SPORTS
Keep it stored
securely away
from those
underage.
Tigers roll
Follow us on the web
MONDAY • September 23, 2019 • $1.50
Rally
decries
Trump,
dark
money
Good day to our valued subscriber Charles Flattree of La Grande
Bikers
hit the
trails at
MERA
CLIMATE STRIKE
Protest part of
global movement
■ Blue Mountain
Singletrack Club
shows what MERA
trails have to offer
■ La Grande
residents join
national ‘We the
People’ protest
By Sabrina Thompson
The Observer
Mount Emily Recreation
Area was well used Satur-
day morning as the Blue
Mountain Singletrack Trails
Club hosted MERA MTB
Day. Giving new and experi-
enced riders a chance to bike
together and providing free
tours on the kid-safe trails,
the club showcased what the
MERA trails have to offer
for mountain bikers of all
ages.
One focus of the event
was to introduce families to
MERA’s options. The Blue
Mountain Singletrack Trails
Club offered guided tours
of the kid-friendly trails, in-
cluding the new Parent Trap
trail. Many parents saw this
as a great opportunity to
get their children outdoors
for the day and spend time
together as a family.
“The thing with moun-
tain biking versus riding
in town (is) you don’t have
to worry about traffi c,” club
member Elijah Romer said.
“You’re getting kids outside
and experiencing the out-
doors.”
From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. the
club took downhill enthusi-
asts and their cycles up the
mountain in a shuttle from
Eastern Oregon University’s
Outdoor Adventures Pro-
gram. Those riders who were
already members of the club
rode for free, while those
who were not could pur-
chase a day pass for $15. The
15-minute ride gave people
a chance to talk and connect
over their shared interest in
mountain biking.
“We just think it’s a good
way to get people involved in
the outdoors, and it’s a good
way to stay in shape,” club
member Ed Mosinan said
By Dick Mason
The Observer
La Grande activists joined
a chorus of voices across
the United States Saturday
protesting the policies of U.S.
President Donald Trump’s
administration and demand-
ing accountability from
politicians.
La Grande was one of more
than 60 cities and communi-
ties where “We the People”
rallies were conducted
Saturday. The protests were
part of a grassroots effort
spearheaded by American
activists and author Amy
Siskind, president of The
New Agenda, a nonprofi t
dedicated to improving the
lives of women and girls.
Cities rallies were conducted
in included Washington, D.C.,
and Portland.
Those participating in the
La Grande rally met outside
the Washington Avenue fi eld
offi ce of Republican Oregon
U.S. Congressman Greg
Walden. Some participants
attached signs and messages
about gun control, climate
change and health care to the
door of Walden’s offi ce before
the rally started.
Tanya Anchors of La
Grande was one of about
four people who spoke at the
event. She urged politicians
to stop accepting money from
the National Rifl e Associa-
tion and the pharmaceutical
industry and instead listen
more closely to the people.
“We the People are here
to defend our democracy.
Defending this democracy
is not just for us, here and
now. This is for all who have
fought and died to defend it.
For those who are still
Lexi Chamberlain/Courtesy Photo
Strike organizer Nicholas DuVernay (right) and sister Elise DuVernay (left) hold up signs they used
during their march down 4th Street in protest of the current handling of the climate crisis. These, and
other signs are a major part of the national climate strike.
■ Approximately 80 people gather in Max Square on Friday
By Sabrina Thompson
The Observer
On the morning of Sept.
20 La Grande was one of
a thousand U.S. cities to
participate in the Climate
Strike walkout and protest
created by the United Na-
tions. The global event made
its way to Northeast Oregon
because of La Grande High
School senior Nicholas
DuVernay. Around 80 people
of all ages gathered at Max
Square at 8:30 a.m. to hear
speakers and march down
Fourth Street to bring
awareness to the issue of
climate change.
“Nationally, it is about
creating change,” DuVernay
said about the protest. “But
locally it was mostly about
informing people.”
DuVernay got the idea to
hold a protest in La Grande
after taking a career readi-
ness class his junior year.
When the class studied the
environment, he became
interested in climate change
and what he can do to help
prevent it. When he heard
about the global Climate
Strike, he went online to
organize one in town.
“I thought we should be
a part of the movement,”
DuVernay said.
After fi lling out forms
from the United Nation’s
website, DuVernay went to
members of the community,
including his school, city
council and Union County, to
fi nd out how they would like
to see the event handled.
While the city was very
supportive, DuVernay said
he was less than happy with
how the school handled the
situation.
“Unfortunately, they
would not allow the absenc-
es to be excused,” DuVernay
said. “A lot of students I
knew wanted to participate
(but they) couldn’t because
they were athletes and
it would mean not being
able to play in games this
weekend.”
According to DuVer-
nay, about 20 high school
students left school to
attend the protest. Approxi-
mately 60 others — adults,
parents, younger kids and
See Strike / Page 5A
See Rally / Page 5A
See MERA / Page 5A
Oregon lawmakers mourn no special session
By Jessica Pollard
EO Media Group
SALEM — When Oregon Gov.
Kate Brown declared Wednesday
that no special session would be held
to make a correction to the conten-
tious death penalty bill, state Sen.
Bill Hansell, R-Athena, was dis-
heartened.
“It was a big surprise to us, and
a huge disappointment too. We
needed to make that correction to
be consistent, and for the victims,”
Hansell said.
When it passed
through regular
session, lawmakers be-
lieved that Senate Bill
1013, which redefi nes
Hansell
the crime of aggravated
murder and narrows
down what crimes could result in the
death penalty, would not be retroac-
tive. But after the law passed, the
Oregon Department of Justice stated
it could apply to some people already
on death row.
Hansell didn’t vote for the bill dur-
WEATHER
INDEX
Classified .......4B
Comics ...........3B
Crossword .....6B
Dear Abby .....8B
Home .............1B
Horoscope .....6B
Lottery............2A
Record ...........3A
WEDNESDAY
Obituaries ......3A
Opinion ..........4A
Sports ............6A
Sudoku ..........6B
ing the regular session; he believed
instead that the decision to change
the rules surrounding the death
penalty should go to voters, who
amended the state constitution in
1984 to legalize capital punishment.
Hansell believes the bill is a “sneaky”
way to undo what voters instituted
years ago. He added that if lawmakers
had known there was a possibility the
bill could affect people already sen-
tenced to death, the floor debate would
have looked completely different.
“We changed the defi nition so
Full forecast on the back of B section
Tonight
Tuesday
51 LOW
72/41
Partly cloudy
Partial sunshine
THE MOST WIRED HOSPITAL
what the people voted on is actually
changed. We changed it to the point
where it is basically repealed,” he
said. “If you want to change it, let
the people change it. They may well
have had the votes to change it.”
Either way, he said, he was in
favor of holding a special session to
correct the part of the bill that made
it retroactive.
Hansell credited Floyd Prozanski,
D-Eugene, a senator who chairs the
Judiciary Committee behind the bill,
See Session / Page 5A
CONTACT US
HAVE A STORY IDEA?
541-963-3161
Call The Observer newsroom at
541-963-3161 or send an email to
news@lagrandeobserver.com.
More contact info on Page 4A.
Issue 113
2 sections, 18 pages
La Grande, Oregon
Online at lagrandeobserver.com