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About The Observer. (La Grande, Or.) 1968-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 21, 2021)
LOCAL A2 — THE OBSERVER TODAY On Oct. 21, 1966, 144 people, 116 of them children, were killed when a coal waste landslide engulfed a school and some 20 houses in Aberfan, Wales. In 1797, the U.S. Navy frigate Constitution, also known as “Old Ironsides,” was christened in Boston’s harbor. In 1805, a British fl eet com- manded by Adm. Horatio Nelson defeated a French- Spanish fl eet in the Battle of Trafalgar; Nelson, however, was killed. In 1879, Thomas Edison per- fected a workable electric light at his laboratory in Menlo Park, N.J. In 1944, during World War II, U.S. troops captured the German city of Aachen. In 1945, women in France were allowed to vote in parlia- mentary elections for the fi rst time. In 1967, the Israeli destroyer INS Eilat (ay-LAHT’) was sunk by Egyptian missile boats near Port Said; 47 Israeli crew members were lost. Tens of thousands of Vietnam War protesters began two days of demonstrations in Washington, D.C. In 1969, beat poet and author Jack Kerouac died in St. Peters- burg, Fla., at age 47. In 1971, President Richard Nixon nominated Lewis F. Powell and William H. Rehn- quist to the U.S. Supreme Court. (Both nominees were confi rmed.) In 2001, Washington, D.C., postal worker Thomas L. Morris Jr. died of inhalation anthrax as offi cials began testing thou- sands of postal employees. In 2012, former senator and 1972 Democratic presidential candidate George McGovern, 90, died in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. In 2014, North Korea abruptly freed Jeff rey Fowle, an Amer- ican, nearly six months after he was arrested for leaving a Bible in a nightclub. Former Washington Post executive editor Ben Bradlee, 93, died in Washington. In 2015, Vice President Joe Biden announced he would not be a candidate in the 2016 White House campaign, solid- ifying Hillary Rodham Clin- ton’s status as the Democratic front-runner. Today’s Birthdays: Actor Joyce Randolph is 97. Rock singer Manfred Mann is 81. Musician Steve Cropper (Booker T. & the MG’s) is 80. Singer Elvin Bishop is 79. TV’s Judge Judy Sheindlin is 79. Actor Everett McGill is 76. Musician Lee Loughnane (Chicago) is 75. Actor Dick Christie is 73. Former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is 72. Actor LaTanya Richardson Jackson is 72. Musi- cian Charlotte Caff ey (The Go-Go’s) is 68. Movie director Catherine Hardwicke is 66. Singer Julian Cope is 64. Rock musician Steve Lukather (Toto) is 64. Actor Ken Watanabe is 62. Actor Melora Walters is 61. Rock singer-musician Nick Oli- veri (Mondo Generator) is 50. Christian rock musician Charlie Lowell (Jars of Clay) is 48. Actor Jeremy Miller is 45. Country singer Matthew Ramsey (Old Dominion) is 44. EOFF: On with the show Film festival takes hybrid format in 12th rendition The Observer LA GRANDE — It has been a tumultuous year for event planning, but the Eastern Oregon Film Fes- tival is ready for its 12th annual rendition in La Grande. The festival is set to show 52 fi lms over the three-day celebration of fi lm, which starts on Thursday, Oct. 21. The festival will use a mix of in-person and vir- tual elements to accommo- date for COVID-19. Virtual passes are still available and provide access to all the online showings as well as two feature-length, in-person showings. Fes- tival memberships provide access to in-person viewing of all this year’s fi lms. The two feature-length fi lms, shown at 7 p.m. on Oct. 22 and Oct. 23 at McKenzie Theatre on the Eastern Oregon University campus, are open to the public. Tickets are on sale for the individual showings and passes are not required. For details and ratings and to purchase tickets, visit the festival’s website, www. eofi lmfest.com. “I think we’re on the right track,” Eastern Oregon Film Festival Director Chris Jennings said. “We’re really excited to show the two features on (Oct. 22) and (Oct. 23), as well as the short fi lms. We really want to drive people to, if nothing else, try to get to one of those. It’s a way to contribute to the base- By DICK MASON The Observer Alex Wittwer/The Observer, File Festival director Chris Jennings works on posters, cards and other promotional material for the up- coming Eastern Oregon Film Festival at the HQ offi ce on Wednesday, Sept. 8, 2021. The fi lm festival is set to open on Oct. 21 with both in-person and online screenings. line of something that’s working really hard for the community.” The festival planning process has had its ups and downs with the unexpected hurdles presented by the pandemic, but the festival organizers hope to continue creating a hub for arts and fi lm through the annual event. “I’m excited, but it has been a very taxing year,” Jennings said. “It has been a tremendous undertaking with a small crew working hard to get through this year.” This year’s quantity of fi lms is a record-high showings, and 18 of the fi lmmakers will be visiting La Grande to present their work and converge with locals. Jennings empha- sized that the networking aspect of the festival is always important. “A main focus for the fi lm festival is making it Baker City Herald BAKER CITY — Employees from the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, fi ring rifl es from a helicopter, killed three more wolves from the Lookout Mountain Pack on Wednesday, Oct. 20. The agency has now killed eight wolves from the pack, which has killed at least seven head of cattle and injured three others in eastern Baker County since mid-July. ODFW does not plan to kill any more wolves, according to a press release from the agency, and local ranchers are no longer authorized to kill any wolves. The wolves killed are two 6-month-olds and one yearling. As many as three wolves remain in the pack, the col- lared breeding female and up to two juvenile wolves. “We’ve seen good 541-786-2421 in-person screenings free of charge. For those pur- chasing a virtual pass, the feature-length fi lms aired on Oct. 22 and Oct. 23 will be open for in-person viewing. “Our major drives for the public are the virtual pass because it unlocks the entire program all weekend long,” Jennings said. “It also gives you access to those two evening showings.” Friday evening’s showing will be “The Beta Test,” which is directed and written by Jim Cummings and PJ McCabe. Mylissa Fitzsimmons’ “Everything in the End” will be fea- tured on Saturday night. “Each year is so full of nuance and diff erent hur- dles to overcome,” Jen- nings said. “I’m stoked to see the festival fl ourish. It does everything it’s sup- posed to do for the people who engage in it.” results from incremental removal in the past, when removing a few members of the pack reduced or even stopped further depreda- tions,” said Roblyn Brown, ODFW Wolf Coordinator. “It’s disappointing that was not the case this time.” ODFW employees killed two wolf pups from the pack on Aug. 1, and three more wolves on Sept. 17. There were no con- fi rmed attacks by the pack on cattle for almost a month, until Oct. 16, when biologists determined that wolves had killed a 400- pound calf, likely Oct. 14. ODFW offi cials said in early August that they planned to kill some of the younger wolves from the pack to reduce its food needs and potentially deter future attacks on cattle. But after depredations con- tinued in August and early September, agency offi cials decided to also target the pack’s breeding male. NEWS BRIEFS OHA reports two new COVID-19 deaths in Union County SALEM — The Oregon Health Authority’s daily report on Wednesday, Oct. 20, showed one new COVID-19 death in Union County. A 64-year-old man from Union County tested positive on Oct. 12 and died on Oct. 18 at Grande Ronde Hospital. He had underlying condition. A previous report on Oct. 18 that accounts for weekend cases revealed 31 new cases and one new death in Union County. The death was a 92-year-old woman from Union County who tested positive on Oct. 13 and died on Oct. 15 at Grande Ronde Hospital. She had underlying conditions. Across Oregon, 1,343 new con- fi rmed and presumptive cases were reported, while nine new deaths were tallied. The Oct. 20 report brings the state’s total to 354,681 cases and PICK’N PATCH OPEN! Where: Corner of Booth Lane and Lower Cove Road When: Friday and Saturday: 9am-6pm Sunday: 10am-4pm Monday-Thursday: By appointment What you will find: Small corn maze, several varieties of pumpkins and gourds, straw bales, corn stalks. If you would like to schedule a school field trip or other event, please call the number listed below. Like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ PickNPatchFarm farmkidsatoregonwireless.net Please call an engaging event for vis- iting fi lmmakers,” he said. “I always love the oppor- tunity to showcase the valley.” HQ on Depot Street will serve as the home base for the fi lm festival, as members and fi lm- makers will gather before and after showings. Mem- bers or those interested in attending the festival can reach out to HQ and fi nd any additional informa- tion from the festival orga- nizers. Members looking to pick up hard copies of their passes are directed to acquire them at HQ. The concert venue will also host an after party for festival goers and fi lmmakers alike at the conclusion of the festival. The newly renovated McKenzie and Schwarz theaters at EOU will serve as the main venues for showing the fi lms. Eastern students can attend the ODFW kills 3 wolves from Lookout Mountain Pack By JAYSON JACOBY COVID-19 slightly up in LG schools Nearly 60 students miss school from Oct. 11-15 By DAVIS CARBAUGH LOTTERY Monday, Oct. 18, 2021 Megabucks 6-11-33-35-37-40 Estimated jackpot: $4.6 million Lucky Lines 1-8-9-16-18-23-26-31 Estimated jackpot: $14,000 Win for Life 8-10-22-71 Pick 4 1 p.m.: 8-5-8-4 4 p.m.: 7-5-5-0 7 p.m.: 2-4-4-7 10 p.m.: 4-4-1-5 Tuesday, Oct. 19, 2021 Mega Millions 3-12-13-19-52 Mega Ball: 1 Megaplier: 3 Estimated jackpot: $108 million Lucky Lines 4-5-10-16-18-23-25-32 Estimated jackpot: $15,000 Pick 4 1 p.m.: 6-6-1-2 4 p.m.: 4-3-5-0 7 p.m.: 3-7-2-5 10 p.m.: 8-9-9-3 THURSDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2021 4,235 deaths since the start of the pandemic. The update showed eight new COVID-19 cases in Union County and six in Wallowa County. The new case report, combined with yesterday’s numbers, brings Union County’s total to 3,173 since the beginning of COVID-19, while Wallowa County stands at 682 cases. There are currently 568 patients hospitalized with COVID-19 in Oregon. Out of 703 adult ICU beds in the state, 63 are currently open. There are 267 free adult non-ICU beds out of 4,113 in the state. Oregon’s current seven-day run- ning average of vaccine doses is 9,343 doses per day. Walla Walla VA to hold drive-thru fl u shot clinics Oct. 23 in three locations WALLA WALLA, Wash. — The Jonathan M. Wainwright Memorial An Independent Insurance Agency Trusted Insurance Help Since 1994 Get Trusted, Friendly, Expert Medicare Insurance Help 10106 North C St. • Island City 541-975-1364 • Toll Free 1-866-282-1925 www.reed-insurance.net VA Medical Center, Walla Walla, which oversees the region, is holding drive-thru fl u shot clinics on Sat- urday, Oct. 23, allowing eligible vet- erans to receive a free fl u shot from the comfort of their car. At the Walla Walla VA campus, 77 Wainwright Drive, the drive-thru clinic will run from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Enter the parking lot via the Poplar Street gate and follow the signs. Ini- tial COVID-19 vaccinations also will be available. Drive-thru fl u shot events also are being held Oct. 23 at the Lew- iston, Idaho, VA clinic, 1630 23rd Avenue, from 7 a.m. to noon, and at the Yakima Veterans Stand Down & Benefi ts Fair at the Yakima State Fair Park Sun Dome, 1301 S. Fair Ave., from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Masks are required at fl u shot drive-thru events. Veterans unable to attend a fl u shot event can scheduled an appoint- ment at their local VA medical center. — The Observer LA GRANDE — The La Grande School District’s COVID-19 infection rate for the week of Oct. 11-15 was up moderately from the week prior. La Grande School Dis- trict statistics indicate that 57 students missed school during the week because of positive COVID-19 tests, COVID-19 symptoms or close contact with those who have COVID-19. Those numbers are up 17 from the week of Oct. 4-7 when 40 students missed school because of COVID-19. La Grande School Dis- trict Superintendent George Mendoza said one likely reason for the increase from the previous week is that the second week was a day longer since the Oct. 4-7 week had only four days of classes. Mendoza said if not for the diff erence in days the COViD-19 counts for the two weeks would be more comparable. The superintendent said he is thankful that his school district is continuing to operate despite the obsta- cles the pandemic poses. He said this is a credit to the determination and caring nature of the school dis- trict’s staff . “We have great human beings in our schools who do everything they can to help our students on a daily basis,” Mendoza said. The school district’s statistics indicate that no staff members were absent during the week of Oct. 11-15 due to positive COVID-19 tests, symptoms of the disease or close con- tact with someone who has it. This marks the second week in a row that no La Grande School District staff were out because of COVID-19. This is par- ticularly noteworthy since nine La Grande School Dis- trict staff members missed school the week of Sept. 27-Oct. 1 due to COVID-19. The LGSD’s statistics, based on reports to school district nurses, indicate that nine students were out due to testing positive for COVID-19. La Grande High School had three stu- dents out after testing pos- itive, Central Elementary School and La Grande Middle school each had two students out and Island City and Greenwood Elementary schools each had one stu- dent out after positive tests. A total of 39 students were being quarantined due to close contact with someone with COVID-19 or suspected of having COVID-19. Fourteen were from Central Elementary School, nine were from Greenwood Elementary School, eight were from LMS, seven were from LHS, and one was from Island City Elementary School. Students at LMS, Greenwood Elementary and Island City Elementary are among those being quaran- tined because of COVID-19 symptoms.
