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ELGIN BECOMES LATEST EASTERN OREGON COMMUNITY TO GET A DOLLAR GENERAL |
April 29, 2021
BUSINESS & AG, 1B
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THURSDAY EDITION
Two men
vie for one
seat on LG
School Boad
Fire season fears
By DICK MASON
The Observer
LA GRANDE — The 2021
school board election is underway
in Union County.
Voters are beginning to cast
mail ballots for candidates run-
ning for 17 school
board seats across
Union County. Four
of the races in the
May 18 mail elec-
tion are contested,
Romer
including one in the
La Grande School
District in which
Elijah Romer is chal-
lenging incumbent
Randy Shaw for Posi-
tion 4.
Shaw
There are four
board positions on
the La Grande School Board up
for election. The others — Posi-
tions 1, 2 and 5 — are uncon-
tested. Incumbent Danelle Lind-
sey-Wilson, the owner of a hair
salon, is running for reelection
to Position 1; incumbent Bruce
Kevan, a retired educator, is the
Position 5 candidate; and Jake
East Oregonian, File
A fi refi ghter air tanker drops a load of fi re retardant in 2018 into a draw in Harrington Canyon southwest of Pilot Rock to help control a large wildfi re. In 2021, Oregon could be
in for another bad fi re season.
Union, Baker and Umatilla counties have declared droughts; some snowpack holding up well
See, LGSB/Page 5A
By KATY NESBITT
15 counties
back under
extreme risk
For the East Oregonian
PENDLETON — Despite rain showers
over the weekend in much of Northeast
Oregon, fi re offi cials say the region is still
ripe for wildfi res.
“It’s dry,” said Joe Hessel, a forester for
the Oregon Department of Forestry’s North-
east Oregon. “I think, statewide, Oregon
Department of Forestry protected lands have
had four times the average number of fi res.”
Not only are the number of fi res higher for
this time of year but, Hessel said, the number
of acres burned is three times higher than
normal.
Besides dry conditions, the National
Weather Service in Pendleton predicts high
winds as being the new normal for the region
as the climate continues to warm.
“If we’re looking ahead, temperatures are
gradually warming, which gives the possi-
bility for thermal gradients across the Cas-
cades to set up, creating greater westerly
winds,” said Brandon Lawhorn, a meteo-
By GARY A. WARNER
and BRYCE DOLE
EO Media Group
SALEM — Union and
Wallowa counties remain in the
lower risk category for the spread
of COVID-19, but 15 other
Oregon counties fi nd themselves
categorized as extreme risk.
Gov. Kate Brown on Tuesday,
April 27, announced changes
to county risk levels under the
state’s public health frame-
work due to the rapid spread of
COVID-19 in Oregon.
“With hospitalizations
rising above 300 people state-
wide, threatening to overwhelm
doctors and nurses, 15 coun-
ties will move to the extreme
risk level eff ective Friday,
April 30, through Thursday,
May 6,” according to Brown’s
announcement.
In addition, nine counties will
be in the high risk level, four at
moderate risk, and eight at lower
risk.
Baker County joins the 15
under the extreme risk cate-
gory. The others are Clackamas,
See, Risk/Page 5A
rologist at Pendleton’s NWS offi ce. “If they
predicted for late April and early May.
set up more often, we will see more of these
“The question is, for the rest of this
high-wind events or wind advisories, but how spring, will there be enough precipitation to
impactful they will be is in question. How-
hamper the drought outlook we are seeing in
ever, it doesn’t take
the area?” he said.
much of a breeze
The Umatilla
and dry condi-
County Board of
“In June and July, across
tions to create that
Commissioners
the Columbia Basin and into
greater fi re weather
voted unani-
concern.”
mously earlier this
Central Oregon, there is an
The extended
month to declare
above normal signifi cant wildfi re a drought disaster
forecast for later
in May, June and
and asked Gov.
potential.”
July throughout the
Kate Brown and
— Brandon Lawhorn, National Weather Service
Blue Mountains
U.S. Agriculture
meteorologist
calls for above
Secretary Tom
normal tempera-
Vilsack to do the
tures and below
same. Baker and
normal precipitation.
Union counties already declared a drought.
“In June and July, across the Columbia
One bit of good news is two sources of
Basin and into Central Oregon, there is an
increased funding for the state’s fi re suppres-
above normal signifi cant wildfi re potential,”
sion eff orts. Hessel said short-term funding
Lawhorn said.
See, Fire/Page 5A
Closer in, Lawhorn said, severe weather is
Union County voters to decide on weed control levy
County’s weed control
program treats 3,000 to
5,300 acres each year
By DICK MASON
The Observer
UNION COUNTY — Union
County voters now are starting to
weigh in on the fate of a measure
addressing a local issue some-
times overlooked but always crit-
ical — the control of invasive
noxious weeds.
Measure 31-104 is a fi ve-year
local option operating levy that
would raise close to $230,000 a
year for noxious weed control.
It is the only levy on the Union
County ballot for the May 18
election. Ballots for the mail elec-
tion were sent out Wednesday,
April 28.
The measure would cost
Union County property owners
12 cents per $1,000 of assessed
property value. This means the
owner of a $100,000 home would
pay $12 a year for the levy, said
Alan Guttridge, a member of
the Union County Weed Advi-
sory Board. The new local option
INDEX
Business .................1B
Classified ...............3B
Comics ....................7B
Crossword .............3B
Alex Wittwer/The Observer
A sign along Wallowa Lake Highway north of Imbler on Wednesday, April 28, 2021,
asks residents to control noxious and invasive weeds in the area, such as leafy spurge,
tansy ragwort and hound’s-tongue. Union County voters in May decide on a fi ve-year
local option operating levy that would raise close to $230,000 a year for weed control.
operating levy would have the
same tax rate as the present one.
Passage of Measure 31-100
would renew an operating levy
that has been in place since 2016,
when voters fi rst approved a
fi ve-year operating levy of the
same rate. Guttridge said pas-
sage of the 2016 local option levy
allowed Union County to hire
a full-time county weed super-
WEATHER
Dear Abby .............8B
Horoscope .............5B
Lottery ....................3A
Obituaries ..............3A
SATURDAY
Opinion ..................4A
Spiritual .................6A
Sports .....................7A
State ........................8A
visor, Brian Clapp. Guttridge
credited Clapp, now fi nishing
his fi fth year as Union County’s
weed supervisor, with doing an
outstanding job.
“He has developed a suc-
cessful and comprehensive weed
management program covering
all of Union County,” Guttridge
said.
The county weed supervisor
Full forecast on the back of B section
Tonight
Friday
50 LOW
75/53
Mainly clear
Partly sunny
CELEBRATING TREES FOR ARBOR DAY
works with private landowners
and public land management
agencies to take inventory of,
map and monitor weed infesta-
tions, treat weeds, administer a
cost-share program with land-
owners, provide public education
on noxious week issues, enforce
state and local laws pertaining to
weed control, write applications
for grants and more, according
to information from the Union
County Weed Board.
Guttridge said the weed man-
agement program is continuing
to become more eff ective. The
program treats between 3,000
and 5,300 acres in Union County
each year for noxious weeds.
One reason controlling nox-
ious weed is critical in Union
County, Guttridge said, is
that certified seed crops are
an important part of the local
economy. He said the sale of
seed crops brings $25 mil-
lion to $30 million annually to
Union County. If weeds con-
taminate a seed crop its value
may be reduced dramatically,
Guttridge said.
See, Levy/Page 5A
CONTACT US
541-963-3161
Issue 49
3 sections, 24 pages
La Grande, Oregon
Email story ideas
to news@lagrande
observer.com.
More contact info
on Page 4A.
Online at lagrandeobserver.com