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MONDAY • January 6, 2020 • $1.50
From
Union
County
to D.C.?
Good day to our valued subscriber Bob Myers of Cove
Union County
SNOW, COLDER TEMPS
MOVING IN
■ Leaders look
back on the just
completed year
■ Elgin resident
Jeff Smith
announces run
for U.S. Congress
By Sabrina Thompson
The Observer
UNION COUNTY — The
Observer in January 2019
spoke with local govern-
ment offi cials about their
goals for the coming year. We
re-visited with some of those
offi cials during the fi rst week
of 2020 to fi nd out if they met
their goals.
By Dick Mason
The Observer
ELGIN — Jeff Smith, an
Elgin computer program-
mer running for Congress,
believes his
campaign is
moving in the
right direction.
“The response
I am receiving
is very good. I
Smith
am very encour-
aged,” Smith said Sunday.
Smith is running for the
Republican nomination for
the 2nd Congressional Dis-
trict, which covers Eastern,
Central and a portion of
Southern Oregon. The candi-
date, who has lived in Elgin
almost all his life, is a gradu-
ate of Elgin High School
and has a degree in manu-
facturing, engineering and
technology from the Oregon
Institute of Technology.
Smith, who grew up on a
cattle ranch outside Elgin,
said in Congress he would be a
strong advocate for the natural
resource industries, including
timber and agriculture.
Oregon’s timber indus-
try is a particular concern.
Smith said timber companies
decades ago could harvest
about 4 billion board feet of
wood from the Wallowa-Whit-
man and Umatilla national
forests, but today the limit is
50-60 million board feet an-
nually on these same lands.
This has led to mill closures
in Union and Wallowa coun-
ties and throughout the state.
He said in the 1980s Union
and Wallowa counties had 10
mills but today three remain,
all in Union County.
He attributed much of the
decline in timber harvests
and the mill closures to
the listing of the northern
spotted owl in 1990 as a
threatened species under the
federal Endangered Species
Act. The listing meant cut-
ting back on timber harvest
on federal land to protect
See Smith / Page 5A
Officials
reflect
on 2019
goals
Staff photo by Phil Wright
Clouds move in Sunday over the mountains surrounding La Grande. The National Weather Service offi ce in
Pendleton issued a winter weather statement Sunday that covers the Blue Mountains, Wallowa Mountains
and the Cascades.
By Phil Wright, The Observer
LA GRANDE — Snowfall early this week in Eastern Oregon’s mountain
ranges could total 4-12 inches.
the early part of January, which is averaging about 30.5
degrees.
“The fi rst fi ve days of January have just been under 10
degrees warmer than the average,” he said.
Precipitation for the water year starting in October has
been below normal, Brooks said, and a long way from any
record snowfall.
La Grande’s climate data goes back to 1965, according
to Brooks, and the books show December snow can get
deep, with 19.5 inches in 1997 and 29.5 inches in that
fi rst year of tracking data. That remains the record for the
month.
He said 13 inches of snow fell in the fi rst fi ve days of
January 1975. But the local climate data also has gaps.
The National Weather Service relies on locals to
provide crucial information about what is happening
in a given place. The Weather Service’s station near the
Bi-Mart in La Grande has gone through its share of
volunteers over recent years, he said, so some information
is spotty.
He also said the Weather Service in Pendleton provides
online tools with the most recent weather data available.
Go to www.weather.gov/pdt/ and click on the “Forecast
Weather Tables” icon on the lower right side of the page.
From there, type in a location in the search box and that
will bring up a ream of data you can fi ne-tune with inter-
vals down to an hour for the span of one to seven days.
Brooks said he fi nds that a useful tool when planning
an outing with his family.
The National Weather Service offi ce in Pendleton
issued a “special weather statement” Sunday afternoon
reporting “multiple rounds of snow” will blanket the Blue
and Wallowa mountains in Eastern Oregon as well as
the Cascade Mountains to the west. Meteorologist Rob
Brooks said a wave-like system is moving across the area
and will deliver a mix of rain and snow.
The Weather Service warned the winter weather will
affect driving along Highway 204 and Interstate 84 in the
Blues. Those traveling through Washington, however, could
face greater diffi culty. The Weather Service estimated the
Cascades in Washington could receive 8-18 inches of snow.
The snow level Sunday was in the 1,500-2,500 foot
range, but that’s rising Monday night to around 3,500-
5,000. While the snow level rises, Brooks said be ready for
temperatures to turn down.
“We are going to get colder,” he said.
High temperatures will decrease from the lower 40s to
around the mid 30s heading into Thursday, and nighttime
lows will drop from around 39 Monday night to 26 Thurs-
day. Looking into next week, Brooks said, temperatures
should be below normal while precipitation will be a tick
above. The area since October has been overall warmer
and drier than usual.
October’s average temperature in 2019 was about 29
degrees, he said, which was below normal, and Novem-
ber’s average of about 26 also was slightly below normal.
But December’s temperature averaged almost 27 and
was warmer than usual. That trend has continued into
Imbler
Imbler Mayor Mike
McLean at the start of 2019
wanted the city to consolidate
its animal control ordinances.
Because the city was sepa-
rated into two areas, each
with their own ordinances,
consistency about the rules
was lacking and causing
confusion.
One area, the Westenskow
addition, which was annexed
at least four decades ago, had
an ordinance limiting the
number of livestock, while
the rest of the city had no
limit. To achieve the goal of
establishing a single ordi-
nance, the city had a vote of
the people to fi rst dissolve
the two individual rules. But
the city has yet to establish
one zoning ordinance so the
animal control law can cover
all of Imbler.
McLean said the reason
the goal wasn’t completely
met is because things can
take a bit longer to do in
Imbler. He said because the
city council doesn’t meet as
often it will take more time
to get things passed, but he is
committed to getting things
done.
“We have to get it done. We
don’t move real fast,” McLean
said. “We try to get every-
thing done one step at a time,
without rushing anything
through.”
La Grande
La Grande Mayor Steve
Clements in 2019 said he
hoped the city would conduct
a study to establish the
town’s biggest needs for
housing.
City Manager Robert
See Goals / Page 5A
Union County welcomes first baby of 2020
■ Wyatt Haycock born
Jan. 2 to Jamie Thiess
and Cody Haycock
By Sabrina Thompson
The Observer
LA GRANDE — La Grande wel-
comed its newest resident Thursday
at 2:54 a.m.
Wyatt Haycock, born to Jaime
Thiess and Cody Haycock, was the
fi rst baby born at Grande Ronde
Hospital’s birthing center in 2020.
Parents Jaime and Cody are happy
to have their baby boy fi nally in their
arms.
“He was supposed to be born the
27th,” Jaime said while holding her
new baby at the hospital. “They had
to induce me, which was insane and
terrifying but worth it.”
Jaime was admitted to the
hospital Dec. 31 to be induced. After
nearly 18 hours of labor, doctors
WEATHER
INDEX
Classified .......4B
Comics ...........7B
Crossword .....5B
Dear Abby .....8B
See Baby / Page 5A
Home .............1B
Horoscope .....5B
Lottery............2A
Obituaries ......3A
WEDNESDAY
Opinion ..........4A
Sports ............6A
Sudoku ..........7B
Weather .........8B
Staff photo by Sabrina Thompson
Full forecast on the back of B section
Tonight
Tuesday
37 LOW
41/34
A snow shower
P.M. snow
showers
CHAINING UP SCHOOL BUSES
Jaime Thiess spends
some quality time
Saturday with her
newborn son, Wyatt
Haycock, while his
dad, Cody Haycock,
naps beside them at
Grande Ronde Hospi-
tal, La Grande. Wyatt
was the hospital’s fi rst
baby of the new de-
cade, coming into the
world early Jan. 2.
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 3
2 sections, 16 pages
La Grande, Oregon
Online at lagrandeobserver.com