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BINGHAM FAMILY
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Sierra Bingham, 15, of North Powder, before her second heart transplant surgery earlier this year. She's sharing her hospitalbed with her brother, Gage, who suffers from the same heart ailment and likely will also need a transplant in the nearfuture.
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By Lisa Britton ForyyesCom News Service
Courtesy photo
One family. Three heart transplants in nine years. And the most recent — Tuesday night — isn't the last. "I wish I could say we're done, but no," says Stacy Bingham. Stacy and Jason Bingham, who live outside of Haines, have
five children — Sierra, Megan, Lindsey, Hunter and Gage. Sierra, 15, has now had two heart transplants — the first in August 2006 and the second this week. Lindsey had a heart transplant Feb. 14, 2013. All three surgeries took place at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital in Palo Alto, California. Gage will be next. All three children were diagnosed with dilated cardiomyopathy, a disease of the heart muscle that causes the organ to become enlarged. See Heart / Page 5A
OBPROG
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By Katy Nesbitt The Observer
W hat do you think?
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We want to hear your thoughts. Email letters to the editor to news@ lagrandeobserver. com and join the conversation on The Observer Opinion
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Road 62.
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Inside
The Oregonian
• Umatilla National Forest trains nation's veterans in firefighting and thinning
On an early June day, log trucks are hauling small logs from private industrial ground to a pulp mill in Lewiston, Idaho. On nearby national forest land, a crew of military veter;. a n s are doing what's called post-sale treatment: clearlng out ".t trees6 inch-
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• Plan for major renovation ofOregon stateCapitol running into fierce criticism By Denis C. Theriault
TROY — High up on a ridge near Lookout Mountain on the Walla Walla Ranger District there is sign of timber harvestin various stages. Neat piles oflogs and slash pilesare evidence ofactiveforest management along Forest
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OREGON
• Sierra Bingham heart transplant, her second, won't be the last for family's kids
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Family handles surgeries with heart
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SALEM — A controversial plan to borrow $161 million for seismic and other upgradestothe state Capitol is on life support as legislative leaders hustle to finish Oregon's next budget. And fervent support from Senate President Peter Courtney, D-Salem, may not be enough to save it. Republican jabs — arguing the project amounts to lawmakers putting their own needs before those of thousands of Oregon schoolchildren in seismically suspect buildings — seem to be resonating with key Democrats looking ahead to next year's elections. Butjust as consequential? See Capitol / Page 5A
Oregon drivers may have to pay higher fees to drive under a proposal that would help launch a major information technology project for the DMV. Page 11A
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Katy Nesbittrrhe Observer
John Asanuma is one of 18 military veterans on a fire and thinning crew working for the Umatilla National Forest this summer. es in diameter and smaller to allow for the western larch that remains standing to naturally regenerate. The veterans crew is working through a new program called Greencorps, funded in part through Americorps and administered by the Mt. Adams Institute in Trout Lake,
Washington, along with the Umatilla National Forest. The crew of 18 veterans and threesupervisorslive at the Frazier Work Center outside of Ukiah, once the home ofhelitack and rappel firefighting crews. This summer the crew will thin small diameter trees until called out
as a firefighting hand crew. Down on the Grande Ronde River the temperature reached 100 degrees, but in the forest a few thousand feet higher, it was a beautiful day to work in the woods. Wyatt Zarr spent 17 years in the Navy and is now trying his hand at a familiar chore: running a chainsaw. He said See Vets / Page 5A
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Union Coun auctions off forfeited cattle • Money spent to careforanimals recouped By Kelly Ducote The Observer
Union County auctioned more than two dozen head ofcattlethatwere seized earlier thisyearaspartof an investigation of alleged animal neglect. Proceeds from Thursday's auction will cover the costs the county incurred to care for the animals, which was just under $40,000, according to court documents. See Auction / Page 5A
INDEX
WE A T H E R
Calendar........7A Health ............6C Outdoors .......1C Classified.......1B Horoscope.....5B Record ...........3A Comics...... c...9B Lottery............2A Spiritual Life..6A Crossword..... 5B Obituaries......3A Sports ............SA Dear Abby ... 10B Opinion..........4A Television ......3C
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charges The sheriff's office seized 85 animals in January. Ranchers Ava Denton and Ross Painter were each later charged with 11 counts of first-degree animal neglect and 34counts of seconddegree animal neglect.
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