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THURSDAY • April 15, 2021 • $1.50
Good day to our valued subscriber Pat Atkinson of La Grande
Education
America
to the
rescue
American Rescue Plan
Act funds will give
local schools a boost
By DICK MASON
The Observer
NORTHEAST OREGON —
The COVID-19 pandemic has
forced Union and Wallowa coun-
ties’ school districts and their
students to travel a rugged and
harmful path the past 13 months.
Funds from the Amer-
ican Rescue Plan Act, the latest
COVID-19 relief package from
the federal government, however,
will help put them on the road to
recovery.
The offi ce of U.S. Sen. Ron
Wyden, D-Oregon, released fi g-
ures from the Congressional
Research Service that show
school districts in Union County
will receive about $7.2 million in
funding from the act, and school
districts in Wallowa County will
receive about $1.8 million.
The funding will be provided
on the basis of federal Title I
guidelines, which include the per-
centage of people in school dis-
tricts living below the poverty
See, Rescue/Page 5A
Pause on
Johnson
& Johnson
vaccine
Alex Wittwer/The Observer
La Grande Arts Commission is seeking proposals for a new sculpture to display on the concrete bulkhead on the Fourth Street entrance to Cook Memorial Library in downtown.
The bulkhead measures 41 inches tall, 17 inches wide and 36 feet long.
Call for artists
La Grande seeks next
public art sculpture
By PHIL WRIGHT
LA GRANDE — La Grande is calling for
Northeast Oregon artists to submit proposals
for a new sculpture for downtown.
The La Grande Arts Commission on
Saturday, April 11, announced the call for
proposals.
The selection commission, according to
the request, is especially interested in sub-
missions that “consider the values of the
communities that make up La Grande, are
multicultural, interactive and engaging. …
We’re looking for an innovative and cre-
Oregon Capital Bureau
SALEM — Oregon has
“paused” using the Johnson &
Johnson one-shot COVID-19
vaccine even though none of six
newly reported severe reactions
to the vaccine occurred in the
state, health offi cials said Tuesday,
April 13.
The U.S. Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention urged
states to temporarily stop using
the vaccine given to 6.8 mil-
lion people after six women who
received the vaccine became seri-
ously ill and one died.
“This appears to be extremely
rare,” Dr. Paul Cieslak, Oregon
Health Authority’s medical director
for acute and communicable dis-
ease and immunizations, said
See, Pause/Page 5A
The La Grande Arts Commission seeks proposals for a sculpture with the theme of “Honoring the
Past; Celebrating the Present; Embracing the Future.” The piece could go on display in the summer of
2022.
Location
The Observer
By GARY A. WARNER
BASICS OF ART PROPOSAL
See, Art/Page 5A
The piece will be in display on the concrete bulkhead outside the Fourth Street entrance of Cook
Memorial Library. The bulkhead measures 41 inches tall, 17 inches wide and 36 feet long.
The sculpture must be freestanding and there is no water access. The area is well lit at night.
Eligibility
Open to all residents of Union, Baker, Wallowa and Umatilla counties (single artist or artist teams)
who are18 and older
Applicants with previous large-scale project experience and/or a connection to La Grande receive
preference.
Objectives
A cohesiveness between the landscape and the artwork.
Creatively refl ect the multicultural history of La Grande.
Embody the values of agriculture, history and wildlife.
Hansell faces backlash after doing his job
By BRYCE DOLE
East Oregonian
SALEM — When Oregon
State Sen. Bill Hansell told a col-
league he was planning to show
up to work on March 25, he
received a fi rm warning.
“His immediate words to me
were, ‘Bill, you’ll be crucifi ed,’”
the Republican from Athena
said.
Hansell was one of six Senate
Republicans who showed up
to the fl oor on March 25 as the
chamber took up a proposal to
ban fi rearms in state buildings
and lay the foundation for other
bans.
The bill passed despite oppo-
sition from Hansell and other
Republicans, who fought the bill
for more than six hours on the
fl oor, pointing out holes and sec-
tions they considered uncon-
stitutional, Hansell said. Now,
several Republicans, including
Hansell, have received backlash
for showing up and not leading a
walkout.
“We’ve gotten some very
nasty emails,” Hansell said.
“Even to the extent that we’ve
Claire Withycombe/Oregon Capital Bureau, File
State Sen. Bill Hansell, far left, speaks on the Oregon Senate fl oor on June 29, 2019.
Hansell was one of six Senate Republicans who showed up to the fl oor on March 25,
2021, as the chamber took up a proposal to ban fi rearms in state buildings and lay the
foundation for other bans.
had to turn over some of the
emails to the state police because
we were threatened to be shot.”
Hansell said the Oregon Fire-
arms Federation had requested
Senate Republicans deny the
quorum prior to March 25 with a
walkout. He caucused with other
Republicans about the proposi-
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PUBLIC POOLS
tion. Some agreed to walk out,
but Hansell said he, and fi ve
other colleagues, decided to
“stand and fi ght, rather than run
and hide.”
Since then, Hansell said his
constituents have been contacted
to gather signatures to recall
him, though they have so far
Full forecast on the back of B section
Tonight
Friday
32 LOW
63/31
Clear and cold
Sunshine; nice
declined to do so.
“I’ve been told by others that
they’re trying to get a recall for
me,” he said. “But it’s not going
to stop me from doing what I
believe is the right thing for me
to do in order to serve the people
that have elected me to the offi ce
I hold.”
Democrats hold 18 seats
in the Senate, with a required
quorum of 20 members. Hansell
said he is unwilling to consis-
tently deny a quorum on bills he
doesn’t agree with.
“For us to deny a quorum,
we’re going to have to come
back at some point,” he said.
“And the bill will still be there.
It didn’t make any sense to me to
deny a quorum over this one bill
this early in the session.”
By showing up, he felt that he
was upholding essential parts of
the democratic process.
“The people have a chance to
vote on it,” he said, adding that
being on the fl oor allowed him to
go on the record challenging the
bill. “If they don’t like what the
See, Hansell/Page 5A
CONTACT US
541-963-3161
Issue 42
4 sections, 56 pages
La Grande, Oregon
Email story ideas
to news@lagrande
observer.com.
More contact info
on Page 4A.
Online at lagrandeobserver.com