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State aims to preserve land, 18 living in a Christmas card, 6A
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One man dies during Sunday house fire in Elgin • Cause mayhave been connected to awoodstove By Dick Mason The Observer
ELGIN — The Union County Sheriff's 0$ce released on Tuesday the name of the Elgin man who diedina house fi re Sunday evening
Ttm Mustoe/The Observer
Caution tape wraps around the property at 283 N. Seventh Ave. in Elgin where one person died in a house fire on Sunday.
at his home. The fire claimed the life of Robert Baatz, 79, according to Capt. Craig Ward of the Union County Sheriff's 0$ce. Baatz was in his residence, a single-wide manufactured home, at 283 N.Seventh Ave.,when the fi re started. The fire was reported at See Fire / Page 5A
• City council leaves door openforrecreational marijuana shop in city limits By Dick Mason The Observer
COVE — The day may be
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coming when people will be able to purchase marijuana for recreational purposes in Cove. The Cove City Council on Tuesday night left the door openfora recreational marijuana shop to someday operate in Cove when it decided not to opt out of Measure 91. The measure, approved in 2014 bystatevoters,legalized the sale and production of marijuana for recreational purposes in Oregon. Cove is the first city in Union County with land where a shop selling recreational marijuana could operate not to opt out. Councilor Doug Kruse said See Cove / Page 5A
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• Nearly 300,000 acres consumed across Eastern Oregon in 2015
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Three massivewildfi recomplexes burned 296,807 acres across Eastern Oregon in 2015, fueled by intense heat and drought that set new records for large fire growth. And, now that the snow has started to fly over the Blue Mountains, the Oregon Department of Forestry says it will spend the winter figurmg out how to prepare for what could be the new normal. "We had 100,000-acre fires here in northeast Oregon, and that's not typical," said Joe Hessel, unit forester forODF in La Grande and Baker City.'There'sa good chance the trends will be toward more active and longer fire seasons." The 2015 Fire Program Review Committee met Tuesday in Salem to review those trends and identify key issues from the last fire season, which lasted 134 days in the Northeast Oregon District — about three See Records / Page 5A
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• Recent car prowls resulted in gun theft By Kelly Ducote The Observer
La Grande police are asking residents to be aware of any missing handguns. Two teens were arrested early Friday morning for their alleged involvement in car prowls. Police say one of the subjects had a handgun in his possession that they believe was stolen.
Jessey O'Quinn, 19, and
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Issue 142 3 sections, 32 pages La Grande, Oregon
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RIDAY IN OUTDOORS STEELHEAD FISHING AT THANKSGIVING •
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The La Grande Police Department has arrested a rural La Grande man for his alleged involvement in an early November incident in which a Cascadia Doug flag was placed on the roof of a La Grande building. Page 2A
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Grande Ronde Hospital proudly welcomes
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Police urge car prowl prevention
Taylor McClune-Smith, 19, were each arrested on one count of unauthorized entry into a motor vehicle and two counts of attempted See Thefts / Page 5A
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