RECORDS AND MORE
TUESDAY, JUNE 8, 2021
PUBLIC SAFETY REPORT
FRIDAY, JUNE 4
9:40 a.m. — The Union County Sheriﬀ ’s Oﬃ ce received
a report of a sex crime. A deputy made contact and took
information.
2:18 p.m. — A caller reported possible animal abuse on
Palmer Junction Road, Elgin. An animal enforcement oﬃ cer
made contact.
4 p.m. — A caller reported a hit-and-run on a vehicle on the
800 block of Main Street, Cove. A Union County sheriﬀ ’s deputy
responded, took information and explained options.
6:04 p.m. — La Grande police received a report of a sex
crime. An oﬃ ce made contact and took information.
9:11 p.m. — A caller reported an intoxicated male was cross-
ing back and forth on the 62700 block of Hunter Road, Island
City. Local law enforcement responded, and the male got a ride
with a friend.
9:22 p.m. — La Grande police responded to the 500 block of
Palmer Avenue for a person screaming in the street. An oﬃ cer
gave the person a courtesy ride.
SATURDAY, JUNE 5
12:36 a.m. — A Union County sheriﬀ ’s deputy conducted a
traﬃ c stop at McAlister Road and Highway 203, La Grande, and
arrested Patton Jay Pattee Jr., 40, of Union, for driving under the
inﬂ uence of intoxicants.
4:37 a.m. — La Grande police responded to a disturbance
on the 1300 block of O Avenue, separated the parties and coun-
seled them.
12:37 p.m. — A caller reported an intoxicated person lying
in the street on the 2700 block of Island Avenue, La Grande.
Oﬃ cers responded and counseled the subject.
1:05 p.m. — A caller reported a transient sleeping in the
alley on the 110 block of Adams Avenue, La Grande. An oﬃ cer
responded, and the subject agreed to move along.
9:06 p.m. — A Union County sheriﬀ ’s deputy responded to
the 700 block of South Second Street, Union, on a report of peo-
ple using illegal ﬁ reworks. The deputy counseled the parties.
11:32 p.m. — Union County sheriﬀ ’s deputies responded to
the 68200 block of Mount Glen Road, La Grande, on a report
of a domestic disturbance. Deputies separated the people
involved.
SUNDAY, JUNE 6
12:22 a.m. — La Grande police received a complaint about
a loud party on the 900 block of N Avenue. Oﬃ cers responded,
and the residents agreed to keep down the noise.
1:50 p.m. — A caller reported a suspicious person on the
700 block of North 10th Avenue, Elgin. A Union County sheriﬀ ’s
deputy responded and counseled the parties.
4:21 p.m. — La Grande police received a report of a possible
burglary at a residence on the 1400 block of T Avenue. An oﬃ -
cer contacted the caller and set up extra patrols.
5:40 p.m. — A caller reported possible gunshots on Haw-
thorne Drive, La Grande. A Union County sheriﬀ ’s deputy made
contact and took information
10:15 p.m. — A caller reported a possible burglary on the
700 block of Albany Street, Elgin. A Union County sheriﬀ ’s dep-
uty responded and questioned one person in the area.
DEATH NOTICE
George W. Smith
Elgin
George W. Smith, 100, of Elgin, died June 4, 2021, at
Grande Ronde Hospital. Arrangements are by Loveland
Funeral Chapel & Crematory, La Grande.
UPCOMING LOCAL SERVICES
Please follow guide-
lines regarding face cov-
erings and social dis-
tancing at all services.
June 14 — GERALD
RIMBEY: 10 a.m. grave-
side service, Island City
Cemetery; reception fol-
lows at 11 a.m. at La
Grande Christian Church.
June 26 — DAVID
COUNCIL: 1 p.m. cel-
ebration of life, North
Powder City Park.
June 26 — SALLY
TOUCHE-MOSER:
1-3 p.m. celebration of life
open house, 404 Depot
St., Enterprise.
June 27 — MERI
OLMSTEAD: 1 p.m.
memorial service, Riv-
erside Park Pavilion, La
Grande.
— calendar cour-
tesy of Loveland Funeral
Chapel, La Grande
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‘Hot Summer Night’ to raise funds
for GRH patient care equipment
The Observer
LA GRANDE — The Grande
Ronde Hospital Foundation is putting
on a fundraiser — “Eastern Oregon
Hot Summer Night” — Friday, June
25, at the La Grande Drive-In, 404
20th St., La Grande.
The event begins at 6:30 p.m. and
will include dinner by local chef
Merlyn Baker featuring a Brazilian
barbecue menu, music and dancing
with Ripple Eﬀ ect from Boise, a wine
pull, and a drive-in movie favorite to
end the evening. The GRH Founda-
tion also will hold an online auction
that anyone can participate in, even
if they are not attending the event,
according to a press release.
For information on the event and to
purchase tickets, view auction items
or register to bid on items, go to event.
gives/drivein.
Proceeds from “Eastern Oregon
Hot Summer Night” will be used to
Sheehy earns masters
degree from Georgia
Institute of Technology
ATLANTA, Georgia — Stephen
Sheehy, of Union, has earned a master
of science in computer science from
the Georgia Institute of Technology in
Atlanta.
Sheehy was among approximately
4,435 undergraduate and graduate stu-
dents who earned their degrees during
the spring 2021 semester and were rec-
ognized during the Institute’s 260th
commencement exercises May 7-8.
Georgia Tech is a top 10 public
research university developing leaders
who advance technology and improve
Retirement & Assisted Living
the human condition, according to a
press release.
coursework. Thurman is majoring in
aerospace engineering.
James Thurman named to
Iowa State University spring
2021 dean’s list
Union County deputies
complete basic corrections
training
AMES, Iowa — James Clausen
Thurman, of La Grande, was among
the more than 10,500 Iowa State Uni-
versity students who were recognized
for outstanding academic achievement
by being named to the spring semester
2021 dean’s list.
To earn this honor students must
earn a grade point average of at least
3.50 on a 4.00 scale while carrying a
minimum of 12 credit hours of graded
SALEM — The Oregon Depart-
ment of Public Safety Standards and
Training announced the graduation
of Basic Corrections Local #BCL045
on June 4 at the Oregon Public Safety
Academy, in Salem, Oregon. Among
the graduating class were Union
County Deputy Sheriﬀ Mary Tam-
bini and Union County Deputy Sheriﬀ
John Tuck.
— The Observer
COMMUNITY BULLETIN BOARD
MEETINGS
• LA GRANDE — A
regular meeting of the
Board of Directors of the
La Grande School Dis-
trict will begin at 7 p.m.
Wednesday, June 9, in the
gym at Willow Elemen-
tary, 1305 N. Willow St.
Due to physical distancing
requirements, the meeting
will be available online and
by phone. See the agenda
at www.lagrandesd.org for
meeting access information.
BRIEFS
Literacy Picnics focus
on learning to read
LA GRANDE — The
La Grande School District
is partnering with Head
Start, Cook Memorial
Library and other local
agencies this summer to
provide weekly literacy
picnics to families with
children in preschool up to
second grade. There is no
registration required and
families are encouraged to
attend together. The one-
hour program will be held
on Wednesdays in June
and August at 12:15 p.m.
at each of the elementary
schools in La Grande. The
focus will be on learning
to read. Books, grade-level
curriculum packets, activ-
ities, games and snacks
will be provided.
PROTECTING our
Residents during this
Pandemic
Ronde
The Observer, File
The La Grande Drive-In sign points the way
to what has been a popular destination
on summer nights for decades. The venue
will be the site of a Grande Ronde Hospital
fundraiser — “Eastern Oregon Hot Summer
Night” — Friday, June 25, 2021. The event
will include dinner, music, dancing, an auc-
tion and a drive-in movie to end the evening.
purchase patient care equipment at
Grande Ronde Hospital and Clinics,
which, the release stated, will directly
impact local health care and beneﬁ t
all current and prospective patients
in the community. This year’s proj-
ects include the purchase of two “The
Torch” UV cleaning and disinfecting
devices, new patient care boards in all
ICU rooms, and a new secure mes-
saging system for patients to be able
to participate in enhanced text mes-
saging conversations with clinic and
medical staﬀ .
The Grande Ronde Hospital Foun-
dation has been fundraising for patient
care equipment at Grande Ronde
Hospital since 1969 and has contrib-
uted more than $4.8 million for hos-
pital projects, according to the release.
For questions about the group’s fund-
raising projects or to make a donation,
call 541-963-1431 or go to grh.org/
foundation.
HONORS
Come Stay where the
Fun Never Ends!
GRANDE
THE OBSERVER — 3A
1809 Gekeler Ln.
La Grande
541-963-4700
Dick Mason/The Observer
Carla Arnold, music teacher at Central Elementary School, La Grande,
teaches students in the La Grande Fiddle Club virtually on Tuesday,
Jan. 20, 2021. Arnold will be one of the instructors at this summer’s
Wallowa Fiddle Tunes Camp, which also will be held virtually.
Community
Connection oﬀ ers
monthly meal
LA GRANDE — Com-
munity Connection of
Northeast Oregon begin-
ning mid-June will oﬀ er a
weekend meal for four each
month, provided by the
Nutrition Department at the
Union County Senior Center,
1504 N. Albany, La Grande.
The $35 meal is available
to the public and must be
ordered in advance.
The ﬁ rst weekend
oﬀ ering will be available
Friday, June 18, for pickup
between 2-3 p.m. The menu
is roast pork with stuﬃ ng,
baked apples, seasonal sau-
teed vegetables with hol-
landaise, Caesar salad and
freshly baked bread, with
lemon chiﬀ on pie for des-
sert. Meals must be ordered
by June 16. Order forms are
available at the senior center.
Call the kitchen at 541-605-
5556 for more information.
July’s Wallowa Fiddle
Tunes Camp oﬀ ers 95
virtual sessions
WALLOWA — What
has traditionally been a gath-
ering on the campus of the
Wallowa School, this sum-
mer’s Wallowa Fiddle Tunes
Camp will be adapted to
the world of online music
instruction. The decision
was made earlier in the year
by board of directors of
the Wallowa Valley Music
Alliance after careful con-
sideration regarding the
health and safety of camp
participants and the local
community.
The Wallowa Valley
Music Alliance in a press
release said the board is
excited about reenvisioning
what the long-standing
music camp could grow
to be. A press release said
organizers have been “busy
crafting the best way to
bring top-quality instruction
in traditional string band
music.”
The instructors who will
be joining the online camp
include Matt Bell, Stuart
Mason, Andy Emert, Emily
Muller-Cary, John Weed,
Larry Chung, Carla Arnold
and Alan Feves.
The virtual camp may
not take place over the entire
week, but there will be at
three days of instruction
and ﬁ ddle tunes community
activities, Friday through
Sunday, July 16-18, with
a whopping 95 sessions to
choose from.
All sessions will be held
via Zoom. Registration is
now open on the WVMA’s
website. Mix and match ses-
sion to your playing level
and interest. Sign up for as
few or as many as you like.
The fee per session is $15.
For the full schedule
and details, visit
wvmusicalliance.org/
wftc-2021-schedule.
— The Observer