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February 17, 2022
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THURSDAY EDITION
DISCOVER WHAT’S HAPPENING WITH
‘Deervid’
not yet
a concern
in Oregon
COVID-19 found in
Midwest white-tailed
deer populations
By ALEX WITTWER
EO Media Group
LA GRANDE — The
presence of COVID-19
among the white-tailed
deer population in Oregon
isn’t known, according to
offi cials with the Oregon
Department of Fish and
Wildlife, and it’s unlikely
to be a concern.
Reports of infections
running rampant in the
Midwest’s white-tailed
deer population spurred
numerous news outlets to
pen articles extolling the
dangers of a COVID-19
reservoir in the wild-
life population. The pres-
ence of COVID-19 in deer
has been detected in 15
states, including Iowa,
Michigan, Illinois and
New York, according to
the US Department of
Agriculture.
Oregon offi cials aren’t
too concerned however,
and said the probability
of infection among the
hoofed ruminant popula-
tion was low, and lower
still was the chance
the deer could reinfect
humans.
“It’s a low probability,”
said Colin Gillin, state
wildlife veterinarian for
ODFW. “It’s not been
shown that it’s a threat to
Oregonians.”
Gillin said that due to
the relatively low popula-
tion of white-tailed deer in
Oregon, as well as the lack
of petting zoos, research
facilities or farms meant
that human-to-deer con-
tact is remote.
In fact, most interac-
tions between Oregonians
and white-tailed deer gen-
erally involve fi rearms.
If there’s a concern
among hunters, Gillin
said, proper sanitation,
vaccinations and mask
wearing can mitigate
the risk of exposure of
See, Deervid/Page A7
Alex Wittwer/EO Media Group
Gust Tsiatsos, owner of The Local in downtown La Grande, works on improvements to the coff ee and ice cream cafe on Tuesday, Feb. 15, 2022.
PROJECT
SPENDING
La Grande Urban Renewal
Agency’s fi scal year report
reveals details of fi ve local
renovation projects
By DAVIS CARBAUGH • The Observer
L
A GRANDE — The La Grande Urban
Renewal Agency recently released its annual
fiscal year report, covering spending from
July 2020 through June 2021.
The report detailed the
agency’s spending as well as
fi ve projects that were under-
taken in the downtown area.
Founded in 1999, the Urban
Renewal Agency has $9,407,121
remaining indebtedness out
of its original $21,992,525
allocation.
“In terms of the 2021
year, that was completely a
COVID-impacted year for eco-
nomic development and the
agency,” La Grande City Man-
ager Robert Strope said.
The Urban Renewal area
encompasses 526 acres in La
Grande, which is roughly 20%
of the city’s acreage. According
to the 2020-21 fi scal report,
the Urban Renewal area’s
frozen base assessed value
was $112,609,450 — the total
assessed value was measured at
$169,054,932.
The agency operates with
the goals of revitalizing down-
town, creating high-quality
family-wage jobs, and sup-
porting retail development,
housing, transportation and
community facilities.
Throughout the last fi scal
year, the agency received
$1,044,426 in tax revenues, with
total revenues of $1,602,491.
The agency’s expenditures were
$632,126 for the general fund
and $251,243 for the debt fund.
The agency’s estimated tax
revenues in the past fi scal year
were $1,148,000. The budget
Alex Wittwer/EO Media Group
Fernando Villagomez, a bartender at Raul’s Cantina, pours a drink for guests
on Tuesday, Feb. 15, 2022. The cantina, which expanded Raul’s Taqueria on
Adams Avenue, is one of several projects that benefi tted from the La Grande
Urban Renewal Agency.
included $1,803,014 in reve-
nues for the general fund and
$2,058,730 in requirements for
the debt fund.
The 2020-21 report showed
contributions to fi ve local
establishments, an increase
from previous years. The
agency contributed a combined
$250,000 to projects at Raul’s
Taqueria, the Slate Building,
Hines Meat Co., The Local and
The Copy Club.
“We actually did reward the
See, Renewal/Page A7
Lostine woman found guilty of elder abuse
Betsy Lathrop convicted of taking father’s resources
By BILL BRADSHAW
Wallowa County Chieftain
ENTERPRISE — A Lostine
woman accused of multiple charges
of criminal mistreatment and iden-
tity theft involving her father was
convicted Wednesday, Feb. 9, in
Wallowa County Circuit Court in
Enterprise on four of the 28 counts
in the original indictment.
Betsy Jo Ann Lathrop, 55, was
accused of 20 counts of fi rst-degree
criminal mistreatment in the fi rst
degree, a Class C felony, alleged to
have taken place between Nov. 21,
WEATHER
INDEX
Business ........B1
Classified ......B2
Comics ...........B5
Crossword ....B2
Dear Abby ....B6
Horoscope ....B4
Lottery ...........A2
Obituaries .....A5
SATURDAY
Opinion .........A4
Spiritual ........A6
Sports ............A7
Sudoku ..........B5
YELLOW PERCH ON ICE
2014, and July 8, 2016, in violation
of her legal duty to provide care for
an elderly person, her father, Robert
“Wayne” Lathrop, according to
court records. The elder Lathrop
died in December 2018. Betsy
Lathrop was not his legal guardian,
but she did have power of attorney
for him, her attorney said.
The jury trial was before Senior
Judge John Collins out of Yam-
Full forecast on the back of B section
Tonight
Friday
26 LOW
49/32
Partly cloudy
Mostly sunny
hill County. He will preside over
sentencing at 2 p.m. Feb. 22 in
Enterprise.
La Grande attorney Jim
Schaeff er, who was appointed
by the court as Lathrop’s public
defender, said on Feb. 14 he expects
she will appeal the convictions and
any sentence as well.
See, Abuse/Page A7
CONTACT US
541-963-3161
Issue 21
3 sections, 32 pages
La Grande, Oregon
Online at lagrandeobserver.com
Email story ideas
to news@lagrande
observer.com.
More contact info
on Page A4.