FALL HUNTING PREVIEW IN OUTDOORS 5. REC, 1C
UNLESS ARIDTREND REVERSES,DRY CONDITIONS COULD HURT BOWHUNTERS' CHANCES OF BAGGING BUCK DEER OR ELK IN STATE, 9A IN LOCAL, 8A '
OREGON MEDICAIDTOCOVER ' "'"':, GENDER REASSIGNMENT
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1' ELGINSCHOOLGYMWILLUKELY BECLOSEDUNTILLATEFALL
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PGGmakesdealtosellretailstores
• Joseph and Island City locations part of negotiat ions By Cherise Kaechele The Observer
Pendleton Grain Growers has entered into negotiations to sell the AG
BUSINESS Supply retail stores in Joseph, Island City and Hermiston. The three stores will not be closing. It will continue to be business as usual, Maddee Moore, a spokesperson for
PGG, said. "The employees will still be staying
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Pendleton Grain Growers says it plans to sell its AG Supply retail stores in Hermiston, Island City, left, and Joseph.
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on," Moore said. The Island City location employs 28 people, while PGG has one employee in Joseph, Moore said. Moore said the buyer of the locations will not be released until final negotiationsand conditions arecompleted. The timeline is for the first of October, See PGG /Page 5A
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possible • State: Extending courthouse project possible but time is limited By Kelly Ducote The Observer
U nion County may be able to get an extension for its courthouse project, according toa staterepresentative from the Oregon Judicial Department. Phil Lemman, legislative communication manager for the OJD, said Thursday that the OJD has the authority to disbursefunds allocated by the Legislature until the end ofthebiennium, June 30, 2015, but an extension would be contingent on the county's ability to come up with a viable plan for a completed project. The agreement between the county and OJD stipulates that the county submit a site plan byOct. 1. Ifit See Project / Page 5A •
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LA GRANDE
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• Eastern Oregon adding men's soccer program to tap into new demographic •
By Kelly Ducote The Observer
Eastern Oregon University announced Thursday that the school will have a men's soccer team beginning next fall. Jay Kenton, EOU interim president,said during a pressconference that he believes the program will bring returns at a limited cost to the university. 'Thisisa good program forour university," Kenton said."I know the townspeoplelovethe sports programshere,sothisis agood decision." Kenton, a self-proclaimed "numbers guy," said he crunched the numbers on the program and believes it's a financially sound decision. 'The revenues that come with those incremental students pretty
much covered the cost, within about $10,000 a year," he said.owe have the facilitiesfor the m ost part. We'll have to do some work to get a locker room, but we have fields, we have the facilities and so when Ilooked atitfrom adollars and cents point of view, it made a lot of sense." The addition of a men's soccer program comesafterthe school announced in late April that a continuing decline in state funding and enrollment would force Eastern to make about $4 million in budget cuts, trim programs and make other reductions. Among the proposed changes, was the elimination of about 25 full-time faculty positions and seven administration stafFpositions, which would be phased in over two years. Kenton said the revenue from
the 26 student athletes on the team will total about $222,000 while the expenditures of the program areestimated at $230,000. Recognizing the gap between those figures, Kenton said he believes the university can handle that expense and the one-time cost to do some upgrades to facilities. "I actually think it's a net positive," he said. Officials at the press conference noted the new program will allow the university to tap into a demographic that has not historically been a focus for Eastern. ''When you look at the changing landscape and demographics in Eastern Oregon, there's more realities to be had, from Ontario to Hermiston and beyond," said Xavier Romano, EOU vice president See Eastern / Page 5A
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moves on By Cherise Kaechele The Observer
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La Grande Planning Commissioners approved the city's medical marijuana dispensary regulations during a hearing Wednesday. The commissioners decidedtoamend the proposal and regulate the hours a dispensary can be open from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.
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owe don't have a morato-
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rium on the industry," City Planner Michael Boquist said.owe need to pass regulationsto getthestandards for the industry ASAP. We can always change them later." Boquist wrote an outline of See Proposal / Page 5A
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541-963-3161 Issue 98 3 sections, 32 pages La Grande, Oregon
OD O T PROJECT HELP TO FISH PASSAGE TO START SOON •000
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R F u ll forecast on the back of B section
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