La Grande Observer

Public notices for the day of November 20, 2009

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 15:33:37 +0100

Images of Ladd Marsh grace annual calendar

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 15:27:52 +0100

Looking through a viewing blind is not the only way to get a good look at the wonders of the Ladd Marsh Wildlife Area. A new, full-color Ladd Marsh Wildlife Area calendar is another option. The 2010 calendar features 14 photos of wildlife and plant species at Ladd Marsh. Each was taken by an Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife staff member. The calendar’s highlights include a striking photo of a black-crowned night heron, a common summer resident of Ladd Marsh. The calendar’s text notes that adult black-crowned night herons are unmistakable in appearance. Juveniles are less distinctive and may be confused with American bitterns due to their dull coloration and heavily streaked breast.

Time for thanks, even though the seasons, time change too fast

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 15:25:00 +0100

The fireplace was cheerful and warm as I sat before it in the rocking chair purchased at our church’s bazaar, eating lunch and glancing out now and then at the yard and hill. I must not have kept a vigil and lookout for the deer that come to add apples to their Thanksgiving dinner plans, for I couldn’t believe it to see a lone deer having dessert of my rose bushes — inside the fence. It was a first in all the years that we have had the 6-foot fence around a portion of the place in order to grow and be able to enjoy the flowers without the deer destroying George’s hours of work, that a deer has managed to get inside. Because most of the fencing is on an uphill slope, the height is increased, so how she came to get in and how I happened to see her there is something to ponder.

EOU harriers head to the national championships

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 15:22:50 +0100

The Eastern Oregon men’s cross country team and two members of the women’s team will make the trek to the NAIA National Championships Saturday in Vancouver, Wash. The Mountaineer men qualified with one of eight at-large bids and enter the race ranked No. 18 in the nation. Karlee Coffey and Alma Garcilazo will represent the women’s team after finishing in the top-15 at the Cascade Collegiate Conference Championship meet.

Cove, Imbler try to stay alive in playoffs

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 15:21:33 +0100

Saturday's game for Cove is all about redemption. The Leopards football team is far removed from the 42-6 loss to St. Paul in the third game of the season. But how far have they come? Led by quarterback Jered Witty, Cove trailed 14-6 at the half. The offensive struggles continued in the second half. Witty was a one-man show.

First Presbyterian Church welcomes clergy couple

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 15:16:38 +0100

First Presbyterian Church in La Grande welcomes Keith and Laura Hudson as its new clergy couple. The Hudsons will share both church ministry work and care of their 2-year-old son, Lucas. Laura was born in Indiana and attended Lewis and Clark College in Portland. After college, she went to Bangladesh with the Peace Corps.

Obituaries for the day of November 20, 2009

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 15:13:55 +0100

Kerley, Jarvis, Reed, Fairburn, Ferguson, Fisk, Rambo

Letters and Comments for November 20, 2009

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 15:11:27 +0100

Dodds, McLean, Brogoitti, Ward, Culver

Inspirational wedding dress on display at vintage style show

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 15:09:14 +0100

The wedding dress, which will be on display in La Grande Saturday, looks a lot like it did when it was made 106 years ago. Save for a trace of yellowing on its lace, it otherwise is free of the touch of Father Time. The dress is timeless, and so is the story of the woman who sewed it — a story that continues to inspire decades after her death. The dress was made in 1903 by Sarah Latham Bates of Prairie City. Bates sewed the gown for her daughter, Edna. Bates had limited tools. Things like cordless electric cutters were many decades away.

Tax hike overturn would hit school districts hard

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 15:29:48 +0100

A total of $1.09 million will be at stake for the La Grande School District in January. The La Grande School Board was told Wednesday that the district would lose $1.1 million in revenue in the 2009-11 biennium if Measures 66 and 67, which together would allow income tax and corporate tax increases approved by the Legislature to remain in place, are rejected by Oregon voters in January.