LOCAL
A2 — THE OBSERVER
THuRSday, FEBRuaRy 17, 2022
TODAY
In 1815, the United States
and Britain exchanged the
instruments of ratification for
the Treaty of Ghent, ending the
War of 1812.
In 1863, the International Red
Cross was founded in Geneva.
In 1864, during the Civil War,
the Union ship USS Housa-
tonic was rammed and sunk in
Charleston Harbor, South Caro-
lina, by the Confederate hand-
cranked submarine HL Hunley
in the first naval attack of its
kind; the Hunley also sank.
In 1897, the forerunner of the
National PTA, the National Con-
gress of Mothers, convened its
first meeting in Washington.
In 1944, during World War II,
U.S. forces invaded Eniwetok
Atoll, encountering little initial
resistance from Imperial Jap-
anese troops. (The Americans
secured the atoll less than a
week later.)
In 1959, the United States
launched Vanguard 2, a satel-
lite that carried meteorological
equipment.
In 1964, the Supreme Court,
in Wesberry v. Sanders, ruled
that congressional districts
within each state had to be
roughly equal in population.
In 1972, President Richard
M. Nixon departed the White
House with his wife, Pat, on a
historic trip to China.
In 1988, Lt. Col. William Hig-
gins, a Marine Corps officer
serving with a United Nations
truce monitoring group, was
kidnapped in southern Leb-
anon by Iranian-backed terror-
ists (he was later slain by his
captors).
In 1995, Colin Ferguson
was convicted of six counts of
murder in the December 1993
Long Island Rail Road shoot-
ings (he was later sentenced
to a minimum of 200 years in
prison).
In 2014, Jimmy Fallon made
his debut as host of NBC’s
“Tonight Show.”
In 2015, Vice President
Joe Biden opened a White
House summit on countering
extremism and radicaliza-
tion, saying the United States
needed to ensure that immi-
grants were fully included in the
fabric of American society to
prevent violent ideologies from
taking root at home.
Today’s Birthdays: Actor-co-
median Barry Humphries (aka
“Dame Edna”) is 88. Actor
Christina Pickles is 87. Football
Hall of Famer Jim Brown is 86.
Actor Brenda Fricker is 77. Actor
Becky Ann Baker is 69. Actor
Rene Russo is 68. Actor Richard
Karn is 66. Actor Lou Diamond
Phillips is 60. Basketball Hall
of Famer Michael Jordan is
59. Actor-comedian Larry, the
Cable Guy is 59. TV personality
Rene Syler is 59. Movie director
Michael Bay is 58. Singer Chante
Moore is 55. Rock musician
Timothy J. Mahoney (311) is
52. Actor Dominic Purcell is 52.
Olympic gold and silver medal
skier Tommy Moe is 52. Actor
Denise Richards is 51. Rock sing-
er-musician Billie Joe Armstrong
(Green Day) is 50. Rock musician
Taylor Hawkins (Foo Fighters)
is 50. Actor Jerry O’Connell is
48. Country singer Bryan White
is 48. Actor Kelly Carlson is 46.
Actor Ashton Holmes is 44.
Actor Conrad Ricamora is 43.
Actor Jason Ritter is 42. TV per-
sonality Paris Hilton is 41. Actor
Joseph Gordon-Levitt is 41. TV
host Daphne Oz is 36. Actor
Chord Overstreet is 33. Sing-
er-songwriter Ed Sheeran is 31.
Actor Meaghan Martin is 30.
Actor Sasha Pieterse is 26.
Imbler names
new school
superintendent
Randy Waite signed
two-year contract with
the Imbler School
District
By DICK MASON
The Observer
alex Wittwer/EO Media Group
A Life Flight Network helicopter lands at Grande Ronde Hospital on Wednesday, Jan. 26, 2022. The La Grande-based medical facility
in February was named one of the top-100 Critical Access Hospitals in the nation by the Chartis Center for Rural Health for the sec-
ond year in a row and the sixth time since 2011.
Grande Ronde Hospital is
nationally recognized again
Hospital among the top-100 Critical
Access Hospitals in the nation
By DICK MASON
The Observer
LA GRANDE —
Grande Ronde Hospital
is in the national health
spotlight again.
The La Grande-based
medical facility has been
named one of the top-100
Critical Access Hospi-
tals in the nation by the
Chartis Center for Rural
Health for the second
year in a row and the
sixth time since 2011.
Only two other of
Oregon’s 25 Critical
Access Hospitals in the
nation made the 2022
list. There are only 1,353
CAHs in the nation,
which places the hospital
in the top 7.4% of perfor-
mance when compared to
peers across the country,
according to a GRH
press release.
The Chartis Center
for Rural Health creates
its list of outstanding
Critical Access Hospi-
tals based on the results
of the Hospital Strength
INDEX, which uses a
set of criteria to eval-
uate rural health care
centers throughout the
United States including
hospitals.
GRH was also rated as
a top-10 Critical Access
Hospital in 2011, 2015,
2016 2017 and 2021.
Jeremy Davis, GRH’s
CEO and president since
2018, said the news of the
hospital’s high standing
is encouraging in light of
the challenges the hos-
pital has faced because of
COVID-19 over the past
two years.
“We celebrate this
encouraging news, as it
comes at a time when
our entire community
needs some encourage-
ment,” he said. “While
I am extremely proud of
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recognition is richly
deserved.
“Grande Ronde Hos-
pital is a critical link to
emergency health care.
Our job would be a lot
harder without them,”
he said. “I am happy to
have Grande Ronde Hos-
pital here. I am glad that
it is being recognized.”
City of La Grande’s
manager Robert
Strope echoed Barry’s
sentiments.
“When you receive
that type of recognition,
it is a testament to a tre-
mendous staff,” he said.
Strope praised the
hospital for continuing
to provide excellent
health care in the face
of challenges posed by
COVID-19. He said the
award should not come
as a surprise to many
people here.
“Anytime you are
nationally recognized
for excellence it affirms
what people in the com-
munity already know,”
he said.
COVID-19 cases continue to decline
La Grande School District reports 60 missed school last week due to virus
By DICK MASON
The Observer
LA GRANDE — The
La Grande School District’s
COVID-19 numbers continue to
decline.
The school district’s latest
weekly statistics show that 60 stu-
dents and three staff members
missed school during the week
of Feb. 7-11 because of positive
COVID-19 tests, COVID-19 symp-
toms or close contact with those
who have COVID-19.
The new student figures are
down from the week of Jan. 31-Feb.
4 when 71 students and three
staff members were absent from
school due to COVID-19. They
are down even more significantly
from the week of Jan. 18-21 when
153 students missed school due to
COVID-19.
The school district’s Feb. 7-11
statistics indicate that two staff
members — one each from Central
and Island City elementary schools
— were absent due to positive
COVID-19 tests.
The same set of statistics indi-
cate that 22 students missed school
because of positive COVID-19
tests, a decline of eight from the
previous week, with 12 from La
Grande High School, five from
Central, four from La Grande
Middle School and one from
Greenwood Elementary School.
A total of 40 students missed
school Feb. 7-11 because of close
contact with someone who was
COVID-19 positive, with 11 from
Greenwood, nine each from Central
and Island City, eight from the high
school and three from the middle
school. One staff member, an indi-
vidual who works at the high school,
was out due to a close contact.
The La Grande School District’s
statistics for Feb. 7-11 also indi-
cated that three students had close
contracts but were able to stay in
school under the state’s test-to-stay
program, because they tested nega-
tive for COVID-19 or because they
were fully vaccinated. All three
of the students were from Central.
The total was down 17 from the
week of Jan. 31-Feb. 4.
Bike playground fundraising reaches halfway mark
By BILL BRADSHAW
LOTTERY
this honor and what the
achievement means for
us as an organization, I
have also realized that it
feels much more personal
this time. And I am hum-
bled by it. We thought
2020 was tough, but 2021
has been an incredibly
difficult year for all of
us. To maintain the supe-
rior level of performance
necessary to achieve
this honor is a testament
to the resolve, strength,
courage and resiliency
of our staff under severe
pressure and hardship.”
Michael Topchik,
national leader of the
Chartis Center for Rural
Health, speaks highly
of the job hospitals like
GRH are doing.
“Despite unprece-
dented adversity rural
providers continue to
display resiliency and a
steadfast commitment to
their communities,” he
said.
Mike Barry, chief of
the Imbler Rural Fire
Department, said the
Wallowa County Chieftain
WALLOWA — The supporters
of the Wallowa Bicycle Play-
ground project have about half of
their funding committed and are
working on a variety of fundraisers
to acquire the rest, said chief propo-
nent Ron Pickens.
“We’ve got a lot of great forward
momentum,” he said.
Pickens, a prevention coor-
dinator at the alternative school
with Building Healthy Families in
Enterprise, spearheaded last year’s
project to refurbish the Enterprise
Skate Park. Since then, he became
interested in seeing a similar project
built in Wallowa, where he lives.
The project is expected to
accommodate bikes, scooters, roller
blades and skateboards in a colorful
space that kids can play in, Pickens
said.
He approached the Wallowa City
Council and received its support —
and a donation of $1,000 — Nov.
16, 2021.
The playground is planned
for a site owned by the Wallowa
School District and he has received
approval from the district and sup-
port from the city.
The project is budgeted for about
$200,000, Pickens said. He is now
working on several projects to raise
money for the bike playground,
most of which include raffles.
• Two bicycles have been
donated by a local individual who
purchased them in La Grande —
a Trek 820 and a Precaliber 20.
Raffle tickets for the bikes cost $3
for one, $5 for two or $10 for four.
The drawing for the bicycles will be
held in April.
• A raffle for a plane ride to the
Minam River Lodge for a breakfast
for two goes for $25 per ticket. That
drawing will be May 4.
• A Traeger barbecue that was
donated by Ace Hardware in Enter-
prise also is up for a raffle. Those
raffle tickets cost $3 for one, $5 for
two or $10 for four. The drawing
will be March 17.
• Sales of caps with “Wallowa
Bicycle Playground Project” and
the project’s logo emblazoned on it
go for $20. The logo was designed
by students at Wallowa and at the
alternative school and also will
appear on sweatshirts and a sign at
the park.
Pickens said the plan is to have
students do the actual drawing in
the raffles.
Donations to support the project
or to purchase raffle tickets can
be made by contacting Pickens at
Building Healthy Families at 541-
426-9411 or rpickens@oregonbhf.
org.
Pickens said that beginning
in early March, he plans to start
working with youths in Wallowa on
more fundraisers.
He said he hopes to see the
playground opened by the end of
August.
“Our game plan is to continue
to receive donations up until the
park opens, but we hope to have all
of it secured by mid-May,” he said.
“We’ve got great traction, but still
we’ve got to make some headway.”
IMBLER — The imme-
diate future of the Imbler
School District is now in sharp,
high-definition focus.
The Imbler School Board on
Tuesday, Feb. 15, voted unan-
imously to approve the hiring
of RanDel “Randy’’ Waite as
its next superintendent. Waite,
who has deep Northeastern
Oregon roots, is completing his
second year as assistant prin-
cipal at Phoenix High School
in Phoenix, 5 miles southeast
of Medford.
“We are excited to have
Randy join the district after
an exhaustive search process,”
said Imbler School Board
member Ken Patterson.
Waite was one of two final-
ists for the position along with
Louise “Lou’’ Lyon, super-
intendent of the Burnt River
School District in Baker
County.
Patterson said
the board had two
strong finalists to
choose from.
“If we had gone
to our second pick
we would have
Waite
been in a good
position too,” he said.
Waite, who has signed a two-
year contract with the Imbler
School District, grew up in
Pendleton and is an Eastern
Oregon University graduate, He
taught at La Grande High School
for three years two decades ago.
He spoke with a sense of
humility about his selection
after the board’s vote.
“It will be a challenge. I
hope that I fit in,” he said.
The educator said he has
long wanted to work in the
Imbler School District.
“It has a great reputation,”
he said.
Waite’s experience as an
educator also includes four
years as a teacher at Weston-
McEwen High School, nine
years at Ontario High School,
one year at Roseburg High
School, four years at Ridgeway
High School in Ridgeway,
Idaho, and three years at Crater
High School.
Waite has worked as an edu-
cator for 28 years, the first 22
years as a teacher and the past
six as an administrator.
He has also been a head high
school football coach for a total
of 20 years. His gridiron expe-
rience includes two years as
La Grande High Schoo’s head
coach, in 2001 and 2002.
The educator, who will also
serve as principal of Imbler
Elementary School, said that
coming to the Grande Ronde
Valley will feel like a home-
coming of sorts, especially
because his parents live in
Island City.
Working in education runs
in Waite’s blood. His wife,
Traci, is a first grade teacher
and his brother, Rob, is super-
intendent of the Shoshone
School District in Shoshone,
Idaho.
Waite will begin his new
duties as Imbler superintendent
and principal on Friday, July
1. He was named following a
selection process that included
a new twist — student-led
tours of the high school and
grade school.
The tours for the two final-
ists were conducted during a
school day by the student body
president and vice president
of each school. The students
gave input about the candidates
to school board members fol-
lowing the tours.
“I thought they did a great
job and it was fun for the kids,”
Waite said.
Waite will succeed interim
school district superintendent
Doug Hislop, who has served
as interim superintendent
since July 1, 2021, after Angie
Lakey-Campbell resigned to
take a position with the Hansen
School District near Twin
Falls, Idaho. Hislop previously
served as the Imbler School
District’s superintendent for 10
years.