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About The Observer. (La Grande, Or.) 1968-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 24, 2020)
2A — THE OBSERVER D AILY P LANNER TODAY Today is Friday, Jan. 24, the 24th day of 2020. There are 342 days left in the year. Wallowa Mountain Cruise Annual event still short of volunteers ■ Wallowa Mountain Cruise in Joseph in need of help for June show By Bill Bradshaw EO Media Group TODAY’S HIGHLIGHT On Jan. 24, 1943, Presi- dent Franklin D. Roosevelt and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill conclud- ed a wartime conference in Casablanca, Morocco. ON THIS DATE In 1848, James W. Marshall discovered a gold nugget at Sutter’s Mill in northern California, a discovery that led to the gold rush of ‘49. In 1945, Associated Press war correspondent Joseph Morton was among a group of captives executed by the Germans at the Mauthausen- Gusen concentration camp in Austria. In 1985, the space shuttle Discovery was launched from Cape Canaveral on the fi rst secret, all-military shuttle mission. In 1989, confessed serial killer Theodore Bundy was executed in Florida. In 1993, retired Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall died in Bethesda, Maryland, at age 84. In 2003, former Pennsyl- vania Gov. Tom Ridge was sworn in as the fi rst secre- tary of the new Department of Homeland Security. In 2018, former sports doctor Larry Nassar, who had admitted molesting some of the nation’s top gymnasts for years under the guise of medical treat- ment, was sentenced to 40-175 years in prison. LOTTERY Megabucks: $2.2 million 2-13-16-28-41-47 Mega Millions: $130 million 16-18-29-31-37-8 x3 Powerball: $373 million FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 2020 LOCAL JOSEPH — Another 20 volunteers are still the greatest need for the Wal- lowa Mountain Cruise, said organizational committee chairwoman Jude Graham. The committee is considering soliciting help from other com- munity and service groups. The group held its second meeting, Jan. 16 at the Kokanee Inn in Joseph. Less than a half dozen organiz- ers attended, Graham said, some being kept home be- cause of the wind and snow of recent days. At the December meet- ing, organizers decided on a 1950s and 1960s theme based on the movie “Grease.” Those in attendance noted there has been progress toward holding the classic car show that hopes to draw participants from all over the Northwest. The registration deadline is May 18 or when the maximum of 250 partici- pants have signed up. The 250 maximum is because of limited parking in Joseph. Last year, there were be- tween 130 and 140 entrants, Graham said. The group has sent out about 90 email invitations so far and knows of others who will be invited. Graham gave an update on progress the group was making. She said the cruise’s website and Facebook page are both working. She also said they’re mak- ing progress fi nancially, with $2,500 now in the bank. In seeking sponsors, the com- mittee is offering $100, $250 and $500 sponsorships and new this year is offering a $1,000 sponsorship. She read an email from sponsorship Chairwoman Ashley Lee who said they’ve already gotten one $1,000 sponsor. Lee is hand-delivering Photo by Ellen Morris Bishop/EO Media Group Dominic Nation’s 1972 Chevrolet Nova drew attention at the 2019 Wallowa Mountain Cruise in Joseph. The annual car show needs 20 volunteers this year. letters to prospects for $1,000 sponsorships. Asked what the fundrais- ing goal is, Graham said, “The sky’s the limit so next year we’re not starting out from zero.” Greg Jarman, in charge of getting entertainers, said The Senders, from Lewiston, Idaho, have agreed to perform. “They’re really stoked to come,” he said. Graham emphasized the need to keep as much of the group’s spending local as possible. She said Valley Bronze has agreed to do me- dallions for participants and they hope to have automo- bile-related vendors set up booths on a side street. But she doesn’t want the vendors’ booths to present unfair competition to the downtown merchants who support the Joseph Chamber of Commerce under whose auspices the cruise is doing business. “It’ll have to be stuff that’s not sold on Main Street,” she said. “I don’t think it’s fair to the merchants who are paying for the chamber to operate.” Oregon Legislature State GOP, Democrats at odds over short session By Claire Withycombe, Jake Thomas and Sam Stites Oregon Capital Bureau SALEM — You could say Oregon is a bit “odd.” Until 2012, the state’s legislators met only in odd-numbered years, a practice dating to 1885. But the sessions got longer as law- makers grappled with issues facing a growing state. By the 1980s, the average session lasted six months, according to the secretary of state’s offi ce. In 2010, voters said “yes” to allow- ing annual sessions — and limiting the number of days in each session. So now, in every even-numbered year, lawmakers and lobbyists descend on the Capitol for a “short session” of up to 35 days. Confused yet? In the 10 years since voters ap- proved the change, the short session has provided something else for Democrats and Republicans to quib- ble over. GOP lawmakers complain the even-year sessions have become unruly with consequential new laws pushed through with inadequate time for the public to have its say. The next of these maligned “short sessions” begins Feb. 3. Sen. Ginny Burdick, D-Portland, who leads Democrats in the Senate, told report- ers last week that short sessions are intended “primarily for budget issues.” Legislators write the state’s two-year budget during its longer sessions, then use the even years in between for touch-ups. But in her next breath, Burdick said the session also is time to ad- dress issues of an “urgent nature,” such as reducing the state’s emis- sions. A similar proposal stalled last session after Senate Republicans fl ed the state. During the 2016 short session, for example, lawmakers raised the minimum wage, intended to stave off a potential ballot measure Burdick said wouldn’t have been as carefully crafted. “I think you’re always going to have that tension, you know, what is an emergency?” she said. “What is urgent?” With a plan to enforce emissions restrictions on greenhouse gases expected to dominate the session, Republican lawmakers have com- plained the public won’t have time to give input as the legislation is shepherded through the House and Senate with a tight 35-day deadline. Democrats counter that time is running out to tackle climate change and that ballot measures on the horizon, pushed by environmental groups, mean lawmakers should use the session to craft a more careful plan. Some lawmakers contend the short session isn’t used as intended. Sen. Kim Thatcher, R-Keizer, has proposed doing away with it altogether. “Ever since it was instituted, as I live through each of these short ses- sions, I think, ‘Wow, this is not what was sold to the voters,’” Thatcher said. “I think it needs to be reevalu- ated as to whether it’s working or not and make some changes.” Thatcher’s proposal — Senate Joint Resolution 202 — would eliminate the short session but keep the 160-day limit on regular sessions in odd-numbered years. Lawmak- ers could extend that session by fi ve days at a time by a two-thirds major- ity vote in each chamber. “I would even say that (regular sessions) could be made a little shorter,” Thatcher said. 11-33-44-59-67-8 x3 Win for Life: Jan. 22 1-25-54-68 Pick 4: Jan. 23 • 1 p.m.: 6-3-3-1 • 4 p.m.: 3-8-8-4 • 7 p.m.: 3-1-2-0 • 10 p.m.: 0-9-1-9 Pick 4: Jan. 22 • 1 p.m.: 6-1-1-8 • 4 p.m.: 9-2-9-8 • 7 p.m.: 7-6-0-8 • 10 p.m.: 3-9-7-7 NEWSPAPER LATE? Every effort is made to de- liver your Observer in a timely manner. Occasionally condi- tions exist that make delivery more diffi cult. If you are not on a motor route, delivery should be before 5:30 p.m. If your delivery is by motor carrier, delivery should be by 6 p.m. The Observer offi ce closes at 5 p.m. If you do not receive your paper please call 541-963- 3161. QUOTE OF THE DAY “I think of a hero as someone who understands the degree of responsibil- ity that comes with his freedom.” — Bob Dylan Oregon Kate Brown urges action on climate change By Kyle Spurr EO Media Group BEND — Crafting climate change policy in the wake of a landmark bill that failed last year is a top priority during the upcoming short legislative session for Oregon Gov. Kate Brown, she told a forum in Bend on Thursday. “We must do something meaningful and soon about climate change,” Brown told the audience. “This is the issue of our time.” The forum, hosted by the City Club of Central Oregon and held in the Riverhouse on the Deschutes convention center, was full of City Club members, elected offi cials and business leaders. Since the climate change legislation collapsed last year, Brown met with people on all sides of the debate to refi ne future policies, she said. “I am committed to FAMILY OWNED crafting climate policy that protects our environment and also grows our economy,” Brown said. “In Oregon, I know we can do both.” Specifi cally, the new pro- posed climate policy would not create unfair disparities in rural communities, Brown said. The proposed plan to cap carbon emissions would start in Portland, and other large populated cities, before affecting rural areas. It would be rolled out similarly to how minimum wage is increased across the state, Brown said. “Under this plan, or a simi- lar version, the majority of tru- ly rural communities will be exempted from price increases at the pump,” Brown said. Brown took several ques- tions from the audience about health care, wildfi re response and affordable housing. Kellen Sears, 10, a fi fth- grader at Juniper Elemen- tary School in Bend, asked Brown how she plans to accomplish so many things in such a short legislative session. The 2020 session begins Feb. 3 and will last a maximum of 35 days. “We are going to stay focused. We are going to get our work done,” Brown told Sears. “Everybody is going to show up and we are all going to smile and work through it.” Brown was later asked about how she might be able to avoid another situation like last legislative session, when 11 Oregon Repub- licans walked out of the Senate for nine days in June, with some of them leav- ing the state, to boycott the climate bill. CRNA Week: January 19-25, 2020 Every day, our Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs) provide anesthesia with the professional quality and personal care you expect and deserve when facing surgery or other healthcare procedures that require anesthesia. We appreciate their compassion and commitment to your comfort and your care! Drue Chandler, CRNA Bradley Close, CRNA Scott Dannenbring, CRNA Sheridan Klinger, CRNA Thank you for providing safe and effective anesthesia for all GRH patients! 215 Elm Street La Grande (541) 963-5440 northwestfurnitureandmattress.com Grande Ronde Hospital, Inc. is a private, 501(c)3 not -for-profit health system, established 1907.
