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POINTING DOGS CAN HONE THEIR SKILLS EVEN INSIDE A CITY |
June 19, 2021
OUTDOORS & REC, 1B
WEEKEND EDITION
$1.50
County
explores
limits
on cats
Proposed ordinance
would cap the
number of cats
residents can own
By DICK MASON
The Observer
LA GRANDE — Union
County may soon have a
feline ownership limit.
The Union County
Board of Commissioners
is considering adopting
an updated animal control
ordinance that would limit
the number of adult cats
Union County residents can
own to 10.
Presently, there is
no limit on the number
of adult cats residents
can own, according to
Lani Jones, animal con-
trol offi cer for the Union
County Sheriff ’s Offi ce.
The lack of an enforceable
limit has helped lead to sit-
uations in the past with
homes fi lled with dozens of
cats, creating unhealthy sit-
uations, Jones said.
Diseases like feline
leukemia and respira-
tory infections are easily
spread from cat to cat in a
crowded home situation.
Jones added sometimes
feline diseases can spread
to humans, such as toxo-
plasmosis and salmonel-
losis. Both can be spread by
exposure to cat feces. Toxo-
plasmosis causes about 750
deaths in the United States
a year and salmonellosis,
also known as salmonella,
which claims 420 lives a
year, according to the Cen-
ters for Disease Control and
Prevention.
Union County Commis-
sioner Matt Scarfo, who
worked with the sheriff ’s
offi ce in creating the pro-
posed animal control ordi-
nance update, noted that he
receives a number of com-
plaints about cats. Many
involve felines owned by
neighbors who dig in gar-
dens and fl ower boxes.
“Many of these com-
plaints are from people who
do not own cats,” he said.
The current animal con-
trol ordinance makes no
reference to cats but the
proposed updated one,
See, Cats/Page 5A
By ALEX WITTWER
The Observer

A GRANDE —
“Remember the
wind blowing
through your
hair? Remember
hair?”
Chevrolet
emblazoned
those words on billboards
throughout Detroit in 2007
to celebrate classic cars. It
featured the 1957 Chevrolet
Bel-Air convertible, bright
red on a turquoise blue back-
ground. A small replica of
the billboard hangs in Ed
Lund’s garage in La Grande.
“You look back on a sim-
pler time, just the nostalgia
and the memories, and that’s
what it’s all about,” said
Lund, one classic car col-
lector in Eastern Oregon.
As summer approaches,
so do the classic car shows
that off er opportunities for
locals and tourists to check
out some of the best kept cars
from yesteryear, complete
with the gleam of polished
chrome, mirror fi nishes and
iconic hood ornaments.
Car shows off er a way to
give back to the community
as well, according to Herm-
iston Classics Car Club Pres-
ident Juan Lopez. The shows,
UPCOMING
CLASSIC CAR
SHOWS
• Elgin Riverfest at
Panton Mill Park, June 19
• Hermiston Cool Rides Car
Show at McKenzie Park,
July 9-10
• La Grande Classic Car
Show at Adams Avenue,
July 16-17
• Main Street Show &
Shine in Enterprise, Aug.
20-21
• Wallowa Mountain
Cruise Car Show in Joseph,
Aug. 27-28
See, Cars/Page 5A
Top: A rusted Buick LeSabre sits along Highway 82 by Imbler under spring skies Friday, May 7, 2021. Middle: Ed Lund drives down Mount Glen Road, while a pair of fuzzy
dice hang from the mirror of his Chevrolet Chevelle. Bottom: Lund’s 1951 Chevrolet Coupe sits in the garage he built in La Grande to house his modest collection of clas-
sic cars that he has accrued over 40 years.
Alex Wittwer/The Observer
INDEX
Classified ...............2B
Comics ....................5B
Crossword .............3B
Dear Abby .............6B
CONTACT US
Outdoors & Rec ...1B
Horoscope .............3B
Lottery ....................2A
Record ....................3A
TUESDAY
Obituaries ..............3A
Opinion ..................4A
Sports .....................6A
Sudoku ...................5B
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