RECORDS AND MORE
THURSDAY, APRIL 15, 2021
COMMUNITY
Meetings
• UNION — The Union Rural Fire Pro-
tection District will have its monthly
board meeting Tuesday, April 20, at
7 p.m. at the fi re hall. For more infor-
mation, contact Kim George, Union
RFPD clerk, at 541-910-3114 or union.
rfpd@outlook.com.
• IMBLER — The Imbler School District
Board of Directors will meet Tuesday,
April 20, beginning at 7 p.m. in room
1 of the high school. The agenda
includes an executive session to dis-
cuss labor negotiations.
Briefs
Bike swap includes bike safety
‘rodeo’ and door prizes
LA GRANDE — La Grande Parks
and Recreation and the Safe Routes
to School Program are holding a
bike swap at Pioneer Park Saturday,
April 24, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
The event gives the community
the opportunity to buy, sell or trade
their used bicycles. There also will be
a bike safety course, known as a bike
safety “rodeo,” where children can
learn bicycle safety. Children must
have their own bicycle and helmet
to participate. In addition, door
prizes will be drawn every hour.
To preregister, contact Jessie
Wilson, Safe Routes to School coor-
dinator, at srts@cityofl agrande.org
or 541-962-0514. Registration also
will be available at the event.
Lottery
Megabucks: $1.3 million
3-9-10-19-34-35
Powerball: $55 million
14-16-23-50-53 — PB 3 x2
Mega Millions: $220 million
10-15-19-45-68 — MB 9 x2
Win for Life: April 12
2-13-49-57
Pick 4: April 13
• 1 p.m.: 1-9-0-8
• 4 p.m.: 8-6-6-6
• 7 p.m.: 0-5-2-6
• 10 p.m.: 6-9-6-6
Pick 4: April 12
• 1 p.m.: 5-8-9-1
• 4 p.m.: 8-5-5-3
• 7 p.m.: 4-4-7-3
• 10 p.m.: 9-2-8-8
DELIVERY ISSUES?
If you have any problems
receiving your Observer, call 541-
963-3161.
Ronald L. Olsen
OBITUARY
1946-2021 • Elgin
Ronald Lee Olsen, 74, of Elgin, passed
away April 9 at his residence. A celebra-
tion of his life will be held at the end of
July.
Known as Ron, he was born Aug.
24, 1946, in Pendleton, to Bernard and
Winnie (Morse) Olsen. He was raised
in Pendleton and graduated from Pend-
leton High School. Ron married Joyce
Needham in 2003.
Ron was employed with Boise Cas-
cade. He enjoyed car racing, four-
wheeling and spending time with his
family and especially his grandchildren.
Surviving relatives include his wife,
Joyce; children and their spouses,
Michael Olsen and Susan Wood of Iowa
and Geoff rey and Stacia Olsen of St.
Cloud, Minnesota; stepson, Mikel Hicks
Upcoming local services
and wife, Jamie, of La Grande; sisters and
brothers-in-law, Bonnie Roberts of Walla
Walla, Washington, Terrie and Tom Lapp
of Pendleton, and Durinda and Ron Mann
of Kennewick, Washington; and seven
grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by his par-
ents, Bernard and Winnie; brother,
Rodney Dee Olsen; and sister, Billie Jean
Olsen.
Online condolences may be made to
the family at www.lovelandfuneralchapel.
com.
Michael L. ‘Larry’ Keff er
La Grande
Michael Lawrence “Larry” Keff er, 79,
of La Grande, died April 13 at Grande
Ronde Hospital. Arrangements are by
Loveland Funeral Chapel & Crematory,
La Grande.
Monday, April 12
9:44 a.m. — A caller
reported possible animal
abuse on the 1600 block
of Seventh Street, La
Grande. An animal
enforcement offi cer
responded and counseled
the parties involved.
2:35 p.m. — La Grande
police responded to Max
Square in downtown on a
report of suspicious cir-
cumstances. Offi cers took
a report.
3:31 p.m. — La Grande
police responded to the
2600 block of Bearco
Loop on a call about a
domestic disturbance.
Offi cers determined the
situation did not rise to
the level of mandatory
arrest and separated the
parties.
7:46 p.m. — A caller
reported a dead dog at Y
Avenue and Birch Street,
La Grande. An offi cer
responded and took the
dog to the Blue Mountain
Humane Association, La
Grande.
Tuesday, April 13
7:45 a.m. — A caller on
the 2600 block of Island
Avenue, La Grande, made
a complaint about theft
of services. An offi cer
responded and took a
report.
10 a.m. — A caller
reported two horses
missing from the 800
block of West Arch Street,
Union.
4:20 p.m. — A Union
County sheriff ’s deputy
responded to the 1300
block of South Main
Street, Union, for neigh-
bors having an issue. The
deputy counseled the
parties and gave them
options.
6:18 p.m. — La Grande
police responded to the
The Observer
area of Adams Avenue
and Depot Street for a
person yelling obscenities.
An offi cer counseled the
subject.
6:47 p.m. — La Grande
police responded to a res-
idence on the 2200 block
of Island Avenue on a
report of indecent expo-
sure. The offi cer was not
able to fi nd the subject.
10:02 p.m. — Union
County sheriff ’s deputies
responded to a residence
on the 800 block of North
15th Avenue, Elgin, for
a domestic disturbance.
The deputies determined
the situation did not rise
to the level for an arrest
and separated the parties.
Recent Oregon State
Police activity
April 7, 12:56 p.m.
— A trooper responded
to the westbound side of
Interstate 84 after a semi-
Eastern Oregon University/Contributed Photo
The “starving college student” is an image that lived too strongly in the
mind of political science major Keegan Sanchez, so he worked to change
the stigma.
who found themselves in
similar situations.
“We’ve created a swipe
bank, in which Sodexo
will donate one swipe per
mandatory meal swipe on
campus to populate the
bank initially,” Sanchez
said.
Working with ASEOU,
Sanchez and other com-
mittee members plan to
hold events for the fur-
ther collection of swipes.
Noticing that many students
had unused meal swipes
when the terms ended, San-
chez found a way to use
all swipes, so none went to
waste.
“We will host swipe
drives where we’ll ask stu-
dents with meal plans to
donate up to 10 swipes a
term,” said Sanchez. “Then,
we will use those meal
swipes we collect and give
them out to students who
are facing food insecurity
so they have something to
eat.”
He also felt it was
important to include that
all students are welcome
to apply. As the case man-
ager, it is his duty to see all
of the students who apply.
Upon fi rst application it is a
no-questions-asked policy.
Although Sanchez is aware
he will be unable to feed a
student for a full term, he
said he hopes he will be
able to help those who need
it most.
“It’s no questions asked.
The fi rst time you apply,
I’m not even going to think
twice, I’m just going to
click approve and put your
information down. Once
you start requesting more,
we’ll start requesting more
information and providing
additional resources. I don’t
see a situation where I’ll
ever say no to a student,”
he said.
‘Fire Stories’ exhibit coming to Josephy Center
The Observer
JOSEPH — The Josephy
Center for Arts and Culture
announced it is exhibiting
“Fire Stories” April 23 to
June 15.
The exhibit showcases
photos taken from fi re
towers with Osborne pan-
oramic cameras 80 years
ago paired with modern
replications from photogra-
pher/naturalist John F. Mar-
shall. The contrasts show
how fi re and fi re suppres-
sion have changed the land-
scapes of the Wallowa and
Blue mountains.
“Fire Stories” is an
exploration of wildfi re in
Northwest landscapes,
according to the release.
As humans, our relation-
ship with fi re is tangled
with how we live on the
land and use its resources,
the release stated. Amer-
ican Indians long learned
to live with fi re and made
it useful. European settle-
ment brought a diff erent
sensibility and the tools and
organization to control fi re.
Little was it known how fi re
is essential to the function
of nature, and in attempting
to eliminate fi re, man has
Please follow guidelines
regarding face coverings
and social distancing at all
services.
April 18 — LARRY
ROBBINS: 2 p.m. virtual
celebration of life; contact
family for details.
April 24 — RICHARD
BIDWELL: 2 p.m. grave-
side service, Elgin Cemetery.
April 24 — BECKY
ROBERSON: 2 p.m. cele-
bration of life, Elgin Com-
munity Center.
May 1 — MICHELLE
SANDOVAL: 10 a.m. cel-
ebration of life, Riverside
Park Pavilion, La Grande.
May 17 — JERRY
BROOKSHIRE: 2 p.m.
graveside service, Union
Historic Cemetery; recep-
tion follows at Catherine
Creek Community Center,
Union.
June 26 — DAVID
COUNCIL: 1 p.m. celebra-
tion of life, North Powder
City Park.
— calendar courtesy of
Loveland Funeral Chapel,
La Grande
PUBLIC SAFETY REPORT
Student-led program fi ghts food insecurity at EOU
LA GRANDE — The
“starving college stu-
dent” is an image that
lived too strongly in the
mind of political science
major Keegan Sanchez, so
he worked to change the
stigma.
Upon returning to col-
lege from military training
for his junior year, Sanchez,
president of the Associated
Students of Eastern Oregon
University, found himself
in need of food swipes at
EOU.
He was fi nancially
unable to purchase swipes
and realized he had become
one of the many college
students who struggles
to aff ord food while com-
pleting their post-secondary
education.
Refusing to believe he
was the only one in the
area facing this problem, he
worked with ASEOU and
the food services company
Sodexo to bring the Swipe
Out Hunger program to
EOU and provide support
for many of the students
THE OBSERVER — 3A
Contributed Photos
The top photo, from the U.S. Forest Service in 1936, and the bottom one,
from John F. Marshall in 2018, view the Wallowa Mountains in the Eagle
Cap Wilderness and show the changes wildfi re made on the landscape.
brought worse fi re on, the
release said.
How does nature live
with fi re, and how can we?
According to the release,
these are questions that
cannot be ignored in this
unprecedented time. This
exhibit will provide some
answers and stimulate more
thought and discussion.
There will be a limited
opening at 7 p.m. Friday,
April 23, fi rst-come, fi rst-
served, as the Josephy
Center is authorized for just
31 visitors. There will be
unlimited access via Zoom.
For more information, call
the center at 541-432-0505
or visit www.josephy.org.
In addition to the exhibit
at the center, 403 N. Main
St., Joseph, two fi re pro-
La GRANDE
AUTO REPAIR
975-2000
www.lagrandeautorepair.com
MOST
ADVANCED
TECHNOLOGY
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Joe Horst
ACDelcoTSS
grams are planned at no cost.
“Fire in the West” will
be presented from 2-4 p.m.
May 20. Stephen J. Pyne,
author of “Fire in America”
and “Between Two Fires,”
considered seminal texts on
fi re, will be the presenter
via Zoom.
“The West Is Burning”
is a fi lm that will be pre-
sented via streaming at the
center at 7 p.m. May 27. It
will be introduced by pro-
ducer Cody Sheehy.
The Josephy Center is
presenting the “Fire Sto-
ries” exhibit in partnership
with Wallowa Resources.
For more information, con-
tact Megan Wolfe at coor-
dinator@josephy.org or
541-432-0505.
“Real Food for
the People”
Open
Fri-Sun Take-out
Menu
5pm-8pm Updated
Weekly
www.tendepotstreet.com
541-963-8766
tendepotstreet@gmail.com
trailer nearly crashed into
an Oregon Department of
Transportation crew con-
ducting a slowdown near
milepost 248.
The trooper stopped
the big rig about 24 miles
down the road, inter-
viewed witnesses and
cited the driver, Ariel
Garcia Martin, 26, of San
Antonio, Texas, for reck-
less driving and reckless
endangering of highway
workers.
April 7, 5:48 p.m.
— A trooper stopped a
Toyota Sequoia heading
east on Interstate 84
near milepost 269 after
multiple driving com-
plaints. The trooper sub-
sequently arrested Sharon
Lynn Callen, 63, of Lake
Oswego, for driving
under the infl uence of
intoxicants.
April 8, 11:10 p.m.
— Oregon State Police
troopers responded to
the area of milepost 271
on the eastbound side
of I-84 for a vehicle
that struck an elk in the
road.
Two other vehicles also
struck the elk. No one
was injured, but two of
the vehicles needed to be
towed.
April 8, 11:37 p.m. —
Troopers responded to the
westbound side of I-84
near milepost 252 for a
driver heading the wrong
way.
OSP caught the Ford
F150 pickup near mile-
post 259 and turned on
lights and sirens, but the
driver would not stop and
continued east before La
Grande police found the
vehicle a short time later.
A trooper spoke with
the driver and subse-
quently arrested Warren
Lee Alworth, 47, of Port-
land, for DUII and reck-
less driving.
Community food project
takes root with grant
By BILL BRADSHAW
Wallowa County Chieftain
ENTERPRISE —
Supporters of the Wal-
lowa County Food Bank
are working to raise an
additional $500 toward a
project to help feed and
inform the needy about
food resources after the
receipt of a $1,075 grant
for the eff ort, according to
a press release.
A new project emerged
March 16 when more
than 25 community mem-
bers gathered in the
online Wallowa County
FEAST (Food, Educa-
tion and Agriculture Solu-
tions Together) event and
has received seed funds
to launch the project. The
FEAST grant will pay
about two-thirds of the
project, which is expected
to cost $1,575, the release
stated.
During the March 16
event, panelists told about
opportunities and chal-
lenges in local farming,
food distribution and
food access. Participants
also broke into small
groups for more in-depth
discussion and idea
sharing.
A challenge that came
up in all four break-out
groups was local access
to fresh, healthy foods
by people on a lim-
ited budget. One idea to
address this challenge has
now grown roots into a
new project.
“The challenge of
accessing nutritious
food on a limited budget
has come up in all three
FEAST events held since
2012,” said Sara Miller, a
FEAST Leadership Team
member of the Northeast
Oregon Economic Devel-
opment District.
“It is exciting to see
this collaborative project
coming together to help all
of us know about and be
able to share information
that can benefi t our com-
munities,” said Katy Nes-
bitt, of St Patrick’s Epis-
copal Church, the sponsor
of this year’s FEAST
event.
The project will share
information on food pro-
grams/services and trans-
portation services avail-
able to people with lower
incomes in Wallowa
County. Information such
as where to apply and
who can off er support in
the application process,
locations of food banks
and food box programs,
what local establishments
accept state and federal
benefi ts such as SNAP
and WIC and ways to
support local food pro-
grams will be included.
The project will work
with the many organiza-
tions providing resources
to gather information and
develop a fl yer that can be
handed out and posted on
websites and social media.
In addition, an info-mailer
will be direct mailed to
every mailbox.
Project organizers
hope that sharing the
information will ensure
many more people know
about these essential
resources and ways to
support them, and that
people will also feel
empowered to share the
information with others.
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