La Grande Observer Daily Paper 08-21-15

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INSPORTS

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Huntingconditions lessthanideal, 1C Rails toTrailsmeetingin Joseph, 2A

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Police make arrest in arson

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Stanley Johnson of Elgin stands on the sidewalk on Main Street in downtown Elgin looking towards the Grizzly Bear Complex fire Thursday afternoon.

Evidence of the Grizzly Bear Complex fires could easily be seen from Elgin where a huge cloud of smoke was easily visible. The fire has burned 24,150 acres as of Friday morning.

• Jon D. Howells arrested after returning to property By ChuckAnderson ForThe Observer

JOSEPH — Jon D. Howells, 35, was arrested Wednesday following a day and a half on the run after

• 3 communities evacuated as Grizzly Bear Complex fire intensifies on Oregon-Washington border By Dick Mason and ChuckAnderson

Grizzly Bear Complex fires. The Level 3 evacuation notices, which require people to leave immediately, were issued at about 3:15 p.m. for Troy and the nearby areas of Eden Bench and Grouse Flat. The notices were issued after the east moving fires hit Moore Flat, about four miles west of Troy, three miles northwest of Eden Bench and two miles west of Grouse Flat. Only the Troy Resort remained occupied as a command post. No structures had been damaged as of 7 a.m., according to

The Observer

TROY — The tiny huntingfishing community of Troy in far northern Wallowa County survived a brush with disaster Thursday night when the fast-approaching Grizzly Bear Complex fire came within a half mile but skipped the town. The community's two to three dozen residents were issued evacuation notices by Wallowa County Thursday afternoon because of the threat posed by the

Erik Pronold, a public information officer for the U.S. Forest Service. ''We settrigger points,"said Pronold, who explained that Moore Flatwas a triggerpointforthe issuance of Level 3 evacuation notices. Level 1 evacuation notices were issued Thursday night for people living in the Flora, Lost Prairie and Redmond Gradeareas,allof which are 23 miles or less from Troy. People receiving Level 1 evacuationnoticesare expected to be readyto leaveon a alm ost a SeeTroy / Page5A

Inside FIRES EXPAND The Eagle Complex fires moved significantly closer to the east Eagle Creek area where cabins and other structures are located. Page 2A REGION PITCHING IN Resources are being donated and dispersed throughout Baker and Grant counties as fires burned houses in their wake. Page 2A

allegedly assaulting his exgirlfriend and burning down Howells th e hand-hewn log cabin she rented in rural Joseph. Deputies from the Wallowa County SherifFs 0$ce took Howells into custody about 11 a.m. Wednesday when he returned to the 61099 Ski Run Road property. He was booked into the Union County Jail with

bail setat$50,000.Charges include felony arson and misdemeanor strangulation, menacing and assault. "Howells got into a SeeArrest / Page5A

Circuit court

program coming • Oregon eCourt will help with filing papers, accessing information By Cherise Kaechele The Observer

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Tim Mustoe photos/TheObserver

The Grizzly Bear Complex fire looms over the Eagle Cap ExcursionTrain in Elgin on Thursday afternoon. According to the Umatilla National Forest, the fire made a significant run to the east, pushed by sustained winds of10 mph and gusts up to 25 mph.The plume was visible in La Grande and Walla Walla, Washington.

INDEX Calendar........7A Classified.......1B Comics...........SB Crossword..... 5B Dear Abby ... 10B

WE A T H E R Horoscope.....5B Outdoors .......1C Lottery............2A Record ...........3A Nation ............9B Sports ............SA Obituaries......3A State.............10A Opinion..........4A Television ......7C

CONTACT US

Fu l l forecast on the back of B section

Friday

41 Low Mainlyclear

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A new program, which is slowly being implemented statewide, is allowing circuit courts to enter into the digitalage and forego stacks of papers in the office. Michelle Leonard, Union County and Wallowa County trial court administrator, said the two counties will go live with the program next June. "For us, right now, we have a case management system that's archaic and dying," Leonard said."No one can accessithe fi les)exceptif they're us or have a SeeCourt / Page5A

Saturday

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Dimmed sunshine

Dimmed sunshine

541-963-3161 Issue 99 3 sections, 30 pages La Grande, Oregon

MONDAY FIREFIGHTERS FUNDRAISING, TRAINING FORSTAIR CLIMB

Email story ideas to newsC~lagrande observer.com. More contact info on Page 4A.

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