LOCAL
A2 — THE OBSERVER
TODAY
On Jan. 8, 1964, President
Lyndon B. Johnson, in his State
of the Union address, declared
an “unconditional war on pov-
erty in America.”
In 1815, the last major
engagement of the War of 1812
came to an end as U.S. forces
defeated the British in the Battle
of New Orleans, not having
received word of the signing of
a peace treaty.
In 1867, the U.S. House of
Representatives joined the
Senate in overriding Presi-
dent Andrew Johnson’s veto
of the District of Columbia Suf-
frage Bill, giving Black men in
the nation’s capital the right
to vote.
In 1912, the African National
Congress was founded in
Bloemfontein, South Africa.
In 1918, President Woodrow
Wilson outlined his Fourteen
Points for lasting peace after
World War I. Mississippi became
the first state to ratify the
18th Amendment to the Con-
stitution, which established
Prohibition.
In 1935, rock-and-roll legend
Elvis Presley was born in Tupelo,
Mississippi.
In 1982, American Telephone
and Telegraph settled the Jus-
tice Department’s antitrust
lawsuit against it by agreeing
to divest itself of the 22 Bell
System companies.
In 1994, Tonya Harding won
the ladies’ U.S. Figure Skating
Championship in Detroit, a day
after Nancy Kerrigan dropped
out because of the clubbing
attack that had injured her right
knee. (The U.S. Figure Skating
Association later stripped
Harding of the title.)
In 1998, Ramzi Yousef, the
mastermind of the 1993 World
Trade Center bombing, was
sentenced in New York to life in
prison without the possibility
of parole.
In 2008, Sen. Hillary Rodham
Clinton powered to victory in
New Hampshire’s 2008 Dem-
ocratic primary in a startling
upset, defeating Sen. Barack
Obama and resurrecting her bid
for the White House; Sen. John
McCain defeated his Republican
rivals to move back into conten-
tion for the GOP nomination.
In 2011, U.S. Rep. Gabri-
elle Giffords, D-Ariz., was shot
and critically wounded when a
gunman opened fire as the con-
gresswoman met with constitu-
ents in Tucson; six people were
killed, 12 others also injured.
(Gunman Jared Lee Loughner
was sentenced in Nov. 2012
to seven consecutive life sen-
tences, plus 140 years.)
In 2016, Joaquin “El Chapo”
Guzman, the world’s most-
wanted drug lord, was captured
for a third time in a daring raid
by Mexican marines, six months
after walking through a tunnel
to freedom from a maximum
security prison.
In 2020, Iran struck back at
the United States for killing
Iran’s top military commander,
firing missiles at two Iraqi mil-
itary bases housing American
troops; more than 100 U.S. ser-
vice members were diagnosed
with traumatic brain injuries
after the attack. As Iran braced
for a counterattack, the coun-
try’s Revolutionary Guard
shot down a Ukrainian jetliner
after apparently mistaking it
for a missile; all 176 people on
board were killed, including
82 Iranians and more than 50
Canadians.
Five years ago: “La La Land”
won seven Golden Globe
Awards, including best motion
picture, comedy or musical,
while “Moonlight” was recog-
nized as best movie drama;
Meryl Streep, accepting a life-
time achievement award, crit-
icized President-elect Donald
Trump without mentioning him
by name.
One year ago: President
Donald Trump said he would
skip President-elect Joe Biden’s
inauguration; Biden responded
that he was just fine with
that, calling it “one of the few
things we have ever agreed
on.” Twitter said it was banning
Trump from its platform, citing
“risk of further incitement of
violence.”
LOTTERY
Wednesday, Jan. 5, 2022
Megabucks
7-18-21-28-41-45
Jackpot: $8 million
Lucky Lines
1-6-11-15-18-24-25-31
Estimated jackpot: $68,000
Powerball
6-14-25-33-46
Powerball: 17
Power Play: 2
Jackpot: $20 million
Win for Life
36-44-50-55
Pick 4
1 p.m.: 8-6-9-6
4 p.m.: 2-7-4-5
7 p.m.: 0-9-2-4
10 p.m.: 0-6-6-9
Thursday, Jan. 6, 2022
Lucky Lines
1-5-10-15-20-24-28-31
Jackpot: $69,000
Pick 4
1 p.m.: 5-7-3-7
4 p.m.: 9-8-9-1
7 p.m.: 9-9-7-5
10 p.m.: 5-5-3-0
SaTuRday, JanuaRy 8, 2022
Fishtrap prepares for move to larger home
Wallowa County organization relocating to larger space in downtown Enterprise
By ANN BLOOM
For EO Media Group
ENTERPRISE — Fish-
trap, Wallowa County’s
premier writing organi-
zation, is preparing for a
new chapter in its life as
it anticipates moving into
its new home on Main
Street after 20 years in the
Coffin House.
The reason for the
move, according to Fish-
trap Director Shannon
McNerney, is that the
nonprofit had outgrown
the Coffin House, and it
would have needed major
renovations to make it
work.
“It needed a lot of
effort, time and money,”
she said, and that was
when the decision was
made to sell the house.
And, the whole pro-
cess was, she said, “like
magic.”
The sale, though, of
the Coffin House was con-
ditional on being able to
find and lease a new space
that fit all the organiza-
tion’s needs.
Fishtrap had a list of
what it wanted: a place
that was centrally located,
fully accessible under the
Americans with Disabil-
ities Act, with room for
an office, a kitchen and at
least 1,000 square feet of
event space. The house
was listed in June and by
July they had an offer.
“We’re using the pro-
ceeds from the sale of the
Coffin House to make sure
(Fishtrap’s) programs are
healthy and strong for the
long run,” she said.
The new location is in
the downstairs of the his-
toric Bowlby Building
as well as the adjacent
former barber shop,
giving the organization a
large 4,000-square-foot
space that will provide
room for administrative
offices, a kitchen, a con-
ference room area, and a
large venue for programs
such as Fishtrap’s pop-
ular Fireside readings,
Winter Fishtrap, The Big
Shannon Mcnerney/Contributed Photo
Construction is underway in winter 2022 to upgrade what will be the new home of Fishtrap in down-
town Enterprise.
Shannon Mcnerney/Contributed Photo
After 20 years in the Coffin House, Fishtrap will move to the Bowlby
Building and an adjacent former barber shop by April 2022.
Read and writing work-
shops. The space will also
be made available to local
organizations for their
events, McNerney said.
The building housing
the new Fishtrap space is
owned by Bill Warnock
and Michele Starr, who
McNerney said, “have
been remarkable to work
with.”
Currently some Fish-
trap staff are working
from home, and some
are working from a small
leased administrative
office space.
McNerney said she is
“excited about a clean,
safe, beautiful space we
can work in” even though,
“we loved Coffin House.”
McNerney said she
expects people’s “jaws to
drop” when they see the
fresh paint, open space
and high ceilings of Fish-
trap’s new home.
The expected move-in
date is April 2022 and
McNerney promises an
open house.
“There will be a cele-
bration for sure,” she said.
“We’re stewards of
Fishtrap. It belongs to the
community,” she said. “I
hope the community feels
ownership and is proud
of it.”
City approves new audit corrective plan
Council also approves several new
committee and commission assignments
By DAVIS CARBAUGH
The Observer
LA GRANDE — The
La Grande City Council
approved a new business
item regarding the audit
finding corrective plan,
during its monthly meeting
Wednesday, Jan. 5.
The audit finding cor-
rective plan allows the
mayor to sign the audit
and send it off to the state’s
Audit Division. During a
work session on Jan. 3, the
council reviewed its yearly
audit, which clarifies finan-
cial standards and matters
related to internal financial
reports.
Oregon state law
requires that governing
bodies adopt a plan of
action addressing any defi-
ciencies within 30 days of
filing the audit, which the
council approved at the
Jan. 3 meeting.
Mayor Steve Clements
noted that the financial
advisers were pleased with
the city’s audit and how
the process progressed this
year.
The council also
approved new committee
and commission assign-
ments, a task performed at
the beginning of the new
calendar year.
Clements and Coun-
cilor Nicole Howard were
assigned to the city’s audit
committee, while Coun-
selor Mary Ann Miesner
will remain on the North-
east Housing Authority
and Councilor David
Glabe will remain on the
airport committee. Clem-
ents will remain the trea-
surer for the Union County
Safe Communities Coali-
tion. Councilor Gary Lil-
lard was selected to con-
tinue on the senior council,
while Howard will con-
tinue on the tourism
committee.
In addition to councilors
being assigned to com-
mittees and commissions,
the mayor nominated citi-
zens to various committee
and commission positions
on the final item of new
business.
Incumbent Liberty
Avila was approved to fill
one of two vacancies on
the city’s planning com-
mission. Two vacancies on
the air quality control com-
mission were approved, as
well as three spots on the
budget committee — the
budget committee meets
in conjunction with the
city council in May for
its budget meeting. The
council approved the filling
of one vacancy in the com-
munity landscape and for-
estry commission for a
three-year term. The land-
marks advisory commis-
sion filled one out of three
vacancies for a three-year
term.
The parking, traffic
safety and street mainte-
nance commission filled
one out of four vacancies.
The council approved three
new positions on the parks
and recreation advisory
commission.
The council also rati-
fied the 2021 city manager
evaluation. The staff evalu-
ation involves a cumulative
review of the city manager
and the council’s overall
performance throughout
the year of 2021.
City Manager Robert
Strope received a 4.03
score on a scale of one to
five and the overall staff
rating was 4.43.
The La Grande City
Council will next meet
at its council and Urban
Renewal Agency retreats
on Jan. 24.
Union County accepts $500,000 COVID-19 grant
By DICK MASON
The Observer
LA GRANDE — Union
County businesses hurt by
the COVID-19 pandemic
will be receiving a finan-
cial boost later this year.
The Union County
Board of Commissioners
voted on Wednesday, Jan.
5, to accept a $500,000
Coronavirus State Fiscal
Recovery Fund grant from
the state. The funding is
federal money being dis-
tributed by the state.
As the board of com-
missioners earlier told
State Rep. Bobby Levy,
R-Echo, the county will
spend the $500,000 on
helping businesses that are
struggling because of the
pandemic, according to
Union County Commis-
sioner Donna Beverage.
Levy’s legislative dis-
trict received $2 mil-
lion in Coronavirus State
Fiscal Recovery Fund
grant funds. The state rep-
resentative was respon-
sible for determining how
the funding was allo-
cated. Levy determined
that Union and Wallowa
counties would each get
$500,000 and that Umatilla
County would receive $1
million, Beverage said.
The board of commis-
sioners will soon begin
deciding how the funding
will be distributed.
“We will be setting
guidelines,” Beverage said.
Union County Commis-
sioner Paul Anderes is glad
to have the opportunity to
help businesses in Union
County.
“We want to use it to
help support businesses in
every part of the county,”
he said.
While some local busi-
ness are thriving, including
those in the trucking
industry, Beverage said
there is a strong need for
the latest grant because
many businesses, including
a number of restaurants,
are struggling.
The commissioner
said a process similar to
one followed a year ago
when Union County also
received a Coronavirus
State Fiscal Recovery
Fund grant may be fol-
lowed when establishing
guidelines. The 2021 grant
was for a little more than
$700,000 and businesses
hurt by COVID-19 were
able to apply for assistance.
A total of 94 Union County
businesses received
funding from that grant.
The Coronavirus State
Fiscal Recovery Fund
grant program is a part of
the American Rescue Plan,
which is delivering $350
billion to state, local and
Tribal governments across
the country to support their
response to and recovery
from the COVID-19
pandemic.
NEWS BRIEFS
Union County
reports 27 new
COVID-19 cases
SALEM — The
Oregon Health Authority
reported 27 new cases
of COVID-19 in Union
County on Thursday, Jan.
6, with that total among
7,615 new cases in the
state. There were no new
Union County deaths in
the report. The county
now has had 3,635 cases
during the pandemic, and
there have been 64 deaths
attributed to COVID-19.
Wallowa County, a day
after reporting nine new
cases, had just one case
in the Jan. 6 report. Wal-
lowa County is at 814 cases
and 13 deaths during the
pandemic.
Statewide hospitaliza-
tions due to COVID-19
were up to 588, an increase
of 65 from the previous
report, and COVID ICU
patients were at 110, up two
from the previous report.
There were 19,475 doses
of a COVID shot added
to the state tally Jan. 6,
bringing the seven-day run-
ning average to 10,873.
Anthony Lakes open,
but lodge closed
this weekend
NORTH POWDER —
Anthony Lakes Mountain
Resort is open Thursday
through Sunday during the
season, but the lodge will
be closed this weekend,
through Sunday, Jan. 9.
“Already short-staffed
this season, Anthony
Lakes has a handful of
employees out due to
COVID,” the ski area
announced in its daily
report Jan. 6. “To pre-
vent further spread and to
keep our staff and com-
munity safe, we feel it is
best to close the lodge.
We plan to reopen again
next weekend, staffing
dependent.”
Anthony Lakes has had
24 inches of new snow this
week, although a passing
warm front raised the tem-
perature to 40 degrees the
morning of Jan. 6. Colder
temperatures are fore-
cast into the weekend.
The resort, in the Elkhorn
Mountains about 44 miles
southeast of La Grande, has
a snow base of 54 inches.
Financing small
business webinar
scheduled for Jan. 11
LA GRANDE — A
webinar on financing
small businesses will be
conducted from 1-2 p.m.
Tuesday, Jan. 11, by the
Eastern Oregon University
Small Business Develop-
ment Center.
Finance sources to be
discussed include banks,
credit unions and loan pro-
grams offered through the
Small Business Adminis-
tration, economic devel-
opment districts, the state
of Oregon and nonprofit
organizations.
There will be a question
and answer session fol-
lowing the webinar.
To register and obtain
the Zoom link for the
webinar email eousbdc@
gmail.com.
Commissioners
shuffle positions
for coming year
ENTERPRISE — It was
largely personnel matters
addressed by the Wallowa
County Board of Commis-
sioners during a meeting
of Wednesday, Jan. 5,
including shuffling of posi-
tions on the board.
Commissioner Susan
Roberts took the gavel
as chairwoman for the
coming year, succeeding
Todd Nash.
Nash’s stepping down as
chairman works out timely
for him, as he now has the
responsibilities of the new
president of the Oregon
Cattlemen’s Association.
“It’s a huge honor to be
able to represent cattlemen
in Oregon,” Nash said. “It
means that I’ll probably be
on the road a bit more the
next couple of years as I
fill out this term.”
— EO Media Group