LOCAL
A2 — THE OBSERVER
TODAY
On Oct. 30, 1974,
Muhammad Ali knocked out
George Foreman in the eighth
round of a 15-round bout in
Kinshasa, Zaire, known as the
“Rumble in the Jungle,” to
regain his world heavyweight
title.
In 1912, Vice President
James S. Sherman, running for
a second term of office with
President William Howard Taft,
died six days before Election
Day. (Sherman was replaced
with Nicholas Murray Butler, but
Taft, the Republican candidate,
ended up losing in an Electoral
College landslide to Democrat
Woodrow Wilson.)
In 1921, the silent film classic
“The Sheik,” starring Rudolph
Valentino, premiered in Los
Angeles.
In 1938, the radio play “The
War of the Worlds,” starring
Orson Welles, aired on CBS.
In 1945, the U.S. government
announced the end of shoe
rationing, effective at midnight.
In 1961, the Soviet Union
tested a hydrogen bomb, the
“Tsar Bomba,” with a force esti-
mated at about 50 megatons.
The Soviet Party Congress
unanimously approved a reso-
lution ordering the removal of
Josef Stalin’s body from Lenin’s
tomb.
In 1972, 45 people were
killed when an Illinois Central
Gulf commuter train was struck
from behind by another train
on Chicago’s South Side.
In 1975, the New York Daily
News ran the headline “Ford
to City: Drop Dead” a day after
President Gerald R. Ford said he
would veto any proposed fed-
eral bailout of New York City.
In 1984, police in Poland
found the body of kidnapped
pro-Solidarity priest Father
Jerzy Popieluszko, whose death
was blamed on security officers.
In 1995, by a razor-thin vote
of 50.6 percent to 49.4 percent,
Federalists prevailed over sep-
aratists in a Quebec secession
referendum.
In 2001, Ukraine destroyed its
last nuclear missile silo, fulfilling
a pledge to give up the vast
nuclear arsenal it had inherited
after the breakup of the former
Soviet Union.
In 2002, Jam Master Jay
(Jason Mizell), a rapper with the
hip-hop group Run-DMC, was
killed in a shooting in New York.
He was 37.
In 2005, the body of Rosa
Parks arrived at the U.S. Cap-
itol, where the civil rights icon
became the first woman to lie
in honor in the Rotunda; Presi-
dent George W. Bush and con-
gressional leaders paused to lay
wreaths by her casket.
Today’s Birthdays: Movie
director Claude Lelouch is 84.
Rock singer Grace Slick is 82.
Songwriter Eddie Holland is
82. R&B singer Otis Williams
(The Temptations) is 80. Actor
Joanna Shimkus is 78. Actor
Henry Winkler is 76. Broadcast
journalist Andrea Mitchell is
75. Rock musician Chris Slade
(Asia) is 75. Country/rock musi-
cian Timothy B. Schmit (The
Eagles) is 74. Actor Leon Rippy
is 72. Actor Harry Hamlin is 70.
Actor Charles Martin Smith is
68. Country singer T. Graham
Brown is 67. Actor Kevin Pollak
is 64. Rock singer-musician
Jerry De Borg (Jesus Jones) is 61.
Actor Michael Beach is 58. Rock
singer-musician Gavin Rossdale
(Bush) is 56. Actor Jack Plotnick
is 53. Comedian Ben Bailey is 51.
Actor Billy Brown is 51. Actor Nia
Long is 51. Country singer Kas-
sidy Osborn (SHeDAISY) is 45.
Actor Gael Garcia Bernal is 43.
Actor Matthew Morrison is 43.
Business executive and former
presidential adviser Ivanka
Trump is 40. Actor Fiona Dourif
is 40. Actor Shaun Sipos is 40.
Actor Tasso Feldman is 38. Actor
Janel Parrish is 33. Actor Tequan
Richmond is 29. Actor Kennedy
McMann is 25.
LOTTERY
Wednesday, Oct. 27, 2021
Megabucks
13-17-18-21-23-47
Jackpot: $5 million
Lucky Lines
1-5-12-15-19-24-28-30
Estimated jackpot: $23,000
Powerball
3-6-26-35-51
Powerball: 17
Power Play: 4x
Jackpot: $116 million
Win for Life
2-15-30-51
Pick 4
1 p.m.: 2-8-7-3
4 p.m.: 4-2-9-1
7 p.m.: 9-5-8-6
10 p.m.: 4-8-5-0
Thursday, Oct. 28, 2021
Lucky Lines
1-7-9-14-18-21-27-31
Estimated jackpot: $24,000
Pick 4
1 p.m.: 0-2-6-0
4 p.m.: 1-5-9-4
7 p.m.: 6-2-6-2
10 p.m.: 3-0-1-1
SaTuRday, OcTOBER 30, 2021
Dispatcher honored for going above and beyond
Brooke Langerman
honored at Trail
Blazers game
By BILL BRADSHAW
Wallowa County Chieftain
PORTLAND — Brooke
Langerman, one of the
Wallowa County 911 dis-
patchers, was celebrated
Saturday, Oct. 23, at the
Portland Trail Blazers
game as “our hometown
hero.”
Supervisor Tammy
Shaver nominated Lan-
german for the award for
her hard work when most
of the Wallowa County
Sheriff’s Office 911 staff
was down with corona-
virus. Shaver wanted
to recognize her dedi-
cation during a difficult
time, according to Brenda
Micka, administrative
services director for the
county.
Without Langerman,
Shaver would not have
been able to keep the 911
dispatch center up and run-
ning, Micka said. She will-
ingly gave up time with her
family to work extra hours
when she could have suc-
cumbed to the pressure
and fear of the COVID-19
outbreak in the center and
requested to remain quar-
antined or sequestered at
home.
“Thanks to Brooke, our
Mandi Strohm/Contributed Photo
Brooke Langerman stands outside Portland’s Moda Center. A 911
dispatcher for Wallowa County, Langerman was honored as a
“hometown hero” at a Portland Trail Blazers game Saturday, Oct.
23, 2021, for her work keeping the dispatch center going during the
COVID-19 pandemic.
level of service did not
waver and we continued to
provide help and succor to
the members of the county
and our responders,”
Micka said. “We want to
recognize those who go
above and beyond. Brooke
did.”
This wasn’t the first
time Langerman was hon-
ored for going above and
beyond as a dispatcher. On
Aug. 18 at their regular
meeting, she was awarded
the second-ever Golden
Feather of Achievement
award by the Wallowa
County commissioners.
“We really appreciate
the above and beyond
and your willingness to
hang in there and keep
a vital part of Wallowa
County operating at the
911 station there,” Com-
missioner Todd Nash said
at the time. “You gave
up family time in a time
of trepidation where you
could’ve said, ‘It’s just
too dangerous and I’m
not coming in.’ But you
kept that operation going
and we really appreciate
your service and we want
to recognize that. There’s
a lot of extra people who
came here today just to
make sure you are rec-
ognized for your duties
here, so thank you very
much.”
Langerman said after
the presentation that four
of the six 911 dispatchers
were out sick with coro-
navirus and it was just her
and Shaver keeping the
operation going.
“We were working
12-hour shifts,” Lan-
german said.
The mother of three,
ages 3, 5 and 6, said that
the long shifts and short-
handed situation lasted
about two weeks.
State approves lethal removal of one OR30 wolf
The Observer
LA GRANDE —
The Oregon Department
of Fish and Wildlife on
Thursday, Oct. 28, autho-
rized the lethal removal of
one wolf from the OR30
wolves in the Mount Emily
Unit, according to a press
release.
The state granted autho-
rized the lethal action and
will provide a kill permit
to a livestock producer
who requested the option
after the state confirmed
an additional depredation
by wolves on a calf in a
private land pasture last
week.
The state has confirmed
that since early June,
OR30 wolves have depre-
dated six times on private
land pastures, resulting in
the death or injury of five
sheep and five calves. A
previous removal permit
for these wolves to a dif-
ferent producer expired on
Aug. 31 with no wolves
taken.
The permit allows the
producer or their agent to
kill one wolf on the private
land they are using within
the wolves’ known area
of activity. The permit
expires Nov. 22, when the
one wolf is killed, or when
the producer’s livestock
are removed from the area,
whichever comes first.
The producer’s method of
take under the permit is
restricted to shooting the
wolf from the ground.
According to the state’s
wolf management plan,
ODFW can issue a kill
permit only if the affected
ranchers have used, and
documented, nonlethal
methods to try to avoid
wolf attacks. Also, there
can be no identified cir-
cumstances on the prop-
erty, such as bone piles or
carcasses, that could be
attracting wolves.
OR30 was first
observed with another
wolf in the Mount Emily
Unit within the present
known area of activity in
spring 2020.
The new pair bred
but only one pup sur-
vived through the end of
the year. The group was
not designated as a pack
during the 2020-21 winter
count because there were
only three wolves. A pack
is four or more wolves.
NEWS BRIEFS
Latest OHA update shows
10 new COVID-19 cases
in Union County
SALEM — The Oregon Health
Authority released its daily
COVID-19 report on Thursday,
Oct. 28, showing 10 new cases in
Union County and four in Wallowa
County.
The newly reported cases bring
Union County’s total to 3,239 since
the start of the pandemic, while
Wallowa County stands at 699.
Across the state, 1,116 new con-
firmed and presumptive cases were
reported.
The Oct. 28 report brings Ore-
gon’s total case count to 363,648
since the start of the pandemic.
The update showed 24 new
deaths across Oregon, bringing the
state death toll to 4,358.
OHA revealed its weekly break-
through case report, which tracks
breakthrough cases between Oct. 17
and Oct. 23.
There were 2,156 breakthrough
cases out of the 7,723 reported
COVID-19 cases.
There are currently 518 patients
hospitalized with COVID-19 across
the state, which is a decrease of 36
patients from the Oct. 27 report.
Out of 697 adult ICU beds, there are
52 open beds. There are currently
272 available adult non-ICU beds
out of 4,139.
Employee conflicts
resurface in Joseph
JOSEPH — Employee disputes
that were believed to have been laid
to rest resurfaced recently and were
the subject of an emergency execu-
tive session held by the Joseph City
Council on Tuesday, Oct. 26.
The session was to address “pri-
marily a procedural issue,” pro-tem
city Administrator Brock Eckstein
said the following day.
“As pro-tem, I can’t issue certain
levels of discipline that might be
necessary to address certain issues
we’re having,” Eckstein said.
He confirmed that the issues
were ongoing conflicts between
Public Works Lead Levi Tickner
and Parks Lead Dennis Welch.
Earlier this year, Welch made
complaints during an executive
session against Tickner, who later
exercised his option to respond in
open session.
On Aug. 5, the council approved
a resolution that said both Welch
and Tickner are valued by the city
and part of the problem was a lack
of proper supervision by former
city Administrator/Recorder Larry
Braden, who resigned in April
citing “harassment” by members of
the council.
The resolution turned the matter
over to Eckstein.
But now it’s all come to a boil
again and Eckstein believed he
needed to get the council’s approval
to take any disciplinary actions.
“We didn’t discuss any of the
issues,” Eckstein said. “I asked if
they wanted talk to (Welch and
Tickner) or have me handle it. They
felt comfortable enough to let me
handle it at my level.”
He said he expects whatever
action he takes will be considered
for approval by the council at its
next meeting, Nov. 4.
OTEC announces
scholarship opportunities
for youth and adults
BAKER CITY — Oregon Trail
Electric Cooperative announced
in a press release it would begin
accepting applications Monday,
Nov. 1, for a number of academic
scholarships to eligible students and
adults in its service territory.
The scholarships include $5,000
awards available to high school stu-
dents, returning college students
and adults entering educational or
technical programs.
For the third year, four aca-
demic scholarships will be allocated
to the OTEC-EOU Rural Schol-
arship Program, an partnership
between OTEC and Eastern Oregon
University.
Four incoming EOU freshman
will have the opportunity to have
their entire four years of tuition
and fees paid for, if they commit to
attend and graduate from Eastern
Oregon University.
In addition, the cooperative will
award two scholarships to attend
lineman school and four to attend
trade school, for $5,000 and $2,500,
respectively.
Applications to the lineman
and trade school scholarships are
accepted year-round and will be
awarded until funds are exhausted.
Recipients will be selected based
on their applications, including let-
ters of recommendation, academic
performance and community or
club involvement.
Applications for the scholar-
ships are due Jan. 31, 2022. Addi-
tional information and qualification
criteria can be found at otec.coop/
scholarships.
Baker City man sentenced
to 75 months in prison in
handgun theft
BAKER CITY — A Baker City
man was sentenced to 75 months in
state prison after pleading guilty to
breaking into a Baker City home in
September and stealing a handgun.
Alexander Prentice Griffin, 30,
of Baker City, pleaded
guilty on Oct. 14 to
attempted first-de-
gree robbery, a Class B
felony.
Griffin was initially
charged with first-de-
Griffin
gree robbery, a Mea-
sure 11 crime that on
conviction carries a mandatory
minimum prison sentence of 90
months.
The 75-month sentence for
attempted robbery is not a manda-
tory minimum, and Griffin could
potentially qualify for a reduction
in the sentence.
Griffin also pleaded guilty to
being a felon in possession of a
firearm.
Several other counts were dis-
missed in a plea agreement with
the district attorney’s office. Those
charges are first-degree bur-
glary, first-degree theft, menacing,
pointing a firearm at another and
first-degree criminal trespassing.
— EO Media Group
Council set
to consider
new public
art piece
Memorandum
would allow artist
to develop public
art outside library
By DAVIS CARBAUGH
The Observer
LA GRANDE — The
La Grande City Council is
set to meet for its monthly
meeting on Wednesday,
Nov. 3, when it will con-
sider two items on the con-
sent agenda and six items
of new business.
In the new business sec-
tion, the council will con-
sider approving a memo-
randum of understanding
between La Grande Parks
and Recreation Director
Stu Spence and artist Jason
Hogge. This will allow for
Hogge to develop a public
art piece outside of Cook
Memorial Library in down-
town La Grande.
The La Grande Arts
Commission recommended
the memorandum after
working with the city’s
public art policy to bring in
an artist for the public dis-
play. Hogge’s sculpture will
entail acrylic paintings on
concrete tablets that form
different images depending
on the position of the
viewer. The themes of the
paintings are “honoring
the past,” “celebrating the
present” and “embracing
the future.”
The purpose of the mem-
orandum with Hogge is
to allow the arts commis-
sion to finalize the design
and acquire grant funding,
which will go toward the
$50,000 cost total.
Also, the council will
consider a memorandum
of understanding between
the city manager and the
Fire Fighter Local 924,
which will put into place
new compensation rates
for full-time employees for
out-of-county ambulance
transfers. The goal of the
memorandum is to incen-
tivize employees returning
to work in order to cover
a staff shortage needed for
ambulance transfers out of
the area.
Council members will
vote on the proposed
amendment of resolution
No. 4775, series 2019, which
sets administrative fees for
pavilion rentals in the city.
The parks and recreation
department created a new
booking website, which
led to the staff calling for
an update of rental rates.
The proposed resolution
will establish new fee stan-
dards for the Riverside Park
Pavilion and its kitchen,
Pioneer Park Rotary
Pavilion and Max Square.
The council will con-
sider authorizing an agree-
ment between the city and
the La Grande Swim Club
and the La Grande High
School Swim Team, which
will allow for continued
usage of Veterans’ Memo-
rial Pool. The current agree-
ment expires at the end of
2021.
Community Develop-
ment Director Mike Boquist
will present an item of
new business regarding the
annexation of a property on
Second Street. The property
owners requested annex-
ation into the city of La
Grande for water and sewer
services for the construc-
tion of a new dwelling.
The final topic of new
business will be consid-
ering awarding a bid for the
sanitary sewer rehabilita-
tion to Planned Engineered
Construction, Inc., in the
amount of $192,000. The
project will improve condi-
tions of sewer mainlines in
the city.
IF YOU GO
The La Grande City Council
meeting will take place virtu-
ally, with streaming options on
the EO Alive website and Face-
book page. Written public com-
ments must be submitted by
5 p.m. on Nov. 2.