LOCAL/REGION
2A — THE OBSERVER
THURSDAY, MAY 20, 2021
TODAY IN Union County voters pass weed control levy
HISTORY New faces to serve
Today is Thursday, May 20, the
140th day of 2021. There are 225
days left in the year.
TODAY’S HIGHLIGHT IN
HISTORY:
On May 20, 1927, Charles Lind-
bergh took off from Roosevelt Field
on Long Island, New York, aboard
the Spirit of St. Louis on his historic
solo fl ight to France.
ON THIS DATE:
In 1506, explorer Christopher
Columbus died in Spain.
In 1862, President Abraham
Lincoln signed the Homestead Act,
which was intended to encourage
settlements west of the Mississippi
River by making federal land avail-
able for farming.
In 1932, Amelia Earhart took off
from Newfoundland to become the
fi rst woman to fl y solo across the
Atlantic. (Because of weather and
equipment problems, Earhart set
down in Northern Ireland instead of
her intended destination, France.)
In 1948, Chiang Kai-shek was
inaugurated as the fi rst president of
the Republic of China (Taiwan).
In 1956, the United States ex-
ploded the fi rst airborne hydrogen
bomb over Bikini Atoll in the Pacifi c.
In 1959, nearly 5,000 Japa-
nese-Americans had their U.S.
citizenships restored after choosing
to renounce them during World
War II.
In 1961, a white mob attacked
a busload of Freedom Riders in
Montgomery, Alabama, prompting
the federal government to send in
U.S. marshals to restore order.
In 1985, Radio Marti, operated
by the U.S. government, began
broadcasting; Cuba responded by
attempting to jam its signal.
In 1995, President Bill Clinton
announced that the two-block
stretch of Pennsylvania Avenue in
front of the White House would
be permanently closed to motor
vehicles as a security measure.
In 2009, suspended NFL star
Michael Vick was released after 19
months in prison for running a dog-
fi ghting ring to begin two months’
home confi nement.
In 2015, four of the world’s
biggest banks — JPMorgan Chase,
Citigroup’s banking unit Citicorp,
Barclays and the Royal Bank of Scot-
land — agreed to pay more than $5
billion in penalties and plead guilty
to rigging the currency markets.
on three school
boards
The Observer
UNION COUNTY
— Union County voters
approved a levy to con-
trol weeds and elected sev-
eral new members to school
boards.
Turnout in the county
stands at 24.8% for the
Tuesday, May 18, special
elections, a return of 4,708
out of a total of 18,959 bal-
lots, according to the unoffi -
cial results from the Oregon
Secretary of State. That
is in line with the turnout
statewide, which was a little
better than 24.6%.
The Observer cov-
ered contested races and
the county’s lone ballot
measure. For a full list of
results, see the link to elec-
tion night at union-county.
org.
Union County weed
control levy passes
UNION COUNTY —
Union County voted in
favor of Measure 31-104, a
fi ve-year operating levy that
will collect $230,000 for the
control of noxious weeds.
Unoffi cial results show the
measure passing 2,911-
1,596 (64.6%).
The operating levy will
cost Union County residents
12 cents per $1,000 of their
assessed property value.
Measure 31-104 renews
the same operating levy
that has been in place since
2016, at the same rate.
According to the Union
County Weed Control web-
site, the program’s mis-
sion is to serve as stew-
ards of Union County to
Observer previously he
wanted to keep the schools
his children attend strong
and athletic.
Shaw wins bid for
reelection
Alex Wittwer/The Observer
Union County deputy clerks (from left) Margot Terheggen, Lisa Feik and Ramona Campbell begin counting bal-
lots at the county clerk’s offi ce in La Grande for the special election Tuesday, May 18, 2021. The county’s voter
turnout was at about 25%.
protect agricultural lands,
natural resources, wild-
life habitats and wilderness
areas from the invasion of
noxious weeds. The web-
site states that the second
most leading cause of wild-
life habitat loss can be
attributed to noxious weed
infestation.
Measure 31-104 tar-
gets weeds such as punc-
ture vine, which is known
to defl ate tires and harm
humans, pets and livestock.
Some weeds treated by the
program are specifi cally
dangerous to horses and
cattle, such as leafy spurge,
tansy ragwort, poison hem-
lock and hound’s tongue.
The weed treatment pro-
gram treats upward of 5,300
acres for noxious weeds
each year. The funds col-
lected since 2016 also led
to the hire of a full-time
county weed supervisor,
Brian Clapp.
For more information on
Union County Weed Con-
trol, visit unioncounty-
weedcontrol.org.
Fisher wins, Beck leads
in race for Imbler School
Board
IMBLER — Joseph
“Joe” Fisher is taking a seat
on the Imbler School Board,
and Jason Beck is in the
lead to join him. Both races
tightened as the night wore
on.
“I’m just glad for the
support from the com-
munity,’’ Fisher said the
morning of May 18.
According to unoffi -
cial election results from
Union County, Fisher has
42.4% of the vote, or 157
votes, in the race for Posi-
tion 3 on the board. Tim
Phelps is in second, with
37.8%, or 140 votes, and
Bud Whitcomb is in third,
Merkley favors end to alcohol shipping ban
Senator comments on dam breaching and
wildfire management at town hall session
By DICK MASON
The Observer
LA GRANDE — U.S.
Sen. Jeff Merkley of
Oregon said his home state
would benefi t from pas-
sage of the bipartisan bill
to end the Prohibition-era
ban that prevents the U.S.
Postal Service from ship-
ping alcoholic beverages
to consumers.
Merkley addressed
the issue Tuesday, May
18, in an interview with
The Observer before his
online town hall for Union
County. He said the USPS
Shipping Equity Act
would benefi t Oregon.
“It would help make
our wine industry more
vibrant,” he said.
The legislation would
provide wine producers
with another shipping
option. Private shipping
companies do no serve all
rural areas of the United
States, Merkley said in a
press release.
Similar legislation was
introduced in Congress
about six years ago but
was not enacted. Merkley
said today’s legislation has
a better chance of passage
because wine production
is increasing in a number
of states.
Critics say the USPS
Shipping Equity Act
would boost underage
drinking. Merkley
stressed the legislation
would require adults to
sign for all shipments of
alcohol the U.S. Postal
Service delivers.
Merkley spoke in neu-
tral terms about the pro-
posal to remove four dams
on the lower Snake River.
U.S. Rep. Mike Simpson,
R-Idaho, has introduced
the proposal to breach the
dams by 2030 to improve
salmon runs.
Merkley noted the
dams deliver signifi cant
benefi ts in electricity, irri-
gation water and shipping
opportunities.
“Changing all this
would not be a small pro-
cess,” said Merkley, who
intends to take a deep
look at the dam breaching
legislation.
The senator also
spoke about his new
role as a member of the
Senate Appropriations
Committee.
Merkley is now the
chair of the Appropria-
tions Committee’s sub-
committee, which funds
the Department of the
Interior. He said this gives
him more infl uence in
determining how much
funding the U.S. Forest
Service and the Bureau of
Land Management receive.
The senator said he is
working to get additional
funding to these agencies
for forest thinning and the
removal of shrubbery in
forests to reduce their fuel
loads. This will reduce the
likelihood of more major
regional wildfi res in the
future.
“I want to make our for-
ests fi re resistant,” Merkley
said.
The senator said he
would prefer spending
money upfront to prevent
fi res rather than on the
back end trying to extin-
guish them.
with 19.5%, or 72 votes.
Jason Beck is on his way
to winning the Position 5
seat on the board, leading
with 53.5% of the votes, or
205, to Lavar Bowles, who
has 46.2%, or 177 votes.
Thew wins in Cove School
Board race
COVE — Chris Thew
ousted long-term incumbent
Andy Lindsey in the race
for Position 1 on the Cove
School District Board of
Directors.
“I’m excited and looking
forward to getting in there
and seeing how I can help,’’
Thew said May 18.
According to unoffi -
cial Union County results,
Thew leads 218-133, having
garnered 62.1% of the vote
to Lindsey’s 37.9%.
Thew, the athletic head
trainer at Eastern Oregon
University, told The
LA GRANDE —
Incumbent Randy Shaw
will be returning to the La
Grande School Board to
serve a second consecutive
four-year term.
Shaw defeated chal-
lenger Elijah Romer 1,691-
673 for Position 4 on the
La Grande School Board,
according to unoffi cial
Union County results.
“I am extremely happy
to be able to serve another
four years with this great
district,” Shaw said.
Shaw, an auto body
mechanic, said he ran for
reelection because he wants
to help the school district
fi nish a number of projects
that were beginning when
he joined the board in 2016.
These include the expansion
of the district’s career tech-
nical educational program.
Money from a $31.5 million
bond local voters approved
in 2014 built new facilities
for the program.
The incumbent said he is
pleased with the direction
the district is moving. He
told The Observer earlier
that the La Grande High
School’s graduation rate of
89.4% is an indication of
how well the school district
is doing at all grade levels.
Position 4 is in Zone 3,
which is open to candidates
living within the city limits
of La Grande.
$4 million bond passing
in Baker School District
Baker City Herald
BAKER COUNTY —
Baker School District voters
appear to be approving a
$4 million bond for school
improvements. In unoffi -
cial results from the Baker
County Clerk’s Offi ce, the
measure had 2,401 yes
votes and 2,219 no votes.
Voters haven’t approved
a bond measure for the
school district since 1948.
The district would add
the $4 million from the levy
to a $4 million state grant
and $4 million from the dis-
trict’s capital budget for a
total $12 million project. The
money would pay to replace
heating, cooling and ventila-
tion systems in all schools,
as well as upgrade security
systems. The district would
also build a cafeteria/kitchen
at Baker Middle School, the
only school that lacks such a
facility.
In the one contested race
for the Baker School Board,
Jessica Dougherty has 1,760
votes to Koby Myer’s 1,669
votes.
In Halfway, voters
deciding whether to allow
marijuana businesses within
the city limits are rejecting
the measure, with 83 no
votes and 36 yes votes.
In a countywide mea-
sure, a strong majority
voted to require Baker
County commissioners to
meet three times per year
to discuss a proposal to
include 18 Oregon counties,
including Baker, as part of
Idaho. For the state border
to actually move, however,
would require the approval
of both the Oregon and
Idaho legislatures.
Six fi rst responders now certifi ed to intervene in mental crises
By BILL BRADSHAW
Wallowa County Chieftain
ENTERPRISE — Six
fi rst responders were cer-
tifi ed Friday, May 14, after
a weeklong training ses-
sion to help law enforce-
ment offi cers and others
dealing with the mentally
ill, drug or alcohol affl icted
and aging communities,
according to a press release.
“The information, tools
and resources presented are
designed to enhance fi rst
responder response and
reduce the overall risk of
injury or death,” the release
stated.
Certifi ed in the Crisis
Intervention Team training
were offi cer Jacob Curtis
of the Enterprise Police
Department; deputy Austin
Violette of the Wallowa
County Sheriff ’s Offi ce;
deputy Jennifer Harmon
of the Wallowa County
Sheriff ’s Offi ce; deputy
Anthony Scott of the Uma-
tilla County Sheriff ’s
Offi ce; Josiah Bates, a Wal-
lowa Mountain Medical
Clinic nursing student; and
Sandra Gore, a Wallowa
Valley Center for Wellness
therapist.
Brandon Miller, a
mental health clinician
Bill Bradshaw/Wallowa County Chieftain
Brandon Miller, left, a mental health clinician for the Wallowa Valley Center for Wellness, handed out certifi cates
of completion to six fi rst responders from Northeastern Oregon sheriff ’s offi ces and mental health providers
who completed Crisis Intervention Team training Friday, May 14, 2021.
for the Center for Well-
ness who hosted some of
the training, held a review
of the 40 hours of instruc-
tion on specifi c topics with
a CIT version of the game
show “Jeopardy.” Catego-
ries in the game included
Suicide, Mental Health First
Aid, Tactical Communica-
tion, Crisis, Acronyms and
Psychosis. Topics covered
during the week’s training
included medication time,
crisis cycle, “Sad, Bad,
Mad,” mental illness in the
elderly, seniors presenta-
tion, post-traumatic stress
disorder/battlemind, family
presentation, psychosis and
mood disorders, person-
ality disorders, treatment of
psychiatric illnesses, syn-
thetic substances, excited
delirium, addictive dis-
eases, voices presentation,
legal panel, liability and
use of force, developmental
disabilities, de-escalation
techniques, National Alli-
ance on Mental Illness/own
voice, child and adolescent
crisis, suicide prevention,
suicide by cop and self-
care and scenario-based
training.
Enterprise Police Chief
Kevin McQuead, who has
taken the training several
times, said the CIT training
isn’t a one-time event,
since the parameters of the
training change, as do offi -
cers’ understanding of it
based on their experience
and occasions they have
had to apply the training.
He said a major goal is
to get a person suff ering
from mental health issues
the help they need and to
do it in a manner that is as
peaceful as possible. Miller
said it’s always preferable
when mental health care is
needed that a patient seeks
that care voluntarily rather
than having it forced upon
them.
Each crisis interven-
tion training class varies
in length and is taught by
instructors locally and from
around the state.
Ridg Medford, one of the
instructors from the Oregon
Center on Behavioral
Health and Justice Integra-
tion, also emphasized to
the trainees that they could
become victims to some of
the issues they’re intended
to address.
“When you get home,
you need to take off your
vest, take off your badge
and step away from it,” he
said.
Nationwide connection
through CIT
CIT programs create
connections in more than
2,700 communities nation-
wide among law enforce-
ment, mental health pro-
viders, hospital emergency
services and individuals
with mental illness and
their families. Through
collaborative community
partnerships and inten-
sive training, according to
the release, CIT improves
communication, identifi es
mental health resources for
those in crisis and ensures
offi cer and community
safety.
According to the
National Alliance on
Mental Illness, the lack of
mental health crisis services
across the U.S. has resulted
in law enforcement offi cers
serving as fi rst responders
to most crises. A CIT pro-
gram is an innovative, com-
munity-based approach
to improve the outcomes
of these encounters, the
release stated.
CIT Training objectives
include:
• Providing informa-
tion and resources to law
enforcement personnel who
fi nd themselves handling
calls involving emotionally
disturbed individuals.
• Increasing the ability of
law enforcement to success-
fully manage an emotion-
ally disturbed individual.
• Reducing the number
of inappropriate incarcera-
tions involving people with
mental illness.