➠➡➢➤➥➦
SPORTS
Tigers dominate GOL meet
➧➨➩➩➨➫ ➭➯ ➨➲ ➳➵➸ ➫➸➺
➷➬➬➮ ➮➱✃ ❐➬ ➬❒❮ ❰➱Ï❒Ð➮ Ñ❒ÒÑÓ❮ÔÒÐ❮ Õ➬ÒÐ❮❐➱ ➷❮ÐÐÖÏÐÐ➬× Ø➱ ➷❮➱Ö➮Ð
MONDAY ➻ ➼➽➾ ➚➪➶ ➹➘➚➴ ➻ $1.50
Future first
responders
hone skills in
emergency
preparedness
Increasing
enrollment
boosts
Cove
School
District
budget
Ù ÚÛÜÝÞßßà áâãää Ûä åãæç èé
êë ìæßåãæßíîßää ïîÛçÛãçÛðß
ñò
üýþÿ óôõö þ ÷øùúû
þ
❤
ñò
üýþÿ óôõö þ ÷øùúû
þ
❤
The Cove School Dis-
trict’s general fund budget
for 2019-20 is set to jump
substantially and create a
splash on the athletic front.
The Cove School Board
is considering adopting
a general fund budget of
$6.66 million, which would
be up $995,965 from the
present year’s budget. The
proposed budget was ap-
proved by the district’s
budget committee last
week and forwarded to the
school board, which will
later vote on adopting it.
The budget will allow
the school district to main-
tain all of its personnel
and programs, said Cove
School District Superin-
tendent Earl Pettit. He said
the increase is due to rising
enrollment and to a boost
✁✈ ✁
Twelve Union County teenagers are short
on life experience but long on heart, commu-
nity spirit and a sense of adventure.
They are the young people completing a new
federally funded emergency preparedness class
for youths age 13 to 19 now being taught in La
Grande. The students are learning about every-
thing from the dangers posed by air bags inside
automobiles that have crashed to the science of
doing cardio pulmonary resuscitation.
The six-week class — which is part of the My
Preparedness Initiative (MyPi), is an Oregon Youth
Preparedness Initiative program coordinated by
✂✄☎✆✝✞ ✟✠✡✠☎ ☛✞☞✌☎✄✍☞✠✎ ✏ ☞✍ ☞✞ ☞✠✍ ✑✞✡✒ ✓☎☎✔✕
“(The students) are doing an awesome job,”
said Robin Gerber, a longtime Union County
4-H leader who is co-teaching the course with
her husband, Lou, who served as a medic in
the National Guard for many years.
❹❺❻❼ ❽❾❿❽➀➁ ❿❽➂➃❼➄ ➃➅ ➆❼❾➇
➇❼➅➇❾❼➈➉
➋ ➊➌➍➎➏➐ ➊➑➒➒➌➓➔ →➣↔ ↕➒➑➙➓➛➌➐
The students’ knowledge base was expanded
✟✡✠✖✄✗✡✎ ✘✎ ✑✄☎✑✆✙✠☎✄✍ ✓☞✠✙ ✠✙☎ ✚✛✘✒☎✄ ✡✞✗
La Grande rural departments who provided
hands-on experience in how to rescue some-
one trapped in a car following an accident. The
cutting into a vehicle
can trigger the deploy-
ment of airbags, which
could break the necks
and legs of rescuers.
“The same thing
that can save lives (of
vehicle passengers)
✜✡✞ ✘☎ ✙✡✄✗ ✝✞ ✑✄☎✤
✑✆✙✠☎✄✍✥✦ ✧✡✄✄✎ ✍✡☞✗✕
Barry was one of
✡✘✝✖✠
✑✌☎
✑✄☎✑✆✙✠✤
ers who participated
in Saturday’s rescue
demonstration. He was
joined by Jon Louden,
Josh Holbert and Tyrel
Arant of the La Grande
Rural Fire Department
and Ken Patterson of
the Imbler Rural Fire
❙❂❃❄❅❆❂❇ ❈❆ ❊❆ ❅❋❅●❍❅❆■❏ ❑●❅❑❊●❅❄❆❅❇❇ ■▲❊❇❇ ▲❅❊●❆❅❄ ❂❅■▼◆
★☎✢✡✄✠✛☎✞✠✕
❆❈♥❃❅❇ ❖●P❋ ◗●❅◗❍▼❂❅●❇ ❖P● ❇❊❖❅▲❏ ■❃❂❂❈❆❍ ❈❆❂P t❅▼❈■▲❅❇ ❊❂ ❊■◆
✩✙☎ ✑✄☎✤
✑✆✙✠☎✄✍ ✠✡✖✆✙✠ ✠✙☎ ✍✠✖✤
See Cove / Page 5A
❉✲✳❦ ✴✵✶✷✸✹✺✻✼ ✽✾✿✼❀❁✼❀
■❈❄❅❆❂ ❇■❅❆❅❇ ❙❊❂❃●❄❊❏❘
dents how to dismantle
a vehicle and provided an overview of how they
work at and manage accident scenes.
A key point was the importance of being or-
ganized, as it is critical in the high-intensity
environment at many accident scenes.
“We try to bring order out of chaos,” Barry said.
who have addressed the class.
“Our guest speakers have been tremen-
dous,” Lou Gerber said.
Guest speakers on Saturday also included Bill
Rautenstrauch, a former Observer reporter and
retired National Guardsman who was an EMT
☞✠ ☞✍ ✠✝ ✑✄✍✠ ✍✙✖✠ ✗✝✓✞ ✡ ✌☎✙☞✜✒☎✣✍ ☎✒☎✜✠✄☞✜✡✒ ✍✎✍✠☎✛
✪☞✄☎✑✆✙✠☎✄✍ ✫✄✝✛ ✠✙☎ ✚✛✘✒☎✄ ✡✞✗ ✬✡ ✭✄✡✞✗☎
☞✞ ✮✡✒✒✝✓✡ ✯✝✖✞✠✎ ✫✝✄ ✰✰ ✎☎✡✄✍✕ ✱✍ ✡ ✑✄✍✠ ✄☎✤
and dismantle its entire airbag system. Imbler
Fire Department Chief Mike Barry explained that
✄✖✄✡✒ ✑✄☎ ✗☎✢✡✄✠✛☎✞✠✍ ✙✡✌☎ ✘☎☎✞ ✡✛✝✞✆
✛✡✞✎ ✜✖✄✄☎✞✠ ✡✞✗ ✫✝✄✛☎✄ ✑✄✍✠ ✄☎✍✢✝✞✗☎✄✍
sponder, he made hundreds of ambulance runs,
✎✝✖✠✙✍ ✓☎✄☎ ✍✙✝✓✞ ✙✝✓ ✑✄☎✑✆✙✠☎✄✍ ✜✖✠ ✠✙✄✝✖✆✙
vehicles with tools like hydraulically powered
Jaws of Life to reach people quickly.
Before they got to the cutting process, though,
✠✙☎ ✑✄☎✑✆✙✠☎✄✍ ✗☞✍✜✖✍✍☎✗ ☞✞ ✗☎✠✡☞✒ ✙✝✓ ☞✛✢✝✄✠✡✞✠
See Youth / Page 5A
❛❬
❩
❛
❨
❭ ❬
❩
❨
➝
➜
➜
❝
➞➟➠ ➡ ➢ ➤ ✁✈➥➦
✱ ✢✄☎✍✜✄☞✘☎✗ ✑✄☎ ✞☎✡✄
“We probably accom-
plished about 50 percent
of what we were hoping to
get,” said Steve Hawkins,
❨
❪
✗☎✢✖✠✎ ✑✄☎ ✍✠✡❣ ✫✖☎✒✍ ✢✄✝✤
gram manager for the Wal-
lowa-Whitman National
Forest. “That’s pretty typi-
cal of spring burning.”
❫❴ ❵ ❜❡ ❝❞ ❵
❤ ✁✈ ✁
Solar energy is about to
shine on Northeast Or-
egon in an innovative way.
Energy Trust of Oregon
has awarded a $10,000
grant to Wallowa Re-
sources Community So-
lutions in partnership
ñò þ øòùúû þ øõú þ ò þ
✓✡✍ ✛✝✄☎ ✑➧➧✒☎ ✠✙✡✞ ✫✖✄✎✕
Ù
Ûî æãîçä æÛî æßîßÞã âß ßîßæ ë
ãááßää çè âçÛÝéã Ûâë è äÛî åæè ßáç
ñò þ øû þ ø ôù ú with Fleet Development
üýþÿ
for a pilot project that
❨
Smoke
plumes
outside
Baker City
Baker City produced an
impressive plume of smoke
Friday afternoon and eve-
ning, but on parts of the
236-acre area the blaze
Solar power comes
to Wallowa County
❚❯❱❲❳❳❳
✁✈ ✁
helps low- and moderate-
income Oregonians ben-
☎✑✠ ✫✄✝✛ ✍✝✒✡✄ ✠☎✜✙✞✝✒✤
✩✙☎ ✑✄☎ ☞✞ ✮✡✍✙☞✞✆✠✝✞
ogy. Project developers
also expect to receive a
$39,000 grant from the
USDA’s Rural Energy for
America Program in the
coming weeks.
Fleet Development Presi-
dent Ryan Sheehy said the
project, dubbed Park Street
Solar, will involve installing
solar panels on top of an
11-unit apartment building
at 603 NW Silver St. in En-
terprise. Construction will
begin in June or July.
✡✘✒☎ ✠✝ ✑✆✖✄☎ ✝✖✠ ✙✝✓ ✠✝
ment tenants having ac-
cess to solar energy.
“One is near term — the
cost of energy the solar
Gulch, about four miles
west of town, was intended
to burn piles of slash and
other fuels left after a se-
ries of commercial logging
and noncommercial tree-
thinning projects about a
decade ago, Hawkins said.
Another objective was
to burn some of the young
trees — mainly 6 feet or
shorter — that have sprout-
ed since the logging and
thinning work, he said.
Those small trees can
serve as “ladder fuels” — a
utilize that roof space and
✢✡✞☎✒ ✆☎✞☎✄✡✠☎✍ ☞✍ ✑❥☎✗✥
✄✝✖✠☎ ✫✝✄ ➨✡✛☎✍ ✠✝ ✜✒☞✛✘
✆☎✠ ✍✝✛☎ ✑✞✡✞✜☞✡✒ ✘☎✞☎✑✠
whereas
(traditional)
utilities go up 2% a year,”
he said. “Then there’s net
metering, which means
whatever excess is pro-
from the ground into the
crowns of taller, mature
trees, Hawkins said.
See Solar / Page 5A
See Fire / Page 5A
✧☎✠✍✎
❢✡✖❣✛✡✞✥
✠✙☎
renewable energy sec-
tor lead at Energy Trust,
said while Energy Trust
awarded eight other
grants to solar projects
across the state, the Wal-
lowa Resources and Fleet
❜❋❝❞❡
❈✄ ❈☞✌✝ ☎✆✆✝ ✍ ✞ ✆✡ ✝✟ ✡ ✠✡ ✡ ✡ ✡ ✡ ✡ ✡ ✡ ✸☛ ✹☛
❈☞✌✌✎✏✝✑✒ ✡ ✡ ✡ ✡✻ ✽☛ ✓
❉✟☎✔✓✕✕✒✡
❧✷♠♦♣q✶r s✉✷♣✷
✇▲❅❅❂ ①❅t❅▲P❑❋❅❆❂ ❈❆❇❂❊▲▲❅❄ ❂▼❅❇❅ ❇P▲❊● ❑❊❆❅▲❇ ❊❂ ❂▼❅ ②▲③▼P●❆ ④❈▲▲❊❍❅ ⑤❑❊●❂❋❅❆❂
⑥❃❈▲❄❈❆❍ ❈❆ ⑦❊③❅● ⑧❈❂❏ ▲❊❇❂ ⑨■❂P⑥❅●❘⑩▼❅ ❶❊●③ ❙❂●❅❅❂ ❙P▲❊● ❑●P❷❅■❂ ❸❈▲▲ ▲PP③ ❇❈❋❈▲❊●❘
Development plan is nota-
bly unique because it will
bring the rewards of solar
energy to people who may
not traditionally have had
access to it due to residing
in multi-family housing.
✐✚✣✛ ☞✞✠☎✄☎✍✠☎✗ ✠✝ ✑✆✖✄☎
out how those families
who aren’t in single-fami-
✒✎ ✙✝✛☎✍ ✜✡✞ ✘☎✞☎✑✠ ✫✄✝✛
✖☞✌✟✡
✗✟✑ ✗☞✑ ✑ ✑ ✟ ✟ ✔✆✡ ✔✒✡ ✡ ✡ ✡ ✡ ✡ ✡ ✡ ✡ ✡ ✡ ✡ ✡ ✡ ✡ ✡ ✡ ✡ ✡✷ ✹ ✶☛ ✓ ✓ ❖✘✝ ✙✘☞✔✑ ✏✝☞ ✆ ✏✡ ✡ ✡ ✡ ✡ ✡ ✡ ✡ ✡ ✡ ✡ ✡✹ ✼ ✓ ✓
❖✕✝✑✎☎✔✝✟✆✡✡ ✡ ✡✸✓
WEDNESDAY
solar,” she said. “Apart-
ment buildings have a lot
of roof space, and being
to the people in the build-
ing from the solar panels
is really intriguing.”
Sheehy said there are
two advantages for apart-
❦❧♠♦♣❧q r✉ss t✈✇①②③④⑤✈⑥⑤⑦①⑧③②⑨✈t⑩④①②⑤❶✈⑥
❷❸❹❺❻❼❽
❷➈➉➊➋➌➍
❾❿
➀➁➂
➃➄➅❾➇
➎➏➐➑➒➓ ➔➒→➣↔➓
↕→➙➛➜➣➝➜➞➟➝➛
▼❆❨ ✥❙ ▲✁❊❘ ❆▼❊❘✥■❆◆➆❙ ▼ ◆✂❍
❅❇❋●❏❅● ❑P
◗❯❱❲❳❩❬❲❬❱❩❱
❭✆✆✎✟❪✻ ✝☞✏✆❫✶✽✘☎❴✟✆
✷✆✟✍✑
✗☎❵✔☎✏✠✟❫❖✔✟❴☞✏
✪✄☞✗✡✎✣✍ ✑✄☎ ✘✖✄✞☎✗ ☞✞✠✝
some of those thickets of
❢❏❣❞❏
P●❇❤✐ ❜❝❞❏❥
✚✛✜
✜ ❚✢✣✤✦✧✣★✩✣★✪✣✫✧★✬✬✭✛✮
✺✯✰✲✱✳✴✲✴✰✳✰✬★✧✣✪✵✛✪✣✭✛✾✜ ✮✬
✪✣✫✧♥✜✛✿★✛✪✵✣✬✦✧✣★✩✣★❀❁✬✭❀
❂✬★✣❁✬✪✮✛❁✮✾✪❃✬✬✪❄✛✿✣✯❛❀
Online at lagrandeobserver.com