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THE SEARCH IS ON FOR THE PERFECT CHRISTMAS TREE IN NORTHEASTERN OREGON |
November 27, 2021
OUTDOORS & REC, B1
WEEKEND EDITION
River
Democracy
Act far
from a
done deal,
Bentz says
$1.50
CELEBRATING THANKSGIVING
By GEORGE PLAVEN
Capital Press
WASHINGTON — U.S.
Rep. Cliff Bentz, Oregon’s
only Republican member of
Congress, is pushing back
against the proposed River
Democracy
Act in a letter
sent Tuesday,
Nov. 16, to
all 62 county
commissioners
in his mostly
Bentz
rural district.
The bill,
proposed by
Democratic
Sens. Ron
Wyden and
Jeff Merkley,
Beverage
would add
nearly 4,700
miles of designated Wild
and Scenic rivers across
Oregon, and calls for wid-
ening protective stream buf-
fers from a quarter mile to a
half mile on both sides.
According to Wyden,
the River Democracy Act
was developed based on
more than 15,000 nomina-
tions from 2,500 Orego-
nians. It has garnered criti-
cism from county offi cials,
as well as the timber and
ranching industries, wary
of new land restrictions and
regulations.
In his letter, Bentz stated
he is opposed to the leg-
islation and that, despite
receiving a hearing in the
Senate Energy and Nat-
ural Resources Committee,
it remains far from a done
deal.
For example, he said
the River Democracy Act
does not have a companion
bill in the House, nor has it
received any consideration
in the chamber to date.
“My Oregon House col-
leagues, all Democrats,
have not publicly sup-
ported this bill,” Bentz
said. “At the time of writing
this letter, (it) only has the
support of Oregon’s two
senators.”
The Capital Press con-
tacted Oregon’s four other
House members — Reps.
Earl Blumenauer, Suzanne
Bonamici, Kurt Schrader
and Peter DeFazio — to
See, Bentz/Page A5
Alex Wittwer/The Observer
An on-campus
THANKSGIVING
Alisha Delatori receives a Thanksgiving meal kit that was prepared by Eastern
Oregon University housing director Jeremy Jones, left, and the university’s food
service general manager, Ron Wheeler, background, at the Hoke Union Building
on Wednesday, Nov. 24, 2021.
By DAVIS CARBAUGH
The Observer
EOU staff hands out turkeys,
Thanksgiving kits to students, staff
staying on campus during the holiday
Alex Wittwer/The Observer
Jeremy Jones, housing director for Eastern Oregon University, retrieves
a turkey from the walk-in fridge at Hoke Union Building on campus on
Wednesday, Nov. 24, 2021. The university off ered free Thanksgiving meal
kits to students and staff that included a thawed turkey, assorted pies, a
roasting sheet and kitchen staples.
LA GRANDE — Eastern
Oregon University made sure
its students and staff had a full
plate for Thanksgiving.
Whether it be work, studies
or other obligations, some stu-
dents and staff found them-
selves staying on campus on
the holiday. Thanks to the uni-
versity’s food services and res-
idence life employees, students
and staff on campus had the
opportunity to join in on a com-
munity Thanksgiving meal or
take home all the necessities
needed to cook their own meals
at home.
“It’s a fun opportunity for
students who have to stay on
campus and might be away
from their families,” said
Jeremy Jones, the residence life
director at Eastern.
Jones helped organize the
campus Thanksgiving festivi-
ties alongside Ronald Wheeler,
the general manager of food
services at the university. The
two helped organize a Thanks-
giving feast on campus the
week before the holiday, the
distribution of Thanksgiving
kits the day before the holiday
and a Thanksgiving Day meal
on campus.
At Hoke Union Building
from noon to 2 p.m. on
Wednesday, Nov. 24, Jones and
Wheeler handed out kits con-
taining whole turkeys ready for
baking, dinner rolls, sparkling
wine, aluminum baking pans
and ingredients for Thanks-
giving side dishes. Those par-
ticipating could also choose
from a variety of frozen pies to
go along with the meal.
Any students and staff were
eligible to sign up, as well
as several community mem-
bers who reached out to pick
up extra turkeys. Jones and
Wheeler handed out roughly 20
turkeys and Thanksgiving kits.
The idea of delivering
the necessities for a Thanks-
giving meal came to Jones and
Wheeler last year during the
peak of the COVID-19 pan-
demic, when families were dis-
couraged from traveling and
gathering in large groups prior
to the vaccine. Last year they
gave out turkeys.
“We’ve ramped it up and
done more than normal this
year,” Wheeler said.
Wheeler also organized
the on-campus Thanksgiving
dinner the week before and dis-
tributed pre-made meals to stu-
dents who knew they would be
staying on campus during the
holiday.
“That was a lot of fun,” he
said. “Everyone really enjoyed
that.”
See, Turkey/Page A5
A life of impact
Lee Insko remembered
for a legacy of
compassion, life
lessons
By DICK MASON
The Observer
LA GRANDE — Lee
Insko led Eastern Oregon
University to many tri-
umphs in the athletic arena
during his 14 seasons as a
head coach for the Moun-
taineers. But along the way
he did much more than win.
Insko, who died Tuesday,
Nov. 16, at Grande Ronde
Hospital at age 86, also
taught life lessons so time-
less and enduring that
some of his players did not
fully appreciate them until
decades later.
TUESDAY
See, Insko/Page A5
WEATHER
INDEX
Classified ......B2
Comics ...........B5
Crossword ....B2
Dear Abby ....B6
“I never realized the
impact he had had on my
life until I got older,” said
Greg Oveson, of Wallowa.
Oveson played for
Eastern from 1970 to 1973,
during the fi rst half of Ins-
ko’s 10-year tenure as East-
ern’s head football coach,
which ran from 1968
through 1977.
Letters ...........A4
Lottery ...........A2
Obituaries .....A3
Opinion .........A4
Outdoors ......B1
Spiritual Life ...A6
Sports ............A8
Sudoku ..........B5
Eastern Oregon University/Contributed Photo
Lee Insko served as a coach at Eastern Oregon University for 14 years
and later was named the dean of EOU’s distance education program.
Full forecast on the back of B section
Tonight
Sunday
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55/38
Overcast
Clouds and sun
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Issue 139
2 sections, 16 pages
La Grande, Oregon
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