
a 0-0 tie with La Grande
High on its opponents’s
1-yard line as time expired,
according to The Observ-
er’s story on Jan. 2 1908,
and was the first football
game played in La Grande
since at least 1906.
The game was played 46
years after La Grande had
what is likely its earliest
documented New Year’s
celebration.
It took place Jan. 1,
1862, according to the diary
of Ben Brown, one of La
Grande’s founders. Brown
wrote in his diary of a ball
that started early in the eve-
ning of Dec. 31, 1861.
“At early candlelight, the
ball commenced,” Brown
said.
The celebration ended
just before midnight. He
Nothing burning at the bakery
attributed the early break up
to a fiddler who grew tired
of playing.
“The ball broke up on
account of the fiddler giving
out or it would have been
going yet,” Brown wrote in
his diary.
Festivities continued on
Jan. 1, 1862, with a “sub-
scription” meal, which
everyone helped pay for.
Seven people attended the
dinner, Brown wrote.
Brown was born in 1831
in Yorkshire, England, and
Walla Walla Union-Bulletin
Dick Mason/The Observer
La Grande firefighters enter the bakery at the Liberty Theater Complex in downtown
La Grande at 7:50 a.m. Sunday, Jan. 3, 2021, after a fire alarm went off. Firefighters
found no smoke or fire. Wind during the night and morning may have knocked down
power lines, which could have triggered the alarm.
Foundation has new leader
upon his death in 1993, left
$20 million in a trust to
BAKER COUNTY —
support a community fund
This year brought changes
and scholarship program
to the Leo Adler Founda-
for graduates of Baker
tion, but it is, and always
County high schools and
will be, locally
Powder Valley High
controlled.
School. Students are
“We are so
eligible to receive
hands-on. We
an Adler scholar-
ship for five years by
hold everything
submitting renewal
pretty tight,” said
Folkman
applications.
Carrie Folkman,
In 2020 alone,
incoming chair of the
the Leo Adler Foundation
committee.
Folkman has served
awarded more than $1.21
on the foundation since
million in scholarships
December 2014. She is
and community grants —
taking over as chair from
$846,300 to 242 students
Norm Kolb, who has
for the 2020-21 school year
stepped down after 25 years and $364,734 in grants to 41
as foundation chair.
nonprofit organizations.
According to a press
“Almost a million-and-
release, Kolb led commu-
a-half every year for a com-
munity of our size. It’s an
nity investment of more
amazing legacy,” Folkman
than $36.2 million in
said.
scholarships and grants,
“Leo was always an
including the funding of
involved and visionary
more than 9,200 scholar-
ships and 1,400 nonprofit
person; he was a people
community projects. He
person who learned by
will remain active on the
watching, and he valued
committee and help mentor commitment, hard work,
Folkman.
and an authentic, real-
istic perspective,” Kolb
Leo Adler was a self-
made millionaire who,
said. “Simply put, he was a
By LISA BRITTON
For the Baker City Herald
partner, not an owner.”
The Adler committee
includes Folkman, Kolb,
Dianne Ellingson, Tabor
Clarke, John Wilson, Mark
Johnson, and Karin Barber.
Barber is the designated
trustee for First Republic
Trust Company, a divi-
sion of First Republic
Bank, to serve as Trustee,
replacing U.S. Bank. This
change happened in Sep-
tember 2020. Folkman said
First Republic has been
extra helpful in this year of
unprecedented changes.
This year did bring
unique challenges with the
pandemic.
“There have been chal-
lenges economically, and
a lot of kids who had to
pivot amid the pandemic,”
Folkman said.
Refunds and reissues
for scholarships were nec-
essary, she said, as well as
extensions for community
projects that could not be
completed in 2020.
A new website is set to
go live Feb. 1, along with
the scholarship applications.
Scholarships are due by
April 1, 2021.
came to the United States
in 1852, according to an
article in the May 16, 1996,
Observer.
He and his wife built
one of La Grande’s first
homes. This community
was originally known as
Brown’s Town or Browns-
ville because of the impact
he had in settling it. Brown
later lived in Island City,
where he was a city govern-
ment leader.
Brown is buried at Island
City Cemetery.
Multiple crashes close
Tollgate highway
By JEDIDIAH MAYNES
DELIVERY ISSUES?
If you have any problems
receiving your Observer,
please call 541-963-3161.
TuESday, JanuaRy 5, 2021
LOCAL/REGION
TOLLGATE — The
Oregon Department of
Transportation on Saturday,
Jan. 2, shut down Highway
204 through Tollgate due to
multiple vehicles crashing
and sliding off the road.
According to the depart-
ment’s TripCheck web-
site, the first crash hap-
pened around 2:30 p.m.
causing minimal delays. By
3:30 p.m., multiple crashes
were reported and cars
began sliding off and get-
ting backed up in a traffic
jam. The highway was
closed from the edge of
Weston to the edge of Elgin
around 3 p.m. in response
to the crashes.
By 4 p.m., the highway
at Tollgate had turned into
a virtual parking lot as
traffic began to get more
and more congested. Traffic
did appear to begin moving
slowly shortly thereafter.
Wintry weather was
causing low visibility and
heavy snowfall made for
slick road conditions.
The Tollgate area, pop-
ular for its winter recre-
ation, was expected to
receive 8-12 inches of snow
this weekend, according to
the National Weather Ser-
vice in Pendleton.
ODOT spokesperson
Tom Strandberg said he
didn’t have all of the details
about the incident, but
he said when the weather
turns nasty in that area it’s
common for the closures to
last for several hours.
By evening, the roadway
was open again, according
to TripCheck.
OHA safety campaign offers
culturally relevant tools
The Observer
PORTLAND —
Oregon Health Authority
has expanded its multilin-
gual Safe + Strong edu-
cation campaign with a
new theme and materials
to help communities find
simple, culturally specific
information on safely con-
necting with family and
friends this winter.
Led by the theme
“Love Finds a Way,” new
campaign materials and
resources available in 12
languages provide fresh
public health recommen-
dations on preventing the
spread of COVID-19.
“Oregonians continue
to show their resilience
through this pandemic by
finding new ways to stay
connected while physically
apart,” said Oregon Public
Health Director Rachael
Banks in a press release.
“Love, and a good plan,
will keep us strong.”
The Safe + Strong cam-
paign focuses on Ore-
gonians who are Black,
Oregon Health Authority/Contributed Image
The Oregon Health Authority’s expansion of its multi-
lingual Safe + Strong education and outreach campaign
features a new theme and materials.
Indigenous and People
of Color. The campaign
website, www.safestron-
goregon.org, features cul-
turally relevant tools and
information and resources
for food and rental assis-
tance, unemployment ben-
efits and health coverage.
The aim of the Safe +
Strong campaign is to help
communities continue to
make safe choices, while
recognizing people need
simple plans to protect
themselves and their fami-
lies. The site’s new “Make
a plan” page contains
reminders and information
on what activities are low,
medium or high risk for
spreading COVID-19.
According to the
release, OHA data show
38% of COVID-19 cases
have been linked to people
who identify as Latino/a/x.
And more than 50% of
cases have been linked
to people identifying as
Black, Asian, American
Indian/Native Alaskan,
Pacific Islander, or Lati-
no/a/x. The state’s his-
tory of racism and oppres-
sion, as well as inequitable
access to medical services,
have exacerbated the
impacts of COVID-19 in
many communities.
Police search for husband of woman who died in Dec. 15 shooting
By BRYCE DOLE
East Oregonian
CONTACT POLICE
MORROW COUNTY
— Law enforcement con-
tinue the search for the
husband of a woman who
was shot Tuesday, Dec. 15,
in Heppner and later died
at Oregon Health & Sci-
ence University, Portland,
according to officials.
The victim’s husband,
David Bowles, 43, is a
person of interest in the
investigation, and police
reported he should be
considered armed and
dangerous.
“Since the time of the
shooting, he hasn’t been
located or found yet,”
Morrow County District
Attorney Justin Nelson
said. “So he’s some-
body I know law enforce-
ment is trying to talk to
to find out the whole pro-
cess and what happened.
We’ve interviewed many
other witnesses, but we
still need to talk to David
Bowles.”
An aircraft ambulance
flew the victim, Marlen
Bowles, to OHSU in crit-
ical condition where she
later died with her family
• Police are urging res-
idents to not confront
David Bowles, but to call
911 or OSP Dispatch at
800-442-2068 and ref-
erence OSP case No.
SP200348879.
Contributed Photo
Police are searching for David Bowles as a person of inter-
est after his wife, Marlen Bowles, was fatally shot Tuesday,
Dec. 15, 2020, in Heppner. Police say David Bowles should
be considered armed and dangerous.
at her bedside, according
to Nelson.
The Oregon State
Police took the lead in the
investigation at the request
of the Morrow County
Sheriff’s Office partly
because David Bowles
is the brother of Morrow
County Undersheriff John
Bowles, according to Lt.
Melissa Ross, a public
information officer from
the sheriff’s office. Ross
said the investigation was
handed to OSP out of con-
cern for appearance and
perception.
“As my general under-
standing, it’s really not
considered a conflict of
interest unless it was like
one of our employees,” she
said, adding the under-
sheriff was not involved in
the investigation.
Nelson added that
staffing and resources also
played a role in the deci-
sion to hand the case to
OSP. He said the sheriff’s
office is assisting OSP
in the investigation, pro-
viding available detectives
and resources to keep
track of minor details
while search warrants are
carried out.
Nelson also said he
believes more people know
about Bowles’ whereabouts
than have approached
investigators, and they
are neglecting to disclose
information because they
assume law enforcement
already know about it.
“I’ve even heard off-
hand from guys who come
to me and say, ‘Oh, so
and so talked to so and
so and they know that
this is what happened,’”
Nelson said. “And I say,
‘Well gosh, I know law
enforcement has not heard
that.’ And sometimes
these rumors are true, but
people always assume
that law enforcement is
aware.”
He is urging anybody
with information about
Bowles’ location to con-
tact Oregon State Police,
as any piece of informa-
tion can help.
“Any small thing can
change a case,” he said.
“It can find a culprit or
expand who we need to
interview. And it might
seem small to people, but
every little bit (helps).”
Court records show a
David Lee Bowles, born
in 1977 and a longtime
Heppner resident, has a
list of criminal charges
and convictions spanning
more than two decades
in multiple counties,
including Morrow, Wash-
ington, Wasco, Yamhill,
Hood River and Umatilla.
In 1995, he was sen-
tenced to three year,
three months in prison for
attempted murder. And in
2007, he was convicted of
second-degree burglary
and fourth-degree assault.
Nelson said he could
not confirm nor deny
Bowles’ criminal his-
tory, although the man
he said law enforcement
is seeking has the same
full name, year of birth
and longtime residency as
the Bowles whose history
is detailed through the
records.
Nelson said Marlen
Bowles has a 14-year-old
son and two children over
the age of 18, but he was
unsure if any of them
were David Bowles’ chil-
dren. He added she was
well known in the com-
munity and worked at the
Gateway Cafe in Heppner.
Bowles was last seen
driving a brown Chev-
rolet Impala with Oregon
license plate URG552.
Bowles is a 5-foot-6, 180-
pound white male with
graying hair and blue
eyes.
Police are urging resi-
dents to not confront him,
but to call 911 or OSP Dis-
patch at 800-442-2068 and
reference OSP case No.
SP200348879.