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About The Observer. (La Grande, Or.) 1968-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 9, 2019)
Southern style STANGEL BISON RANCH in Home & Living 100% Grass fed/finished MEAT - SKULLS - HIDES (541)426-4919 - stangelbisonranch.com stangelbison@gmail.com - Enterprise, OR Great for the holidays or New Year's resolutions! Follow us! Follow us on the web MONDAY • December 9, 2019 • $1.50 Good day to our valued subscriber Knute Stoneberg of La Grande SCHOOL SHOOTINGS Region will feel impact of changes Is arming teachers still an option? ■ 3% of SNAP recipients in Oregon estimated to lose benefits ■ Accidental shootings raise questions about arming teachers By Dick Mason The Observer LA GRANDE — Many food stamp recipients in Union County could lose their benefi ts due to a new federal rule set to take effect April 1, 2020. The rule will reduce the food stamp benefi ts of able-bodied adults 18 to 49 who have no dependents if they are not working or receiving training at least 20 hours a week. Those who fall into this category will not be allowed to receive food stamp benefi ts for more than three months in a three-year period. The rule means that at least 19,000 food stamp recipients in Oregon could lose their food stamp benefi ts, accord- ing to a news release sent out Friday by the Oregon De- partment of Human Services. This would be at least 3% of Oregon food stamp recipients. DHS statistics indicate through June of this year an average of 4,951 people in Union County received food stamps each month in 2019 — 3% of this total is 149, meaning nearly 150 Union County residents could lose their food stamps, now offi cially known as Supple- mental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefi ts. The new rule also hits hard in other counties in northeast Oregon. Wallowa County has an average of 988 food stamp recipients a month, Baker County has 3,384 recipients and Umatilla County has 15,075 recipients. Based on the 3% formula, among those who could lose their food stamp benefi ts would be at least 30 people in Wallowa County, at least 102 in Baker County, and at least 452 in Umatilla County. Audrey Smith, manager of By Martha Bellisle The Associated Press Photo by Kathy Aney/EO Media Group Kate Brizendine talks to J.J. Hill and Liberty O’Dell, seated right, the directors of the new movie “Out of Character” during a casting call recently at the Pendleton Center for the Arts. Hill and O’Dell, former Eastern Oregon University students, aim to showcase Eastern Oregon in the fi lm. Filmmakers aim to highlight By Sabrina Thompson The Observer LA GRANDE — Northeast Oregon soon will be the setting of a full-length feature fi lm. Local fi lm artists and former Eastern Oregon University students J.J. Hill and Liberty O’Dell are bringing together live-action role-play- ing and documentary-style fi lmmaking in their feature “Out of Character.” “The idea of the fi lm came from a desire to create,” Hill said. “I looked at the environment of Eastern Oregon, the people that make up the community, and realized that everyday people can be just as interesting as the movie stars they watch.” “Out of Character” is about a group of live-action role-players competing in a battle. Hill and O’Dell described it is a real-life documentary about an event that never happened. Production for the fi lm began in January 2019 with the script drafted out and a small production team gath- ered by March. Hill and O’Dell shared their vision at the Eastern Oregon Film Festival in October in La Grande. The fi lm also is receiving funding from the festival. Additional funding comes from grants and donations, along with in- kind contributions, such as production tools and the use of locations. The total cost estimate for the fi lm is $120,000. “With the help of the community and generous donors, we will be able to See SNAP / Page 5A See Film / Page 5A Eastern Oregon Observer fi le photo Local fi lmmakers J.J. Hill and Liberty O’Dell share their idea for their feature-length fi lm “Out of Character” in October at Eastern Oregon Film Festival 2019, La Grande. The pair said they plan to share the beauty and talent of Eastern Oregon in their fi lm. “During my time at the college I received national awards for radio ads I created and narrated. This sparked my need to create more and led me to this idea. I had heard Liberty moved back to the area when I was working on the idea for the fi lm, and I gave him a call. And here we are.” — J.J. Hill, former EOU student and local fi lmmaker La Grande Christmas Parade The Christmas parade Saturday night drew a crowd on Adams Avenue. Parade fl oats, including the Class 4A state champion La Grande High School football team were part of the spectacle. The small parade is an annual tradition and brings the man in the red suit to Union County for a brief time. Andrew Cutler/EO Media Group WEATHER INDEX Classified .......4B Comics ...........7B Crossword .....5B Dear Abby .....8B Home .............1B Horoscope .....5B Lottery............2A Obituaries ......3A WEDNESDAY Opinion ..........4A Sports ............7A Sudoku ..........7B Weather .........8B Full forecast on the back of B section Tonight Tuesday 28 LOW 42/33 Some clouds Partly sunny COMPETING WITH AMAZON SEATTLE — As the country looks for ways to deal with mass shootings at schools, some have responded by saying more people should carry guns, including teach- ers. “The only way to stop a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun,” President Donald Trump told the National Rifl e Association convention in April. More states are allowing teachers to carry guns, he said, and “who better to protect our children than our teachers, who love them.” But a close look at unin- tentional shootings by law enforcement offi cers, includ- ing at schools, raises doubts about whether more guns would help keep students safe. An Associated Press investigation has found ac- cidental shootings occur at law enforcement agencies large and small across the United States every year. The examination of public records and media reports docu- mented 1,422 unintentional shootings by offi cers at 258 agencies since 2012. Twenty-two occurred at schools or college campuses. At least nine states have passed laws allowing employ- ees to carry fi rearms at K-12 school grounds, according to the National School Boards Association. Nineteen states allow anyone with permis- sion from a school authority to be armed at schools, the association said. Experts say anybody carry- ing guns, including teachers, needs ongoing, intensive training to be able to handle their fi rearms profi ciently and respond appropriately in stressful settings — and many law enforcement of- fi cers don’t even get that. “The idea that anybody can go to Joe Smith’s School of Shooting for a day or a week and become profi cient at shooting a handgun in a life-and-death situation is a little bit absurd,” said Doug Tangen, fi rearms program manager at the Washington State Criminal Justice Train- ing Commission, the state police academy. Shooting a gun requires psychomotor skills that must See Shootings / 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 146 2 sections, 18 pages La Grande, Oregon Online at lagrandeobserver.com
