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THE
BSERVER
SERVING UNION AND WALLOWA COUNTIES SINCE 1891
Cove citv council
Trapping restrictions 0 d
Lagoon project moves forward
first no-trapping zones on public land, but the commission did not take up tougher restrictions on animal snares that conservation groups had requested. The vote follows complaints that domestic animals had been injured or killed in traps intended for wild animals. Trapping will be prohibited
• Traps can't be placed within 50 feet of trails By Jonathan Cooper The Associated Press
SALEM - The Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission voted unanimously Thursday to create Oregon's
within 50 feet of a public trail and 300 feet of a trailhead or cmnpgrolllld. Animal-welfare groups say trapping can be inhumane and petitioned the commission to beef-up restrictions. They wanted no-trapping zones within 100 feet of trails, along with requirements that trappers
check their snares daily and post warning signs. "It's a matter of humaneness. It's a matter of ecological responsibility," said Bob Sallinger, conservation director for the Audubon Society. "If you catch a non-target animal you have a better chance of getting it out See Tl·aps I Page 9A
By Mike Shearer The Observer
Cove city collllcilors approved a $2.8 million budget for the upcoming fiscal year Tuesday. The councilors did so after last-minute adjustments to Cove's cash-on-hand categories to pay out a mediation settlement of$75,000 to Tom Bowman, who had a longrunning disagreement with the city over documents he had alleging water irrigation rights to fllll-off water at the lagoon site. The city is moving forward on a project to add a second sewage treatment lagoon because of oversaturation of the current lagoon that was cited by the Depmiment of Environmental Quality. Lawyers for the city and for Bowman had been negotiating for more than two years concerning Bowman's claims. City collllcilors feared the litigation could delay the lagoon expansion project on land donated to the city by Sonny Johnson. Bowman owns land near the lagoon. See Cove I Page 9A
Hog heaven at EOLS
Weekend
HIGHLIGHTS FRIDAY EOLS: noon to 10 p.m., carnival ; 2 p.m., Main Street parade; 4 p.m., PRCA rodeo and horse racing ; 8 p.m., youth dance; adult dance after the rodeo, EOLS grounds, Union. Theater 'Endgame': 7 p.m., SchwarzTheatre, EOU, La Grande. SATURDAY EOLS: 6 a. m., cowboy breakfast; 8 a.m., 4-HFFA livestock auction; noon to 10 p.m., carnival; 2 p.m., PRCA rodeo and horse racing; adult dance after rodeo, Union. Free Fishing Day at Morgan Lake: 8 a.m. to noon, for kids 12 and younger, Morgan Lake, La Grande. Free Fishing Day at Marr Pond: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Marr Pond, Enterprise. Theater 'Endgame': 7 p.m., SchwarzTheatre, EOU, La Grande. SUNDAY EOLS: 1:30 p.m., PRCA rodeo and horse racing, Union.
Chris Baxt er /The Obse rve r
A pen full of potential prize-winning hogs are shuffled around by t heir owners under the watchful eyes of judges during FFA and 4-H animal-judging events Thursday at the Eastern Oregon Livestock Show in Union. The livestock show continues toni ght with rodeo and horse racing that begins at 4 p.m.The 4-H awards presentation is slated for 6 p.m. Rodeo action continues th rough the weekend beginning at 2 p.m. Saturday and at 1:30 p.m. Sunday.
Air tanker fleet bolstered after two planes crash
By Dylan J. Darting WesCom New s Service
The U.S. Forest Se1vice has added four air tankers from Alaska, California and Canada to help it revive the federal fleet after a crash and an emergency landing last weekend. The additional planes increase the fleet of air tankers from nine to 13, said Jennifer Jones, spokeswoman for the National Interagency Fire Center in Boise, Idaho. The planes are used to drop retardant that assist in stopping wildfires from spreading.
INDEX Classifie d ....... 48 Health ............ 18 Com ics ........... 38 Ho rosco pe ..... 78 Calendar ........ 6A Lottery ............ 2A Crossw ord ..... 48 Reco rd ........... 3A Dear A bby ... 108 Obitu ari es ...... 3A
WEATHER Opi nio n ......... .4A Outdoors ....... 1C Sp iri t ual Life .. 5A Sports ............ 7A Tel evision ...... 3C
MONDAY IN HOME
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Fire season has started in the Southwestern United States, where the crash and emergency landing occurred. The air tankers involved in the incident-.; were LoCkheed P-2 Neptunes, 50-year-old planes originally designed to chase submarines. The crash of Tanker 11 in Utah killed the pilot and copilot. The crew of Tanker 55, which made an emergency landing inNevada, was not
• Thirteen planes available to drop retardant on fires
hurt. "The pilots ofTanker 11 lost their lives protecting public safety and natural resources,"Tom Harbour, director of fire and aviation management for the U.S. Forest Service, said in a prepared statement. ''As the entire fire and aviation community grieves their
Courtesy U.S . Forest Se rvice
The National Transportation Safety Board says mechanical failure forced Tanker 55, shown here dumping retardant, to make a crash-landing in Nevada over the weekend.The crew was not hurt.
loss, we must ensure that we maintain our capability to fulfill our responsibilities to be prepared to respond vigorously to wildfires threatening people, communities,
CONTACT US
Full forecast on the back of B sectio n
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
38Low
54/42
63/43
Chance of showers
Chance of showers
Becoming sunny to partly cloudy
~·6 0 '6
PRETTY IRIS POSES THREAT TO WETLANDS
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infrastructures and natural and cultmal resources." The air tankers from Alaska and Canada are Convair CV-580s, converted twin-engine airliners that
are about 50 years old. They'll be available to fly on fires around the colllltry, according to the Forest Service. The air tankers in California are Grumman S-2Ts, which were designed to track submarines and are also more than 50 years old. The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection operates the S-2T tankers, which will be used to fight fires in California, Cal Fire Director Ken Pimlott said in a written statement. Cal Fire has prepared the tankers to respond to fires about a month earlier than it typically does. The CV-580s cm1y about 2,100 gallons of retardant. The S-2Ts have a capacity of about 1,200 gallons, Jones said.
541-963-3161 Issue 11 3 3 sectio ns, 26 pages La Grande, O rego n
Em ail story ideas to ne w s @lag rande obser v er.com. More c ontact info o n Pag e 4 A.
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Online at lagrandeobserver.com
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