Odessa veteran killed in crash

ODESSA — A local man was killed Wednesday, July 31, in a motorcycle crash near downtown.

John Hardt, 78, of Odessa was northbound on state Highway 21 when he lost control of his 2006 Harley-Davidson XL 883 motorcycle and careened into a ditch near May Avenue about 4:55 p.m., the Washington State Patrol reported.

Despite wearing a helmet, Hardt was pronounced dead at the scene, the patrol reported. Neither drugs nor alcohol was a factor.

A 1964 Wilson Creek High School graduate, Hardt was drafted into the U.S. Army, where he served as a military police officer with the 127th MP Company for two...