LOCAL
A2 — THE OBSERVER
TODAY
In 1778, American forces
entered Philadelphia as the British
withdrew during the Revolutionary
War.
In 1812, the War of 1812 began
as the United States Congress
approved, and President James
Madison signed, a declaration of
war against Britain.
In 1815, Napoleon Bonaparte
met defeat at Waterloo as British
and Prussian troops defeated the
French in Belgium.
In 1940, during World War II,
British Prime Minister Winston
Churchill urged his countrymen to
conduct themselves in a manner
that would prompt future gener-
ations to say, “This was their finest
hour.” Charles de Gaulle delivered
a speech on the BBC in which he
rallied his countrymen after the fall
of France to Nazi Germany.
In 1971, Southwest Airlines
began operations, with flights
between Dallas and San Antonio,
and Dallas and Houston.
In 1979, President Jimmy Carter
and Soviet President Leonid I. Bre-
zhnev signed the SALT II strategic
arms limitation treaty in Vienna.
In 1983, astronaut Sally K. Ride
became America’s first woman in
space as she and four colleagues
blasted off aboard the space
shuttle Challenger on a six-day
mission.
In 1986, 25 people were killed
when a twin-engine plane and
helicopter carrying sightseers col-
lided over the Grand Canyon.
In 1992, the U.S. Supreme Court,
in Georgia v. McCollum, ruled that
criminal defendants could not use
race as a basis for excluding poten-
tial jurors from their trials.
In 2003, baseball Hall-of-Famer
Larry Doby, who broke the Amer-
ican League’s color barrier in 1947,
died in Montclair, New Jersey, at
age 79.
In 2010, death row inmate
Ronnie Lee Gardner died in a bar-
rage of bullets as Utah carried
out its first firing squad execution
in 14 years. (Gardner had been
sentenced to death for fatally
shooting attorney Michael Bur-
dell during a failed escape attempt
from a Salt Lake City courthouse.)
In 2011, Clarence Clemons, the
saxophone player for the E Street
Band who was one of the key
influences in Bruce Springsteen’s
life and music, died in Florida at
age 69.
In 2020, the Supreme Court, in
a 5-4 decision, rejected President
Donald Trump’s effort to end legal
protections for 650,000 young
immigrants.
Ten years ago: Former baseball
star Roger Clemens was acquitted
in Washington, D.C. on all charges
that he’d obstructed and lied to
Congress when he denied using
performance-enhancing drugs.
Five years ago: Charleena Lyles,
a 30-year-old Black mother of four,
was shot and killed by two white
Seattle police officers after she
called 911 to report a burglary;
authorities said Lyles had pulled a
knife on the officers.
One year ago: Iranians voted
in a presidential election that
would bring a landslide victory to
the country’s hard-line judiciary
chief, Ebrahim Raisi, the protege
of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali
Khamenei; Raisi had already been
sanctioned by the U.S., partly over
his involvement in the mass execu-
tion of thousands of political pris-
oners in 1988.
Today’s birthdays: Sir Paul
McCartney is 80. Actor Con-
stance McCashin is 75. Actor Linda
Thorson is 75. Actor Isabella Ross-
ellini is 70. Actor Carol Kane is 70.
Actor Brian Benben is 66. Actor
Andrea Evans is 65. Rock singer
Alison Moyet is 61. Rock musician
Dizzy Reed (Guns N’ Roses) is 59.
Figure skater Kurt Browning is 56.
R&B singer Nathan Morris (Boyz II
Men) is 51. Actor Mara Hobel is 51.
Singer-songwriter Ray LaMontagne
is 49. Rapper Silkk the Shocker is
47. Actor Alana de la Garza is 46.
Country singer Blake Shelton is
46. Rock musician Steven Chen
(Airborne Toxic Event) is 44. Actor
David Giuntoli is 42. Drummer Josh
Dun (Twenty One Pilots) is 34. Actor
Renee Olstead is 33.
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.
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SaTuRday, JunE 18, 2022
Raising elder abuse awareness
Community
Connection of
Northeast Oregon
focuses on topic on
World Elder Abuse
Awareness Day
La Grande’s
Sears store
set to close
Sears first opened
a store in Union Co.
five decades ago
By DICK MASON
The Observer
By ISABELLA CROWLEY
The Observer
LA GRANDE — Com-
munity Connection of
Northeast Oregon spent a
day shining a light on an
important topic — elder
abuse.
World Elder Abuse
Awareness Day was
Wednesday, June 15, and
Community Connec-
tion helped raise aware-
ness using informative
placements in its senior
centers in Baker, Grant,
Union and Wallowa coun-
ties, according to Kathy
Ganung, the senior service
manager. The organization
also ran World Elder Abuse
Awareness Day themed
bingo games.
“This is our first year
participating and raising
awareness, but it will
become a yearly occur-
rence,” she said.
The team at North-
east Public Transportation
— a service of Commu-
nity Connection that pro-
vides bus rides throughout
Baker, Union and Wallowa
counties — all wore purple
shirts or purple lapel pins
for the day, Ganung said.
Posters and brochures were
also available on the buses.
Next year, Community
Connection plans to also
organize a walk to help
raise more awareness, said
Ganung.
Isabella Crowley/The Observer
The team at Northeast Oregon Transit — a service of Community Connection Northeast Oregon — all
wear purple for World Elder Abuse Awareness Day on Wednesday, June 15, 2022, in La Grande. Posters
and brochures were also handed out on buses to help raise awareness.
According to the
Oregon Department of
Human Services, Adult
Protective Services com-
pleted 106 abuse investi-
gations of elderly persons
or adults with disabilities
in community settings in
Union County in 2020.
There were 46 investiga-
tions in Baker County, 42
in Grant County and 32 in
Wallowa County.
A total of 10,726 inves-
tigations were conducted
across the state, and 81% of
the alleged victims were 65
years or older.
The Department of
Human Services’ Admin-
istration for Community
Living defines elder abuse
as any knowing, inten-
tional or negligent act by
a caregiver or any other
person that causes harm
or a serious risk of harm
to vulnerable adults older
than 60.
This includes phys-
WHAT TO DO IF
YOU SUSPECT
ELDER ABUSE
According to the Oregon
Department of Justice web-
site, possible elder abuse
should be reported through
Oregon’s toll-free hotline:
1-855-503-SAFE (7233). This is
a statewide hotline to report
abuse or neglect of any adult
or child to the Oregon Depart-
ment of Human Service s. The
ODHS website adds that if you
suspect someone is in danger,
call 911.
ical, sexual, emotional
and financial abuse or
neglect, according to the
National Institution on
Aging. Abuse can occur in
the older person’s home, a
family member’s home, an
assisted living facility or a
nursing home.
Financial exploitation
— with 4,104 reports —
was the most prevalent
abuse allegation received
by Adult Protective Ser-
vices across the state in
2020. Verbal abuse and
self-neglect were the next
two highest reported, with
2,916 and 2,718 reports,
respectively. Physical
abuse had the highest
substantiation rate, with
verbal abuse and finan-
cial exploitation a few per-
centage points behind.
The state has taken
steps to address and pre-
vent elder abuse, according
to the Oregon Depart-
ment of Justice. In 2016,
Attorney General Ellen
Rosenblum appointed
a statewide prosecutor
devoted entirely to elder
abuse — making Oregon
the third state in the U.S.
to do so. Additionally,
Rosenblum holds yearly
conferences about elder
abuse and has worked to
ensure the elder abuse unit
receives funding.
Union School District budget adds new success coach
Steady enrollment
is foundation
of positive
financial situation
By DICK MASON
The Observer
UNION — The Union
School District’s budget
looks solid for 2022-23.
The Union School Board
voted 4-0 on Wednesday,
June 15, to adopt a total
2022-23 budget of $11.7 mil-
lion, one which will allow
it to maintain all of its pro-
grams and staff plus add a
student success coach.
“This very positive. We
are excited,” said Union
School District Superinten-
dent Carter Wells.
The individual hired for
the student success coach
position will focus on things
such as helping students
learn how to respond to
emotionally challenging situ-
ations in a positive manner.
The Union School Dis-
trict’s 2022-23 spending
plan is down $5.9 million
from its $17.6 million total
budget for 2021-22.
The reason for the
decline is that the 2021-22
budget included about
$750,000 in federal
COVID-19 relief funding
and money from the $8 mil-
lion bond package voters
passed in 2019. Union
School District voters
approved a $4 million bond
in 2019 for capital con-
struction and maintenance
projects. The school dis-
trict received a $4 million
matching grant from the
state after voters approved
the bond.
The total budget
approved by the school
board includes a general
fund of $6.4 million. This
is down $124,000 from the
district’s 2021-22 general
fund spending plan, which
included $750,000 in federal
COVID-19 relief funding.
The general fund con-
sists of money from taxes,
fees, interest earnings and
other sources that can be
used for general operation
purposes.
The Union School
District’s financial posi-
tion appears solid in part
because enrollment has
remained steady despite the
COVID-19 pandemic, Wells
said. Enrollment is critical
for public school districts in
Oregon, since they receive
more than $8,000 per stu-
dent from the state.
Wells said a large share
of the credit should also go
to Mendy Clark, the Union
School District’s deputy
clerk.
“The Union School Dis-
trict would not be in the
positive financial situation
we are in without her excel-
lent work and skills,” Wells
said of Clark.
Commissioners endorse ranchers’ protection of cattle
Resolution stands by
livestock owners
against wolves
By BILL BRADSHAW
Wallowa County Chieftain
ENTERPRISE — The
Wallowa County Board of
Commissioners adopted
a resolution Wednesday,
June 15, expressing support
for local ranchers and their
agents in protection of their
livestock against attacks by
wolves.
The resolution comes
on the heels of numerous
attacks on livestock by
the predators, particularly
the Chesnimnus Pack, of
which two were shot in
recent weeks. An agent of
Crow Creek rancher Tom
Birkmaier shot one and a
biologist working for the
Oregon Department of
Fish and Wildlife shot the
other.
The resolution, as read
into the record, acknowl-
edged the importance of
livestock ranching to the
culture and economics of
the county and stated that
wolves threaten the via-
bility of local ranches.
The resolution also
said that “state and fed-
eral agencies charged with
managing wolves have
failed to implement effec-
tive management prac-
tices to protect domestic
livestock.”
The measure also called
the toll on ranches “unsus-
tainable” and stated that
the Oregon Conserva-
tion and Management Plan
was brokered with diverse
stakeholders and addresses
effective and responsible
management and that the
plan is legally binding.
As a result, the commis-
sioners expressed their sup-
port of ranchers “in their
ability to implement effec-
tive and responsible means
in the protection of their
livestock.”
There was no discus-
sion on the matter among
the commissioners, nor was
there any public comment.
Commissioner Todd Nash,
a rancher who drafted the
resolution, was absent due
to ill health, according to
Commission Chair Susan
Roberts.
The commissioners also
approved a lease agreement
for ranchers to graze their
cattle on the East Moraine
above Wallowa Lake.
Roberts said the Wal-
lowa County Stockgrowers
considered five applicants
and recommended that 80
head of cattle be allowed
to graze. Charles Warnock
will take the lead with 40
cattle and Katie Lathrop
will graze another 40.
IN BRIEF
Public hearing planned at
July Joseph council meeting
The public is welcome to attend in
person or via Zoom.
JOSEPH — A request for a
zoning change from commercial
to residential and a conditional use
permit for a recreational vehicle park
at the same address will take place
at the Joseph City Council meeting
Thursday, July 7.
The meeting will begin at 7 p.m. at
the Joseph Community Events Center.
The zone change and conditional
use permit have been requested by
John Zurita for 709 N. Main St. Zurita
is listed as the property owner on the
application.
The matter will be addressed in
a public hearing during the council
meeting.
Joseph council to meet on
budget, new administrator
JOSEPH — The Joseph City
Council plans two special sessions
Monday, June 27, concerning the
budget for the coming fiscal year and
the possible hiring of an employee of
the city.
At 5 p.m., in a Zoom-only
meeting, the council will vote on
the 2022-23 budget and take public
comment.
At 5:30 p.m., the council will hold
an executive session to “consider
the employment of a public officer,
employee, staff member or individual
agent,” according to state law gov-
erning executive sessions, or to con-
sider records that are exempt from
public inspection.
The city is in the process of
seeking a permanent city adminis-
trator to replace interim administrator
Brock Eckstein, who has served since
spring of 2021 when former admin-
istrator Larry Braden resigned. The
executive session will be to discuss
the interview process for the adminis-
trator’s position.
The council will hold an open ses-
sion after the executive session to take
any action it came to a consensus on
during the executive session. Public
comment will be allowed.
— EO Media Group
LA GRANDE — La
Grande will soon lose a
longtime appliance and
hardware store.
Sears Hometown Store,
1700 N. Portland St., is
set to close in about two
weeks. The store’s last
day of operation will be
Thursday, June 23.
The Observer was
unable to reach anyone
with the Sears Corpora-
tion to comment on the clo-
sure. However, a Tuesday,
May 31, story on CNN’s
business website by Jordan
Valinsky said that approx-
imately 100 Sears Home-
town Stores would be
closing in the next sev-
eral weeks. This represents
about half of the remaining
retail footprint of the fran-
chise. Sears Hometown,
Valinsky wrote, had 750
stores in the United States
as recently as 2019.
Sears first opened a store
in Union County 1972,
according to the records of
Bob Bull, a Union County
historian and author. Sears
was first located at 1413
Adams Ave. The store
was there until 1980 when
two different Sears stores
opened at different loca-
tions — a Sears product
services store at 808
Adams Ave. and a Sears
catalog sales store at 216
Chestnut St.
Sears closed its two La
Grande stores around 1992
and moved to Island City
where it opened a store
at 10601 Walton Road.
Sears was at its Walton
Road location until about
2000 when it moved to its
present site.
Bull said he has been
impressed with the service
Sears has provided him in
La Grande. He noted that he
once purchased a chain link
fence from Sears when it
was at 1413 Adams Ave. He
recalled that the customer
service did not end with the
sale — the store arranged to
have someone come to his
home and install the fence.
The man even dug postholes
for the fence.
“I did not have to do
anything,” Bull said.
The present Union La
Grande store has been cor-
porately owned for about
1-1/2 years, according to
Noah Croy, a sales asso-
ciate at the store. Prior to
that the store had a fran-
chise owner.
A close-out sale is now
being conducted at Sears.
Croy said that any mer-
chandise not sold by June
23 will be sent to Sears
stores in the region. The
nearest Sears stores to La
Grande are in Pendleton
and Ontario.
Shaunie Hamilton, the
franchise owner of the
Sears Hometown Store in
Ontario, said the recent
Sears closures are not an
indication that the corpora-
tion is in trouble. She noted
that Sears is closing stores
that are not profitable and
has opened a number of
new stores recently.
“It is like any business,
you have to go where the
market is,” she said.
Sears Hometown loca-
tions operate under Sears
Hometown and Outlet
Stores, Inc., which sep-
arated from Sears Hold-
ings Corporation in
October 2012. Transformco
acquired Sears Holdings
after the company filed
for bankruptcy in 2018. Its
remaining stores are oper-
ated primarily in small
towns by independent
dealers or franchisees of
Transformco affiliates. The
stores are typically between
6,000 to 8,000 square feet
— a fraction of the size of
Sears department stores,
which were each more than
100,000 square feet —
and sell mainly tools and
appliances.