LOCAL
A2 — THE OBSERVER
TODAY
On Dec. 28, 2014, the war
in Afghanistan, fought for 13
bloody years and still raging,
came to a formal end with a
quiet flag-lowering ceremony
in Kabul that marked the tran-
sition of the fighting from
U.S.-led combat troops to the
country’s own security forces.
In 1612, Italian astronomer
Galileo Galilei observed the
planet Neptune, but mistook
it for a star. (Neptune wasn’t
officially discovered until 1846
by Johann Gottfried Galle.)
In 1832, John C. Calhoun
became the first vice pres-
ident of the United States
to resign, stepping down
because of differences with
President Andrew Jackson.
In 1895, the Lumiere
brothers, Auguste and Louis,
held the first public showing
of their movies in Paris.
In 1908, a major earthquake
followed by a tsunami devas-
tated the Italian city of Mes-
sina, killing at least 70,000
people.
In 1945, Congress officially
recognized the Pledge of
Allegiance.
In 1972, Kim Il Sung, the
premier of North Korea,
was named the country’s
president under a new
constitution.
In 1973, the Endangered
Species Act was signed into
law by President Richard
Nixon.
In 1975, the “Hail Mary
pass” entered the football lex-
icon as Dallas quarterback
Roger Staubach tossed the
ball to Drew Pearson for an
improbable 50-yard touch-
down with 24 seconds left to
help the Cowboys come back
to edge the Minnesota Vikings
17-14.
In 1981, Elizabeth Jordan
Carr, the first American “test-
tube” baby, was born in Nor-
folk, Virginia.
In 1991, nine people died
in a crush of people trying to
get into a rap celebrity bas-
ketball game at City College in
New York.
In 2007, Pakistani opposi-
tion leader Benazir Bhutto was
laid to rest as the country’s
army tried to quell a frenzy
of rioting in the wake of her
assassination.
In 2015, a grand jury in
Cleveland declined to indict
a white rookie police officer
in the killing of 12-year-old
Tamir Rice, a Black youngster
who was shot while playing
with what turned out to be a
pellet gun.
Ten years ago: North
Korea’s new leader, Kim Jong
Un, escorted his father’s
hearse in an elaborate state
funeral, bowing somberly
and saluting in front of tens
of thousands of citizens who
wailed and stamped their feet
in grief for Kim Jong Il. Turkish
warplanes mistakenly killed 35
smugglers and other villagers
in an operation targeting
Kurdish rebels in Iraq. Kaye
Stevens, a singer and actor
who performed with the Rat
Pack and was a frequent guest
on Johnny Carson’s “The
Tonight Show,” died in The Vil-
lages, Florida, at age 79.
Five years ago: Film star
Debbie Reynolds, who lit up
the screen in “Singin’ in the
Rain” and other Hollywood
classics, died at age 84 a day
after losing her daughter,
Carrie Fisher, who was 60.
Former world No. 1 Ana Iva-
novic said she was retiring
from tennis after a series of
injuries meant she could no
longer play at the highest
level.
LOTTERY
Friday, Dec. 24, 2021
Megamillions
16-17-25-36-37
megaball: 16
megaplier: 2x
Jackpot: $201 million
Lucky Lines
3-8-10-13-17-21-28-30
Jackpot: $56,000
Pick 4
1 p.m.: 7-1-4-1
4 p.m.: 4-8-0-5
7 p.m.: 0-9-5-5
10 p.m.: 4-1-5-3
Saturday, Dec. 25, 2021
Powerball
27-29-45-55-58
Powerball: 2
Power Play: 3x
Jackpot: $416 million
Megabucks
1-13-35-43-44-45
Jackpot: $7.5 million
Lucky Lines
1-5-10-13-18-24-26-30
Jackpot: $57,000
Pick 4
1 p.m.: 7-6-9-3
4 p.m.: 9-0-7-9
7 p.m.: 7-2-4-1
10 p.m.: 7-5-8-4
Win for Life
1-9-30-48
Sunday, Dec. 26, 2021
Lucky Lines
2-5-10-16-18-23-25-32
Estimated jackpot: $58,000
Pick 4
1 p.m.: 0-8-6-2
4 p.m.: 6-1-0-9
7 p.m.: 2-9-8-8
10 p.m.: 9-6-9-5
TuESday, dEcEmBER 28, 2021
Ringing in 2022
Downtown ball
drop, Metal at
Midnight highlight
La Grande’s New
Year’s Eve events
By DICK MASON
and DAVIS CARBAUGH
The Observer
LA GRANDE — La
Grande’s annual down-
town New Year’s Eve cel-
ebrations will be back in
full force the evening of
Friday, Dec. 31.
The celebration, hosted
by La Grande Main Street
Downtown, will again
feature a block party and
a ball drop. A year ago
the outdoor downtown
celebration had a ball
drop but no block party
due to the COVID-19
pandemic. The party
will be able to be con-
ducted this year because
of Union County’s falling
COVID-19 infection
rates.
“We are going to go
full steam,” said Ashley
O’Toole, the founder of
the ball drop and block
party and an organizer of
this year’s event.
The party, which will
be conducted at Adams
Avenue and Depot Street,
will start at 10 p.m.
Recorded music will be
played at the party and
there will be burn bar-
rels and a warming tent
offering free hot choco-
late and cider.
A scavenger hunt is
alex Wittwer/The Observer
Ashley O’Toole, left, and Tyson Brooks pose for a photo with a
lighted 2022 sign after installing the New Year’s Eve ball on top
of the Phoenix Apartments building on Depot Street in La Grande
on Sunday, Dec. 26, 2021.
planned in connection
with the party. Partici-
pants will visit landmarks
in La Grande and have
their pictures taken.
The ball drop will start
at 11:59 p.m. The ball for
the event was installed
the morning of Sunday,
Dec. 26, with major help
from the La Grande Fire
Department.
Metal at Midnight
For those looking to
enjoy some live music in
La Grande and rock in the
new year, HQ on Depot
Street is the place to be.
The local music venue
will be hosting the fourth
rendition of Metal at Mid-
night, a New Year’s Eve
concert celebration. The
event was canceled the
last two years, but is set
to make its return on the
final day of 2021.
Nogero, a metal band
based in La Grande,
will take the stage and
play a set to ring in
2022. According to HQ
co-owner Chris Jennings,
the band will play a
pre-midnight set and then
perform headbangers at
midnight.
The festivities at
HQ will include a beer
garden, burn barrels and
interim dance music. The
event will coincide with
the La Grande ball drop
— attendees in the HQ
beer garden will be able
to watch the ball drop
from the outdoor area.
Nogero officially
formed about seven years
ago, but most of its mem-
bers have been playing
together since high
school. Its members are
Shawn Turley, Ian Dill,
Nick Hackney, Jim Noyes
and Ricky Marwick.
“It’s a cool thing to
have Metal at Midnight
because it brings that live
music downtown when
downtown is at its finest,”
Turley said. “Everybody
is down there and having
a great time.”
The event has drawn
upward of 100 attendees
in years past, feeding off
those drawn to down-
town for New Year’s Eve.
The band is emphasizing
COVID-19 precautions
ahead of the show.
“It has been really
successful in the past.
I understand people’s
hesitancy. I’m a very
COVID-conscious
person,” Turley said.
“We think it can be done
responsibly and still have
a good turnout. People
really do look forward
to it.”
Nogero will perform
a mix of originals and
covers during the show.
According to Turley, an
original called “Metal at
Midnight” will be played
right after the clock hits
midnight.
Doors will open at HQ
at 8 p.m. on Dec. 31 and
the event will go until
about 1 a.m. Tickets for
Metal at Midnight are $10
at the door and funds go
toward paying the band
and supporting HQ into
2022.
“We can’t stress
enough as a band that we
are excited to play, but we
want to do it safely and
responsibly,” Turley said.
“We encourage everyone
coming to be vacci-
nated or to wear a mask.
We just want to have the
safest and most respon-
sible experience possible.”
Ronald Lee murder trial delayed
Defense granted
additional time to
review new
interview with
co-defendant
By DAVIS CARBAUGH
The Observer
LA GRANDE — The
murder trial for Ronald
Lee is facing another
delay.
A new interview with
co-defendant Steve Ham-
ilton added a wrinkle
to the trial process,
prompting Circuit Court
Judge Thomas Powers to
grant a motion to post-
pone the trial scheduled
for Thursday, Jan. 6,
2022. The interview and
motion came up during a
pretrial hearing on Dec.
23 at the Union County
Courthouse, La Grande.
The state has accused
Lee of slaying his wife,
Loretta Williams, in
tion and continue evalu-
November 2018 at her
ating jail phone calls in
home in Cove. The
time for the trial. Both
73-year-old is charged
the defense and the plain-
with murder and con-
spiracy to commit
tiff agreed interviews
murder. He is lodged
with Hamilton have been
at the Union
inconsistent, with
County Correc-
the co-defendant
tional Facility, La
changing his story
Grande, and is
multiple times in
to be tried with a
the past.
12-person jury.
District
Following the
Attorney Kelsie
Gushwa
new interview from
McDaniel and
Hamilton regarding
Deputy District
his potential
Attorney Reed
involvement in the
West appeared for
murder of Wil-
the state, while
liams, Powers
attorneys Craig
stated the new evi-
Russell and Dean
dence should be
McDaniel Gushwa attended
investigated further
via telephone
before the trial. The pre-
on behalf of Lee, who
trial hearing will be con- appeared via videocam
tinued on Jan. 19, when
from his jail cell. The
the judge will hear the
defense filed a slew of
state’s pending motions.
motions, which were
The recent Hamilton
addressed at the hearing.
interview caused concern
Of the 14 motions,
from the defense, noting
the court granted three
the Russell Law Group
and denied four, and the
would be unable to
remainder were either
review the new informa-
deferred or granted in
part. The court denied
motions to exclude media
from pretrial hearings,
to prohibit the state from
referring to the defen-
dant as anything other
than his formal name,
and to limit and exclude
autopsy photographs and
images from the crime
scene.
Powers granted
motions to require jury
excusals and deferments
to be on the record, to
require the state to dis-
close and produce forms
of media and follow dis-
covery obligations, and
to require any sidebars to
be on the record.
The state will have
four pending motions
at the Jan. 19 pretrial
hearing. Powers and the
defense both noted the
new Hamilton investi-
gation will not change
the status of the defense
motions. The hearing is
set for 9 a.m. in Court-
room 2 of the Union
County Courthouse.
NEWS BRIEFS
20 new COVID-19 cases
reported in Union County
over holiday weekend
The seven-day running average
of vaccine doses per day across the
state is 18,801.
SALEM — The Oregon Health
Authority released its COVID-19
report on Monday, Dec. 27, which
showed 20 new cases in Union
County from Dec. 23 to Dec. 26.
The new cases increased Union
County’s total to 3,508 since the
start of the pandemic. Wallowa
County recorded zero cases in the
latest report and currently stands
at 775 cases. Neither county tallied
any newly recorded COVID-19
deaths over the four-day period.
Across Oregon, 3,585 new con-
firmed and presumptive COVID-19
cases were reported — the state’s
total increased to 414,140 since the
beginning of COVID-19. The 25
new deaths across the state brought
Oregon’s death toll to 5,623.
There are currently 381 patients
hospitalized with COVID-19
across Oregon, which is an
increase of 23 patients from yes-
terday. Out of 649 adult ICU beds
in the state, 56 are available. There
are 311 open adult non-ICU beds
out of 4,082 in Oregon.
Strutz wins Joseph
lighting contest
JOSEPH — Caitlin Summer
Strutz was recently declared the
first-place winner of the City of
Joseph Holiday Light and Decora-
tion Contest, according to a press
release.
First place receives $200 off
their city water bill and $200 to be
donated to the winner’s choice of a
local charity or school group. Strutz
is choosing to donate to the Wal-
lowa County Humane Society.
The second-place winner is the
Thomas family. They received $100
off their water bill and chose the
Joseph Charter School drama class
to receive a $100 donation.
The cash donations come from
city coffers.
Three arrested after failed
Christmas Eve burglary
attempt, USCO says
SUMMERVILLE — Three
people were arrested on
Christmas Eve after being caught
in the act of removing items from
a residence on Summerville Road,
the Union County Sheriff’s Office
stated in a press release Monday,
Dec. 27.
A Union County deputy who
was patrolling Summerville
Road about 8:30 a.m. on Friday,
Dec. 24, recognized a suspicious
vehicle at the residence, and a call
to the property manager found
there should not have been anyone
at the residence.
The investigation led to the
arrest of Nickole L. Thamert, 47,
Jon M. Weathers, 51, and Emily
A. Wilson, 38. According to the
UCSO, the three were in the pro-
cess of removing items from the
residence and were loading them
into a vehicle. K-9 Molly was dis-
patched and helped deputies and
Oregon State Police locate a sus-
pect who was attempting to hide.
Thamert, Weathers and Wilson
are charged with first-degree bur-
glary, first-degree conspiracy to
commit burglary and possession
of burglary tools. All three are
lodged in the Union County Jail.
— The Observer
Children
getting
vaccinated
against
COVID-19
By BILL BRADSHAW
Wallowa County Chieftain
ENTERPRISE — About
22% of children ages 5-17 have
received a complete series of
COVID-19 vaccinations in Wal-
lowa County, according to data
reported by the Oregon Health
Authority on Monday, Dec. 27.
This breaks down to 10% of
the 5-11 age group and 37.4% of
the 12-17 age group, the OHA
reported. Just under 42% of the
12-17 group and 16.3% of those
age 5-11 have had one shot, the
data shows.
Pfizer is the only brand of
vaccine available to children
and is readily available in Wal-
lowa County, according to
Brooke Pace, communications
director of Wallowa Memorial
Hospital.
Part of the OHA’s goal is to
reach a vaccination rate of 80%.
To reach that goal, another 382
children ages 5-11 need to be
vaccinated and 177 children
ages 12-17 need their shots.
Pace said the hospital does
not give the pediatric vaccines,
but they are available at the hos-
pital’s Wallowa Memorial Med-
ical Clinics. Countywide, she
said in early December, 90 chil-
dren 5-11 years old had received
the vaccine and 191 ages 12-17
had received it.
Nic Powers, CEO of
Winding Waters Medical
Clinic, did not have an exact
breakdown for vaccines pro-
vided by his clinic, but deferred
to the OHA in a Dec. 17 email.
Pace said the pediatric vac-
cine requires two doses at least
21 days apart.
“Our staff are now experts in
ensuring patients get access to
the vaccine that’s best for that
patient,” Powers said.
Neither Pace nor Powers
was aware of any patients
having adverse reactions to the
vaccines.
Pace said the federal Centers
for Disease Control and Preven-
tion recommends everyone age
5 and older to get vaccinated
against COVID-19.
Powers agreed, but was
eager to defer the decision to
patients and their families.
“In general, it’s up to each
person and family to make
health care decisions that are
best for their particular situa-
tion,” he said.
Asked if there has been any
resistance among children’s
families to having them get the
vaccine, he said there is a broad
range of perspectives on the
issue.
“We’re encouraging each
family to make the choice that’s
right for them and have all the
information that they need to
make a decision,” Powers said.
Pace also deferred to the
CDC and to families.
“The decision to get your
child vaccinated is an incred-
ibly personal choice that par-
ents should discuss with their
child’s primary care provider,”
Pace said.
Powers also expressed con-
fidence in dealing with the pan-
demic in the county.
“Due to strong partnerships
here in Wallowa County, and
with the OHA, we have excel-
lent access to COVID testing,
vaccination and treatment,” he
said. “Local health care pro-
viders work hard to be here
for the people (who) need us.
I’m proud of our team and all
the work we’ve done to build
and maintain a strong, resilient
organization.”
The OHA said the number
of children by age group vac-
cinated statewide as of Dec. 27
was 29.5% of the total popula-
tion in the 5-11 age group and
66% of the total population in
the 12-17 age group.
According to the Oregon
Health Authority on Dec. 23,
among Wallowa County’s pop-
ulation of 7,160, there have been
775 COVID-19 cases, 13 of
whom have died — or 2%. Of
test results, 921 people tested
positive (12%), while 6,941
tested negative (88%).
Statewide, there have been
9,619.5 COVID-19 cases per
100,000 people.