Greg Smith, director of the Eastern Oregon University Small Business Development Center, welcomes business owners to the second annual Women’s Business Symposium last Wednesday. TRISH YERGES / The Observer

The second annual Women’s Business Symposium was held last Wednesday at the Integrated Services Building in La Grande to present and discuss opportunities and resources available to women-owned businesses.

The symposium was presented by the Eastern Oregon University Small Business Development Center and the Small Business Administration. It was attended by 17 business women from Eastern Oregon.

Wade Century Farm house with guests

Fifteen of Wallowa County’s Century Farms are highlighted in the new booklet “Century Farms and Ranches of Wallowa County,” released this month by the Wallowa Land Trust.

CANDICE CHURCHILL works on a bumper from a late-1970s Ford during one of her auto body classes at Walla Walla Community College. The former Boise Cascade production supervisor earned her auto body repair degree this June, graduating with honors.

Helped by program for displaced workers, former Boise Cascade employee graduates with honors from Walla Walla Community College’s auto body repair program
 

Project asistant superintendent Richard Mackie marks off project boundaries at the La Grande Retirement Center on Seventh Street near Washington Avenue. The center is getting a complete interior and exterior re-model, with lumber, fixtures and appliances salvaged for the Habitat for Humanity Re-Store. The Re-Store will sell the donated items, applying the proceeds to a Habitat for Humanity house to be built later this year. (CHRIS BAXTER / The Observer)

Materials removed from makeover at La Grande Retirement Center will be donated to Re-Store

People taking part in the 35th Annual Crops and Conservation Tour last Wednesday listen in as speakers talk about Willow Creek rehabilitation and establishment of a western larch seed orchard on the Glen McKenzie farm. The tour attracted 250 to 300 people. BILL RAUTENSTRAUCH / The Observer

Union County agriculture was showcased in a big way last Wednesday, with 250 to 300 people turning out for the 35th Annual Crops and Conservation Tour.

What sounds like idle country gossip is actually the genesis of the name for The Spoiled Mule Trading Post in Union.

“We raise mules,” says Debbie Clark, “and I always told Roger he was spoiling his mules. So we just decided to call it The Spoiled Mule.”

Tom Insko, manager of Boise Cascade’s Inland Region, tosses a practice grenade during Employment Support for the Guard and Reserve’s “Boss Lift” event June 14 at Gowen Field in Boise. Boise Cascade is taking part in ESGR’s Employment Initiative Project, an effort to help deployed National Guard soldiers find work when, or even before, they get home. Boise Cascade will interview soldiers in Iraq via a video hook-up. BILL RAUTENSTRAUCH / The Observer

Effort under way to help soldiers find jobs upon returning from Iraq   
 

OSU EXTENSION SERVICE FORESTER PAUL OESTER (left) and University of New Hampshire graduate students Mickey Campbell and Dan Maynard collect data on forest structure. OSU is cooperating with the University of New Hampshire in a study on forest health and community outlooks in the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest ecosystem. Research tools in the study include geographic information systems, satellite imagery and a survey of local landowners to be conducted in August and September.

The challenges, hopes and fears of a rural area economically dependent on forests are the subjects of a study under way by the University of New Hampshire in cooperation with the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest and other agencies.

Forkans among local farmers feeling impact of high water

Ruckman Road family would like to see effort made to improve and strengthen levees meant to hold back floodwater