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THURSDAY
•
August 27, 2020
• $1.50
Good day to our valued subscriber Bruce Parks of Union
Wildfi res
Smoke
makes air
quality
unhealthy
Portions of Monday and
Tuesday saw quality
index move above 100
By Ronald Bond
The Observer
LA GRANDE — Smoke from
area and regional wildfi res may
not yet be blocking the view of
Mount Emily from downtown
La Grande as it did in 2018. But
the blazes have at times resulted
in the air quality in the valley
reaching unhealthy levels.
The Air Quality Index on the
Oregon Department of Environ-
mental Quality website spent at
least a portion of Monday and
Tuesday, Aug. 24-25, above 100,
placing it in a range the DEQ says
is unhealthy for sensitive groups.
The AQI on Monday evening
peaked at 112 at the La Grande
monitoring station, part of a nine-
hour period where it was in triple
digits before dropping back into
the “moderate” range — between
51 and 100 — early Tuesday
morning. A second uptick early
Tuesday early afternoon saw
it reach as high as 103 before
decreasing.
Wednesday, the level had
dropped into the 50s and low 60s.
The numbers are similar across
the Grande Ronde Valley. The sta-
tion in Cove reached an AQI level
of 108 Monday and peaked at 109
during the overnight hours early
Tuesday morning before settling
again. Wednesday, the number in
Cove was higher than La Grande
but had dropped to 65 by 11 a.m.
Numbers in Enterprise also
peaked around the same time,
spending a 20-hour period from
Monday at 5 p.m. to Tuesday at
1 p.m. above 100 and reaching a
top level of 115. It was still above
70 Wednesday morning but by
midday fell into the low 50s.
Baker City did not crack the
100 threshold Monday, but the
area was above the mark much
of the day Tuesday and reached
as high as 108. By 11 a.m.
Wednesday it was down to 55.
Many of the monitoring sta-
tions in Eastern Oregon saw sim-
ilar readings early Wednesday,
but most of the western part of
the state was in the “good” range
below 50.
A handful of fi res are burning
in Eastern Oregon, including the
Meacham Complex, the Street
Mountain Fire, the Laurel Fire,
the Frog Fire and, the largest
one, the Indian Creek Fire. The
See, Smoke/Page 5A
Staff photo by Ronald Bond
Oregon National Guard Sgt. Christopher Callaham presents a U.S. fl ag to La Grande resident Lee Graham, a World War II veteran
in attendance at a ceremony Tuesday, Aug. 25, that commemorated the lives of 15 servicemen who died in a B-24 Liberator crash
outside of Elgin 75 years ago.
Honoring the forgotten
Ceremony honors servicemen
who died in plane crash at end
of World War II
By Dick Mason
The Observer
ELGIN — For a moment early Tuesday
afternoon, Lee Graham, a La Grande
World War II veteran, felt as if the weight
of 15 young servicemen was on his
shoulders.
The 15 men who died before their com-
munities could recognize them for who
they were — World War II heroes.
Graham was attending a ceremony
saluting the servicemen aboard an Amer-
ican B-24 Liberator coming home to the
Northwest. The big plane crashed in the
Blue Mountains of Union County, 17
miles northwest of Elgin on Aug. 25, 1945.
The 15 aboard had served in the European
Theater, and each died in the accident.
Tuesday’s ceremony, at the site of the
rash, included the formal presentation
of an American fl ag by members of the
Third Battalion, 116th Cavalry of the
Oregon National Guard, to Graham, who
represented the 15 servicemen. Graham
acknowledged he felt a responsibility
to represent the servicemen with honor
after receiving the fl ag, which in turn he
will give to the Union County Museum.
The responsibility he feels in repre-
senting these 15 servicemen and WWII
veterans overall is becoming greater, he
Staff photo by Ronald Bond
La Grande resident Lyle Schwarz, right, reads the names of the 15 servicemen who
died in an Aug. 25, 1945, B-24 Liberator crash in the mountains about 17 miles outside
of Elgin. The aircraft was returning home following World War II. Schwarz and fellow
La Grande resident Armen Woosley coordinated the Tuesday, Aug. 25 service on the
75th anniversary of the crash.
said, because the number who can speak
for them is diminishing.
“I feel like this is the end of the line.
We are losing so many World War II vet-
erans,” he said.
The 15 fallen veterans, all mem-
bers of the Army Air Corps were Capt.
Edwin F. Zdunczyk, the pilot; 1st Lt.
Carleton H. Keeler, co-pilot; 2nd Lts.
R.B. Wright, navigator, and G.C. Oes-
terreicher, bombardier; 1st Lt. J. Kagel;
Technical Sgt. F.G. Emmelmann, radio
operator; Sgts. Emil Eckert, Paul E.
Kleiner, and M.M. Pickell, all engineers;
and gunners, Staff Sgt. R.B. Walters
and Sgts. A.H. Brundahl, B.G. Fletcher,
A.P. Lupisella, T.R. Frasier and R.W.
Johnson.
See, Crash/Page 5A
La Grande Farmers Market celebrates 40 years
By Sabrina Thompson
The Observer
LA GRANDE — La Grande
residents Sally Snyder and
Sandy Roth started the La
Grande Farmers Market in
1980. In its beginnings it was
the Blue Mountain Producers
operating in a vacant lot at the
northwest corner of North Fir
Street and Monroe Avenue.
Over the next 40 years, the
style, location and managers
of the market have changed,
but what remains the same is
the commitment to providing
fresh, locally sourced products
and produce Saturday mornings
from May to October.
INDEX
Business ...... 1B
Classified ..... 3B
Comics ......... 7B
Crossword ... 4B
Just The Facts
The La Grande Famers
Market continues to provide
local goods as it enters its fi fth
decade. The market operates in
Max Square in downtown La
Grande on Saturday mornings
and Tuesday afternoons from
May to October.
The early years
It wasn’t until the summer
of 2003 the La Grande Farmers
Market found its home at Max
See, Market/Page 7A
WEATHER
Dear Abby .... 8B
Horoscope ... 4B
Lottery.......... 2A
Obituaries .... 3A
SATURDAY
Opinion ........ 4A
Spiritual ....... 6A
Sudoku ........ 7B
Weather ....... 8B
Staff Photo by Sabrina Thompson
The La Grande Farmers Market on May 16 saw a large crowd social
distancing and wearing masks as the season began. This marks the
40th year of the La Grande Farmers Market.
Full forecast on the back of B section
Tonight
Friday
44 LOW
88/50
Clear
Sunny
HOW LIBRARIES ARE FARING
CONTACT US
541-963-3161
Issue 102
3 sections, 24 pages
La Grande, Oregon
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to news@lagrande
observer.com.
More contact info
on Page 4A.
Online at lagrandeobserver.com