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TUESDAY • August 25, 2020 • $1.50
Elections
Mayor, city
council seats
up for vote
A look at local races,
and the candidates who
have filed for election
Good day to our valued subscriber Lew Rees of La Grande
Census deadline nears
Responses thus far from Union
and Wallowa counties are below
state average
KEY MILESTONES
The 2020 Census
at a Glance
2018
Counting everyone once, only once, and in the right place.
2020 Census
questions sent to
Congress by
March 31, 2018
By Dick Mason
The Observer
By Sabrina Thompson
The Observer
UNION COUNTY — Every
city in Union County has at least
three city council seats up for
election in November, and every
city except Summerville will be
choosing a mayor.
Some cities announced who
will be on the ballot, while others
are waiting to see who fi les.
Mayors hold their positions for
two years, and council mem-
bers serve a four-year term. If no
one fi les for a position and there
aren’t any write-in candidates, the
remaining council will appoint
people to the open seats.
Cove
The deadline to fi le in Cove
was Aug. 21. The mayor’s position
and three city council seats are up
for election. No one fi led for the
city council seats, and two people
fi led to replace current mayor
Delbert Little: Sherry Haeger and
Nathiel “Nate” Conrad. Little is
not seeking reelection.
See, Elections/Page 5A
Wallowa to
prosecute
ordinance
violators
By Bill Bradshaw
EO MEdia Group
WALLOWA — Wallowa has
given authority to a local offi -
cial to prosecute violations of city
ordinances.
The city council on Tuesday,
Aug. 18, voted to authorize city
attorney Roland Johnson to pros-
ecute ordinance violations in the
Wallowa County Circuit Court in
Enterprise. The action is similar
to other small towns in the efforts
to have a local offi cial prosecute
violators.
The court is part of the 10th
Judicial District sharing judges
with Union County. The judicial
district has two elected judges,
according to the court’s website.
The move was in response
to the city’s restrictions on the
number of animals a resident can
have on a parcel within city limits.
Last month, the council denied a
See, Wallowa/Page 5A
UNION COUNTY — The deadline for
completing and submitting 2020 United States
Census forms is fast approaching, and this has
Paul Anderes, chairman of the Union County
Board of Commissioners, concerned.
Residents must submit their household
data to the U.S. Census Bureau in fi ve weeks.
Anderes is worried because to date census
information for only 16,825 of Union Coun-
ty’s estimated 26,835 residents has been sent
to the U.S. Census Bureau. This is signif-
icant since each person in a county brings
in $3,200 a year in federal government pay-
ments, Anderes said. Union County as a result
is at risk of losing $32 million a year in fed-
eral government payments for the next decade
unless many more people respond.
“It is so important that everyone send their
census forms in,” Anderes said.
The federal government uses census data
to determine how to distributes money to
communities for health clinics, fi re depart-
ments, roads, highways and much more. The
U.S. Constitution mandates the federal gov-
ernment conduct the census every 10 years.
Data from the website for the Census
Bureau indicates in Union County the city
with the highest return rate is Island City at
76.4%. Island City is followed by La Grande
at 67.3%, Imbler 64.8%, Cove 63%, Sum-
merville 51.9%, Elgin 48.4%, Union 47% and
North Powder 29%.
These fi gures refl ect how many people
have sent back forms for their household
they received from the Census Bureau via
the U.S. Postal Service or online. Todd Nash,
a member of the Wallowa County Board
of Commissioners, said the reason North
Powder and Union have such low response
rates is likely because their residents have
not received the forms since they do not have
direct mail delivery. Instead, mail in those
towns is delivered to post offi ce boxes.
Nash said census forms cannot be deliv-
ered to post offi ce boxes because post
offi ce boxes cannot be matched to physical
addresses. The Census Bureau needs a phys-
ical address to count people at the place they
live, according to its website, 2020cencus.gov.
This means almost all North Powder and
Union census forms sent to residents have
been done so via email. North Powder and
2018 End-to-End
Census Test
The U.S. Census Bureau is the federal government’s largest sta-
tistical agency. We are dedicated to providing current facts and
figures about America’s people, places, and economy. Federal law
protects the confidentiality of all individual responses the Census
Bureau collects.
Six regional 2020
Census offices and
40 area census
offices open
The U.S. Constitution requires that each decade we take a count—
or a census—of America’s population.
2019
Partnership
activities launch
Complete Count
Committees
establish
Census takers
update address list
in person
Remaining 248
area census offices
open
2020
The census provides vital information for you and your community.
Advertising begins
in January 2020
• It determines how many representatives each state gets
in Congress and is used to redraw district boundaries.
Redistricting counts are sent to the states by March 31, 2021.
Public response
(online, phone, or
mail) begins
• Communities rely on census statistics to plan for a variety of
resident needs including new roads, schools, and emergency
services.
Census Day—
April 1, 2020
Census takers visit
households that
haven’t responded
• Businesses use census data to determine where to open places
to shop.
Each year, the federal government distributes more than $675
billion to states and communities based on Census Bureau data.
In 2020, we will implement new technology to make it easier than
ever to respond to the census. For the first time, you will be able
to respond online, by phone, as well as by mail. We will use data
that the public has already provided to reduce followup visits.
And, we are building an accurate address list and automating our
field operations—all while keeping your information confidential
and safe.
Apportionment
counts sent to the
President by
December 31,
2020
2021
Redistricting
counts sent to the
states by
March 31, 2021
Connect with us
@uscensusbureau
Graphic by the U.S. Census Bureau
“It is so important that
everyone turn their forms in.”
— Paul Anderes, Chairman, Union County Board of Commissioners
See, Census/Page 5A
Police rally receives positive response
By Dick Mason
The Observer
LA GRANDE — Locals
turned out for a rally in support
of law enforcement late Saturday
morning in La Grande.
About 35 people participated,
including retired police offi -
cers, at the intersection of Fourth
Street and Adams Avenue. The
rally also drew honks of approval
from passing motorists. Among
the thumbs-up signals were rare
gestures of disapproval.
“About 98% of the responses
have been positive,” said Jason
Stone, a retired Oregon State
Police trooper who participated
in the rally.
Participants waved American
fl ags and signs reading “We Sup-
port and Pray for Our Police” and
“Back the Blue.”
“We want to keep morale up,”
Stone said.
Saturday morning rallies for
the police started several weeks
ago at the same location and
have grown signifi cantly since.
The rallies are in response to
continued criticism of police
nationwide, charging them with
excessive use of force, espe-
cially in high-profi le cases.
INDEX
Classified ...... 3B
Comics .......... 7B
Crossword .... 5B
Dear Abby .... 8B
Home ............ 1B
Horoscope .... 5B
Lottery........... 2A
Obituaries ..... 3A
THURSDAY
Opinion ......... 4A
Sports ........... 7A
State .............. 6A
Sudoku ......... 7B
Staff photo by Dick Mason
Retired Oregon State Police sergeants Kyle Hove, center, and Ja-
son Stone, right, talk Saturday during a law enforcement rally in La
Grande. About 35 people joined in the pro-police demonstration.
Stone, who retired less than a
year ago, said these protests are
endangering law enforcement
communities because they make
law enforcement offi cers less
likely to use force when it is
necessary to protect themselves
and the public.
“It is putting lives at risk,”
WEATHER
Stone said.
He said many offi cers are
quitting the force nationwide
because when they see a threat
they may not be able to effec-
tively address it. The retired OSP
trooper also said much of what
police throughout the nation are
being accused of is unfounded.
Full forecast on the back of B section
Tonight
Wednesday
53 LOW
88/52
Mainly clear
Sunny and nice
BENCHES TO BACK THE BLUE
“There is no foundation to it.
It is really political,” he said.
He added he feels positive
about how police agencies are
perceived locally.
“Law enforcement has a good
reputation in this community,”
Stone said.
The percentage of times law
enforcement offi cers use force
improperly is extremely low,
said Kyle Hove of Cove, a former
state police sergeant who retired
in March. He attributes this
to the quality of people hired
to serve as law enforcement
offi cers.
“We believe we have fi rst-rate
offi cers,” Hove said.
He hopes more people will
come to the forefront nationwide
and support the police after the
barrage of criticism they have
been under, which has caused
some cities to defund their police
departments.
“The silent majority needs to
speak up,” Hove said. “Enough is
enough.”
He said steps such as
defunding the police would lead
to nothing good.
“We would have ultimate
chaos,” Hove said.
CONTACT US
541-963-3161
Issue 101
2 sections, 16 pages
La Grande, Oregon
Email story ideas
to news@lagrande
observer.com.
More contact info
on Page 4A.
Online at lagrandeobserver.com