Thank you for your interest in reading The Observer. Here are a few stories that you might have missed this week:

One of the most read stories online this week was the story we picked up from our sister paper in Baker City. Editor Jayson Jacoby featured a unique business in Union that helps recover vehicles that get mired in snow and mud in the mountains. Alex Sealey, who lives in Union, owns Grande Ronde Offroad and Recovery. He celebrated the business’ first anniversary in January.

Reporter Dick Mason updated readers on the progress being made in the drive to convert the former Union United Methodist Church complex in Union. So much progress has been made that the to-do list of the Friends of the Historic Union Community Hall, whose board is in charge of operating the Catherine Creek Community Center, is down to just two items — the installation of handicapped accessible sidewalks and the restoration of the stained glass windows in what is now the community center’s chapel. The stained glass windows are at least 100 years old.

And once again, proving a story does not have to be too big to draw the attention of readers, one of our most popular online news stories this past week was a brief about the ski resort at Anthony Lakes shutting down after employee “horse play” led to a chair lift accident. No one was injured in the incident. Check it out if you haven’t already.

Readers will start seeing a new byline in The Observer in the coming days — Jillian Hoefer. Jillian, a senior at Eastern Oregon University with an interest in pursuing a career in journalism, is the first intern from EOU in a new program between the school and the newspaper. The idea is that The Observer will host a new newsroom intern every term in an effort to provide those interested in a career in journalism the chance to try it on for size. Jillian will be with us for 12 weeks and we are excited to have her in the newsroom.

It’s all part of The Observer’s efforts, both in print and online, to keep you informed about the latest happenings throughout Union County. As always, if you have a news tip to share or want to ask a question about our news coverage, I can be reached at this email address, acutler@lagrandeobserver.com.  

And, finally, let me take this opportunity to thank our subscribers: We simply would be unable to do this vital work without your support. 

Andrew Cutler is the interim editor of The Observer.