HUNTING TIPS FOR NORTHEASTERN OREGON’S RIO GRANDES | OUTDOORS & REC, B1
INSIDE
December 18, 2021
WEEKEND EDITION
Disease
likely
won’t
aff ect deer
hunting
$1.50
MEASURE 110
EHD spread through
white-tailed deer in
Union County
By JAYSON JACOBY
Baker City Herald
An insect-borne virus killed
dozens of deer, most whitetails,
in Baker, Union and Wallowa
counties this summer, but wild-
life biologists said the die-off
might not lead to any reduction
in hunting tags.
Offi cials from the Oregon
Department of Fish and Wildlife
(ODFW) started getting reports
of dead deer around the region
this summer.
Tests of tissue samples con-
fi rmed that the animals were
infected with a virus, spread by
biting midges, that causes the
frequently fatal illness, Epizootic
Hemorrhagic Disease (EHD).
Although EHD can kill both
white-tailed and mule deer, as
well as other wild animals such
as elk and pronghorn antelope,
and sheep and cattle, the disease
typically is much more virulent
among whitetails, said Brian Rat-
liff , district wildlife biologist at
ODFW’s Baker City offi ce.
In late summer, Ratliff said 33
of the 36 dead deer he had exam-
ined were whitetails.
Yes on Measure 110 Campaign/The Associated Press, File
Volunteers with the Yes on Measure 110 Campaign on June 26, 2020, deliver boxes containing signed petitions in favor of the measure to the Oregon Secretary of State’s
offi ce in Salem. Police in Oregon can no longer arrest someone for possession of small amounts of heroin, methamphetamine and other hard drugs as the ballot measure
that decriminalized them took eff ect Monday, Feb. 1, 2021.
MIXED RESULTS
Opinions vary on
effectiveness of drug
addiction treatment
and recovery act
By DAVIS CARBAUGH
The Observer
Baker County
L
In Baker County the disease
outbreak was mostly confi ned
to the western edge of the Baker
Valley, an area including Pine
and Goodrich creeks, Ben Dier
Lane and upper Hunt Mountain
Lane, Ratliff said.
White-tailed deer are common
in that part of the valley, about 12
miles northwest of Baker City.
Ratliff didn’t have a fi nal esti-
mated tally of how many deer
died.
But because there is no special
hunting season for whitetails —
they are legal quarry during sea-
sons, the same as mule deer —
Ratliff said the dieoff won’t lead
to a reduction in hunting tags in
the Sumpter unit, which includes
Baker Valley.
An outbreak of EHD killed an
estimated 2,000 white-tailed deer
in Umatilla County during the
See, Deer/Page A5
A GRANDE — Reactions
remain mixed to Oregon’s law
decriminalizing drugs and
boosting the availability and
usage of addiction recovery
options.
Measure 110 passed by 58.5% in Oregon
in November 2020 and went into eff ect
Feb. 1. In Union County, 5,708 individ-
uals (37.8%) voted in favor of the measure,
while 8,650 (57.3%) voted against Measure
110.
“The diffi culty of measuring 110’s
impact on our community and policing
at this time is we only have nine months
of experience in determining short-term
and long-term eff ects of Measure 110,”
La Grande police Lt. Jason Hays said.
“COVID-19 also complicates this since
COVID mandates, joblessness and other
COVID stressors also impact behavior and
criminal activity.”
The measure adjusts the approach on
DRUG RELATED CRIMINAL
ACTIVITY IN UNION COUNTY
Feb. 2021 – Nov. 2021 Compared with Feb. 2019 – Nov. 2019
135% 33%
Ashton-Williams
increase in
theft cases
increase in ca
calls
lated to assault
assau
related
113%
83%
increase
rease in calls
c
ated to criminal
crimi
related
mischief
decrease in
ug law
la
drug
lati
violations
drug addiction and abuse, reclassifying the
penalties for drug possession. The penalty
for drug possession is essentially the price
of a parking ticket. The new punishment for
smaller amounts of controlled substances
is a $100 fi ne, which can be avoided if the
individual seeks out a health assessment at
an addiction recovery center.
This shift in drug possession enforce-
ment was put into place to emphasize
drug abuse as a public health issue, one
that encourages addicts to reach out to
addiction services instead of being placed
behind bars.
Law enforcement
While Measure 110 was drafted with a
goal of improving treatment for addictions,
law enforcement across the state has had
Boyd
Hays
mixed feelings regarding the new proce-
dures. The measure changed the approach
of drug abuse enforcement, as police
departments across the state are taking a
more reactive approach to drug usage in
communities.
“Historically we were proactive in our
fi ght against illicit drug abuse, drug posses-
sion, drug manufacturing and drug dealing
in a way to increase the livability within
our community,” Hays said. “With the
implementation of Measure 110 voted in
by the people, it sends a message that illicit
drug activity is not a priority within our
communities in Oregon as it once was.”
According to Hays, local law enforce-
ment in La Grande saw more success in
drug abuse treatment when individuals
were ordered by the court to receive drug
treatment.
“We deal with citizens daily who are
drug dependent, whose health digresses
because we don’t have the ability to arrest
them on drug charges that would typically
get them into court-ordered drug treat-
See, Measure 110/Page A5
Dinner is served
Union County Senior
Center had been closed
to dining for 21 months
By DICK MASON
The Observer
LA GRANDE — Walking
into the Union County Senior
Center at midday on Wednesday,
Dec. 15, was a little like stepping
21 months back in time.
For the fi rst time since March
2020 the dining area of the senior
center was fi lled with people
eating lunch together. The sit-
down meal was the fi rst the
Union County Senior Center has
served since the COVID-19 pan-
demic hit Oregon and forced Gov.
Kate Brown to ban the serving of
meals in social settings.
The lunch served Dec. 15
marked the reopening of one of
Union County’s most popular
lunch stops, a place where seniors
have been enjoying midday
meals every weekday for at least
three decades. The center is
Alex Wittwer/The Observer
See, Dinner/Page A5
John Turner receives a meal from Shayla Pratt at the Union County Senior Center
in La Grande on Thursday, Dec. 16, 2021.
WEATHER
INDEX
Classified .......... B2
Comics ............... B5
Crossword ........ B2
Dear Abby ........ B6
TUESDAY
Horoscope ........ B3
Lottery ............... A2
Obituaries ......... A3
Opinion ............. A4
Outdoors .......... B1
Sports ................ A7
Sudoku .............. B5
Weather ............ B6
Full forecast on the back of B section
Tonight
Sunday
31 LOW
36/32
A little snow
A bit of snow
BAKERS SHARE SWEET HOLIDAY RECIPES
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Issue 148
2 sections, 14 pages
La Grande, Oregon
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