>La Grande Observer | Union and Wallowa Counties' News Leader

The City of La Grande will soon be starting the process to select a new chief of police. Chief John Courtney officially retired June 30 after serving 24 years in the position. Courtney is being retained as a consultant for six months to aid in the transition to new leadership.

City Manager Robert Strope and a selection committee will be faced with a significant decision. Replacing a veteran manager for a position as important as police chief isn’t an easy task. Those involved in the selection will need to set criteria for the kind of chief they want La Grande to have and the public face they want to put forward.

While a hundred years ago farmers and ranchers made up about 90 percent of the population, and nearly everyone knew a chicken from a horse, today farmer and rancher numbers are down to about 15 percent.

Still, farmers and ranchers play a very important role — at least to those of us who think eating is necessary. The annual Union County Crops and Conservation Tour serves as a reminder of the importance of farming and ranching to the region.

The grand opening celebration Wednesday for the new Department of Veterans Affairs outpatient clinic on 12th Street near Gekeler Lane adjacent to the National Guard armory in the Blue Mountain Conference Center will be grand indeed.

The 2:30 p.m. ceremony will include more than just ribbon cutting. Officials not only from Union County and the City of La Grande but also U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Oregon Army National Guard Brig. Gen. Mike Caldwell are lined up to salute the project. The cast also includes Buzz Fulton, a World War II veteran and a former La Grande mayor, who will lead the pledge of allegiance, and Father Hank Albrecht, a Vietnam veteran, who will deliver the invocation.

The Fourth of July is less than two weeks away. Making sure that folks have a chance to celebrate the nation’s birthday with a fireworks show doesn’t come inexpensively. Putting on a fireworks show costs money. And every year for nearly two decades the Union County Fireworks Action Committee has made sure that Union County has a fireworks show on the Fourth of July.

Ensuring that the show can go on requires the public’s help through donations.

George Pernsteiner, chancellor of the Oregon University System, should have a good idea of what qualities students, staff and community members would like to see in the next president of Eastern Oregon University.

Prior to the State Board of Higher Education meetings recently held at EOU, Pernsteiner — to his credit — scheduled a series of meetings to solicit input on what the OUS should be looking for in Interim President Dixie Lund’s replacement. After the meetings, Pernsteiner told The Observer that the messages from the various groups were similar.

With gas prices hovering around the $4.20 a gallon mark, more people will be tempted to vacation close to home this summer. We say when life hands you a lemon, make lemonade. And fortunately, we already live in a vacation wonderland that others drive hundreds of miles to see and experience.

The options here are outstanding. There is Hells Canyon, which is deeper vertically than even the Grand Canyon. Our region boasts Oregon’s largest wilderness area, the Eagle Caps. There are excellent parks galore, from Catherine Creek to Minam to the unparalleled beauty of Wallowa Lake and its one-of-a-kind glacial moraine.

No one can deny that parks and open spaces add to La Grande’s attractiveness and livability. They provide a place for locals to relax and enjoy themselves, and also help the economy by drawing people from outside the area. They are an important asset and should be kept in the best possible condition.

Still, the proposal from the La Grande Parks Advisory Commission to place a parks improvement serial tax levy on the November ballot should not be given serious consideration at this time. The plain truth is that the community has far more pressing needs, and money is in short supply.

Collaboration can do phenomenal things if people are willing to give it a chance.

For years, it seems, lines have been drawn in the dirt regarding how to best manage our forests. Timber industry interests and environmentalists have butted heads and rarely have found common ground. But things might be changing.

Popularity of off-road vehicles has revved up dramatically in recent years. Most riders show common sense and respect the resource. But as in every activity, there are a handful of renegades who tear up meadows and hillsides with no regard for other users or damage to wildlife and fish habitat.