LOCAL
A2 — THE OBSERVER
SaTuRday, MaRcH 26, 2022
TODAY
IN BRIEF
In 1812, an earthquake devas-
tated Caracas, Venezuela, causing
an estimated 26,000 deaths,
according to the U.S. Geological
Survey.
In 1827, composer Ludwig van
Beethoven died in Vienna.
In 1945, during World War II,
Iwo Jima was fully secured by U.S.
forces following a final, desperate
attack by Japanese soldiers.
In 1962, the U.S. Supreme Court,
in Baker v. Carr, gave federal courts
the power to order reapportion-
ment of states’ legislative districts.
In 1973, the soap opera “The
Young and the Restless” premiered
on CBS-TV.
In 1979, a peace treaty was
signed by Israeli Prime Minister
Menachem Begin and Egyptian
President Anwar Sadat and wit-
nessed by President Jimmy Carter
at the White House.
In 1982, groundbreaking cere-
monies took place in Washington,
D.C., for the Vietnam Veterans
Memorial.
In 1988, Jesse Jackson stunned
fellow Democrats by soundly
defeating Michael S. Dukakis in
Michigan’s Democratic presiden-
tial caucuses.
In 1992, a judge in Indianapolis
sentenced former heavyweight
boxing champion Mike Tyson to
six years in prison for raping a Miss
Black America contestant. (Tyson
ended up serving three years.)
In 1997, the bodies of 39 mem-
bers of the Heaven’s Gate tech-
no-religious cult who committed
suicide were found inside a rented
mansion in Rancho Santa Fe,
California.
In 2014, Osama bin Laden’s son-
in-law, Sulaiman Abu Ghaith, was
convicted in New York for his role
as al-Qaida’s fiery chief spokesman
after 9/11. (He was later sentenced
to life in prison.)
In 2020, the U.S. surpassed offi-
cial Chinese government num-
bers to become the country with
the most reported coronavirus
infections.
Ten years ago: As demonstra-
tions swirled outside, Supreme
Court justices began hearing argu-
ments on challenges to President
Barack Obama’s historic health
care overhaul. (In June 2012, the
court would uphold almost all of
the law, including the most dis-
puted part: the mandate that vir-
tually all Americans have health
insurance or pay a penalty.)
Five years ago: President
Donald Trump took to Twitter to
attack conservative lawmakers for
the failure of the Republican bill
to replace former President Barack
Obama’s health care law.
One year ago: Dominion Voting
Systems filed a $1.6 billion defa-
mation lawsuit against Fox News,
saying the cable news giant falsely
claimed that the voting company
rigged the 2020 election. Ten-
nessee Gov. Bill Lee signed a law
banning transgender athletes
from participating in girls’ sports,
making Tennessee the third state
to approve such a measure in 2021.
Today’s Birthdays: Retired
Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day
O’Connor is 92. Actor Alan Arkin
is 88. Palestinian President Mah-
moud Abbas is 87. House Speaker
Nancy Pelosi is 82. Actor James
Caan is 82. Author Erica Jong is
80. Journalist Bob Woodward is
79. Singer Diana Ross is 78. Rock
singer Steven Tyler (Aerosmith) is
74. Singer and TV personality Vicki
Lawrence is 73. Comedian Martin
Short is 72. Country singer Ronnie
McDowell is 72. Movie composer
Alan Silvestri is 72. Rock musician
Monte Yoho is 70. Former Trans-
portation Secretary Elaine Chao is
69. Country singer Dean Dillon is
67. Country singer Charly McClain
is 66. TV personality Leeza Gibbons
is 65. Actor Ellia English is 63. Actor
Jennifer Grey is 62. College and
Pro Football Hall of Famer Marcus
Allen is 62. Actor Billy Warlock is 61.
Actor Eric Allan Kramer is 60. Bas-
ketball and College Basketball Hall
of Famer John Stockton is 60. Actor
Michael Imperioli is 56. Country
singer Kenny Chesney is 54. Movie
director Martin McDonagh (Film:
“Three Billboards Outside Ebbing,
Missouri”) is 52. Actor Leslie Mann
is 50. Actor T.R. Knight is 49. Rapper
Juvenile is 47. Actor Amy Smart is
46. Moderator Margaret Brennan
(TV: “Face the Nation”) is 42. Actor
Sterling Sulieman is 38. Actor Keira
Knightley is 37. Rapper J-Kwon is
36. Actor Carly Chaikin is 32.
Merkley announces time for
Union County town hall
LOTTERY
Wednesday, March 23,
2022
Megabucks
3-15-16-28-33-42
Jackpot: $3.3 million
Lucky Lines
3-7-11-15-17-23-26-29
Estimated jackpot: $40,000
Powerball
31-32-37-38-48
Powerball: 24
Power Play: 2
Jackpot: $181 million
Win for Life
9-17-37-52
Pick 4
1 p.m.: 3-1-0-2
4 p.m.: 6-3-0-0
7 p.m.: 9-0-8-4
10 p.m.: 4-3-3-7
Thursday, March 24, 2022
Lucky Lines
3-7-10-13-20-22-27-31
Jackpot: $41,000
Pick 4
1 p.m.: 7-8-0-7
4 p.m.: 3-8-1-3
7 p.m.: 1-4-1-4
10 p.m.: 7-1-0-4
LA GRANDE — U.S. Sen. Jeff
Merkley, D-Oregon, will touch on
his work in Washington, D.C., and
answer questions later this month at
an online town hall geared toward
constituents in Union County.
The meeting will be at 4:30 p.m.
Wednesday, March 30, via Zoom and
conference call, according to a press
release issued by Merkley’s office.
To join the call on a computer,
smartphone or tablet, go to
bit.ly/3uklegh. To call into the town
hall, dial 669-254-5252. The meeting
ID number is 161 243 5056.
Since joining the Senate in 2009,
Merkley has held a town hall for each
of Oregon’s 36 counties every year.
Studded tires required to be
removed by end of March
Brenda Johnson/Contributed Photo
Wallowa County’s Brenda Johnson, right, smiles after being cleared medically and allowed to rejoin the Gaucho Derby, which
began on March 3, 2022. Her participation in the 500-kilometer horseback endurance race was temporarily halted when she
was thrown from her horse and broke her nose.
Johnson thunders across Patagonia
By ELIZABETH CASTILLO
Oregon Public Broadcasting
ENTERPRISE —
Brenda Johnson is an
avid adventurer. Ear-
lier this month, she spent
time thundering through
South America’s Pata-
gonia region on horse-
back. Johnson rode in this
year’s Gaucho Derby.
The race is billed as
the “greatest test of horse-
manship and wilderness
skills on Earth.”
“I love being out in
the woods with the ani-
mals and pushing myself
and exploring and finding
new places,” she said.
Johnson, of Wal-
lowa County, is a live-in
ranch hand, backcountry
packer, horseshoer and
veterinary assistant.
She prepared for the
race by taking riding les-
sons and picking random
points on a map to see
if she could reach them.
Also, one of her cli-
ents works as a personal
trainer and she traded
Brenda Johnson/Contributed Photo
Brenda Johnson, of Wallowa County, poses with a horse while
taking part in the Gaucho Derby, a 500-kilometer endurance
race in Patagonia in March 2022.
horseshoeing for fitness
lessons.
The Gaucho Derby,
which is 500 kilome-
ters, tests competitors on
navigation skills, horse-
manship and endurance.
Before the race, Johnson
hardly slept, her nerves
keeping her awake.
“You’re not scared,
but you’re terrified,” she
said. “It’s this whole swirl
of emotions that you just
don’t really totally know
how to comprehend.”
Riders switch horses
throughout the race and
pick their four-legged
counterparts by drawing
numbers out of a hat.
The race has built-in
points where veterinar-
ians can check on the
horses and medics can
check the riders. During
the race, Johnson ran
into issues with one of
her horses. She learned
quickly that this par-
ticular horse did not
like to be mounted or
dismounted.
“I got my leg out of the
stirrup and about halfway
up his side he bucked so
hard, the rider behind me
could see his entire belly,”
she said. “(The horse)
face-planted me into a
rock and broke my nose.”
After being cleared
medically, Johnson was
able to rejoin the race.
She could no longer win,
and had to miss a por-
tion of the race that’s
described by the derby
as a “bleakly beautiful
windswept plateau.”
Still, Johnson was
grateful she could join the
other participants and still
ride along for the rest of
the race.
“The entire time after
that I was nothing but
grins and smiles and
some happy tears,” she
said. “I was ecstatic and
thrilled to just get on a
horse again.”
Eastern Oregon aims to bring potential
employees and employers together
Career Expo for students
set for April 6 on
EOU campus
The Observer
LA GRANDE — The gap
between graduation and employ-
ment doesn’t have to be long nor
stressful. Similarly, finding qual-
ified young employees doesn’t
have to feel like a scavenger hunt.
Eastern Oregon University’s
upcoming Career Expo is an equal
opportunity event for job seekers
and employers alike.
EOU hosts the on-campus event
Wednesday, April 6, inviting var-
ious businesses to speak with,
interview and recruit students.
“We invite various types of
employers and business profes-
sionals to come showcase their
job and internship experiences
and opportunities,” said Brandy
Smith, an MBA student and assis-
tant coordinator for the expo.
“This event will allow students to
drop off their resumes and speak
directly to these employers. The
setup will be similar to a meet and
greet, but students will be able to
learn more about these employers
and do mock interviews in a
shorter period.”
Planning for the event began
in October 2021 and was initiated
by Edward Henninger, dean of the
College of Business. The event is a
collaboration between the Career
Services Center, College of Busi-
ness and other academic units at
the university. The College of Edu-
cation held its own specialized
career fair during winter term,
since teachers have distinct net-
works and pathways.
“This will be the first year of an
all-inclusive campus-wide Career
Expo featuring opportunities for
all of EOU’s students as well as
students in our OHSU Nursing
and OSU Agriculture and Nat-
ural Resources parent programs
operating here on the La Grande
campus,” Henninger said.
More than 40 businesses have
registered for the expo, including
Boise Cascade, BeefNorthwest,
ThreeMileCanyon Farms LLC,
Romans Precision Irrigation,
Woodgrain Lumber, Fresenius
Medical Care North American, the
Port of Morrow, Providence and
MORE INFORMATION
Additional event information, employer
bios and registration links are available
at eou.edu/career/expo.
Grande Ronde Hospital.
The expo will be split between
two venues. Businesses primarily
pursuing nursing and agriculture
and natural resources job seekers
will be hosted in Badgley Hall, and
businesses targeting the job seekers
in the many career-ready programs
offered by EOU will be hosted in
the David E. Gilbert Center.
The event will be held from
10 a.m. to 2 p.m. April 6. Tables
and amenities will be provided
for all business representatives.
The registration deadline for busi-
nesses is 5 p.m. March 30. This
EOU event is free for students and
alumni to attend.
“Overall, we are looking for-
ward to hearing about the great
opportunities our students will
come across, or even land as a job
or internship,” Smith said. “We
hope to use this first year to help
make the coming years run even
better.”
Police chief urges public’s vigilance to deter thefts
By BILL BRADSHAW
Wallowa County Chieftain
ENTERPRISE — As prices
rise, so do the tendencies for
people to get light-fingered and
take things that are not theirs,
Enterprise Police Chief Kevin
McQuead told the city council at
its meeting Monday, March 14.
“When we have increasing
prices across the board, people
become desperate,” he said March
23. “It was good that the city
council got (the announcement) and
we want the public to, as well.”
McQuead wants the public to
be aware of the potential for theft
at their homes and businesses.
“I just want to make sure people
are aware of their things and
In addition to not leaving
not leaving things out,” he
items in one’s yard that
said. “Let’s keep the honest
might tempt a thief, he sug-
gested installing security
people honest.”
cameras. McQuead said
McQuead said he
both are good deterrents and
doesn’t have numbers or a
the video can be used as evi-
percentage to illustrate the
McQuead
dence in case of a theft.
increase in crime, but it has
“The owner can hand over that
been noticeable.
video and we can investigate any
“We are seeing a slight uptick
case,” he said.
in thefts,” he said.
But the real point is to get the
McQuead said the county, as a
public’s help preventing crime.
whole, is vulnerable. In addition
“Think about your yard and
to homes and businesses, he said,
what’s available for the prying
storage units can be targets for
eyes of the public,” McQuead
thieves.
said. “We want to be proactive
“Everything’s vulnerable with
and have homeowners (be) too.
that kind of behavior,” he said.
“People need to take the necessary We can’t keep an eye on every-
precautions.”
body’s things.”
LA GRANDE — With spring in the
air, Oregon drivers will need to remove
their studded tires.
The Oregon Department of Trans-
portation announced that drivers in the
state must take off their studded tires
by Thursday, March 31.
According to a press release from
ODOT on March 22, drivers are encour-
aged to remove the studded tires as soon
as they can before the deadline. Drivers
who leave their studded tires on past the
March 31 deadline are subject to Class C
traffic violations by law enforcement.
In the case of inclement weather,
ODOT maintenance crews will con-
tinue to monitor highway conditions
and weather forecasts moving forward.
According to ODOT, studded tires
cause roughly $8.5 million in damage
to highways every year. The depart-
ment recommends other types of trac-
tion tires and newer chains to limit
roadway damage.
Construction project set
to begin on I-84 between
Meacham and Spring Creek
UNION COUNTY — The
Oregon Department of Transportation
announced on Wednesday, March 23,
that construction work on Interstate 84
between Meacham and Spring Creek
will begin next week.
The work is set to take place
between mileposts 241 and 248.5. The
work will begin on the eastbound lanes.
Workers will be replacing the slow lane
with new concrete and the fast lane
with new asphalt — the work is set to
continue on from where construction
took place last fall. Following phase
one on the eastbound lanes, similar
improvements will be conducted on the
westbound lanes.
According to ODOT, the total
project is expected to be completed by
Nov. 1. The eastbound side is estimated
to be completed in July, with work on
the westbound side to follow.
During the upcoming work, east-
bound traffic will traverse through the
westbound side where both directions
will be limited to one lane — orange
surface markers will indicate the new
traffic pattern. Between mileposts 248
and 246, there will be two westbound
lanes and one eastbound lane.
The work zones will include several
emergency turnoff areas, in the case of
a disabled vehicle. Drivers will need to
abide by the lowered speed limits of 50
miles per hour through the work zone
— ODOT estimates that the reduction
will begin on the week of April 4.
Reward offered for
information about 1970s
murder northwest of Elgin
LA GRANDE — A cash reward
of up to $2,500 is being offered to help
identify a murdered pregnant woman
found by hunters 10 miles northwest of
Elgin in August 1978.
The skeletal remains of the woman
and a fetus, knotted coaxial cable, zip-
pers, a white bra or halter top, red Cata-
lina-brand pants in the size 15-16 range,
scraps of white cloth with red hearts
and ankle-high boots were discov-
ered in and near a shallow grave strad-
dling a wooded game trail near Finley
Creek. The woman was estimated to
be between 5-foot-1 and 5-foot-3 and
weighed between 115 and 125 pounds.
She had light-colored hair, possibly
blond or sandy brown. The fetus was
estimated to be close to full term.
Investigators believe the woman had
been killed in the early to mid-1970s.
Redgrave Research Forensic Services
has provided a composite sketch of
what the woman may have looked like.
More information about the uniden-
tified woman can be found at www.
facebook.com/finleycreekjanedoe. Vol-
unteers with the Finley Creek Jane Doe
Task Force have led the effort to iden-
tify the woman and her unborn infant.
Crime Stoppers of Oregon is offering
the cash reward of up to $2,500.
To submit a secure and anony-
mous tip regarding any unsolved felony
crime in Oregon visit www.crimestop-
persoforegon.com or download the P3
Tips app for their smartphone or tablet.
Crime Stoppers of Oregon is funded
entirely by community donations.
— The Observer