SPORTS
●☞✌✍✎✏ ☞❖✍✎✏ ❍❖✑✒■✓✌❆ ❋❖✔✍✎✌✓■❖✍ ✌✍✎
Mounties claim CCC title
✒☞❖✔✎❆❨ ■✍✕■✓✏ ❨❖✔ ✓❖
❊✱✲✳❊✴✵ ✶✴❊✸✶✵
❯✵✹✺❊✴✲✹✳✻
✸✹✼✽❊✴✳ ✾❊✵✳❊✴
▼★✩✪✫ ✷✬✭ ✷✮✯✰
✱✳
✲✹❙ ✶✿✾✼✶✾❀
✹✵ ✳❁❊ ❊✺❊✵✹✵✸
❚✖ P✗✘❈✙✚✛✜ ❚✢❈✣✜❚✛ ✤✖ ❚✖ ✤✘✙✥✖✘✤✦✤✚✧✚
áâããâä åæ âç èéê äêë
úûûü üýþ ÿû û ♦
WEDNESDAY ì íîïðñòðó ôõö ô÷øù ì $1.50
✁ ý ❛♦✂ ü ✄♦☎✄✆ ✐☎✂ ✝✁ ý ✞ ✟✆❤✠✂☎❡✂
Be prepared:
Your tax
return could
be different
this year
❂❃❄❅❇ ❉❏❄ ❑❇❄
❏②▲❇❅◆❉◗ ❘❱ ◗◆❘❲
➻ ❮❰➹✃Ï➴ ➘Ð Ñ✃Ò Ó❒➴➷ ✃➮❐
Ô➘Õ➷ ÖÏ➴ ❰✃× Õ➶ ✃➮
❒➮➹Ø➶✃➷✃➮➴ ➷❒➪➹➪➬➷➶
❇ Ù➭ ✆✟✄✂✝✄✆ ❇ ➫ ✟✂ Ú➫Û
❚❤✠ ✡☛☞✠✌✈✠✌
Due to changes in federal tax law, tax-
payers may be receiving smaller or larg-
er tax returns than they planned on re-
ceiving, and could even owe money this
year, which came as a shock to many.
La Grande resident and owner of
Painted Panda day care, Trisha Ingram
and her husband are one such family
that has received a shock this tax sea-
✔✜✎ Ü Ý ✗✔✘✙✤✗ ✤✒ Þ ✙✎✚ ✤✜ ✜ ➸ ✔✗✤ ✤✕✗ ✑✦✜✥
by having more of their paychecks
withheld throughout the year, Ingram
reported that between federal and state
taxes the couple owes $28,000.
“We’ll be okay, but it’s a bad time
✜ ß Þ ✗✍✒ ✤✜ ✧✎✏ ✜✓✤✖✩ ✣✎✚✒✍ à ✔✍✙✏✖ ✎✜✤ ➺
ing they have a child graduating high
school in a few months.
✣✎✚✒✍ à ✔✍✙✏ ✤✕✗ ✤✕✙✎✚ ✤✕✍✤ ✍ ➸ ✗ á ✤✗✏
See Taxes / Page 5A
û ✡ ☛ ý ú ý ✞ ü ✂
⑩❶❷❸❹❺❷ ❻❼❷❽❶❷❾❷❿➀➁➂ ➃➄➅➂➆➇➂➆
➈➉➊ ➋➌➍➎ ➏➐ ➑➒ ➓➔➒→➣➊ ➉➒↔ ↕➊➊→ ➙➏➔➛➌→➜ ➏➝➊➔➍➌➞➊ ↕➊➟➒➠↔➊ ➏➐ ➍➉➊ ↔→➏➙➐➒➡➡ ➍➉➊ ➔➊➜➌➏→ ➉➒↔
➔➊➟➊➌➝➊➣ ➏➝➊➔ ➍➉➊ ➢➒↔➍ ↔➊➝➊➔➒➡ ➙➊➊➛↔➤ ➥→➏➙➢➡➏➙↔ ➙➏➔➛ ➍➏ ➜➊➍ ➍➉➊ ➞➒➌→ ➔➏➒➣↔ ➟➏➞➢➡➊➍➊➣
➦➔↔➍➧ ➍➉➊→ ➙➏➔➛ ➏→ ➍➉➊ ➔➊↔➌➣➊→➍➌➒➡ ➒➔➊➒↔➤
❳ ❩❬❳❭❪❫ ❴❵❬❫
❜❫❝❳❬❞❢❫❭❞ ❣❳❭❞❥
❞t❫ ❦❧❢❢♠❭❵❞♥
❞❧ ♣❭❧❣ ❣❵❞t ❞t❫
❳❪❪❵❞❵❧❭❳q ❥❭❧❣ ❧❭ ❞t❫
r❬❧♠❭❪s t❧❢❫❧❣❭❫❬❥
❣t❧ t❳✈❫ ✉❬❫ t♥❪❬❳❭❞❥
❧❭ ❞t❫❵❬ ❝❬❧❝❫❬❞♥
❳❬❫ ❬❫❥❝❧❭❥❵✇q❫
①❧❬ ❦q❫❳❬❵❭r ❵❞ ①❬❧❢
❥❭❧❣ ❳❭❪ ❪❫✇❬❵❥③
④t❫ ⑤❳ ❩❬❳❭❪❫ ⑥♠✇q❵❦
⑦❧❬♣❥ ❜❫❝❳❬❞❢❫❭❞
❵❥ ❬❫❥❝❧❭❥❵✇q❫ ①❧❬
r❫❭❫❬❳q ❢❳❵❭❞❫❭❳❭❦❫
❧① ❞t❫ t♥❪❬❳❭❞❥s ✇♠❞
❞t❫ t♥❪❬❳❭❞❥ ❳q❣❳♥❥
❭❫❫❪ ❞❧ ✇❫ ❦q❫❳❬❫❪
❥❧ ❞t❫ ✉❬❫✉rt❞❫❬❥ ❳❬❫
❳✇q❫ ❞❧ ♠❞❵q❵⑧❫ ❞t❫❢
⑨♠❵❦♣q♥ ❳❭❪ ❫❳❥❵q♥ ❵①
❞t❫❬❫ ❵❥ ❳ ✉❬❫③
Snow flurries, tow trucks hurry
➻ ➼➽➾➚ ➪➶➹➘➪➴➷ ➪➬➷➶
➬➮ ➱➬➴ ✃➮❐ ➪❒➮➷
❇ ➨➩➫➭ ✂✝ ➫ ➯ ✆ ➫ ✄ ➩➫➲➫
❚❤✠ ✡☛☞✠✌✈✠✌
The snow will continue to
fall this week, and local tow
companies are gearing up for
more busy days ahead.
Justin Rock, owner of Rock
and Sons Tire and Auto Repair,
and Brian Nelson, service man-
ager at Goss Motors, which is
✍✎ ➳➳➳ ✍ ➵ ✦✙✍✤✗✖ ✒✗✘✜✒✤ ✏✙ ➸ ✗✒ ➺
ent experiences with business
over the last few weeks with all
of the snowfall, but they both
agree — the weather has an ob-
vious impact on their business.
“We’ve been extremely busy,”
Rock told The Observer on Tues-
day. “Wait times are unfortu-
nately a lot longer than we’d like
them to be — up to two hours.”
Rock said his business is
unique in that it provides tow-
ing as well as tires, and both
services are being utilized more
because of the snow.
“We’re responding along-
side the road,” he said. “Over
the weekend, we responded to
15 trucks for tires. It’s just bad
conditions.”
Captain Hook’s towing was
called for an interview but no one
was available to speak because
they were all busy with jobs.
The increased workload is no
See Snow / Page 5A
Students
unplug for
Alternative
Spring
Break
ä❷❺⑩åæ ç❸❽❶❹è❷
➈➉➌↔ ➢➉➏➍➏ ↔➉➏➙↔ ➙➉➒➍ ➟➠➡➍➌➝➒➍➊➣ ➌→➣➠↔➍➔➌➒➡ ➉➊➞➢ ➡➏➏➛↔ ➡➌➛➊➤
Hemp seed farm
submits CUP
❇ ➨➩➫➭ ✂✝ ➫ ➯ ✆ ➫ ✄ ➩➫➲➫
❚❤✠ ✡☛☞✠✌✈✠✌
A hemp seed and processing
farm has been requested via a
conditional use permit from
the Union County Planning
Department.
Hemp is a legal plant, closely
✒✗✦✍✤✗✏ ✤✜ à ✍✒✙ â ✓✍✎✍ Ü ã ✗ à ✘ ✧ ➺
ber is extracted from the stem
and used to make oil, clothing,
food and other products. Hemp
and marijuana are members of
the cannabis family, and both
plants contain tetrahydrocan-
nabinol, a crystalline com-
pound that in high doses has
✍ ✘✔ Þá ✕✜✍ á ✤✙★✗ ✗ ➸ ✗ á ✤ Ü ã ✗ à ✘
has less than 0.3 percent THC,
whereas marijuana has a THC
content of 5 percent to 35 per-
cent. The products created with
hemp are completely legal.
In the Feb. 6 Union County
Commissioner meeting, Plan-
ning Director Scott Hartell said
hemp production is regulated
through the Oregon Depart-
ment of Agriculture, which re-
quires growers to register for
growing and harvesting, accord-
ing to the meeting minutes.
Randy and Rona Lindsey
submitted an application to es-
tablish a 10- to 16-acre hemp
farm in Union County. The
Lindseys own Hwy. 30 Canna-
bis, a medical marijuana facility
in La Grande.
In the commissioners’ meet-
ing, Hartell told the board the
See Hemp / Page 5A
❾❞❿➀➁
➇✉t⑤⑦✇tt➈➈➈➈➈➈➈➈⑨➇
➉➊❷tt⑤➋⑤✇❼➈➈➈➈➈➈➈➌➇
➉⑥➍⑤③t➈➈➈➈➈➈➈➈➈➈➈➎➇
➉❻⑥tt➏⑥❻❼➈➈➈➈➈②➇
➻ ýþÿ ➷➴❒❐➶➮➴➷
ÏØ➶✃➮ ❒➹
➶ØØ➷
Ó✃➮×➘➮ ➴➪✃➬Ø➷
❇ ✁✂✄❦ ☎✆✝✞✟
❚❤✠ ✡☛☞✠✌✈✠✌
A number of Eastern
Oregon University stu-
dents will put down their
smartphones and pick
up shovels and crosscut
saws when spring break
begins in late March.
The students will do
so while participating in
EOU’s new Hells Canyon
Alternative Spring Break,
which is set to run March
24-30 in the Copper Creek
area of Hells Canyon. Par-
ticipants will restore trails
there as part of a service-
based project Eastern’s
Outdoor Adventure Pro-
gram will conduct.
“It is a way to give
back,” said Eli Holeman,
outreach engagement co-
ordinator for the Outdoor
Adventure Program.
Eastern students will
pay $45 for the chance to
work on 2-5 miles of trails
a day. The fee will cover
the cost of transportation,
equipment and meals.
Students will be clearing
trails of fallen trees, rocks
➐✇❷❻ ➑➒➒➓ ➈➈➈➈ ➔➇ →✇③⑥❻❼ ➈➈➈➈➈➈➈➈➈➈➈➎➑
❹⑥④④✇❻➓➈➈➈➈➈➈➈➈➈➈➈➈①➑ ➣❶⑥❻④t ➈➈➈➈➈➈➈➈➈➈➈➈⑩➑
❽➒⑤④✉❷❻⑤✇t➈➈➈➈➈➈➎➑
❽❶⑤⑦⑤⑥⑦➈➈➈➈➈➈➈➈➈➈➌➑
FRIDAY
❝
✍✎✏ ✑✒✓✔✕✖ ✒✗✘✍✙✒✙✎✚ ✛✜✜✏
damage and more.
Michael Hatch, direc-
tor of Eastern’s Outdoor
Adventure
Program,
said the work is needed
because the U.S. Forest
Service has fewer funds
today for restoring trails.
✢✣✤ ✥✙✦✦ ✧✦✦ ✍ ★✜✙✏✖✩ ✔✍✙✏
Hatch, who hopes to
have between eight and
10 students sign up.
Students will be working
in an area in which there
is no cellphone service or
access to stores or other
modern conveniences.
“It will be a true wilder-
ness experience,” Hole-
man said.
Hatch said the isola-
tion sparks something
within people.
“It calls on your self-
reliant spirit,” he said.
The trail work is being
organized in conjunction
with the Wallowa Moun-
tains Hells Canyon Trails
Association.
Hatch said the EOU
students will be working
↔↕➙➛➜↕➝ ➞➟➠➠ ➡➢➤➥➦➧➨➩ ➢➫ ➩➭➥ ➯➧➦➲ ➢➡ ➳ ➨➥➦➩➵➢➫
➸➺➻➼➽➾➚
➪➶ ➹➘➴
ÑÒÓÔÕÖ×ØØÙÚÛÜÝÞ
➸➾❐❒❮❰ÏÐ
➷➬➮➱✃
ÑÒÓÔÚßàÙÓÛÞ
❈❍❉ ✪▼P▲❖❨▼✪◆✫ P❘❖●❘❆▼ ✬❯❈❈✪✬✬
éêë êìíîåå❸ çîè❷ïíì❸❷ ð❸åñ❸❼æ ò❶åíå❺
➈➏➢óô➒➍➊➔↔ ➏➐ ➍➉➊ ➥→➒➛➊ õ➌➝➊➔➧ ➢➌➟➍➠➔➊➣ ➉➊➔➊➧ ↕➊➜➒→
↔➉➒➢➌→➜ ö➊➡➡↔ ➋➒→➎➏→ ➒↕➏➠➍ ÷ ➞➌➡➡➌➏→ ➎➊➒➔↔ ➒➜➏➧
➒➟➟➏➔➣➌→➜ ➍➏ ➍➉➊ ø➤➥➤ ù➏➔➊↔➍ ➥➊➔➝➌➟➊ ➙➊↕↔➌➍➊➤
ú➏➍➍➏➞ó ûüø ↔➍➠➣➊→➍↔ ➙➌➡➡ ↕➊ ➙➏➔➛➌→➜ ➏→ ➔➊↔➍➏➔➌→➜
➍➉➊ ➍➔➒➌➡↔ ➏➐ ö➊➡➡↔ ➋➒→➎➏→ ➣➠➔➌→➜ ➍➉➊➌➔ ↔➢➔➌→➜ ↕➔➊➒➛➤
in a locale marked by un-
polished yet breathtaking
splendor.
“It is one of those plac-
es that has really raw,
rugged beauty,” he said.
It also has an enormi-
ty that is humbling.
“You realize the small-
ness of your being when
you are part of such a big
landscape,” Hatch said.
He hopes this is the
See Canyon / Page 5A
❜❝❞❡❢❜❡ ❣✐
➂❢➃➀ ❢ ✐❡❝➄➅ ❾❿➀❢➆
❥❧♠♦♣qr♦r♠q♠
stt✉✇ ①②
① t✇③④⑤⑥⑦t⑧ ⑨⑩ ❶❷❸✇t
❹❷ ❺❻❷⑦❼✇⑧ ❽❻✇❸⑥⑦
✭✮✯✯ ✰✱✲ ✳✴✵✲✶✷✲✶ ✸✲✹✵✶✺✺✻ ✮✼
✽✾✿❀❁❂❃❀❃✿❂✿ ✺✶ ✵✲✸❄ ✮✸ ✲✻✮❅✯ ✼✺
✸✲✹✵♥✯✮❊✶✮✸❄✲✺✴✵✲✶✷✲✶❋■✺✻❋
❏❑◗❙ ❱❑❲❳❩❱❳ ❬❲❭❑ ❑❲ ❪❩❛❙ ❫❴❵
Online at lagrandeobserver.com