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THURSDAY EDITION
June 9, 2022
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JUNE 8–15,
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INSIDE
PAG E 3
2022
STERN
OREG ON.CO
M
Watch
‘Honky
Tonk
Angels’
PAG E 7
Celebrate
Shake
speare
Festival
PAG E 9
’62
Eastern
graduation
returns to
Community
Stadium
PA GE 8
Commencement speaker will
share how education at EOU
improved his life
By DICK MASON
The Observer
LA GRANDE — This weekend’s Eastern
Oregon University commencement ceremony
will bring back a tradition and provide a tale of
inspiration.
The graduation ceremony, set to start at
9:30 a.m. Saturday, June 11, will be conducted
at Community Stadium for the fi rst time since
2017, according to Eastern offi cials.
Eastern’s graduation had been held at Com-
munity Stadium for about 25 years
until turf work at the site and the
COVID-19 pandemic forced venue
changes. Commencement was
moved to Quinn Coliseum when
the process of installing artifi cial
turf at Community Stadium was
underway, and in 2020 and 2021
Mendoza
restrictions due to the COVID-19
pandemic prevented graduation from being con-
ducted there.
Community Stadium, instead of being empty
on graduation day, is expected to be fi lled with
between 2,000 and 3,000 people to watch more
than 350 students make their commencement
walks. The students will be among the 675 who
graduated from EOU in the 2021-22 school year,
according to Tim Seydel, Eastern’s vice presi-
dent for university advancement.
The June 11 ceremony will be the fi rst grad-
uation to take place on Community Stadium’s
artifi cial turf. This means there will be no tents
for graduating seniors to sit under as in years
past. The reason is that post holes needed for
tent poles cannot be punched through the arti-
fi cial turf as they could be when there was nat-
ural grass at the stadium, Seydel said.
NEW OWNERS
Ziply Fiber agrees to
acquire La Grande-based
Eastern Oregon Net Inc.
By ANDREW CUTLER
The Observer
LA GRANDE — Kelly Mutch
and Jeff Crews are proud of what
they’ve accomplished as owners of
Eastern Oregon Net Inc. But the La
Grande businessmen
knew after 26-plus
years, it was time for a
change.
Ziply Fiber
announced plans
Tuesday, June 7, to
Harold Zeitz, acquire EONI, one
of Oregon’s longest
Ziply Fiber
serving and most
CEO
respected internet ser-
vice providers. Details of the deal
between the two companies were
not announced, but the acquisition
is scheduled to close later this year,
pending regulatory approvals.
“We’re very proud of what
everyone at EONI has built and
Isabella Crowley/The Observer
Eastern Oregon Net Inc. owners Kelly Mutch, left, and Jeff Crews stand next to an EONI
truck Tuesday, June 7, 2022, the day Ziply Fiber announced plans to acquire the La
Grande-based company.
accomplished over the past 26
years,” said Crews, the vice pres-
ident of EONI. “We’re even more
excited about our future together
with Ziply Fiber. Their commit-
ment to service and to expanding
See, EONI/Page A3
Ziply Fiber worker Mark Ralph, left, watches
as Danny Stubblefi eld operates a backhoe
to dig out and replace a telephone service
pedestal Monday, April 19, 2021, near
Enterprise in Wallowa County.
Opening a door
The Class of 2022 will receive words of
inspiration from people like Abel Mendoza, a
1972 Eastern graduate and former chemistry
professor at the university who is now a member
See, EOU/Page A3
Bill Bradshaw/Wallowa County Chieftain, File
Spend a vacation working on the trail
Participants will
help improve a trail
in Hells Canyon
By LISA BRITTON
Baker City Herald
BAKER CITY — An
opportunity to fi x trails
in Eastern Oregon and be
pampered back at camp is
coming up later this month
thanks to a partnership
between Go Wild: Amer-
ican Adventures and the
Wallowa Mountain Hells
MORE INFORMATION
Go Wild: American Adventures
A tourism business based in Baker City, Go Wild off ers curated outdoor
adventures that focus on local tourism, environmental education, com-
munity partnerships and international outreach. Find out more at www.
gowildusa.com.
Wallowa Mountains Hells Canyon Trails Association
WMHCTA is a dedicated group of hikers and outdoor enthusiasts who
monitor and help maintain trails in Hells Canyon and the Wallowa Moun-
tains. To learn more about the association, visit www.wmhcta.org.
Canyon Trails Association.
The “all-inclusive trail
work vacation” is set for
June 17-19 on the Western
Rim Trail above Hells
INDEX
Business ........B1
Classified ......B3
Comics ...........B7
Crossword ....B3
Canyon.
“It’s one of the early
season options — and a
See, Trails/Page A3
WEATHER
Dear Abby ....B8
Horoscope ....B4
Lottery ...........A2
Obituaries .....A5
Opinion .........A4
Spiritual ........A6
Sports ............A7
Sudoku ..........B7
Wallowa Mountain Hells Canyon Trails Association/Contributed Photo
Volunteers in 2018 work near Dug Bar, an affi liated site of the Nez
Perce National Historical Park located within the boundaries of
Hells Canyon National Recreation Area.
Full forecast on the back of B section
Tonight
Friday
59 LOW
74/55
Cloudy
Brief showers
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Issue 69
3 sections, 32 pages
La Grande, Oregon
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