LOCAL
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2019
THE OBSERVER — 5A
SERVICES
Continued from Page 1A
Dick Mason/The Observer
Guy Francy of La Grande picks up apples at Harvest Share on Wednesday. Francy is
one of 150 and 200 people who regularly pick up items at Harvest Share daily. “It is a
gift every day,” Francy said.
POPULAR
Continued from Page 1A
Blanchard. Steve Konopacky
and Blanchard are members
of the Community Connec-
tion of Northeast Oregon’s
regional food bank staff.
Limits are in place for how
much food people can take.
For example, only one bread
package is allowed per per-
son. The limits were imple-
mented about two years ago.
Before that, Steve Konopacky
said, almost all food would
disappear before the senior
center closes at 9:30 a.m.
People who regularly pick
up food include Guy Francy,
of La Grande, a retired scien-
tist who often chooses fresh
fruit after eating lunch at the
senior center.
“It is a gift every day,”
Francy said on Wednesday.
Francy is one of between
Dick Mason/The Observer
Andrea Konopacky sets out food for Harvest Share at
the Union County Senior Center Thursday morning.
150 and 200 people who
regularly pick up items at
Harvest Share daily.
Each weekday morning,
Konopacky spends nearly
two hours setting out the
Harvest Share food. She
rests for a few minutes
before opening the senior
center’s doors at 8 a.m.
CHANGES
Continued from Page 1A
ordinance changes.
Possible revisions to Union’s city charter
were also discussed at Wednesday’s meeting.
One proposed change regards how councilors
are elected. Presently elections for council
seats are conducted in November between
candidates who have fi led and write-in
candidates.
The new proposal would mirror in many
ways how Union County’s elected offi cials
are selected. The proposal being considered
would call for elections fi rst to be conducted
in May. If a candidate receives more than
50% of the vote, that individual would be
declared the winner of the election. However,
if no candidate receives more than half the
vote, a runoff election would be conducted in
November between the top two fi nishers.
RACE
“I take a little break before
I let my kids in,” she said.
The banter she has with
the people coming in is one of
the favorite parts of her work.
“They are a lot of fun,” Ko-
nopacky said. “I love my job.
The only thing I’ve enjoyed
more in my life was raising
my children.”
Sabrina Thompson/The Observer
Veterans Mental Health First Aid class teaches veterans
and their families how to handle emotional crises.
2001 and came to the U.S.
in 2008.
“Everyone who knows
CPR knows how to deal
with the physical issues
that arise,” McKay said. “We
are teaching people how to
deal with emotional issues.”
According to McKay, the
course focuses on the acro-
nym ALGEE, which stands
for assess the threat to
suicide, listen without judg-
ment, give reassurance and
information, encourage ap-
propriate professional help
and encourage self-help and
other support strategies.
One attendee of the class
said she came because she
wanted more knowledge to
help her husband, an Iraq
veteran who has PTSD.
“There are times that he
spends days in bed discon-
nected from life,” she said. “I
want to have a better ability
to deal with people with
mental illness.”
Another service now
being offered to veterans in
the community is a same
day clinic at the Jonathan
M. Wainwright Memorial
VA Medical Center in Walla
Walla, Washington. This
clinic gives vets the opportu-
nity to have minor illnesses
and injuries addressed with-
out waiting for an appoint-
ment with their provider.
“As this new opportunity
to meet veterans’ health
care needs grows, the Walla
Walla VA will monitor its ef-
fectiveness and be watching
how veterans respond with
the goal to expand the pro-
gram,” a news release from
the Walla Walla VA said.
“Taking care of the veteran’s
medical needs is the highest
priority.”
An extension of the Walla
Walla VA is located in La
Grande. The community-
based outpatient clinic is
located at 202 12th St.
“The clinic is our area’s
access point to the VA medi-
cal system and services,”
Blais said. “The staff there
are a valuable resource for
our community.”
The intent of this change would be to make
it possible for only candidates who receive a
majority of the votes to be elected. Councilor
Matt Later voiced support for this change.
Later said that under the present system it
would be possible, if 10 candidates fi led, for
one to win with just 10% of the vote.
“Someone could get elected who 90% of the
voters didn’t vote for,” Later said.
Several people attending Wednesday’s
meeting said they disagreed. Dick Middleton
told the council he believes the city should
keep its present system.
“The candidate who gets the highest per-
centage of votes is the one the people want,”
Middleton said.
The city council will continue discussing
possible charter revisions at future meetings.
Once the council approves a revised charter,
it will have to be approved by Union’s voters
before it can be adopted.
database of law enforcement
and emergency services
Continued from Page 1A
personnel certifi cation and
training. But that certifi ca-
must” complete certifi cation
tion cannot substitute for the
at the academy.
police offi cer requirement,
Marsha Morin manages
and Miller’s police offi cer
the Criminal Justice Certifi -
credentials are out of
cation Program for the
date.
Oregon Department of
Miller said the way
Public Safety Stan-
he understands it, as
dards and Training,
sheriff he would have
which is in charge of
to return to the Public
the academy. Each
Rasmussen Safety Academy for
of the Union County
two weeks of training
Sheriff candidates
on criminal law to
meets the eligibility
reactivate his certifi ca-
requirements to run
tion.
for the offi ce, she said,
“All I have to do is
but that assessment
go back and refresh it,”
does not check the box
Miller
he said.
for certifi cation.
Just how he would
“We’ve had a
manage the sheriff’s
couple of sheriffs come
offi ce from Salem
through the academy,”
remains a question.
she said. “It’s not com-
He said that answer
mon by any means,
would depend in part
but it does happen.
Rollins
on his evaluation of
They usually have out-
the administrative
of-state experience.”
She also said those sheriffs roles in the sheriff’s offi ce.
He said he was confi dent he
obtained the certifi cation.
could remain in communica-
Miller left the Union
tion and work with staff to
County Sheriff’s Offi ce in
August 2018 for a job in
ensure smooth running if he
parole and probation and
were out of the offi ce.
has the certifi cate for that
Rollins said while he could
job, according to the Oregon
seek a waiver to the acad-
Criminal Justice Informa-
emy’s 16-week basic police
tion Records Inquiry System, course, he is ready to dive
the state’s online searchable
into education as sheriff.
“I feel it’s better for me to
go through the academy to
learn the laws of Oregon,” he
said. “Plus that would build a
bit of trust with the deputies,
knowing I went through the
same academy they did.”
Morin with DPSST said
there is no guarantee when
it comes to waivers.
“It’s a case by case basis if
we’re going to approve it or
not,” she said.
If either challenger wins,
Union County would pay
for his time at the academy.
The sheriff is the county’s top
paid offi cial with an annual
salary of $90,723.
Rasmussen said while a
lot of people think they can
do the work of the sheriff,
it takes a “boots-on-the-
ground” approach to build
trust with the community
and staff. He said the recent
unanimous endorsement
from Union County Law
Enforcement Association
supporting his re-election
shows he is doing just that.
County Clerk Robin
Church said Union County
has not had a sheriff’s race
with three candidates since
the 1980s. The deadline
to fi le for candidacy in the
primary election is March 10,
2020. Plenty of time for more
challengers to step in.
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services they are entitled
to.”
Some of the services that
veterans and their fami-
lies are entitled to include
health care, home loans,
life insurance, education
funding and career support.
However, according to Blais,
access to these services
across the nation can be
limited due to location and
individuals’ knowledge
about what benefi ts they
are entitled to. He said he
is working to help those in
Union County access what
they need.
One of the services that
seems to be of high impor-
tance to veterans is access
to mental health services.
The nature of the military
often has a lasting effect on
veterans’ mental health,
according to Scott. Accord-
ing to data collected by the
U.S. Department of Veterans
Affairs, 20 veterans die by
suicide every day, and about
18.5% of service members
returning from Iraq or
Afghanistan have post-
traumatic stress disorder
or depression, according to
the Substance Abuse and
Mental Health Services Ad-
ministration. To help combat
this need, Blais organized an
event Oct. 29 at the Center
for Human Development in
La Grande for veterans and
their families to teach about
mental health fi rst aid.
The course, led by Guy
McKay, a mental health
fi rst aid instructors goes
over the signs of emotional
distress and how to properly
handle it. The class was fi rst
developed in Australia in
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