Opinion
4A
Saturday, Aug. 8, 2020
From the Editor’s Desk
It’s all
about
changes
he coronavirus pandemic continues to
force us to adapt and change, some-
times daily. The Observer’s newsroom
has reported on some of these changes, pre-
dominantly in business, education and school
sports. But we know the changes go far deeper.
Over the past couple of weeks, our reporters
have talked to locals about how the virus has
changed their
FROM THE EDITOR
lives.
That has
PHIL
led us create
WRIGHT
a series of
OBSERVER EDITOR
centerpieces
we’re running
in each edition of the paper next week that we’re
tentatively calling “Pandemic Profi les.”
“Hyperlocal” is the mantra of modern com-
munity journalism and one I believe in. Com-
munities like ours overflow with interesting,
newsworthy stories. Community newspapers
such as The Observer are the organizations that
can chase those down and deliver these stories
to readers.
Yet while doing that, we also can be the
window to the larger world. We continue to
tap into reporting from our related papers
for regional and state news. And during the
past few months, The Observer has worked to
deliver relevant or interesting national and even
international news. In the last few weeks we’ve
dabbled in a smattering of “weird” news, for
lack of a better term.
Selecting national and international news
is something of an experiment for me as the
editor. So many outlets provide that news, so I
don’t see much sense in running an Associated
Press story on the latest flamewars involving
the president, for example. But NASA working
to put a massive rover on Mars, yes, that I want
in our paper.
Likewise, we haven’t published anything in
the paper about the horrific explosion this week
in Beirut. By the time we could have a a story
in print, I doubt it would have told readers
much they didn’t already know. And we likely
would have had to trim an AP story to its bare
bones to fit on the page somewhere, and that
would not have done the crisis justice.
To that end, you may see more of those sto-
ries on our website. Don’t take that to mean we
have lost a commitment to local reporting. It
just means we can do more online than in print.
Still, like a lot of experiments, we’re going to
have some inconstant results. For example, our
website — for now — lacks a specific page to
carry international news. And while you can
email us a letter to the editor as long as 350
words, doing so on the website limits you to
250. We’re working on that as well.
To that end, if there is something you think
we should cover and have not, if you have sug-
gestions about what you want to see in the
paper or online, if you like what we are doing,
or even if you don’t, send an email about it to
me at pwright@lagrandeobserver.com. I can’t
promise The Observer will adopt every recom-
mendation or change, but I’ll read them all.
Although maybe not next week, as I’m off
for a bit of a break. But don’t let that stop you.
T
Letters
Head Start should look
closer
Perhaps Head Start should take a
closer look as there is a lot of spurious
information out there about children
and coronavirus.
Children can carry the corona-
virus, and they may also have serious
disabling consequences. There is
something called Multisystem Infl am-
matory Syndrome that children can
get when being around those who
have the coronavirus. Search for
“medical acronym MIS-C.”
To see images of MIS-C, search
“MIS-C images” and then the “show
all images.”
There is another one called “fl accid
paralysis.” Search for “fl accid paral-
ysis reported in children,” and pick
the “children’s hospital” link.
Stuart Croghan
La Grande
Changing state borders is
the least of our worries
Thank you for your very wise edi-
torial opinion regarding the “Greater
Idaho” push (Observer editor Phil
Wright’s column “Greater Idaho does
not warrant greater coverage” in the
Write to us
The Observer welcomes letters to the editor. Letters are limited to 350 words and must
be signed and carry the author’s address and phone number (for verifi cation purposes only).
Email your letters to news@lagrandeobserver.com or mail them to the address below.
Aug. 4 edition).
The ideas presented in the column
are so cogent, I could have thought
of them myself. You have so clearly
pointed out the waste of time, effort
and reasoning trying to change state
borders when our post offi ces are
threatened, the census is being dam-
aged, voting is becoming more diffi -
cult for some Americans, Russians are
paying Iraquis to kill our soldiers, and
hundreds of thousands of Americans
are dying from COVID-19. And more.
I agree. No more Greater Idaho
articles. Let’s learn about these
other threats to the United States of
America.
Evelyn Swart
Joseph
Disappointed by lack
of Lighthouse Church
accountability
Upon fi rst reading the title of
Roger Barnes’ My Voice column
(“Forgiveness is not forgetting,”
The Observer, July 28), my initial
reaction was, “What, more?” But
I thought he might have an inter-
esting perspective so I read on. I
was rewarded by having my eyes
opened on the Lighthouse Church
COVID-19 affair.
Mr. Barnes’ main point is to
wonder why there were no legal
charges or punishment against the
church. Previously I had not ques-
tioned the lack of charges. But his
column made me consider a parallel
case. If someone held a rap music
concert with 100 attendees, received
warning from law enforcement to
cease, and then held another concert,
would they be charged with violating
COVID-19 orders? I am forced to
believe they would. This leads me to
the conclusion that those who might
charge a private party organizer are
biased by not charging a private reli-
gious organization, the Lighthouse
Church. This is disappointing.
Lia Spiegel
La Grande
Our View
Subject emergency orders to review
or more than four months,
Oregon has largely been under
the rules of emergency exec-
utive orders in response to the
COVID-19 outbreak.
While we believe governors
should have powers to deal with the
exigencies that come with natural
disasters and other emergencies,
such as a pandemic, those powers
should come with a limit on dura-
tion, and an extension of those order
should be subject to mandatory over-
sight from either the Legislature or
a substantial legislative committee
consisting of an equal numbers
of lawmakers from the two major
parties.
The COVID-19 outbreak pre-
sented a clear and present danger as
it unfolded in the early spring. We
knew little about the disease when it
arrived in the United States, but the
catastrophic experiences of victims
in other countries — China, Iran and
Italy in particular — demonstrated
the need for some action to curb
infections.
Governors in all 50 states have
exercised some emergency powers
available to them to deal with cat-
astrophic events — some more
F
aggressively than others.
To her credit, Gov. Kate Brown
has not been as heavy-handed as
some of her colleagues. Nothing
here is intended to be a criticism of
her choices.
That said, she has at times shut
down large segments of the economy
for undetermined lengths of time,
closed private and public schools and
colleges, forbidden indoor religious
services and private gatherings,
declared some businesses “essential”
and others not, rewritten the terms
of rental contracts and restricted
access to common healthcare proce-
dures — all by decree and without
the consent of the Legislature.
Two separate Oregon statutes give
the governor the authority to declare
emergencies and exercise broad
powers. One specifi cally addresses
public health emergencies, and the
other is for general emergency sit-
uations. She has invoked both as
authority for her executive orders.
The fi rst statute imposes a 14-day
limit on the declaration of a health
emergency, the other imposes no
limit. Although statute allows the
Legislature to terminate an emer-
gency declaration on its own
authority, it does not require the Leg-
islature take an up or down vote.
The experience of the last few
months demonstrates those dec-
larations should come with a stat-
utory expiration date and a man-
date for the Legislature to review
actions under the declarations, and
to approve any necessary extensions.
The response to the virus has cost
half a million Oregonians their jobs,
destroyed thousands of businesses,
cost the state millions in revenue
and changed nearly every aspect of
public life.
All of these actions may well have
been necessary, but none have been
subjected to review or challenge by
the people’s elected representatives.
The governor has called a special
legislative session for Monday, Aug.
10. During that session, lawmakers
should change the law. If they don’t,
the people should add such a measure
to the ballot.
Would any Legislature override
the actions of a governor in an emer-
gency? That’s diffi cult to say. But in a
land with the government of, by and
for the people, we should not allow
an elected governor, even the most
benign, to rule indefi nitely by decree.