LOCAL
A2 — THE OBSERVER
THuRSday, July 7, 2022
TODAY
NEWS BRIEFS
Calf killed by wolves
in Wallowa County
In 1846, U.S. annexation of
California was proclaimed at
Monterey after the surrender of a
Mexican garrison.
In 1865, four people were
hanged in Washington, D.C. for
conspiring with John Wilkes Booth
to assassinate President Abraham
Lincoln: Lewis Powell (aka Lewis
Payne), David Herold, George Atze-
rodt and Mary Surratt, the first
woman to be executed by the fed-
eral government.
In 1898, the United States
annexed Hawaii.
In 1930, construction began on
Boulder Dam (later Hoover Dam).
In 1946, Jimmy Carter, 21, mar-
ried Rosalynn Smith, 18, in Plains,
Georgia.
In 1948, six female U.S. Navy
reservists became the first women
to be sworn in to the regular Navy.
In 1976, the United States Mil-
itary Academy at West Point
included female cadets for the
first time as 119 women joined the
Class of 1980.
In 1981, President Ronald
Reagan announced he was nom-
inating Arizona Judge Sandra
Day O’Connor to become the first
female justice on the U.S. Supreme
Court.
In 1990, the first “Three
Tenors” concert took place as
opera stars Luciano Pavarotti,
Placido Domingo and Jose Car-
reras performed amid the brick
ruins of Rome’s Baths of Cara-
calla on the eve of the World Cup
championship.
In 2005, terrorist bombings
in three Underground stations
and a double-decker bus killed
52 victims and four bombers in
the worst attack on London since
World War II.
In 2010, Los Angeles police
charged Lonnie Franklin Jr. in the
city’s “Grim Sleeper” serial kill-
ings. (Franklin, who was sentenced
to death for the killings of nine
women and a teenage girl, died
in prison in March 2020 at the age
of 67.)
In 2013, Andy Murray became
the first British man in 77 years to
win the Wimbledon title, beating
Novak Djokovic 6-4, 7-5, 6-4 in
the final.
In 2016, Micah Johnson, a
Black Army veteran who served in
Afghanistan, opened fire on Dallas
police, killing five officers in an act
of vengeance for the fatal police
shootings of Black men; the attack
ended with Johnson being killed
by a bomb delivered by a police
robot.
Today’s birthdays: Musi-
cian-conductor Doc Severinsen is
95. Pulitzer Prize-winning author
David McCullough is 89. Rock
star Ringo Starr is 82. Comedian
Bill Oddie is 81. Singer-musician
Warren Entner (The Grass Roots)
is 79. Actor Joe Spano is 76. Pop
singer David Hodo (The Village
People) is 75. Country singer Linda
Williams is 75. Actor Shelley Duvall
is 73. Actor Roz Ryan is 71. Actor
Billy Campbell is 63. Rock musician
Mark White (Spin Doctors) is 60.
Singer-songwriter Vonda Shepard
is 59. Actor-comedian Jim Gaffigan
is 56. R&B musician Ricky Kinchen
(Mint Condition) is 56. Actor Amy
Carlson is 54. Actor Jorja Fox is
54. Actor Cree Summer is 53.
Actor Robin Weigert is 53. Actor
Kirsten Vangsness is 50. Actor Troy
Garity is 49. Actor Berenice Bejo is
46. Actor Hamish Linklater is 46.
Olympic silver and bronze medal
figure skater Michelle Kwan is
42. Rapper Cassidy is 40. Country
singer Gabbie Nolen is 40. Actor
Ross Malinger is 38. Actor-come-
dian Luke Null (TV: “Saturday Night
Live”) is 32. Pop singer Ally Her-
nandez (Fifth Harmony) (TV: “The X
Factor”) is 29. Pop musician Ashton
Irwin (5 Seconds to Summer) is
28. Country singer Maddie Font
(Maddie and Tae) is 27.
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.
LOTTERY
Monday, July 4, 2022
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10 p.m.: 2-3-8-9
dick Mason/The Observer
A vehicle finishes crossing the Second Street bridge over Interstate 84 in La Grande on Tuesday, July 5, 2022. The bridge opened at 3 p.m
July 1 after having being closed since March 21 for repairs.
Second Street Bridge over
I-84 now open in La Grande
Bridge had been closed
since March 21 for repairs
By DICK MASON
The Observer
LA GRANDE — Driving
between La Grande and the Union
County Fairgrounds is now much
easier
The Second Street Bridge over
Interstate 84, which had been
closed since March 21 for repair
work by crews contracted by the
Oregon Department of Transporta-
tion, reopened to all traffic at 3 p.m.
Friday, July 1. The bridge was
closed while the bridge rails were
updated to current standards, deck
surfaces were repaired and sealed,
and other repairs performed.
The bridge was closed again July
6 for 20-minute intervals during the
day to allow for work crews to com-
plete the bridge deck overlay on the
northbound shoulder.
Drivers crossing the bridge are
urged to use caution since there
remain some construction mate-
rials on the shoulders of the bridge
and small bumps at each end of the
bridge.
The detour around the bridge
was lengthy and the reopening
removes the inconvenience for
people living south of the Union
County Fairgrounds. At least for
now. There is still a substantial
amount of work to be done to com-
plete the Second Street Bridge
repairs.
Two more full closures later this
summer will be needed. One clo-
sure will allow for asphalt paving
at each end of the bridge to match
the new bridge deck overlay, which
will require one- or two-day clo-
sures. A second closure will be
needed to allow bridge bearings to
be replaced. The bridge will have to
be lifted up for this work, according
to Tom Strandberg, an ODOT
spokesperson.
Strandberg said this is a standard
procedure ODOT does on all of its
bridges regularly. This closure will
likely be for two to three weeks.
Neither closure will occur during
the Union County Fair, which takes
place Aug. 3-6. ODOT will send
out notices in advance to notify the
public of the closures.
Cove City Hall will be getting a new look
City council voted
to accept bid on
expansion, remodel
The Observer
Isabella Crowley/The Observer
The Cove City Hall building, shown here on Tuesday, July 5, 2022, is slated to be remodeled in the spring
of 2023 to increase security and provide more space for city offices.
and redoing the existing
flooring. Johnson sug-
gested that the flooring
project could be com-
pleted in house for a lower
price.
“It will be nice to have
an actual office and more
space. We’ll have a meeting
room and it will also be
better for security,” he said.
Councilor Jason Stone
brought forward a motion
to accept the base bid
with the lighting addition,
which was seconded by
Councilor Lana Shira. All
council members present
at the meeting — Stone,
Shira, Alan Cadinha and
Shawn Parker — voted in
favor of the bid. Council
President Matt McCowan
and Councilor Jordan
Hackwith were absent
from the meeting.
The bids were orig-
inally due in May, but
after none were received
it was determined that
the original deadline had
been too short and it was
extended. The project is
slated to start during the
spring of 2023 and should
be completed within two
months, barring any com-
plications or unforeseen
events.
Man arrested after downtown skirmish
Justin Ransford arrested on multiple
charges, including coercion, harassment
By DICK MASON
The Observer
LA GRANDE — A
man who allegedly held a
woman against her will on
the 1700 block of Adams
Avenue was arrested on
multiple charges by the La
Grande Police Department.
Justin Ransford, 21,
unknown address, was
arrested Saturday, July 2,
Bridge replacement
to begin soon
WALLOWA — A con-
tractor will be installing
erosion-control measures in
advance of drilling founda-
tions for a bridge replace-
ment that is expected to
begin the week of July
11 on Highway 82 near
Wallowa.
A temporary traffic
signal is in place. Traffic
will be controlled by flag-
gers or the temporary traffic
signal during working
hours, and by the tempo-
rary traffic signal during
nonworking hours. Up to
20-minute delays can be
expected at all times. The
signal is expected to remain
in place until both travel
lanes are available again
early this fall.
Joseph hearing on
Iwetemlaykin, UGB
By ISABELLA CROWLEY
COVE — The Cove
City Council approved a
bid for the renovation and
expansion of city hall on
Tuesday, July 5.
The bid was awarded
to Cornerstone Home
Builders, of La Grande, for
$68,960. Cornerstone Home
Builders was the only con-
tractor to submit a bid.
Cove Mayor Sherry
Haeger said the project will
be paid for with funding
from the federal govern-
ment provided to help
cities deal with issues
related to COVID-19. Cur-
rently, the central room of
city hall acts as both the
meeting location for the
city council and the offices
of City Recorder Sherry
Riley and Public Works
Director Dave Johnson.
The base bid included
the expansion and remodel
of city hall, with two addi-
tional items contractors
could price out: redoing
the existing lighting
MINAM — Another
confirmed case of a wolf
killing livestock in Wal-
lowa County was reported
last week when a cattle pro-
ducer in the Minam area
found a 4-month-old, 350-
pound calf dead, according
to a report from the Oregon
Department of Fish and
Wildlife.
The calf was found
Monday, June 27, when the
rancher was distributing
salt in a partially timbered
6,000-acre private pasture.
The calf was believed to
have died within 24 hours
before the investigation.
Examination of the car-
cass led ODFW investi-
gators to determine the
wounds were consistent
with wolf attacks on calves.
The packs known to fre-
quent the area where the
attack occurred include the
Clark Creek Pack, the Bear
Creek Pack and the Minam
Pack.
ODFW stated it will
monitor for continued wolf
activity in the area.
On June 17, the ODFW
issued a permit to take four
more Chesnimnus Pack
wolves in the Crow Creek
area after repeated depreda-
tions and the killing of two
Chesnimnus wolves under
a previous kill permit. The
current permit is good until
July 17.
and charged with coercion,
harassment, resisting arrest,
stalking and second-degree
disorderly conduct at about
11:15 p.m. When police
officers arrived at the scene,
Ransford was involved in
an argument with a group
of men who were upset
because Ransford was
harassing a woman.
After law enforcement
officers arrived, Ransford
grabbed the woman and
held her against her will
in an attempt to prevent
law enforcement officers
from arresting and hand-
cuffing him, according to
La Grande Police Lt. Jason
Hays. Law enforcement
officers then used mild
force to separate Ransford
from the woman before
taking him into custody.
Ransford suffered
minor injuries in the inci-
dent. The La Grande
Police was assisted by
the Union County Sher-
iff’s Office and the Oregon
State Police. Hays said
Ransford did not have a
weapon.
Hays said that Ransford
has been arrested mul-
tiple times by La Grande
law enforcement officers
on charges including dis-
orderly conduct, reckless
endangering and escape
since September 2021.
Hays said he believes
most of the charges
are related to mental
health issues and drug
dependancy.
JOSEPH — A public
hearing to consider mod-
ifying the city of Joseph’s
urban growth boundary
will take place Thursday,
July 7, during the city coun-
cil’s monthly meeting.
The meeting begins at
7 p.m. at the Joseph Com-
munity Events Center. The
public is welcome to attend
in person or via Zoom.
Under the city’s Compre-
hensive Land Use Plan, the
city is required to maintain
an adequate supply of land
for residential use within
its UGB to meet housing
needs.
The city intends to
accomplish this through
a UGB swap by including
new lands within the UGB
(73.4 acres currently zoned
Wallowa County rural res-
idential) to be rezoned city
of Joseph Urban-Growth
Residential to replace
approximately 69.9 acres of
land currently in the UGB
that comprise the Oregon
State Park known as the
Iwetemlaykin State Her-
itage Site, which will be
removed from the UGB
currently zoned UG-R, to
be rezoned R-1.
The city’s plan currently
identifies the Iwetemlaykin
State Heritage Site as zoned
for residential use; how-
ever, the site is no longer
available to meet the city’s
housing needs due to the
site’s establishment as a
state park.
Public opposition put a
stop to a planned “hospi-
tality project” on a parcel
adjacent to Iwetemlaykin
in March when more than
70 people showed up at the
events center on a requested
change for a zoning request.
Only two of the public
comments were in favor of
the project, the rest being
opposed.
— EO Media Group