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About The Observer. (La Grande, Or.) 1968-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 18, 2021)
INSIDE DESPITE HURDLES, BUILDERS KEEP BUSY IN WALLOWA COUNTY | November 18, 2021 BUSINESS & AG LIFE, B1 THURSDAY EDITION NO VEMB $1.50 ER 17 –24 ,20 21 WW W. GO EA ST ERNO RE GO N.C Sho H p lida ba o y zaa rs GE OM PA 4 Liste Wil n low Sym pho Cree GE ny k 7 PA INSIDE Lea A rn cla rt ss G E es PA DIVE INTO THE WORLD OF ‘TUCK EVERLASTING’, IN 12 ‘Tu Dive into ck the Ter ry Ha Lia le/ m Mc Blood Contr Co ibu go nn wh ich ell pla od, lef ted ima open t, ys s No Winn plays ge v. 20 ie Fo Jesse at the ste Tu r Elg in “Tu ck an in Op ck d Fe era Everl rn Ho ast use ing . ,” E ve world o rlas f ting ’ “T Th he fo eir od an IPAs is fr yo ne are esh, else dist loca lly mak inct 12 ing and sour 19 NW clea ced Was IPAs rly no and hing un .” - t be ton Ye copy lie Ave lp -cat va Re bl • La view s of y de , Be each pag e 8 Craft Live Beer Mu tio sic pub Seating eve webs nts (ch ite f eck ww Review of alleged racism continues w.s id ea Gra be nd er. e, co lic ious . . Or othe eg r or on nd OR m 97 85 0 OSAA working with La Grande, Gladstone school districts on football investigation By DAVIS CARBAUGH The Observer LA GRANDE — An investiga- tion into alleged racism during a recent La Grande state playoff foot- ball game is still underway. The La Grande and Glad- stone school districts continue to work alongside the Oregon School Activities Association to get to the bottom of allegations from Gladstone players and par- ents accusing La Grande players of racial slurs during a playoff game on Friday, Nov. 5. The game ended in a dispute between the two football teams, which Glad- stone players claim was the result of persistent racism throughout the contest. Players and parents documented their accusations in an article in by The Oregonian on Nov. 11, and the La Grande School District released a public acknowledgment Nov. 12. The entities involved issued a joint statement on Tuesday, Nov. 16, that articulated a move toward solidarity between the two schools as the investigation continues. “The La Grande School District deeply regrets that the Gladstone players, coaching staff , parents and fans did not have a positive experi- ence competing against La Grande High School,” the statement said. “The district is proud of our history of sportsmanship, so we take the situation very seriously.” While the two schools, along with the OSAA, have come to an agreement on programs moving forward, OSAA Executive Director Peter Weber said the issue is far from being resolved. “We will be working with an independent investigator to see exactly what took place and act from there,” Weber said. “To see the school districts looking into this seriously, and going forward, making sure this relationship is repaired, is positive.” See, Racism/Page A5 Alex Wittwer/The Observer, File The Union City Council is beginning to study the possibility of adding a transient lodging tax, which the owner of the Union Hotel said would not have a big impact on his business — if it is kept low. Under consideration Lodging tax being explored by Union City Council By DICK MASON The Observer UNION — A new tax may be in Union’s future. The Union City Council is beginning to study the pos- sibility of adding a transient lodging tax. “We are starting to look into this,” said Union Mayor Leonard Flint. Flint said Union, which has a population of about 2,100, is one of the few cities its size in the state that does not have a transient lodging tax. Should the city add a lodging tax, 70% of the rev- enue from it would have to be spent on boosting tourism under state law, according to Doug Wiggins, Union’s city administrator. He said the money would be used for projects that could draw in tourists, including bike paths tax would include two public and a welcoming center. hearings. Wiggins said that Wiggins said the an ordinance for the tax could remaining 30% of the tax rev- be adopted by the council as enue could go to the city’s early as the spring of 2022. general Should fund. He this occur, noted the tax though would that 5% of probably the money not take must fund eff ect the col- until July lector of 1, 2022, the tax. Wiggins Charlie Morden, the owner of the Union’s said. Union Hotel and an RV park options A city would transient include lodging having the state collect the tax does not need voter tax or the city handling it. approval in Oregon unless a The city council would city’s charter states that an have to pass an ordinance election is required, Wiggins before it could impose a said. He said Union’s charter transient lodging tax, Wig- does not stipulate such an gins said. The process of election. adopting an ordinance for the Wiggins said the reason “Taxing people who do not live in Union would be an easy sell.” elections are not required is that transient lodging taxes are not generally paid by people who live in a city but rather those passing through it. A transient lodging tax applies to anywhere people are charged to stay for less than 30 days, such as hotels, recreational vehicle parks and bed-and-breakfast businesses, Wiggins said. Presently, at least two cities in Union County have transient lodging taxes — La Grande and Elgin. In addi- tion, everyone providing overnight lodging in Union County must pay a 3% county transient room tax and a state transient room tax. The state tax is 1.5%, according to the Oregon Department of Reve- nue’s website. See, Tax/Page A5 Enrollment at many Oregon public colleges is still down Enrollment fell only slightly at Oregon’s community colleges this year, but still down 24% since 2019 By MEERAH POWELL Oregon Public Broadcasting SALEM — Enrollment at the majority of Oregon’s public colleges and universities is still down after more than a year in the pandemic. The declines refl ected in new num- bers released recently by state higher education offi cials follow a down year in 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic forced college administrators to close campuses and cancel classes. Although some schools have seen increases, most of Oregon’s higher education institutions are still seeing fewer students — par- ticularly the state’s community colleges, which took the brunt of falling enrollment last year. The number of students at com- munity colleges around the state went down slightly this fall, a WEATHER INDEX Business ........B1 Classified ......B2 Comics ...........B5 Crossword ....B2 Oregon Public Broadcasting/Contributed Photo See, Colleges/Page A5 Dear Abby ....B6 Letters ...........A4 Lottery ...........A2 Obituaries .....A3 SATURDAY Opinion .........A4 Spiritual Life A6 Sports ............A7 Sudoku ..........B5 TURKEY IS ON THE TABLE Students walk on the Eastern Oregon University campus during the 2021 fall term. Full forecast on the back of B section Tonight Friday 37 LOW 47/37 A shower or two A few showers CONTACT US 541-963-3161 Issue 135 3 sections, 34 pages La Grande, Oregon Email story ideas to news@lagrande observer.com. More contact info on Page A4 Online at lagrandeobserver.com
