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
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Monday-Thursday: By appointment
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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
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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
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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.