La Grande Observer 03-09-15

Page 1

WOMEN'S COLLEGE BASKETBALL INSPORTS, 1C

EASTERN OREGON UNIVERSITY'S KASSY LARSON HELPS MOUNTIES RETURNTO NAIA NATIONALTOURNAMENT INOUTSKIRTS,7A

IN COMMUNITY, 6A

IMBLER SCHOOLDISTRICT ADOPTS NEW HEADCOOK

LA GR ANDE'SALFREDJOHNSON CELE BRATES100YEARSOFUMNG

$0~

SERVING UNION AND WALLOWA COUNTIES SINCE 18 6 .:

Follow us on the web

gSTB) I

r

I

I

I

I

I r

I

I

I

r

r

I

LA GRANDE

• Former Enterprise teacher Ron Osterloh hopes to get a new soap box derby — similar to the Bowlby Bash in Enterprise — up and running in La Grande in time for summer

Tim Mustoe/TheObserver

• Penalty levied for small 2014chlorinedischargeinto Catherine Creek

Ron Osterloh's Flashback Express is designed to resemble a camera lens.

The

By Dick Mason The Observer

discharge

The City of Union is appealing afi ne levied by the Oregon Deparlment of Environmental Quality for a small amount of chlorine released into Catherine Creek in 2014. The city has been fined

Rod McKee, the City of Union's public works director, believes that no aquatic life was hurt by the accidental chlorine release, which was .23 parts per million.

$3,600 for the discharge,which the DEQ describes as aClass

hv P,~

+ls

e

s

I violation, according to Rod McKee, the City of Union's public works director.M cKee is asking the DEQ to reduce the fine to a Class III violation. Fines for Class III violations are substantially less than those for Class I violations. The chlorine release came early in the morning of Sept. 7 when there was a malfunction for an hour at the city's wastewater treatment plant. This resulted in some water fiom the plant, which had been SeeFine / Pbge 5A

Tim Mustoe/TheObserver

Ron Osterloh, right, examines his soap box derby car, the Flashback Express. Matt Sirrine of La Grande, who is helping Osterloh organize a soap box derby here, is also examining the Flashback Express. By Dick Mason The Observer

The power of gravity is a wonderful and sometimes mysterious thing. It is also a power that Ron Osterloh of La Grande hopes will bring area residents to their feet this summer. Osterloh is leading an effort to get a soap box derby run in La Grande. A Northeast Oregon native, Osterloh does not know of a soap box derby ever being conducted here before. He is eagerly anticipating starting one in La Grande, one that will be open to anyone between the ages of

8 to 88. "I am excited. It is fun and a family thing. It turns us into kids," Osterloh said. A soap box derby involves the racing oflightweight m otorless carsthatrollon a downhill course. 'You start slow and then you pick up speed. Gravity is your fiiend," said Matt Sirrine of La Grande, who is helping Osterloh, along with Gary Anger of La Grande, in his bid to get a soap box derby conducted here this summer. The La Grande derby would be modeled after the annual Bowlby Bash races

Osterloh helped start in Enterprise in 2011. The Bowlby Bash, run on Main Street in Enterprise, now has about 20 entrants annually and draws hundreds of spectators. Osterloh has won the Bowlby Bash two of the last four years with a soap box vehicle he built named the "Flashback Express," which was designed to draw attention to his photography business, Flashback Photo and Video. Osterloh's Flashback Express has many features that make it look like a giant camera lens, including a circular mirror onitsfrontedge.Osterloh

spent long hours trying to solveengineering puzzles to make the "Flashback Express" aseffi cientaspossible. "I scratched holes in my head trying to figure out what I would do," said Osterloh, a retired Enterprise High Schoolteacherwho coached the school's wrestling team for many years. He said all questions about efficiency usually come back to gravity, such as 'What are the concepts of gravity? How can gravity, wind resistance and fiiction be overcome?" All entrants in a La Grande SeeDerby / Page 5A

~,@~ir. g

AIrJ>+.; rtr'

IIiilztsrrurr)

USFWS photo

Grizzly bear restoration for the North Cascades is out for public comment.

Restoring grizzlies remains priority The plan

By Katy Nesbitt The Observer

Restoring grizzly bears in the lower 48 states has been a goal of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service since the large

OREGON

riri

The Grizzly Bear Recovery Plan, released in

lawversacttokeenemailsfromgrandiurv '::..;":...=-;,;.:::-.": • Attorneys manageThe By Nick Budnick Oregonian tostallstate's PORTLAND — Former Gov. John Kitzhaber has managed release of through his attorneys to stall the Kitzhaber's state's disclosure ofthousands of his emails to a federal grand jury emails to feds conducting an influence peddling INDEX Classified.......4B Home.............1B Opinron..........4A Comics...........ss Horoscope.....ss Record ...........3A Community...6A Letters............4A Sports ............1C Crossword..... 5B Lottery............2A State...............SA Dear Abby .....SB Obituaries......3A Sudoku ..........3B

EDNESDAY •000

WE A T H E R

investigation. Records obtained by The Oregonian/OregonLive show the state Justice Department agreed to hold off complying with a federal subpoena until March 16. The delay, state attorneys said, would give Kitzhaber time to seek

Fu l l forecast on the back of B section

Tonight

-

32 bOW M ily l

~

.

T u esday

,

6 7/41 P r tly

y

afederaljudge'sorderblocking the state from providing the emails. The subpoena required the state to turn over the emails by Tuesday. The state Justice Department acted in the face of twin threats SeeEmails / Page 5A

CONTACT US

HAVE A STORY IDEA?

541-963-3161

Call The Observer newsroom at 541-963-3161 or send an email to news@lagrandeobserver.com. More contact info on Page 4A.

Issue 29 3 sections, 20 pages La Grande, Oregon

EOU THEATERPRESENTS'THE DIVINERS' •000

grizzlyrestoration is handled in the North Cascades. When Lewis and Clark led their western expedition in the early 1800s, approximately 50,000 grizzly bears roamed the contiguous lower 48.According to the US. Fish and SeeBears / Page5A

s I

to fully consider the restoration of the grizzly bearin the North Cascades.

51 1 53 0 0 1 00 I

•000

6


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.