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Good day to our valued subscriber Dale Young of La Grande
Murder
defendant Lee
still unable to
help in own
defense
By PHIL WRIGHT
The Observer
LA GRANDE — Murder
defendant Ronald Dwight Lee of
La Grande could be in for a long
stay at the Oregon State Hospital
in Salem.
Union County Circuit Judge
Thomas Powers during a hearing
Jan. 19 to review Lee’s fi tness
to proceed again found he is not
able to aid and assist in his own
defense.
Lee, 73, has pleaded not guilty
to charges of murder and con-
spiracy to commit murder. He has
been undergoing treatment and
evaluation at the Oregon State
Hospital, Salem. According to the
ruling, Powers concurred with
the Jan. 6 forensic evaluation of
Dr. Michael Saul Farris that Lee
“continues to lack the fi tness to
proceed” under Oregon law and is
unsuitable for community release.
Union County District
Attorney Kelsie McDaniel
explained determinations for
whether a defendant can aid and
assist in their own defense is not
the same as fi nding a defendant is
guilty except for insanity. Powers’
ruling applies to Lee’s situation at
Alex Wittwer/The Observer
Oregon State Police Honor Guardsman Daryll Sheets of Florence renders a salute before assuming guard over the casket of former Ore-
gon State Police Superintendent Reginald B. Madsen on Thursday, Feb. 11, 2021, at Loveland Funeral Chapel, La Grande.
Saluting an honored leader
By DICK MASON
The Observer
LA GRANDE — Former Oregon State
Police Superintendent Reginald Bernard
Madsen dedicated his life reaching out to
others.
Thursday, Feb. 11, it was the OSP’s turn
to reach out to Madsen and his family.
The OSP Honor Guard conducted an
honor watch for Madsen, 80, who died Jan.
29 at his Island City residence.
The 90-minute honor watch was a
solemn and ceremonial tribute to a man who
gave more than two decades of service to
the OSP.
Nine members of the OSP’s honor guard
took turns in pairs, standing at attention on
both ends of Madsen’s casket draped with an
American fl ag. The troopers stood at atten-
tion in 10-minute shifts until the changing
of the guard ceremonies. The watch ran
1-3 p.m., then Pauline Madsen, Reg Mad-
sen’s wife of 59 years, received the fl ag that
covered his casket.
The honor watch saluted a man who was
with the Oregon State Police from 1968
through 1993. Madsen was OSP superin-
tendent from 1990-93. Those who worked
under Madsen included LeRon Howland of
Summerville, who was his deputy superin-
tendent for three years before succeeding
him.
“I had a lot of admiration and respect
for him. He was a great friend and a great
leader,” Howland said.
Howland said Madsen took great pride in
representing the OSP.
“He wanted to set an example for the
department. Pride, loyalty and dedication
were a big thing for him,” Howland said.
He credited Madsen with never losing
See, Lee/Page 5A
State:
Extension
of jobless
benefi ts
easiest to
manage
Oregon Sen. Ron
Wyden seeks $600
supplemental
unemployment benefit
By PETER WONG
Oregon Capital Bureau
SALEM — As Congress starts
work on President Joe Biden’s
proposals to extend pandemic
unemployment benefi ts, the acting
director of the Oregon Employ-
ment Department said straight-
forward extensions that are on the
table will be easier to manage.
But David Gerstenfeld also
said he and counterpart agen-
cies in other states would like as
much lead time as possible to pre-
pare for any changes and avoid
See, Benefi ts/Page 5A
Alex Wittwer/The Observer
Oregon State Police Honor Guardsman Jim King of Burns reads a memorial for former Or-
egon State Police Superintendent Reginald Madsen on Thursday, Feb. 11, 2021, at Loveland
Funeral Chapel, La Grande. Madsen served as OSP’s Superintendent 1990-93. He died at
the age of 80 on Jan. 29 at his Island City residence.
sight of the agency’s mission to serve the
people of Oregon.
Howland, who met Madsen when he
was working in the state police crime lab in
Pendleton in the 1960s, said he was an easy
person to like.
“He had a good sense of humor and was
personable,” said Howland, who served as
state police superintendent for six and a half
years after succeeding Madsen.
Howland said Madsen’s offi ce door
always was open and he welcomed any
opportunity to help others.
He noted Madsen had a keen eye for
spotting men and women who could direct
others and tried to help them advance their
careers.
“He had an ability to recognize people
with leadership potential,” Howland said.
“He wanted to help people move up who
See, Madsen/Page 5A
Online learning skews school enrollment numbers
Enrollment is down,
but student numbers
show in virtual classes
By KALEB LAY
The Observer
UNION COUNTY — Enroll-
ment at the La Grande School
District is down from fall 2019,
according to a recent report from
the Oregon Department of Edu-
cation. But the enrollment num-
bers in the report also paint a
somewhat inaccurate picture of
how many students are learning
in Union County school districts.
According to the ODE report,
VIRTUAL LEARNING ACADEMY NUMBERS
• The InterMountain Educational Service District reported the number of
local students taking its Virtual Learning Academy in fall 2019.
• Cove — 46
• Elgin — 4
• Imbler — 15
• La Grande — 217
• North Power School District — 15
• Union — 46
1,979 students were enrolled at
the La Grande School District
as of Oct. 1, 2020, a stark drop
compared to 2,348 at the same
point in 2019. However, that
fi gure — which would repre-
sent a drop of 15.7% — does not
include students taking online-
INDEX
Classified ...... 2B
Comics .......... 5B
Crossword .... 2B
Dear Abby .... 6B
WEATHER
Horoscope .... 3B
Letters ........... 4A
Lottery........... 3A
Opinion ......... 4A
TUESDAY
Outdoors ...... 1B
Sports ........... 6A
Sudoku ......... 5B
Weather ........ 6B
FOOD DRIVE
only learning through the dis-
trict’s partnership with the Inter-
Mountain Educational Service
District.
The InterMountain ESD
provides its Virtual Learning
Academy to schools in Union,
Umatilla and Morrow counties
Full forecast on the back of B section
Tonight
Sunday
16 LOW
35/28
Flurries; cold
Not as cold
and to Burnt River School Dis-
trict in Baker County. According
to the ESD, 217 students in the
La Grande School District were
enrolled in the Virtual Learning
Academy.
“LGSD very much con-
siders (those) students as our stu-
dents,” said La Grande School
District Superintendent George
Mendoza.
As does the InterMountain
ESD.
Erin Lair, director of teaching
and learning for the IMESD,
explained the service district
offers a fee-based opportunity
See, Students/Page 5A
CONTACT US
541-963-3161
Issue 19
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