A2 — THE OBSERVER
TODAY
In 1790, a site along the
Potomac River was designated
the permanent seat of the United
States government; the area
became Washington, D.C.
In 1862, Flag Officer David G.
Farragut became the first rear
admiral in the United States Navy.
In 1945, the United States
exploded its first experimental
atomic bomb in the desert of
Alamogordo, New Mexico; the
same day, the heavy cruiser USS
Indianapolis left Mare Island Naval
Shipyard in California on a secret
mission to deliver atomic bomb
components to Tinian Island in the
Marianas.
In 1951, the novel “The Catcher
in the Rye” by J.D. Salinger was first
published by Little, Brown and Co.
In 1957, Marine Corps Maj. John
Glenn set a transcontinental speed
record by flying a Vought F8U Cru-
sader jet from California to New
York in 3 hours, 23 minutes and 8.4
seconds.
In 1964, as he accepted the
Republican presidential nom-
ination in San Francisco, Barry
M. Goldwater declared that
“extremism in the defense of lib-
erty is no vice” and that “modera-
tion in the pursuit of justice is no
virtue.”
In 1969, Apollo 11 blasted off
from Cape Kennedy on the first
manned mission to the surface of
the moon.
In 1980, former California Gov.
Ronald Reagan won the Repub-
lican presidential nomination at
the party’s convention in Detroit.
In 1999, John F. Kennedy Jr.,
his wife, Carolyn, and her sister,
Lauren Bessette, died when their
single-engine plane, piloted by
Kennedy, plunged into the Atlantic
Ocean near Martha’s Vineyard,
Massachusetts.
In 2004, Martha Stewart was
sentenced to five months in prison
and five months of home confine-
ment by a federal judge in New
York for lying about a stock sale.
In 2008, Florida resident Casey
Anthony, whose 2-year-old
daughter, Caylee, had been
missing a month, was arrested on
charges of child neglect, making
false official statements and
obstructing a criminal investiga-
tion. (Casey Anthony was later
acquitted at trial of murdering
Caylee, whose skeletal remains
were found in December 2008; she
was convicted of lying to police.)
In 2015, a jury in Centennial, Col-
orado, convicted James Holmes of
165 counts of murder, attempted
murder and other charges in the
2012 Aurora movie theater ram-
page that left 12 people dead.
A gunman unleashed a barrage
of fire at a recruiting center and
another U.S. military site a few
miles apart in Chattanooga, Ten-
nessee, killing four Marines and
a sailor before he was shot to
death by police; authorities iden-
tified the gunman as Kuwaiti-born
Muhammad Youssef Abdulazeez
of Tennessee.
In 2016, Republican presidential
nominee-apparent Donald Trump
formally introduced his running
mate, Mike Pence, during an event
in New York, hailing the Indiana
governor as his “first choice” and
his “partner in the campaign” a day
after announcing the selection on
Twitter.
Today’s birthdays: Soul singer
William Bell is 83. International
Tennis Hall of Famer Margaret
Court is 80. College Football Hall of
Famer and football coach Jimmy
Johnson is 79. Actor-singer Ruben
Blades is 74. Rock composer-musi-
cian Stewart Copeland is 70. Play-
wright Tony Kushner is 66. Actor
Faye Grant is 65. Dancer Michael
Flatley is 64. Actor Phoebe Cates
is 59. Actor-comedian Will Fer-
rell is 55. Actor Jonathan Adams
is 55. College and Pro Football
Hall of Famer Barry Sanders is 54.
Actor Rain Pryor is 53. Actor Corey
Feldman is 51. Rock singer Ryan
McCombs (Drowning Pool) is 48.
Actor Jayma Mays is 43. Retired
soccer star Carli Lloyd is 40. Actor
AnnaLynne McCord is 35. Actor
Mark Indelicato is 28. Pop sing-
er-musician Luke Hemmings (5
Seconds to Summer) is 26.
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.
LOCAL
La Grande Lit Week kicks off
Pacific Northwest
writers flock to
event hosted
by university
The Observer
By ISABELLA CROWLEY
The Observer
Eastern Oregon university/Contributed Photo, File
Eastern Oregon University, La Grande, is hosting its inaugural La Grande Lit Week, a week-long project
of the university’s MFA Program in Creative Writing that will celebrate writers of the Pacific Northwest,
July 17-23, 2022.
MORE INFORMATION
LA GRANDE LIT WEEK CLASS SCHEDULE
For a complete schedule of
events, visit the La Grande
Lit Week webpage, www.
eou.edu/mfa/litweek, or scan
the QR code. Questions may
be directed to Nick Neely,
assistant professor of English/
writing, at nneely@eou.edu.
EOU faculty and visiting writers will teach a variety of classes
throughout the week. Each class is $20, and registration is required. Sign
up via the link at www.eou.edu/mfa/litweek.
Monday, July 18, 3:25-4:25 p.m.: “Root Words: Etymology and Poetry”
with poet Laura Da’
Monday, July 18, 4:30-5:30 p.m.: “Writing Animals, Day Two” with
fiction writer Molly Reid
Tuesday, July 19, 3:25-4:25 p.m.: “Storytelling Science” with
nonfiction writer Marina Richie
Tuesday, July 19, 4:30-5:30 p.m.: “Distilling Truths from Facts” with
poet Christopher Kondrich
Wednesday, July 20, 3:25-4:25 p.m.: “Writing As Creative Play” with
fiction writer Claire Boyles
Wednesday, July 20, 4:30-5:30 p.m.: “Writing Toward Joy” with
essayist Melissa Matthewson
Thursday, July 21, 3:25-4:25 p.m.: “Demystifying Historical Fiction”
with novelist Leyna Krow
Thursday, July 21, 4:30-5:30 p.m.: “Arboreality: Writing About Trees”
with nonfiction writer Nick Neely
Friday, July 22, 3:25-4:25 p.m.: “Apocalypse No: Against the
Eschatological in Fiction” with Jon Raymond
MFA program received
a grant from the Union
County Chamber of Com-
merce. Neely is hopeful
the project will become an
annual event.
“I think it’s going to
be a great tradition for La
Grande,” he said.
The creative writing
program is low residency,
meaning students com-
plete most of their degree
remotely. This week, many
of the two dozen MFA stu-
dents gathered at Wallowa
Lake — at the edge of the
Eagle Cap Wilderness Area
— for the Summer Fishtrap
Gathering of Writers.
exclusively on campus.
Instead, they hope to high-
light the many dimensions
of La Grande, by hosting
events all around town.
The La Grande com-
munity can expect to
encounter stories of all
kinds throughout the week,
from myths about jacka-
lopes to poetry on the com-
plex relationship between
grief and happiness.
“We want Lit Week to
have a little edge,” Neely
noted, “but for it to also be
family-friendly and open
to everyone.”
School board approves contract for its classified staff
By DICK MASON
The Observer
LA GRANDE — The
members of the La Grande
School District’s classified
staff are set to receive pay
increases each of the next
three years.
The La Grande
School Board voted on
Wednesday, July 13, to
ratify a new three-year
pact for its 175-member
classified staff, which
includes paraprofessionals,
cooks, custodial workers,
secretaries and grounds
workers. The contract will
provide the school dis-
trict’s classified staff with
cost of living raises of 5%
in 2022-23, 4% in 2023-24
and 3.5% in 2024-25.
The contract will also
boost what the school dis-
trict’s classified staff mem-
bers receive for health
insurance premiums by
$75 a month in 2022-
23, $50.84 a month in
2023-24 and $50 a month
in 2024-25. Classified staff
employees will receive up
to $1,449.16 per month for
health insurance in 2022-
23, up to $1,500 a month in
2023-24 and up to $1,550 a
month in 2024-25.
“I’m very pleased that
we were able to success-
fully negotiate a new con-
tract,” said La Grande
School District Superin-
tendent George Mendoza.
He said the school dis-
trict’s classified staff,
which voted for the new
contract earlier, has done
excellent work for the
past 2-1/2 years in a chal-
lenging environment
due to the COVID-19
pandemic.
“They deserve all of the
support the school district
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As the students make
their way back from Wal-
lowa Lake, they will
embark on a “Lit Trail,”
effectively kicking off the
week of festivities. This
Lit Trail will make four
stops beginning at the
Jewel Theatre in Elgin and
ending at La Grande’s Side
A Brewing. Award-win-
ning authors and EOU fac-
ulty members will share
their expertise on “writing
about animals” throughout
the afternoon.
The MFA staff didn’t
want Lit Week to occur
LA GRANDE
New contract
provides cost of
living increases
each year
Summer
intern joins
newsroom
University of
Oregon graduate
Shannon Golden
started July 11
By SHANNON GOLDEN
LA GRANDE —
Eastern Oregon Univer-
sity kicks off the inaugural
La Grande Lit Week, July
17-23, a project of the uni-
versity’s Master of Fine
Arts Program in Creative
Writing that will cele-
brate writers of the Pacific
Northwest.
Nick Neely, assistant
professor of English and
writing at Eastern, hopes
the series of events and
conversations will con-
nect local residents with
aspiring and established
writers alike.
“We’re trying to turn
outward and make sure
that we engage with the
public,” Neely said.
The week-long event
gets underway Sunday,
June 17, featuring readings
and conversations with fac-
ulty and visiting writers in
La Grande eateries, coffee
shops, bars and landmarks
— all free and open to the
public. Locals can even
attend an evening poetry
reading at Morgan Lake.
The week’s lineup
includes winners of the
Oregon Book Awards, the
Washington State Book
Awards and the Pacific
Northwest Book Awards
as well as authors touring
newly released books and
EOU’s MFA students.
Faculty and writers will
teach classes throughout
the week that the public
can sign up to partici-
pate in. These hour-long
community classes cover
a range of topics such as
“Storytelling Science,”
“Writing Toward Joy” and
“Demystifying Historical
Fiction.” Registration for
each class is $20.
In order to host the
week-long project, the
SaTuRday, July 16, 2022
can give them,” Mendoza
said.
The superintendent
added the La Grande
School District is com-
mitted to boosting the
working conditions for its
classified staff.
Leatha Canfield, pres-
ident of the classified
staff’s Oregon School
Employees Association
bargaining unit, said she
was impressed with how
smoothly the negotiations
went.
“I know that it can be
a contentious process, but
we were very well received
and fairly treated. I feel
that we were supported by
the school district,” said
Canfield, who works as
a behavior intervention
assistant and a computer
lab assistant for the La
Grande School District.
A joint statement
released by Canfield and
Mendoza said both par-
ties will continue working
together as a team.
“We can all now turn
our attention on strength-
ening our education pro-
grams, focusing on stu-
dent learning, safety and
fostering trust in our edu-
cation system,” the joint
statement said.
In other action at the
meeting, the board elected
Randy Shaw as its chair
for 2022-23 and Danelle
Lindsey as its vice chair.
Shaw is beginning his
sixth year on the board and
was vice chair in 2021-22.
Lindsey has served on the
board for eight years.
Shaw succeeds Robin
Maille, who announced
she was stepping down
from the position after
serving two years. Men-
doza praised Maille for her
work as chair, noting that
she led the board during
an enormously challenging
period.
“You were the right
person for that spot during
a very difficult time,” he
said of Maille.
NEWS BRIEFS
COVID surge strikes
Alpine House in Joseph
JOSEPH — It may seem the
COVID-19 pandemic is all but
through, but the residents of the
Alpine House senior living facility in
Joseph would have to disagree.
Administrator Steve Zollman said
Wednesday, July 13, that 19 of their
29 tenants had come down with what
appears to be a mild version of the
virus.
“We don’t expect to lose any-
body,” he said.
Rumors that visitors were
being barred from the facility are
unfounded, Zollman said.
“We don’t stop visitors. That
would be illegal,” he said. “We may
talk you out of walking in here, but
we don’t stop them.”
He said health care professionals
visit regularly and some residents
have opted to take the antiviral medi-
cines offered by them.
He said about five employees have
volunteered to stay on the premises
24 hours a day so others can go home
and not risk spreading the virus to
their families.
Of those who have contracted the
latest round of the virus, none are
among the four who contracted it
early this year.
“It doesn’t seem to make any dif-
ference whether they’ve been vac-
cinated, boosted or what,” Zollman
said.
Alpine House seems to be alone in
the latest surge. A nurse at Wallowa
Valley Senior Living in Enterprise
who declined to be identified said no
such outbreak has occurred there.
“There’s nothing like that’s going
on here,” she said.
10-acre Marr Creek Fire in
Wallowa County contained
WALLOWA COUNTY — A
10-acre wildfire 16 miles east of
Joseph is now contained.
The Marr Creek Fire, burning in
the Harl Butte area, was declared
contained by the Blue Mountain
Interagency Dispatch Center at
9:34 a.m. on Thursday, July 14.
Nobody has been injured and no
property has been damaged during the
blaze, which didn’t threaten any struc-
tures, according to the Blue Mountain
Interagency Dispatch Center.
The lightning-caused blaze was
first reported at 11:27 a.m. July 13.
A crew was sent to the fire by the
Blue Mountain Interagency Dispatch
Center.
— EO Media Group
LA GRANDE —
The Observer will have
another reporter on staff
this summer with intern
Shannon Golden.
Golden comes to the La
Grande news-
room through
the Charles
Snowden
Program
for Excel-
lence in Jour-
Golden
nalism, which
pairs student
journalists from universi-
ties in Oregon with local
newspapers.
“We are excited to have
Shannon in the newsroom.
It always makes for a fun
summer when we have an
extra pair of hands and a
new voice offering ideas.
This is the second year
The Observer has had a
Snowden intern. It’s some-
thing we look forward to,”
said The Observer’s interim
editor, Andrew Cutler.
Golden graduated this
spring from the Univer-
sity of Oregon with a bach-
elor of arts degree in jour-
nalism and a minor in
global studies. She hopes
to launch a career in
journalism.
“I always thought jour-
nalism was a good major
for indecisive people,”
Golden joked with a smile.
“You get to learn about
everything and anything
from others. It’s a very ver-
satile role.”
After starting the intern-
ship on Monday, July 11,
she immediately proved
herself as a team player.
Golden received a call from
Cutler at 2 p.m. on her first
day, asking her to write a
piece for the East Orego-
nian about the hidden bottle
hunt prize found at Hermis-
ton’s Riverfront Park.
Golden said she felt
intimidated by the task but
was also really excited to
write the article because it
felt like “a real newsroom
moment.”
She got right to work —
calling, interviewing and
writing. She had the piece
turned around and ready
to go within two and a half
hours.
“It’s clear Shannon
is talented writer with a
clear passion and talent for
telling stories,” Cutler said.
“She has hit the ground
running and tackled every-
thing we’ve thrown at her
so far.”
Golden wrote her first
story for The Observer on
how La Grande’s Market
Place Fresh Foods is
increasing access to fresh
produce through the SNAP
benefits program.
During her 12 weeks in
Union County, Golden will
report on miscellaneous
topics in the region.
“I really love the inter-
viewing process and
being able to connect with
people,” she said. “I think
community journalism will
always be tremendously
important to connecting
people. It’s cool to be a part
of that.”
Last summer, Carlos
Fuentes spent the summer
as The Observer’s Snowden
intern. Fuentes is currently
an intern with Portland
Business Journal through
the Dow Jones News Fund.
“Shannon’s help this
summer means we will
be able to tell more peo-
ple’s stories and cover more
topics, so I am excited to
have her here,” Cutler said.
“We always end up trying
to convince our Snowden
interns to come work for
us after their internship,
because the program pro-
duces great reporters, and
based on the work she has
produced in her first few
days, I would say Shannon
fits that pattern.”