October 19, 2009 03:49 pm
In this community or any other, the problem of domestic violence never goes away. The fight against it is never-ending and requires a sustained and passionate commitment from volunteers and professionals alike.
Luckily for all of us, the effort to combat violence and abuse here is robust and right on-target. Taking the issue to the people, putting it in the public spotlight, is one big key, and advocates are doing their jobs. Two recent awareness events left the community with plenty to think about.
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October 15, 2009 03:13 pm
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Shhh, don’t tell anybody, but Eastern Oregon University football has become one of the best entertainment bargains in town. Coach Tim Camp’s Mountaineers enter Saturday’s homecoming game with Western Montana with a 5-2 record and ranked No. 19 in the country. EOU is only one win away from doing something it has done only eight times in 80 years — win six games in one year.
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October 14, 2009 03:20 pm
A sense of community is often said to be lacking in much of the modern
world, particularly in the big cities. Community standards are slowly
eroding. Prison systems are bursting at the seams with criminals, many
of whom having been laid low by drugs. Social problems including family
breakdown run rampant.
Some organizations, however, are fighting this erosion and trying to
preserve strong, vital communities. The local Drug-Free Relay is one
such organization. The 12th annual relay conducted recently in La
Grande helped build a sense of community. The relay, its organizers and
participants took a stand that says we want La Grande to be a safe,
enjoyable place to live and raise a family, and to do that we must make
wise decisions about drug use.
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October 12, 2009 02:30 pm
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The state treasurer’s office should have used a little more common
sense before it decided to dole out bonuses to 11 employees in his
office this year. The economic times that we’re in should have given
Treasurer Ben Westlund a clue that this isn’t a year for bonuses. It
makes sense that the Legislature’s Joint Ways and Means Committee wants
to review the practice.
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October 08, 2009 03:10 pm
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As the debate over field burning raged in Salem the past couple of legislative sessions, it appears that the controversy has diminished in Union County. Increasingly Union County’s grass seed growers and other farmers who have traditionally burned their fields have been doing a better and better job of controlling when and how they burn.
The bill that was passed in the Legislature that will eliminate field burning exempted Eastern Oregon, where the problems associated with burning have become less and less noticeable.
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October 07, 2009 03:31 pm
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Andrew Carnegie has a 2,800-library legacy. Other top philanthropists like J. Paul Getty, Eli Lilly, Andrew W. Mellon and John D. Rockefeller also established legacies through liberal acts of charity.
Even though Bob Davies did not strike oil, at least not to our knowledge, he is already forming a legacy of his own. The new Eastern Oregon University president, his wife Cindy and their daughter Katie recently announced a $120,000 gift to the EOU Foundation. Part of the money is earmarked for character scholarships for students and for faculty development. Some of the gift is destined for the alumni association and some to help successful students achieve dreams of, for example, a trip to a national competition.
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October 05, 2009 04:29 pm
Some important workshops are coming up for people interested in
enhancing their own financial fitness and that of their business.
The Region 13 Worksource Oregon Board will sponsor “Financial Fitness’’
workshops beginning this week in Union, Wallowa and Baker counties.
Also, Northeast Oregon Economic Development District will launch
“Foundations for Business Success’’ classes in all three counties.
The Financial Fitness workshops are for anyone who seeks more
independence and better control of their financials, says Debbie
Gargalis, manager of the Oregon Employment Department offices in all
three counties. Those who have lost jobs and are struggling to make
ends meet are especially encouraged to attend.
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October 05, 2009 03:57 pm
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9-1-1 dispatchers are unsung heroes, the quiet, competent voice on the
other end of the line in an emergency. They sit in darkened rooms
staring at computer screens. But their job is far from quiet. Most of
the time it seems to be multi-tasking at its most stressful. When the
crisis hits, however, a good dispatcher is the steady voice that can
help us ride the emotional roller-coaster and get help for our loved
ones, whether it is a medical emergency, a burglary in progress, a
domestic dispute or some other harrowing life event.
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October 01, 2009 03:23 pm
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The city of La Grande is anxious to move ahead with projects resulting from its Main Street Program. Committees have been at work for several months and various projects are coming to fruition. One such proposal was for new lighting at Max Square, which the city put on hold pending input from other committees that make up the Main Street Project.
The city made a wise decision in putting the light project on hold. More input is needed as to whether that would be the best use of $60,000 in available urban renewal funds at the outset of the project.
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September 30, 2009 03:01 pm
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When it comes to fire danger, the woods aren’t out of the woods yet. Let’s be careful out there.
While it’s true that rain and cooler temperatures helped keep
wildfires from spreading this fire season, and true also that the
number of wildfires on public and private lands was lower than some
years, the weather turned hot in late summer and early fall.
This happened in concert with the opening of hunting seasons, so great numbers of people are tramping through the forests now.
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Opinion 
