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TUESDAY EDITION
June 1, 2021
NO
AR
T
OR RT H EA
EG ST
ON
LA GRANDE
ISA
N
Council
set to pass
budgets
S
HONORING OUR
FALLEN
Urban renewal general
fund is $1.8 million,
city general fund is
more than $14 million
By PHIL WRIGHT
Annual La Grande event remembers area’s fallen veterans
For The Observer
LA GRANDE — The La
Grande City Council meets
Wednesday evening, June 2, to
consider passing the 2021-22 bud-
gets for the urban renewal district
and the city.
The La Grande
Urban Renewal
Agency general
fund is approxi-
mately $1.8, which
includes a little more
than $1 million for
capital project pro-
Strope
grams, according to
city budget documents, while the
city’s overall budget for 2021-22
tops $53 million, including a gen-
eral fund of $14.55 million. The
La Grande City Council also
serves as the La Grande Urban
Renewal Agency.
The budget committees for
the city and urban renewal pro-
gram held public hearings May 10
and 11 to go over the budgets and
approve them. Now it’s up to the
city council to put its seal on the
budget proposals.
City Manager Robert Strope in
his budget message noted the city
kept a close eye on three revenue
streams due to the pandemic: the
transient room tax; parks, recre-
ation and aquatics program fees;
and state money for streets.
“City staff has been extra dil-
igent this year and made adjust-
ments as we saw the impacts to
revenues,” he stated in the budget
message.
Strope also reported the city
council reinforced the desire to
act upon the recommendations of
the fi scal committee, including
not reducing service or staffi ng
levels and pushing to increase
revenues in the general fund. The
budget, then, maintains staff at
110 full-time employees, with a
couple of exceptions.
Cook Memorial Library is
adding two part-time positions,
but staffi ng there remains essen-
tially the same.
The city police department,
however, is adding one full-
time clerk to help manage the
increasing number and com-
plexity of records requests,
releases and sealing cases to
meet legal requirements. But the
See, Budgets/Page 5A
Dogs
rescued
from
house fi re
Neighbors, firefighters
save family’s dogs from
La Grande house fire
By ALEX WITTWER
The Observer
LA GRANDE — Neighbors
in La Grande rushed Saturday,
May 29, to save two dogs from a
burning mobile home.
The fi re broke out at approxi-
mately 6 p.m. at a mobile home at
22 Willow St. The La Grande Fire
Department responded, but neigh-
bors responded fi rst, breaking
doors and windows to attempt to
get the dogs out while the owners
were away.
With merely a garden hose,
neighbors Will Curtiss Jr. and
Brent Houston began battling the
blaze moments after they noticed
smoke coming from the home,
even entering the home to look for
the dogs trapped inside.
“We just grabbed the hoses and
went over there. We knew there
were animals inside. We didn’t
think about anything else,” Cur-
tiss said.
Curtiss sustained minor lac-
erations to his arm, and his eyes
were still stinging nearly 30 min-
utes after he went into the house.
“It was intense. It was terrible,”
Curtiss said about being inside
the burning home. “I was just
thinking about that dog.”
Jon Weyant, a longtime
neighbor to the residents, was
able to save one of the family pets
immediately, Gemma, 6.
“I tried going in as far as I
could go in, but I couldn’t breathe
— I have chronic obstructive pul-
monary disease. I broke that lock,
broke that door,” he said. “Little
guy was just standing there at the
door. I got him, but I couldn’t (go
farther in) — there was just so
much smoke.”
The dog was uninjured. But
Weyant was unable to fi nd the
second dog, Hunter, 13.
That’s when the homeowner,
Jenifer McCraw, along with her
youngest son, JD Little, arrived to
see their home on fi re.
ABOVE: An American
fl ag fl ies at half-mast
during the Avenue
of Flags event at
Grandeview Cemetery’s
Veteran’s Circle in La
Grande on Monday,
May 31, 2021. After
the Memorial Day
ceremony, the fl ag was
raised to full mast.
RIGHT: Derrick Erickson,
a U.S. Army veteran,
hugs Bobbie Dalgliesh
following a speech by
Roger Cochran.
Alex Wittwer/The Observer
See, Rescue/Page 5A
Soap box derby rolls in Cove
Best in the West
competition draws crowd
By DAVIS CARBAUGH
The Observer
COVE — Soap box derbies
might be a relic of a diff erent era,
but don’t tell anyone in Cove.
The small Union County com-
munity hosted Oregon Soap Box
Derby’s 25th annual Best in the
West competition on Saturday,
May 29, with participants from
across Oregon and out of state
taking part.
“(Soap box derby) really
teaches the kids sportsmanship,
being a gracious loser as well as
INDEX
a good winner and cheering on
your fellow drivers,” said race
director Jim Youngers.
Oregon Soap Box Derby is
based out of Salem and this is the
third year the Best of the West
event has been held in Cove. The
event was held right outside of
downtown Cove, on Haefer Lane
between Conklin Lane and Jasper
Street.
Races started midday and
went through the afternoon as the
tournament commenced. Fami-
lies and local fans lined up along
Haefer Lane in lawn chairs and
tents. With the Cove High School
See, Derby/Page 5A
WEATHER
Alex Wittwer/The Observer
Racers competing in the 2021 Best of the West soap box derby ready their cars
for action prior to their races. Nearly 20 racers took part in the event on Saturday,
May 29, 2021, in Cove.
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