September 17, 2009 03:18 pm
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 The wind turbine blades were assembled by Doug from cedar fence posts in the shop at his home in Enterprise. - Submitted photos ENTERPRISE — Doug Terry of Enterprise grew up on a farm. Repairing, rebuilding, designing and fabricating machinery or parts for machinery was a way of life.
Now Terry lives in a peaceful neighborhood in a small town, but he is still designing and creating. He recently built a wind turbine to generate electricity. The tower is erected in his backyard.
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September 16, 2009 03:47 pm
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 interchange clean-up: Monette Wendt and Kate Edwards were among volunteers who turned out recently to help with clean-up efforts at the North Powder freeway exchange. Powder Valley Lions plan to do major landscaping at the site in October. Submitted photo NORTH POWDER — The Powder Valley Lions Club stepped up activities
recently, sponsoring a clean-up day at the Interstate 84 ramps, and a
vision testing clinic at the elementary school.
The Lions are the prime movers behind a plan to beautify the freeway
ramps. A major “Adopt a Landscape” project, which will include laying
fabric and spreading rock, is slated to begin in October.
On July 18, eight volunteers, along with a work crew provided by the
Union County Sheriff’s Office, showed up to cut down weeds and do some
general clean-up.
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September 16, 2009 03:43 pm
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Denise Brown, sister of Nicole Brown Simpson, will be a keynote
speaker at the first Rural Institute on Child Abuse and Intimate
Partner Violence Monday at the Blue Mountain Conference Center in La
Grande.
Brown’s presentation, “There’s No Excuse for Abuse,’’ will be open
to the public. Tickets for the 7 p.m. event are $20 and are available
at Sunflower Books. All proceeds benefit the Mount Emily Safe Center.
The conference, which runs Monday and Tuesday, is sponsored by Mount
Emily Safe Center, which provides child abuse assessments and victim
support services in the nine counties in Northeast Oregon. Organizers
hope to make the event an annual one.
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September 16, 2009 03:41 pm
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 ILLUSTRATOR AND AUTHOR: Nancy Attebury, right, of La Grande and Joan Madsen of Enterprise hold their new book “ ‘Twas the Night Before Round-Up.’’ Photo/ROB MADSEN Nancy Garhan Attebury and Joan Gilbert Madsen are giving the
Pendleton Round-Up what American poet Klement Clarke Moore gave
Christmas — a childlike tale of wonder.
Attebury of La Grande and Madsen of Enterprise are the author and
illustrator of “ ‘Twas the Night Before Round-Up,’’ a new children’s
fiction book about the Round-Up. The book is an adaptation of Clarke’s
1823 classic “ ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas.’’
To date the new children’s book is proving as popular as the
Round-Up’s Happy Canyon show. At least 550 copies have been sold since
its Aug. 20 release. It appears that the first printing of 1,000 copies
will soon sell out and that a second printing will be needed.
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September 15, 2009 03:31 pm
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With money tight and the forecast calling for continued hard times, the La Grande City Council met Monday night to explore ways to beef up the budget.
In a work session at City Hall, the governing body kicked around more than a dozen revenue-enhancing ideas ranging from installation of parking meters downtown to a local option tax levy.
Some suggestions were rejected outright, others were embraced as “no-brainers” and still more were set aside for further study and review.
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September 14, 2009 03:28 pm
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 EOU students, left to right, Suzette Soalablai, Courtney Parsons and Deneil Hill walk out of Hunt Hall last week. A portion of Hunt Hall is being reopened primarily because of an increase in freshman enrollment at EOU. EOU/LAURA HANCOCK Hunt Hall, which stood silent the past two academic years at EOU, will be rollicking again in 2009-10.
The residence hall is being reopened due to a jump in freshman
enrollment. The spike has filled the Alikut, Daugherty and North
residence halls for fall term, which starts Sept. 27. Hunt Hall had
been closed since spring 2007.
“This is a great sign. We are rebuilding our on-campus enrollment,’’ said EOU President Bob Davies.
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September 14, 2009 03:24 pm
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 Oregon Secretary of State Kate Brown, left, meets with area residents including Mary Helen Garoutte, right, at a lunch in La Grande Thursday. The Observer/CHRIS BAXTER Oregon Secretary of State Kate Brown visited La Grande Thursday,
meeting with citizens and officials and outlining her office’s work in
the area of online voter registration and initiative reform.
In an interview with The Observer Thursday morning, Brown, a former
state legislator, talked about adjustments she’s made as she switches
to the administrative side of government.
“I knew very little in terms of the inner workings of government,”
she said. “There’s certainly been a transition period, but I think I’ve
done a good job of it.”
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September 14, 2009 03:21 pm
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A Caldwell, Idaho, man was arraigned Friday on charges connected to
an alleged scheme to murder La Grande resident Marcus Coby Ryder.
Alvaro Luna-Paredes, 24, faces charges of solicitation to commit
aggravated murder, conspiracy to commit aggravated murder and attempted
aggravated murder. All the charges are Class A felonies and carry
maximum penalties of 20 years in prison and $375,000 fines.
Union County Circuit Judge Phillip Mendiguren ordered Luna-Paredes
held on $500,000 bail and at the request of Union County District
Attorney Tim Thompson disallowed release on 10 percent of the amount.
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September 14, 2009 03:19 pm
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A motor vehicle crash on Peach Road near Booth Lane in rural La Grande claimed the life of a La Grande woman Friday.
Sugar M. Brownson, 40, died after she lost control of her vehicle
and rolled it, Union County Sheriff Boyd Rasmussen said this morning.
The crash happened about 7:40 p.m. Brownson was the vehicle’s lone
occupant.
The crash is still under investigation, but Rasmussen said speed and alcohol likely were involved.
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September 11, 2009 03:44 pm
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 Alvaro Luna-Paredes A Caldwell, Idaho, man was arraigned Friday on charges connected to an alleged scheme to murder La Grande resident Marcus Coby Ryder.
Alvaro Luna-Paredes, 24, faces charges of solicitation to commit aggravated murder, conspiracy to commit aggravated murder and attempted aggravated murder. All the charges are Class A felonies and carry maximum penalties of 20 years in prison and $375,000 fines.
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