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About The Observer. (La Grande, Or.) 1968-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 16, 2021)
LOCAL A2 — THE OBSERVER TODAY On Oct. 16, 1859, radical abolitionist John Brown led a raid on the U.S. arsenal at Harpers Ferry in what was then a part of western Virginia. (Ten of Brown’s men were killed and five escaped. Brown and six fol- lowers were captured; all were executed.) In 1793, during the French Revolution, Marie Antoinette, the queen of France, was beheaded. In 1934, Chinese Commu- nists, under siege by the Nation- alists, began their “long march” lasting a year from southeastern to northwestern China. In 1962, the Cuban missile crisis began as President John F. Kennedy was informed that reconnaissance photographs had revealed the presence of missile bases in Cuba. In 1964, China set off its first atomic bomb, codenamed “596,” on the Lop Nur Test Ground. In 1968, American athletes Tommie Smith and John Carlos sparked controversy at the Mexico City Olympics by giving “Black power” salutes during a victory ceremony after they’d won gold and bronze medals in the 200-meter race. In 1978, the College of Car- dinals of the Roman Catholic Church chose Cardinal Karol Wojtyla to be the new pope; he took the name John Paul II. In 1984, Anglican Bishop Desmond Tutu was named winner of the Nobel Peace Prize for his decades of non-violent struggle for racial equality in South Africa. In 1991, a deadly shooting rampage took place in Killeen, Texas, as a gunman opened fire at a Luby’s Cafeteria, killing 23 people before taking his own life. In 1995, a vast throng of Black men gathered in Wash- ington, D.C. for the “Million Man March” led by Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan. In 2002, President George W. Bush signed a congressional resolution authorizing war against Iraq. The White House announced that North Korea had disclosed it had a nuclear weapons program. In 2009, agricultural offi- cials said pigs in Minnesota had tested positive for the H1N1 virus, or swine flu, the first such cases in the U.S. In 2017, Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, who had been cap- tured and held by the Taliban for five years after walking away from his post in Afghanistan, pleaded guilty to desertion and endangering his comrades. (A military judge later decided not to send him to prison.) Today’s Birthdays: Actor Angela Lansbury is 96. Actor Peter Bowles is 85. Actor-pro- ducer Tony Anthony is 84. Actor Barry Corbin is 81. Sports- caster Tim McCarver is 80. Rock musician C.F. Turner (Bach- man-Turner Overdrive) is 78. Actor Suzanne Somers is 75. Rock singer-musician Bob Weir is 74. Producer-director David Zucker is 74. Record company executive Jim Ed Norman is 73. Actor Daniel Gerroll is 70. Actor Morgan Stevens is 70. Actor Martha Smith is 69. Comedi- an-actor Andy Kindler is 65. Actor-director Tim Robbins is 63. Actor-musician Gary Kemp is 62. Singer-musician Bob Mould is 61. Actor Randy Vasquez is 60. Rock musician Flea (Red Hot Chili Peppers) is 59. Movie director Kenneth Lonergan is 59. Actor Christian Stolte is 59. Actor Todd Stashwick is 53. Actor Terri J. Vaughn is 52. Singer Wendy Wilson (Wilson Phillips) is 52. Rock singer Chad Gray (Mudvayne) is 50. Actor Paul Sparks is 50. Actor Kellie Martin is 46. Singer John Mayer is 44. Actor Jeremy Jackson is 41. Actor Caterina Scorsone is 41. Actor Brea Grant is 40. U.S. Olympic and WNBA basketball star Sue Bird is 40. Actor Kyler Pettis is 29. Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Bryce Harper is 29. Tennis star Naomi Osaka is 24. LOTTERY Wednesday, Oct. 13, 2021 Megabucks 3-20-27-31-33-47 Jackpot: $4.3 million Lucky Lines 2-7-12-14-18-24-27-29 Estimated jackpot: $27,000 Powerball 23-29-47-59-16 Powerball: 15 Power Play: x2 Jackpot: $50 million Win for Life 1-33-44-67 Pick 4 1 p.m.: 7-3-9-8 4 p.m.: 0-1-9-1 7 p.m.: 9-2-3-8 10 p.m.: 2-1-6-1 Thursday, Oct. 14, 2021 Lucky Lines 2-7-10-14-18-22-25-31 Jackpot: $10,000 Pick 4 1 p.m.: 8-4-7-3 4 p.m.: 5-2-8-8 7 p.m.: 6-6-8-8 10 p.m.: 2-2-7-2 SaTuRday, OcTOBER 16, 2021 A touch of the white stuff NEWS BRIEFS OHA reports 2 new COVID-19 deaths in Union County alex Wittwer/The Observer A dusting of snow sits atop Mount Emily on the evening of Wednesday, Oct. 13, 2021. A sudden but brief morning snowstorm came through La Grande, marking the first time Mount Emily has seen snow accumulation since spring. La Grande Landmarks Commission will host a walking tour Oct. 19 By DAVIS CARBAUGH The Observer LA GRANDE — The La Grande Land- marks Commission will be hosting a walking tour through the city’s his- toric district that is open to public participation on Tuesday, Oct. 19. Community members are invited to take part as the commission reexam- ines the district’s design standards and moves for- ward with its district stan- dards amendments in the near future. The walking tour begins at 5:15 p.m. at Max Square on Adams Avenue and will maneuver through the downtown district. Upon completion of the walking tour, the commission and its vis- iting consultants will be holding a meet and greet to take input from those in attendance and answer any questions. The group hopes to engage local cit- izens in a personable atmosphere, rather than through online meetings or phone calls. The historic district was created in 1999 and its guidelines for appli- cants have morphed into a set of standards over the years. Community Development Director Mike Boquist stated that some of the details are still subjective and create inconsistencies from one unique project to another. The main purpose of the walking tour is to garner public input on the Enterprise vacation rentals dispute ends alex Wittwer/The Observer Sunny skies frame a view of downtown La Grande on Friday, Oct. 15, 2021. The La Grande Landmarks Commission will be hosting a walking tour of La Grande’s historic buildings on Tuesday, Oct. 19. upcoming updates to the historic district’s design standards, which the city hopes will make the pro- cess more cut and dry for local businesses as well as the commission. “What we’ve found is that it’s been frustrating for not only our landmarks commissioners to be con- sistent in decision making, but also for the applicants who might have difficulty putting an application together and knowing how that decision is going to go,” Boquist said. “Ideally you want it to be a predict- able process.” Peter Meijer Archi- tect consultants, a firm from Portland, will be collecting feedback from local businesses and those in the community to draft a set of design standards for the historic district. The walking tour is the first step of that process. “Our goal is to have a robust public involvement process,” Boquist said. The La Grande Land- marks Commission requires that those who participate in the walk wear a face mask and rec- ommends comfortable walking shoes and weath- er-proof attire. Beyond the walking tour, there will be other ways for the public to learn about and comment on the city’s changes to the district’s standards. The landmarks commis- sion’s page on the city of La Grande’s website — www.cityoflagrande. org/landmarks-commis- sion — will post updates on the process. The web- page also provides a link to a survey — those who participate in the survey will be part of a drawing for a $25 gift card from a downtown merchant. As the landmarks com- mission begins working with its consultants to update the historic district design standards, the city hopes residents will take advantage of the chance to learn more about the his- tory of buildings in down- town La Grande. “A great opportunity that goes with the walking tour is highlighting the great architecture in our community,” Boquist said. Former Enterprise teacher and coach returns to serve as interim superintendent By BILL BRADSHAW Wallowa County Chieftain ENTERPRISE — Enterprise schools have a new interim superin- tendent, as the school board hired former Enter- prise teacher and coach Thomas Crane at its board meeting Monday, Oct. 11, and he started work the next day. Crane also will serve as principal of the elemen- tary school, the release stated. “The Enterprise School Board is pleased to have Mr. Crane as our new interim superintendent in this very important transi- tional year,” board Chair- person Mandy Decker said in the release. The release also stated that from 2007-16, Crane served as the secondary school principal in the Colton School District south of Portland. Prior to arriving in Colton, he was the superintendent in the Pine Eagle School Dis- trict in Halfway for seven years. He is no stranger to the Enterprise School District, as he was a teacher and coach here from 1982-95. Decker said Wednesday, Oct. 13, that the once-retired educator SALEM — The Oregon Health Authority reported two Union County COVID-19 deaths in its update on Friday, Oct. 15. A 90-year-old man from Union County who tested positive on Sept. 17 died on Sept. 23 at his home. OHA is confirming the presence of underlying conditions. A 74-year old woman from Union County who tested positive on Aug. 24 died on Aug. 31 at Grande Ronde Hospital. She experienced underlying conditions. Across Oregon 24 new deaths were reported, as well as 1,237 new cases. The report showed 11 new cases in Union County and seven in Wallowa County. Union County has experienced 3,117 COVID-19 cases since the start of the pandemic, while Wallowa County has totaled 668. Across the state, there are 575 patients hospitalized with COVID-19. There are 56 available adult ICU beds out of 685, along with 289 open adult non-ICU beds out of 4,094. The state’s seven-day running average on vacci- nation doses per day stands at 10,301. Bill Bradshaw/Wallowa County Chieftain In full COVID garb, a masked Tom Crane, the Enterprise School District’s new interim superintendent, sits at his desk at the high school Thursday, Oct. 14, 2021. He also is the interim principal for the elementary school. seems to be settling in. “He is building a house here, he has lived here and knows a lot about the community,” she said. “His references said he was the first one to work, the last one to leave, he was really fair and he brings a lot of experience.” Crane earned his bach- elor’s and master’s degrees from what is now Eastern Oregon University in La Grande. He received his administrative certifi- cate/license from Lewis & Clark College in Portland. In addition to his long educational career, he served his country in the U.S. Army from 1973-76 and the Oregon Army National Guard from 1981- 2002 earning the rank of command sergeant major. Decker said the board still has to find a perma- nent superintendent. She said that during its search for an interim superin- tendent, the board didn’t receive nearly as many applications as it had hoped for. Only nine applications were submitted, she said, adding that most people who are currently serving as superintendents are unlikely to leave their posts in the middle of a school year. “It’s just too late in the game to do a search for a permanent (superinten- dent), especially during a pandemic,” she said. “It’s too soon to even think what next year looks like.” Decker said the board will likely begin its search for a permanent superin- tendent in January. Mean- while, Crane’s contract extends through June. Crane was unavailable for comment Wednesday, being busy getting started on his new job. Crane replaces Erika Pinkerton, who transi- tioned to La Grande after five years in Enterprise. Since Pinkerton’s depar- ture, Karen Patton has served as acting super- intendent and Landon Braden has served as acting elementary principal. ENTERPRISE — The controversy over vaca- tion rentals in Enterprise was effectively put to rest Monday, Oct. 11, as the Enterprise City Council made changes in the city code governing them, according to a press release. The council held a work session prior to the meeting to discuss the proposed changes. Two ordinances were passed to make the changes. One defined a vacation rental as “a furnished apart- ment, house, condominium, complex or recreational vehicle rented out on a tem- porary basis to tourists/trav- elers as an alternative to a hotel/motel.” The other ordinance added vacation rentals to code sections gov- erning them. Restrictions include what zones they are allowed in and under which conditions. The actions should put to rest the controversy over vacation rentals that began this spring, as the actions came with a final public hearing on the issue. Lane closures set in Meacham area MEACHAM — Motor- ists driving on Interstate 84 between Spring Creek and Meacham next week should be ready for lane closures because of con- tinuing road restoration work being conducted by the Oregon Department of Transportation. The left lanes in the westbound and east- bound portions of I-84 will be closed, starting Monday, Oct.18, from mileposts 237.5 to 241.5. This span starts at Mea- cham and runs 4 miles east. The lanes will be closed to allow for the installa- tion of a concrete barrier in the center median, for cable rail construction and bridge work. Weather per- mitting, striping is tenta- tively planned for late in the week, according to an ODOT press release. Work between milepost 241 and milepost 248 will also be done next week. The right lanes of this stretch of I-84, both eastbound and westbound, will be closed intermittently from Oct. 19 through Oct. 21 between 6:30 p.m. and 6:30 a.m. to allow for the patching of deteriorated asphalt. Drivers are encouraged to be extra cautious through this stretch of freeway during these times because workers and equipment will be very close to live traffic. — The Observer
