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About The Observer. (La Grande, Or.) 1968-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 18, 2019)
In GO! ‘Newsies’ hits the Elgin Opera House stage Page 7 NORTHEAST OREGON SEPTEMBER 18, 2019 www.gonortheastoregon.com Inside EOU gaining notice, 7A Double the treasures, 1B ‘Newsies’ in Elgin Also in this issue: Great Salt Lick and Alpenfest Follow us on the web WEDNESDAY • September 18, 2019 • $1.50 Good day to our valued subscriber Betty Funkhouser of La Grande Two file to run for sheriff ENROLLMENT School numbers keep on climbing ■ Bill Miller to challenge Boyd Rasmussen in 2020 By Dick Mason The Observer Enrollment is on the upswing for many school dis- tricts in Union and Wallowa counties. Local superintendents are reporting that enrollment is up or unchanged for the ma- jority of the school districts, including La Grande. The La Grande School District has 2,378 students, up at least 16 from 2018-19 when enrollment ranged from 2,340 to 2,366, said Superintendent George Mendoza. This marks the fourth time in fi ve years La Grande’s enrollment has risen. It was down slightly or virtually unchanged in 2018- 19, but the previous three years it was up an average of 65 students a year, according to reports the school district makes to the state each Oct. 1. Mendoza is encouraged by this trend. “We always hope to see growth,” he said. The superintendent said the additional funding the school district will receive as a result of the enrollment increase will help the district to continue to add more services and support for students. School districts in Oregon receive at least $6,000 from the state per student. Enrollment is also up in the Elgin, Imbler, Union, Joseph, Troy and Wallowa school districts. Elgin experienced the biggest percentage increase of any Union County school district. Elgin’s enrollment is 355, up 36 students from the end of the 2018-19 school year, a jump of 10%. Elgin School District Su- perintendent Dianne Greif credits much of the increase to this fall’s kindergarten class of 46. “Normally we have 30 to 35 kindergarten students,” Greif said. Enrollment at Stella By Dick Mason The Observer LADD CANYON MAKEOVER ■ Brush Creek getting 4,500-foot channel as part of $30 million ODOT project The stage is being set for Union County’s fi rst contested race for sheriff since 2004. Union County Sheriff Boyd Rasmussen and Bill Miller, who works for Union County Community Cor- rections, have both fi led for the 2020 election for Union County Sheriff. Rasmussen was elected in a contested race in 2004 and is competing his 15th year as sheriff. He was reelected to four-year terms in 2008, 2012 and 2016 in uncon- tested races. “It has been an honor to serve as your Union County Sheriff the last 14 years. I am proud of our Sheriff’s Offi ce and the work we do in keeping Union County safe and livable. It has been gratifying to work with the See Sheriff / Page 5A By Dick Mason The Observer Brush Creek, located near where the Oregon Trail ran more than 150 years ago in Ladd Canyon, is getting a new 4,500-foot channel, one stronger than the oxen pioneers used to pull their wagons over this area’s rugged terrain. The channel is being in- stalled as part of the Oregon Department of Transporta- tion’s $30 million Ladd Canyon Freight Improvement Project, which began in April. The new channel is needed to make way for the addition of a third eastbound lane on I-84 in 2020, which will run from the west Dick Mason/The Observer entrance of Ladd Canyon east Top photo: Excavation work is done in Ladd Canyon for a new channel for for 1.5 miles. Brush Creek. Brush Creek is posing an Above: The new channel will feature concrete weirs. Wood forms for these obstacle for ODOT because a See Ladd / Page 5A weirs are shown. See Schools / Page 5A Dick Mason/The Observer Tom Strandberg, foreground, and Josh McCullough, both of the Oregon Department of Transportation, exam- ine a site where fi sh from Brush Creek are being protected while the stream while channel work is done. WEATHER INDEX Business ........1B Classified .......4B Comics ...........3B Crossword .....5B Dear Abby .....8B Horoscope .....5B Lottery............2A Obituaries ......3A FRIDAY Opinion ..........4A Record ...........3A Sports ............7A State ...............6A Full forecast on the back of B section Tonight Thursday 46 LOW 62/44 Cloudy A stray shower NEW CODE ENFORCEMENT OFFICER New housing to cater to seniors ■ Development of 55 and older neighborhood in the works By Sabrina Thompson The Observer New housing is coming to La Grande for those age 55 and older. Elevation Pointe, to be constructed on the 400 block of 16th Street, will be a community of 21 condomini- ums and eight single-family homes. Infrastructure work on the site began six months ago, and construction of the dwellings is planned to begin in October, according to a press release. GCT Land Management is in charge of the project and owner Gust Tsiatsos is the general contractor. Tsiatsos said the active adult com- munity will fi ll a residential housing gap in the region. “You can see it in the statistics,” Tsiatsos said. “Elevation Pointe will take pressure off the housing market at a certain price point, and offer an attractive housing option appealing to seniors’ lifestyles and tastes.” Elevation Pointe is described in the press release See Housing / Page 5A CONTACT US HAVE A STORY IDEA? 541-963-3161 Call The Observer newsroom at 541-963-3161 or send an email to news@lagrandeobserver.com. More contact info on Page 4A. Issue 111 3 sections, 24 pages La Grande, Oregon Online at lagrandeobserver.com
