Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The Observer. (La Grande, Or.) 1968-current | View Entire Issue (April 21, 2022)
INSIDE ENTERPRISE STANDOUT RUNNER TO CONTINUE CROSS-COUNTRY CAREER AT IDAHO | SPORTS, A9 DRE AD April 21, 2022 THURSDAY EDITION INSIDE EXPLORE AGRICULTURE IN SPECIAL SECTION Growth could spur primary changes DROUG ED CONTIN HT U ES LOCAL RECOGNITION « Bob Goss, left, sits with other members and family of the La Grande and Baker American Legion posts in Baker City in November 1948. Goss and the La Grande Post’s drum corps marched in an Armistice Day parade in Baker City before a football game between La Grande and Baker high schools. In 2022, Goss donated the uniform he wore in this photograph to be preserved by the American Legion Post 43 in La Grande. Rise in nonaffiliated voters encourages push to open Oregon primaries By JULIA SHUMWAY Oregon Capital Chronicle SALEM — Oregon voters who aren’t reg- istered with any political party reached a sig- nifi cant milestone in March: They now out- number Democrats. Nonaffi liated voters have long been the second largest bloc in the state, behind Dem- ocrats and ahead of Republicans. Their con- tinued growth, due in part to a 2015 law that automatically registered people getting or renewing driver’s licenses as nonaffi liated voters, could give them more political power. But they don’t get a say in picking candi- dates in most primary elections. When county clerks mail ballots in May, nonaffi liated voters will see one major state- wide race for the nonpartisan commissioner of the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Indus- tries, some state and local judges and pos- sibly other local races, depending on where they live. They won’t get to vote on nomi- nees for Congress, governor or the Oregon Legislature. Nonaffi liated voters have until April 26 to change their party registration and become eligible to vote in the Democratic or Repub- lican primary. They can switch their regis- tration back after that. News that nonaffi liated voters surpassed registered Democrats brought more attention to a pending attempt to change the Oregon Constitution to allow all voters to participate in state-funded primary elections. Ed Doyle, president of Oregon Open Primaries and the chief petitioner for the proposed constitu- tional amendment, said he’s been a registered voter with both major parties at diff erent points in his life and was always frustrated by how primaries limited his choices. “I’ve always kind of been bothered by the fact that I was limited,” he said. “I’ve always voted for the person, not the party, and very frequently I was limited on who I could choose.” Doyle and other petitioners gathered more than 1,000 signatures from Oregon voters, the fi rst step in getting a pro- posed amendment on the ballot. They’re now reviewing a draft ballot title from the Oregon Justice Department, and once that ballot title is complete, they must collect nearly 150,000 signatures from Oregon voters by July 8 for the measure to appear on the November ballot. $1.50 Lisa Goss/Contributed Photo TOP HONORS Bob Goss, World War II veteran, earns American Legion award Dale Case added to Diamond Pioneer Agricultural registry By DAVIS CARBAUGH By DICK MASON The Observer The Observer A GRANDE — No other La Grande res- ident can say they have been a member of the American Legion longer than Robert “Bob” Goss. The 97-year-old was recently recognized by the national branch of the American Legion for 75 con- tinuous years of membership in good standing. “We’ll likely never give one of those out again,”La Grande American Legion Post 43 Commander Dave Matott said. “It’s not something we’ve ever done here, national sent this to us. It’s a great achievement.” A World War II veteran, Goss for- mally received the honor at the La Goss Grande Post on Wednesday, March 9. The American Legion, a nonprofi t organization that supports veterans and current military personnel, was founded just 28 years before Goss joined in 1947. Goss is the oldest member of the La Grande Post 43 and the only local resident to receive such an award. During his many years as a member, Goss was actively involved in the post’s drum and bugle corps. The band members were honored as state champions LICEL — Dale Case, an Alicel-area farmer and agricultural leader, is joining a select circle. Case, 80, is being saluted for a lifetime of achievements by Oregon State University’s Col- lege of Agricultural Sciences, which has named him to its Diamond Pioneer Agricultural Achievement Registry. “It was a big surprise,” Case said of his selection. “It was totally unexpected.” He added that it is gratifying that some of the work he has done is being remembered. “It is nice to be recognized,” Case Case said. Case received an award commemorating his selection to the registry on Tuesday, April 19, at a ceremony at OSU in Corvallis. He was nominated for the registry by the Columbia Basin Agricultural Research Center in Adams. “Dale has a long history of service to Oregon’s and the region’s agriculture,” the Columbia Basin Agricultural Research Center said in a press release. John Howard, a La Grande businessman, noted See, Goss/Page A8 See, Case/Page A8 L A See, Primaries/Page A7 Poll: Oregonians willing to spend on family services By ZACK DEMARS MORE INFORMATION The Bulletin SALEM — Child and family wellness programs are widely sup- ported in Oregon, according to a new survey from the Oregon Values & Beliefs Center. Surveyors asked 1,500 Oregon residents their opinions on a dozen diff erent social programs ben- efi ting children, from aff ord- able housing to food access, and whether they would support their tax money going to those pro- grams. They found that many would, despite diff erences in pre- ferred programs on political and demographic lines. Three of the most popular pro- The Oregon Values and Beliefs Center is committed to the highest level of public opinion research. To help obtain that, the nonprofi t is building a large research panel of Oregonians to ensure that all voices are represented in discussions of public policy in a valid and statistically reliable way. Selected panelists earn points for their participation, which can be redeemed for cash or donated to a charity. To learn more visit oregonvbc. org/about-the-panel. grams respondents supported included tutoring for students who need extra support, increasing access to extracurricular activities and a state program off ering health care to eligible children. Upwards INDEX Business ........B1 Classified ......B2 Comics ...........B5 Crossword ....B2 WEATHER Dear Abby ....B6 Horoscope ....B4 Lottery ...........A2 Obituaries .....A5 Opinion .........A4 Spiritual ........A6 Sports ............A9 Sudoku ..........B5 of 85% of those who responded to the survey said they supported those programs. Survey takers felt less positive about using culturally inclusive learning materials, cultural aware- ness and implicit bias trainings for school staff and oral health care off ered at schools — though 70% or more of respondents still sup- ported those programs. Political affi liation is a key factor in determining a per- son’s support for those programs, researchers found. About 91% of Democrats who took the survey supported using tax dollars to increase access to affordable housing, while just 64% of Republicans supported Full forecast on the back of B section Tonight Friday 33 LOW 56/37 Mostly cloudy Still cloudy the same thing. The two groups face the widest gap in beliefs on the question of using tax dollars to use “cultur- ally inclusive” learning mate- rials. Among Democrats, 89% expressed support, while just 40% of Republicans did the same. The two groups felt similarly about requiring cultural aware- ness and implicit bias training for school staff . Noah Scott Warman, 52, a labor attorney and progressive Dem- ocrat from Portland, was one of the survey’s respondents. He said that while he agrees that diversity, equity and inclusion are important See, Survey/Page A7 CONTACT US 541-963-3161 Issue 48 3 sections, 34 pages La Grande, Oregon Email story ideas to news@lagrande observer.com. More contact info on Page A4.
