LOCAL
A2 — THE OBSERVER
TODAY
On Dec. 23, 1783, George
Washington resigned as com-
mander in chief of the Conti-
nental Army and retired to his
home at Mount Vernon, Virginia.
In 1788, Maryland passed
an act to cede an area “not
exceeding ten miles square”
for the seat of the national gov-
ernment; about two-thirds of
the area became the District of
Columbia.
In 1928, the National Broad-
casting Company set up a perma-
nent, coast-to-coast network.
In 1941, during World War II,
American forces on Wake Island
surrendered to the Japanese.
In 1948, former Japanese pre-
mier Hideki Tojo and six other
Japanese war leaders were exe-
cuted in Tokyo.
In 1954, the first successful
human kidney transplant took
place at the Peter Bent Brigham
Hospital in Boston as a surgical
team removed a kidney from
23-year-old Ronald Herrick and
implanted it in Herrick’s twin
brother, Richard.
In 1962, Cuba began releasing
prisoners from the failed Bay of
Pigs invasion under an agree-
ment in which Cuba received
more than $50 million worth of
food and medical supplies.
In 1968, 82 crew members of
the U.S. intelligence ship Pueblo
were released by North Korea,
11 months after they had been
captured.
In 1972, a 6.2-magnitude
earthquake struck Nicaragua; the
disaster claimed some 5,000 lives.
In 1986, the experimental air-
plane Voyager, piloted by Dick
Rutan and Jeana Yeager, com-
pleted the first non-stop, non-re-
fueled round-the-world flight as
it returned safely to Edwards Air
Force Base in California.
In 1997, a federal jury in
Denver convicted Terry Nichols
of involuntary manslaughter and
conspiracy for his role in the Okla-
homa City bombing, declining
to find him guilty of murder.
(Nichols was sentenced to life in
prison without the possibility of
parole.)
In 2001, Time magazine
named New York City Mayor
Rudy Giuliani its Person of the
Year for his steadfast response to
the 9/11 terrorist attack.
In 2003, a jury in Chesapeake,
Virginia, sentenced teen sniper
Lee Boyd Malvo to life in prison,
sparing him the death penalty.
Ten years ago: After days of
stalemate and rancor, Congress
approved a two-month renewal
of payroll tax cuts for 160 mil-
lion workers and unemploy-
ment benefits for millions; Presi-
dent Barack Obama immediately
signed the bill into law. Two car
bombers blew themselves up in
Damascus outside the heavily
guarded compounds of Syria’s
intelligence agencies, killing at
least 44 people and wounding
dozens more in a brazen attack
on the powerful security
directorates.
Five years ago: The United
States allowed the U.N. Security
Council to condemn Israeli settle-
ments in the West Bank and east
Jerusalem as a “flagrant violation”
of international law; the deci-
sion to abstain from the council’s
14-0 vote was one of the biggest
American rebukes of its long-
standing ally in recent memory.
Actor and writer Carrie Fisher
was transported to a Los Angeles
hospital after suffering a severe
medical emergency on an inter-
national flight; she died four days
later at age 60.
One year ago: Pfizer said it
would supply the U.S. govern-
ment with an additional 100 mil-
lion doses of its COVID-19 vac-
cine under a new agreement
between the pharmaceutical
giant and the Trump adminis-
tration. Two new studies pro-
vided encouraging evidence
that having had COVID-19 may
offer some protection against
future infections. After months of
fighting the coronavirus, the Fire
Department of New York began
vaccinating its own members,
starting with the front-line EMTs
who had responded to more
than 1 million emergency med-
ical calls throughout New York
City in 2020.
LOTTERY
Monday, Dec. 20, 2021
Megabucks
10-15-16-22-36-42
Estimated jackpot: $7.3 million
Lucky Lines
2-6-12-13-20-22-26-29
Estimated jackpot: $52,000
Win for Life
2-14-37-53
Pick 4
1 p.m.: 4-2-7-1
4 p.m.: 2-2-6-7
7 p.m.: 3-2-0-3
10 p.m.: 2-7-5-9
Tuesday, Dec. 21, 2021
Mega Millions
25-31-58-64-67
mega Ball: 24
megaplier: 3
Estimated jackpot: $187
million
Lucky Lines
2-7-10-13-19-23-27-31
Estimated jackpot: $53,000
Pick 4
1 p.m.: 0-8-2-9
4 p.m.: 2-5-5-2
7 p.m.: 0-1-7-5
10 p.m.: 7-8-5-7
THuRSday, dEcEmBER 23, 2021
Winners of Union County’s holiday Near-record
decorating competition announced snow falls
in Joseph
The Observer
By RONALD BOND
LA GRANDE — This
year’s Union County hol-
iday decorating com-
petition received nearly
200 entries, lighting up
the county with holiday
spirit.
The Union County
Chamber of Commerce
partnered with John J.
Howard and Associ-
ates and Oregon Trail
Electric Cooperative to
judge the entries and pro-
vide awards in four cat-
egories, according to a
press release announcing
the winners of the third
annual contest.
“It felt like the whole
county came together
to really up the hol-
iday spirit this year,”
Suzannah Moore-
Hemann, the chamber’s
chief executive officer,
said.
Categories were
judged based on theme,
creativity, overall show-
manship and energy effi-
ciency — including LED
lights and nonenergy
decorations. Winners
received a combination of
award certificates, energy
credit certificates from
OTEC and custom yard
trophies.
The release from the
chamber announced the
Scrooge’s Best Busi-
ness Award was given to
The Potter’s House, 1601
Sixth St., La Grande,
for its “combination of
classic and fun decor
(make sure to check out
Santa with his custom
mug).” Runner-up was
Falk’s Mini Mart, 363
Wallowa County Chieftain
alex Wittwer/The Observer
Bob and Judy Jensen pose for a photo outside The Potter’s House at 1601 Sixth St., La Grande, on
Tuesday, Dec. 21, 2021. The Potter’s House won the first-place Scrooge’s Best Business Award in
the county-wide holiday decorations contest.
N. Main St., Union, “an
excellent commitment to
lighting up the night.”
The Candy Cane Lane
Neighborhood Award
was given to the houses
of South 20th Street,
Grinch’s Spirit —
given to the house with
unique, clever or just
plain impressive decora-
tions — was presented
to 10203 Leonard Lane,
Island City, for its layers
“It felt like the whole county came
together to really up the holiday spirit
this year.”
— Suzannah Moore-Hemann, Union County
Chamber of Commerce chief executive officer
La Grande, including a
close neighbor on Foot-
hill Road. It was a diffi-
cult choice, reported the
chamber, among sev-
eral La Grande neigh-
borhoods, including last
year’s winners on G
Avenue and new nomi-
nees on Modelaire Drive
and Ridge Road.
upon layers of lights.
Following closely was
1511 T Ave., La Grande,
for “visual stimula-
tion in every direction,”
as reported in the press
release.
The 2021 Santa’s
Choice Award for best
house went to 70408
Valley View Road, Elgin.
The “Cowboy Christmas”
display has grown each
year of the homeowners’
17 years of marriage.
Also considered for
the top Santa’s Choice
were 755 Fifth St., North
Powder; last year’s winner,
516 E. Fulton, Union;
10715 S. McAlister, Island
City; and 1307 ½ Hall St.,
La Grande.
A map of the nomi-
nated houses and busi-
nesses — which were
visited Saturday, Dec.
18, by participants of the
Light Up the Night Hol-
iday Lights Caravan, a
joint event co-hosted by
La Grande Main Street
Downtown and the
Union County Chamber
— is available at the
chamber’s office, 207
Depot St. La Grande,
and at www.visitunion-
county.org.
Ronald Lee murder trial set for early January
The Observer
LA GRANDE —
Ronald Lee, an accused
murderer, is heading to
face a Union County
Jury on Thursday, Jan.
6, 2022.
Lee was accused by
the state of Oregon of
killing his wife, Loretta
Williams, in November
2018 at her home in
Cove. The two were in
the midst of a divorce.
The 73-year-old
is facing charges for
murder and conspiracy
to commit murder while
being held without bond. suffered a stroke while
in custody at the Union
Lee has pleaded not
County Correctional
guilty to the charges.
Facility in January
Co-defendant Steve
2020. The trial
Hamilton, of La
was postponed
Grande, is also
when Lee was
being charged with
found to be unfit
murder and con-
spiracy to commit
to assist in his
murder. Hamilton
own defense and
is being held at
sent to the Oregon
the Union County
McDaniel State Hospital in
Correctional
Salem. Portland
Facility.
psychiatrist Dr. Michael
Lee is represented by
Saul Ferris found Lee
Craig Russell, of Russell to be a danger to him-
self and others after a
Law Group, LLC.
mental evaluation in
The trial was previ-
ously delayed after Lee
October 2020.
Lee was found fit
to proceed in late June
2021 and the defense has
since filed a slew of pre-
trial motions. One of the
motions was to exclude
media from pretrial
hearings, which Union
County District Attorney
Kelsie McDaniel filed a
motion to oppose.
A hearing is set for
9 a.m. Dec. 23 with
Judge Thomas Powers
residing in which all
pretrial motions will be
heard. The 12-person
jury trial is set to begin
at 8:30 a.m. on Jan. 6.
JOSEPH — One of snow-
iest days on record in Joseph
occurred last week, according to
data from the National Weather
Service’s Pendleton office.
While totals of up to 2
feet of snow were reported in
some areas around the town on
Tuesday, Dec. 14, the NWS offi-
cially recorded 14 inches of snow.
It marks not only the most snow
ever recorded on Dec. 14, but
the most anytime in December
and ties for the second-highest
one-day snowfall amount
recorded in Joseph in at least 128
years, per data from the NWS.
Only one other day, according
to NWS data, has seen more
snowfall in Joseph. That was on
Jan. 21, 1894, when a whopping
16 inches of snow was recorded.
Fourteen inches of snow also
fell on March 12, 1906.
It also is the wettest December
day on record in Joseph, with the
14 inches of snow translating to
1.04 inches of precipitation.
The previous snowfall record
on Dec. 14 was more than 100
years ago, when 8 inches of snow
fell on Dec. 14, 1915, according
to NWS data. Only one other
December day in Joseph has seen
at least 10 inches of snowfall,
when 10 inches came down on
Dec. 22, 2002.
The last time at least 10 inches
of snow fell in Joseph was more
than a decade ago, when 12
inches came down on Jan. 28,
2008.
While it would likely take
another large dumping of snow,
December 2021 is also within
striking distance of being the
snowiest on record in Joseph.
NWS data as of Monday, Dec.
20, had 20.3 inches of snow
recorded in the town this month.
The record for December is 32
inches in December 1916. The
month is already well above the
30-year snowfall average of 8.2
inches.
Joseph snowfall records kept
by the NWS date back to 1893,
though the website does not have
snowfall data for the town from
about 1955 to 1995.
While near-record snow fell
in Joseph, other areas of the
county, even if heavily impacted,
did not reach the snowfall level
Joseph did. Readings taken just
south of Flora showed 5 inches
there on Dec. 14, while 4 inches
fell just south of Lostine and 2.7
inches fell in Wallowa. Over two
days, from Dec. 13-14, a total of
15.5 inches fell in Joseph, 11.5
inches in Flora, 5.5 inches in Los-
tine and 4.9 inches in Wallowa,
according to maps.cocorahs.org.
NEWS BRIEFS
Volunteers sought for
Union County committees
LA GRANDE — The Union
County Board of Commissioners is
accepting applications from quali-
fied volunteers to serve on several
Union County committees that now
have openings.
Interested citizens are invited to
submit a completed Advisory Com-
mittee Application, which are avail-
able at the Union County Admin-
istrative Office, 1106 K Ave., La
Grande.
Committee members are needed
for the following advisory commit-
tees: Ambulance District, Health and
Human Services, Mount Emily Rec-
reation Area Motorized and Mount
Emily Recreation Area Non-Mo-
torized. Other committees seeking
members are the Northeast Oregon
Economic Development Board of
Directors, the Wallowa-Union Rail-
road Authority and the Wolf Depre-
dation Compensation Committee.
All appointments must be
approved by a vote of the Union
County Board of Commissioners.
Chamber offers
ag business training
ENTERPRISE — The Wal-
lowa County CowBells Farm and
Ranch Business Training is being
sponsored by the Wallowa County
Chamber of Commerce in January,
according to a press release.
The session will take place from
9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday, Jan. 21, at
the Tomas Conference Room, 309
S. River St. in Enterprise.
Cassi Johnson, of Pacific Inter-
mountain Mortgage Co., will kick
off the day with a QuickBooks
training session. She will cover data
entry (such as entering checks and
deposits), creating custom invoices
and using the invoicing feature, set-
ting up a chart of accounts, reports
and customizing reports, using
the payroll feature and more. Both
QuickBooks Desktop and Quick-
Books Online will be discussed.
The afternoon will feature a
panel of local experts who have suc-
cess in direct sales of their products.
Learn about processing, storage,
delivery and marketing challenges
and how to overcome them.
Because this class is spon-
sored by the chamber, 50% of the
class fee has been covered to help
keep costs low. Cost of the class
is $50, with a $3 transaction fee.
Register at www.tickettailor.com/
events/3barconsulting/625702#.
While this training will have a
focus on the agricultural industry,
anyone interested in learning more
about QuickBooks and running a
small business will benefit.
Enterprise eyes site by park
for pump track
ENTERPRISE — The original
preferred location proposed for a
pump track site near the Enterprise
City Park is now being seriously
considered after members of the
Wallowa Mountains Bicycle Club
recently met with incoming Public
Works Director Shawn Young.
But there are a couple of hitches,
Young said, as the site is in a
riparian area.
“We’ve got to get a hold of
FEMA and see what the setbacks
would be,” he said.
Young said City Administrator
Lacey McQuead has contacts with
the Federal Emergency Manage-
ment Agency and would begin
reaching out. Young said issues of
fencing and public safety also must
be addressed.
Young met with Wallowa Moun-
tains Bicycle Club President Angela
Mart and Vice President Zeb Burke,
who have proposed the pump track.
A pump track is a looped sequence
of rollers and berms (swoopy,
banked turns) for bike riders. It’s
designed to maximize momentum,
so the rider can ride with minimal
pedaling, according to www.bicy-
cling.com.
Another possible location under
consideration was at the baseball
fields near the Wallowa County Fair-
grounds. He said Donnie Rynearson,
a member of the Wallowa Valley
Little League, sent a letter that,
while approving of the concept of a
pump track in town, opposed using
baseball field land for it.
“When they hold tournaments,
that’s a very valuable space,” Young
said.
He said the league hopes to host
a tournament in Enterprise next year
and would be using the space for
warmups and other activities.
Young said Mart and Burke
were pleased that the site by the
park could be selected, but they rec-
ognized the hoops that have to be
jumped through.
“They understand we’ve got to go
through FEMA,” he said. “It’s still a
waiting game.”
GRH selected as
2021 Health Quality
Innovator of the Year
LA GRANDE — Grande
Ronde Hospital and Clinics has
been named a 2021 Health Quality
Innovator of the Year.
The annual Health Quality Inno-
vator Award program was created
by HQI to recognize and celebrate
organizations that are using suc-
cessful, evidence-based approaches
to quality improvement, according
to a press release. This award recog-
nizes rural health care facilities that
have made outstanding contributions
to improving the quality of rural
health care services.
“We’re incredibly humbled and
proud to be recognized as a Health
Quality Innovator of the Year,” GRH
President and CEO Jeremy Davis
said. “While we did not imple-
ment these programs and processes
to win awards, it is gratifying to
know that the work we do here in
Union County to serve our commu-
nity is recognized at this level. This
is an ongoing collaborative effort
among an incredible team of people
all working together to improve the
overall health of our community.”
Grande Ronde Hospital and
Clinics was selected as the winner
in the Rural Health category for
implementing strategies and pro-
cesses to improve access to care
and support better outcomes for
patients and families, including
employing additional primary care
providers, pediatricians, a psychi-
atrist and behavioral health practi-
tioners; implementing daily huddles
involving the hospital and clinics;
and transitioning three separate elec-
tronic medical record systems to a
single system across the GRH care
continuum. As a result, the hospital
achieved low rates for readmissions
of complex and chronic patients, as
well as behavioral health patients.
— EO Media Group