LOCAL
A2 — THE OBSERVER
TODAY
In 1509, England’s King Henry
VIII married his fi rst wife, Catherine
of Aragon.
In 1770, Captain James Cook,
commander of the British ship
Endeavour, “discovered” the Great
Barrier Reef off Australia by run-
ning onto it.
In 1776, the Continental Con-
gress formed a committee to draft
a Declaration of Independence
calling for freedom from Britain.
In 1919, Sir Barton won the Bel-
mont Stakes, becoming horse rac-
ing’s fi rst Triple Crown winner.
In 1938, Johnny Vander Meer
pitched the fi rst of two consecu-
tive no-hitters as he led the Cin-
cinnati Reds to a 3-0 victory over
the Boston Bees. (Four days later,
Vander Meer refused to give up a
hit to the Brooklyn Dodgers, who
lost, 6-0.)
In 1955, in motor racing’s worst
disaster, more than 80 people
were killed during the 24 Hours
of Le Mans in France when two of
the cars collided and crashed into
spectators.
In 1962, three prisoners at Alca-
traz in San Francisco Bay staged
an escape, leaving the island on
a makeshift raft; they were never
found or heard from again.
In 1985, Karen Ann Quinlan,
the comatose patient whose case
prompted a historic right-to-die
court decision, died in Morris
Plains, New Jersey, at age 31.
In 1987, Margaret Thatcher
became the fi rst British prime min-
ister in 160 years to win a third con-
secutive term of offi ce as her Con-
servatives held on to a reduced
majority in Parliament.
In 1993, the U.S. Supreme Court
unanimously ruled that people
who commit “hate crimes” moti-
vated by bigotry may be sen-
tenced to extra punishment.
In 2001, Timothy McVeigh,
33, was executed by injection at
the federal prison in Terre Haute,
Indiana, for the 1995 Oklahoma
City bombing that killed 168
people.
In 2009, with swine fl u reported
in more than 70 nations, the World
Health Organization declared the
fi rst global fl u pandemic in 41
years.
In 2020, Louisville, Kentucky,
banned the use of “no-knock” war-
rants and named the new ordi-
nance for Breonna Taylor, who’d
been fatally shot by offi cers who
burst into her home. San Francis-
co’s mayor said city police offi -
cers would stop responding to
non-criminal activities such as
disputes between neighbors and
reports about homeless people;
they would be replaced on
those calls by trained, unarmed
professionals.
Ten years ago: Testimony began
in the trial of former Penn State
assistant football coach Jerry San-
dusky, accused of sexually abusing
10 boys over 15 years. (Sandusky
was later convicted and sentenced
to at least 30 years in prison.)
Five years ago: Supporters of
LGBT rights marched and rallied in
the nation’s capital and dozens of
other U.S. cities, celebrating gains
but angry over threats posed by
the administration of President
Donald Trump.
One year ago: Group of Seven
leaders gathered for a seaside
summit in England, bringing
pledges to share at least 1 billion
coronavirus vaccine shots with
struggling countries; half would
come from the United States.
Today’s birthdays: International
Motorsports Hall of Famer Jackie
Stewart is 83. Singer Joey Dee
is 82. Actor Roscoe Orman is 78.
Actor Adrienne Barbeau is 77. Rock
musician Frank Beard (ZZ Top) is
73. Animal rights activist Ingrid
Newkirk is 73. Singer Graham Rus-
sell (Air Supply) is 72. Rock singer
Donnie Van Zant is 70. Actor Peter
Bergman is 69. Pro Football Hall
of Famer Joe Montana is 66. Actor
Hugh Laurie is 63. TV person-
ality Mehmet Oz, M.D., is 62. Actor
Peter Dinklage is 53. Actor Joshua
Jackson is 44. Americana musician
Gabe Witcher (Punch Brothers) is
44. U.S. Olympic and WNBA bas-
ketball star Diana Taurasi is 40.
Actor Shia LaBeouf is 36.
CORRECTIONS
The Observer works hard to be
accurate and sincerely regrets
any errors. If you notice a
mistake in the paper, please call
541-963-3161.
SATURDAY, JUNE 11, 2022
Gasoline prices break record high
Prices creep up to $5.46
per gallon in La Grande
By ISABELLA CROWLEY
The Observer
LA GRANDE — As the summer
travel season shifts into high gear,
gas prices continue to set records.
In La Grande on Friday, June
10, fuel prices ranged from $5.43
to $5.46 per gallon for regular
unleaded gas and $6.09 to $6.11 per
gallon for diesel.
“People are still fueling up,
despite these record-high prices. At
some point, drivers may alter their
daily driving habits but it hasn’t
happened yet,” said Marie Dodds,
public aff airs director for AAA
Oregon/Idaho, in a press release.
This time last year gas prices
averaged $3.46 per gallon for reg-
ular unleaded in Oregon.
AAA of Oregon/Idaho — which
tracks local, regional and national
fuel prices — the average price
for regular unleaded gas in Union
County is $5.45 per gallon as of
June 10.
The price in Union County is
slightly lower than the average
across the state, which is $5.52 per
gallon, but is higher than the cur-
rent national average of $4.99 per
gallon.
The average price for diesel fuel in
Oregon is currently $6.14 per gallon.
Isabella Crowley/The Observer
Skyrocketing gas prices — as displayed
at the Chevron on Adams Avenue, La
Grande, on Friday, June 10, 2022 — may
dash dreams of summer travel. Gas prices
continue to set record highs in Oregon with
an average price of $5.52 per gallon for
regular unleaded gas and $6.14 per gallon
for diesel across the state.
No summer road trips?
While people aren’t keen on
canceling existing summer travel
plans, a AAA survey indicated that
drivers are more likely than not to
avoid road trips with gas prices on
the rise.
“So far, the pent-up desire to
travel as we emerge from the pan-
demic outweighs record high pump
prices for many consumers,” Dodds
said. “However, a recent survey by
AAA reveals that 67% of drivers
say they would change their driving
habits if gas hit $4.50 a gallon. That
number rises to 75% at $5 a gallon.
The Oregon average has already
surpassed $5, so it remains to be
seen if people will change their
summer travel plans.”
Fuel prices have climbed due
to the increasing cost of crude oil
— the main ingredient in gasoline
and diesel fuel. The price of crude
oil has topped $116 per barrel, and
AAA explains prices will remain
high due to Russia’s invasion of
Ukraine. Russia is one of the top
three oil producers in the world and
recent bans on Russian oil have led
to higher prices.
This coincides with the usual
summer price bump. Gasoline needs
to be formulated to resist evapora-
tion at higher temperatures during
the summer. The summer-blend of
fuel is more expensive to produce
and typically adds 7 to 10 cents
per gallon, according to AAA. The
switch to summer blend happens
every year and will be complete
across the nation by early June.
LG School Board raises teachers’ salaries
School board
ratifies a two-year
contract
By DICK MASON
The Observer
LA GRANDE — The
La Grande School Dis-
trict’s teachers are set to
receive pay increases each
of the next two school
years.
The La Grande
School Board voted on
Wednesday, June 8, to
ratify a new two-year con-
tract for its teachers. The
contract will provide the
school district’s teachers
with cost of living raises of
3.83% percent in 2022-23
and 2% percent in 2023-24.
The new contract also
restructures the salary
schedule so
that the sal-
aries of fi rst-
year teachers
will jump
from $36,961
to $43,000.
“This will
Maille
give fi rst-
year teachers an incentive
to stay in teaching,” Robin
Maille, chair of the La
Grande School Board, said.
The restructured salary
schedule boosted the
number of steps from 10
to 16, increasing the top
end of the schedule from
$70,226.87 to $81,055 and
providing future growth
opportunities for many vet-
eran staff who were at the
top of the current salary
schedule.
“Quite a few of our
teachers have topped out
on our salary schedule,”
Maille said.
Prior to the change, vet-
eran teachers were not
eligible for annual step
increases. Maille said all
teachers on step 10 will
begin 2022-23 on step 12
or 13 depending primarily
on their experience.
The contract will also
boost what the school dis-
trict’s teachers receive for
health insurance premiums
by $75 a month in 2022-23
and $50.41 a month in
2023-24. They will receive
up to $1,449 per month
for health insurance in
2022-23 and up to $1,500 a
month in 2023-24.
“I’m super excited that
we have reached an agree-
ment. A lot of people are
very happy with it,” Maille
said, referring to the dis-
trict’s teachers.
The school board chair
is delighted that the school
district is able to give
teachers a good contract
after their eff orts in facing
the challenges posed by the
COVID-19 pandemic.
“Our teachers have had
a tough couple of years,”
Maille said. “The increases
help show that they are
valued.”
Free summer lunches served to Union County kids
By ISABELLA CROWLEY
The Observer
LA GRANDE — Chil-
dren and teenagers in
Union County can enjoy
weekday lunches at no cost
this summer in La Grande
and Elgin.
The summer food ser-
vice program in La Grande
is run by Community
Connection of North-
east Oregon, which began
serving lunches nearly 20
years ago.
“In 2005, we decided
there were children in need
of good, nutritious lunches
during the summer and
the program has been run-
ning ever since,” said Jeff
Hensley, assistant director
of Community Connection
of Northeast Oregon.
This year, the program
starts on Monday, June
13, and runs until Aug.
26. Lunches will be avail-
able from 11:30 a.m. to
12:30 p.m. weekdays at the
Dick Mason/The Observer, File
Marissa Johnson and her brother, Braden, in June 2020 step out
of the Riveria Activity Center, La Grande, with their free lunches
provided by Community Connection of Northeast Oregon.
Riveria Activity Center,
2609 Second St., La Grande
The only weekday the
program will not be open is
the Fourth of July.
Meals are free to anyone
age 18 and younger, regard-
less of where they live or
their family’s income level.
Adults can eat lunch for
$5 per meal. According to
Hensley, the money gen-
erated from adult meals
is invested back into the
program.
Lunch entrees will be
served with vegetables,
fruit and milk. The food
will be prepared by Sodexo
at Eastern Oregon Uni-
versity and delivered to
Riveria, where it will be
served, explained Hensley.
The partnership with
Sodexo began last summer,
when the program needed
to relocate where meals
were being prepared during
the fi nal two weeks.
Last summer 5,896
lunches were provided
through the food program,
which is an average of
around 99 meals per day at
Riveria.
In Elgin, lunches are
available in partnership
with the school district. The
program starts on June 13
and runs weekdays until
Aug. 19, with the excep-
tion of July 1 and July 4.
Meals are available from
11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at
Stella Mayfi eld Elementary.
Lunches will include a hot
entree with fruit, vegetables
and milk. There also will be
a salad bar.
To-go lunches are also
available in Elgin. The
bagged lunches will be
made on request and will
include a sandwich, fruit,
vegetable and milk.
IN BRIEF
LOTTERY
Wednesday, June 8, 2022
Megabucks
6-12-31-38-44-48
Jackpot: $1.9 million
Lucky Lines
2-7-12-16-17-24-26-32
Estimated jackpot: $57,000
Powerball
22-39-43-62-64
Powerball: 7
Power Play: 4
Jackpot: $229 million
Win for Life
17-36-71-76
Pick 4
1 p.m.: 7-0-7-6
4 p.m.: 3-8-4-8
7 p.m.: 7-7-9-1
10 p.m.: 4-4-4-1
Thursday, June 9, 2022
Lucky Lines
2-6-9-14-17-21-25-30
Jackpot: $58,000
Pick 4
1 p.m.: 1-8-5-0
4 p.m.: 7-9-4-7
7 p.m.: 6-4-3-8
10 p.m.: 5-6-1-6
Body of missing Long Creek
man found June 8
LONG CREEK — Search crews
found the body of a missing Long
Creek man on Wednesday, June 8,
in a remote area east of Belshaw
Meadows.
Marvin C. Crist, 74, was last seen
on May 30 checking out of a motel
in La Grande, according to a June 9
press release from the Grant County
Sheriff ’s Offi ce.
Ground search team members
located Crist near his vehicle, which
had apparently gotten stuck after
Crist backed off the road on either
May 30 or May 31, Sheriff Todd
McKinley said.
McKinley said no foul play is sus-
pected and that Crist’s family has
been notifi ed.
McKinley thanked the volunteers
and personnel who helped locate
Crist. Their eff orts, McKinley noted,
helped bring resolution to Crist’s
family.
Lookingglass Creek open to
spring Chinook fi shing until
June 24
LA GRANDE — Lookingglass
Creek, a tributary to the Grande
Ronde River at Palmer Junction, will
be open to fi shing for hatchery spring
Chinook June 10-24.
The open area is from the mouth
upstream to the confl uence of Jarboe
Creek.
Anglers may retain two adipose
fi n-clipped chinook adults and fi ve
adipose fi n-clipped jacks per day.
Jack salmon are less than 24 inches
in length. Anglers do not need to
record jack catch on their combined
angling tags, but it is illegal to con-
tinue fi shing for jack chinook once
the adult bag limit is met.
Unmarked (wild) fi sh must be
released carefully and unharmed.
The use of bait by Lookingglass
Creek anglers is prohibited in order
to protect bull trout, a threatened
species.
“There are bull trout in Look-
ingglass Creek so all angling is
restricted to artifi cial fl ies and lures,”
said Joe Lemanski, ODFW District
Fish Biologist in La Grande. “Bull
trout tend to swallow baited hooks
more deeply making it very diffi cult
to remove and therefore they may not
survive when released.”
Anglers should be aware that pri-
vate timberlands open to public
access border a majority of the area
open to sport fi shing, and private res-
idences downstream of the Moses
Creek Lane Bridge are not open to
public access. Anglers are reminded
to respect all private property by
picking up trash when leaving and
respecting the privacy of nearby
residents.
Anglers are also reminded to
ensure they have both a Columbia
Basin Endorsement and Combined
Angling Tag in addition to their
fi shing license.
— EO Media Group
County
discusses
border
move
Union County
commissioners
asked to ‘work
harder’ on proposal
By DICK MASON
The Observer
LA GRANDE — The
Union County Board of
Commissioners is being
asked to work harder to get
a dialogue started about
the possibility of shifting
the Idaho border to encom-
pass most of Oregon and
form the new state of
Greater Idaho.
La Grande’s Curt Howell
told the board of commis-
sioners on Wednesday, June
8, that it should take steps
to bring more attention to
the proposal. Howell spe-
cifi cally wants the board to
begin working to get legis-
lators at the state and fed-
eral level to start talking
about the proposal.
“I am here to urge you
to simply write a letter to
our state and federal rep-
resentatives to investigate
and consider the possibil-
ities of changing where
Oregon ends and Idaho
begins,” Howell told the
commissioners.
Following the passage of
Measure 31-101 by Union
County voters in 2020, the
county commissioners are
required to meet three times
each year to discuss pro-
moting Union County inter-
ests relating to the county
becoming part of Idaho.
Howell supports the
Greater Idaho move-
ment because he said rural
Oregon is being increas-
ingly overlooked by the
state government.
“What we have wit-
nessed in the past 40 years
of power consolidation to
the most populated coun-
ties or cities is that we cit-
izens of rural Oregon have
been mostly left out of any
prosperity that seems to
be occurring in populated
areas,” Howell said.
Ken Parsons, of La
Grande, who also spoke at
the meeting in support of
the Greater Idaho move-
ment, said the needs of rural
Oregon and Washington are
not being addressed. These
areas are under-represented,
he said, noting that the vast
majority of state representa-
tives in Oregon and Wash-
ington live within 50 miles
of the state capitals of Salem
and Olympia, Washington.
Parsons, who grew up in
Eastern Washington, said
that years ago there was
a sense of compatibility
between urban and rural
Oregon and Washington,
but today there is only one
of animosity.
Union County Commis-
sioner Donna Beverage told
Parsons that she understood
how he feels.
“We share your frustra-
tion about not always being
heard,” she said.
Beverage added that the
board of commissioners
wants to help reduce the
rural-urban divide that
sparked the start of the
Greater Idaho movement.
“We want to fi x things
which led to this,” she told
Parsons.
Matt McCraw, of Powell
Butte, another Greater
Idaho supporter, addressed
the commissioners by
video and said the county
should start exploring what
a border change could look
like if it were to happen.
He stressed that for the
Greater Idaho movement to
get greater traction, legis-
lators in Oregon and Idaho
must begin conducting
meetings on it.
“It has to happen at the
state level,” he said.
Beverage said she is
willing to discuss writing
a letter to legislators. How-
ever, she said she fi rst
would like to get more
input from Union County
residents.