LOCAL
A2 — THE OBSERVER
TODAY
In 1762, New York held its first
St. Patrick’s Day parade.
In 1776, the Revolutionary War
Siege of Boston ended as British
forces evacuated the city.
In 1905, Anna Eleanor Roosevelt
married Franklin Delano Roosevelt
in New York.
In 1941, the National Gallery of
Art opened in Washington, D.C.
In 1942, six days after departing
the Philippines during World War
II, Gen. Douglas MacArthur arrived
in Australia to become supreme
commander of Allied forces in the
southwest Pacific theater.
In 1950, scientists at the Uni-
versity of California at Berkeley
announced they had created
a new radioactive element,
“californium.”
In 1966, a U.S. Navy midget sub-
marine located a missing hydrogen
bomb that had fallen from a U.S.
Air Force B-52 bomber into the
Mediterranean off Spain. (It took
several more weeks to actually
recover the bomb.)
In 1970, the United States cast
its first veto in the U.N. Security
Council, killing a resolution that
would have condemned Britain for
failing to use force to overthrow
the white-ruled government of
Rhodesia.
In 2003, edging to the brink of
war, President George W. Bush
gave Saddam Hussein 48 hours
to leave his country. Iraq rejected
Bush’s ultimatum, saying that a
U.S. attack to force Saddam from
power would be “a grave mistake.”
In 2010, Michael Jordan became
the first ex-player to become a
majority owner in the NBA as the
league’s Board of Governors unan-
imously approved Jordan’s $275
million bid to buy the Charlotte
Bobcats from Bob Johnson.
In 2016, finally bowing to years
of public pressure, SeaWorld Enter-
tainment said it would no longer
breed killer whales or make them
perform crowd-pleasing tricks.
In 2020, the Kentucky Derby and
the French Open were each post-
poned from May to September
because of the coronavirus.
Ten years ago: Twin suicide car
bombings killed at least 27 people
near intelligence and security
buildings in the Syrian capital of
Damascus.
Five years ago: President
Donald Trump and German Chan-
cellor Angela Merkel tried to side-
step their differences in a meeting
at the White House, but their first
public appearance was punctu-
ated by some awkward moments
(during a photo op in the Oval
Office, the two did not shake hands
before reporters).
One year ago: In an unclassi-
fied intelligence report, U.S. offi-
cials warned that violent extremists
motivated by political grievances
and racial biases posed an “elevated
threat” to the United States. Presi-
dent Joe Biden told ABC that sena-
tors who wanted to oppose his leg-
islative agenda through a filibuster
should have to actually stand and
talk for hours, rather than simply
signaling their objection.
Today’s Birthdays: The former
national chairwoman of the
NAACP, Myrlie Evers-Williams, is 89.
Former astronaut Ken Mattingly is
86. Singer-songwriter John Sebas-
tian (The Lovin’ Spoonful) is 78.
Former NSA Director and former
CIA Director Michael Hayden is 77.
Rock musician Harold Brown (War;
Lowrider Band) is 76. Actor Patrick
Duffy is 73. Actor Kurt Russell is 71.
Country singer Susie Allanson is
70. Actor Lesley-Anne Down is 68.
Actor Mark Boone Jr. is 67. Country
singer Paul Overstreet is 67. Actor
Gary Sinise is 67. Actor Christian
Clemenson is 64. Former basket-
ball and baseball player Danny
Ainge is 63. Actor Vicki Lewis is
62. Writer-director Rob Sitch is 60.
Actor Rob Lowe is 58. Rock singer
Billy Corgan is 55. Rock musician
Van Conner (Screaming Trees)
is 55. Actor Mathew St. Patrick is
54. Olympic gold medal soccer
player Mia Hamm is 50. Rock musi-
cian Caroline Corr (The Corrs) is
49. Actor Marisa Coughlan is 48.
Actor Natalie Zea (zee) is 47. Sports
reporter Tracy Wolfson is 47. Actor
Brittany Daniel is 46. Reggaeton
singer Nicky Jam is 41. TV person-
ality Rob Kardashian (TV: “Keeping
Up With the Kardashians”) is 35.
Actor Eliza Hope Bennett is 30.
Actor John Boyega is 30. Olympic
gold medal swimmer Katie
Ledecky is 25. Actor Flynn Mor-
rison is 17.
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THuRSday, MaRcH 17, 2022
Lostine woman receives sentence Merkley:
Betsy Lathrop charged with criminal mistreatment, identity theft
By BILL BRADSHAW
Wallowa County Chieftain
ENTERPRISE — Betsy
Lathrop, charged with
criminal mistreatment of
an elderly person and iden-
tity theft, was sentenced
Friday, March 11, in Wal-
lowa County Circuit Court,
to 36 months probation,
ordered to pay $33,252.22
in restitution and to serve
70 days in jail with credit
for 30 days already served.
The Lostine woman,
55, appeared before Senior
Judge John L. Collins, of
Yamhill County, in a vir-
tual hearing. Collins also
recommended — but
Bill Bradshaw/Wallowa County Chieftain
did not order — a sub-
stance abuse evaluation of Betsy Lathrop, left, addresses Judge John Collins during her sentencing Friday, March 11, 2022, at the
Lathrop, given allegations Wallowa County Courthouse. Her attorney, James Schaeffer, sits at right. Lathrop was charged with
of past incidents involving criminal mistreatment and identity theft.
such abuse. Extra fines and
tively without any precon-
court costs were waived.
ceived opinions,” Wecks
She will be allowed time
said. “What I heard from
off for good behavior, as
the prosecution witnesses
her attorney requested.
as well as the defense was
Collins was the judge
that Mr. Wayne Lathrop
who presided during her
was in poor condition and
trial on multiple charges
he’d call Betsy and have
of criminal mistreatment
her come. There were var-
and identity theft involving
ious testimonies of his
her father, Robert “Wayne”
improved hygiene, nutri-
Lathrop. She was con-
victed Feb. 9 on four of the
tion, demeanor and no
28 counts in the original
complaints from commu-
nity members about the
indictment.
care or that Mr. Wayne
Her court-appointed
Lathrop had complained
public defender, La Grande
Kathleen Wecks/Contributed Photo about the care.”
attorney Jim Schaeffer,
Wayne Lathrop, left, and his daughter Betsy Lathrop pose for a
Another of Betsy
said after the sentencing
photo at his birthday celebration on July 7, 2016. Betsy Lathrop was Lathrop’s siblings, Jack
that Lathrop will appeal
convicted of four counts of criminal mistreatment of her father and Lathrop, joined his brother
both the convictions and
sentenced Friday, March 11, 2022.
in denying the quality of
the sentence.
care that Betsy gave their
tian Stringer — and the
The charges
father. He said he had to
and a washer and dryer in
Betsy Lathrop was
defense had witnesses to
“file for guardianship to
her Lostine home and the
accused of 20 counts of
get Betsy out of there.”
appropriation of money for support their cases.
first-degree criminal mis-
For the prosecution,
He said it appeared she
expenses she said was for
treatment and eight counts
Betsy’s brother, Nick
was operating the house
her father’s benefit.
of identity theft, all Class
Lathrop, recounted what he she shared with him “as a
During the sentencing,
C felonies, alleged to have
believed were wrongs she
boarding house for Betsy
Betsy Lathrop asked Col-
lins for some leniency, pri- had done to their father.
taken place between Nov.
and her friends.”
marily because of her poor
21, 2014, and July 8, 2016,
“I will not ever forgive
Jack Lathrop said drug
health, in reporting to jail.
in violation of her legal
her for what she did to our
paraphernalia was found in
She is to serve the 40 days
duty to provide care for an
dad for two years and how
rooms Betsy’s friends were
elderly person — her father at the Umatilla County Jail, she treated him,” Nick
using.
Pendleton. Collins allowed Lathrop said.
— according to court
In her statement to the
records. The elder Lathrop her to wait until 5 p.m.
Speaking on Betsy
court, Betsy Lathrop said
March 21 to report to the
died in December 2018.
Lathrop’s behalf, Kath-
family relationships were
leen Wecks, who had
jail. He also allowed her
Betsy Lathrop was not his
far from the best.
submitted a letter to the
to have medical furloughs
legal guardian, but did she
“The closest thing
court, explained how she
for doctor’s appointments
have power of attorney for
my father and I had was
had only known Lathrop
while in jail.
him, her attorney said.
our relationship, because
since 2017 and had a lim-
The charges on which
attempts to have relation-
ships with other parts of
ited knowledge of the
For and against
Lathrop was convicted
Both the prosecution — situation.
the family dwindled,” she
involved the purchase and
headed March 11 by Chris-
“I came in pretty objec- told the judge.
installation of flooring
Car club promotes shared interest in vehicles
Eastern Oregon Car
Club celebrating
one-year
anniversary
By DAVIS CARBAUGH
The Observer
LA GRANDE — A
local club is aiming to
bring together car enthusi-
asts of all ages.
The Eastern Oregon Car
Club is celebrating its one-
year anniversary, drawing
in local car owners with a
mutual love for cars of all
kinds. The club is set to
celebrate its one-year anni-
versary with a car show
at Riverside Park Sunday,
March 20, from noon to
4 p.m.
“Our whole goal is to
have a wide range to make
everyone feel welcome,”
said Selena Giambitti, a
co-founder of the Eastern
Selena Giambitti/Contributed Photo
Members of the Eastern Oregon Car Club gather around their ve-
hicles on a sunny day in 2021. The club, which welcomes a wide
range of car enthusiasts, is set to celebrate its first anniversary with
a public car show on the afternoon of Sunday, March 20, 2022, at
Riverside Park, La Grande.
Oregon Car Club. “Even if
maybe you’re not interested
in cars at first, we definitely
have a place for you to be
there and hang out.”
Giambitti and Kyle
Micovich started the club
after purchasing a C5 Cor-
vette and looking to get
like-minded individuals
involved. The club cur-
rently has about 20 regular
attendees and a Facebook
group with more than 400
car enthusiasts.
The group meets
weekly, getting together for
coffee and going on cruises
around the area. The club
has no restrictions on
joining, with its members
owning a variety of auto-
mobiles from sports cars to
repair jobs.
In hosting gatherings
centered around a passion
for cars, the group’s orga-
nizers noted that the age
range of those involved
shows that anyone can
share an interest.
“One of the coolest
things is seeing kids who
are just starting to drive
being able to relate to
someone that’s maybe 70
or 80,” Giambitti said.
The club’s car show at
Riverside Park is open to
the public. Cars on display
will be judged in catego-
ries such as best exhaust,
best sound system and best
beater with a heater.
“It’s something for
the community to do,
bringing like-minded
people together to enjoy
mutual interests,” Giam-
bitti said. “You don’t
have to have a cool car to
come. We just all enjoy
getting together.”
NEWS BRIEFS
Marissa Lane chosen to be
OTEC Youth Tour delegate
more than 1,500 other students from
across the United States.
On the June trip Lane will join
LA GRANDE — Marissa
fellow Northeast Oregon
Lane, a La Grande High
OTEC 2022 Youth Tour del-
egates Tayleur Baker, of
School junior, will be
Crane Union High School,
heading to Washington,
Harney County; Isabella
D.C., in June.
Beckner, of Eagle Cap Inno-
Lane is one of four high
vation High School, Baker
school juniors in Union,
City, Baker County; and
Baker and Harney counties
Lane
Makenzie Flanagan, of Baker
who have been selected to
High School, Baker County.
attend an all-expense-paid
The four juniors were selected
trip to the nation’s capital.
Lane will be one of Oregon Trail on the basis of their community
involvement, leadership skills and
Electric Cooperative’s Youth Tour
submitted essays.
delegates, representing Oregon and
“Youth Tour delegates come
the Northwest in a week-long trip
back energized with a broader
as part of the 2022 Electric Coop-
erative Youth Tour. OTEC’s 2022
understanding of their government,
Youth Tour delegates will be among the nation’s history and the electric
cooperative way of life and busi-
ness model,” said Joe Hathaway,
communications manager at
OTEC. “Sponsoring students to
attend the Youth Tour each year is
an investment in the future leaders
of Eastern Oregon.”
Over the course of the tour,
OTEC’s delegates will visit famous
historical sites, meet with Ore-
gon’s congressional leaders and
learn valuable leadership skills.
The students will also create pod-
casts and digital photo projects as
they learn about electric coopera-
tives and current issues in energy
and climate change legislation
that face their communities and
our nation, according to an OTEC
press release.
— The Observer
Russia’s
actions in
Ukraine
‘horrific’
Senator discusses
invasion, energy,
forest health during
virtual town hall
By RONALD BOND
Wallowa County Chieftain
ENTERPRISE — The
crisis between Ukraine and
Russia is providing an oppor-
tunity to move the world fur-
ther away from fossil-fuel
dependence.
That was one of the take-
aways shared by U.S. Sen.
Jeff Merkley during a Wal-
lowa County virtual town
hall Tuesday, March 8.
Merkley briefly touched
on the war, and called the
actions by Russia “horrific.”
When asked about the
opportunity the conflict has
given to move away from for-
eign oil — and fossil fuels in
general — Merkley said there
is a real incentive to make
that move.
“For 50 years presidents
(of) both parties have said
we’re going to
end our depen-
dence on for-
eign oil, we’re
going to transi-
tion away from
fossil fuels,
but in the early
Merkley
period of that
50 years we didn’t have the
climate effect, and renew-
ables weren’t inexpensive,”
he said. “There’s already a
huge reason, but you throw
in this situation that you see
producers like Russia using
their leverage with fossil fuels
to attempt to kind of (keep)
Europe from not supporting
Ukraine.… The biggest way
to take away the leverage is
to reduce the world demand
for oil and gas. A lot can be
done.”
The senator spoke of the
benefits of solar energy, and
said efforts need to be made
to improve charging stations
for electric vehicles across the
state. He also said costs are
cheaper for renewable energy,
and that electrifying more of
the planet will be a benefit. He
even cited Wallowa County as
being a solar leader.
“The big picture, if we
simplify this — it’s basically
electrify everything with
renewable energy,” he said.
“If we do that, we will cut our
costs, undermine the Russias
and Irans of the world, and
save our planet.”
The senator also addressed
questions about recycling,
forest health and the rural
community getting federal
support.
On recycling, Merkley
touted his Break Free of
Plastic Pollution Act and
referred to the concerns
brought about by microplas-
tics in the air and in food.
“Right now we’re eating
(and breathing) the equivalent
of one credit card of plastic a
week,” he said. “Who wants
to eat plastic? Microplastics
are a problem.”
On forest health, he talked
about what he saw from the
Labor Day wildfires in 2020
and said there needs to be col-
laborative efforts to improve
forest health — and he said
that does include having
some logging in place.
“I am working and have
succeeded in getting a lot
more funds for forest health.
What that means is a strategy
of thinning in places where it
increases fire resilience, and
when you get that win-win
you get jobs in the woods,
jobs in the trucks, you get
saw logs for the mills, and
you get a forest that is more
fire resilient,” he said.
He also said the recently
passed infrastructure bill pro-
vides much-needed finan-
cial dollars for rural develop-
ment, especially in the areas
of transportation, broadband
and water projects.
“We did get a tremendous
amount of funding that we
never have had in this infra-
structure bill,” he said.