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Good day to our valued subscriber Charlotte Wood of La Grande
Helping
students
without
a home
UNION COUNTY
Report
tackles LIBRARIES FIND
police
profiling
VALUE IN
■ Report paints
complex picture
while calling out
one city for its
disparities
FINES
■ 8% of libraries nationwide have
stopped charging patrons for late returns
By Dick Mason
The Observer
However, Roberson explained, many librarians are
very understanding, and the most important thing to
the library is getting back the materials. On a case by
case basis, librarians may forgive fi nes, depending on the
circumstance that went into the late return.
La Grande’s Cook Memorial Library is considering
eliminating late fi nes in the coming year, Roberson said, a
decision that would ultimately come from the La Grande
City Council.
Doing away with fi nes raises the concern people won’t
return the materials at all. However, according to a study
conducted by the Library Journal, a majority of libraries
that have eliminated fi nes still receive their materials.
The Cove Public Library does not charge overdue fi nes,
while the Union Carnegie Public Library, Elgin Public
Library and Cook Memorial Library do. The all-volunteer
Library Improvement Club runs the library in Cove.
Improvement Club member Yvonne Oliver said the
volunteers have chosen not to have late book fi nes for the
last 15 years. These libraries still charge fi nes for lost and
damaged books. The North Powder City Library did not
LA GRANDE — The
number of students in Union
County school districts lack-
ing stable shelter and food
has gone down, but even
one “homeless” student is
too many, according to local
educators.
Oregon Department of
Education classifi ed a total
of 176 students in the La
Grande, Imbler and North
Powder school districts in
2018-19 as homeless. The
La Grande School District
had 153 homeless students
in 2018-19, according to the
department’s latest homeless
student count, while North
Powder had 14 and Imbler
had nine.
Homeless students, as
defi ned by the Oregon De-
partment of Education under
the federal McKinney-Vento
Act, are those who are living
in a shelter; are unsheltered,
which means they are living
in cars, trailers, tents or sub-
standard housing; living in a
hotel; sharing housing with
another family: or are living
with someone other than
their legal guardian.
Kathleen McCall, the La
Grande School District’s
youth in transition liaison,
said the school district’s
homeless numbers are down
from previous years.
“They fl uctuate. As our
economy does better, so do
our families. We are seeing
less homelessness right now,
and we are grateful for that,”
McCall said.
La Grande High School
Principal Brett Baxter said
the plight of his school’s
homeless students is always
on the minds of his faculty
and staff, who passionately
want to reach out to them.
“They dig deep to meet the
needs of students,” Baxter
said.
The principal noted that
earlier this school year his
staff learned of two LHS
students who were living
with several children and
three adults in a residence
without furniture. Faculty
and staff stepped forward
to provide the home with
See Fines / Page 5A
See Students / Page 5A
Staff photo by Sabrina Thompson
A patron returns books through the slot outside
of the Cook Memorial Library, La Grande. The lo-
cal public library is considering joining a national
trend of eliminating fi nes for late returns.
By Jake Thomas
Oregon Capital Bureau
SALEM — Most of
Oregon’s largest police
departments are slightly
more likely to cite or arrest
minorities during traffi c and
pedestrian stops, but the
disparity isn’t signifi cant
enough to warrant further
scrutiny, according to a new
state report.
However, the report
singled out the Portland
Police Bureau for its dispa-
rate treatment of African
Americans.
The Oregon Criminal Jus-
tice Commission on Sunday
issued its fi rst-ever report ex-
amining data from the state’s
12 largest police agencies for
evidence of racial dispari-
ties in traffi c and pedestrian
stops. The analysis, based
on data from nearly 400,000
stops between July of 2018
and June of 2019, was
mandated by the Legislature
in 2017. A review of smaller
agencies is next.
Ken Sanchagrin, com-
mission deputy director,
said that the report evalu-
ated why each person was
stopped, their race and
whether they were searched,
arrested or given a warning.
Sanchagrin said that the
Portland Police Bureau was
the only agency to warrant
further examination by the
commission.
“I was frankly pleasantly
surprised that we didn’t fi nd
a lot of systematic issues,”
said Sanchagrin.
But state Sen. Lew Fred-
erick, D-Portland, called the
report concerning because
it highlighted longstanding
issues.
“I don’t think that’s a
minor situation at all,” said
Frederick. “These are issues
we have been trying to deal
with for some time.”
See Police / Page 5A
Staff photo by Sabrina Thompson
A patron peruses through a book Tuesday at Cook Memorial Library in La Grande. Public libraries provide
service for all to use. The cost of fi nes, however, can be a barrier to some.
By Sabrina Thompson, The Observer
LA GRANDE — The majority of local libraries are holding on to the tradition
of fi nes for overdue materials. But for how much longer remains a question.
Returning a book or other items days late means a fee
on your library account. Most of these fees do not exceed
10 cents a day, but with each passing day, the cost adds
up. Some libraries are dumping overdue fi nes. According
to a survey in the Library Journal, 8% of libraries across
the nation have stopped charging patrons for not return-
ing books on time.
“When you have fi nes, you are making the
library less accessible to those who benefi t
the most from using it,” Cook Memorial Li-
brary director Kip Roberson said. “According
to studies that are being published in library
Roberson journals, fi nes hurt low income people and
children the most. These are also the people
using our libraries as part of their personal development,
and with fi nes they can’t access these services.”
Local libraries cap fi nes at a maximum of $5 on the
account, and prohibit checking out more materials and us-
ing library services until the fi nes go below the threshold.
“There is a fear and stigma around overdue fi nes,” Rob-
erson said. “People are afraid it will get above an amount
they can pay, or that the librarian will yell at them.”
Man’s cat found after
2 months at rest area
Antonio Martinez
of Beaverton
stopped at the
Deadman Pass
rest area to
stretch his legs,
and Korra, his
4-year-old tabby,
slipped out. Two
months later,
they reunited.
■ Samaritans, tech
plays key roles in
bringing Korra home
By Kathy Aney
Submitted photo
EO Media Group
PENDLETON — Antonio Marti-
nez had only a glimmer of hope he
would ever see his cat again.
Two months ago, he stopped at
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the Deadman Pass rest area 18
miles east of Pendleton to stretch
his legs. He and his father had
driven from Texas and were on their
way to Beaverton where Antonio
was moving. Korra, his 4-year-old
tabby cat, had meowed unhappily
the entire trip. When Martinez got
out, his cat saw her chance, slip-
ping unseen through the open door.
See Cat / 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 144
3 sections, 24 pages
La Grande, Oregon
Online at lagrandeobserver.com