RECORDS AND MORE
Tuesday, March 9, 2021
Community
Briefs
Regional DAR chapter
in-person gathering set
BAKER CITY — The
regional Lone Pine Tree
Chapter of Daughters of the
American Revolution will
resume in-person meetings
Friday, March 12, at noon
at the Sunridge Inn, Baker
City. The group alternates
meetings between Baker City
and La Grande. Visitors are
welcome. A no-host lunch is
offered prior to the meeting.
All health-safety precautions
will be followed regarding
face masks and social dis-
tancing.
Island City will resume
water and sewer service
disconnection
ISLAND CITY — The city
of Island City will resume the
practice of disconnection of
utility services for unpaid wa-
ter and sewer bills beginning
Wednesday, March 17.
The city temporarily
suspended disconnections
due to COVID-19. To avoid
disconnection, delinquent
residents must contact city
hall immediately to pay their
past due amount or set up
a repayment plan to avoid
disconnection. Call city hall at
541-963-5017 for information.
Meals on Wheels
needs drivers
LA GRANDE — Commu-
nity Connection of Northeast
Oregon Inc. seeks volunteers
to be Meals on Wheels
drivers. For more informa-
tion, call Sydney Gleeson at
541-963-7532, ext. 1104.
Honors
Union County students
earn collegiate honors
Klancy E. Poor, of Union,
earned a place on the Uni-
versity of Wyoming honor
roll for the fall semester of
the 2020-21 academic year.
To qualify for this distinction,
students must have been
enrolled for a minimum of
12 credit hours and earned
a 3.4 or better grade-point
average. The University
of Wyoming, in Laramie,
provides undergraduate and
graduate programs to 12,249
students.
James Thurman, of La
Grande, ranks among the
top 2% of students in his
college at Iowa State Univer-
sity. Thurman is a freshman
enrolled in the College of En-
gineering. The university was
founded in 1858, in Ames, as
the Iowa Agricultural College
with classes in agriculture
and mechanical arts, now
called engineering.
— The Observer
Lottery
Megabucks: $2.7 million
11-13-18-24-27-35
Powerball: $138 million
11-31-50-52-58 — PB 18 x4
Mega Millions: $55 million
10-11-17-27-54 — MB 20 x2
Win for Life: March 6
14-44-46-52
Pick 4: March 7
• 1 p.m.: 5-3-7-0
• 4 p.m.: 1-1-0-8
• 7 p.m.: 1-9-8-4
• 10 p.m.: 0-0-5-3
Pick 4: March 6
• 1 p.m.: 5-9-9-2
• 4 p.m.: 3-2-7-6
• 7 p.m.: 6-6-3-4
• 10 p.m.: 3-6-2-0
Pick 4: March 5
• 1 p.m.: 0-0-8-5
• 4 p.m.: 4-3-6-6
• 7 p.m.: 4-6-8-2
• 10 p.m.: 7-8-6-0
DELIVERY ISSUES?
If you have any problems
receiving your Observer, call
541-963-3161.
The OBserVer — 3A
Obituaries
Patricia C. (Hill) Greene
Upcoming local services
1927-2021 • La Grande
Patricia Caroline
Greene, 93, of La Grande,
died March 1 at a local
care facility. At her
request, there will not be a
service.
Patricia
was born
Sept. 5, 1927,
in La Grande,
to Benjamin
and Marion
(Barnes) Hill. She married
Clayton Loyd Briggs and
later divorced. She then
married Ken Greene.
Patricia was a devoted
mother. She enjoyed gar-
dening, knitting, sewing
and reading. Her greatest
joy was being a volunteer
grandparent at the Union
Elementary School.
Please follow guide-
lines regarding face cov-
erings and social dis-
tancing at all services.
March 13 — LORI
GREENWAY: 3 p.m.
memorial service, Enter-
prise First Baptist
Church.
March 19 — RAY-
Surviving rela-
tives include her chil-
dren and their spouses,
Anne and Gene Tro-
MOND JOHNSON:
11 a.m. graveside service,
Summerville Cemetery.
March 20 —
CHARITY HENRY:
11 a.m. memorial ser-
vice, La Grande Church
of Christ.
April 24 — BECKY
ROBERSON: 2 p.m.
celebration of life, Elgin
Community Center.
— calendar cour-
tesy of Loveland Funeral
Chapel, La Grande
baugh of Enumclaw,
Washington, Jeanne and
Joe Gonzales of Union,
Clay and Hoi Briggs
of Ave Maria, Florida,
Ken Briggs of Union,
Tony and Lisa Briggs
of Union, and Kit and
Ron Blevins of Newport;
daughter-in-law, Sandra
Briggs; 15 grandchil-
dren; and 18 great-grand-
children and one
great-great-grandchild.
She was preceded in
death by her son, Bob
Briggs, and parents Ben-
jamin and Marion.
In lieu of flowers,
memorial contributions
can be made to the Shri-
ner’s Children Hospital,
3101 SW Sam Jackson
Park Road, Portland, OR
97239-3095
Online condolences
may be made to the family
at www.lovelandfuneral-
chapel.com.
Meri L. Olmstead
La Grande
Meri L. Olmstead, 75, La
Grande, died March 7 at her
home. Arrangements are by
Loveland Funeral Chapel &
Crematory, La Grande.
Grant G. Tsiatsos
La Grande
Grant G. Tsiatsos, 68,
of La Grande, died March
6 at Wildflower Lodge.
Arrangements are by Love-
land Funeral Chapel &
Crematory.
James ‘Jim’ Romine
La Grande
James “Jim” Romine, 63,
of La Grande, died March 4
at his home. Arrangements
are by Tami’s Pine Valley
Funeral Home and Crema-
tion Services, Halfway.
Public Safety Report
FRIDAY, MARCH 5
SATURDAY, MARCH 6
10:02 a.m. — La Grande police
received a report of a possible drug
law violation on the 1500 block of
21st Street. An officer made contact
and will follow up.
11:44 a.m. — An Imbler resi-
dent on the 1000 block of Crescent
Lane reported the theft of a license
plate. A deputy made contact and
explained options.
5:04 p.m. — A caller reported a
domestic disturbance on the 3000
block of Walnut Street, La Grande.
An officer responded and deter-
mined there was a disagreement
over property. The officer will
follow up.
9:56 p.m. — La Grande police
responded to Bud Jackson’s Eatery
& Taps, 2209 Adams Ave., La
Grande, on a report of a fight. An
officer took a report.
12:31 a.m. — La Grande police
received a complaint about noise
on the 600 block of 12th Street.
Officers warned tenants to keep it
down.
10:37 a.m. — A caller reported
possible animal neglect on the
62300 block of Leffel Road, La
Grande. An animal enforcement
officer will follow up.
11:02 a.m. — The Union County
Sheriff’s Office received a report of
a possible sex crime in Elgin.
4:24 p.m. — Local law enforce-
ment received a complaint about
parking on the 2700 block of
Cherry Street, La Grande. A Union
County sheriff’s deputy responded
and told the subject to move the
vehicle.
7:53 p.m. — La Grande police
responded to the 1700 block of
Walnut Street on a report of pos-
sible gunshots. Officers resolved
the situation.
11:46 p.m. — La Grande police
responded to the 800 block of Main
Avenue on a report of a suspicious
female. She left, but police later
found her and took her to Grande
Ronde Hospital, La Grande, for
mental health reasons.
SUNDAY, MARCH 7
7:39 a.m. — A caller reported
possible animal neglect on the 900
block of Crescent Road, Imbler. An
animal enforcement officer made
contact and will follow up.
2:05 p.m. — Union County
sheriff’s deputies responded to
Walmart, 11619 Island Ave, Island
City, for a domestic disturbance.
Subjects stated they were arguing.
The deputies determined the situa-
tion did not rise to the level of man-
datory arrest.
2:40 p.m. — A caller reported
juveniles shooting a BB gun on
the 1200 block of Hall Street, La
Grande. An officer made contact
and will follow up.
5:30 p.m. — La Grande police
received a report of a malfunc-
tioning traffic light at Portland
Street and Island Avenue. The dis-
patch center notified the Oregon
Department of Transportation about
the light.
9:59 p.m. — La Grande police
responded to the 1300 block of
Pratt Street on a report of a tres-
pass. Police arrested Fram Sion,
43, of La Grande, for two counts of
unauthorized entry into a vehicle,
two counts of attempted unautho-
rized entry into a vehicle and two
counts of criminal trespass.
Cook Memorial Library shelves overdue fines
The Observer
LA GRANDE — Cook
Memorial Library, La
Grande, no longer will
assess overdue fines on any
library materials effective
April 1 and will forgive all
outstanding overdue fines
patrons may have accrued.
Upon the recommen-
dation of the Cook Memo-
rial Library staff and the
Library Advisory Commis-
sion, the La Grande City
Council passed a resolution
Wednesday, March 3, abol-
ishing library overdue fines,
the library announced in a
press release.
“The library is com-
mitted to providing equal
access to every member of
our community and elim-
inating fines offers all of
our patrons a fresh start
to rediscover the library
and all that it has to offer,”
Cook Memorial Library
Director Kip Roberson said
in the release. “By elim-
inating fines, the library
is removing barriers and
making access easy, equi-
table and enjoyable for
everyone.”
The release stated that by
eliminating overdue fines,
the library aims to employ
more effective methods
to encourage the return of
items, reengage patrons
Ben Lonergan/EO Media Group, File
Effective Thursday, April 1, 2021, Cook Memorial Library, La Grande, will cease assessing
overdue fines on any library materials. The city council agreed to the recommendation,
which furthers the library’s goal of providing equal access to every member of the com-
munity.
“By eliminating fines, the library is removing barriers
and making access easy, equitable and enjoyable for
everyone.”
— Kip Roberson, Cook Memorial Library director
who may have stopped
using the library due to out-
standing overdue fines, and
more creatively use staff
time and resources.
The elimination of
overdue fines does not
include charges — past or
future — for lost or dam-
aged items. According to
the library’s announce-
ment, patrons with fees
for lost or damaged items
must return the items or
pay for their replacement
or face possible collection
attempts.
Along with more than
35,000 books, Cook Memo-
rial Library also has DVDs,
audiobooks, Wi-Fi hotspots
and laptops, STEM kits
and other items available
for check out. The library
also gives patrons access
to multiple digital ser-
vices that stream movies
and TV shows, eBooks,
eAudiobooks and digital
magazines.
The Cook Memorial
Library building, 2006
Fourth St., La Grande,
reopened Monday, March 1.
The library limits patrons
to half an hour for browsing
and checkout or one hour
for library computer use.
Patrons also must wear
masks for entry.
The library is open on
weekdays. On Monday,
Tuesday, Thursday and
Friday, the doors open to
at-risk and older patrons
at 10 a.m., to all patrons at
11 a.m., and the building
closes at 5:30 p.m.
On Wednesday, the
library is open to all patrons
from noon to 7:30 p.m.
For more information,
call the library at 541-962-
1339 or visit the library
online at www.cookmemo-
riallibrary.org.
EOU education department offers hybrid learning, extends application deadline
The Observer
LA GRANDE —
Working educators have
a new path to a bachelor’s
degree in elementary edu-
cation from Eastern Oregon
University, La Grande.
In addition to on-campus
and onsite cohorts, the Col-
lege of Education at EOU
has developed a hybrid
cohort open to students
throughout the region, the
university announced in a
press release. This format
allows students to com-
plete most of their course-
work online and engage
in practicum placements
without relocating.
Matt Seimears, dean
of the College of Educa-
tion, in the release said the
idea was born last spring
when remote learning tools
became prevalent due to
the COVID-19 pandemic.
That first cohort proved the
innovative platforms could
deliver high-quality teacher
training remotely.
“This will allow stu-
dents from all over the
state and beyond the
opportunity to pursue this
program,” Seimears said.
“You get the flexibility
of remote education with
the stability of in-class
instruction.”
Students interact with
peers from a variety
of contexts and loca-
tions, expanding discus-
sion and building a pro-
fessional network along
the way. Students who
already work in schools
as paraprofessionals or in
other roles can complete
their practicum require-
ments at their current site
and maintain employment
while progressing toward a
degree.
The release emphasized
that two-year program pri-
oritizes equity and access,
with tailored pathways for
transfer students. Under-
graduates can qualify for
elementary-level endorse-
ments in Multiple Subjects
and English for Speakers
of Other Languages. Fac-
ulty members partner with
school districts to pro-
vide ongoing support while
developing a teacher-to-
teacher network.
“The one-on-one guid-
ance our staff and fac-
ulty offer students is one-
of-a-kind,” adviser Kylie
Evans said in the release.
“The College of Educa-
Turning 65, paying too
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tion programs at EOU
are grounded in theory
and industry-based
experiences.”
She said the new hybrid
cohort is to provide the
same initial teacher prepa-
ration found on campus
in a synchronous, online
or hybrid-remote format.
Growing interest in the
hybrid model led adminis-
trators to extend the appli-
cation deadline from March
1 to April 1.
Contact Kylie Evans at
krevans@eou.edu for more
information or visit eou.
edu/undergraduate-elemen-
tary-education. Applicants
begin by submitting an
EOU application for
admission at eou.edu/
admissions/apply.
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