LOCAL
A2 — THE OBSERVER
TODAY
In 1860, a congressional reso-
lution authorized creation of the
United States Government Printing
Office, which opened the following
year.
In 1888, abolitionist Frederick
Douglass received one vote from
the Kentucky delegation at the
Republican convention in Chicago,
effectively making him the first
Black candidate to have his name
placed in nomination for U.S. presi-
dent. (The nomination went to Ben-
jamin Harrison.)
In 1931, aviators Wiley Post and
Harold Gatty took off from New
York on a round-the-world flight
that lasted eight days and 15 hours.
In 1947, the Senate joined the
House in overriding President Harry
S. Truman’s veto of the Taft-Hartley
Act, designed to limit the power of
organized labor.
In 1956, Gamal Abdel Nasser was
elected president of Egypt.
In 1967, President Lyndon B.
Johnson, Soviet Premier Alexei
Kosygin opened a three-day
summit at Glassboro State College
in New Jersey.
In 1969, Warren E. Burger was
sworn in as chief justice of the
United States by the man he was
succeeding, Earl Warren.
In 1972, President Richard Nixon
signed Title IX barring discrimina-
tion on the basis of sex for “any edu-
cation program or activity receiving
federal financial assistance.” (On the
same day, Nixon and White House
chief of staff H.R. Haldeman dis-
cussed using the CIA to obstruct the
FBI’s Watergate investigation. Rev-
elation of the tape recording of this
conversation sparked Nixon’s resig-
nation in 1974.)
In 1985, all 329 people aboard
an Air India Boeing 747 were killed
when the plane crashed into the
Atlantic Ocean near Ireland because
of a bomb authorities believe was
planted by Sikh separatists.
In 1994, the movie “Forrest
Gump,” starring Tom Hanks as a
simple yet kindhearted soul and his
serendipitous brushes with great-
ness, was released by Paramount
Pictures.
In 1995, Dr. Jonas Salk, the med-
ical pioneer who developed the
first vaccine to halt the crippling
rampage of polio, died in La Jolla,
California, at age 80.
In 2016, Britain voted to leave
the European Union after a bitterly
divisive referendum campaign, top-
pling Prime Minister David Cam-
eron, who had led the campaign to
keep Britain in the EU.
In 2020, the Louisville police
department fired an officer
involved in the fatal shooting of
Breonna Taylor more than three
months earlier, saying Brett Hank-
ison had shown “extreme indiffer-
ence to the value of human life”
when he fired ten rounds into Tay-
lor’s apartment. (A second officer
was also fired; Hankison was found
not guilty on charges that he
endangered neighbors.)
Ten years ago: Syria and Turkey
desperately sought to ease tensions
following an incident in which Syria
shot down a Turkish reconnaissance
plane, saying the plane had entered
its airspace.
Five years ago: California Gov.
Jerry Brown blocked parole for
Charles Manson follower and con-
victed killer Bruce Davis.
One year ago: After 13 years of
near silence in the conservatorship
that controlled her life and money,
pop star Britney Spears told a judge
in Los Angeles that the conserva-
torship controlled by her father and
others had made her feel demor-
alized and enslaved, and that it
should come to an end. (The judge
would agree to that request in
November 2021.)
Today’s Birthdays: Actor Ted
Shackelford is 76. Supreme Court
Justice Clarence Thomas is 74.
“American Idol” ex-judge Randy
Jackson is 66. Actor Frances McDor-
mand is 65. Writer-director Joss
Whedon is 58. Actor Selma Blair
is 50. Rock singer KT Tunstall is 47.
Actor Emmanuelle Vaugier is 46.
Singer-songwriter Jason Mraz is 45.
Football Hall of Famer LaDainian
Tomlinson is 43. Actor Melissa
Rauch is 42.
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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THuRSday, JunE 23, 2022
Donors step up to give blood
La Grande remains
on pace to top
1,000 units of
blood donations
this year
By DICK MASON
The Observer
LA GRANDE — The
community of La Grande
is on pace to have its best
year for blood donations in
at least two decades.
A total of 232 units of
blood were collected ear-
lier this month during a
two-day American Red
Cross blood drive in La
Grande, boosting the total
number of units donated
during 2022 in three
two-day blood drives to
678. The strong results
mean La Grande, with
a pair of two-day blood
drives remaining in 2022,
is on track to collect 1,130
units for the year, 165 units
more than the 965 units
collected in 2021 and 487
more than the total of 643
donated in 2020.
La Grande is part of
the American Red Cross’
Idaho District, which
encompasses all of Idaho
and a portion of Eastern
Oregon.
“La Grande has the
most productive two-day
blood drives in the dis-
State authorizes
lethal take of
four wolves from
Chesnimnus Pack
By GEORGE PLAVEN
Capital Press
dick Mason/The Observer
Phil Gillette gives blood at an American Red Cross blood drive in La Grande on Wednesday, June 15,
2022. Nicolle Potts, a phlebotomist with the American Red Cross, is on the left.
trict,” according to Stephen
Dalmas, manager of the
Idaho District.
Dalmas gives much of
the credit for La Grande’s
successful blood drives to
the work of its managers,
the husband and wife team
of Linda and Sheldon
Strand. He said their work
is the reason the blood
drives are well run.
The total 232 units
donated during the
June drive exceeded the
Strands’ goal of 220 units.
It also was the highest total
donated during an Amer-
ican Red Cross blood drive
this year.
A total 202 people
donated during the June
blood draw, which was
conducted at the Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints. The total included
Phil Gillette, of La Grande,
who said he felt com-
pelled to donate because
of the unpredictable
times the United States is
experiencing.
“With all the stuff going
on in the country, I know
my blood is needed,” Gil-
lette said at the blood
drive.
Everyone at the blood
drive was required to
wear masks because
Oregon rules addressing
COVID-19 protocol in
medical facilities make
them mandatory. Sheldon
Strand explained that the
site of a blood drive is con-
sidered to be a temporary
medical facility in the eyes
of the state.
The two remaining 2022
American Red Cross blood
drives in La Grande will
be conducted Sept. 13-14
and Nov. 8-9. Each will run
from noon to 6 p.m. the
first day and from 9 a.m.
to 3 p.m. the second day at
the Church of Jesus Christ
of Latter-day Saints, 1802
Gekeler Lane.
Elgin School District adopts 2022-23 budget
Budget to bring
back academic
counseling position
By DICK MASON
The Observer
ELGIN — The Elgin
School District’s 2022-23
budget picture is now in
sharp focus and it looks
solid.
The Elgin
School
Board
voted 3-0
on Monday,
June 20, to
adopt a total
Greif
2022-23
budget of $9.37 million,
up about 8% from the
2021-22 budget of $8.57
million. The budget calls
for the Elgin School Dis-
trict to maintain all of
its staff and programs
and restore an academic
counseling position at
Elgin High School that
was cut about four years
ago for financial reasons,
according to Elgin Super-
intendent Dianne Greif.
The total budget
adopted by the school
board also includes an
increase of 7% to the gen-
eral fund, which con-
sists of money from taxes,
fees, interest earnings and
other sources that can be
used for general operation
purposes.
Chuck Anderson, chair
of the Elgin School Board,
likes where the school dis-
trict is financially.
“I feel really good about
the budget,” he said.
The board chair said the
school district is moving
in a positive direction after
having to overcome the
challenges posed by the
COVID-19 pandemic the
past two years.
“We are over the
hump,” he said.
Anderson said steady
enrollment is one of the
factors helping the school
district’s financial status.
Enrollment is a critical
piece of the funding puzzle
since Oregon’s public
school districts receive
more than $8,000 from the
state per student.
Anderson also said
grants the school district
has received are boosting
the budget. Denise
Ludwig, the school dis-
trict’s deputy clerk, credits
Greif with successfully
applying for many of the
grants it has received.
“She is a grant writing
machine,” Ludwig said.
Personnel changes
Near the end of the
June 20 meeting Randy
Laber announced that he
was stepping down from
the board for personal rea-
sons. Laber has served on
the Elgin School Board
for five years. Laber said
he has enjoyed serving
on the board and that the
experience has been par-
ticularly meaningful for
him because he grew up
in Elgin. He said he has
enjoyed having the oppor-
tunity to serve the com-
munity and to help young
people as a school board
member.
Greif said she was dis-
appointed to see Laber
leave because he has been
an important part of a
board she has enjoyed
working with.
The school board will
appoint someone to fill
the remainder of Laber’s
term. The individual
appointed will serve
through November of
2023.
Summerville man injured in paragliding accident
The Observer
LA GRANDE — A
25-year-old Summer-
ville man was injured in
a late-afternoon para-
gliding accident Monday,
June 20, on a steep hillside
close to a half mile north
of the west Interstate 84 La
Grande exit.
The accident was
reported at about 3:45 p.m.,
according to Union County
Emergency Manager Nick
Vora.
Union County Sheriff
Cody Bowen arrived at the
accident site first and then
directed first responder
traffic to it, Vora said.
Rescuers had to hike
up a steep hillside to
reach the injured man.
First responders packed
the patient into a wheeled
ODFW
approves
killing
more
wolves
union County Search and Rescue/Contributed Photo
Rescuers load a 25-year-old Summerville man onto a litter Monday,
June 20, 2022, after he was injured in a paragliding accident
outside La Grande.
Stokes basket and he was
wheeled down the hill to
a waiting Life Flight heli-
copter, which had landed
at a gravel pit about 500
yards from the base of the
slope. The man was then
flown to a trauma center
in Richland, Washington,
with potentially life-threat-
ening injuries at about
5 p.m., Vora said.
The patient, who was
alone, was located after
he called 911 with his
cellphone. The Union
County Dispatch Center
was able to find him by
using Global Positioning
System equipment, which
determines a cellphone’s
coordinates.
The city of La Grande
Fire Department, Union
County Sheriff’s Office,
Union County Search and
Rescue, La Grande Rural
Fire Department, Oregon
State Police and Life Flight
Network all responded to
the accident.
Vora said teamwork
among the first responders
allowed them to get the
injured man off the hillside
and to the trauma center
quickly.
“This really exemplifies
how well the people from
all these agencies work
well together as a team,”
he said.
IN BRIEF
Horse injures man in the
Starkey Experimental Forest
COVID-19 community levels
for Eastern Oregon stable
STARKEY — A man was injured
by a horse early in the afternoon
of Tuesday, June 21, in the Starkey
Experimental Forest area.
The individual was transported by
ambulance to Grande Ronde Hospital
with non-life-threatening injuries,
according to Union County Emer-
gency Manager Nick Vora.
No other details were available.
The La Grande Fire Depart-
ment, Union County Sheriff Cody
Bowen and Vora all responded to the
accident.
LA GRANDE — The Cen-
ters for Disease Control and Pre-
vention monitors community levels
of COVID-19 to help communi-
ties decide what prevention steps to
take based on the latest data. Levels
can be low, medium or high and are
determined by looking at hospital
beds being used, hospital admissions
and the total number of reported new
COVID-19 cases in an area.
The CDC listed the following
levels for Eastern Oregon as of
Tuesday, June 21:
• Union County: Medium
• Baker County: Medium
• Wallowa County: Medium
• Umatilla County: Low
• Malheur County: Medium
The CDC recommends staying
up to date with COVID-19 vaccines.
Those who have symptoms should
get tested.
For communities with medium
levels, additional precautions are
issued for those at high risk for
severe illness, including talking to a
health care provider about the need to
wear a mask.
— The Observer
JOSEPH — The Oregon
Department of Fish and
Wildlife has approved
killing more wolves from
the Chesnimnus Pack in
Wallowa County to curb
attacks on livestock.
ODFW issued its second
kill permit for Chesnimnus
wolves on Friday, June 17,
after two yearling males
were removed from the pack
under a separate permit ear-
lier this spring.
Since April 25, ODFW
biologists have attributed five
confirmed and two “prob-
able” depredations of cattle
to the pack in grazing pas-
tures north of Joseph. The
two most recent incidents
were investigated June 4.
The agency issued its first
permit April 29 to cull two
wolves from the pack. One
yearling male was shot May
3 and the second on June 10.
Days later, ODFW again
authorized lethal take — this
time for four Chesnimnus
wolves, citing an ongoing
threat to livestock in the
area. The permit runs
through July 17.
The decision has again
inflamed emotions among
both ranchers and wild-
life advocates who disagree
sharply about how wolves
should be managed. Oregon
has at least 175 wolves state-
wide, though that is a min-
imum estimate based on
verified evidence.
Sristi Kamal, senior
Northwest representa-
tive for Defenders of Wild-
life, said that if the latest
permit is fully executed,
it will jeopardize the sur-
vival of the Chesnimnus
Pack. The pack had at least
nine members by the end of
2021, according to ODFW’s
annual population survey.
“We are hoping that
ODFW will not target help-
less pups again but that
means the permit will essen-
tially wipe out most of the
adult and yearling mem-
bers,” Kamal said in a state-
ment. “Depending on which
two (or) three wolves are left,
the survival chances of the
pups decreases significantly.”
Kamal said the timing
of the permit was also con-
cerning, since there were
no further documented dep-
redations after the June 10
take of the second wolf from
the pack.
“This permit feels unjus-
tified,” she said.
Ranchers, meanwhile,
have argued for killing the
entire Chesnimnus Pack,
claiming that nonlethal
deterrents such as patrolling
cattle and adjusting grazing
schedules are not working to
prevent losses.
John Williams, wolf com-
mittee co-chairman for the
Oregon Cattlemen’s Asso-
ciation, said one heavily
affected producer on Crow
Creek has done everything
humanly possible to keep
wolves away from his herd.
“He’s still getting
harassed, cattle chased and
run through fences,” Wil-
liams said. “It’s ongoing and
it’s continuing. The wolves
that are there have decided
to turn to livestock.”
ODFW agreed, stating
that while the rancher has
increased human pres-
ence to scare off wolves and
removed potential attrac-
tants such as bone piles and
carcasses, attacks on cattle
have continued.
“Based upon all evidence
available, ODFW believes
that cattle continue to be at
high risk of wolf depreda-
tion in this area,” the agency
wrote.