The Observer. (La Grande, Or.) 1968-current, May 07, 2020, Image 2

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The Observer., May 07, 2020, Page 2, Image 2

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Newspaper Page Text2A — THE OBSERVER THURSDAY, MAY 7, 2020 STATE DAILY Oregon Democrats top 1 million registered voters PLANNER “At this point, for the Democrats, By Dick Hughes For the Oregon Capital Bureau TODAY Today is Thursday, May 7, the 128th day of 2020. There are 238 days left in the year. TODAY’S HIGHLIGHT On May 7, 1789, America’s ﬁ rst inaugural ball was held in New York in honor of Pres- ident George Washington, who had taken the oath of ofﬁ ce a week earlier. ON THIS DATE In 1889, the Johns Hop- kins Hospital in Baltimore opened its doors. In 1915, a German U-boat torpedoed and sank the British liner RMS Lusitania off the southern coast of Ireland, killing 1,198 people, including 128 Americans, out of the nearly 2,000 on board. In 1928, the minimum voting age for British women was lowered from 30 to 21 — the same age as men. In 1939, Germany and Ita- ly announced a military and political alliance known as the Rome-Berlin Axis. In 1945, Germany signed an unconditional surrender at Allied headquarters in Rheims, France, ending its role in World War II. In 1946, Sony Corp. had its beginnings as the Tokyo Telecommunications Engi- neering Corp. was founded in the Japanese capital by Akio Morita and Masaru Ibuka. In 1954, the 55-day Battle of Dien Bien Phu in Vietnam ended with Vietnamese in- surgents overrunning French forces. In 1963, the United States launched the Telstar 2 com- munications satellite. In 1975, President Gerald R. Ford formally declared an end to the “Vietnam era.” In Ho Chi Minh City — formerly Saigon — the Viet Cong cele- brated its takeover. In 1992, the latest addition to America’s space shuttle ﬂ eet, Endeavour, went on its ﬁ rst ﬂ ight. In 1998, the parent company of Mercedes-Benz agreed to buy Chrysler Corp. for more than $37 billion. Londoners voted over- whelmingly to elect their own mayor for the ﬁ rst time in history. (In May 2000, Ken Livingstone was elected.) In 2004, Army Pfc. Lynndie England, shown in photo- graphs smiling and pointing at naked Iraqi prisoners, was charged by the military with assaulting the detainees and conspiring to mistreat them. LOTTERY Megabucks: $1.0 million 1-9-13-30-33-41 Mega Millions: $231 million 7-13-17-21-45-14 x2 Powerball: $59 million 13-16-33-58-68—PB-24 x5 Win for Life: May 4 12-23-56-72 Pick 4: May 5 • 1 p.m.: 2-6-8-8 • 4 p.m.: 3-2-1-4 • 7 p.m.: 9-5-1-8 • 10 p.m.: 9-5-5-7 Pick 4: May 4 • 1 p.m.: 3-3-3-0 • 4 p.m.: 2-1-6-4 • 7 p.m.: 9-3-2-1 • 10 p.m.: 9-6-7-1 DELIVERY ISSUES? If you have any problems receiving your Observer, call the ofﬁ ce at 541-963-3161. TODAY’S QUOTE “There are those who believe something, and therefore will tolerate noth- ing; and on the other hand, those who tolerate every- thing, because they believe nothing.” — Robert Browning, English poet (born this date in 1812; died in 1889) Greetings to our socially distant friends It has been a long time since I wrote a column for the Observer, but with restaurants being only allowed to do take-out, we felt like we needed to explain to the public what we are doing at Ten Depot Street. Although we have been closed for 6 weeks, this Mother’s Day week-end we will be open Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings for take-out from 5 to 8, and on Sunday morning from 9 to 1:00, serving a limited menu. For Dinner we are offering Prime Rib, Prime Rib Sandwiches, Crab Stuffed Halibut, Sautéed Jumbo Shrimp, Chicken Alfredo, Mushroom Tenderloin, Taco or Caesar Salads and two small plate selections. For Brunch we are preparing a breakfast selection and a lunch selection. The breakfast selection is a choice of Salmon Quiche or Baked Stuffed Eggs with potatoes, Hill’s sau- sage, fresh fruit cup, pickled asparagus, rhu- barb buckle or biscuit. Beer, wine, Bloody Mary;s and Mimosas will also be available. SALEM — Before Bernie Sanders halted his presidential campaign, he might have caused a surge in Oregon voters who switched to being Demo- crats for the state’s May pri- mary election. New statistics released by the Secretary of State’s Ofﬁ ce show the Democratic Party is Oregon’s ﬁ rst polit- ical party to top 1 million voters. “These numbers are for the record books, and demonstrate the strength of our party’s vision for all Oregonians and the work of Democratic activists from all corners of the state,” Carla “K.C.” Hanson, chair of the Oregon Democratic Party, said Tuesday in a statement. But Kevin Hoar, the communications director for the Oregon Republican Party, said it’s not sur- prising that the crowded Democratic presidential ﬁ eld had initially increased interest on the Democratic this is their moment to celebrate because we think it’s all downhill from here.” Kevin Hoar, communications director for the Oregon Republican Party side of the May 19 primary election. “At this point, for the Democrats, this is their moment to celebrate because we think it’s all downhill from here,” Hoar said, adding that Republi- cans are focusing their voter registration efforts toward the Nov. 3 general election. Both the Oregon Demo- cratic and Republican par- ties restrict voting in their primaries to members of their party. Veteran polit- ical scientist Jim Moore said it appears that many previously unafﬁ liated voters changed their regis- tration to Democrat, likely to vote for Sanders, which helped put the Democratic party over the 1 million mark. “It shows that there is an electorate out there that’s paying attention to poli- tics and will take actions in order to vote as they want to in the primary,” said Moore, a professor at Paciﬁ c University. The lineups for the May 19 primary ballot were set weeks ago. The Democratic presidential candidates are Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, who had ended her cam- paign before Sanders, and Joe Biden, the presumptive nominee. President Donald Trump is the sole Repub- lican candidate. As of April, Oregon had 2,862,831 registered voters. By party, they included: • Democrats, 1,006,266 • Republicans, 711,344 • Independent, 123,189 • Libertarian, 19,215 • Working Families, 9,128 • Paciﬁ c Green, 7,679 • Constitution, 3,682 • other parties, 17,660 But the second-largest group of voters, behind Democrats, comprises the 962,453 voters who chose no party. Moore said the new data do not represent signiﬁ - cant change in the Oregon electorate. The number of unafﬁ liated voters has been rising for decades at the expense of the major parties. That shift took off in the 1990s but began in the 1970s in the aftermath of the Watergate scandal and President Richard Nixon’s resignation, according to Moore. Instead of seeing political parties as a way to accomplish common goals, voters came to view both major parties as corrupt. Oregon’s system of auto- matic “motor voter” regis- tration through the DMV has swelled voter rolls in recent years, especially for unafﬁ liated voters. Overall registration in Oregon is up 2.85 % from a year ago. That could mean a large turnout at the November general election, which is open to all voters regard- less of party. “It looks like we’re going to have the possi- bility once again, as we did in 2018, of a record number of people voting but the percentage of registered voters will be lower simply because there are so many more voters,” Moore said. The state party also announced it was forgoing its customary in-person nominating convention and instead would use mail and online voting to choose its delegates to the Demo- cratic National Convention, which now is scheduled for mid-August in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The results of the May primary elec- tion will determine how 61 of Oregon’s delegates are apportioned among the three candidates. Thousands of Oregon families will get extra food stamps By Rachel Alexander Salem Reporter via AP StoryShare SALEM — The 351,000 Oregon students who nor- mally receive free or reduced-price meals at school will receive extra food stamps to cover the value of those meals while schools are closed. Oregon last week got a green light from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to expand its food stamp program, giving families an extra $384 per month, per child. Families with school-age children who already receive food stamps will automatically get addi- tional money added to their Oregon Trail cards ret- roactive to March, when schools closed their doors. The funds will be added in late May, the Depart- ment of Human Services and Oregon Department of Education said in a news release. The expansion will cost Oregon about $154 million, with half the cost covered by the federal government. The need for help with food has grown dramati- cally in recent months as many Oregon families have lost jobs because of pan- demic-related closures, said Rick Gaupo, president and CEO of Marion Polk Food Share. The local food banks they supply to have seen about a 50% increase in demand over the past month, Gaupo said. Food stamp applications in Oregon also have spiked, said Jennifer Gretz, spokes- woman for the Department of Human Services. Before the pandemic began, about 13,000 applications per month was typical. Now, she said the department sees 8,500 to 13,000 per week. For Lunch on Sunday, a choice of Roast Beef or Salmon with lots of extras. Sunday Brunch or Lunch is $15. A complete menu can be found on our website (tendepotstreet.com.) Orders can be placed by phone (541 963- 8766), through email (tendepotstreet @gmail. com), or on Facebook. If you leave a message we will call you back. Orders can be picked up at our bakery building behind the restaurant. Simply drive down our alley from Depot Street at your scheduled time for pick-up and pull up to the window on the left. We will have your order ready. We would prefer cash or a check for the exact amount. Credit cards can be taken over the phone, but we pay a high price to the credit card companies for that service. For all of our good customers, we are missing you and are looking forward to when we can return to normal. If this week-end goes well, we will consider doing take-out every week-end. Stay safe and healthy. B LUE P LATE S PECIAL $10.95 Fresh Oregon Snapper with Parsley-Onion Sauce, rice, creamy coleslaw, bread (served Monday through Friday) Though many school districts, including Salem- Keizer, are offering free meals for students to take home, families have to show up at a school between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. to get food. Gaupo praised the dis- trict’s effort to get food to families, but said coming to a school midday can still be a challenge for those who are working or can’t leave the home. Extra food stamp beneﬁ ts can help close that gap. “It will capture people who fall through the cracks a lot better,” Gaupo said. The extra money is $5.70 for each day students would have been in school, which works out to $384 per child for meals from March 16, RE-ELECT the ﬁ rst day of the statewide school closure, to mid-June. Students who receive free or reduced-price break- fast and lunch at school but don’t have food stamps will have a card mailed to them. About 28,000 Salem- Keizer students normally receive free or reduced- price meals at school. District workers have been handing out breakfast and lunch to-go daily at 36 schools around the district since the closure began, averaging about 20,000 meals per day in recent weeks. “The demand we’re seeing at the locations speaks for what’s hap- pening in the community,” said district spokeswoman Lillian Govus. The district began handing out grocery boxes weekly at Four Corners Ele- mentary School in early April after nearby local food banks closed their doors, and is expanding that effort to Washington Ele- mentary School beginning May 8. FAMILY OWNED 215 Elm Street La Grande (541) 963-5440 northwestfurnitureandmattress.com BOYD RASMUSSEN for SHERIFF WE SUPPORT SHERIFF BOYD RASMUSSEN Craig Nightingale Wes and Marie Rampton Mike and Nikki Robertson Robb Rea G and Val Royes Brett Rudd Todd and Gidget Sannar Terry and Annie Secl Ed Schmittle Lance C. Shoemaker Rick Simmonis Mark Simmons Troy Simmons Wayne and Ernestine Simonis Doyle and Connie Slater I have had many interactions with Betty Sprenger the Sheriff's Ofﬁce, professionally Linda and Sheldon Strand as Union Fire Chief, EMT, and as a Andy and Julie Tarvin Billy Taylor private citizen. I have always been Bill Teeter impressed with the men and women Terry and Kathy Thimmes serving under Boyd. He has been Sean White a great help in getting Deputies to Tom and Karen Waldrip Union, Cove, North Powder and Don and Lila Waldrop Bob and Kathy Walker other outlying areas. Hopefully we Kris and Bud Walker can get a Deputy in Union soon Hank Warg from a grant Boyd has applied for. Guy and Peggy Weishaar Tod Hull Mary West (Imbler) Mary West (Elgin) Marc Lee Bev White Todd and Melanie Livingston Mike Wisdom Lee and Edith Lowe Bill and Linda Whittemore Rich McConnell Rich and Rachel Zinzer Dan and Nancy McDonald Mike McLean Jim and Rita McMahan Bill and Stacy Merrigan Michelle McKinney Theora Mickey Verl Miller and Kathryn Lusk Glenn and Anita McIntosh Rick and Janice Muilenburg Steve Neumann "The Sheriff's Ofﬁce operates Maureen O’Connell similar to a business; Amy and Gunnar Rolf David R. Orcutt managing & scheduling Chris and Linda Panike deputies, preparing budgets DRC’s Property Management Inc Boyd has experience, integrity, Michael and Tracy Partney and working with the public. Aaron and Hilary Dahle education and compassion. He Ralph Patterson I feel Sheriff Boyd Rasmussen Larry and Edna Davidson Tony Pedro Loren and Michelle Davidson has built an outstanding team has proven he has the qualities Skip Pereira that services Union County. Joe and Erin Davidson and leadership to continue to Joseph and Cathy Petrusek I cast my vote for William A & Sharon DeLashmutt carry out these duties as Howard and Suzanne Perry Cresta DeLint Sheriff Boyd Rasmussen!" Union County Sheriff.” Tim and Jenny Phelps Ves and Lois Doty Verl Miller Sonny Johnson Allan and Michelle Duffy Bonnie Dunn Kent Dutson Brock Eckstein John and Melissa Fullerton Dr Gerrie Gardner Randy and Pam Glenn James and Tracey Gorham Joaquin Grant Gordon and Barbara Gribling Gary and Ginny Hager Risa Hallgarth “Our county has been fortunate to Andy and Cindy Hale have such an experienced, knowledgeable & trustworthy sheriff. Mr and Mrs Boyd Harmon Mark and Linda Harris Let's help that continue. Phil and Trudy Hassinger He has our vote!” Jamie and Mike Hicks Micheal & Tracy Partney and Family Lanny Hildebrandt Doug and Patty Hislop Gregory Acres Dixie Hofmann Fred Alexis Bart Hoffman Walt and Linda Anderson Curt and Annette Howell Katherine Austin Tod and Angel Hull Martha J. Bailey Brent and Donna Huntsman Greg Barreto Matt and Melanie Insko Greg M. Baxter Sonny and Mary Jane Johnson Sharon Beck Don’s Lawn Service (Don Junker) Dan Bellmore All Air HVAC Service (Scott Kaber) Wes and Teri Berry Bruce and Karen Kevan Austin & Jeana Bingaman Ken Knott Ross and Carrie Bingaman Jim Kopp Russel and Patty Bingaman Alicia Koller Wade and Angie Bingaman Dave and Zee Koza Julie Bodﬁsh Ken and Beccy Kramer Jack and Jennifer Boyd Barney Kuensting Kem Brainerd John Lamoreau Jim Brainerd Denny and Colleen Langford Keith and Helen Brindell Eric Laurence Betty Bronson JD and Audrey Cant Christine Carlson Shari Carpenter John Cavin Cathie Clark Wendy Clerget Lynn and Jody Combe John C Cuthbert Paid for by the Committee to Re-Elect Boyd Rasmussen Sheriﬀ, Rita McMahan, Treasurer, 62436 Mink, Summerville