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About The Observer. (La Grande, Or.) 1968-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 1, 2022)
Opinion A4 Tuesday, February 1, 2022 OUR VIEW Glad inquiry is in the past A bout the best thing that can be said for the conclusion of an investigation by the Oregon School Activities Association regarding the use of racist remarks at a football playoff game last fall is it is over. Last month, the OSAA released its fi ndings on an alleged incident that occurred during a La Grande-Gladstone football playoff game in November. The OSAA found the allegations regarding the use of racial slurs by members of the La Grande team against the Gladstone squad could not be confi rmed. Another allegation, that an offi cial identifi ed a Gladstone coach by his ethnicity, was confi rmed. The probe, though, found that the offi cial later apologized to the coach during the game. The OSAA review of the game lasted sev- eral months, and a third-party investigator was used to conduct the probe. Players and staff were interviewed. While the OSAA could not substantiate the evidence of the use of a racial slur, it did recog- nize “that students, coaches and families were negatively impacted.” The entire episode was unpleasant but there are some bright spots. For one, it is clear the La Grande and Gladstone school districts worked together to fi nd the truth in this matter. That says a lot about offi cials in both districts and should be a reminder to everyone that once emotions cool, clearheaded individuals are available to address such issues in a methodical way. The OSAA should get some credit as well for tackling this controversial issue with profession- alism and tact, while also staying focused on fi nding the truth. No agency, no school offi cial, eagerly seeks to experience such an episode as what was alleged at that November game. However, when such issues arise, it is gratifying to know that top leaders in state school districts — and the OSAA — will not shy away from investigating and working diligently to discover the truth. While the investigation and conduct of the school offi cials in this matter were good, there is no getting around the fact none of this should have occurred in the fi rst place. That is why a focus on sportsmanship and equality should always be paramount at prep sporting events. We’re glad this incident is now behind us and hope that such episodes do not occur in the future. EDITORIALS Unsigned editorials are the opinion of The Observer editorial board. Other columns, letters and cartoons on this page express the opinions of the authors and not necessarily that of The Observer. LETTERS • The Observer welcomes letters to the editor. We edit letters for brevity, grammar, taste and legal reasons. We will not publish con- sumer complaints against busi- nesses, personal attacks against private individuals or comments that can incite violence. We also discourage thank-you letters. • Letters should be no longer than 350 words and must be signed and carry the author’s name, address and phone number (for verifi - cation only). We will not publish anonymous letters. • Letter writers are limited to one letter every two weeks. • Longer community comment columns, such as Other Views, must be no more than 700 words. Writers must provide a recent headshot and a one-sentence biography. Like letters to the editor, columns must refrain from complaints against businesses or personal attacks against private individuals. Submissions must carry the author’s name, address and phone number. • Submission does not guarantee publication, which is at the discre- tion of the editor. SEND LETTERS TO: letters@lagrandeobserver.com or via mail to Editor, 911 Jeff erson Ave., La Grande, OR 97850 YOUR VIEWS Idaho Power avoids the full story The headline in the Jan. 22 Observer “Power companies announce deal on B2H” doesn’t tell the full story. It should read: “BPA pulls out of ownership of the B2H; enters into transmission agreement.” After 16 years of analysis the BPA (Bonneville Power Adminis- tration) decided that owning a por- tion of the B2H was not fi nancially viable for them. Instead, in order to serve their customers in South- eastern Idaho, they will give some un-needed equipment and trans- mission rights in return for lower wheeling charges (the fee to move energy on other companies’ trans- mission lines). In return, Idaho Power must absorb the BPA’s share of 24%, bringing Idaho Power’s total share from 21% to 45%, more than dou- bling their cost. The public knew the BPA was withdrawing from ownership of the B2H in 2019 when Idaho Power informed the state utility commissions. In 2021 the Oregon Public Utility Commission told Idaho Power to recalculate B2H’s budget to show Pacifi Corp’s 54% owner- ship and Idaho Power’s 45% own- ership, adjusted for infl ation. The budget of $1.2 billion was devel- oped in 2016. It is signifi cantly out- dated. In Idaho Power’s most recent fi ling to the OPUC in December, there is still no budget documen- tation. They say they will pro- vide a Transmission Supplement with a detailed analysis in the fi rst quarter of 2022. They must still be crunching the numbers, attempting to justify their ability to fi nance almost half the B2H transmission line. Idaho Power expects us to accept that doubling their fi nancial obli- gations will still be the least cost/ least risk scenario for their cus- tomers. Meanwhile they continue plans to pillage the landscape of Eastern Oregon while serving land- owners pre-condemnation papers for a project that is still years from approval. I don’t trust them and nei- ther should you! Jim Kreider STOP B2H Coalition La Grande Wild and unspoiled land becomes more precious every year In the legal battle over logging state forests, the counties want to cut more timber whether or not it aff ects “the greatest permanent value of those lands.” In Northeast Oregon we don’t have state forest land so much as private, i.e. Han- cock Forest Management. Unfortu- nately, logging contracts awarded CONTACT YOUR REPRESENTATIVES REPRESENTATIVES GOVERNOR Kate Brown 160 State Capitol 900 Court St. Salem, OR 97301-4047 503-378-4582 Bobby Levy, District 58 900 Court St. NE, H-376 Salem, OR 97301 503-986-1458 Rep.BobbyLevy@state.or.us SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION Subscription rates: Monthly Autopay ...............................$10.75 13 weeks.................................................$37.00 26 weeks.................................................$71.00 52 weeks ..............................................$135.00 SENATOR Greg Smith, District 57 900 Court St. NE, H-482 Salem, OR 97301 503-986-1457 Rep.GregSmith@state.or.us Bill Hansell, District 29 900 Court St. NE, S-415 Salem, OR 97301 503-986-1729 Sen.BillHansell@state.or.us STAFF SUBSCRIBEAND SAVE NEWSSTAND PRICE: $1.50 You can save up to 55% off the single-copy price with home delivery. Call 800-781-3214 to subscribe. on Hancock lands are being con- ducted in an aggressively destruc- tive manner that leaves permanent damage. Just above Cove, in 2021, the log- gers went in and carved deep into the topsoil, uprooted and trashed non-timber species and created a biological desert right above Mill Creek. This was a steep but acces- sible hillside rich in plants, ani- mals and birds. The destruction is heartbreaking to look at. I cannot imagine human beings willfully destroying so much in the name of harvesting some timber. Yet it seems to be the norm nowadays. One of the only instruments pro- posed to mitigate this treatment in the future is the River Democracy Act. We need that to make up for Oregon’s inadequate riparian pro- tection buff er on non-federal for- ests. The law states a 20-foot buff er is adequate, but in Washington and California it is wider and on national forests it is 200 feet. Every day we are told about a shortage of workers in every fi eld. Our workforce needs to move on from timber extraction. What little is left of our wild and unspoiled land becomes more precious every year. Lately it is being recognized for its benefi t to mental health (which many nature lovers have been saying for centuries). Mary Cooke Cove Anindependent newspaper foundedin1896 www.lagrandeobserver.com Periodicals postage paid at Pendleton, Oregon 97801 Published Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays (except postal holidays) by EO Media Group, 911 Jefferson Ave., La Grande, OR 97850 (USPS 299-260) The Observer retains ownership and copyright protection of all staff-prepared news copy, advertising copy, photos and news or ad illustrations. They may not be reproduced without explicit prior approval. COPYRIGHT © 2022 Phone: 541-963-3161 Regional publisher. ...................... Karrine Brogoitti Home delivery advisor ......... 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