FROM PAGE ONE
Saturday, July 24, 2021
tHE OBSErVEr — A5
FIRE
Continued from Page A1
grow by the hour,” he said.
Deedon said that with
resources in Oregon
becoming more scarce, aid
is coming from other states.
While in the Promise area
Thursday, July 22, several
trucks from Idaho passed
by. He said there also are
resources from Arizona and
even a PIO from Louisiana.
Contract firefighter
arrives from Salem
Another firefighter told
how difficult the work
is. Juan Mora, of Salem,
has been battling blazes
since 2000 and is now a
contract firefighter. He
arrived on the Elbow
Creek Fire early Thursday
and began checking out
the situation.
“I like to check the
whole ground I’m going to
be working on first,” Mora
said from Sloan Point, a
staging area for Division
Whiskey. He said highly
trained hotshot firefighters
were down Grossman
Creek.
“It looks like it’s holding,
but you never know with
the winds you’ve had. It
could pick up,” he said.
“You do put in work. It’s not
just a hike in the woods. We
take it seriously. We work
all year long on the forests.
We plant, we thin. It’s a lot
of stuff like dry-mopping
and harder stuff.”
Dry-mopping, Mora
said, is to use a pulaski to
dig 2 feet of dirt to cover
Ben lonergan/East Oregonian
Brett Deedon, a trainee public information officer with the office of
the Oregon State Fire Marshal, looks toward a property along Prom-
ise Road on Thursday, July 22, 2021, near the Elbow Creek Fire. A fire
break was cut in the dirt around the house in an attempt to provide
protection to the structure.
any burning or flammable
material.
“What you’re doing is
taking out the oxygen from
the fire,” he said.
Proximity is really
bringing it home
But knowing the people
here brings it home all the
more.
“When the fire’s in your
own backyard, per se, I
don’t want to say it’s more
important — all fires are
important — but I have a
lot more ownership in it
locally,” Weer said. “There
are people out here who
have lost a family cabin and
I’m friends with those folks,
so that hits harder.”
While proud of the
efforts of her husband and
other firefighters, Weer’s
wife, Maria, is still con-
cerned for their safety.
“I do worry about their
safety, but I know that they
train to be as safe as pos-
sible,” she said.
She also emphasized
the support offered by the
community.
“We’re thankful for the
community support. People
always reaching out to see
if I need help with carpools
and the like,” she said.
“People are supportive of
the firefighters, but they’re
also supportive of those of
us at home.”
Weer emphasized that
firefighters in Wallowa
County have a good rela-
tionship with their col-
leagues from elsewhere.
“We have a really good
working relationship with
our ODF (Oregon Depart-
ment of Forestry) partners
in Wallowa County,” he
said. “We’re kind of land-
locked up here so we rely
heavily on each other for
mutual aid.”
Ben lonergan/East Oregonian
Smoke fills a valley along Sloan Point Road on Thursday, July 22, 2021, from the Elbow Creek Fire near
Promise in northern Wallowa County.
CREWS GAINING GROUND ON ELBOW CREEK FIRE
WALLOWA COUNTY — The Elbow Creek Fire has sur-
passed 20,000 acres, but crews fighting the blaze are
starting to get an upper hand.
During a virtual community update Thursday, July
22, Operations Staff Chief Eric Perkins said “things are
looking good right now” in some of the areas that have
given firefighters a challenge this week.
The most recent briefing on July 23 had the fire listed
at 20,810 acres and 20% contained. The size of the
team battling the fire is now 878, with resources from
eight other states helping Oregon firefighters.
Perkins said that there was a lot of smoke rising from
the northwest portion of the fire near Elbow Creek July
22, but it’s mostly from inside the fire perimeter.
“We’re actually getting a handle on it right now,” he
said. “We’ve been working on the lines down toward
the Grande Ronde River. We’ve been working in the
Elbow Creek trying to get that fire in position where we
can contain it and control it.”
Perkins said fire progression had been “pretty much
stopped” in the area of Sickfoot Creek at the southern
edge of the blaze. Crews were hoping to transition to
mop-up work there July 23, a press release said.
Fire progression had also been slowed in the Grossman
Creek area and along the Grande Ronde, he said.
“We’ve been hitting this area (Grande Ronde River)
all day (July 22) with aircraft and backing it up with
dozers,” Perkins said. “It’s moving slower than it has
been.”
Incident Commander Link Smith said July 22 he was
impressed with the size the fire has been held to.
“Most of this fire is in really good shape,” he said,
though he cautioned that “we’re not out of the woods
yet. We’re in a really tough spot here in Elbow Creek.”
Mop-up continues to the north and east, and Deputy IC
Les Hallman said with the fire moving away from struc-
tures and those structures being secured, some task
forces would be released.
“Two of our task forces will be leaving (July 23),” he
said.
Wallowa County Emergency Management late Friday
morning also lowered evacuation notices for the
second day in a row. Troy, which Thursday was lowered
from Level 3 to Level 2, is now at a Level 1 “Get Ready.”
Promise and Eden Bench, which were last at Level 3,
have dropped to the Level 2 “Get Set.” Additionally, the
Level 1 notice in Flora has been lifted.
—Wallowa County Chieftain
PIPES
Continued from Page A1
alex Wittwer/The Observer
Derik Drake holds a sign Tuesday, July 20, 2021, urging people to sign a petition in support of his quest to
reopen HWY 30 Cannabis in La Grande. Drake had purchased the business but due to technicalities from
city Ordinance 3228, was unable to resume operations since it qualified as a new dispensary.
PETITION
Continued from Page A1
Drake taking over at the
same location is banned by
Ordinance 3228, since he
would be opening a new
dispensary by technical
terms.
“So even though we’d
be in the same building
and doing the exact same
thing that she was and
staying medical, they’re
not letting us enter,” he
said.
After the state legal-
ized recreational mari-
juana in 2014, Oregon saw
a major shift from med-
ical marijuana dispensa-
ries to recreational dispen-
saries. Prior to ending its
licensing and becoming
a CBD and accessories
store, HWY 30 stood as
one of the few remaining
medical dispensaries in the
state for Drake to sell to.
“I just see it as a
healing tool and a helpful
thing that people need and
can be educated about,”
he said. “Even if you don’t
support it, we’re keeping it
off the streets. We’re reg-
ulating it and trying to
do a positive thing for the
community.”
According to La Grande
Community Development
Director Mike Boquist,
HWY 30 and the Oregon
Health Authority agreed
upon not renewing the dis-
pensary’s license.
As a result, all existing
city permitting and grand-
father rights expired
when the license was not
renewed.
“I don’t think they real-
alex Wittwer/The Observer
Derik Drake, left, watches as Kristen Morlock signs a petition to re-
peal Ordinance 3228, a city law that prevents new medical marijuana
dispensaries from opening, on Tuesday, July 20, 2021.
ized at the time that selling
the property to a different
dispensary to go in there
was going to be a whole
new permit and that it was
going to be a problem,”
Boquist said. “I think it
just comes down to what
the rules say and following
that.”
If Drake gathers the
required 1,315 signatures,
the initiative to partially
repeal Ordinance 3228
will likely make its way
onto the November ballot
for La Grande residents to
vote on. The La Grande
City Council could poten-
tially move to approve
the initiative prior to the
November election or let it
ride on the results of a vote
in November.
When recreational mar-
ijuana was legalized, res-
idents in La Grande voted
in majority to ban its sale
in the city. Since then, ini-
tiatives have been put into
place by HWY 30 and city
council members to lift
the ban, which have never
come to fruition.
While Drake is only
looking to bring medic-
inal marijuana back into
the community, there has
been a lack of support in
recent years as seen by
HWY 30’s failed attempt
to repeal the ordinance in
March 2020.
“We know that La
Grande is kind of conser-
vative and that they don’t
want a bunch more dis-
pensaries in,” Drake said.
“We’re just trying to allow
(only) one location to open
back up.”
As of Tuesday, July 20,
Drake and his team had
acquired nearly 1,000 sig-
natures, with one week
remaining to submit
the required number of
signatures.
leadership position given
to the lead violin player of
an orchestra.
Pipes stepped down
from the Grande Ronde
Symphony Orchestra
after playing for 26 years,
when she and her hus-
band, Taylor Roby Pipes,
and the couple began
spending winters in Ari-
zona in the 1970s. Still
she retained ties to the
Grande Ronde Sym-
phony Orchestra. The
links were so strong that
symphony member Patty
Sandoz, of La Grande,
would convert video of
Patty Sandoz/Contributed Photo
the Grande Symphony
Orchestra’s concerts into Anita Pipes enjoys her garden in Walla Walla, Washington. Pipes
moved in 2004 from La Grande to Walla Wallla, where she lived
DVDs so Pipes could
until 2020.
watch them.
Sandoz was delighted
“She loved it,” Conklin
Pipes was prone to
to do this for Pipes.
said.
falling later in her life but
“I treasured my friend-
ship with her,” she said.
the only serious injury she
Bookkeeping was a
sustained was a fractured
Pipes’ love of music
good fit for her since she
wrist.
remained stronger than
enjoyed the challenge of
“She had bones of
ever after she left the sym- accounting and meeting
phony, even after she
steel,” Conklin said.
its high standards for
became a centenarian.
accuracy.
A lifelong love
Sandoz noted that in 2018
“She was a real per-
fectionist and tenacious.
Pipes was reteaching
of the outdoors
These are the type of
herself to play on a pia-
no-type keyboard she had
Conklin does not know
people who do well at
why her mother was so
just acquired..
bookkeeping,” Conklin
healthy, but she believes a
Pipes spent her golden
said.
life of exercise may have
years learning about
Pipes kept close tabs
been a factor.
not only music but also
of the budget of not only
“She always walked.
technology.
the businesses she worked
“Many seniors are
for but also her household. We had a car but she nearly
scared or overwhelmed
Conklin described her par- always walked. If we
needed to go to town to get
ents as “thrifty” individ-
by technology, but not my
some yeast she would say,
mom,” Conklin said. “She uals who never took on
‘Lets walk.’ Walking was
debt if at all possible.
embraced it.”
her lifestyle,” Conklin said.
“They almost always
Pipes was introduced
Fishing is another
to computers at age 72 and paid in cash,” she said.
activity Pipes enjoyed.
took to them quickly. Soon “If they used a credit card
All of her fishing was
they would not buy any-
emailing was one of her
done with her husband,
favorite means of commu- thing that could not be
nication, and she found
paid off at the end of the
who died in 2003.
herself recording songs she month. If they did not have
“They fished all over
played on the piano. The
the money to buy some-
the Northwest,” Conklin
recordings were enhanced thing they didn’t buy it.”
said. “It was a joy. It was
Conklin said her par-
with musical accompani-
a sport both them of them
ment created by Pipes with ents were anything but
could enjoy together.”
Conklin said her parents
a synthesizer-piano.
frugal when helping those
did much of their fishing in
in need.
A perfectionist and
the high lakes of the Elk-
“They were quiet
horns, many of which they
philanthropists. They
tenacious
hiked to. The Elkhorns
were very generous. They
Pipes did not have the
meant so much to Pipes
would see someone who
benefit of computer tech-
that her family will later
needed help and would
nology when she started
spread her ashes there.
figure out a way to help
her career as a bookkeeper them,” she said. “It was
Pipes, who lived in
in La Grande more than 70 totally unsolicited. They
the La Grande area for
years ago after graduating were not afraid to reach
87 years, moved to Walla
from a business school in
Walla, Washington, in
out.”
Quincy, Illinois.
September 2004 and
Pipes had few health
Pipes was a bookkeeper problems during her life
to Kennewick in 2020.
for many years, working
Sandoz, who often visited
and was able to walk
for companies including
under her own power until Pipes in Washington, feels
blessed to have known her.
the Paul Bunyan Co.,
she was about 103 when
“She was truly a
Montgomery Ward and
she started using a walker.
remarkable and inspira-
Fountain Wholesale. Pipes
“The only reason she
tional woman,” Sandoz
found working as a book-
used it was for balance,”
keeper fulfilling.
Conklin said.
said.