NORTHWEST
East Oregonian
A2
Thursday, February 24, 2022
Rail trail unlikely in Wallowa County La Grande police
arrest pair for 61
counts of mail theft
By BILL BRADSHAW
Wallowa County Chieftain
WALLOWA COUNTY
— Eff orts to create a 63-mile
Elgin-to-Joseph trail along-
side the tracks of the Wallowa
Union Railroad are coming
to virtually no fruition since
Wallowa County has denied
permits for the trail within its
borders, despite thousands of
dollars of grant money going
toward the project.
“It’s doubtful it’ll ever
go through because people
were vehemently opposed
to it,” said Wallowa County
Commission Chair Susan
Roberts, who is co-chair of
the Wallowa Union Rail-
road Authority, during an
interview Monday, Feb. 21.
“Wallowa County Planning
(Department) at this time is
not involved because it’s not
in our county.”
The Joseph Branch Trail
Consortium has reported
receiving $290,000 in grants
intended for facilities on the
Union County end of the
“trail-with-rails” project, that
would pay for a trailhead and
pocket park in Elgin, as well
as a 15-mile segment of the
trail from Elgin to Looking-
glass.
But, as the Wallowa
County Chieftain was noti-
fi ed last week, the lion’s share
The Observer
Joseph Branch Trail Consortium/Contributed Photo
Members of the Joseph Branch Trail Consortium help with trail cleanup along the tracks in
Union County in this undated photo. Funding has been received to pay for the fi rst 13 miles
of a trail, but permit holdups in Wallowa County may prevent the trail’s ultimate goal of run-
ning from Elgin to Joseph.
of the project — that which
would be in Wallowa County
— was stopped dead in its
tracks three years ago when
the Wallowa County Plan-
ning Commission denied a
conditional use permit for
the project.
Planning Director Franz
Goebel said Feb. 17 that
although there were many
people in favor of the proj-
ect, there was a signifi cant
number opposed.
“There were quite a few
people who vehemently
opposed it and the plan-
ning commission denied it”
Feb. 26, 2019, Goebel said.
He said there have been
no attempts by the consor-
tium to get a permit since
that time.
Goebel said while bene-
fi ts of exercise were acknowl-
edged during a public
meeting at the Cloverleaf
Hall in Enterprise before the
Forecast for Pendleton Area
| Go to AccuWeather.com
TODAY
FRIDAY
SATURDAY
SUNDAY
MONDAY
Cold; a little
morning snow
Plenty of sunshine,
but cold
Clouds and sun; ice
at night
Showers of rain
and snow; chilly
Cloudy with a
couple of showers
30° 13°
38° 18°
PENDLETON TEMPERATURE FORECAST
44° 20°
45° 30°
55° 42°
HERMISTON TEMPERATURE FORECAST
36° 20°
41° 19°
45° 21°
45° 27°
OREGON FORECAST
50° 40°
ALMANAC
Shown is today’s weather. Temperatures are today’s highs and tonight’s lows.
PENDLETON
through 3 p.m. yest.
HIGH
LOW
TEMP.
Seattle
Olympia
47/27
24/12
37/16
Longview
Kennewick Walla Walla
27/16
Lewiston
43/23
36/18
Astoria
45/28
Pullman
Yakima 31/15
44/22
29/16
Portland
Hermiston
42/26
The Dalles 36/20
Salem
Corvallis
44/21
Yesterday
Normals
Records
La Grande
27/3
PRECIPITATION
John Day
Eugene
Bend
45/23
40/11
29/10
30°
7°
52°
30°
67° (1947) 7° (2022)
24 hours ending 3 p.m.
Month to date
Normal month to date
Year to date
Last year to date
Normal year to date
Albany
43/20
0.00"
0.70"
0.95"
2.23"
2.99"
2.49"
through 3 p.m. yest.
HIGH
LOW
TEMP.
Pendleton 23/0
43/24
24 hours ending 3 p.m.
Month to date
Normal month to date
Year to date
Last year to date
Normal year to date
HERMISTON
Enterprise
30/13
44/22
20°
4°
50°
31°
66° (1921) 4° (2022)
PRECIPITATION
Moses
Lake
43/21
Aberdeen
26/12
32/19
Tacoma
Yesterday
Normals
Records
Spokane
Wenatchee
43/26
Ontario
37/14
Caldwell
Burns
WINDS (in mph)
36/13
32/5
Today
Fri.
ENE 4-8
NW 4-8
ENE 4-8
NE 4-8
Boardman
Pendleton
Medford
50/20
0.00"
0.05"
0.72"
0.98"
1.08"
1.86"
SUN AND MOON
Klamath Falls
43/10
Forecasts and graphics provided by AccuWeather, Inc. ©2022
Sunrise today
Sunset tonight
Moonrise today
Moonset today
New
6:43 a.m.
5:35 p.m.
2:07 a.m.
10:48 a.m.
First
Full
vote, the burden of proof was
on the applicants to show
there would be no signifi cant
negative impact on farms
and ranches alongside the
proposed trail.
“Where it’s tricky is it
passes through all these
resource zones,” he said.
“It would be a tricky prop-
osition. There was a lot of
concern over disruption
to farming practices along
the trail.”
LA GRANDE — Police
arrested a pair of suspects
in connection to a string
of mail thefts in the La
Grande area.
La G ra nde Police
Department in a press
release reported offi cers on
Sunday, Feb. 20, arrested
George Kelly, 26, and
Gracee Shelley, 22, for 61
counts of mail theft and
61 counts of conspiracy to
commit mail theft each.
During the arrest, La
Grande offi cers collected
enough stolen mail to fi ll
two copy paper boxes,
according to the press
release, and are work-
ing diligently to return all
stolen mail and packages to
their owners.
“I am proud of the citi-
zens who were able to
report this incident and
give us a good suspect
vehicle description,” said
acting La Grande Police
Department Sgt. Brandon
Boucher, the lead investi-
gator on the case.
Boucher added he was
impressed with the hard
work investigating offi cers
are putting into the case
and that “we were able to
stop any more mail thefts
from occurring.”
La G r a nde police
off icers responded at
7:25 a.m. Feb. 20 to the
area of South 20th Street
for a report of mail theft.
Witnesses reported seeing
the suspects driving a blue
Chevrolet Impala.
The arrests came just
before 8 a.m. after La
Grande police conducted
an investigation with the
assistance of the Union
County Sheriff’s Office
and the Oregon State Police
following reports Shelley
and Kelly were on a crime
spree and had stolen mail
and packages from many
addresses in La Grande
and other portions of Union
County.
The investigation of the
case is ongoing and there
may be more charges.
Anyone with information
that could assist the inves-
tigation should contact
Boucher at 541-963-1017.
Regional superintendents give
comments on Senate Bill 1521
of opposition to the legisla-
tion, mostly from concerned
parents arguing the bill
SALEM — The Oregon would diminish local control
bill that would protect school of schools.
superintendents from fi rings
“I’m certainly a local
is making its way through control supporter, but then
the regular session, passing at the same time we don’t
in the Oregon Senate 16-7 on want superintendents that
are just being let go because
Feb. 10.
Senate Bill 1521, which they won’t break the law,”
would protect super-
said Morrow County
i ntendents f rom
S cho ol D i s t r ic t
superintendent Dirk
no-cause dismissal,
Dirksen. “It’s kind
was brought about
of a Catch-22 if you
by recent high-pro-
want to look at it
file superintendent
fi rings. The bill itself
from a local control
explicitly calls out the
perspective.”
prohibition of fi ring
Dirksen
Albany, Adrian
superintendents who
and Newberg school
are pressured by a school districts fired their super-
board to go against state laws intendents last year. The
and mandates, such as what Newberg School Board drew
happened to former Adrian ire for its banning of Pride or
School District Superin- Black Lives Matters symbols
tendent Kevin Purnell last in the classroom — and then
August.
fi red its superintendent, Joe
The Senate Interim Morelock, for not enforc-
Committee on Education ing the ban. Adrian’s former
sponsored the bill, which has superintendent, Purnell, was
no individual senator’s name dismissed in part because
attached.
he would not stand against
Testimony attached to the statewide mask and vacci-
bill showed a large amount nation mandates.
By ALEX WITTWER
EO Media Group
School boards asking
superintendents to disre-
gard or fl out state laws and
mandates puts them in a
tough position, according
to Grant County Education
Service District Superinten-
dent Robert Waltenburg.
“We’ve had, occasionally
but not very often, superin-
tendents being asked to act in
a way that’s contrary to legis-
lation,” he said. “That puts
them in a bad place. When
your boss is asking you to
do something that is illegal,
what is your recourse?”
Dirksen noted the new
legislation would offer
stability for schools, and that
would be a boon for students.
“It just is another method
for stability, and as we’ve
experienced this COVID-
19 dilemma, one of the
most difficult parts is the
lack of stability,” Dirksen
said. “That’s just not good
for students. I see this as a
step in the right direction
in regards to staff stabil-
ity. (Staff stability) is very
important to supporting
students, and that’s what I
see as advantageous.”
Last
NATIONAL EXTREMES
IN BRIEF
Yesterday’s National Extremes: (for the 48 contiguous states)
High 90° in Plant City, Fla. Low -36° in West Yellowstone, Mont.
Mar 2
Mar 10
Mar 17
Mar 24
NATIONAL WEATHER TODAY
State police seek help
with wolf shooting
COVE — The Oregon State Police is
requesting the public’s assistance in locating
the person(s) that shot and killed a collared
wolf in the Cove area.
According to a press release, Oregon State
Police Fish and Wildlife troopers were noti-
fi ed Feb. 15 by the Oregon Department of
Fish and Wildlife that a collared wolf, OR
109, may be deceased at the end of Haggerty
Lane off High Valley Road approximately
3-½ miles south of Cove.
State police and ODFW personnel
responded and found a dead wolf lying in
a fi eld. The wolf is a black collared female.
Troopers believe the wolf was shot and killed
the morning of Feb. 15.
The wolf was a single wolf and not part of
a pack, according to Oregon Department of
Fish and Wildlife biologist Phillip Perrine.
Anyone with information regarding this
case is urged to contact OSP through the Turn
in Poachers (TIP) line at 800-452-7888, *OSP
(*677), or email at TIP@osp.oregon.gov and
reference case No. SP22039030.
— EO Media Group
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