NOW Readers Guide

A GUIDE TO YOUR NEW

WEEKEND EDITION Covering the news and issues that are important to Umatilla, Morrow, Baker, Union, Wallowa and Grant Counties

Business

Agriculture Recreation East Oregonian La Grande Observer Baker City Herald

Education

Events

Now Tuesdays & Saturdays delivered to your mailbox

Outdoors

Weekend edition includes: • New Features • Unlimited Digital Access • Bonus Content • Color Comics Section • Regional Classifieds • e-Newsletter

Health

Message from the Publishers Welcome to your new weekend edition, where you will find regional topics of interest — ranging from housing to education — and stories from EO Media Group papers all across Eastern Oregon. This product was put together with you — the reader — in mind.

We are focusing on news and topics you said were important to the future of our region.

We hope you enjoy your regional East Oregonian, The Observer and Baker City Herald weekend edition. Please let us know what we’re getting right and what we could do better.

Karrine Brogoitti

Regional Revenue Director, Publisher The Observer and Baker City Herald kbrogoitti@eomediagroup.com

Andrew Cutler

Regional Editorial Director, Publisher East Oregonian and Hermiston Herald acutler@eomediagroup.com

Inside: The Weekend Edition • New Features • Bonus Content • Color Comics Section • Regional Classifieds • New York Times Crossword

FOCUSED REGIONAL REPORTING Politics/Government

The government/politics team looks at what local government and political leaders are doing that effects the lives of Eastern Oregonians.

Team Leader Phil Wright Managing Editor, East Oregonian pwright@eastoregonian.com

Social Services

The social services team covers a wide range of topics, from government benefits to private nonprofits and health care to trends in society.

Team Leader Bennett Hall Editor, Blue Mountain Eagle bhall@bluemountaineagle.com

Education

The education team will focus on the issues in front of local school districts and Eastern Oregon University and Blue Mountain Community College.

Team Leader Andrew Cutler Publisher, East Oregonian and Hermiston Herald acutler@eomediagroup.com

Housing

The housing team will examine this vital issue from every angle, with a particular eye on how the crunch in affordable housing affects life throughout the region and how communities are working to find solutions.

Team Leader Mike McInally Editor, Wallowa County Chieftain mmcinally@wallowa.com

Natural Resources

The natural resources team is looking into the various ways in which Northeastern Oregon’s economy and way of life are affected by our use of natural resources, including the region’s vast forests, rangelands and mineral resources.

Team Leader Jayson Jacoby Editor, Baker City Herald jjacoby@bakercityherald.com

Agriculture

The agriculture team will focus on the issues Eastern Oregon farmers and ranchers are facing and what it takes to bring food from the field to your table.

Interim Team Leader Joe Beach

Publisher, Capital Press jbeach@capitalpress.com

Community Impact Reporting Local News that matters to Northeastern Oregon

If a statewide story is about Northeast Oregon, that story likely began with a local reporter at an EO Media Group newspaper Take note of who you see reporting at city council, school board or county commission meetings to inform the community how taxpayer funds are spent and the decisions being made. The original reporting likely came from interviews done by your local newspaper.

Local news matters, and it impacts our Northeast Oregon communities.

East Oregonian PENDLETON ­— Child care center Room to Bloom announced they would close within 30 days, throwing the 38 preschoolers, infants and toddlers they served and their families into uncertainty, without any providers available to accommodate them.

The recently formed Pendleton Children’s Center was approached for an emergency solution to save those families from disrupted employment.

After consulting with its construction company, McCormack Construction, and its architect, the center devised a plan that would increase its capacity sufficiently on a timeline that could accommodate families in 30 days.

To facilitate the emergency construction, board members from the Pendleton Children’s Center and parents of children from Room to Bloom asked the Pendleton City Council at its meeting Tuesday, May 16, for $50,000 in grant funds.

The East Oregonian covered the closure, the potential solution, stories of affected parents. The Opinion page carried a strong recommendation to the city council to approve the $50,000 request and invest in the expansion, and in Pendleton families.

The city council voted to approve the construction, allowing the Pendleton Children’s Center to accommodate the Room to Bloom children and the center’s future capacity.

Your subscription helps to fund continued reporting of important stories in the East Oregonian, The Observer and the Baker City Herald. Thank you for supporting your local newspaper.

Special sections

The Weekend Edition has bonus sections including: AgriBusiness

News and stories focused on Eastern Oregon agriculture and industry. Published three time a year

Football Kick-Off

Annual preview of regional high school football teams and upcoming seasons. Published annually.

Round-Up Magazine

A guide to the region’s largest annual event. Packed with photos, history, stats and schedules. Published annually.

Baker City Herald

Observer reporters on the scene of a fire.

The Observer LA GRANDE — A measure in August 2023 that called for the Union Fire Department and the Union Rural Fire Department to merge was in danger of being defeated due to low turnout.

A story in The Observer reported that as of Thursday, Aug. 17, just 19.7% of the ballots, a total of 322, had been returned, well short of the minimum number needed for passage. The story explained that the low turnout threatened the double majority needed for the measure to pass – 50% plus 1 of registered voters would be required to vote in the election.

Union has 1624 registered voters. By election day just five days later, the total votes had nearly doubled to 33.3%--still not enough to pass the measure, but with a margin of 378 to 163, such an overwhelming majority of the votes cast approved of the merger of the Union Fire Department and the Union Rural Fire Department that supporters were encouraged to put the measure on the ballot again in an upcoming election.

BAKER CITY — Corporate hospital chain St. Alphonsus announced the first of August that it would close the birthing center at the Baker City location at the end of the month, leaving expectant mothers without a hospital within 50 miles where they could give birth.

The Baker City Herald reported the story of the closure, followed up with stories about the impact on frightened expectant parents and family practice doctors, and a town hall meeting in which residents, informed by the stories, demanded action from Oregon’s senior senator.

The story was picked up by statewide media, garnering attention from the governor and shining a spotlight on the hospital’s decision.

Local News Matters Local journalism drives conversations forward that improve health and livability and connects people to resources and critical information in times of crisis. Your newspaper shares uplifting stories about the arts and education, your neighbors, civic ideas and progress. We are the thread that connects our history, local culture and strengthens our community.

Contact us: East Oregonian: 541-276-2211 Baker City Herald: 541-523-3673 The Observer: 541-963-3161 Customer Service Team

For questions about your subscription account, online access, newspaper delivery. 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. Mon.-Fri.

800-781-3214 or circulation@eomediagroup.com

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