December 30, 2008 03:17 pm
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It’s a funny thing about environmental groups. The more they claim to do for forest health, the unhealthier the forests become. Lawsuits and appeals of timber projects and sales go on and on, while trees die and go unharvested, while combustibles continue to pile up on the forest floors.
Legal wrestling matches drag on (and on), and conflagrations break out every year. The result? Blighted land, squandered taxpayer dollars and a wasted resource.
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December 26, 2008 03:20 pm
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High school tournaments, whether they be for athletics or other activities, are good for kids, families and communities. Students get a chance to compete and show their stuff, families get to partake in their kids’ activities and communities benefit from the students and families going to local restaurants, shopping and staying in local motels.
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December 23, 2008 03:18 pm
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Life is full of little hassles. It’s always nice when one goes away, even if it’s onlytemporary.
A little hassle folks deal with in downtown La Grande is the need to keep an eye on the clock when they’re doing their shopping. Many have painfully learned that the two-hour time limit on parking in the main business area weekdays and Saturdays is strictly enforced. The tickets are spendy, $12 a pop.
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December 19, 2008 04:09 pm
Sure, the proposal is very preliminary, but the idea of La Grande’s
joining a Greater Oregon League that includes Crook County, Madras,
Sisters and La Pine should be slam-dunked in the nearest garbage can.
Imagine, for a moment, the La Pine trip in the dead of winter. First,
you take Interstate 84 over the Blue Mountains for 50 miles, a leg of
the journey which at times can be very dicey, what with packed and
blowing snow and possible fog on Cabbage Hill. Then continue on I-84
for 106 miles until you get to the thriving metropolis of Biggs. Turn
south and continue on curvy two-lane Highway 97 over hill and dangerous
dale for approximately 144 miles until you arrive at — no, not the end
of the earth — La Pine.
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December 18, 2008 04:19 pm
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With the temperature dipping down to zero degrees or below at night
and the daytime highs staying in the single digits and teens, it’s a
struggle for everyone to keep warm. But with furnaces, heaters and wood
stoves, at least we have the opportunity to do so, even if it’s a
struggle financially for a few weeks.
Such is not the case with pets, though. Their ability to survive these extreme temperatures is up to their owners.
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December 16, 2008 03:16 pm
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A flunking grade for higher education affordability. That’s what Oregon and 48 other states get from a new study by the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education. Only California received a passing grade, largely in part to its relatively affordable junior college system. The grade is based on what the average family has to fork over as a percentage of its income to send a child to college. The grade is an indictment on the entire American system of higher education and how we are falling behind our global competition in making college accessible and preparing the population for the demands of the future.
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December 15, 2008 03:45 pm
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The community of La Grande’s strengths are well documented: low crime
rate, tons of beautiful trees, an educational hub, natural beauty of
the Blues and Wallowa mountains and so on. Add to that list now a
public transit hub. The new Northeast Oregon Public Transit Building at
2204 E. Penn Ave. was the focus of a ceremony officially opening it for
business Dec. 1. The transit hub houses both Greyhound and Community
Connection’s extensive public transit program and is an example of what
can be accomplished through cooperation and a public-private
partnership.
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December 12, 2008 04:46 pm
The 2008 Oregon Class 1A football championship meant so much to the
teams that played for it, it was almost a shame somebody had to lose.
That somebody was not the Imbler Panthers. No, sir. Like their
opponents, the Joseph Eagles, the Panthers were playing for a
first-ever state title. Joseph went home without the coveted trophy
even though it led the contest for a half. Imbler came from behind to
win, 48-36, dedicating the effort and the victory to their sidelined
starting quarterback, Bryan Mills.
What a game. And what a season — for both teams.
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December 10, 2008 03:47 pm
The vision that once existed for the eventual renovation of Eastern
Oregon University’s “grand staircase’’ has morphed into a maintenance
plan that will do nothing more than provide a better view of the
decaying structure.
A task force charged with determining the future of the staircase
recommended last month that a minimal investment be made. The task
force recommended a $236,000 plan that would provide for balustrades to
replace the livestock gates that now block the entrance to the stairs
on L Avenue; repair of the concrete on the terrace level; removal of
vegetation that obstructs views from the terrace; a historical
interpretive panel; and stabilizing the two concrete landings on the
staircase to prevent pressure on the retaining walls.
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December 04, 2008 03:47 pm
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The City of La Grande and Eastern Oregon University did a smart thing a few years ago when they worked out a public-private partnership with ODS Health Plans. The pact made way not only for for construction of an ODS insurance service center, but also one of the finest dental hygienist schools in the state.
The ODS College of Dental Science prepares students for demanding but rewarding careers in dental hygiene, and that’s just the beginning of the positive impacts. Without doubt, the community as a whole benefits from the school being here.
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Opinion 
