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About The Observer. (La Grande, Or.) 1968-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 1, 2022)
LOCAL A2 — THE OBSERVER TODAY In 1790, the U.S. Supreme Court convened for the first time in New York. (However, since only three of the six jus- tices were present, the court recessed until the next day.) In 1862, “The Battle Hymn of the Republic,” a poem by Julia Ward Howe, was published in the Atlantic Monthly. In 1865, abolitionist John S. Rock became the first Black lawyer admitted to the bar of the U.S. Supreme Court. In 1943, during World War II, one of America’s most highly decorated military units, the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, made up almost exclu- sively of Japanese-Americans, was authorized. In 1959, men in Switzerland rejected giving women the right to vote by a more than 2-1 referendum margin. (Swiss women gained the right to vote in 1971.) In 1979, Iranian religious leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Kho- meini received a tumultuous welcome in Tehran as he ended nearly 15 years of exile. In 1991, 34 people were killed when an arriving USAir jetliner crashed atop a com- muter plane on a runway at Los Angeles International Airport. In 1994, Jeff Gillooly, Tonya Harding’s ex-husband, pleaded guilty in Portland, Oregon, to racketeering for his part in the attack on figure skater Nancy Kerrigan in exchange for a 24-month sentence (he ended up serving six months) and a $100,000 fine. In 2003, the space shuttle Columbia broke up during re-entry, killing all seven of its crew members: commander Rick Husband; pilot William McCool; payload commander Michael Anderson; mission spe- cialists Kalpana Chawla, David Brown and Laurel Clark; and payload specialist Ilan Ramon, the first Israeli in space. In 2011, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak announced he would not run for a new term in September elections but rejected protesters’ demands he step down immediately and leave the country, after a dramatic day in which a quar- ter-million Egyptians staged their biggest protest to date calling on him to go. In 2016, the World Health Organization declared a global emergency over the explosive spread of the Zika virus, which was linked to birth defects in the Americas, calling it an “extraordinary event” that posed a public health threat to other parts of the world. In 2020, as China’s death toll from the new coronavirus rose to 259, Beijing criticized Wash- ington’s order barring entry to most foreigners who had visited China in the past two weeks. A World Health Organization offi- cial said governments needed to prepare for “domestic out- break control.” Today’s Birthdays: Actor Garrett Morris is 85. Bluegrass singer Del McCoury is 83. TV personality-singer Joy Philbin is 81. Political commentator Fred Barnes is 79. Rock musician Mike Campbell (Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers) is 72. Blues sing- er-musician Sonny Landreth is 71. Actor-writer-producer Bill Mumy is 68. Rock singer Exene Cervenka is 66. Actor Linus Roache is 58. Princess Stephanie of Monaco is 57. Actor Sherilyn Fenn is 57. Lisa Marie Presley is 54. Comedian-actor Pauly Shore is 54. Actor Brian Krause is 53. Jazz musician Joshua Redman is 53. Rock musician Patrick Wilson (Weezer) is 53. Actor Michael C. Hall is 51. LOTTERY Friday, Jan. 28, 2022 Megamillions 3-16-25-44-55 Megaball: 13 Megaplier: 3 Jackpot: $421 million Lucky Lines 3-7-9-15-18-23-26-30 Jackpot: $15,000 Pick 4 1 p.m.: 6-1-9-1 4 p.m.: 4-5-5-3 7 p.m.: 4-4-6-0 10 p.m.: 9-6-8-2 Saturday, Jan. 29, 2022 Powerball 2-15-38-54-65 Powerball: 11 Power Play: 4 Jackpot: $104 million Megabucks 15-33-34-40-42-47 Jackpot: $8.9 million Lucky Lines 4-5-9-15-18-21-26-31 Jackpot: $10,000 Pick 4 1 p.m.: 9-5-2-7 4 p.m.: 7-2-7-0 7 p.m.: 1-0-1-8 10 p.m.: 3-4-0-6 Win for Life 15-26-28-57 Sunday, Jan. 30, 2022 Lucky Lines 4-5-10-15-18-24-26-30 Estimated jackpot: $11,000 Pick 4 1 p.m.: 4-0-1-1 4 p.m.: 5-6-9-8 7 p.m.: 3-3-8-5 10 p.m.: 8-8-7-9 TuESday, FEBRuaRy 1, 2022 LG Council eyes garbage fee increase Waste-Pro asking for 12% boost to pay recycling costs Commissioners to discuss 15-mile trail along railroad By DAVIS CARBAUGH The Observer LA GRANDE — The La Grande City Council is set to meet for its February regular session, meeting virtually on Wednesday, Feb. 2. The February session is the first meeting since the council’s yearly retreat, which was held on Jan. 25. Councilors will consider four items of new business and vote on the approval of regular session minutes from the January meeting. The council will con- sider the approval of an increase in refuse collec- tion fees. Waste-Pro, the city’s waste removal com- pany, is requesting a 12% increase in fees. The company’s memo stated that the increase in fees will go toward increased costs related to the city’s recycling program. La Grande customers with weekly residential pickups would experi- ence their rate increased from $24.35 to $28.40 per month. The rate increase results from a rising price in fuel costs. The council will also consider approving a social games permit appli- cation for Jacob Brown, By DICK MASON The Observer The Observer, File Waste-Pro employee Kilton Joanie clears a path in July 2018 between cardboard and shredded documents in the recycling portion of the facility. The La Grande City Council in February 2022 is considering a request from Waste-Pro, the city’s waste removal company, for a 12% increase in fees. The company’s memo stated that the increase in fees will go toward increased costs related to the city’s recycling program. IF YOU GO The Feb. 2 meeting is set to begin at 6 p.m., with streaming available at the La Grande Alive website and Facebook page. Written com- ments and questions must be submitted by 5 p.m. Feb. 1 to rstrope@cityoflagrande.org. People who want to speak virtually during the meeting’s public comment section can reach out to the same email address for more information. who will conduct the social games at the La Grande Poker room at 511 Fir St. if approved. Brown is requesting approval for three poker tables, which will cost a total of $450 — the store owner has paid the required nonrefund- able fee. Brown has passed the previous background check and met the city’s application require- ments. If approved, the La Grande Police Chief will approve annual per- mits moving forward and revoke the permit if any violations occur. Following the retreat in late January, the council will consider adopting the retreat summary and city manager’s top priorities for the 2022-23 fiscal year. Goals and spending pri- orities were discussed at the retreat, to which the city manager also drafted top fiscal priorities for the upcoming year. The council will vote on approval of the city council retreat summary, which will serve as a guide for the council in the upcoming fiscal year. The last item of new business to be discussed is the appointment of Corey Peeke to the La Grande Arts Commis- sion. The commission has seven spots, but there are currently four vacan- cies. Peeke served on the commission from 2012 through 2018 and sub- mitted an application to be reappointed. Light snow, cold weather in forecast for area By DICK MASON The Observer LA GRANDE — The National Weather Ser- vice is forecasting that La Grande and Enterprise will each receive light amounts of snow on Tuesday, Feb. 1, and Wednesday, Feb. 2. La Grande has a 20% chance of receiving snow after 10 a.m. on Feb. 1, and a 20% chance of receiving daytime snowfall on Feb. 2 between 10 a.m. and 10 p.m. Meteorologists are pro- jecting that Enterprise, on Feb. 1, has a 30% chance of receiving snow between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. and a 20% chance early in the evening. Enterprise, on Feb. 2, has a 20% chance of receiving snow after 11 a.m., according to the National Weather Service. The snow forecasted for the Grande Ronde and Wallowa valleys is not andrew Cutler/The Observer Snow blankets the intersection of Fourth Street and Jefferson Avenue in downtown La Grande early Monday, Jan. 31, 2022. More light snow is expected this week, according to the National Weather Service. expected to be much. “The maximum they will receive will be half an inch,” said Cole Evans, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service office in Pendleton. The weather system bringing in the snow is expected to be relatively dry, leading to the low snow totals. “There is not much moisture in that system,” Evans said. The areas above 4,000 feet in Union and Wallowa counties may receive up to 2 inches of snow on Feb. 1 and Feb. 2, Evans said. Temperatures are pro- jected to remain at freezing or not far above it through Feb. 4. The National Weather Service is forecasting that La Grande will have high temperatures of 31 degrees on Feb. 1, 30 degrees on Feb. 2, 34 degrees on Feb. 3 and 35 degrees on Feb. 4. La Grande’s low tem- peratures are projected to be between 18 and 22 degrees through the end of the week. The weather will be colder in Enterprise where the National Weather Ser- vice is projecting that the high temperatures will be 25 degrees on Feb. 1, 23 degrees on Feb. 2, 29 degrees on Feb. 3 and 32 degrees on Feb. 4. Low temperatures through the week in Enterprise are pro- jected to be between 6 and 14 degrees. Imbler school superintendent candidates down to 3 School board is seeking a successor for Doug Hislop By DICK MASON The Observer IMBLER — The Imbler School Board selected three semifinalists for the position of superintendent at an executive session meeting on Wednesday, Jan. 26. The candidates were selected from a field of six applicants. The selections were made in part based on recommendations from Proposed trail on table for county a 12-member screening committee that had studied the resumes Hislop of the six applicants. “The screening com- mittee did a very good job. It provided excel- lent input,” said Imbler School Board member Ken Patterson. The names of the final- ists have not been released by the Imbler School Board. The board met in executive active session to choose the three semifinal- ists. Executive sessions are closed to the public. The three semifinal- ists will be interviewed by the school board on Feb. 2 in executive session. The interviews will be con- ducted virtually. Following the interviews the school board will select the final- ists for the position. The finalists will appear at a public forum in Imbler on Feb. 10. The place and time of the forum will be announced later. Patterson said the board hopes to be able to hire a new superintendent at its Feb. 15 board meeting. The individual’s first day on the job would be July 1. The individual will succeed Doug Hislop as superintendent. Hislop is completing his 11th year as Imbler superintendent and is in his second stint in the position. Hislop first served as superintendent for 10 years through mid- 2013 when he retired. He began his current stint on July 1, 2021, after being named interim super- intendent when Angie Lakey-Campbell stepped down as superintendent. Lakey-Campbell left after eight years to take a posi- tion as the leader of the Hansen School District in Idaho near Twin Falls. LA GRANDE — A trail for hiking, bicycling and horseback riding that would follow railroad tracks for as many as 15 miles from Elgin to the Lookingglass Creek area may be in north Union County’s future. The city of Elgin has been awarded a state Trans- portation Management Grant of about $130,000 for planning the development of the trail. The grant, funded by the Oregon Department of Transportation and the state’s Department of Land Conservation and Develop- ment, will be discussed by the Union County Board of Commissioners at 9 a.m. Wednesday, Feb. 2. The city of Elgin and the Joseph Branch Trail Consortium, which will be managing the planning work the grant will fund, is seeking the county’s help with at least a small portion of the project. Gregg Kleiner, project coordinator for the Joseph Branch Trail Consortium, said the county’s assistance wouldn’t be much because Elgin and the Joseph Branch Trail Consortium will be using a consultant to do much of the planning work for the trail. Kleiner said the county’s involvement in the project is important because of what the trail could mean to the area. “It would be a great amenity,” he said. Kleiner said that a con- cept plan for the trail project has been in place for years. The planning work the grant will fund will iden- tify any issues involving the trail, including any environ- mental impacts that might have to be addressed if a trail is built. For example, if it is found that the trail would pass through wet- lands, steps would have to be taken to avoid damaging them. Kleiner emphasized that the TGM grant will not pay for any trail construction work. “It is just for planning,” he said. If the county commis- sioners agree to assist, the city of Elgin and the Joseph Branch Trail Consortium will also ask that the hours of service be documented, because the hours of service could be counted as part of a 12% match Elgin must provide for the grant. IF YOU GO The public will not be able to attend the Feb. 2 meeting of the Union County Board of Com- missioners in person because of the COVID-19 pandemic. People will be able to participate in the meeting by phone or a Zoom video conference. To attend the meeting by phone, dial 669- 900-6833 or 253-215-8782. The meeting ID number is 814 2000 6863. To access the Zoom link, go to www.union-county.org/ commissioners/agendamin- utes and click on the meeting’s agenda. Comments, which will be read at the meeting, can be submitted by email to amoore@ union-county.org. All com- ments must be received by 5 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 1. Study shows significant population decrease in Union County By DAVIS CARBAUGH The Observer PORTLAND — The Portland State University Research Center issued its 2021 yearly population esti- mates for Eastern Oregon, revealing a significant decrease in Union County. From July 2020 to July 2021, Union County expe- rienced an estimated 1.62% loss in total population, which was the largest per- centage decrease of any county in Oregon. The esti- mated decrease was coun- tered by an overall min- imal rise in population in all of Eastern Oregon, as the eight counties saw an esti- mated 0.45% increase in population. The university’s research department found that Oregon as a whole saw an increase of 0.54% during the measured time frame. The estimated increase of 22,769 brought the state’s total population to 4,266,560 — Oregon is the 27th most populous state in the United States. As a whole, Union County was estimated to have lost 434 residents. The county’s population dropped from 26,295 to 26,729. Union County is the 23rd most populous county in Oregon, but its percentage of decrease was the largest drop in the one-year period. Wallowa County saw an estimated increase of 32 residents, for a 0.43% increase. This ranked as the 22nd largest increase out of the 36 Oregon counties. Morrow County had the largest increase in popula- tion percentage, increasing by 3.42%. Crook (2.48%) and Gilliam (2.21%) coun- ties were the next highest growth rates among coun- ties in Oregon. Baker County saw an increase of 139 residents (0.83%) and Umatilla County drew in an estimated 294 residents (0.37%). Only six counties experi- enced a decrease in popula- tion from July 2020 to July 2021. Grant County was the only other Eastern Oregon county with a decrease in residents, with 13 fewer people for a 0.18% drop. The PSU center noted that Eastern Oregon’s growth was below average in 2021, which is reflected in a sig- nificant decrease in Union County and minimal changes in surrounding areas.