April 03, 2009 03:19 pm
Oregon Trail Electric members might need to brace themselves for an
increase in electricity rates later this year. The Bonneville Power
Administration served notice in February that, for the first time in
six years, it would likely need to increase its wholesale power rates
in the new fiscal year that begins Oct. 1.
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April 02, 2009 03:21 pm
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In a time when there needs to be expanded educational opportunities, not reduced opportunities, it was sad to learn about the pending demise of the popular Cove Community School Collaboration.
The school will shut down at the end of spring classes after six years of service. It provided hands-on opportunities for students of any age from all of Union County in a truly astounding array of subjects. Lifelong learners learned everything from building dry wall to food and wine pairing, from welding to jazz music. There were life-enriching classes in building violins, caring for horses and dealing with insomnia. The variety of classes and the quality of instructors was truly astounding. It’s a credit to Coordinator Patti McLelland and others, who managed and supported the school.
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April 01, 2009 03:39 pm
With the state figuring that one in four Oregon adults is functionally
illiterate, it’s important to do all we can to reverse that trend in
the future. Elgin is doing just that. The northern Union County city
has taken the reading bull by the horns.
The strategy is multi-pronged. The Early Reading Intervention Program,
Read to Succeed, the 90 Percent Reading Program and full-day
kindergarten classes are helping young students in Elgin get a jump on
academic success. Kindergartners there are on average far exceeding
national reading levels for students of that age.
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March 31, 2009 04:05 pm
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It’s been said that birds of a feather flock together. Maybe that’s why such a large crowd was on hand at a recent planning commission work session where ownership of chickens and rabbits inside the city limits was discussed.
Attendance at public meetings on such weighty matters as school bond measures or enterprise zones is never so high. But chickens and rabbits? Now, there’s a subject that hits people right in the gut.
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March 30, 2009 03:42 pm
The partnership between Eastern Oregon University and the community it
serves was strengthened considerably last month when the EOU Foundation
announced it invested a half million dollars in four local banks.
This was a wise move for a number of reasons. Foremost, the university
has taken an important step toward supporting the local economy. Money
invested in local lending institutions is used for local development,
which translates into business start-ups, business expansion and
retention, job creation and more.
Also, the investments are secure. From all reports, local banks did not
engage in the sub-prime lending that led to the current severe
recession. Solid, respectable lending practices have helped keep them
stable. They’re a good place to keep money these days.
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March 27, 2009 03:22 pm
Another effort is under way in the Oregon Legislature to chip away at
existing laws that require public entities to publish legal notices
where the public can actually access them — in newspapers. HB 2828
would allow municipalities to publish budget summaries on websites.
The proposal is exactly the kind of slippery slope we were referring to
a few weeks ago when we wrote about another bill, HB 2393. That bill
would allow county sheriffs to post sales or auctions of property on a
website rather than in a newspaper of general circulation where the
transaction is occurring.
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March 25, 2009 03:21 pm
Amid all the talk of economic stimulus and pending recovery from the
recession, Union County looks to be drowning. The manufacturing sector
is awash in job losses.
A monster tidal wave hit last week, when Fleetwood Enterprises
announced the permanent closure of its La Grande travel trailer plant.
It’s bad enough that 150 family-wage jobs were swept away in the flood.
It’s worse that the losses will likely push the local unemployment rate
above 15 percent for March. And it’s terrible that this recession is so
deep, so severe, it spelled finis for a local business enterprise
everyone thought would be around forever.
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March 24, 2009 02:44 pm
What a difference a few years make. Quinn Coliseum has gone from a
relatively sedate venue for watching college basketball to earning the
delightful moniker Looney Bin. And this miraculous transformation has
taken just four short years.
If you’re not already on the bandwagon, here’s a brief look at the
history that got us to this point. Many local basketball fans remember
the suffering and gnashing of teeth involved as the Mountaineers reeled
to a 4-22 record in head coach Ryan Looney’s first year at the helm,
2004-05.
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March 23, 2009 02:03 pm
You wouldn’t know the economy was in the toilet by watching the high
rollers on Capitol Hill. Once again, members of Congress have papered
their already fat pockets with a hefty pay raise. While many management
teams grimly face the gut-wrenching realities of downsizing and
mandatory days off without pay, or pay freezes, while millions of
Americans hunker in unemployment lines, while companies drop like
iron-poor flies, Congress has accepted yet another automatic pay raise.
To do so, of course, is not news. No matter what their performance,
Congress invariably gives itself a big raise. And it’s not like they’re
hurting for money or benefits. Their latest pay raise of $4,700 took
effect in January. Now congressional salaries are $174,000 a year — and
that doesn’t count some of the best perks this side of Mars.
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March 20, 2009 02:36 pm
With about 2,200 people expected in town Friday through Monday for the
State FFA Convention, La Grande is happy to roll out the red carpet.
It’s a big, big event. The motel rooms will be full, and restaurants
will be working overtime to serve our guests from all corners of the
Beaver State.
La Grande does have experience hosting a state FFA convention. The last
time La Grande had the honor was in 1998, and the city did a good
enough job that it was invited to host the convention again. That’s a
feather in the city’s cap.
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Opinion 
