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About The Observer. (La Grande, Or.) 1968-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 6, 2020)
LOCAL THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2020 THE OBSERVER — 5A KIDS CLUB dance has steadily dropped. Kids Club served a total of 172 individual children in 2016-17, 116 in 2017-18 and 96 in 2018-19. Kids Club has had 61 individual children attend during the fi scal year that started July 1, 2019 and runs to June 30. Few of these children were one-time drop-ins. The average child attended Kids Club about 160 hours a year, according to Community Connection statistics. Families on average pay between $2-$3 an hour per child to attend Kids Club. Several circumstances may have hurt attendance, Thomas said, including La Grande School District’s switch from half day to full day kindergarten in 2015, which reduced parents need for child care. The school district in 2006 also moved all sixth graders from elementary schools to the La Grande Middle School. Once at the middle school, Thomas said, many sixth graders perceived themselves as too old to attend Kids Club. Kids Club, which has oper- ated year round, is now open to children age 5 to 12 each school day from 7-8:30 a.m. and 2:30-5:30 p.m. Children play games in Riveria’s gym, get meals and snacks, participate in education activities, including paint- ing and science, technology, engineering and math. The youth also can do homework in classrooms while receiv- ing tutoring from Kids Club instructors. The club’s staff includes Janine Thomas, who has been with the program for the past 16 years, the last 11 as its director. “This is one of the great- est jobs I have had,’’ Thomas said. “It has been a great joy. Every day is different, you never know what you are getting into.’’ Thomas said some children like the program so much that after they get too old for it, they come back in different capacities. One 13-year-old came back to work as a volunteer and an- other was hired to be a Kids Club teacher. Thomas said children at- tending Kids Club sessions in the afternoon have a lot of pent up vigor. “They have a lot of energy because they have been sitting behind desks all day,’’ she said. Children coming in the morning are a bit more subdued. “They are a little qui- eter, they are sleepy heads,’’ Thomas said. She said it was hard to ac- cept the news that Kids Club is closing. “I do not want it to go away,’’ she said. Davidson said for Kids Club needs an additional $75,000 in 2020-21 to continue running past June. Davidson said the possibility of donors coming forward with that much fund- ing is remote, but she is not giving up hope. “I’m an optimist,” David- son said. “I always think the glass is half full.” Romney choked up as he said he drew on his faith and “oath before God” to an- nounce he would vote guilty on the fi rst charge, abuse of power. He voted to acquit on the second. Both Bill Clinton in 1999 and Andrew Johnson in 1868 drew cross-party support when they were left in offi ce after an impeachment trial. President Richard Nixon resigned rather than face revolt from his own party. Ahead of voting, some of the most closely watched sen- ators took to the Senate fl oor to tell their constituents, and the nation, what they had decided. The Senate chap- lain opened the trial with daily prayers for the senators, including one Wednesday seeking “integrity.” Infl uential GOP Sen. Lamar Alexander of Tennes- see, who is retiring, worried that a guilty verdict would “pour gasoline on the fi re” of the nation’s culture wars over Trump. He said the House proved its case but it just didn’t rise to the level of impeachment. “It would rip the country apart,” Alexander said before his vote. Other Republicans siding with Trump said it was time to end what McConnell called the “circus” and move on. Trump ally GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham said it was a “sham” designed to destroy a presidency. Most Democrats, though, echoed the House managers’ warnings that Trump, if left unchecked, would continue to abuse the power of his offi ce for personal political gain and try to “cheat” again ahead of the 2020 election. During the nearly three-week trial, House Democrats prosecuting the case argued that Trump abused power like no other president in history when he pressured Ukraine to investigate Biden and his son, Hunter Biden, ahead of the 2020 election. They detailed an extraor- dinary shadow diplomacy run by Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani that set off alarms at the highest levels of gov- ernment. After Trump’s July 25 phone call with Ukraine, Trump temporarily halted U.S. aid to the struggling ally battling hostile Russia at its border. The money was even- tually released in September as Congress intervened. When the House probed Trump’s actions, the presi- dent instructed White House aides to defy congressional subpoenas, leading to the obstruction charge. One key Democrat, Alabama Sen. Doug Jones — perhaps the most endan- gered politically for reelec- tion in a state where Trump is popular — announced he would vote to convict. “Sena- tors are elected to make tough choices,” Jones said. Questions from the Ukraine matter continue to swirl. House Democrats may yet summon former national security adviser John Bolton to testify about revelations from his forthcoming book that offer a fresh account of Trump’s actions. Other eyewitnesses and documents are almost sure to surface. In closing arguments for the trial the lead prosecutor, Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., appealed to senators’ sense of decency, that “right mat- ters” and “truth matters” and that Trump “is not who you are.’’ “The president’s basic lack of character, his willingness to cheat in the election - he’s not going to stop,” Schiff told The Associated Press on Wednesday, predicting more revelations would become public. “It’s not going to change, which means that we are going to have to remain eternally vigilant.” Pelosi was initially reluc- tant to launch impeachment proceedings against Trump when she took control of the House after the 2018 election, dismissively telling more liberal voices that “he’s not worth it.’’ Trump and his GOP al- lies in Congress argue that Democrats have been trying to undercut him from the start. But a whistleblower complaint of his conversa- tion with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy set off alarms. The call had been placed the day after Mueller announced the fi ndings of his Russia probe. When Trump told Pelosi in September that the call was perfect, she was stunned. “Perfectly wrong,” she said. Days later, the speaker an- nounced the formal impeach- ment inquiry. The result was the quick- est, most partisan impeach- ment in U.S. history, with no Republicans joining the House Democrats to vote for the charges, though one GOP congressman left the party and voted for impeachment and two Democrats joined Republicans to oppose. The Republican Senate kept up the pace with the fastest trial ever, and the fi rst with no witnesses or deliberations. Trump’s legal team with star attorney Alan Dershow- itz made the sweeping, if stunning, assertion that even if the president engaged in the quid pro quo as described, it is not impeachable, because politicians often view their own political interest with the national interest. Continued from Page 1A “It was a very diffi cult decision,’’ said Margaret Davidson, executive director of Community Connection. “We love the program. It (the closure) is sad but the money is not there.’’ On the bright side, La Grande Parks and Recre- ation director Stu Spence said Wednesday morning the city will be looking into ways in which it might be able to meet the needs the closure of Kids Club will produce. Community Connection started Kids Club in 1995, and it has operated at the Riveria Activity Center since 2002. Davidson said Kids Club has been running at a defi cit the past three or four years, primarily because it has been unable to obtain large grants from community foundations that it once did. The Ford Family Founda- tion, the Collins Foundation and the Oregon Community Foundation are among the foundations that have sup- ported Kids Club in a big way during much of its history. Kids Club also has suf- fered from declining atten- dance in recent years. The program served 241 individual children at its peak in the 2007-2008 fi scal year, and since then atten- TRUMP Continued from Page 1A Trump has eagerly predicted vindication, deploying the verdict as a political anthem in his reelection bid. The president claims he did noth- ing wrong, decrying the “witch hunt” and “hoax” as exten- sions of special counsel Robert Mueller’s probe into Russian 2016 campaign interference by those out to get him from the start of his presidency. Trump’s political cam- paign tweeted videos, state- ments and a cartoon dance celebrating that he was “vindicated.” Trump him- self tweeted that he would speak from the White House on Thursday about “our Country’s VICTORY on the Impeachment Hoax.” A majority of senators expressed unease with Trump’s pressure campaign on Ukraine that resulted in the two articles of impeach- ment. But two-thirds “guilty” votes would have been needed to reach the Constitu- tion’s bar of high crimes and misdemeanors to convict and remove Trump from offi ce. The fi nal tallies fell far short. On the fi rst article of impeachment, abuse of power, the vote was 52-48 favor- ing acquittal. The second, obstruction of Congress, also produced a not guilty verdict, 53-47. Only one Republican, Mitt Romney of Utah, the party’s defeated 2012 presidential nominee, broke with the GOP. Staff photo by Dick Mason Local youth line up Tuesday to get snacks at Kids Club, a child care program in La Grande. Without funding, the program will close in early June. CCNO Continued from Page 1A impossible to give the way they do, it’d be a mess. I think centralized is best.” Hensley said having multiple food pantries across the counties also helps people access the food rather than make them come to one central location. “The more food bank partners we have, the easier it is to access them,” he said. One reason CCNO does not handle all community services is because the grants that fund the organization often are specifi c, Hensley said. There are certain situations Community Connec- tion cannot fi nancially help with, such as gas money or a bus ticket. However, the organization can provide referrals to one of its partners — the Oregon Department of Human Services, the La Grande-based Center for Human De- velopment, domestic violence shelters and services such as Shelter From the Storm, the Veterans Affairs offi ce and churches. The partnerships work both ways. Churches and other agencies often refer people to CCNO for the ser- vices the organization can provide. “We are already handling quite a bit,” Hensley said. “One issue is Oregon housing and community services are very restricted on their budgets.” Hensley explained other organiza- tions have the grant restrictions, so the funds must go toward housing or health and wellness programming and educa- tion. The circumstances makes these partnerships all the more important, bridging the gaps to provide a full spec- trum of assistance. Not every organization in the area partners with Community Connection. Rise Inc. is a nonprofi t agency for children with mental health challenges, adults with developmental and other disabilities, and aging adults. Rise, how- ever, does not work with Community Connection. Rise, like CCNO, has multiple pro- grams to address various needs, all of which are federally funded and state operated. While Community Connec- tion and its partners offer programming for aging adults, there are a limited number of options for children with mental health issues and adults with disabilities as compared with the cover- age from Rise. Debbie Ewing, the Eastern Oregon director for Rise, said a discussion about partnering with Community Connec- tion has not come up at this point. Hensley said if there is an organization in the area with services that CCNO does not offer, a partnership is always possible. “We might hear about something an agency is offering, services we don’t have, and we get on board and meet about working together,” Hensley said. In most cases, people who come to CCNO for help are assigned a case manager who will guide them to services and follow up to ensure their needs are being met. Community Con- nection in 2019 handled 4,374 cases. Hensley said having one-on-one, in- person contact is key and helps people feel connected. “When there is a client in need of help, we don’t want them sent all over the place — they can get confused and tired,” Hensley said. “We have a lot of programs and partnerships, and while (clients) may feel like they are being shuffl ed be- tween agencies, they still have a central place they can go back to.” 541-786-8984 Alliance Self Storage 2105 E L Ave., La Grande • allianceselfstorage123@gmail.com Thank You Chamber Members Green Fire Production Big Valley Safety Training www.VisitUnionCounty.org Call today to connect with a SENIOR LIVING ADVISOR INDEPENDENT LIVING • ASSISTED LIVING • MEMORY CARE A Place for Mom has helped over a million families find senior living solutions that meet their unique needs. There’s no cost to you! (888) 651-5669 ! 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