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SERVING UNION AND WALLOWA COUNTIES SINCE 1896 Follow us on the web
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STATE OF THE UNION LA GRANDE SCHOOL DISTRICT
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Students walk out one of the many outer doorways of La Grande High School on Friday. Even though the school has many points of entry, Principal Brett Baxter said the school was locked down within five to 10 minutes.
• Caution, calm prevail during recent lockout at La Grande School District buildings By Dick Mason The Observer
La Grande High School Principal Brett Baxter did not fear the worst while reaching for his ringing cellphone, but he suspected that an urgent message awaited him. Baxter was right. The Jan. 8 cellphone call was from Cody Bowen, a Union County SherifFs 0$ce Deputy and the La Grande School District's resource ofFrcer. The deputy told Baxter a potentially violent situation was brewing at Second Street and H Avenue across from the student parking lot. Bowen told Baxter that there was no imminent threat to the school but he might consider putting LHS in a lockout. That was all Baxter needed to hear. owe went into a lockout right away. It was too close," said Baxter, who received the call around 11:30 a.m. Moments later, nearby Central Elementary School and La Grande Middle School
Tim Mustoe/The Observer
Resource Officer Cody Bowen patrols the hallways of La Grande High School onTuesday as art teacher Mike Schireman walks past. Bowen talks with teachers and students along the way about the importance of safety issues while making sure the school is secured. were also put into a lockout mode after Baxter called school district Superintendent Larry Glaze and told him of the situation. owe always want to err on the sideofsafety forkids.In this day, it is the wise thing, the right approach," said Glaze, who was at Central at the time.
Nobody was allowed to enter or leave LHS, LMS or Central during the lockout, which ended in 20 minutes after law enforcement officers peacefull y resolved the situation. It had involved parole and probation officers who were attempting to take one of their clients into custody at a home on the corner of Sec-
ond Street and H Avenue. Rumors ew fl during the lockout, Bowen said, but the emotions of students and stafF at the three schools remained grounded,according totheir principals. LMS Principal Kyle McKinney said the key to keeping people calm was not saying anything alarming. "I told our stafF that this was a precautionary step to keep the kids safe," McKinney said."I didn't want the kids to get pumped up about it." Baxter shared similar words with his stafF while focusing on remaining calm. "If I panic, everyone may panic," Baxter said. Central Elementary School Principal Suzy Mayes, like Baxter and McKinney, also focused on trying to have a reassuringattitude. "I kept telling them they were not in any danger. It was just a precaution," Mayes said. The announcement of the lockout at LHS came over its intercom system. The timing could not have been more SeeDistrict / Page5A
fusing to bend to the new Republican Congress, President Barack Obama unveiled Tuesday night an ambitious State of the Union agenda steeped in Democratic priorities,including taxincreases on the wealthy, education and child care help for the m iddle classand a torrent of veto threats for the GOPs own plans. In a shift from tradition, Obama'saddresstoajoint session of Congress was less a laundry list of new proposals and more an attempt to sell a story of a national economy emerging from the "shadow of crisis." He appealed for "better politics" in Washington and pledged to SeeSpeech / Page5A
the plan? The president's tax plan would also require estates to pay capital gains taxes on securities at the time they're inherited andslapa fee on the roughly 100 U.S. financial firms with assets of more than $50 billion.
POPULATION
Region shows modest gains By Pat Caldwell For The Observer
Oregon's population is growing and the stateisnow the No. 1 destination for people moving from one state to another, but exactly where are all the new people going? Probably not Eastern Oregon, judging by population estimates. According to a report from United Van Lines, Oregon is the top moving destination in the nation. The report,"United Van Lines' 38th Annual National Movers Study," showed that Oregon was the top migration objective during 2014, with 66 percent of moves to and from the state labeled as incoming, a 5 SeePopulation / Page5A
Manclaimshewasiniuredindar attack Courtesy photo
Jerry Keagle sustained facial injuries Saturday night in what could have been an assault outside Bud Jackson's.
INDEX
• Police lack evidence to support an assault, think he could have fallen
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By Kelly Ducote A La Grande woman is looking for answers after her husband sustained injuries outside a bar Saturday night. Joanna Keagle says her husband, Jerry, sustained a number
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leave the bar but then found Jerry dripping with blood. "All I want is to figure out what of injuries Saturday night in what happened," she said. La Grande Police responded to could have been an assault outside Bud Jackson's. Joanna Keagle said the scene and took a report but she didn't witness what happened were unable to determine if an after her husband was told to SeeAttack / Page5A
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Issue 9 3 sections, 30 pages La Grande, Oregon
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