If it takes 15 pages to convince somebody you are an Oregon resident, well, it could be the evidence is so overwhelming that there’s a lot to say!
You learn that the Clintons, Laura Bush, two major philanthropic foundations, and even Jay-Z are behind a project. Surely, you think, this must be a silver bullet solution.
It was just 14 months that Oregonians were singing the praises of firefighters and EMS personnel who raced up Santiam Canyon to rescue those in the path of a wildfire racing down.
To the handful of people in Union who fly political flags with messages laced with obscenities I would ask you to consider the impacts these may be having on our young people who are exposed t…
"Obscene" best describes what is going on in Washington, D.C., right now.
There is no more better example of what a community can do when it cooperates than the nearly complete field renovations and turf installation at Optimist Field and Trice Community Field at Pi…
Recently on the news, we watched border patrol agents on horseback in Del Rio, Texas, harassing and terrifying would-be migrants attempting to cross into the United States. The images reminded…
Elected lawmakers Thursday, Oct. 7, managed to come to an agreement on a preliminary, short-term deal to increase the nation’s debt ceiling, and while that is good news, the fact we are in suc…
Where are all the elk?
Over and over again these days election integrity comes up. People question if voter fraud swings elections.
Was anybody really surprised that Oregon legislators couldn’t agree on redistricting? We’re guessing you weren’t.
This is America ... land of the free. I have a right to vaccinate or not, wear a mask or not. Because I don’t put on a mask or won’t subject myself to an unproven vaccine does not mean that I'…
I am writing to give voice to those who have none, our nonhuman relatives, and many other members of our community who support protections that would be provided by Senator Wyden’s River Democ…
Protesters demand freedom from mask and vaccine mandates, claiming personal choice. For most medical decisions, I would agree.
My family’s cattle ranching heritage dates back to California’s Gold Rush. Today, my wife, Katie, and I are still going strong, and one day we hope to have a ranch of our own that our daughter…
The news that more than half of Oregon’s state employees will get an extra six weeks to get inoculated against COVID-19 was welcome, but the question of what happens after the deadline remains…
Lilly Roe writes that personal freedom of choice should be the overriding consideration in forming public health policy.
When I was a small child I had an immunization on my arm for smallpox. I think I got it at school. There was no vaccination at the time for measles, mumps, whooping cough and I had all those d…
The Union County Commissioners, with apparent disdain for science or logic, passed a resolution declaring an emergency due to their prediction that some health care workers might rather leave …
I want to thank Sheriff Cody Bowen for his courage, ethics and transparency. Yes, he sent a letter to the governor in his official capacity, because most likely the governor would not have pai…
The Oregon Lottery’s mission is contradictory: make money off gambling and don’t encourage people to gamble too much.
We live in a society obsessed with rights and the sense of entitlement, demonstrated by how often we hear indignant expressions such as “he had no right to…”, or ”…but that’s a violation of my…
Recently, rural fire departments in Imbler, Elgin, La Grande and Joseph received a big boost when they were awarded a $344,000 grant for key equipment in a move that adds to the ability of the…
“The overriding challenge of the decade is quality — quality of life in Oregon,” that was true when Gov. McCall first voiced those words in 1967, as well as when he repeated the phrase in 1971…
Voters had a reasonable expectation that lawmakers could come together and broker a fair deal regarding a major political redistricting plan for the state, but if they’re hopes were high, then…
I am one of 13 gubernatorial appointees and voting members of the Joint Task Force on Universal Health Care created by the 2019 Legislature. We thank you for your recent editorial drawing atte…
Break down poverty and unemployment by race and it’s worrisome.
What an exciting time for Eastern Oregon University, for students and our local communities. I enjoyed reading the recent article about the progress of the new fieldhouse being built on campus.
Our county commissioners and sheriff all reject efforts to push vaccination rates up by requiring proof of vaccination for employment and event attendance. They claim that’s in our community’s…
After nine months of Biden and his administration, it's difficult to find an accomplishment that benefits our country.
The picture local health care professional Danita Thamert painted in a recent front-page story was a bleak one, yet it was a necessary view, and we hope it sheds more than a little light on th…
I am a concerned health care worker. I am alarmed by the recent vaccine mandate to all health care workers in Oregon by Gov. Kate Brown. This mandate is unconstitutional.
The Observer’s editorial “Virus isn’t a political entity” (Tuesday, Aug. 31) makes interesting points and asks some good questions.
State lawmakers are poised to meet Sept. 20 to finalize plans to reframe the state’s 90 legislative districts and six congressional districts, but the long-term ramifications are murky and how…
The Aug. 21, 2021, editorial “The two languages of climate change” exemplifies the growing trend of faulty conclusions based on selective misinformation and the need for fact checking. It char…
We have from the start advised those old enough and medically able to be vaccinated against the COVID-19 virus. We have also pressed employers to take reasonable steps to protect their employe…
Mary Edwards' letter ("Urgent action required to save Pacific Northwest salmon," Tuesday, Sept. 7) urging immediate action to protect Oregon's failing salmon populations from the ravages of gl…
The Nez Perce connection to Northeast Oregon is strong, deep and timeless. The beauty and boundless resources of this part of the Tribe’s aboriginal homeland are just a few of the reasons the …
The Observer’s recent reporting ("Council dismisses recent B2H objections," Thursday, Sept. 2) gave the impression that the STOP B2H Coalition has met their demise.
There is no more important time than now to be involved in local politics as a voter.
Has the impact of Sept. 11 faded?
No student attending Baker High School now had yet been born on that sunny September morning that changed America forever.
The process of redistricting is well underway this year, and by the time it’s done some of our state legislative districts could look completely different. We’re also guaranteed to have a bran…
For decades there have been concerns that foreign investors are buying up farmland in the United States.
As a retired fish biologist who still spends a lot of time with rivers, I’ve observed the impacts of warming rivers on fish and other wildlife here in Northeastern Oregon for many years. This …
The coronavirus pandemic, hurricanes and flooding, wildfires and the plight of refugees are fueling the division and political unrest in the United States, as well as the entire world. It is t…
A recent "Our view" editorial in The Observer, written after the release of the most recent report from the intergovernmental panel on climate change, implied that there are two sides to the …
Although somewhat of a topic variation for Dick Mason, the article on the biologists’ study of climate change affecting the elk was interesting and well written. The 1989 Starkey Project has p…
The decision by the Union County Board of Commissioners to approve a resolution last week protesting Gov. Kate Brown’s COVID-19 mandates wasn’t much of a surprise, and in the end it probably w…
I was saddened last week when I learned that longtime character actor Ed Asner passed away.
It was a very bad place for a wildfire.
I read Sheriff Cody Bowen’s letter to Gov. Brown regard local masking issues. By way of disclaimer, I did not vote for Cody Bowen because I preferred a candidate who would bring to the positio…
Nobody can really be surprised if school officials get uncomfortable when parents and others start asking questions about curriculum.
Vaccine shots have been one of the world's greatest scientific accomplishments. Here are several diseases that vaccine shots have controlled or eliminated: polio, tetanus, measles, common flu,…
Regarding recent letter from the Union County Sheriff to the governor of Oregon, I applaud the first 11 words but would like a public retraction of the remainder of the letter. I found it to b…
