LOCAL
A2 — THE OBSERVER
THuRSday, auguST 4, 2022
TODAY
IN BRIEF
In 1790, the U.S. Coast Guard
had its beginnings as President
George Washington signed a mea-
sure authorizing a group of rev-
enue cutters to enforce tariff and
trade laws and prevent smuggling.
In 1830, plans for the city of Chi-
cago were laid out.
In 1916, the United States
reached agreement with Den-
mark to purchase the Danish Virgin
Islands for $25 million.
In 1936, Jesse Owens of the
United States won the second of
his four gold medals at the Berlin
Olympics as he prevailed in the
long jump over German Luz Long,
who was the first to congratu-
late him.
In 1944, 15-year-old diarist Anne
Frank was arrested with her sister,
parents and four others by the
Gestapo after hiding for two years
inside a building in Amsterdam.
(Anne and her sister, Margot, died
at the Bergen-Belsen concentra-
tion camp.)
In 1964, the bodies of missing
civil rights workers Michael
Schwerner, Andrew Goodman and
James Chaney were found buried
in an earthen dam in Mississippi.
In 1972, Arthur Bremer was con-
victed and sentenced in Upper
Marlboro, Maryland, to 63 years in
prison for his attempt on the life of
Alabama Gov. George C. Wallace
(the sentence was later reduced to
53 years; Bremer was released from
prison in 2007).
In 1977, President Jimmy Carter
signed a measure establishing the
Department of Energy.
In 1987, the Federal Commu-
nications Commission voted 4-0
to abolish the Fairness Doctrine,
which required radio and televi-
sion stations to present balanced
coverage of controversial issues.
In 1993, a federal judge sen-
tenced Los Angeles police officers
Stacey Koon and Laurence Powell
to 2 1/2 years in prison for violating
Rodney King’s civil rights.
In 2009, North Korean leader
Kim Jong Il pardoned American
journalists Laura Ling and Euna Lee
for entering the country illegally
and ordered their release during a
surprise visit by former U.S. Presi-
dent Bill Clinton.
In 2019, a masked gunman
fired on revelers enjoying summer
nightlife in a popular entertain-
ment district of Dayton, Ohio,
leaving nine people dead and
27 wounded; police said officers
shot and killed the shooter within
30 seconds of the start of his
rampage.
In 2020, nearly 3,000 tons of
ammonium nitrate that had been
improperly stored for years in the
port of Beirut, Lebanon, exploded,
killing more than 200 people,
injuring more than 6,000 and dev-
astating nearby neighborhoods; it
was one of the largest non-nuclear
explosions ever recorded.
Today’s Birthdays: Actor-
singer Tina Cole is 79. Actor-come-
dian Richard Belzer is 78. Football
Hall of Famer John Riggins is 73.
Former Attorney General Alberto
Gonzales is 67. Actor-screenwriter
Billy Bob Thornton is 67. Actor
Kym Karath (Film: “The Sound of
Music”) is 64. Hall of Fame track
star Mary Decker Slaney is 64.
Actor Lauren Tom is 63. Former
President Barack Obama is 61. Pro-
ducer Michael Gelman (TV: “Live
with Kelly & Ryan”) is 61. Retired
MLB All-Star pitcher Roger Cle-
mens is 60. Actor Crystal Chappell
is 57. Author Dennis Lehane is 57.
Rock musician Rob Cieka (Boo Rad-
leys) is 54. Actor Daniel Dae Kim
is 54. Actor Michael DeLuise is 53.
Former race car driver Jeff Gordon
is 51. Rapper-actor Yo-Yo is 51. R&B
singer-actor Marques Houston
is 41. Britain’s Duchess of Sussex,
the former actor Meghan Markle,
is 41. Actor Abigail Spencer is 41.
Actor/director Greta Gerwig is 39.
Country singer Crystal Bowersox
(TV: “American Idol”) is 37. Actors
Dylan and Cole Sprouse are 30.
Singer Jessica Sanchez (TV: “Amer-
ican Idol”) is 27.
Nez Perce National Historical
Park ranger to speak Aug. 9
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.
dick Mason/The Observer
The city of North Powder has two wastewater ponds, one of which is shown here on Friday, July 22, 2022. The device shown
on this pond is an aerator that adds oxygen to the water. The city is hoping to add a evaporation wastewater pond in the near
future.
North Powder wastewater
upgrade project still alive
Project would add
third pond to
city’s wastewater
treatment system
By DICK MASON
The Observer
NORTH POWDER
— A drive to upgrade
the city of North Pow-
der’s wastewater treat-
ment system is still a go
despite setbacks earlier
this year.
“I feel optimistic
about it,” said Mike
Morse, a member of
the North Powder City
Council.
The drive hit turbu-
lent waters in the spring
Monday, Aug. 1, 2022
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fall months contractors
are scheduling projects
for the upcoming year,
unlike in the spring
when many are booked
solid for the summer and
fall.
The centerpiece of
the proposed upgrade
project is the creation
of a third pond for
the city’s wastewater
system. Treated waste-
water from the two
ponds North Powder
currently has now would
be pumped through a
pipe to the new pond
where the wastewater
would evaporate.
Presently, some
wastewater from the
two ponds is periodi-
cally discharged into
the North Powder River.
This usually occurs in
the winter when the
water levels in the two
ponds are near capacity.
Wendt said the addition
of an evaporation pond
will make it easier for
the city to meet rising
Oregon Department of
Environmental Quality
standards.
Should bids for
the proposed upgrade
project still come in
high this fall, Wendt
said the city council
may consider applying
for another govern-
ment grant and possibly
a loan to help it finance
the work. Wendt said it
also may look into com-
pleting the project more
gradually in less expen-
sive smaller segments.
Lower temps in the forecast
Cooler air from the
Pacific will lower
temperatures in Union,
Wallowa counties
By DICK MASON
The Observer
LA GRANDE — Cool, moist
air flowing in from the Pacific
Ocean will keep temperatures
more bearable in Union and Wal-
lowa counties this week.
Temperatures are projected
to be down significantly from
late July, at least through this
weekend, according to Jim
Smith, a meteorologist with the
National Weather Service office in
Pendleton.
“There is a southwesterly flow
which is bringing in cooler moist
air,” he said.
The daily highs in La Grande
are projected to average 89.2
degrees through Monday, Aug. 8,
below the broiling four-day stretch
La Grande experienced from July
27-30, when the daily high aver-
aged nearly 103 degrees.
The average high tempera-
ture in Joseph through Monday,
Aug. 8, is projected to be 83.2
degrees, a big drop from the July
27-31 stretch when Joseph had an
average daily high of 95.8 degrees.
Cooler moist air flowing in
from the Pacific is not the only
reason temperatures are expected
to be down in Union and Wal-
lowa counties. A second reason
is the smoke from large wildfires
burning in Northern California.
Smith said smoke from these fires,
including the McKinney Fire in
the Klamath National Forest near
the Oregon-California border
which exploded over the weekend,
is now high above Northeast
Oregon. The smoke is keeping the
ground from heating up as much
by blocking solar radiation, Smith
said.
The smoke is not projected
to have a major impact on local
air quality in the near future.
The website IQAir.com listed La
Grande’s air quality as moderate
on Aug. 3 and projects it will be
good on Aug. 4 and Aug. 5.
ODF restricts land use for fire danger
Wallowa County Chieftain
LOTTERY
when the city of North
Powder put the project
out to bid. Just one firm
submitted a bid and it
was well above what the
city, which has received
a $1.9 million federal
Community Block Grant
for the project, could
afford, according to City
Recorder Beth Wendt.
The city may begin
accepting bids for the
project for a second time
this fall, Wendt said,
adding she thinks the
bids may come in lower
because more firms
likely will be involved.
“We hope there will
be more competition,”
she said.
More firms will likely
be bidding then, Wendt
said, because in the
LA GRANDE —
As conditions across
Northeastern Oregon
have shifted to warmer
and drier weather in
the height of summer,
the Oregon Department
of Forestry’s North-
east Oregon District has
increased public use
restrictions on lands
protected by ODF,
according to a press
release.
“This year has been
unique with a slow start
to warmer and drier
conditions,” said Matt
Hoehna, assistant dis-
trict forester. “How-
ever, with extreme heat
this last week, the veg-
etation and fuels have
changed dramatically. It
does not take long for a
fire to ignite and carry
with the drier fuels that
we are seeing in the dis-
trict. We must consider
our options in reducing
the number of prevent-
able fires.”
Effective Wednesday,
Aug. 3, the ODF added
restrictions for lands
within the district. The
restrictions affect both
landowners and the
general public.
The regulated use
closure affects private,
state, county, munic-
ipal and tribal lands in
seven counties: Baker,
Umatilla, Union, Wal-
lowa and small portions
of Grant, Malheur and
Morrow counties.
The restric-
tions include the fol-
lowing fire-prevention
measures:
• Open fires are pro-
hibited, even at desig-
nated campgrounds,
including campfires,
charcoal fires, cooking
fires and warming fires.
• Nonindustrial
use of chain saws is
prohibited.
• Internal combus-
tion engine use, except
for motor vehicles is
prohibited.
• Smoking is pro-
hibited while trav-
eling, except in vehicles
on improved roads, in
boats on the water or at
a cleared area.
• Use of motor vehi-
cles, including motorcy-
cles and all-terrain vehi-
cles is prohibited except
on improved roads,
except for the commer-
cial culture and harvest
of agricultural crops.
• Cutting, grinding
and welding of metal is
prohibited.
• Mowing of dried
and cured grass with
power driven equipment
is prohibited.
• Use of fireworks is
prohibited.
• Any electric fence
controller in use shall
be listed by a nation-
ally recognized testing
laboratory or be cer-
tified by the Depart-
ment of Consumer and
Business Services and
operated in compliance
with manufacturer’s
instructions.
Aside from these
restrictions, also pro-
hibited is the use of
exploding targets and
tracer ammunition.
Debris burning is pro-
hibited, which includes
burn piles and burn
barrels.
These restrictions
shall remain in effect
until replaced, sus-
pended, or termi-
nated by additional
proclamations.
JOSEPH — A ranger from the
Nez Perce National Historical Park
will speak at the Josephy Center for
Arts and Culture at noon on Tuesday,
Aug. 9.
The park is unique in that its sites
are not all connected, and not even
all “owned” by the National Park
Service. Some of them, including the
Old Chief Joseph Grave Site at Wal-
lowa Lake, the Joseph Canyon Over-
look and the Dug Bar crossing site
on the Snake River, are in Wallowa
County.
The park celebrates Nez Perce
history and culture, and chronicles
the path of the War of 1877. The park
headquarters and a visitor center are
in Spalding, Idaho, up the Clearwater
River from Lewiston.
Those interested are invited to
come with their questions about why
some places are in and others not.
Find out about battlefield commem-
orations and other events celebrated
by the national park.
Teachers and educators are
invited to stay for a 2 p.m. session on
teaching Nez Perce history and cul-
ture. The Josephy Center is devel-
oping boxes of Nez Perce teaching
materials — each elementary school
in the county will get its own box of
materials — and park staff will be
here to provide more materials and
information for educators.
For more information, contact
Rich Wandschneider at the center at
541-432-0505.
New 4-H club brings back
familiar name
LOSTINE — There is a new 4-H
club in the lower valley. The club
includes Cloverbuds (grades K-third)
and Juniors (grades fourth through
sixth).
The Junior division members are
working on large-animal projects
including pig, goat and sheep proj-
ects for the Wallowa County Fair.
The club meets at the Southfork
Grange in Lostine and members vol-
unteered as helpers at the Southfork
Grange’s May Day event.
Club members are doing a hor-
ticulture activity during the spring
season with volunteer instructor June
Colony. The club members are also
interested in learning about photog-
raphy, cooking and sewing.
The adult leader of the club is
Sadie Kennedy. Lostine Rascal
4-H Club officers are: President
Camelia St George, Vice Presi-
dent Dillon Wortman, Secretary
Chenoa Brockman, Treasurer Tai-
lynn Clary, Sergeant of Arms
Edith Kennedy and Reporter Lydia
Hawkins-Hogrefe.
La Grande youth new junior
member of Angus group
SAINT JOSEPH, Mo. — Whitley
Gunderson, of La Grande, is a
new junior member of the Amer-
ican Angus Association, according
to Mark McCully, chief executive
officer of the national organization
with headquarters in Saint Joseph,
Missouri.
Junior members of the association
are eligible to register cattle in the
American Angus Association, partic-
ipate in programs conducted by the
National Junior Angus Association
and take part in association-spon-
sored shows and other national and
regional events.
Anthony Creek Fire near
North Powder is contained
NORTH POWDER — A small
wildfire 15 miles west of North
Powder that broke out Sunday, July
31, is now contained.
The Anthony Creek Fire was
contained at 6:09 p.m. on Tuesday,
Aug. 2, according to the Blue
Mountain Interagency Dispatch
Center. The fire, less than 1 acre in
size and ignited by lightning, was
reported at 6:17 p.m. on July 31.
Planes dropped fire retardant and
helicopters deposited water on it for
much of Aug. 1. Hand crews were
also sent to the fire, which did not
threaten any structures. The fire has
burned timber and slash but has not
caused any injuries.
The fire is in the Webfoot area
and has been difficult place to
reach, according to Hunter Petrucci,
of the Blue Mountain Interagency
Dispatch Center. Petrucci said some
old roads had to be opened to allow
crews to get to the fire.
Also on Aug. 2, a small fire in
the Jubilee Lake area, 18 miles
north of Elgin, was quickly extin-
guished by a fire crew sent by
Blue Mountain Interagency Dis-
patch Center. The fire, one-tenth
of an acre and human caused, was
reported at 5:20 p.m. and was con-
tained by 5:59 p.m. Nobody was
injured and no structures were
threatened by the fire.
— EO Media Group