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TUESDAY EDITION
January 25, 2022
Local school districts post strong grad rates
5 local public high
schools see at least 90%
of seniors graduate
Mendoza
By DICK MASON
The Observer
LA GRANDE — Gradua-
tion rates in public high schools
in Union and Wallowa counties
look strong overall, according to
2020-21 statistics released by the
Oregon Department of Education.
Wells
Hislop
The statistics, put out on
Thursday, Jan. 20, indicate
that fi ve of the nine public high
schools in the two counties posted
graduation rates of at least 90%
and that rates were up at four of
the high schools.
Imbler High School is at the
Paralegals
to the
rescue?
Oregon State Bar
proposes program to let
paralegals help in family
law, housing cases
head of the class with a gradua-
tion rate of 100%. Imbler’s rate
was up 14.29% from 2019-20
when 85.71% of seniors gradu-
ated. Imbler also had a perfect
graduation rate in 2018-19.
“Students, staff , parents and
the community are what makes
this happen,” said Doug Hislop,
the Imbler School District’s
superintendent.
Hislop added that the role par-
ents play in boosting students
cannot be underestimated.
“Parents and teachers are
co-educators,” he said.
The Enterprise School District
had the second highest graduation
rate in Union and Wallowa coun-
ties at 95.65%, up from 2019-20
when it had a graduation rate of
85.37%. Joseph and Wallowa high
schools, Wallowa County’s other
two public high schools, also were
in the 90% range. Joseph’s rate
was 91.67%, down 1.19% from
2019-20, and Wallowa’s was 90%,
up from 83.33% in 2019-20.
Union had the third highest
graduation rate in the area at
94.12%. Union School District
Superintendent Carter Wells
credits the high mark to his staff ’s
ability to identify students that
need extra attention.
“We are very fortunate to have
a strong staff who early on can
identify students who are at risk,”
he said, adding that Union High
School’s small size makes it easier
for staff to get to know their stu-
dents and help them be able to
make their commencement walks.
See, Grads/Page A5
LEGISLATURE
Setting priorities
3 Eastern Oregon legislators share what they are backing in the 2022 short session
By ERICK PETERSON
and ANTONIO SIERRA
East Oregonian
By ALEX WITTWER
EO Media Group
SALEM — The Oregon State
Bar is seeking public input on a
new proposal that would intro-
duce a new career path for para-
legals — and allow paralegals
to take on more responsibili-
ties when it comes to family and
tenant/landlord law.
That public comment period
will run until Feb. 18.
The bar put forth the proposal
for a new program to allow para-
legals to provide certain limited
services to individuals — not
businesses — with
matters related to
family law and land-
lord/tenant dis-
putes, including
assisting on paper-
work and guidance
Walsh
on court procedures.
According to the bar, 75% to 85%
of these cases in Oregon see liti-
gants navigating the legal system
alone, even in areas such as
housing, parenting time or child
custody.
“To the extent that we have a
two-tiered system in these areas
— some with access to a lawyer
and others without — this could
provide some trained help for
those who may otherwise be
entirely on their own,” according
to Kateri Walsh, spokesperson for
the Oregon State Bar.
Family law courthouse facil-
itators already off er many of the
procedures, such as help with
fi ling and requesting correct
SALEM — Eastern Oregon
lawmakers looking at the
upcoming legislative ses-
sion are focusing their eff orts
on more money for ranchers
who lose livestock to wolves,
increasing consumer pro-
tection and taking on illegal
marijuana farms in Southern
Oregon.
Rep. Bobby Levy, R-Echo,
Rep. Greg Smith, R-Hep-
pner, and Sen. Bill Hansell,
R-Athena, told the EO Media
Group about their priorities
for the 2022 short session that
begins Feb. 1 and must end by
March 10.
Wolf bill drawing
Levy’s attention
Levy named two bills as
most important to her, starting
with House Bill 4127, a mil-
lion-dollar ask for the Wolf
Management Compensation
and Proactive Trust Fund.
“Right now,
we have already
close to $800,000
worth of cattle
losses and missing
livestock, not to
mention all the
Levy
incremental costs
that go along when wolves
have been chasing animals,”
she said, adding animals have
suff ered “continued weight
loss, low birth rates and more
because of wolves.”
She also is big on HB 4154,
a $400,000 request to provide
Abigail Dollins/The Associated Press, File
Lawmakers meet in the Oregon House of Representatives on June 23, 2021, at the Oregon State Capitol in Salem.
The Oregon Legislature’s “short session” begins Feb. 1, 2022, and must end by March 10.
the La Grande Airport with
new fuel tanks.
Levy said she will be
co-sponsoring bills as well,
including HB 4022 to put
course curriculum on school
websites, and HB 4042,
which would require doc-
tors who prescribe drugs for
chemical abortions to provide
“certain information” to their
patients. She said she also is
adding her name to bills con-
cerning animal predator con-
trol, a salmon habitat credit
program and gun-free zone
liability.
Smith focusing on
consumer protection
Smith in a press release
Thursday, Jan. 20, said con-
sumer protection, gun rights
and housing are
among top issues
he will work
on during the
session.
He said he is
proposing a bill to
Smith
limit how much
Oregonians have to pay res-
idential general contractors
before completing remodel or
repair projects.
“For context, large contrac-
tors charge 100% of residen-
tial project costs up-front,”
Smith stated. “Once payment
is received, the consumer is at
their mercy and completion of
the project can often become
an incredibly diffi cult pro-
cess. This legislation would
strengthen the consumer’s
interests and improve project
outcomes.”
Smith also explained he was
“disheartened by the passage of
See, Session/Page A5
See, Paralegals/Page A6
Family counting their blessings following fall
Wallowa County
man recovering
after fall results
in broken back
MORE INFORMATION
Several funds have been set up
to help Morgan with medical
bills. A member of the family
said Community Bank loca-
tions are taking donations for
the Sam Morgan Memorial
Fund. There is also a GoFundMe
page set up at https://gofund.
me/93d4e53c.
By RONALD BOND
Wallowa County Chieftain
ENTERPRISE — An
Enterprise man is recov-
ering in Seattle after
falling into a creek by his
home and breaking several
vertebrae.
Sam Morgan’s family
members, however, are
counting their blessings,
grateful that Morgan, 75,
INDEX
Classified ......B2
Comics ...........B5
Crossword ....B2
Dear Abby ....B6
not only is still alive after
a frightening ordeal that
left him in Trout Creek
for an estimated 90 min-
utes or more, but that he
doesn’t appear to have any
paralysis or adverse eff ects
from hypothermia.
“That’s our fi rst
blessing — No. 1, he is
alive,” his sister, Susan
Wagner, told the Chieftain
Friday, Jan. 21. “No. 2, he
is not paralyzed. He can
move all extremities.”
Wagner said her brother
WEATHER
Home .............B1
Horoscope ....B3
Letters ...........A4
Lottery ...........A2
THURSDAY
Obituaries .....A3
Opinion .........A4
Sports ............A7
State ...............A8
is not dealing with skin
turning black and hasn’t
lost fi ngers or toes from
the time in the icy water.
“He doesn’t seem to be
experiencing any of that,”
she said.
Morgan, who just cel-
ebrated his 75th birthday,
Wagner said, was “doing
stuff outside” at his
home around 10:30 a.m.
Wednesday morning, Jan.
12.
“He has a little bridge
that crosses Trout Creek,”
Full forecast on the back of B section
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Wednesday
25 LOW
37/14
Some clouds
Freezing fog
LOCAL ANIMAL SHELTER LOOKS AT NUMBERS
she said.
While crossing the
bridge, he slipped.
“(He) fell across the
bridge and broke several
vertebrae in his back, and
fell into Trout Creek,” she
said.
The fall was between
10 and 15 feet. Morgan
was unable to pull himself
from the water, Wagner
said. Eventually, he was
able to position himself on
See, Fall/Page A6
CONTACT US
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Issue 10
2 sections, 14 pages
La Grande, Oregon
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