SPORTS
➳➵➵ ➸➺➻➼ ➽➾➚➪ ➶➺➹➾ ➘➴➘➸ ➷➼➺➹ ➶➺➹➾
➬➮➱✃➮❐❒ ❮❰➮ÏÐ➮ÑÐ❒
Tigers blaze
through double
header on new field
ÒÓÔÕÖ×ØÕØÓ×Ù
ÚÛÜÛÝÞßàáâãÜ äãåæ
çèééê ë ìíîïîð ñòðóô õöðî÷ø
ùúùûù üÝýáàþßåÛ ÿßãÛ ✻ ÿß ÝßãþÛ
❊✁✂✄☎✆ r❡✝❡✞✟✄✠✡☛✝✠☞✡✟✌✍✎✄✏❡✑❡✡✡❡☎✎☎✒✓✝✠✁
❘❡✒✄✎✟❡✌ ✠✡☎✄✡❡ ✔ ✕✕✕✓✝✠☞✡✟✌✍✎✄✏❡✑❡✡✡❡☎✎☎✒✓✝✠✁
❣❤❤❥ ❥❦② t❤ ❤❧♠ ✈❦♣❧q❥ s❧rs✉♠✇rq♠ ①♠❦③❥❤③ ④❤③✇⑤❦ ❤⑥ ⑦❦ ❣♠❦③❥q
FRIDAY-SUNDAY ❬ ❭❪❫✐❴ ❵❜❝❞❵❡ ❞❢❵❜ ❬ $1.50
County
votes
to assist
Union
County
Fair
❇✖ ⑥✛✚⑦ ⑧❛✜⑨✙
❚❤✥ ✦✧★✥✩✈✥✩
The Union County Fair
Association received a
meaningful boost on
Wednesday.
The Union County
Board of Commissioners
voted to provide the fair
association with $7,400
to cover its liability in-
surance premium for
2019-20.
The
commissioners
made the decision follow-
ing a request by UCFA
President Amy Horn,
an Observer employee,
at the April 3 meeting.
Horn said the UCFA pays
$7,400 annually for its
portion of liability insur-
✽✫✼✴ ✯✫❃✴✵ ✰✳✴ ✼✭✯✫✰✱✷✸
⑩✭❀✬✼✱ ✽✫❃ ✴❶⑩❀✽✬✫✴❃ ❷❁
nancial assistance would
help the fair association
complete badly needed
maintenance work it has
not been able to do be-
cause of its tight budgets.
“Projects that have been
✬❄✫✭✵✴❃ ✿✭✵ ✱✴✽✵✸ ✽✵✴ ❃✴❷❁
nitely catching up with
us,” Horn told the com-
missioners Wednesday.
Horn said it is impor-
tant to keep the fair-
grounds in good condi-
tion not only because
of the annual county
fair, but also because
its facilities are used
year-round. She noted
the fairgrounds houses
many activities including
search and rescue train-
ing sessions, the Eastern
Oregon Beer Festival, a
Grande Ronde Hospital
picnic, and events for
4-H members and their
families.
“The fairgrounds bene-
❷✰ ✽❀❀ ✭✿ ✪✫✬✭✫ ✮✭✯✫✰✱❸ ✫✭✰
just the fair,” Horn said.
The
commissioners
had postponed their de-
cision in part because
✰✳✴✱ ✾✽✫✰✴❃ ✰✭ ❷✫❃ ✭✯✰
See Fair / Page 5A
Flood
watch
ODOT fair
teaches
children how
to stay safe
❇✖ ✗✘❛✙✚✛✜✚❛ ❇✢✙✛✣✢✤
❚❤✥ ✦✧★✥✩✈✥✩
On Wednesday and Tuesday, the
Oregon Department of Transporta-
tion hosted the 17th annual Safety
Fair for children in Union County.
The age group alternates every
year between kindergarten through
3rd grade and fourth grade through
sixth grade. This year, the age range
was kindergarten through 3rd grade.
Students from schools all over
Union County were bussed in to at-
tend the fair. Homeschooled stu-
dents and children from Heidi Ho
and the Grande Ronde Academy
also attended. Between the two days,
1,264 children attended in total.
The kids watched short presenta-
tions at several stations set up in the
Blue Mountain Conference Center.
Billie Jo Deal, Region 5 transpor-
tation safety advisor for ODOT, said
the topics covered at the safety fair
are chosen by a small ODOT com-
mittee each year after the committee
analyzes data and statistics.
“We try to focus on the things that
have been occurring the most in the
community,” she said.
➅ ➇➈➉➊➋
➌➍➎➏➐➑➒➓ ➈➍➋
➔➈➊➍ →➎➔➑➣➈➌➓ ↔➈➌
➒➑➋ ➓➎ ➎→→➊➣➊➈➒➌
➐➎➍➊➓➎➔➊➍↕
➔➊➙➑➔ ➒➑➙➑➒➌
ing trees too close to the power lines
— can cause a shock.
A representative from the La
Grande Fire Department, Robert
Tibbetts, ran a presentation about
the importance of wearing a seat
belt. He used a piece of mechanical
equipment called “The Convincer.”
It demonstrates what can happen
to a child in a car accident at the
speed of 25 miles per hour. A doll
was seated in a chair and traveled
a few feet until the seat jerked to a
stop. With the seat belt, the doll re-
mained in its seat, but without the
❇✖ ⑥✛✚⑦ ⑧❛✜⑨✙
❚❤✥ ✦✧★✥✩✈✥✩
The National Weather
Service has not issued a
❈✭✭❃ ✾✽✵✫✬✫❄ ✿✭✵ ✪✫✬✭✫
and Wallowa counties
since the warning last
week expired, but the
possibility that rivers and
streams in this area could
jump their banks in the
days ahead looms.
“It is something to keep
✽✫ ✴✱✴✭✫❸ ❋✯✰ ➁❈✭✭❃✬✫❄➂ ✬✸
not imminent,” said Jim
Smith, a forecaster for the
National Weather Service
✭✺✼✴ ✬✫ ❿✴✫❃❀✴✰✭✫➃
Rainfall and snow-
melt caused rivers and
streams in Union and
Wallowa counties to
✭➄✴✵❈✭✾ ❀✽✸✰ ✾✴✴❆➃ ❼✳✴✬✵
levels dropped late last
See Safety / Page 2A
See Flood / Page 5A
●❍■❏❑▲▼❑■ ◆❖❏▲P❖◗❙❯❱❲ ❳❨❩❲❬❭❲❬
❪ ❫❴❵❫❴❜❴❝❞❢❞❣✐❴ ❥❫❦❧ ❞♠❴ ♥❝❣❦❝ ♦❦♣❝❞q s♠❴❫❣❥❥➆❜ t❥✉✇❴ ❞❴❢✇♠❴❜ ✇♠❣①②❫❴❝
♠❦③ ❞❦ ❣❝❞❴❫❢✇❞ ③❣❞♠ ❢ ❜❞❫❢❝④❴❫➆❜ ②❦④ ❜❢❥❴①q⑤
An animal control deputy from the
✪✫✬✭✫ ✮✭✯✫✰✱ ✲✳✴✵✬✶✷✸ ✹✺✼✴ ✵✽✫ ✽
presentation about animal safety
✾✬✰✳ ✰✳✴ ✯✸✴ ✭✿ ✽ ❀✬✿✴❁✸✬❂✴ ✸✰✯✶✴❃ ❃✭❄
toy. The deputy explained the eti-
quette of approaching a strange dog,
and how screaming or running from
an angry dog could escalate the dan-
ger of being bitten or attacked.
Representatives from OTEC ran
a presentation about electrical safe-
ty. They had a miniature model of
power lines that even had electric-
ity running through them during the
demonstration to show how various
✳✽❂✽✵❃✸ ❅ ❀✬❆✴ ❈✱✬✫❄ ✽ ❆✬✰✴ ✭✵ ✼❀✬❉❋❁
One of Elgin’s
‘unsung heroes’
➅ ïð➒➓➊➉➒➑ ñ➊➎➍ò➌ ó➒ðô ➐➑➐ô➑➔➌
↔➎➍➎➔➑➋ ➋ð➔➊➍↕ ➈➍➍ð➈➒ ➈➏➈➔➋➌ ô➈➍õð➑➓
❇✖ ➛➜❛✙➝❛➞✢✛✜➟✘⑨➝
❚❤✥ ✦✧★✥✩✈✥✩
It was cold when Everett
Grandeen rolled into town at
1 p.m. on Jan. 3, 1966. Only
5 or 10 degrees, in fact. The
logger, 22 years old at the
time, drove his two-wheel
drive pickup to Northeast
Oregon from his hometown
of Corning in Northern Cali-
fornia, looking for work and
➺➻ ➼➽➾➻ ➽
➚➽➪➶➽➹➶➘➴ ➴➷➬➮➱
➽➪✃ ➘➶❐➹ ❒➻❮❒➷➻
➷➘❰➻ Ï➾➻Ð➻➶➶ Ñ➼❮
Ò➽❰➻ ➘➶ ➶➼➽➶
Ñ➽ÓÔÕ
Ö ×ØÙÚÛ ÜÝÞßàáâ
ãÝäÞå æÞçåèé êÝëì
íáàéÞîàåÙ
adventure as a “footloose
and fancy-free” young man.
Grandeen, who was also
an amateur rodeo star back
in the day, decided Elgin was
the place for him as it was full
of “cowboys, mill workers
and loggers” like himself.
“It was a wild town back
then,” he said with a laugh,
reminiscing about the old
✽✫❃ ✵✭✾❃✱ ❃✽✱✸ ✭✿ ✹❃✬✴✷✸
Steakhouse and Bronco
Room, once a popular Union
County destination for more
than two decades.
While it was the type and
quality of people that ini-
tially drew him in, Gran-
deen said it was the town
itself that made him want
to stay put in Elgin for
more than 50 years. And
➢➤➥❍P❖▼➦ ➧➨➤P➤
➩✐❴❫❴❞❞ ➫❫❢❝②❴❴❝➭ ❢ ❧❴❧➯❴❫ ❦❥ ❞♠❴ ➩①④❣❝ ➲❣❦❝➆❜ ♦①♣➯➭ ③❢❜ ❝❢❧❴②➳❧❢❝ ❦❥ ❞♠❴ q❴❢❫➵ ❢❞ ❞♠❴
➩①④❣❝ ♦♠❢❧➯❴❫ ❦❥ ♦❦❧❧❴❫✇❴➆❜ ❢❝❝♣❢① ➯❢❝➸♣❴❞ ❥❦❫ ♠❣❜ ②❴②❣✇❢❞❣❦❝ ❞❦ ♠❣❜ ✇❦❧❧♣❝❣❞q⑤
ever since he retired from
his job as a delivery driver
for Franz Bakery, he has
had even more time to give
back to his community.
At the Chamber Awards
Banquet in mid-March,
the Elgin Chamber of Com-
merce recognized all of
❾✵✽✫❃✴✴✫✷✸ ✴✶✭✵✰✸ ✾✳✴✫
they named him “man of
the year.”
“The reason he was cho-
sen for man of the year was
because of his civic duty
and how much he does
✰✳✵✭✯❄✳ ✰✳✴ ❽✬✭✫✷✸ ✮❀✯❋ ✽✫❃
Grande Ronde Hospital,”
said Kathy Rysdam, trea-
surer of the Elgin Chamber
✭✿ ✮✭❉❉✴✵✼✴➃ ➠➡✴✷✸ ➄✴✵✱
community minded and
very active.”
See Elgin / Page 5A
Town hall warns of the dangers of underage drinking
❇✖ ✗✘❛✙✚✛✜✚❛ ❇✢✙✛✣✢✤
❚❤✥ ✦✧★✥✩✈✥✩
On Thursday, the Center for
Human Development and Union
County Safe Communities Coalition
hosted a town hall titled “Parent-
ing is Prevention” in the La Grande
Middle School commons, educat-
ing parents and students about the
dangers of alcohol.
✲⑩✴✽❆✴✵✸ ✬✫✼❀✯❃✴❃ ✲✳✴✵✬✶ ❹✭✱❃
❺✽✸❉✯✸✸✴✫❻ ✲✳✴✵✬✶✷✸ ❃✴⑩✯✰✱
✽✫❃ ✸✼✳✭✭❀ ✵✴✸✭✯✵✼✴ ✭✺✼✴✵ ❼✭✫✱
◗✴❱❨❩
❈✄☎✆✆✝✞✝✟✠✥✥✥✥✥✥✥✹✡
❈☛☞✝✌✆✥✥✥✥✥✥✥✥✥✥✥✸✡
❈✍☛✆✆✎☛✍✠✥✥✥✥✥✺✡
❉✟☎✍ ✏✑✑✒ ✥✥✥✥✥✽✡
Humphries; Kevin Loveland,
owner of Loveland Funeral Chapel
& Crematory; and Robin Wort-
man, Union County Safe Com-
munities Coalition coordinator.
Karrine Brogoitti, regional pub-
lisher of The Observer and former
Union County Chamber of Com-
merce president, and Stu Spence,
✰✳✴ ✮✬✰✱ ✭✿ ❽✽ ❾✵✽✫❃✴✷✸ ❿✽✵❆✸ ➀
Recreation director, introduced
the event and the speakers.
The town hall was funded by
✓☛♦♦✟✍✒✥✥✥✥✥✥✥✥✥✥✥✥✷✏ ✕✖♦✠☛☛✍✆✥✥✥✥✥✥✥✶✡
✔✟✌☛✍✠ ✥✥✥✥✥✥✥✥✥✥✥✸✏ ✙✗✝✍✝♦✖☎✄✥✥✥✥✥✥✥✥✥✻✏
✕✑✝♦✖☎✍✝✟✆✥✥✥✥✥✥✸✏ ✙✗☛✍♦✆ ✥✥✥✥✥✥✥✥✥✥✥✥✼✏
✕✗✝✘✝☛✘✥✥✥✥✥✥✥✥✥✥✹✏
MONDAY
a state grant for programming
aimed at preventing teen drink-
ing and prescription drug misuse.
About 15 parents and children
were in attendance.
❼✳✴ ✰✭✾✫ ✳✽❀❀ ✸✰✽✵✰✴❃ ✭✶ ✸✳✭✾❁
ing an educational video about
teen drinking. It depicted a class-
room with the teacher dispelling
some common misconceptions
about teen drinking.
Then, Wortman presented data
from the 2018 Oregon Student
➤➨➫➥➭➧➨➩
➞➟➜➝➞
➏➐➐➑➎➌
❲❊❆❘ ❊❆◆❙ ✁❖ ❲❖❘❑ ✁❖ ❙❯PP❖❘✁ ❙❊❳❯❆▲ ❆❙❙❆❯▲✁ ❚■✂✁■▼❙
See Teen / Page 2A
✱✲✴✵✾✱✵ ✿❀
⑧⑨⑩❶❷⑨❸ ❹❺❻❻ ❼❽❾❿➀➁➂➃ ❽➄ ➃➅❿ ➆➁➀➇ ❽❼ ➈ ➂❿➀➃➉❽➄
➯➭➲➧➨➩
➛➛ ➠➡➢
➒➓➐➔➎➌→➋➌➐➣↔↕
Wellness Survey. The data showed
that among 11th-graders, Union
county students drank less than
the state average. In the survey,
15.9% of 11th graders in Union
county reported having at least
one alcoholic beverage on one to
two days out of the last 30 days.
The state average was 18.8%.
However, Wortman pointed
out that for students in sixth and
eighth grade, Union County is
➤➥➦➧➨➩
➙➛➜➝➞
➊➋➌➍➎➌
❁❂❃❄❅❇❋❄❋❃❇❃
●✆✆✖✟ ✹✻
✷ ✆✟✌♦✝☛✘✆❍ ✶✻ ✗☎❛✟✆
✓☎ ❏✍☎✘✠✟❍ ✕✍✟❛☛✘
✚☞☎✝✄ ✆♦☛✍✒ ✝✠✟☎✆
♦☛ ♥✛✜✢✣✤✦✧★✦♥✩✛
✪✫✢✛★✬✛★✳✭✪✮✥
✯☛✍✟ ✌☛✘♦☎✌♦ ✝✘✞☛
☛✘ ✰☎❛✟ ✹✏✥
Online at lagrandeobserver.com