LOCAL
A2 — THE OBSERVER
TuESday, NOVEmBER 30, 2021
Contractor
charged
with theft
TODAY
On Nov. 30, 1993, President
Bill Clinton signed the Brady
Bill, which required a five-day
waiting period for handgun
purchases and background
checks of prospective buyers.
In 1782, the United States
and Britain signed prelimi-
nary peace articles in Paris for
ending the Revolutionary War;
the Treaty of Paris was signed in
September 1783.
In 1803, Spain completed the
process of ceding Louisiana to
France, which had sold it to the
United States.
In 1835, Samuel Langhorne
Clemens — better known as
Mark Twain — was born in
Florida, Missouri.
In 1874, British statesman Sir
Winston Churchill was born at
Blenheim Palace.
In 1900, Irish writer Oscar
Wilde died in Paris at age 46.
In 1965, “Unsafe at Any
Speed” by Ralph Nader, a book
highly critical of the U.S. auto
industry, was first released
in hardcover by Grossman
Publishers.
In 1981, the United States
and the Soviet Union opened
negotiations in Geneva aimed
at reducing nuclear weapons
in Europe.
In 1982, the Michael Jackson
album “Thriller” was released by
Epic Records.
In 2000, Al Gore’s lawyers
battled for his political survival
in the Florida and U.S. Supreme
Courts; meanwhile, GOP law-
makers in Tallahassee moved to
award the presidency to George
W. Bush in case the courts did
not by appointing their own
slate of electors.
In 2010, the Obama admin-
istration announced that all
197 airlines that flew to the U.S.
had begun collecting names,
genders and birth dates of pas-
sengers so the government
could check them against terror
watch lists before they boarded
flights.
In 2013, Paul Walker, 40,
the star of the “Fast & Furious”
movie series, died with his
friend, Roger W. Rodas, who
was at the wheel of a Porsche
sports car that crashed and
burned north of Los Angeles.
In 2018, former President
George H.W. Bush, a World War
II hero who rose through the
political ranks to the nation’s
highest office, died at his
Houston home at the age of 94;
his wife of more than 70 years,
Barbara Bush, had died in April.
Ten years ago: The central
banks of the wealthiest coun-
tries, trying to prevent a debt
crisis in Europe from exploding
into a global panic, swept in
to shore up the world finan-
cial system by making it easier
for banks to borrow American
dollars. Police in Los Angeles
and Philadelphia dismantled
Occupy Wall Street encamp-
ments. An Arizona jury sen-
tenced convicted “Base-
line Killer” Mark Goudeau
(goo-DOH’) to death for killing
nine people in the Phoenix area.
Five years ago: Air condi-
tioning company Carrier Corp.
said it had reached a deal with
President-elect Donald Trump
to keep nearly 1,100 jobs in
Indiana instead of moving them
to Mexico; however, some 600
other jobs were still eliminated
by outsourcing. House Dem-
ocrats reelected Nancy Pelosi
as their leader. A prosecutor
cleared a Charlotte, North Car-
olina, police officer in the killing
of a Black man whose death
touched off civil unrest, saying
the officer was justified in
opening fire on Keith Scott.
Hermiston man
failed to build home
for Baker City couple
By JAYSON JACOBY
Baker City Herald
alex Wittwer/The Observer, File
Festival director Chris Jennings takes a break from preparing promotional material for the upcoming Eastern Oregon Film Festival at the
HQ office in La Grande on Wednesday, Sept. 8, 2021.
Film festival ends unique year
EOFF wraps up
2021 efforts after
hybrid format
By DAVIS CARBAUGH
The Observer
LA GRANDE — It
was a unique year for the
Eastern Oregon Film Fes-
tival, but the hybrid mix
of in-person and virtual
attendance produced a
solid turnout in the 2021
rendition.
The 12th annual film
festival took place at
Eastern Oregon Univer-
sity and HQ in late October
in La Grande. A record-
high 52 films were screened
by festival members, and
two feature-length films
were presented for public
viewing. Fifteen visiting
filmmakers traveled to
Union County to present
their work and create con-
nections in La Grande.
“We hit our mark with
Friday, Nov. 26, 2021
Megamillions
7-27-37-42-59
megaball: 2
megaplier: 2
Jackpot: $102 million
Lucky Lines
4-6-10-13-18-23-27-30
Jackpot: $28,000
Pick 4
1 p.m.: 4-5-9-7
4 p.m.: 4-2-5-0
7 p.m.: 4-3-1-8
10 p.m.: 1-9-0-7
Saturday, Nov. 27, 2021
Powerball
8-32-55-64-66
Powerball: 10
Power Play: 2
Jackpot: $253 million
Megabucks
4-6-7-16-24-41
Jackpot: $6.3 million
Lucky Lines
4-8-10-14-20-23-27-32
Jackpot: $29,000
Pick 4
1 p.m.: 3-4-3-5
4 p.m.: 8-1-3-2
7 p.m.: 5-8-7-3
10 p.m.: 1-4-7-1
Win for Life
5-17-21-42
Sunday, Nov. 28, 2021
Lucky Lines
2-5-9-14-20-21-25-31
Estimated jackpot: $30,000
Pick 4
1 p.m.: 5-4-9-9
4 p.m.: 5-9-4-6
7 p.m.: 0-1-5-5
10 p.m.: 5-0-2-4
curator’s choice filmmaker
to watch.
The Eastern Oregon
Film Festival faced sev-
eral challenges in 2021 but
was able to create state-
wide partnerships and host
a filmmakers residency
program for the first time.
According to Jennings, the
residency will take place
again next year, with appli-
cations opening on Dec. 15.
“We’re excited to bring
in some new blood in May
and showcase them to the
valley,” Jennings said.
As the historic Liberty
Theatre renovation nears
completion, Jennings said
the festival is eager to uti-
lize the space in downtown
La Grande. The venue will
serve as one of the main
screening venues for the
event in years to come, with
projection and ticketing
systems already in place.
Jennings said that the
festival will be hosting a
holiday bazaar and is plan-
ning a New Year’s metal
rock concert. He hopes
that with the availability of
COVID-19 vaccines, small
in-person events will con-
tinue the momentum built
by this year’s EOFF.
Moving into 2022, the
Eastern Oregon Film Fes-
tival is looking for support
from La Grande and Union
County to further its capa-
bilities as a major event in
Eastern Oregon. The orga-
nization is also open to con-
tributions from individuals
and businesses.
“I’m hopeful that our
members can help us send
some support our way,”
Jennings said. “I think
there’s some big potential
there and it really wouldn’t
take much to get behind the
festival and elevate it up
even further than we have.”
New board members and
volunteers are also sought
to join the team. Those
interested can reach out to
director@eofilmfest.com.
Council to consider paths program grant
is brief, consisting of
approving regular ses-
sion minutes from the
LA GRANDE — The
La Grande City Council is November meeting and
set to meet for its regular
considering the Oregon
session to consider
Community Paths
a new grant that
Program grant in
would create and
the new business
maintain multi-use
section.
paths in the city.
Public Works
Director Kyle Car-
The council will
penter will present
meet at 6 p.m. on
the new business
Wednesday, Dec. 1,
Strope
item, with the sug-
and the meeting will
gested motion of autho-
be streamed on channel
rizing City Manager
180 and EO Alive TV.
Robert Strope to enter into
The council’s agenda
By DAVIS CARBAUGH
The Observer
an agreement for the grant
funding.
The Oregon Depart-
ment of Transportation
oversees the Oregon Com-
munity Paths Program,
which exists to construct
and manage multi-use
paths in cities across the
state. ODOT’s mission
for the grant funding is to
accompany preexisting
transportation systems in
Oregon. The grant funding
goes toward construction,
reconstruction, resurfacing
or any other improvements
to paths used for walking
and biking.
The project in La
Grande would include
the hiring of a consul-
tant to identify potential
path construction to link
southern residential areas
to the downtown area. The
$134,595 in grant funding
will cover roughly 90%
of the $150,000 estimated
project cost.
Individuals may submit
comments or questions to
rstrope@cityoflagrande.org
by 5 p.m. on Nov. 30.
UNION COUNTY
Cultural Coalition grant applications now open
The Observer
LOTTERY
the artists and those who
came and visited,” festival
director Chris Jennings
said. “They really enjoyed
the opportunity to present
in person, which is some-
thing that has been missing.
The audience that was
there made them feel very
welcome.”
Following the film fes-
tival, organizers announced
four curator’s choice
awards — the festival orga-
nizers took in audience
feedback in choosing the
awards.
The curator’s choice for
best feature went to Mylissa
Fitzimmons’ “Everything
in the End,” a humanist
story set in Iceland. Cha-
conne Martin Berkowicz’s
“In Sync” was selected as
curator’s choice for best
short, and Nick Brandes-
tini and Taylor Segrest’s
“Sapelo” was chosen as
best documentary. Jen Elk-
ington, who presented
“JEAN,” was picked as the
LA GRANDE — The
Union County Cultural
Coalition is currently
accepting applications for
its annual Cultural Enrich-
ment Grant program.
Available in matching
amounts of up to $500,
Cultural Enrichment grant
applications and informa-
tion about the UCCC can
be found at www.union-
countyculture.org. Appli-
cants may submit grant
requests entirely online
through the UCCC web-
site. Grant applications
must be submitted by Dec.
31, 2021.
The UCCC has a mis-
sion to support the arts
and cultural enrichment
of Union County through
promotion and increased
awareness of the arts and
humanities. Oregon resi-
dents can double any dona-
tion made to the Cultural
Trust through the Oregon
Cultural Tax Credit. For
information, visit www.
culturaltrust.org/get-in-
volved/donate or con-
tact the Cultural Trust at
503-986-0088 or cultural.
trust@oregon.gov.
The UCCC provides
matching grants directly
to artists and organiza-
tions involved in cultural
and heritage activities and
projects. Applications from
groups are encouraged and
efforts will be made to fund
as many as possible. Noti-
fication of awards will be
sent on or around Jan 31,
2022, with reports due back
to the UCCC by Dec. 31,
2022. Funding priority will
be given to those who have
not been awarded funds
during the last two granting
cycles. Incomplete applica-
tions cannot be considered.
The UCCC encourages
individuals and groups to
apply for monetary support
for your cultural enrich-
ment project. Many exciting
projects have come from
these re-granted funds,
allowing the effects of the
Oregon Cultural Trust to
be experienced throughout
Union County, according to
a press release.
For more informa-
tion, contact Michael Sell,
UCCC chair, at uccc@
unioncountyculture.org.
NEWS BRIEFS
No one injured in
one-vehicle crash
LA GRANDE — Nobody was
injured in a one-vehicle commercial
truck accident in Ladd Canyon Sunday,
Nov. 28.
The accident involved a red 2019
Freightliner truck, driven by Clinton
James Dance, 61, of Idaho, pulling a
trailer filled with soft drinks. It was
westbound on Interstate 84 about 3
miles east of the Reynolds Rest Area
when it veered off the right shoulder
and came into contact with the side
slope, causing both the truck and trailer
to tip onto its side, according to the
Oregon State Police.
The truck and trailer were towed
from the scene.
The accident forced the Oregon
Department of Transportation to close
the right westbound lane of Interstate
84 from about 7:30 a.m to 1:40 p.m. At
one point near the end of the removal of
the truck and trailer, both the right and
left westbound lanes were closed for
about an hour.
OSP said no citations were issued
related to the crash.
Union County Board of
Commissioners to meet Dec. 1
LA GRANDE — The Union
County Board of Commissioners will
meet Wednesday, Dec. 1.
Presentations to be made at the
9 a.m. meeting include a staff report
on the Red Apple Forest Management
Project at the Mount Emily Recreation
Area.
The public will not be able to attend
the meeting in person because of the
COVID-19 pandemic. To listen to the
meeting, or participate in the public
comment opportunity, call 253-215-
8782 or 301-715-8592 and enter meeting
ID number 814 2000 6863. Those
having difficulties getting through are
advised to continue trying.
To join the meeting via Zoom go to
www.us02web.zoom.us/j/81420006863.
To submit comments by email, send
them to amoore@union-county.org. All
written comments are due by 5 p.m.,
Tuesday, Nov. 30.
— The Observer
BAKER CITY — A
Baker County grand jury
has indicted a Herm-
iston building contractor
on felony theft charges
for failing to do work for
a Baker City couple after
they paid him $150,000 this
spring as the first install-
ment on the construction of
their home.
James A. Cavan, 41, is
charged with aggravated
first-degree theft, a Class B
felony.
The grand jury issued
the indictment on Nov. 18.
Jeff and Angie Skillicorn
hired Cavan to build a home
and shop on their prop-
erty in Baker Valley, Baker
County District Attorney
Greg Baxter said.
The couple has not had
any contact with Cavan for
several months, Baxter said.
The indictment on crim-
inal charges follows a civil
lawsuit that the Skillicorns
filed on Aug. 13 in Baker
County Circuit Court.
The suit names as defen-
dants James and Felicia
Cavan, doing business as
Dreams to Reality.
The lawsuit includes a
copy of the construction
contract agreement between
the Skillicorns and James
Cavan, dated May 26, 2021.
The agreement calls
for the Skillicorns to pay
Cavan a total of $457,700,
including a $150,000
deposit at the time the
agreement was signed.
According to the civil
suit, Cavan used $29,500
of the $150,000 deposit for
materials and labor, which
consisted of building the
foundation for the Skil-
licorns’ home. Cavan has
not refunded the remaining
$120,500.
Jeff Skillicorn wrote in
an Oct. 4 court filing that
around July 20, Cavan told
him he had lost his contrac-
tor’s license and could not
finish the home.
“Defendants have
acknowledged their obli-
gation to reimburse Plain-
tiffs and have expressed that
they do not have readily
available funds to reim-
burse Plaintiffs,” the law-
suit states. “For that reason,
Defendants offered to reim-
burse Plaintiffs using the
proceeds from the sale of
Defendants’ house and prin-
cipal place of business.”
On Sept. 27 a default
order was approved in
Baker County Circuit Court
and Cavan was ordered to
pay the balance of the Skil-
licorns’ deposit, $120,500.
On Oct. 21, Judge Matt
Shirtcliff signed a supple-
mental judgment ordering
Cavan to pay an additional
$12,521.65 in attorney’s fees
and other costs.
According to the Oregon
Construction Contractors
Board, a contractor’s license
was issued to James and
Felicia Cavan on June 24,
2016. That license has been
suspended and is not active,
according to the agency.
Disciplinary records
from the Construction Con-
tractors Board show that the
Cavans were fined $1,000 in
March 2021 for doing work
without being certified as a
lead-based paint renovation
contractor.
Their license was sus-
pended on July 22, 2021.
The records don’t list a
specific reason for the
suspension.
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