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DESPITE HURDLES, BUILDERS KEEP BUSY IN WALLOWA COUNTY |
November 18, 2021
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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
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Issue 135
3 sections, 34 pages
La Grande, Oregon
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