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Alleged racism from La Grande football team still under review
By DAVIS CARBAUGH
The Observer
LA GRANDE — Allegations
of racism from the La Grande
football team remain under
review.
Following a 34-12 playoff vic-
tory over Gladstone on Friday,
Nov. 5, at Eastern Oregon Uni-
versity, La Grande’s players were
accused of using racial slurs
during the game in an article
published by The Oregonian.
The ensuing investigation by the
Oregon School Activities Associ-
ation, La Grande School District
and Gladstone School District is
still ongoing.
A player and parent from the
Gladstone football team spoke
out to The Oregonian on Nov. 11
regarding what they claimed
was a persistent use of racial
slurs from the La Grande team
throughout the entirety of the
fi rst-round playoff game. Near the
conclusion of the game, a verbal
dispute ensued between the Glad-
stone sideline and players on the
fi eld.
Following the accusations, a
full-blown investigation began led
by an independent investigator
working alongside OSAA. The
investigation included review of
game fi lm, interviews with those
involved and amends between the
two school districts.
According to La Grande
Superintendent George Men-
doza, the interviews and inves-
tigative section of the review is
nearing completion and OSAA is
working toward a fi nal decision
on the allegations. The La Grande
School District has cooperated in
the investigation and provided due
diligence in getting to the bottom
of the accusations, Mendoza said.
OSAA Executive Director
Peter Weber said that the inde-
pendent investigator is nearing
See, Review/Page A5
LA GRANDE
Shop with
a Cop
unwraps
seasonal
cheer
Law enforcement
event provides gifts to
local families, builds
bonds with youth
By DAVIS CARBAUGH
The Observer
LA GRANDE — In the
spirit of the season, local law
enforcement made it possible
for students in the area to
give Christmas gifts to their
families.
The Shop with a Cop pro-
gram, which is in its 13th
year in La Grande, helps
children intermingle with
law enforcement while
picking out holiday presents
at Walmart in Island City.
Selected students in grades
one through six partook in
the event on Thursday, Dec.
9, thanks to support from
the community and local
volunteers.
“The kids always enjoy it
so much and they get very
excited about getting gifts
for their family members,”
La Grande Police Lieu-
tenant Jason Hays said. “It
really embraces that spirit of
giving.”
Hays has organized the
event for the last 13 years
and has seen it grow in popu-
larity both with law enforce-
ment and the community.
The program has drawn dep-
uties from the Union County
Sheriff ’s Offi ce and offi cers
from the Oregon State Police.
A long winter ahead
Labor shortage will make snow removal difficult for ODOT
positions, signifi cantly more than what is
average for this time of year.
By DICK MASON
The Observer
L
A GRANDE — A shortage of
road maintenance employees
could create delays in snow
removal this winter in Eastern
Oregon.
“Fewer people will be run-
ning plows. Anytime you have fewer oper-
ators it means that work will take longer,”
said Oregon Department of Transportation
spokesperson Tom Strandberg.
Craig Sipp, manager of ODOT’s Region
5, which encompasses a high percentage of
Eastern Oregon, agreed.
“If we have back-to-back storms, it may
take us longer to get to some of the sec-
ondary highways,” he said.
Sipp said ODOT’s Region 5 has approx-
imately 12 unfi lled road maintenance
See, Cheer/Page A5
Open positions
Statewide ODOT has 167 road mainte-
nance positions now open. There were 86
openings at the same time in 2020 and 29
in 2019 during the same period. Strandberg
said ODOT’s Region 5 has seen openings
for maintenance staff steadily rise since
2019.
Strandberg said it is not known if the
COVID-19 pandemic is partially respon-
sible for the employee shortage. Strandberg
said 99% of ODOT’s employees in Oregon
complied with the state’s COVID-19 vac-
cine mandate that took eff ect in October.
This meant that 99% of ODOT’s employees
either were vaccinated or fi led for and
received an exemption for health or reli-
gious reasons.
He said it is unknown if some of the
employees who retired this year did so
because of concerns about the state vaccine
mandate.
ODOT always adds to its road main-
tenance staff in the winter, Strandberg
said, and many of those hired are seasonal
employees. He said that despite the labor
shortage, travelers can expect to see ODOT
maintenance crews clearing snow night and
day.
“We will be keeping equipment on the
road as much as possible,” he said.
Ace Clark, ODOT’s manager of Dis-
trict 13, which includes Union and Wal-
lowa counties and most of Baker County,
said that it has been diffi cult to hire road
maintenance staff because there is so
much competition now for employees due
See, ODOT/Page A5
Photos by Alex Wittwer/The Observer, File
TOP: A plow drives through a snow-covered road near Imbler early in the morning on Monday, Feb. 15, 2021. ABOVE: A snowplow heads out to battle drifts on
Highway 82, near Imbler, early in the morning on Thursday, Feb. 18, 2021.
WEATHER
INDEX
Classified ......B2
Comics ...........B5
Crossword ....B2
Dear Abby ....B6
TUESDAY
Horoscope ....B2
Lottery ...........A2
Obituaries .....A3
Opinion .........A4
Outdoors ......B1
Sports ............A7
Sudoku ..........B5
Weather ........B6
Full forecast on the back of B section
Tonight
Wednesday
32 LOW
44/40
A shower early
Mostly cloudy
LOCAL AUTHOR CONNECTS WITH RWANDA MAN
CONTACT US
541-963-3161
Issue 145
2 sections, 14 pages
La Grande, Oregon
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