LOCAL
A2 — THE OBSERVER
TODAY
In 1492, King Ferdinand and
Queen Isabella of Spain issued an
edict expelling Jews from Spanish
soil, except those willing to con-
vert to Christianity.
In 1814, Paris was occupied by a
coalition of Russian, Prussian and
Austrian forces; the surrender of
the French capital forced the abdi-
cation of Emperor Napoleon.
In 1917, the United States took
formal possession of the Virgin
Islands from Denmark.
In 1931, Notre Dame college
football coach Knute Rockne, 43,
was killed in the crash of a TWA
plane in Bazaar, Kansas.
In 1968, at the conclusion of
a nationally broadcast address
on Vietnam, President Lyndon
B. Johnson stunned listeners by
declaring, “I shall not seek, and I
will not accept, the nomination of
my party for another term as your
President.”
In 1993, actor Brandon Lee, 28,
was accidentally shot to death
during the filming of a movie in
Wilmington, North Carolina, when
he was hit by a bullet fragment
that had become lodged inside a
prop gun.
In 1995, baseball players agreed
to end their 232-day strike after
a judge granted a preliminary
injunction against club owners.
In 2004, four American civilian
contractors were killed in Fallujah,
Iraq; frenzied crowds dragged
the burned, mutilated bodies and
strung two of them from a bridge.
In 2005, Terri Schiavo (SHY’-voh),
41, died at a hospice in Pinellas
Park, Florida, 13 days after her
feeding tube was removed in a
wrenching right-to-die court fight.
In 2009, Benjamin Net-
anyahu took office as Israel’s new
prime minister after the Knesset
approved his government.
In 2019, rapper Nipsey Hussle
was fatally shot outside the
clothing store he had founded to
help rebuild his troubled South Los
Angeles neighborhood; he was 33.
In 2020, Britain’s Prince Harry
and his wife Meghan officially
stepped down from duties as
members of the royal family.
Ten years ago: Hundreds of
world landmarks from Berlin’s
Brandenburg Gate to the Great
Wall of China went dark as part
of Earth Hour, a global effort to
highlight climate change. Brittney
Griner was named The Associated
Press’ women’s college basketball
Player of the Year, the first Baylor
player to win the award.
Five years ago: President
Donald Trump signed a pair of
executive orders focused on
reducing the U.S. trade deficit; the
first order gave the Commerce
Department 90 days to assemble
a report on the factors behind the
trade deficit, while the second
sought to increase collection of
duties on imports.
One year ago: President Joe
Biden outlined a huge $2.3 trillion
plan to reengineer the nation’s
infrastructure. (Biden would sign
a $1 trillion infrastructure measure
into law in November 2021.) The
Pentagon swept away Trump-era
policies that largely banned trans-
gender people from serving in
the military. Pfizer announced
that its COVID-19 vaccine was safe
and strongly protective in kids
as young as 12. The government
reported that the COVID-19 pan-
demic pushed total U.S. deaths
in 2020 beyond 3.3 million, the
nation’s highest annual death
toll; the coronavirus was listed as
the third leading cause of death
in 2020, after heart disease and
cancer.
Today’s Birthdays: Actor Wil-
liam Daniels is 95. Actor Richard
Chamberlain is 88. Actor Shirley
Jones is 88. Musician Herb Alpert
is 87. Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., is
82. Former U.S. Rep. Barney Frank,
D-Mass., is 82. Actor Christopher
Walken is 79. Comedian Gabe
Kaplan is 78. Rock musician Mick
Ralphs (Bad Company; Mott the
Hoople) is 78. Former Vice Presi-
dent Al Gore is 75. Author David
Eisenhower is 74. Actor Rhea Per-
lman is 74. Actor Robbie Coltrane
is 72. Actor Ed Marinaro is 72. Rock
musician Angus Young (AC/DC)
is 67. Actor Ewan McGregor is 51.
Actor Erica Tazel is 47. Actor Judi
Shekoni is 44. Actor Brian Tyree
Henry (TV: “Atlanta” Stage: “Book
of Mormon”) is 40. Actor Melissa
Ordway is 39. Jazz musician Chris-
tian Scott is 39. Pop musician Jack
Antonoff (fun.) is 38.
Annual parade ready to roll
Ag-Timber Parade
salutes agriculture,
timber industries
in Union County
By DICK MASON
The Observer
ISLAND CITY — A
popular Union County
spring parade is set to
roll again in less than two
months.
Organizers of the
annual Ag-Timber Parade
have announced that this
year’s parade will be con-
ducted Friday, May 20, in
Island City. Parade partic-
ipants will line up for the
event at 5 p.m. on
D Street, and the parade
will begin at 6 p.m., run-
ning east along Island
Avenue and before turning
south on McAlister Road
and running to Buchanan
Lane. People in the parade
will be asked to refrain
from throwing candy from
any moving vehicle or
equipment. This rule will
be in place to keep parade
viewers safe, especially
small children, according
to event organizers.
The parade, which
salutes Union County’s
agriculture and timber
industries, has been con-
ducted for at least three
decades. It has taken
place in Island City
since 2013 and before
that it was conducted in
La Grande for about 20
years. The only time the
parade has been canceled
in the past three decades
was in 2020 when it
By DICK MASON
The Observer
alex Wittwer/EO Media Group, File
An eager child remains safely reined in during the Ag-Timber Parade on Island Avenue in Island City
on Friday, May 21, 2021. The parade brought out hundreds of spectators and dozens of participants.
WANT TO BE IN THE
PARADE?
To obtain an entry form for
the 2022 Ag-Timber Parade,
call 541-962-2069 or email
tsherman@woodgrain.com.
alex Wittwer/EO Media Group, File
Spectators look on from Island Avenue in Island City during the
Ag-Timber Parade Friday, May 21, 2021.
was not held due to the
COVID-19 pandemic.
Each year the hour-
long parade showcases
fire engines, log trucks,
vintage cars and farm
equipment. Union County
Search and Rescue and the
Union County Sheriff’s
Office will be providing
traffic control at this year’s
parade.
The grand marshal of
this year’s parade will be
Bowman Trucking, of
La Grande, according to
event organizers.
Oregon Women in
Timber is again spon-
soring the parade. The
statewide nonprofit orga-
nization is committed
to raising awareness
about the importance of
proper forest manage-
ment and the products
that come from Oregon’s
timberlands.
Oregon Women in
Timber has been spon-
soring the parade for
23 years, said Tiffany
Sherman of OWIT.
Awards will be given
for best entries in the agri-
culture, timber and com-
mercial categories.
OSP sergeant dies of gunshot wound in Joseph
By BILL BRADSHAW
Wallowa County Chieftain
JOSEPH — An Oregon
State Police sergeant was
found dead in his patrol
car Tuesday, March 29, of
a single gunshot wound
to the head, according to
a press release from Wal-
lowa County Sheriff Joel
Fish.
Fish and WCSO
Deputy Paul Pagano
responded to a 3:41 p.m.
call of a possible med-
ical emergency at the
residence of OSP Sgt.
Marcus McDowell on
North College Street in
Joseph.
When Fish and Pagano
arrived, they found
McDowell unconscious
in his patrol car in the
driveway. After the offi-
cers made a forced entry
into McDowell’s vehicle,
they found him to be dead
of a gunshot wound.
Fish said it is not yet
known if McDowell’s
death was self-inflicted or
if foul play was involved.
“The final determina-
tion will be by the state
medical examiner,” he
said March 30.
Fish said McDowell
had been an OSP trooper
for 17 years, previously
working in the La Grande
area patrolling Wallowa
and Union counties. The
sheriff said McDowell has
lived in Joseph “many
Candidate
facing federal
indictment
visits LG
Reed Christensen
participated in Jan. 6
incident at Capitol,
seeks to replace
Gov. Kate Brown
Bill Bradshaw/Wallowa County Chieftain
Oregon State Police troopers walk up to a Wallowa County Sheriff’s Office pickup Tuesday, March
29, 2022, as part of an investigation into a shooting death at a residence on North College Street in
Joseph.
years” and has family in
the area.
Units from Enter-
prise Ambulance and the
Joseph Fire Department
also responded, as did
three Enterprise Police
Department officers, a
total of three WCSO units
and three OSP troopers.
North College Street
between East Joseph
Avenue and East Williams
Avenue was blocked to
traffic while the investiga-
tion was underway.
“Thank you to our
partner agencies for
their assistance, compas-
sion and professionalism
during this tragic time,”
OSP Superintendent Terri
Davie said. “Our heartfelt
thoughts and prayers go
LOTTERY
Monday, March 28, 2022
Megabucks
3-12-17-20-36-37
Estimated jackpot: $3.5 million
Lucky Lines
2-5-9-15-19-24-26-29
Estimated jackpot: $45,000
Win for Life
1-40-59-74
Pick 4
1 p.m.: 7-5-6-7
4 p.m.: 5-9-0-2
7 p.m.: 4-9-8-1
10 p.m.: 0-2-0-0
Tuesday, March 29, 2022
Mega Millions
7-22-36-45-47
Mega Ball: 12
Megaplier: 2
Estimated jackpot: $70 million
Lucky Lines
3-6-9-16-19-24-28-29
Estimated jackpot: $46,000
Pick 4
1 p.m.: 9-0-6-4
4 p.m.: 2-4-9-5
7 p.m.: 1-5-8-3
10 p.m.: 3-8-4-9
THuRSday, MaRcH 31, 2022
Bill Bradshaw/Wallowa County Chieftain
A patrol unit from the Enterprise Police Department helps block
off North College Street in Joseph the afternoon of Tuesday,
March 29, 2022, while officers from the Wallowa County Sheriff’s
Office, the Oregon State Police and the EPD investigate a shooting
death at a residence.
out to the family, friends,
coworkers and responding
emergency personnel.”
Assistance in the inves-
tigation is being provided
by officers and investi-
gators from the EPD, the
Pendleton Police Depart-
ment, OSP and the Crime
Lab.
NEWS BRIEFS
Joseph plans budget
meeting April 6
uments also are available with the
agendas.
JOSEPH — The Joseph City
Council will hold a budget meeting
at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 6,
at the Joseph Community Events
Center. The meeting is a work
session to discuss the budget for
2022-23.
To attend the meeting via Zoom,
log on to https://bit.ly/38fDGiV. The
webinar ID is 881 3875 4137 and the
passcode is 269827. The public also
is welcome to attend the meeting in
person.
The city’s new website is
online at www.josephoregon.org
and anyone can access the elec-
tronic agendas and print them from
there. All agendas will show on the
“Agenda” tab found at the top of the
page, but the most recent agendas
will also show on the “News” tab at
the top of the page. Supporting doc-
ODOT holding meeting
in Joseph on sidewalk
ramp project
JOSEPH — The Oregon
Department of Transportation
will host a public open house at
5:30 p.m. Monday, April 4, at the
Joseph Community Center,
102 E. First St.
The purpose of the meeting is
for ODOT to share information and
hear public comments regarding its
sidewalk ramp project, which is set
for this year in downtown Joseph.
Anyone interested is encouraged by
ODOT to attend.
For more information about the
project, visit www.tinyurl.com/
josephcurbramps: maps, back-
ground information and a meeting
RSVP are available. Or, con-
tact ODOT Community Affairs
Specialist Vicki Moles at 541-
620-4527 or vicki.l.moles@odot.
oregon.gov.
Weed control workshop
scheduled for April 8
NORTH POWDER — A weed
control workshop is planned for
Friday, April 8, from 1-2:30 p.m. at
the North Powder Fire Station, 320
E St., for landowners in Baker and
Union counties who are interested
in learning how to control broadleaf
noxious weeds and invasive annual
grasses.
More information is available
by calling Jeffrey Pettingill at the
Baker County Weed Control Dis-
trict, 541-519-0240, or Brian Clapp
at the Union County Weed Control
District, 541-805-5539.
— EO Media Group
LA GRANDE — Oregon
gubernatorial candidate Reed
Christensen wants Oregon’s
vote-by-mail system to be
stamped out.
During a cam-
paign talk at the
Union County
Fairgrounds on
Monday, March
28, the Repub-
lican from Hill-
sboro said he
Christensen
believes Oregon
must end vote by mail and
return to the traditional
in-person voting system it had
prior to 1997. Christensen said
the 2020 presidential elec-
tion, much of which was con-
ducted via vote by mail across
the United States because of the
COVID-19 pandemic, revealed
this form of voting is at risk of
becoming corrupt.
Analysis by a host of media
outlets and government agen-
cies, including former President
Donald Trump’s attorney gen-
eral, however, have debunked
the baseless claims of political
corruption, machine tampering
and mysterious votes appearing
out of nowhere that allowed Joe
Biden to steal the election.
Christensen, who worked
for 30 years as a process engi-
neer at Intel, a semi-conductor
company, before retiring, also
said he would like to see all
federal lands in Oregon turned
over to the state. He said this
is a fairness issue. The can-
didate explained that early in
United States history, the fed-
eral government owned all land
in territories before statehood
was granted, after which states
gained control of it. He said
this is why most states east of
the Mississippi River have little
federal land.
Christensen said when territo-
ries were granted statehood later,
the federal government asked
that it retain control of significant
portions of their land. He said
this is not fair to states such as
Oregon, which cannot generate
revenue from land owned by
the U.S. Forest Service and the
Bureau of Land Management or
control how it is managed.
He said he would ulti-
mately like to see all federal
land returned not only to states
but to their counties. He said
he believes this would result
in land being managed better
locally. He explained that
people have a vested interest
in properly managing the land
they are surrounded by.
Christensen is one of 19
Republican gubernatorial can-
didates entered in the Tuesday,
May 17, Oregon primary. The
candidates are seeking to suc-
ceed Gov. Kate Brown, a Dem-
ocrat, who has served as gov-
ernor since 2015 and cannot
run for reelection because of
term limits.
Christensen is under fed-
eral indictment for allegedly
assaulting a police officer while
storming the U.S. Capitol on
Jan. 6. The Oregonian reported
that an FBI video on the U.S.
Department of Justice website
shows Christensen pushing past
a barrier in front of the Cap-
itol and grappling with several
officers.
Christensen also is accused
of engaging in an act of
physical violence in a Cap-
itol building and entering
or remaining on restricted
grounds without lawful
authority, among other
charges, according to a federal
complaint.
The gubernatorial candidate
believes that he was simply
taking part in a historic event.
“I believe I was participating
in the Boston Tea Party 2.0,”
Christensen said.
He said that he believes that
Americans were upset about
what they believe was a corrupt
election and were expressing
their feelings.
“It was entirely appropriate,”
Christensen said.