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FREEDOM CONVOY WILL MAKE ITS WAY THROUGH EASTERN OREGON |
LOCAL, A3
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TUESDAY EDITION
March 1, 2022
LEGISLATURE
Rural
fi re
districts
could
change
Senate bill would
authorize districts to
annex 7 miles from
fire department,
raising property taxes
By ALEX WITTWER
EO Media Group
Abigail Dollins/Salem Statesman Journal
La Grande’s Braden Carson celebrates with his coach and father, Klel Carson, during the OSAA Class 4A state wrestling championship on Saturday, Feb. 26,
2022. Wrestling in the 145-pound weight class, he earned his third state championship in the tournament, held at Cascade High School in Turner.
‘SO MUCH HEART’
Tigers bask in three individual titles, team title during Class 4A state championships
By JEFF BUDLONG • For The Observer
LA GRANDE —
Rural residents, out-
side city limits, may
be brought into a city’s
fi re district under a pro-
posed law in the Oregon
Legislature, resulting in
increased taxes to pay for
the service.
Senate Bill 1582 would
allow rural fi re districts to
annex areas within 7 road
miles of a fi re depart-
ment. That means resi-
dents who might have for-
gone paying taxes for fi re
protection services could
see an increase to help
fund the departments.
The Senate on Thursday,
Feb. 17, passed the bill
18-8.
For some fi re chiefs,
the legislation would
give their departments
the option to increase
taxes. La Grande Rural
Fire District Chief Craig
T
URNER — A champion knows what it takes.
“This is the second time I have been part of a state
championship team which is just amazing,” said La
Grande three-time state wrestling champion Braden Carson
following the conclusion of the Saturday, Feb. 26, OSAA
Class 4A state wrestling tournament where the Tigers’ scored
275.5 points to easily outdistance runner-up Sweet Home.
That amazing feeling was the result of a dominant team
fl exing its muscles on the biggest stage to bring home the
school’s fourth team title and three individual champions. In
all, the Tigers fi nished with 14 individuals who placed during
the one-day tournament at Cascade High School.
Carson was joined by Kai Carson and Joshua Collins on
top of the podium.
“Honestly, my team impressed me more than I thought
they could,” Braden Carson said. “There were some guys that
won matches they weren’t supposed to and got after it. I am
so proud of all of them because they have just shown so much
heart and grit throughout the entire year.”
See, Districts/Page A7
Oregon
will lift
mask
mandate
March 12
By GARY A. WARNER
Oregon Capital Bureau
Abigail Dollins/Salem Statesman Journal
La Grande’s Joshua Collins competes against Stayton’s Eli Howard in the
138-pound weight class of the OSAA Class 4A state wrestling championship
on Saturday, Feb. 26, 2022, at Cascade High School in Turner.
For complete results for the weekend’s
state wrestling tournament, see Page A9
Foster parents needed in Northeastern Oregon
Foster families will share their experiences
during March virtual event
By LISA BRITTON
Baker City Herald
BAKER CITY — Foster
families are needed in North-
eastern Oregon, and an event
is scheduled in March for those
who would like to learn more
about foster care.
And it will be virtual, so
people can join from anywhere.
During the discussion, a
panel of experienced families
will share their stories about
providing foster care.
“To share their experiences,
and why they got started,” said
Tammie Blessing, resource
family retention and recruit-
ment champion for Districts 13
and 14, which includes Baker,
Union, Wallowa, Grant, Harney
and Malheur counties. “Having
families talk about it is our best
See, Foster/Page A7
INDEX
Classified ......B2
Comics ...........B5
Crossword ....B2
Dear Abby ....B6
Kala and Terry
Linville have
been foster
parents, and
adopted their
daughter, Evey, in
2021. Foster fam-
ilies will share
their experiences
during a virtual
event on March
16, 2022. Anyone
interested in
learning more
about foster care
is encouraged to
Contributed Photo join.
WEATHER
Home .............B1
Horoscope ....B4
Local...............A2
Lottery ...........A2
THURSDAY
Obituaries .....A5
Opinion .........A4
Sports ............A9
Sudoku ..........B5
Full forecast on the back of B section
Tonight
Wednesday
39 LOW
51/37
A few showers
Cloudy, a shower
EOU LACROSSE SETTLES INTO SEASON
SALEM — Oregon
will drop its indoor mask
mandate on March 12,
more than a week ear-
lier than announced last
week.
Gov. Kate Brown said
Monday, Feb. 28, that
Oregon, California and
Washington would lift
their mandates simultane-
ously at 11:59 p.m. March
11. The new date includes
ending mask mandates
in schools. The order will
aff ect more than 51.2 mil-
lion people from the Mex-
ican border to the Cana-
dian border, about 15% of
the national population.
The move comes on
the two-year anniver-
sary of the fi rst case of
COVID-19 reported in
Oregon, on Feb. 28, 2020,
in Washington County.
Working with California
See, Masks/Page A7
CONTACT US
541-963-3161
Issue 26
2 sections, 18 pages
La Grande, Oregon
Email story ideas
to news@lagrande
observer.com.
More contact info
on Page A4.
Online at lagrandeobserver.com