2A — THE OBSERVER
Today in
History
Today is Saturday, Feb. 6,
the 37th day of 2021. There
are 328 days left in the year.
TODAY’S HIGHLIGHT IN
HISTORY:
On Feb. 6, 1778, during
the American Revolutionary
War, the United States won
official recognition and
military support from France
with the signing of a Treaty
of Alliance in Paris.
ON THIS DATE:
In 1815, the state of New
Jersey issued the first Amer-
ican railroad charter to John
Stevens, who proposed a
rail link between Trenton and
New Brunswick. (The line,
however, was never built.)
In 1911, Ronald Wilson
Reagan, the 40th president
of the United States, was
born in Tampico, Illinois.
In 1952, Britain’s King
George VI, 56, died at San-
dringham House in Norfolk,
England; he was succeeded
as monarch by his 25-year-
old elder daughter, who
became Queen Elizabeth II.
In 1991, comedian and
television performer Danny
Thomas died in Los Angeles
at age 79.
In 1993, tennis Hall of
Famer and human rights
advocate Arthur Ashe died in
New York at age 49.
In 1998, President Bill Clin-
ton signed a bill changing
the name of Washington
National Airport to Ronald
Reagan Washington Nation-
al Airport.
In 2003, edging closer to
war, President George W.
Bush declared “the game is
over” for Saddam Hussein
and urged skeptical allies to
join in disarming Iraq.
In 2008, the Bush White
House defended the use of
the interrogation technique
known as waterboarding,
saying it was legal — not tor-
ture as critics argued — and
had saved American lives.
Ten years ago: Egypt’s
vice president met with the
outlawed Muslim Brother-
hood and other opposition
groups and offered sweep-
ing concessions, including
granting press freedom and
rolling back police powers
in the government’s latest
attempt to end two weeks
of upheaval. The Green Bay
Packers won Super Bowl
XLV (45), defeating the Pitts-
burgh Steelers 31-25. New
England Patriots quarterback
Tom Brady became the first
unanimous choice for The
Associated Press NFL Most
Valuable Player Award.
La Grande city trees earn bragging rights
By KALEB LAY
The Observer
LA GRANDE — The
city of La Grande’s urban
forestry program has gar-
nered special attention
as part of the Tree City
USA program, earning a
“Growth Award” for the
29th consecutive year in
2020.
No other city in the
Pacific Northwest can com-
pete with that winning
streak, according to Teresa
Gustafson, the city’s urban
forester, and heading into
2020, La Grande was tied
for second best in the nation
among some 3,600 other
cities across the United
States in that regard.
The Tree City USA
Growth Award recognizes
cities with urban forestry
programs that go above and
beyond program require-
ments, cultivating flour-
ishing arboreal communi-
ties. Other Oregon cities
recognized included Port-
land, Salem, Hood River
and Oregon City.
“What’s cool about the
Growth Award program …
is that it encourages cities
to expand and improve
their community forestry
program,” Gustafson said.
“That’s important because
Teresa Gustafson/Contributed Photo
Foliage droops from oak trees near Community Bank in
downtown La Grande, which was recently awarded a Tree
City USA Growth Award for its outstanding urban forestry
program.
Theresa Gustafson/Contributed Photo
Trees in bloom shade out the sign at city hall in downtown
La Grande. The town in 2020 earned a “Growth Award”
from Tree City USA for a 29th consecutive year.
of all the benefits that our
trees and urban forests pro-
vide, and that’s everything
from clean air, clean water,
shade, energy (use) reduc-
tion, beautification, wildlife
habitat, the list goes on and
on and on.”
Gustafson noted La
Grande’s urban forestry
approach goes far beyond
maintaining the city’s
existing tree life. Her job
also includes Arbor Day
education programs in
schools, coordinating with
Julian Harris among 106 students in U.S.
to earn Horatio Alger college scholarship
By DICK MASON
The Observer
LA GRANDE — A La
Grande High School stu-
dent whose life story is one
of inspiration has received a
prestigious scholarship.
Julian
Harris, 17, has
been awarded
a $25,000
Horatio Alger
college schol-
arship
by the
Harris
Horatio Alger
Association of Distin-
guished Americans.
Harris, one of more than
10,000 young people to
apply for the annual schol-
arship, is one of only 106 in
the United States to receive
it.
This scholarship recog-
nizes students who have
remained committed to
continuing their educa-
tion and giving back to
their communities while
overcoming great personal
adversities and navigating
the challenges presented
by the COVID-19 pan-
demic, said Claire Salazar,
a spokesperson for the
Horatio Alger Foundation,
in a press release.
Harris learned he
By DICK MASON
The Observer
received the scholarship
the morning of Thursday,
Feb. 4, when a LHS staff
member told him in class.
It was an emotional
moment for Harris, who
said the mask he wore
to protect himself from
COVID-19 concealed
the degree of excitement
he felt. He also said the
news made him think of
his mother and two older
brothers, who died in a car
wreck about a decade ago.
“I know they are
watching me to see how far
I have come,” Harris said.
Harris moved to
La Grande from Boise,
Idaho, during his reshman
year and lives with his
younger brother, Weston,
Dick Mason/The Observer
Students climb the crumbling steps Thursday, Feb. 4, 2021,
at Union High School’s east entrance. Work this summer
will restore the steps.
itor who is coming inside
the building, constructed in
1912.
The east entry rule will
only be in place only if the
steps are restored and the
COVID-19 pandemic has
subsided to the point social
distancing rules are relaxed.
Funding for the repairs
could include grant money.
Should the school dis-
trict receive grant funding,
Wells said more bond
money will be available for
additional restoration work
on campus.
Ninth and 10th graders
each school day are now
using the old east entry, its
first regular use in decades.
Staff watch to make sure
freshmen and sophomores
walk only on the portion of
the stairs that are in good
condition. Other students
at the school use a different
entry and exit to meet social
distancing standards.
The bond also will fund
other projects, including
building a new main
entry at Union Elemen-
tary School’s S.E. Miller
building, about 50 yards
north of the school, to
make dropping off and
picking up students easier.
The school’s gym also
will undergo a major ren-
ovation to improve access
for people with mobility
issues. Boosting acces-
sibility is something the
school district is focusing
on in the course of the
bond work.
“That is our theme,”
Wells said. “We want
people to be able to get to
all parts of the school
district with dignity.”
Monica West to lead Central Elementary School
By DICK MASON
The Observer
LA GRANDE — La
Grande School District offi-
cials did not have to look
far to find Central Elemen-
tary’s next principal.
The school
district has
named Monica
West, cen-
tral’s assistant
principal, to
lead the school
West
starting July 1.
“I am very excited about
getting to work with Cen-
tral’s parents and staff,” she
said.
West will succeed Suzy
Mayes, who will retire
at the end of June after
the community to plant new
trees as older ones age out
and planning for the future.
“There’s always proj-
ects on the horizon for
expanding where we plant
trees,” Gustafson said.
“We’ve got a couple lined
up this year that we’re
excited about.”
Among the requirements
for a city to participate in
the Tree City USA program
is a stipulation that $2 per
resident be spent on urban
forestry. La Grande far
outpaces that benchmark,
spending $18 per capita
in 2020 — a price tag that
notably includes the cost of
volunteered labor.
Gustafson said she
hoped people recognize that
trees are “growing, living
things that need care and
support” and mark their
importance as a vital part of
La Grande.
LGHS student receives noteworthy scholarship
Union School District readies to restore steps
UNION — The past is
set to become the present at
Union High School.
UHS’s decorative east
entrance, closed to the
public for decades because
a portion of its steps are
deteriorating, is sched-
uled to reopen this fall after
repair work in the summer
with money from a $4 mil-
lion bond voters approved
in 2019, said Carter Wells,
superintendent of the Union
School District.
Wells said he welcomes
the opportunity to revitalize
a piece of the school dis-
trict’s past.
“We want to honor our
history,” the superintendent
said.
The east entrance, which
features four solid col-
umns, is planned to be
the only one students can
access to enter the school.
Wells said that is a security
boost, making it easier for
school district staff to mon-
SaTuRday, FEBRuaRy 6, 2021
LOCAL/REGION
serving as the school’s prin-
cipal since the fall of 2014.
West is completing her
second year at Central as
assistant principal.
West joined the LGSD
after working for the
Olympia School District in
Washington for 25 years.
She served as a teacher,
instructional coach, middle
school assistant principal
and elementary school prin-
cipal during her tenure in
Olympia.
West was the prin-
cipal of McLane Elemen-
tary School in Olympia for
seven years. She received
a number of awards
during her tenure as prin-
cipal. They include the
2018 Center for Education
Effectiveness’ “School of
Distinction Award,” which
recognizes continuous
growth in English lan-
guage arts and math over a
five-year period. West also
won the Olympia School
District’s 2017 “Unsung
Hero” award.
She speaks humbly of
the awards, crediting them
to the excellent work of her
teaching staff.
West has a bachelor of
science degree from Col-
lege of Idaho and a mas-
ter’s in educational lead-
ership from Portland State
University.
She received her
administrative creden-
tials from Seattle Pacific
University.
West earlier taught high
school math and science
for five years and middle
school math and science
for 11 years in the Olympia
School District.
LGSD Superintendent
George Mendoza praised
West in a press release.
“Every child deserves
to have a principal that will
set high expectations and
provide a loving and moti-
vating environment where
staff members are sup-
ported to educate the whole
child as well as meet or
exceed state standards. I am
pleased that we have found
that in Monica West.”
and his aunt and uncle.
“I love it here, I love
the teachers, they have
made me feel so welcome,”
Harris said.
Although a junior,
Harris is set to graduate
this spring after taking
many additional classes.
He said he found him-
self with extra time during
the COVID-19 pandemic,
which forced the state to
close schools and offer only
online instruction.
Harris said he decided
to put the time to good use
and began taking extra
classes to graduate early.
Harris said he wants
to attend a college in this
region after high school so
he can remain close to his
family. He has not decided
what career he wants to
pursue, but law is one field
he is interested in.
All of the 106 win-
ners of the 2021 Horatio
Alger Scholarship are set
to later receive a trip to
Washington, D.C., to meet
fellow scholars and those
who fund the scholarship.
The trip will be made only
after COVID-19 conditions
allow for it.
The Horatio Alger
scholarship program is
conducted in recognition
of Horatio Alger Jr., a pro-
lific writer in the 19th and
early 20th centuries whose
books inspired its readers
to work hard and persevere
through adversity.
News Briefs
One shot in home
invasion, man in
custody
One dead after
sledding accident
at Spout Springs
LA GRANDE — The
Union County Sher-
iff’s Office reported a
La Grande-area resident
shot a home invader at
4:26 a.m. Friday, Feb. 5,
who then disarmed the
resident and assaulted him
with the gun before the
victim’s son took control
of the moment.
According to a press
release from the sheriff’s
office, Jose Jesus Diaz,
27, of Plains, Montana,
broke into a garage at a
residence on the 60000
block of Bushnell Road in
southern La Grande and
then broke into a vehicle
in the garage, alerting the
residents of the home.
One resident armed
with a rifle confronted
Diaz. A violent struggle
ensued, the sheriff’s office
reported, the rifle went
off and Diaz was shot in
the arm. According to the
release, Diaz then dis-
armed the victim and
began to assault them with
the rifle.
At that point, the vic-
tim’s son engaged Diaz,
disarming him and
holding him at gunpoint
until police arrived.
Diaz was arrested
taken to the Union County
Correctional Facility on
charges of attempted
murder, assault, attempted
assault, robbery, men-
acing, pointing a firearm
at another, unlawful use of
a weapon, burglary, tres-
pass and unauthorized
entry into a motor vehicle.
Diaz, the victim and
the victim’s son were all
taken to Grande Ronde
Hospital, La Grande,
for treatment of non-life
threatening injuries.
The Union County
Sheriff’s Office is investi-
gating the incident.
ELGIN — One person
is dead following a sled-
ding accident Wednesday,
Feb. 3, at Spout Springs
between Elgin and
Weston, according to a
press release from the
Union County Sheriff’s
Office.
Emergency per-
sonnel from Elgin Rural
Fire Department, La
Grande Fire Department
and the sheriff’s office
responded to a 911 call at
Spout Springs Ski Resort
regarding a sledding acci-
dent. Spout Springs is
closed, according to the
release.
Rosa Itzel Farias, 27,
from Pasco, Washington,
died at the scene.
After investigation,
the sheriff’s office con-
firmed eyewitness reports
claiming Farias was trav-
eling as fast as 20 mph on
an inflatable sled when
she struck a light pole,
causing fatal injuries.
La Grande police
report burglary, car
prowl crime wave
LA GRANDE — The
La Grande Police Depart-
ment on Friday, Feb. 5,
reported La Grande and
the surrounding area have
experienced an increase in
thefts in the past month.
La Grande police in
a press release reported
more than 45 reports of
car prowls and burglaries
resulting in a substantial
loss of property. The vast
majority of the burglaries
are occurring at storage
units and unlocked build-
ings. The car prowls are
generally occurring in
vehicles that are
unlocked and parked in
dark neighborhoods.
— The Observer