LOCAL
A2 — THE OBSERVER
TODAY
In 1860, the nation’s first suc-
cessful silver mill began operation
near Virginia City, Nevada.
In 1919, Germany’s Weimar Con-
stitution was signed by President
Friedrich Ebert.
In 1934, the first federal pris-
oners arrived at Alcatraz Island (a
former military prison) in San Fran-
cisco Bay.
In 1949, President Harry S.
Truman nominated General Omar
N. Bradley to become the first
chairman of the Joint Chiefs of
Staff.
In 1952, Hussein bin Talal was
proclaimed King of Jordan, begin-
ning a reign lasting nearly 47 years.
In 1956, abstract painter Jackson
Pollock, 44, died in an automobile
accident on Long Island, New York.
In 1965, rioting and looting that
claimed 34 lives broke out in the
predominantly Black Watts section
of Los Angeles.
In 1992, the Mall of America, the
nation’s largest shopping-enter-
tainment center, opened in Bloom-
ington, Minnesota.
In 1993, President Bill Clinton
named Army Gen. John Shalikash-
vili to be the new chairman of the
Joint Chiefs of Staff, succeeding
the retiring Gen. Colin Powell.
In 1997, President Bill Clinton
made the first use of the historic
line-item veto, rejecting three
items in spending and tax bills.
(However, the U.S. Supreme Court
later struck down the veto as
unconstitutional.)
In 2014, Academy Award-win-
ning actor and comedian Robin
Williams, 63, died in Tiburon, Cali-
fornia, a suicide.
In 2016, the Obama adminis-
tration said it had decided mari-
juana would remain on the list of
most dangerous drugs, rebuffing
growing support across the
country for broad legalization, but
said it would allow more research
into its medical uses.
In 2020, Democrat Joe Biden
named California Sen. Kamala
Harris as his running mate; Harris
was the first Black woman on a
major party’s presidential ticket.
The newly elected district attorney
in Portland, Oregon, said he would
not prosecute people arrested on
non-violent misdemeanor charges
during protests.
Ten years ago: Republican pres-
idential contender Mitt Romney
announced his choice of Rep. Paul
Ryan of Wisconsin to be his run-
ning mate. Usain Bolt capped
his perfect London Olympics by
leading Jamaica to victory in a
world-record 36.84 seconds in the
4x100 meters. Allyson Felix won
her third gold medal as the Ameri-
cans rolled to an easy victory in the
women’s 4x400 relay.
Five years ago: A federal judge
ordered Charlottesville, Virginia,
to allow a weekend rally of white
nationalists and other extremists
to take place at its originally-
planned location downtown. (Vio-
lence erupted at the rally, and a
woman was killed when a man
plowed his car into a group of
counterprotesters.)
One year ago: California’s
largest single wildfire in recorded
history continued to grow after
destroying more than 1,000 build-
ings, nearly half of them homes, in
the northern Sierra Nevada.
Today’s Birthdays: Songwrit-
er-producer Kenny Gamble is 79.
Rock musician Jim Kale (Guess
Who) is 79. Magazine columnist
Marilyn Vos Savant is 76. Country
singer John Conlee is 76. Singer
Eric Carmen is 73. Computer sci-
entist and Apple co-founder Steve
Wozniak is 72. Wrestler-actor Hulk
Hogan is 69. Singer Joe Jackson is
68. Actor Viola Davis is 57. Actor-
host Joe Rogan is 55. R&B musi-
cian Chris Dave is 54. Actor Anna
Gunn is 54. Actor Ashley Jensen is
54. Rock guitarist Charlie Sexton
is 54. Hip-hop artist Ali Shaheed
Muhammad is 52. Actor Nigel
Harman is 49. Actor Will Friedle is
46. Rock singer Ben Gibbard is 46.
Actor Rob Kerkovich is 43. Actor
Merritt Wever is 42. Actor Chris
Hemsworth is 39. Rock musician
Heath Fogg (Alabama Shakes) is
38. Rapper Asher Roth is 37. Actor
Alyson Stoner is 29.
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, auguST 11, 2022
Some object to politics at CJD rodeo Oregon
By BILL BRADSHAW
A Tuckerette brings
the American flag
into the Harley
Tucker Memorial
Arena during the
final night of the
Chief Joseph Days
Rodeo on Saturday,
July 30, 2022. Some
who attended
objected to the
political banter
between rodeo
announcer Jody
Carper and clown/
barrel man John
Harrison.
Wallowa County Chieftain
JOSEPH — Politically
charged banter coming
from the announcer’s
booth and the rodeo clown
at the Chief Joseph Days
Rodeo has stirred up objec-
tions from some in the
audience, even to the point
of decisions to not return to
the rodeo.
David Olmos, of Port-
land, said rodeo announcer
Jody Carper should keep
his political views to
himself.
“It’s a rodeo, not a
Trump rally, pardner,”
he wrote in a letter to the
editor to the Wallowa
County Chieftain.
Olmos said he wouldn’t
return “until you get back
in the saddle of showing
respect to all of your
patrons.”
Joseph resident Mike
Mercer said Carper “needs
to leave his continued
cheap political shots out of
the event.”
He seems to be playing
to a TV audience in order
to improve ratings, rather
than lifting up what makes
the rodeo and this commu-
nity special,” Mercer wrote
in a letter to the editor
to the Wallowa County
Wallowa County
Chieftain
Chieftain.
Another Joseph res-
ident, Eric Pippert,
addressed the issue in an
open letter to the Chief
Joseph Days board.
“This wasn’t my first
rodeo, but I promise you
it is my last of your rodeo
I’ll attend,” adding that
he’d heard similar com-
plaints about “Jingoistic,
dog whistle political com-
mentary, with a sprinkling
of misogynistic and racial
tropes by the announcer
and rodeo ‘clown.’”
Board President Terry
Jones said he understood
how some rodeo fans
might object, but hopes to
eliminate concerns fans
may have.
“I’ll visit with our
announcer,” Jones said.
“We’ll deal with it. It’s
OK for some people to say
political things and it’s not
OK for others.”
Clown and barrel man
John Harrison defended his
statements.
“We are in the enter-
tainment business. Just like
not all movies, comedians,
singers, music genres
appeal to all people we
may not appeal to all,” he
said. “The autograph lines,
handshakes, comments of
how much people enjoyed
the show far outweigh the
negative, but that wouldn’t
make a sensational news
story, would it?”
Carper, who bills him-
self as the “patriotic
announcer,” was unapol-
ogetic in his response to
critics. He said he’s been
criticized in print twice
in the 31 years he’s been
announcing, both times in
the Chieftain.
Jones was a bit philo-
sophical about the contro-
versy and eager to see the
event not be controversial.
“It goes on every time
someone opens their
mouth,” Jones said. “I try
my best to put on a good
show for everybody.”
West Nile virus detected in Union County
Positive test in county the
first since 2020
The Observer
UNION — West Nile virus, which
is spread by mosquitoes, has been
detected in mosquitoes at a testing
site in Union County, according to
Oregon Public Health officials.
The mosquitoes, found just east
of Imbler, are the first to test positive
for the disease in the county in 2022.
Union County was informed by the
state at 6 p.m., Friday, Aug. 5 that the
mosquitoes had tested positive for the
West Nile virus, according to Union
County Vector Control District Man-
ager Chris Law. This is the first time
since 2020 that West Nile virus has
been found in Union County.
Health officials are advising people
in Union County to take precautions
against mosquitoes to avoid the risk
of infection, including preventing
mosquito bites. West Nile virus is
spread to humans through the bite of
an infected mosquito. Most infected
people will show little or no signs of
disease.
About one in five people who are
infected develop a fever with other
symptoms such as headache, body
aches, joint pains, vomiting, diarrhea
or rash. Most people with febrile ill-
ness due to West Nile virus recover
completely, but fatigue and weak-
ness can last for weeks or months.
It is important that you contact your
health care provider if you experience
any of these symptoms.
The incubation period is usually
two to 14 days. Rarely, infected indi-
viduals may develop neuro-inva-
sive disease (infection of the brain or
spinal cord) that can be severe or may
cause death. This is especially of con-
cern to people 50 and older, people
with immune-compromising condi-
tions and people with diabetes or high
blood pressure.
Communities and individuals
living in or spending significant time
outdoors, particularly near irrigated
land, waterways, standing water, and
used tires — including those working
in agriculture, such as migrant and
seasonal farm workers — may be at
increased risk of mosquito bites and
related diseases.
While risk of West Nile disease is
low, a handful of people get it each
year in Oregon. The virus also affects
wildlife and domesticated and farm
animals. People should consult their
health care providers if they have
these symptoms. Health care pro-
viders can contact the Union County
Health Department for information
on West Nile virus testing.
The number of mosquito pools —
samples of 10-50 mosquitoes — that
test positive in any area may indi-
cate the risk of human exposure and
infection, Law said. He recommends
people and animals be protected
against mosquito bites.
Forest Service restarts forest plan revisions
Baker City Herald
BAKER CITY —
The U.S. Forest Service
is reviving its oft-delayed
effort to update the long-
term management plans for
the three national forests in
the Blue Mountains.
The current plans for the
Wallowa-Whitman, Uma-
tilla and Malheur national
forests, which cover almost
5 million acres in North-
eastern Oregon, date to the
early 1990s.
Forest plans typically
are updated every 10 to 15
years.
A draft version of the
revised plans for the three
forests was finished in 2014
after about 15 years of work.
But after hearing com-
plaints from people who
believe the proposed plans
allow too much logging,
livestock grazing and other
uses, and from people who
think the plans were overly
restrictive, Forest Service
officials decided to come up
with new proposals.
The agency released a
final environmental impact
statement in 2018, but that,
too, prompted widespread
complaints.
The Forest Service with-
drew the proposed updates
on March 14, 2019.
That prompted the cre-
ation of the Blues Intergov-
ernmental Council, which
includes representatives
from counties, federal and
Tribal agencies. Over the
past two years the Forest
Service has been working
with the council to address
some of the major con-
cerns residents and groups
have expressed about pre-
vious forest plan revision
proposals.
The Forest Service
announced on Friday, Aug.
5 that the agency is put-
ting together a team of
agency employees to write
draft separate management
plans for each of the three
national forests.
“The Forest Service
is eager to begin the offi-
cial planning process and
hear input on Tribal, indi-
vidual, and community
values,” according to a press
release. “Public involve-
ment will help the Forest
Service gain local knowl-
edge about existing forest
conditions and understand
concerns about community
or resource impacts from
proposed changes in the
revised Forest Plans.
“Multiple uses pro-
vided by the national for-
ests (including livestock
grazing, timber harvest,
forest recreation, tourism,
and subsistence activities)
are all important to eco-
nomic and social life in the
Blue Mountains area,” the
press release states.
NEWS BRIEFS
State seeks public’s help to
find missing Hermiston teen
HERMISTON — The Oregon
Department of Human Services
Child Welfare Division is asking
for the public’s help finding Davin
Moore, 14, a child in foster care who
went missing Friday, Aug. 5, from
Hermiston.
“He is believed to be in danger,”
according to ODHS.
The announcement also asks the
public to contact 911 or local law
enforcement if someone believes they
see him.
Davin is suspected
to be in the Oregon
cities of Pendleton, La
Grande or Richland. He
is 5-feet, 6 inches tall,
weights 229 pounds
and has brown hair and
Moore
brown eyes.
Sometimes when a child is
missing they may be in significant
danger and Oregon Department of
Human Services may need to locate
them to assess and support their
safety. As ODHS works to do every-
thing it can to find these missing chil-
dren and assess their safety, media
alerts will be issued in some circum-
stances when it is determined neces-
sary. Sometimes, in these situations,
a child may go missing repeatedly,
resulting in more than one media
alert for the same child.
La Grande infant still
missing, police say
LA GRANDE — The where-
abouts of a 3-month-old boy from
La Grande are still unknown after
he was reported missing last week
by the Oregon Department of
Human Services.
Officials believe
that the infant, Oakley
Miller, went missing
with his mother, McK-
inzie Simonis, on
Wednesday, Aug. 3.
Oakley
“Oakley, as of
this morning, is still
missing and we are still looking for
him,” said Jake Sunderland, press
secretary of the Oregon Department
of Human Services.
According to Union County
Sheriff Cody Bowen, Oakley was
supposed to be turned over to
Child Protective Services and law
enforcement believe Simonis took
off with the infant.
Bowen said that anytime CPS
looks to take custody of a child they
are doing so for the safety of that
child.
“Now they don’t know where the
child is at, don’t know where the
mother is at, that just intensifies it,”
the sheriff said.
Due to federal child privacy
laws, the Oregon Department of
Human Services was unable to dis-
close any additional information
outside of what was shared in the
initial press release.
The sheriff’s office is actively
investigating and searching for
Oakley. Officers are checking
known locations, speaking with
family members and following all
leads.
Oakley has blonde hair and blue
eyes. Anyone who has knowledge
of Oakley’s whereabouts or believes
they have seen him are encouraged
to contact the sheriff’s office.
— EO Media Group
drinking
water
systems
fare well
By TRACY LOEW
Salem Statesman Journal
SALEM — Oregon has
just finished testing 140
drinking water systems
across the state for PFAS,
or per- and poly-fluorinated
substances.
The results: Only five
small systems had detect-
able levels of PFAS, and none
exceeded the state’s health
advisory level.
PFAS are referred to as
“forever chemicals,” meaning
they don’t break down in the
environment or human body,
and can accumulate over
time.
Officials tested drinking
water sources that were close
to sites that either had PFAS
use or PFAS contamination.
“We wanted to iden-
tify sources at highest risk
and sample those,” said
Kari Salis, a manager in the
Oregon Health Authority’s
Drinking Water Services
program.
PFAS are a family of
chemicals used since the
1940s for their heat-, mois-
ture-, grease- and stain-re-
sistant, as well as non-stick,
qualities. They’re found in
everyday items like non-stick
pans, waterproof outerwear,
food packaging and fire-
fighting foam.
Growing evidence points
to health effects including
increased cholesterol levels,
changes in liver enzymes,
small decreases in infant
birth weights, decreased vac-
cine response in children,
increased risk of high blood
pressure or pre-eclampsia
in pregnant women, and
increased risk of kidney or
testicular cancer.
The Oregon Department
of Environmental Quality’s
laboratory tested drinking
water samples for 25 PFAS
compounds, in partnership
with OHA.
OHA has established
drinking water health advi-
sory levels for four PFAS
compounds most commonly
found in people. They are
PFOS, PFOA, PFNA and
PFHxS.
The advisory level is
exceeded when the sum of
the four compounds com-
bined is over 30 parts per
trillion.
Health advisory levels
are not regulatory. Instead,
they provide information on
health risks so health offi-
cials can take steps to protect
consumers.
Locally, the water systems
that were tested included
three well sites in Elgin, a
well in the Sacajawea Mobile
Home Park on Riddle Road
in La Grande, and a well in
the city of Joseph.
None of the tested sites
in the two counties reported
any results at the minimum
reporting level.
Four sites remain to be
tested, said Harry Esteve,
communications manager for
DEQ. Those systems only
operate during summer, so
couldn’t be tested earlier.
The U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency has iden-
tified about 120,000 locations
around the country, including
nearly 600 in Oregon, where
people may be exposed to
PFAS.
In Oregon, as well as
nationwide, the sites are asso-
ciated with landfills and
waste incinerators, airports,
military installations and fire-
training facilities.
Other Oregon industries
on the list include manufac-
turing of cement, chemicals
and cleaning products, elec-
tronics, furniture and car-
pets, glass products, metal
machinery, paints, petroleum
and plastics, as well as metal
coating, printing and paper
mills.
Although PFAS can be
found in air and soil, the main
route for exposure in Oregon
is from potential drinking
water contamination.