Weekly Newsish Roundup, August 11, 2016

Weekly Newsish Roundup, August 11, 2016
6 News Stories in 5 Minutes 20 Seconds!

Check out our weekly news roundup for August 11 to 17, 2016! In the news today:

Wolf Management?
Union County Fair
Bronze, Blues, and Brews
Upcoming Events
Local Sports

Hey LaGrandeAlive, this is your weekly Newish Roundup brought to you by Grande Ronde Hospital and Direct Music Source.

What should we do with the wolves? That’s a question that’s up for debate–again. And you’re the people, LaGrandeAlive, that the state wants to give input on this question. And on October 7th, you’re going to get to. The Department Fish and wildlife is holding a meeting for public input on this question At the Blue Mountain Conference Center in La Grande, Oregon. The wolf management plan is up for its second review since 2005. And the ultimate question is this: what is the state’s place in managing wolves that threaten livestock? Is it their responsibility? Is it the rancher’s responsibility? Should lethal force be invoked? Who gets to pull the trigger, ultimately? Currently, there’s different phases in the wolf-management system: phase 1 means that no wolves can be killed except with a permit. Population needs to be boosted and so lethal means are off-limits Phase 2 is less restrictive, and phase 3 is even less restrictive than phase 2. It’s the least restrictive phase and allows for lethal methods to be used by multiple parties. Now, I have my own opinions, but those aren’t really important. The people’s opinions I really want, like the Department of Fish and Wildlife, are yours LaGrandeAlive. What should be done about this wolves? What authority should the state have in managing them? Should they be allowed to kill them or relocate them to a safer, less rancher-heavy locale? Leave your thoughts in the comments section below.

But let’s talk about furries of the less-dangerous sort,; namely, goats, cows, and horses, piggies covered in little fur snorting on the ground, bunnies that bite your fingers, chickens clucking and cock a doodle dooing at the most random of times all right there for you to pet. If you don’t mind the smell, that is. All these were at the Union County Fair last weekend. Here’s some pictures of the event. It was a blast. Lydia and I went and pet the animals, got a free pancake and sausages at the breakfast on Thursday, perused the booths and watched some tunes Thursday night. We didn’t ride any rides, though. Seriously, 3.75 for a single ticket? I love paying almost five bucks to feel nauseous and pick gum off my shoes after the ride. Apparently this year’s turnout was bigger than recent years, largely as a result of the evening entertainment. So now that we’re done with our pictures, how about yours? Post your favorite fair picture in the comments section below.

But the Union County Fair isn’t the only pony show out there. In fact, there’s a lot more. And there’s another big shindig coming up this weekend in Joseph. Bronze, Blues, and Brews is a local beer and music festival happening this weekend, August 12th and 13th, from at the city park. Beer and blues just makes so much sense, doesn’t it? Now, we don’t normally cover Wallowa county events but this sounded too fun to pass up. There’s going to be multiple blues bands: Sugaray Rayford, Chris Cain, Brandon Santini, Franco Paletta, Mitch kashmar, THe Danielle Nicole Band, and Devon Allman. There’s also going to be about 20 micro-brews on tap, northwest wines, and a bunch of food. Tickets are 30 bucks in advance or 35 bucks at the door. So if you want to (lightly) drink then sing the blues until the night is dark, head to Wallowa county this weekend. Should be a blast.

And what else is going on this week? Well, If you head the other direction from Wallowa county, there’s also a fair going on in Baker City until Saturday night. Also this weekend, the Shakespeare troupe is back again, this time on a lonely island with Prospero as their muse. The Tempest is showing two times for free this weekend at Riverside Park, Friday and Saturday at 7:00 pm. Also on Friday, the swim club will meet up at Pioneer Park for their annual meeting. And two more things for Saturday, first a Craft Supply Swap at the Cook Memorial library. If you have craft supplies in “good condition” they can be bought and traded for other supplies, bring them in. I just I wonder what constitutes “good condition” for craft supplies: at least half the glue hasn’t been eaten by a child? Also, Union is hosting their Grassroots Festival this weekend which will include over 20 yard sales, a car show, live music, a children’s fair, duck and lawnmower races, dancing, and Pioneer Days in the museum. The festival will go all day long Saturday and is generally free for the public. Bottom line, there’s a lot going on this weekend. None of you have any excuse to be anywhere but out and about.

In sports,

Running. I love it so, so much. I do it almost every day. For all you people who say you hate running, I used to be like you. I too believed I could never enjoy the long hours on pavement with the wind at my back. Or in my face. Well, I guess I still don’t enjoy the wind in my face, but the point still stands!

Anyways, I’m not alone. About 120 other running fanatics hit the ground running at the The Catherine Creek Classic. The Classic is an annual race held to support the Union Track and Field Team, and it happened last weekend. There were three events: a 5k, a half-marathon, and a one-mile run. I wasn’t able to attend because I was in the Wallowas backpacking. But I knew many of the people who participated. But I will be able to participate in the run this weekend, The Elkhorn Relay. The Elkhorn Relay is 200 miles of back-road running over the course of over 24 hours from Friday to Saturday morning. Participating teams run on a trail that stretches from Hilgard to Anthony Lakes, down into North Powder and around through Union back to La Grande. This is their second annual race. Each team member runs a fraction of the relay, and the final time of the teams determines the winner. My segment is 22 miles, 9 of which is uphill. It’s going to be pain, a lot of pain, but I think it will still be fun. But this isn’t all about me. If you are interested in the relay for next year, visit Doomsday Racing’s website to sign up.

In lesser sports, the 14u La Grande are done, finally, after a loss Monday against Nogales, Arizona. Last Saturday they won two against Cedar City. But then, Monday at 10 am, Nogales beat La Grande 12-10 to continue on in the Junior Baseball Regional Tournament.

And that’s your weekly newsish roundup. This roundup was brought to you by Grande Ronde Hospital and Direct Music Source.. Stay tuned for more local content and an all-new continuous stream of LGA content on our facebook from 6-8 pm every night. For LaGrandeAlive.tv, I’m Will Bowman.

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Category: Newsish

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Weekly Newsish Roundup, August 11, 2016