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About The Observer. (La Grande, Or.) 1968-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 13, 2020)
In Go! Inside Bridge work planned, 2A Bolton breaking EOU track and fi eld records, 8A ‘Much Ado About Nothing’ Follow us on the web THURSDAY • February 13, 2020 • $1.50 Good day to our valued subscriber Karen Smith of La Grande District 2 hopeful visits La Grande Climate activists swarm Capitol By Dick Mason By Sam Stites and Claire Withycombe The Observer LA GRANDE — Former state legislator Jason At- kinson of Central Point has never voted for a tax increase and he has no plans to start if voters send him to Con- gress later this year. The 2nd Congressional District candidate said he has been committed to hold- ing the line on taxes through- out his 14-year stint in the Oregon Legislature. “I am the only candidate in this race (who has served in elective offi ce) who has never voted for a tax or fee increase,” Atkinson said Wednesday morning during a campaign stop at Cook Me- morial Library, La Grande. Atkinson was on a swing through Eastern Oregon, which included stops in Hermiston and Pendleton. He is one of eight Republi- cans seeking the nomina- tion in the May 19 primary. Five Democrats are vying to earn the crown from their party. He said as a congress- man he would maintain his strong position against tax increases. “I would continue to be like this as a congressman,” he said. “Congress needs more quality people. It does not need more money.” Based on the most recent Federal Election Commis- sion campaign fi nance data, Atkinson has raised about $96,000. Fellow Republicans Jimmy Crumpacker of Bend has raised almost $594,000 including $200,000 he loaned his campaign, while Knute Buehler, also of Bend, has amassed nearly $386,000, none of it in a loan. Atkinson noted he at- tempted to get Oregon’s death and capital gains taxes repealed or reduced while serving in the Legislature. Atkinson, who was in the state House from 1999-2001 and the state Senate from 2001-13, said he faced enor- mous pressure to vote for gas tax increases but always resisted. He was ready for the fi restorms that followed. See Atkinson / Page 5A Oregon Capital Bureau to year, all written by Ensler. “Some of them are really funny. Some deal with the word ‘vagina’ itself, talk- ing about your body, being comfortable with your body, coming to terms with appre- ciating your body and the beauty of it. Some of them talk about sex,” Juarez said. EOU alumnus Candi Nielsen is doing a mono- logue called “The Flood,” which she said reminds her of her grandmother. “The monologue is about an older woman rediscover- ing her body and what that is. I think back to my grand- mother and everything was quiet and hush-hush, and (sex) was just for baby mak- ing. You didn’t talk about SALEM — Activists seeking to clean Oregon’s environment by reducing greenhouse gas emissions turned out by the hundreds Tuesday at the Capitol, pushing legislators to move ahead with a cap-and-trade policy. All told, organizers reported more than 1,000 people traveled to the Capitol to support Senate Bill 1530, which aims to cap and shrink the state’s carbon emissions and generate revenue for environmental projects. Demonstrators ranged from Salem-area teenagers who took time out from school to middle-aged Wasco County residents. One of those local teens was Angelique Prater, 17, of Salem, who spoke to the crowd about her activism. In an interview, she said her parents, immigrants from Mexico who work in agriculture, already were feeling the effects of climate change — extreme tempera- tures in winter and summer. She said she fi rst heard about the proposal from friends in school and then got involved in activism. “I’m here today to fi ght for the climate crisis and to, you know, push our legislators to fi ght for strong climate leg- islation,” Prater said, adding that legislation was the most important part of “solving the climate crisis.” The pending legislation would establish a new limit on certain emissions and reduce them over time. The limits would apply to certain industries and major fuel importers. The cap-and- -trade policy would carve up the emissions limit into allowances that emitters can buy and sell on a market. The idea is that as emis- sions targets get lower, fewer allowances are available, and industry would improve pollution controls. Opponents have criticized the plan for its potential impact on consumers and small businesses, par- ticularly through higher fuel costs. Recent revisions to the legislation spare counties east of the Cascades from regulations on fuel importers and provide a way for natu- ral gas companies to guard their low-income customers against higher costs. The event began at noon with speeches on the Capitol steps from activists and political offi cials, including remarks from Multnomah County Commissioner Jessi- ca Vega Pederson, Milwaukie Mayor and congressional candidate Mark Gamba See Monologues / Page 3A See Climate / Page 5A Staff photo by Sabrina Thompson La Grande’s Greenwood Elementary kindergarten teacher Kendra Carman teaches a small group of students mathematics through learning about money during Wednesday’s class. On the right track By Sabrina Thompson The Observer UNION COUNTY — Kindergar- ten students in Union County school districts are on track or slightly above the state average, accord- ing to the Oregon Department of Education 2019-2020 Kindergarten Assessment. The assessment during the fi rst six weeks of school measured stu- dents’ math, reading, writing and social skills. In most assessments, the schools of Union County scored at or above the state average. However, the Union School District was behind in math, and Imbler and Elgin were behind in social skills. “The assessment is a quick snap- shot,” La Grande’s Greenwood Elementary School principal Ryan Westenskow said. “It is only so useful. What this data tells me is we are right in the mix. We don’t want to toot our horn, but we don’t want to freak out about those numbers either.” In math, which tested students on 16 simple questions, La Grande kindergartners scored 12.1, compared to the state’s average of 11. In social skills, such as self-regulation and in- terpersonal skills, La Grande is right along the state average of 3.6 rating Staff photo by Sabrina Thompson Kindergarten students at Greenwood Elementary School, La Grande, learn about math Wednesday through a variety of techniques, including videos and hands-on instruction. out of fi ve. And in early literacy, which tests understanding of upper and low- ercase letters and sound recognition, La Grande students were above the state average in all elements. “The skills assessed on the Kinder- garten Assessment align with early learning and Oregon state standards,” said Holly Dalton, an early learning specialist at the state education de- partment. “They are predictive of later success in school. For instance, the results of the Kindergarten Assess- ment are largely correlated with our third grade outcomes.” Union Elementary School princi- pal Chris Dunlap said the goals for See Schools / Page 5A ‘Monologues’ share women’s stories By Sabrina Thompson The Observer LA GRANDE — Eve Ensler premiered her play “The Vagina Monologues” in 1996, and since then the cultural phenomenon has been translated into nearly 50 languages, giving voice to women’s stories across the world. Eastern Oregon Univer- sity groups are bringing the play back for the fi rst time since 2004 with showings at 7 p.m. Feb. 28 in Hoke Union Building room 339, and again at 7 p.m. Feb. 29 at hq, 112 Depot St., both in La Grande. Proceeds from the show will go to Shelter From the Storm, the local safe haven for survivors of domestic violence, sexual INDEX Business ...... 1B Classified ..... 3B Community . 7A Crossword ... 7B actors performing 17 mono- logues. “It is people’s experiences that you don’t know about and you don’t hear about a lot because they are not amplifi ed,” EOU student and performer Julia Huyg said of the play. “Anything that we can do to amplify the voices of people who have stories to tell is what we want to do.” The show consists of individual and group mono- logues that cover topics of consensual and nonconsen- sual sexual experiences, body image, sex work and more. Ensler interviewed more than 200 women to create the monologues, and the number of monologues and topics change from year assault and stalking. “It is really about raising awareness and stopping violence against women and girls,” said Beckie Juarez, the production’s director. “The show talks about what it is like to be a woman, and our bodies, which unfortu- nately is not very talked about still in society. It is still fairly taboo in 2020, which is ridiculous.” Three student groups are coming together to present the play: the Student Asso- ciation for Gender Equality, Mountainqueers and Sexual Health Advocacy Group. But the roles were open to all community members, stu- dents, faculty and alumni. The cast is composed of 15 women and non-binary WEATHER Dear Abby .... 8B Horoscope ... 5B Lottery.......... 2A Obituaries .... 3A SATURDAY Opinion ........ 4A Spiritual Life 6A Sports .......... 8A Weather ....... 8B Full forecast on the back of B section Tonight Friday 30 LOW 40/30 A bit of snow A snow shower 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 19 3 sections, 26 pages La Grande, Oregon VALENTINE’S AND MENTAL HEALTH Online at lagrandeobserver.com
