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About The Observer. (La Grande, Or.) 1968-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 5, 2021)
LOCAL A2 — THE OBSERVER TODAY On Oct. 5, 1989, a jury in Charlotte, North Carolina, con- victed former P-T-L evangelist Jim Bakker of using his televi- sion show to defraud followers. (Although initially sentenced to 45 years in prison, Bakker was freed in December 1994 after serving 4 1/2 years.) In 1931, Clyde Pangborn and Hugh Herndon completed the first non-stop flight across the Pacific Ocean, arriving in Wash- ington state some 41 hours after leaving Japan. In 1947, President Harry S. Truman delivered the first tele- vised White House address as he spoke on the world food crisis. In 1953, Earl Warren was sworn in as the 14th chief jus- tice of the United States, suc- ceeding Fred M. Vinson. In 1955, a stage adaptation of “The Diary of Anne Frank” by Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett opened at the Cort Theatre in New York. In 1958, racially-desegre- gated Clinton High School in Clinton, Tennessee, was mostly leveled by an early morning bombing. In 1969, the British TV comedy program “Monty Python’s Flying Circus” made its debut on BBC 1. In 1983, Solidarity founder Lech Walesa was named winner of the Nobel Peace Prize. In 2001, tabloid photo editor Robert Stevens died from inhaled anthrax, the first of a series of anthrax cases in Florida, New York, New Jersey and Washington. In 2005, defying the White House, senators voted 90-9 to approve an amendment spon- sored by Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., that would prohibit the use of “cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or pun- ishment” against anyone in U.S. government custody. (A reluctant President George W. Bush later signed off on the amendment.) In 2015, the United States, Japan and 10 other nations in Asia and the Americas reached agreement on the landmark Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal. In 2017, California Gov. Jerry Brown signed legisla- tion extending protections for immigrants living in the United States illegally; police in Cali- fornia would be barred from asking people about their immi- gration status or taking part in federal immigration enforce- ment activities. In 2018, a jury in Chicago convicted white police officer Jason Van Dyke of second-de- gree murder in the 2014 shooting of Black teenager Laquan McDonald. Today’s Birthdays: Actor Glynis Johns is 98. College Foot- ball Hall of Fame coach Barry Switzer is 84. R&B singer Arlene Smith (The Chantels) is 80. Singer-musician Steve Miller is 78. Sen. Benjamin L. Cardin, D-Md., is 78. Rock singer Brian Johnson (AC/DC) is 74. Blues musician Rick Estrin is 72. Actor Karen Allen is 70. Writer-pro- ducer-director Clive Barker is 69. Rock musician David Bryson (Counting Crows) is 67. Astro- physicist-author Neil deGrasse Tyson is 63. Memorial designer Maya Lin is 62. Actor Daniel Baldwin is 61. Rock singer-musi- cian Dave Dederer is 57. Hockey Hall of Famer Mario Lemieux is 56. Actor Guy Pearce is 54. Actor Josie Bissett is 51. Singer-actor Heather Headley is 47. Pop-rock singer Colin Meloy (The Decem- berists) is 47. Actor Parminder Nagra is 46. Actor Scott Weinger is 46. Actor Kate Winslet is 46. LOTTERY Friday, Oct. 1, 2021 Megamillions 21-25-36-62-63 Megaball: 6 Megaplier: 2 Jackpot: $45 million Lucky Lines 4-7-9-15-18-21-28-29 Jackpot: $15,000 Pick 4 1 p.m.: 3-4-9-7 4 p.m.: 5-2-3-5 7 p.m.: 9-1-7-9 10 p.m.: 5-1-0-2 Saturday, Oct. 2, 2021 Powerball 28-38-42-47-52 Powerball: 1 Power Play: 2 Jackpot: $670 million Megabucks 1-7-10-12-16-34 Jackpot: $3.9 million Lucky Lines 1-7-10-13-19-22-27-29 Jackpot: $16,000 Pick 4 1 p.m.: 5-9-5-4 p.m.: 6-9-5-1 7 p.m.: 7-9-3-3 10 p.m.: 6-6-3-9 Win for Life 5-38-61-75 Sunday, Oct. 3, 2021 Lucky Lines 3-7-11-15-20-22-28-29 Estimated jackpot: $17,000 Pick 4 1 p.m.: 7-6-4-3 4 p.m.: 5-7-2-8 7 p.m.: 3-6-6-3 10 p.m.: 8-8-9-4 TuESday, OcTOBER 5, 2021 North Powder begins work on new playground Project spurred by $10,000 grant from Masonic Lodge By ALEX WITTWER September temps warmer than usual The Observer The Observer NORTH POWDER — Mike Morse, the interim mayor of North Powder, looked out at the nearly two dozen volunteers from across the state con- gregated just behind the old firehouse in North Powder. They were put- ting in the final structures of what would be the new playground in the small town on the edge of Union County. “It’s about damn time,” he said. The new playground replaces older dilapidated structures at the park, which sits at Fourth and D streets in North Powder. Many of those struc- tures — a roundabout, swings, teeter totters and a climbing structure for kids — were worn down, with with decaying wood and deteriorating metal. “It was falling apart,” Morse said. Funding for the project came from a sizable dona- tion — $10,000 — from the Masonic Lodge. The project broke ground on LA GRANDE — The La Grande area expe- rienced warmer than normal temperatures during the month of Sep- tember, according to pre- liminary data received by the National Oce- anic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Weather Service Office in Pendleton. The average temperature during the month was 62 degrees, 2.1 degrees above normal. High tempera- tures averaged 80 degrees, 3.8 degrees above normal, according to the monthly climate summary. The highest temperature was 93 degrees recorded on Sept. 6. During the month, the temperature exceeded 90 degrees on four days. Low temperatures aver- aged 44.1 degrees, 0.4 degrees above normal. The lowest temperature for the month was 35 degrees, recorded on Sept. 17, the report said. Precipitation for the month totaled 1.13 inches, which was 0.46 inches above normal, the report said. Measurable precipi- tation — at least 0.01 inch — was received on five days, with the heaviest, 0.40 inches, reported on Sept. 29. Precipitation for the year is 8.18 inches, which is 3.36 inches below normal. Since October 2020, the water year precipitation in La Grande has been 12.76 inches, 3.76 inches below normal. The outlook for October from NOAA’s Climate Pre- diction Center calls for near normal temperatures and above normal pre- cipitation. Normal highs for La Grande fall from 70 degrees at the start of October to 54 degrees by the end of the month. Normal lows fall from 39 degrees to 33 degrees. The 30-year normal precipita- tion for the month is 1.29 inches. alex Wittwer/EO Media Group Volunteers with Elkhorn Valley Wind Farm, Oregon Recreation and Parks Association and La Grande Parks and Recreation work on assembling structures for the North Powder playground on Thursday, Sept. 30, 2021. Aug. 25, and officials expect it to be finished before the end of October. George Marston, the de facto project manager for the new playground, said the donation helped jumpstart the project but it wasn’t nearly enough to cover all of the replace- ment structures. The rest of the funds — totaling nearly $57,000 — was gathered through grants and donations. “The Masons had donated $10,000 for a piece of playground equip- ment in the park,” Mar- ston said. “The city really hadn’t done much with the $10,000 for a year, and a decision was going to be made to do something with it or return it. I was asked by one of the Mason mem- bers here in town to help the city come up with more funds.” The bulk of the cost would come from labor — from surveying to installa- tion. Volunteers from Elk- horn Valley Wind Farm, as well as playground equip- ment installation profes- sionals from the Oregon Recreation and Parks Association and workers with the La Grande Parks & Recreation Department helped alleviate that cost, leaving the funds for pur- chasing expensive play- ground equipment. “A lot of hands came together to help us today,” Marston said. LG City Council to consider HVAC upgrade By DAVIS CARBAUGH The Observer LA GRANDE — The La Grande City Council will hold its monthly meeting on Wednesday, Oct. 6. The session will be streamed live on the EO Alive TV website and Facebook page, with the meetings closed to in-person attendance due to COVID-19. The meeting is set to begin at 6 p.m. The meeting’s agenda is slim, with the only item on the consent agenda being the approval of minutes from the September ses- sion. In the new business section, the council will consider awarding the bid for the HVAC upgrade at city hall. Community Devel- opment Director Mike Boquist will present the item of discussion, which involves replacing the previous system that is roughly 20 years old. Some of the parts that need replacement are outdated, which requires a replace- ment instead of a repair. The new system is set to be more efficient and replace the current system that is expensive to maintain and repair. The replacement project is included in the cur- rent building maintenance budget, with the awarding big potentially going to Valley Metal & Heating for $141,872. The La Grande Urban Renewal Agency will meet after the regular ses- sion to discuss one new business item. The sug- gested motion directs District Manager Robert Strope to sign the docu- ments needed to extend the current loan agreement with the Liberty Theatre that was originally set to end in June. The proposal would move the deadline to June 20, 2023, citing the pandemic as a major roadblock in the comple- tion of the project. Written comments or questions for either meeting can be submitted to rstrope@cityoflagrande. org by 5 p.m. on Oct. 5. NEWS BRIEFS OHA report shows 46 new COVID-19 cases in Union County over the weekend SALEM — The Oregon Health Authority reported 3,286 new con- firmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases and eight new deaths across the state in its report on Monday, Oct. 4. The report accounts for the three-day period from Oct. 1 through Oct. 3 Union County tallied 46 new cases, while Wallowa totaled 20. The OHA report brings Union Coun- ty’s total since the start of the pan- demic to 3,002 and Wallowa Coun- ty’s total to 602. No COVID-19 deaths occurred in either county in the report. Across the state, the overall case count since the start of the pandemic stands at 334,971. There have been 3,823 COVID-19 deaths in Oregon to date. The OHA report showed that there are currently 769 patients hos- pitalized with COVID-19 in Oregon. Out of 687 total adult ICU beds, 61 beds are available. Of the 4,216 adult non-ICU beds, 351 remain open. The seven-day running average for vaccines is 10,322 doses per day. Compensation available for wolf depredation techniques LA GRANDE — Grant funding is currently available to Union County livestock producers for nonlethal wolf depredation prevention tech- niques designed to minimize con- flicts between wolves and livestock. The Union County Wolf Depreda- tion Compensation Advisory Com- mittee was formed in 2012 under the direction of the Oregon Department of Agriculture to establish and imple- ment a county wolf depredation com- pensation and financial assistance grant program. Funding for the pro- gram is provided through the Wolf Management Compensation and Pro- active Trust Fund. Over the past several years, the local committee has successfully awarded over $48,000 in grant funds to local livestock producers through this program. Previous applicants that were successful in receiving grant funding included requests for fencing, range riders, herders, live- stock guard dogs, and air patrol. To be considered for funding, applications must be received by 5 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 1. Additional information and applications to apply are available at www.union-county. org or by calling 541-963-1001. La Grande man arrested for theft, false information LA GRANDE — The La Grande Police Department arrested Anthony Roy Neil and Leah Marie Graham after the couple stole a man’s credit card and used it fraudulently at sev- eral locations in the area. Neil, a 32-year-old from Pasco, Washington, was arrested for theft in the second degree, fraudulent use of a credit card and providing false information to a police officer on Thursday, Sept. 30. Graham, a 31-year-old from Kennewick, Wash- ington, was arrested for unlawful entry into a motor vehicle, con- spiracy to commit a felony and con- spiracy to commit a misdemeanor. The victim, William Tanson, reported that his wallet was stolen at the Chevron at 2704 Island Ave. Neil distracted Tanson while Graham broke into his car and stole the wallet off the dashboard. Tanson contacted law enforcement and his credit card company after seeing expenditures on his banking report. The card showed purchases at Big 5 Sporting Goods, Big Smoke and Chevron. Neil was arrested on pre- vious warrants out of Washington, including failure to appear for iden- tity theft, failure to appear for attempting to elude a police vehicle, possession of a controlled substance, driving while suspended and hit and run. Both Neil and Graham were taken into custody without incident, according to La Grande Police Chief Gary Bell. The duo made fraudulent credit card charges in Island City, which prompted the Union County Sheriff’s Office to assist. The case is under investiga- tion to possibly connect previous crimes with Neil and Graham. The La Grande Police Department and Union County Sheriff’s Office are working with neighboring law enforcement on the case, Bell said. Monthly county commissioners meeting on Oct. 6 LA GRANDE — The Union County Board of Commissioners will meet at 9 a.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 6. Security cameras at the La Grande/Union County Airport will be one of the subjects discussed at the meeting. People will not be able to attend the meeting in person because of the COVID-19 pandemic. To listen to the meeting, or partic- ipate in the public comment oppor- tunity, call 253-215-8782 or 301-715- 8592 and enter meeting ID number: 814 2000 6863. People who do not get through the first time should try again. To join the meeting online go to https://us02web.zoom. us/j/81420006863. Comments to be read at the meeting should be emailed to amoore@union-county. org. All written comments must be submitted by 5 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 5. Two taken to hospital following rollover crash HOT LAKE — Two people were injured in an early morning one-ve- hicle rollover accident involving a flatbed pickup near Hot Lake on Sunday, Oct. 3. The two victims, a male passenger and a female passenger, were trans- ported by ambulance services oper- ated by the Union and La Grande fire departments to Grande Ronde Hos- pital with non-life-threatening inju- ries, according to Frank Maestas, the Union Fire Department’s assistant chief. Both victims were able to walk on their own to the ambulances even though one had been ejected from the pickup. The two were among five people who were in the pickup at the time of the accident. The accident occurred at about 1:47 a.m. on Curtis Road east of Hot Lake about a quarter mile from Highway 203. The driver of the vehicle, Tate Louis Lantis, 20, Union was arrested by the Oregon State Police on charges of driving under the influ- ence of intoxicants, alcohol; reckless driving and recklessly endangering another person, four counts. — The Observer Temperatures down in Wallowa County Wallowa County expe- rienced colder than normal temperatures for the month of September, the report said. The average tempera- ture for Joseph during Sep- tember was 53.9 degrees, 2.7 degrees below normal. High temperatures aver- aged 71.5 degrees, 0.7 degrees above normal. The highest temperature was 87 degrees on Sept. 7. Low temperatures aver- aged 36.3 degrees, 6.1 degrees below normal. The lowest temperature for the month was 28 degrees, recorded on Sept. 17. There were seven days in September where the low temperatures plunged below 32 degrees in Joseph. Precipitation for the month in Wallowa County totaled 0.64 inches, which was 0.78 inches below normal, the report said. Measurable precipitation — at least 0.01 inch — was received on eight days during the month, with the heaviest, 0.23 inches, reported on Sept. 28. Precipitation for the year is 5.22 inches, which is 8.12 inches below normal. Since October 2020, the water year pre- cipitation in Joseph has been 6.09 inches, 11.2 inches below normal. The outlook for October calls for near normal temperatures and above normal precipitation. Normal highs for Joseph fall from 67 degrees at the start of October to 54 degrees at the end of the month. Normal lows fall from 39 degrees to 30 degrees. The 30-year normal precipitation is 1.45 inches for the month.
