Crowds gather outside Arby's for the restaurant's grand opening in La Grande on Thursday, July 20, 2023. The first 25 customers each received 52 free sandwich VIP cards, good for one free sandwich a week for a year.

LA GRANDE — When we set out to try to look back on the year that was in Union County, we started with a list that grew … and grew … and grew. After a couple of days, the list featured more than 50 news events. That’s one notable story every week.

We then looked at the stories that drew the most reader attention online and from those two sources, we were able to compile a top-10 list of stories that most shaped Union County in 2023.

Here are the top 10 stories of the year in no particular order:

Man attempts suicide at GRH construction site

LA GRANDE — An early morning crisis at the Grande Ronde Hospital construction site ended Wednesday, July 5, when a man attempted to die by suicide.

Local law enforcement responded to the hospital shortly before 5:20 a.m. after receiving a report that a person had climbed to the top of the construction crane at the hospital, according to a La Grande Police Department press release. Once on site, officers determined the man was threatening to harm himself by jumping from the crane.

Police said the man’s identity was known to law enforcement, but his identity will not be released to the public out of respect for the individual and his family. An investigator was in contact with a member of his family throughout the situation.

However, law enforcement did confirm that he was not associated with Grande Ronde Hospital or Bouten Construction, the general contractor at the work site.

Law enforcement established a command post on the 700 block of Sunset Drive. A crisis counselor and trained LGPD crisis negotiator communicated with the individual, according to the release. Several intersections in the area were closed in an effort to minimize both vehicular and pedestrian traffic.

Around 9:30 a.m. a crisis negotiator over a loudspeaker informed the man that a crane operator was coming up the tower ladder.

“We’re all here for you,” she said. “We just want to talk to you. It’ll be OK.”

It took the crane operator approximately 10 minutes to climb the tower and get situated, and by 9:45 a.m. a trolley rolled along the arm of the crane, stopping at the end close to the man.

The man appeared to move between the trolley and the end of the crane a couple times. Shortly after 10 a.m., the crisis negotiator asked if the man would like to participate in a video call.

The man alternated between lying down and standing up at the end of the crane, taking his coat off at one point, and crouching while facing the tower at times. At around 10:45 a.m. after nearly six hours of negotiation, the man attempted suicide.

— Isabella Crowley and Nino Paoli

Kelly Ryan named Eastern Oregon University’s next president

LA GRANDE — History sometimes works in intriguing ways.

Never more than on Tuesday, May 9, when the Eastern Oregon University Board of Trustees named Kelly Ryan, the interim chancellor of Indiana University Southeast, the next president of the school. Ryan will take Eastern’s reins on July 1, when she will become the first woman to serve as the university’s president without first serving in an interim role.

“I’m incredibly grateful to the board for their approval and I want to express my sincere gratitude to everyone who participated in this process,” Ryan said via a video teleconference after the announcement.

The board vote was unanimous and reflected historic irony. It was taken in Inlow Hall’s Dixie Lund Room, named in honor of Eastern’s first woman president. Lund served as interim president from 2003 to 2004 and 2007 to 2009 and is regarded as one of Eastern’s most successful leaders.

— Dick Mason

Bear attacks La Grande man near the Mount Emily Recreation Area after it was legally shot

LA GRANDE — Bear attacks are rare in Oregon, but that is exactly what happened to a La Grande man near the Mount Emily Recreation Area during the early morning hours of Wednesday, May 24.

Just after 7:30 a.m., the 911 Communication Center received a call that a bear had attacked a person on Owsley Canyon Road, according to a press release from Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.

ODFW identified the victim as Craig Lankford, of La Grande. He was transported to Grande Ronde Hospital, where he was treated for his injuries.

During the attack Lankford put both arms in front of his face to protect his head, according to Lankford’s wife, Trina.

“Craig went into this attack a very healthy 59-year-old man, and his health combined with his extensive knowledge of how to fend off a bear attack is solely responsible for his survival,” she said.

His arms, as well as the top of his head, were cut by the bear’s claws, Trina Lankford said. The bear also got his arm in its jaws, leading to bite lacerations and hematomas in his forearm.

— Isabella Crowley and Dick Mason

Train derails in downtown La Grande

LA GRANDE — A Union Pacific train derailed Wednesday, March 15, in downtown La Grande, according to Aaron Hunt, a spokesperson for Union Pacific Railroad.

The derailment occurred at about 7:30 a.m. and involved five cars, none of which were carrying hazardous materials. All of the cars remained standing after the incident.

“All of the cars derailed upright,” Hunt said.

There were no leaks or spills associated with the derailment, Hunt said, and nobody was hurt during the derailment, which occurred near the intersection of Jefferson Avenue and Hemlock Street, according to Daryl Bjoraas of Union Pacific.

Union Pacific sent a team to investigate the derailment and put the train back on the tracks, La Grande City Manager Robert Strope said.

The five derailed cars were part of an eastbound train that had originated in Portland.

— Isabella Crowley and Dick Mason

Ex-employee charged with stealing over $35,000 from Elgin business

ELGIN — A Summerville woman is facing multiple felony charges after being accused of embezzling more than $35,000 from an Elgin business.

Stacy Follett, 50, was arrested Wednesday, July 19, after the owners of BillyBob’s & Stafford’s Custom Meats allegedly discovered a forged check worth $3,600 of company funds made out to Follett’s significant other, leading them to uncover a string of unauthorized checks dating back to January 2023.

Billy and Kaleen Oldridge opened the butcher shop in 2017 when the couple first moved to Elgin. Six years of success almost came to an abrupt end when they mysteriously became short on funds earlier this year.

“We knew something was going on with the money, because we should’ve been making money, and we didn’t have enough to pay our bills,” Kaleen Oldridge said. “We just couldn’t figure out where the business was hemorrhaging money at. It just wasn’t making sense.”

She said a review of the company’s previous bank statements revealed at least eight forged or unauthorized checks totaling more than $35,000, which prompted them to call the Union County Sheriff’s Office.

Follett said she has not hired an attorney and had no other comment about the case.

— Nino Paoli

City confirms Arby’s, Hampton Inn coming to La Grande

LA GRANDE — La Grande Community Development Director Mike Boquist said an Arby’s and Hampton Inn & Suites each have cleared the process with the planning division and are working with the city’s building division.

Arby’s is moving into the building that used to be the home of Pizza Hut, 2602 Island Ave., and is being developed by Boise, Idaho-based Rocky Mountain Companies for owners Flynn Restaurant Group. Boquist said because the location was formerly a restaurant the process has been more like a remodel to bring the building in line with Arby’s brand.

Union County Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Scott Newman said he believes the franchises will be a great addition to La Grande.

“It shows the value of what is here,” he said.

The La Grande Pizza Hut shut its doors in September 2020. The closure was announced with a notice on the front doors that said, “We’re sorry! This restaurant has closed.”

The Hampton Inn & Suites will be an entirely new building, prospectively at the corner of Mulholland Drive and 26th Street — across from Commercial Tire. Washington-based Eternal Hotels is listed as the applicant on the permit. President of Eternal Hotels Parn Singh said the company is not ready to make an official statement about the new location. His company still is working through necessary steps, such as getting bids from contractors and finishing interior designs.

The new hotel will provide around 90 rooms with a combination of room types, Boquist said.

“I think it’s great from a tourism perspective,” Newman said. “We need more rooms in Union County.”

— Isabella Crowley

Police recover city of La Grande pickup after fatal crash

LA GRANDE — Police recovered a city of La Grande pickup that was reported as stolen early Monday, March 27, after it was involved in a crash that killed at least one person.

La Grande Police Department Lt. Jason Hays said in a press release that officers at about 2:15 a.m. responded to the City Shops Compound on the 800 block of X Avenue for a report of a damaged fence.

They found a severely damaged fence plus discovered someone stole a 2013 Chevy 1500 pickup belonging to the city. There was approximately $1,000 worth of damage to the fence.

“The pickup was inside the gated compound and the suspect(s) drove the truck through the fence and exited the compound near X Avenue and First Street,” according to Hays.

— The Observer

La Grande Police investigating death of Albany man who jumped out of moving pickup truck in motel parking lot

LA GRANDE — La Grande Police are investigating the death of an Albany man who jumped out of a moving pickup truck and was run over by the truck in the parking lot of the Best Western Plus Rama Inn & Suites, La Grande, on Wednesday, Aug. 16.

Bud Moseley, 35, sustained a head injury and was killed in the incident, which happened around 8:50 p.m., according to a press release from the La Grande Police Department, who interviewed multiple witnesses and reviewed security video from the motel,1711 21st St.

The release said a pickup truck driven by David Polayes, 35, also of Albany, pulled into the parking lot. Moseley, who was sitting in the passenger seat, leaped from the moving vehicle and was run over. Witnesses went to help Moseley, and Polayes stayed at the scene, according to the release.

Moseley and Polayes are both part of a construction crew staying at the motel, the police department reported. Polayes and the witnesses all cooperated with police.

— The Observer

Appeal of La Grande School District curriculum ruling denied by Oregon Department of Education

LA GRANDE — An appeal of a complaint against the La Grande School District, one linked to a curriculum issue, has been denied by the Oregon Department of Education.

Steve Boe, of La Grande, filed the complaint against the La Grande School District charging discrimination because of the way the school district responded to a curriculum challenge he filed. Boe was upset because of the showing of a video in a social studies class at La Grande High School in 2022.

The Netflix video, “Explained: Racial Wealth Gap,” presented information about the economic disparity in the United States among racial groups. People interviewed in the video included U.S. Sen. Corey Booker, D-New Jersey, who along with others spoke of the need for the federal government to provide financial reparations to racial groups in the United States as compensation for policies that have harmed them economically.

Boe filed a curriculum challenge after learning that students in the class were not provided with information regarding an alternative viewpoint on the issue of reparations after being shown the video.

La Grande School District Vice Superintendent Scott Carpenter said the other side of the issue was not explicitly taught because during discussions with students the instructor had concluded that their opinions indicated they already understood the other side of the issue.

The La Grande School District’s curriculum committee then met and determined students in the class should be presented with material informing them about the other side of the reparation issue in an attempt to help them develop a better understanding of it.

The curriculum committee then made a list of 20 books and articles the instructor could select from. Boe then said he was concerned the list did not include any works by African American authors who do not believe reparations are necessary.

— Dick Mason

Rite Aid sets April 20 as closure date for La Grande store

LA GRANDE — The La Grande Rite Aid store, 2212 Island Ave., is permanently closing its doors Thursday, April 20, the company confirmed in an email on April 10.

“Like all retail businesses, we regularly review each of our locations to ensure we are meeting the needs of our customers, communities and overall business,” Michelle McEnroe, an external communications specialist, said in the email.

Rite Aid, based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was founded in 1962 in Scranton, Pennsylvania, by Alex Grass under the name Thrift D Discount Center.

McEnroe did not say how many employees the closure of the La Grande store impacts.

In 2021, Rite Aid announced the closure of at least 63 stores throughout the country and said it was reassessing how many brick-and-mortar locations are needed in the United States. In April 2022, the company announced plans to “significantly reduce costs” by closing a total of 145 unprofitable stores, including the 63 stores that it had already announced for closure the previous December.

“A decision to close a store is one we take very seriously and is based on a variety of factors, including business strategy, lease and rent considerations, local business conditions and viability and store performance,” McEnroe said.

 — Andrew Cutler and Dick Mason