By Ted Kramer

Editor, The Observer

Sorrow, hope and uncertainty dominated the news in Union and Wallowa counties in 2002.

The tragedy of five La Grande-based forest firefighters who died June 21 when the van they were riding in rolled on the way to a fire in Colorado was voted the No. 1 news story of 2002 by The Observer’s news staff.

The June accident in Colorado made national news as that state fought to quell one of the worst fire seasons in its history.

The fatal van accident followed on the heels of the discovery that the fire the Grayback Forestry crew was on the way to had been set by a Forest Service employee.

Retha, Shirley, 19, of La Grande, was among the firefighters who died. The others were from Baker City and Idaho.

The driver of the van, Megan Helm, also was from La Grande. She is facing charges in Colorado of careless driving and is due for another hearing in January.

A different kind of story, one of hope and faith, was voted the No. 2 news story of the year. Mischelle Hileman of Wallowa found herself lost in the mountains this fall while hunting with her father.

As near-zero temperatures set in and repeated searches turned up nothing, hope faded that she would be found alive except among her friends and neighbors who continued the search and miraculously found her alive eight days after she was reported lost.

She has undergone amputations of both legs below the knees but is reported to be in good spirits and improving daily.

The shadow of uncertainty over local schools was judged the No. 3 story of the year. The seemingly never-ending story involves cutbacks in local districts, continued declining enrollments and drops in classifications for some districts. In spite of this, community spirit was seen in the way the Enterprise School Foundation rallied its community to come up with funding to spare the district’s ag and home ec programs.

Close on the heels of the top three stories but placing No. 4 was Wallowa and Union counties’ decision to buy the Elgin-Joseph rail line.

The top four stories have dominated the news throughout much of the year and easily surpassed the next six in vote totals. News staffers voted for their top 10 choices from a list of about 50 nominees.

Rounding out the top 10 were:

No. 5 Union County’s decision to seek a loan from the state and bail out Union’s Buffalo Peak Golf Course. The bond holder for the course agreed to cut $1 million off the debt.

No. 6 Wal-Mart’s plans to build a supercenter in La Grande and Island City.

No. 7 (tie) John Lamoreau defeating John Howard for the county commission seat Howard has held for 16 years; work beginning on Eastern Oregon University’s new $33.5 million science center.

No. 9 A La Grande man, Chester Gunther, was arrested and convicted for kidnapping and raping a Starbucks employee in Clackamas. Gunther was sentenced to 52 years in prison.

No. 10 (tie) ODS Health Plans completing the purchase of the old Safeway building in downtown La Grande and announcing plans for an office-retail-city library complex; EOU reports a 15.9 percent jump in enrollment and adds a media arts degree program.