LOCAL
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 2020
HOLIDAY
Continued from Page 1A
McKinney said.
Still, the system in place
does prevent a lot of heart-
ache. McKinney said more
than a decade ago, students
would carry Valentine’s Day
gifts around all school day.
The principal said lunchtime
was awkward because some
students had a wealth of
balloons and fl owers while
others had nothing.
McKinney prefers it when
Valentine’s Day falls on a
Saturday or Sunday, when
there is no school. It prevents
students from being hurt, he
said, and it means there is
one less school day in which
there is a disrupted learning
environment.
Distress from Valentine’s
Day extends well beyond
school grounds.
“Valentine’s Day is notori-
ous for being acutely lonely,
a spotlight on the relation-
ships we wish we had, or a
day where our shortcomings
are glaringly obvious as we
botch it yet again,” according
to Luke Matteucci, founder
of La Grande’s Life Reforma-
tion Counseling. “The holiday
intended to celebrate love
can often trigger and exacer-
bate depression and anxiety.”
Daisy Thompson, counsel-
ing supervisor at the Center
for Human Development,
La Grande, concurred with
Matteucci, saying for some
people the holiday can hold
negative memories and emo-
tions. Fortunately, there is a
fi x to the issue.
“We teach people they
can assign a different, more
positive memory to the day,”
Thompson said.
She said to remember to
take care of yourself if the
day is making you anxious or
getting you down. Practicing
self-care is a great way to
help yourself, she said, and if
the holiday, or any day, is still
too much, CHD has a 24/7
crisis line to help at 541-962-
8800 option 6.
Being in a relationship
“Valentine’s Day is
notorious for being
acutely lonely, a spotlight
on the relationships we
wish we had, or a day
where our shortcomings
are glaringly obvious
as we botch it yet again.
The holiday intended to
celebrate love can often
trigger and exacerbate
depression and anxiety.”
— Luke Matteucci,
founder of La Grande’s Life
Reformation Counseling
does not necessarily keep
you from Valentine’s Day
blues. A healthy relationship
can help, though, according
to Thompson.
“There are two key ele-
ments to a healthy relation-
ship,” she said. “Communica-
tion and boundaries, and
communication is by far one of
the most important elements.”
Thompson said another
way to help bring positive
meaning to the holiday
is to celebrate even if you
don’t necessarily have a
signifi cant other. She said
during her travels to Bosnia
she discovered the day was
instead called Friendship
Day and celebrated all rela-
tionships, not just romantic
ones. Even though we don’t
celebrate Valentine’s Day
that way, she said, it can
help alleviate the pressure
to spend the day with a
romantic partner.
The strain the holiday
can put on someone’s wallet
can create an additional
stressors. The National
Retail Federation reported
an estimated $27.4 billion
will be spent in the U.S. on
Valentine’s Day, an average
of $196.31 per person.
Behind all the stress, how-
ever, the holiday is about love,
and mental health experts
suggest the best way to spend
the day is by remembering to
love yourself.
Photo by Sierra Dawn McClain/Capital Press
Thousands of Timber Unity supporters and members gather in front of the state Capitol to protest the cap-and-
trade bill under consideration in the Oregon Legislature. The bill would increase the price of fuel and damage the
rural economy, they say.
BILL
Continued from Page 1A
of trucks circled the Capitol through-
out the afternoon, their horns blaring
in apparent protest of the cap-and-
trade proposals.
Thursday’s events highlighted the
extent to which the climate change
legislation has dominated attention in
the Capitol, less than two weeks into
a legislative session that must end by
March 9.
The issue has inspired remonstra-
tions on the fl oor of the House and fre-
quent threats by Republicans in both
chambers to walk away from the ses-
sion to block the bill, as GOP senators
did last year. As the bill makes its way
toward a possible Senate fl oor vote, the
realities underlying those threats will
be put to the test.
In broad strokes, SB 1530 would set
a cap on greenhouse gas emissions from
the transportation, utility and manufac-
turing sectors, and lower allowed emis-
sions over time. Under the bill, nearly
100 entities would be required to obtain
permits for each ton of emissions.
Slightly less than half of those cred-
its would be sold at auction when the
bill is fully underway, according to the
governor’s offi ce. The remaining credits
would be provided free via various
mechanisms.
Exactly how much money the bill
might raise via auctions remains un-
clear. The Legislative Revenue Offi ce
was still working on a detailed revenue
impact statement as the bill moved
forward Thursday, but the number is
likely to be well below the $1.3 billion
ELGIN
last year’s carbon bill, HB 2020, was
expected to bring into state coffers
upon taking effect.
At the same time, the bill is expected
to create roughly $21 million in new
costs during the current budget year
— money that would likely need to
come from the general fund.
Champions of cap and trade say it is
the best way to meaningfully address
climate change at a crucial time. While
Oregon’s greenhouse gas emissions are
negligible on the global scale, they be-
lieve the state can beat a path for other
small or mid-sized states contemplat-
ing a climate change policy.
After spending Friday touring
areas in Eastern Oregon impacted by
last week’s record fl ooding, Gov. Kate
Brown said the state’s latest natural
disaster is another example of why
action like cap and trade is essential
sooner rather than later.
“I think if this event taught us
anything it’s that our climate is rapidly
changing and we need to take action,”
she said. “This is a market-based ap-
proach and we’ve worked hard to make
sure the approach allows us to invest
in our under served communities, par-
ticularly our rural communities and
tribal communities.”
Democrats also say the system will
allow Oregon to achieve strict bench-
marks for reducing its greenhouse gases.
When the bill takes effect, the governor’s
offi ce expects it will regulate roughly 55
million tons of emissions (about 84% of
the state’s total emissions).
Under the cap created by the bill,
those regulated emissions would be
required to decrease to 26 million tons
by 2035, and 9 million tons by 2050.
Critics of the bill argue that this
regulatory structure will wreak havoc
on the economy by raising prices on
fossil fuel use, prompting businesses to
close or move out of state.
Before passing the bill along Thurs-
day, the Senate committee amended the
bill in some notable respects — includ-
ing provisions meant to address critics.
Those changes were not enough to
placate Republicans, who had com-
plained loudly this week that Demo-
crats are jamming the policy through.
Key to Republican concerns Thurs-
day was the release on Wednesday
of new amendments to the bill. The
changes were relatively few, but were
tucked into a 177-page draft that left
most parts of the proposal untouched.
“Democrats dropped a 177-page
amendment on cap-and-trade less
than 24 hours before a vote in commit-
tee,” the Senate Republican Caucus
tweeted Thursday. “Conspiracy.”
State Sen. Alan Olsen, R-Canby, vice
chair of the Natural Resources Com-
mittee, walked out of a fl oor session
of the Senate on Thursday morning,
announcing he needed to read through
the amendment.
“I have but a few short hours to read
this, digest it, so I can be a pertinent
member of committee,” Olsen said. “So
I would ask to be excused from this
fl oor session so I can go do my work.”
In fact, some of the changes were
inspired by — though not identical
to — provisions Republicans had
requested, including a policy to encour-
age governments to purchase electric
vehicle fl eets.
Coming
Soon
Continued from Page 1A
an Individual award for her
role as Genie. Olivia Sturm
of Union and Maia Vanderv-
lugt of La Grande earned
spots on the festival’s all-star
group for their performances
as well. Hale said winning
these accolades showcase the
dedication and hard work
the students put in.
Getting to California was
perhaps the second hardest
task for the performers, right
behind competing, according
to Hale.
Each student paid for
the trip through personal
fundraising. The opera
house helped offset the costs
through small fundraisers or
donating proceeds from some
shows, but it was up to the
youth to cover the majority of
the cost.
The festival also had op-
portunities for students to
participate in workshops led
by industry professionals,
and a small team of students
participated in the festival’s
Tech Olympics, which tests
the technical elements of
theater, such as lighting,
sound, costume changes and
rigging. Hale said the team
did not make it to the fi nal
THE OBSERVER — 5A
T H E N E X T S TO P O N O U R
A DV E N T U R E I S I S L A N D C I T Y
Who are we?
Photo contributed by Elgin Opera House
The Elgin Opera House Youth Actors competed last
weekend in the iTheatrics Junior Theater Festival West
in Sacramento, California, and took home fi ve awards,
including the top award of Outstanding Performance for
their production of “Aladdin Jr.”
rounds, but for the group’s
fi rst year competing in that
part of the festival, they had
a lot of fun.
This was the opera house’s
third year as part of the
Junior Theater Festival
West. Going to this festival
and competing, Hale said, is
a wonderful opportunity for
DEAL
Continued from Page 1A
The faculty have yet to vote on whether
to ratify the proposal. If the organization ap-
proves, the EOU Board of Trustees must give
its OK before the contract will take effect.
The negotiations centered on several
issues, including salary and working condi-
tions. Neither side released details about the
tentative agreement.
As The Observer reported in December,
Eastern’s faculty sought base wage increases
of 5% for 2019-20 and 4% in 2020-21 and
again in 2021-22. The university was offer-
ing wage increases of 3.9% for 2019-20, 1%
in 2020-21 and 1% in 2021-22. Eastern’s
faculty also wanted the year one increase to
the students to meet people
who share their interest and
passion in theater.
“Theater is a creative
outlet for these kids,” Hale
said. “They may not go on to
pursue it professionally, but
at least while they are in the
program they have a safe
place to explore and learn.”
be retroactive to July 1. The administration
proposed the year one increase be retroactive
to Sept. 15.
Eastern faculty wanted their next contract
to reduce the gulf between their salaries and
those of professors at Western Oregon Univer-
sity, Monmouth, and Southern Oregon Uni-
versity, Ashland, because those are the state
universities most comparable to Eastern.
Under the existing contract, faculty at
Eastern top out at $63,703 a year for assis-
tant professors, $75,152 for associate profes-
sors and $82,854 for full professors.
Terms of the tentative agreement must be
made public for 15 days before the faculty
union can vote on ratifi cation of the contract.
The union has not announced when it will
post the terms on its website.
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