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TUESDAY EDITION
November 2, 2021
Tips to
keep
porch
pirates
at bay
Track deliveries
and arrange to have
someone home
when parcels arrive
By DAVIS CARBAUGH
The Observer
LA GRANDE — With
the holidays inching closer,
it is about time to start
ordering gifts to exchange
with loved ones and
friends.
The New York Times
estimated that roughly
three billion packages
were delivered during the
holiday season last year.
Online shopping pro-
vides a quick and easy
way to pick out a gift
for a family member or
friend. However, with
that infl ux of deliveries
comes a common uptick
in package theft across the
country. While so-called
porch pirates aren’t a big
problem in our area, local
law enforcement recom-
mends caution during this
time of year.
“We see a scattered
amount
throughout
the year, but it
does uptick a
bit in the hol-
iday season,”
Hays
La Grande
Police Lt. Jason Hays said.
“Fortunately it has not
been a major issue here in
La Grande.”
Hays said that typical
trends historically do not
show a widespread group
of individuals stealing
packages, rather one sus-
pect going on a spree. He
stated that a suspect is less
likely to attempt package
theft if the porch is well
lit or has obvious camera
surveillance.
“It’s a crime of oppor-
tunity,” Hays said. “Pre-
vention from it ever hap-
pening is the best tool.”
Law enforcement rec-
ommends a variety of pre-
ventive measures.
See, Packages/Page A5
Davis Carbaugh/The Observer, File
Oregon’s elite youth golfers compete at Buff alo Peak Golf Course in Union during the 91st Bob Norquist Oregon Junior Amateur tournament June 28-July 2,
2021. The Union golf course recently won the Oregon Golf Association award for facility of the year, an acknowledgment given to the best facility in the state.
Hard work pays off
Buffalo Peak Golf
Course selected as top
facility in Oregon
By DAVIS CARBAUGH
The Observer
UNION — A hidden gem
is no longer hidden, as Buff alo
Peak Golf Course is starting to
turn heads around the state and
in the golf community.
The Union golf course
recently won the Oregon Golf
Association award for facility
of the year, an acknowledg-
ment given to the best facility
in the state. Buff alo Peak
received the honor for its con-
tributions to the game of golf,
the community and the Oregon
Golf Association. After being
built 20 years ago and facing
See, Honor/Page A5
Donna Beverage/Contributed Photo
The staff at Buff alo Peak Golf Course — from left, Dana Londin, general manager, Ryan Melnychuk, director of
membership and outreach, and Sean Christensen — pose with the Oregon Golf Association’s award for golf facility of
the year. The award is given for contributions to the game of golf, local communities or the Oregon Golf Association.
Union applies for $2.2 million federal grant
City would use
funds to upgrade
backup power
generation system
By DICK MASON
The Observer
UNION — The city of
Union has applied for a
$2.2 million grant from the
federal Community Devel-
opment Block Grant Pro-
gram to cover the cost of
installing a backup power
generation system.
Electricity created
by the backup generator
would be used during out-
ages to operate the city’s
water system, allowing
Union residents to continue
receiving water if their
power ever goes out for an
extended period.
“It would be a huge
upgrade,” said Union
Mayor Leonard Flint.
Union City Adminis-
trator Doug Wiggins said
that without a backup gen-
erator the city is reliant
completely on the water in
its reservoir when there is a
power outage because elec-
tricity is needed to pump
water from its two wells
to its reservoir. Once the
water is in its reservoir,
which is in an enclosed
tank near the top of a
hill on the eastern edge
of Union, it can be deliv-
ered to residents using
gravity. The reservoir has a
INDEX
Classified ...............B4
Comics ....................B7
Community...........A2
Crossword .............B4
Dear Abby .............B8
capacity of close to 1 mil-
lion gallons.
If there were an
extended power outage,
Union’s water supply
could last up to four days,
depending upon the time of
year and how much water
was in its tank at the time
of the outage, Wiggins
said.
The city applied for the
grant about a month ago,
and Wiggins anticipates the
federal government will
notify Union on a decision
in a month. Wiggins said
that if Union is awarded
the grant this year, the city
Dick Mason/The Observer
would take bids from com-
One of Union’s two water storage tanks stands out against the
panies for the project in
the winter. After awarding skyline on the eastern side of town on Thursday, Oct. 28, 2021. The
See, Union/Page A5
WEATHER
Home & Living .....B1
Horoscope .............B4
Letters ....................A4
Lottery ....................A2
Obituaries ..............A3
THURSDAY
Opinion ..................A4
Records ..................A3
Sports .....................A6
Sudoku ...................B7
Weather .................B8
city has applied for a $2.2 million grant to allow backup electricity to
operate the city’s water system during outages.
Full forecast on the back of B section
Tonight
Wednesday
45 LOW
60/49
Cloudy
Cloudy
DOWNTOWN BUILDINGS GET PRESERVATION GRANTS
CONTACT US
541-963-3161
Issue 129
2 sections, 16 pages
La Grande, Oregon
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Online at lagrandeobserver.com