2A — THE OBSERVER
THuRSday, MaRcH 11, 2021
SPORTS/LOCAL
Today in LGHS varsity football team set to play Thursday
History
Today is Thursday, March
11, the 70th day of 2021.
There are 295 days left in
the year.
TODAY’S HIGHLIGHT IN
HISTORY:
On March 11, 1918, what
were believed to be the first
confirmed U.S. cases of a
deadly global flu pandemic
were reported among U.S.
Army soldiers stationed at
Fort Riley, Kansas; 46 would
die. (The worldwide out-
break of influenza claimed
an estimated 20 to 40 million
lives.)
ON THIS DATE:
In 1862, during the Civil
War, President Abraham
Lincoln removed Gen.
George B. McClellan as
general-in-chief of the Union
armies, leaving him in
command of the Army of the
Potomac, a post McClellan
also ended up losing.
In 1942, as Japanese forc-
es continued to advance in
the Pacific during World War
II, U.S. Army Gen. Douglas
MacArthur left the Philip-
pines for Australia, where he
vowed on March 20, “I shall
return” — a promise he kept
more than 2½ years later.
In 1954, the U.S. Army
charged that Sen. Joseph R.
McCarthy, R-Wis., and his
subcommittee’s chief coun-
sel, Roy Cohn, had exerted
pressure to obtain favored
treatment for Pvt. G. David
Schine, a former consultant
to the subcommittee. (The
confrontation culminated in
the famous Senate Ar-
my-McCarthy hearings.)
In 1955, Sir Alexander
Fleming, the discoverer of
penicillin, died in London at
age 73.
In 1959, the Lorraine
Hansberry drama “A Raisin
in the Sun” opened at New
York’s Ethel Barrymore
Theater.
In 1977, more than 130
hostages held in Washing-
ton, D.C., by Hanafi Muslims
were freed after ambas-
sadors from three Islamic
nations joined the negotia-
tions.
In 1985, Mikhail S.
Gorbachev was chosen to
succeed the late Konstantin
U. Chernenko as general
secretary of the Soviet Com-
munist Party.
In 1986, the state of
Georgia pardoned Leo
Frank, a Jewish business-
man lynched in 1915 for the
murder of 13-year-old Mary
Phagan.
In 2004, ten bombs ex-
ploded in quick succession
across the commuter rail
network in Madrid, Spain,
killing 191 people in an
attack linked to al-Qaida-in-
spired militants.
In 2006, former Serb lead-
er Slobodan Milosevic was
found dead of a heart attack
in his prison cell in the Neth-
erlands, abruptly ending his
four-year U.N. war crimes
trial; he was 64.
Ten years ago: A mag-
nitude-9.0 earthquake and
resulting tsunami struck
Japan’s northeastern coast,
killing nearly 20,000 people
and severely damaging the
Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear
power station.
By ALEX WITTWER
The Observer
LA GRANDE — The La
Grande High School varsity
football team is gearing up
for its first game of the new
season, facing off against
the Nyssa Bulldogs on
Thursday, March 11.
The season opener will
be the team’s first game
in more than a year —
and its first as returning
champions.
The Tiger’s last game
was the OSAA Class 4A
Football State Champi-
onship against the Banks
Braves on Nov. 30, 2019.
La Grande shut out the
defending champions 21-0.
In stark contrast to the
boisterous and cheering
pro-La Grande crowds that
filled the stadium at that
game in Hermiston, the
Tigers will be nearly alone
in Nyssa as the only spec-
tators at the match will be
families of the home team.
“You know it’s going to
be awful different, that’s
for sure, because it’s nice to
have the crowds involved,”
La Grande head football
coach Rich McIlmoil said.
The community has
Alex Wittwer/The Observer
La Grande High School head football coach Rich McIlmoil (right) stands with members of
the varsity and junior varsity teams as they practice Tuesday, March 9, 2021. The Tigers
varsity squad competes in its first game of the season on Thursday against the Nyssa
Bulldogs at Nyssa. The game also will be the Tigers first since winning the Class 4A Foot-
ball State Championship in 2019.
been supportive of the team
throughout the coronavirus
pandemic, he said, and
while not playing in front of
fans will be awkward, “at
least the boys get to play.”
McIlmoil said he has a
positive outlook toward the
upcoming match.
“I think we look pretty
Colleagues recall Elgin
football coach, teacher
By DICK MASON
The Observer
ELGIN — Elgin High
School has lost one of its
most popular educators.
Jeff Rysdam, a social
studies teacher at the school
and its head football coach,
died Monday, March 8.
Rysdam taught in the
Elgin School District for
about eight years and had
been the high school’s head
football coach since 2017.
“He was always trying
to give kids opportunities
and introduce them to new
things,” said Elgin School
District Superintendent
Dianne Greif.
Elgin High assis-
tant football coach Brock
Eckstein echoed this
sentiment.
“He was 100% dedi-
cated to kids, to their aca-
demic and athletic futures,”
Eckstein said. “Every kid
at Elgin High School has
nothing but good things to
say about him.”
He said the walls of Rys-
dam’s classroom were cov-
ered with cards and invita-
tions from his students.
“He had a special bond
with all of his students,”
Eckstein said.
Rysdam graduated from
Elgin High School in 1996
and later from Eastern
Wallowa County Chieftain
LOSTINE — The
city of Lostine signed the
final contract for a new
post office and plans are
underway to move from
Highway 82 across from
city hall, the city’s recorder,
Toni Clary, said in an email
Thursday, March 4.
The city council met the
previous evening to finalize
the contract.
Mayor Dusty Tippett
said Monday, March 8, the
final aspect of the contract
was negotiating the rates for
the electrical power. He said
that was completed March
4 and a Pacific Power and
Light power pole now can
Union City Council
adopts goals for 2021
Council reviews
restructuring water
and sewer rates
By DICK MASON
The Observer
Alex Wittwer/The Observer
The football field at Elgin High School is empty on the early
afternoon of Wednesday, March 10, 2021. The Elgin School
District announced Jeff Rysdam, a social studies teacher
at the school and its head football coach, died Monday,
March 8.
Oregon University.
He led the EHS football
team to the state playoffs
in 2018 and 2019. The Hus-
kies’ 2018 appearance in the
state playoffs was their first
in a decade.
Greif noted that
Rysdam, who was also
the high school’s athletic
director, led his players on
community service proj-
ects including the annual
cleanup of the Elgin Stam-
pede Grounds and Elgin’s
annual cleanup day.
Rysdam also took his
players to college football
games at Oregon State Uni-
versity in Corvallis, Wash-
ington State University in
Pullman and Boise State
University in Boise, Idaho,
to introduce his players
to new higher education
environments.
Greif said Rysdam had a
colorful and engaging per-
sonality that helped him
connect with students.
“He was definitely a stu-
dent favorite,” Greif said.
“Before school, at lunch
and after school there were
as many students in his
classroom as space would
allow.”
The Observer was not
able to confirm the cause of
Rysdam’s death.
Lostine finalizes contract for new post office location
By BILL BRADSHAW
good,” he said, “and I have
no doubt in my mind that
our boys are going to com-
pete as hard as they can.”
Besides the change of
be installed. He said no
water or septic utilities will
be needed for the 70-by-50-
foot modular building that
will be on the southeastern
corner of Neal Park behind
city hall and on Eliza-
beth Street. Tippett said
the groundbreaking for the
building should be in April.
“I wouldn’t expect it’ll
take super long,” the mayor
said of anticipated construc-
tion time.
The lease for the post
office expires in August.
The facility is in a portion
of a home, and the home-
owners declined to renew
the lease because they wish
to regain use of that portion
of their building.
crowds, there have been
new adjustments in the
Oregon School Activi-
ties Association regarding
league sports this year
— specifically, forming
a hybrid league of high
schools in Nyssa, Vale,
Burns, Ontario, Baker
and La Grande. While the
last three schools are 4A,
Nyssa, Burns and Vale are
normally 3A schools.
“Out here in Eastern
Oregon it’ll be pretty com-
parable,” the coach said of
the hybrid league. “I think
we’ll see a lot of kids that
are out of shape and not
ready to hit right away,
but as we get a few games
under our belt, or as games
continue, the kids will only
get better with every snap
of the ball, that’s for sure.”
In addition, the OSAA
has yet to announce any
form of championship,
which means the Tigers
will hold on to their title by
default. Even so, the Tigers
look to compete as hard as
the year before.
“We want that No.
1 spot,” said McIlmoil.
“That’s what we’re going
for every year.”
UNION — The Union
City Council’s vision for
2021 now is in sharper
focus.
The city council at its
meeting Monday, March
8, voted to adopt a set of
goals for 2021. The goals
address six categories:
ordinance review, the old
ranger station in Union,
economic development,
the city’s park, the city’s
charter and emergency
services.
The council discussed
the goals at a Jan. 23 work
session.
The ordinances the
council plans to review
include one for water and
sewer rates. The council
in 2020 began seriously
looking into restruc-
turing the city’s rates for
water and sewer so they
are more equitable. The
council is pursuing this
objective after a report
indicated the rate struc-
tures for Union’s water
and sewer service are
resulting in some light
users paying more than
they should.
The ranger station
goals are focused on ren-
ovating the buildings
there for public use and
obtaining recognition as
a national historic site,
a plus that might help to
attract tourists to Union,
said Union City Adminis-
trator Doug Wiggins.
The city’s economic
goals include completing
a community assessment
report, which would go to
the city council to identify
grants to help businesses.
Goals concerning the
park include continuing
a partnership between
the city and the Union
School District with
regard to improving the
site. Through the pro-
gram, Union High School
students are helping city
staff write applications for
grants that will finance
park improvement pro-
grams. The students are
doing this while working
with their teachers, said
Union School District
Superintendent Carter
Wells.
A second park goal
concerns a trail project.
One possible path would
run along Catherine Creek
in Union just as it does at
the park. This would pro-
vide residents with a place
to exercise and could draw
visitors from outside the
area. Wiggins said the city
is trying to obtain ease-
ments from landowners
for the trail. Once the city
obtains that public access,
it would be able to apply
for grants for the trail
extension.
The charter goal calls
for the council to estab-
lish a committee to put
forward a revised charter
that the community sup-
ports. Voters in the
November 2020 general
election voted down a
revised city charter.
The emergency ser-
vices goal calls for the
formation of a com-
mittee to explore a pos-
sible merger of the Union
Fire Department and the
Union Rural Fire Depart-
ment. The Union City
Council voted Feb. 8, to
take a look at helping
the two fire departments
merge in an effort to
boost efficiency.
Enterprise City Council votes to postpone Summerfest until next next year
By BILL BRADSHAW
Wallowa County Chieftain
ENTERPRISE — There
will not be a Summerfest
in Enterprise this year, the
city council agreed during
its Monday, March 8,
meeting, preferring to wait
until 2022 to give time for a
larger event, according to a
press release.
Councilor Christie
Huston of the Projects
Committee said because the
event is normally in June,
most council members are
new to the council, and
given the COVID-19 trou-
bles of the past year, it is
better to wait until next year
to hold the event.
Huston also discussed
options for memorializing
Michele Young, a prior city
administrator. The council
decided to name the council
chambers in her honor and
to ask Young’s family for
permission to hang a large
picture of her in the cham-
bers with a plaque showing
her years of service.
Young, who died in Sep-
tember, served 31-1/2 years
as city administrator before
retiring in 2018.
Plans call for the design
of a plaque to recognize all
former and current mayors,
which Young was working
on prior to her leaving.
In another matter, the
council heard a presenta-
tion on the Wallowa County
Smoke Management Com-
munity Response Plan by
Lisa Mahon. She gave an
explanation of the process
of this project. After her
presentation, the council
voted to submit the plan
to the Oregon Department
Wallowa County Chieftain, File
Face-painting artist Kierra Naisbitt puts the finishing
touches on Alana Caine’s butterfly face at Enterprise’s
Summerfest in 2018. The Enterprise City Council voted
Monday, March 8, 2021, to wait until 2022 to hold the June
event.
of Forestry and Oregon
Department of Environ-
mental Quality. A sim-
ilar presentation was made
to the Wallowa County
Board of Commissioners on
Wednesday, March 3.
The council also consid-
ered applications for Com-
munity-Economic-Tourism
Related Activities grants
to help fund community
events. Grants up for con-
sideration would provide
$2,000 each to Juniper
Jam, the Courthouse Con-
cert Series, the Wood-
lands and Watershed Fes-
tival, Alpenfest, Mountain
High Broncs and Bulls,
and Main Street Show
and Shine. Representa-
tives of each event were
given the opportunity to
make a pitch for the grants.
After the presentations,
the city’s administrator,
Lacey McQuead, said the
CETRA/Motel Tax Com-
mittee would meet and
prepare a recommenda-
tion for grant awards to
be heard during the April
meeting.
In other business, the
council:
• Heard from Council
President Jenni Word that
the police committee is on
the final steps of completing
the pre-employment process
for police chief. The city in
February offered the job to
Wallowa County sheriff’s
deputy Kevin McQuead
pending successful comple-
tion of the pre-employment
checks.
• Approved the plan-
ning commission’s formal
recommendation for the
new Design and Devel-
opment Standards for
the city. Anderson Perry
prepared the standards.
After the council’s vote,
the standards went into
effect immediately.