by Bill Rautenstrauch/For The Observer

A new program offering start-up help for businesses in La Grande’s urban renewal district, and another designed to attract companies to the city could be coming down the pike, following a recent action by the city’s Urban Renewal Agency.

Meeting in regular session Feb. 20, the agency board of directors, which is also the La Grande City Council, approved amendments to the Urban Renewal Plan that include creation of a Business Development Assistance Program.

Details are yet to be worked out, but as proposed the program would have a one-time budget of $250,000, in fiscal year 2013-2014. From there, the program would perpetuate itself, according to City Manager Robert Strope.

“As the loan money comes back, it would be put into a fund that could be used for future start-ups,” Strope said.

by JOSEY KOEHN / Cove FFA Reporter

Feb. 13 did not start out promising for members of the Cove FFA Chapter who were competing in Eastern Oregon FFA District career development events (CDEs) that day. 

We had a crazy morning meeting, getting everybody organized and prepared for the day, then left 20 minutes late due to bus troubles. On the ride over, tension was in the air and many members spent the ride reading over speeches, flipping through notecards or going over contest rules.  

Mountain Works owner Whit Hartz poses at the bike shop’s new location in the Bohnenkamp Building at 1301 Adams Ave. in La Grande. CHRIS BAXTER/The Observer

by BILL RAUTENSTRAUCH / for The Observer 

Mountain Works bike shop moves from its cramped confines to the spacious and historic Bohnenkamp Building 

LA GRANDE — An often-vacant but historically significant building in the middle of downtown La Grande has resumed its commercial life, becoming home for The Mountain Works bike shop and outdoors store.

Mountain Works owner Whit Hartz had a lot of stuff to move, but on the upside, he didn’t have far to go. The Bohnenkamp Building at 1301 Adams, his business’s new location, is just a few steps west of his former location at 1307. 

Jason Yohannan, regional economist for Work Source Oregon, talks about Wallowa County job numbers at Wallowa County Chamber of Commerce’s after-hours report on the economy. KATY NESBITT/The Observer

by KATY NESBITT / The Observer 

Local officials give presentations at chamber’s annual report on the economy 

Wallowa County’s unemployment dropped to 10 percent in 2012, the lowest it has been since it spiked to 12 percent in 2009.

Government jobs are continuing to shrink in the county, primarily within the U.S. Forest Service, but private sector jobs increased in 2012 to a four-year high, said Jason Yohannan, regional economist for Work Source Oregon.  

The Wallowa Union Railroad Authority board of directors is working with the Friends of the Joseph Branch and members of the public to develop a long-range plan for the excursion train line.

by BILL RAUTENSTRAUCH / The Observer 

Green light given to 10 train runs through Wallowa Canyon in 2013

ELGIN — The Wallowa Union Railroad Authority board of directors zeroed in on short-term and long-term operations Monday, adopting an excursion schedule for the coming season and gathering public comment on proposals for future operations.

In a well-attended meeting at Elgin City Hall, the board decided on a shortened excursion season for 2013, 10 runs through the scenic Wallowa River canyon, from Elgin to Vincent and back, beginning with the annual Mothers Day trip May 12.

by BILL RAUTENSTRAUCH / The Observer

People driving west on Interstate 84 and passing through Ontario these days see a billboard inviting them to jump off at Exit 285 and take in some sights.

If they want to know exactly what they’re in for, they can whip out their mobile phones and go to a website called Exit285.com. 

by BILL RAUTENSTRAUCH / The Observer

Think hearts and flowers. More precisely, think roses and chocolates. Not only are they good for your relationship with your spouse or significant other, they’re good for the local economy, too.

People the world over will pay homage Thursday to St. Valentine, and the spirit of romance that’s been associated with his name since at least the Middle Ages. You don’t need to be told, but Valentine’s Day, celebrated every Feb. 14, is a day for lovers, and a day for pledging love with a gift. 

Local business owner Colleen MacLeod is a career entrepreneur well-acquainted with government taxes, fees and regulations. MacLeod says it’s wise to hire a bookkeeper to keep up with it all. CHRIS BAXTER/The Observer

by BILL RAUTENSTRAUCH / The Observer 

Taxes, fees, regulations and bill-paying test mettle of small business owners   

Never underestimate the amount of hard work that goes into starting and running a business — and never forget the need to keep the government happy.

Colleen MacLeod knows those principles well. She fits the profile of a serial entrepreneur, having owned and operated at least four small businesses in the La Grande area over the last 20 to 30 years.

Marlene Hays builds window displays that make people look twice. CHRIS BAXTER/The Observer

Marlene Hays puts her talents as a window dresser to good use as co-owner of The Royal Clothiers in downtown La Grande 

By Bill Rautenstrauch / The Observer

For Marlene Hays, there’s not much difference between setting up a retail display on the third floor of a huge department store in London, England, or setting one up at a little consignment shop on Adams Avenue in La Grande. Either way, it’s a chance to let the imagination run free and create something that will make people look twice.

It’s work mixed with play, art as an extension of business, and it’s never far from her mind. She keeps a notebook by her bedside, waiting for the next big idea to come along.  

Lani Schroeder, right, longtime owner of Sunflower Books Etc., and staff member Sunny Greer, preside over a party given at the bookstore Saturday for customers and friends. Sunflower, which opened at 1114 Washington Ave. in 1980, is closing for good Jan. 31. CHRIS BAXTER/THE OBSERVER

A person doesn’t say goodbye to a 32-year second career and labor of love without shedding a tear or two.

Lani Schroeder, proprietor of Sunflower Books Etc., couldn’t help but choke up when she talked Monday about her decision to shut her homey, intimate little bookstore on Washington Avenue downtown Jan. 31. As she sat with a reporter in the little kitchen in back, telling what three decades and more in the business meant to her, her eyes filled up a couple of times.