INSIDE A LITTLE FISH WITH A FUNNY NAME IS FULL OF FIGHT | May 28, 2022 OUTDOORS & REC, B1 lagrandeobserver.com | $1.50 WEEKEND EDITION Proposed Union County budget calls for cuts Loss of Elgin contract prompts cutbacks to law enforcement positions By DICK MASON The Observer LA GRANDE — The 2022-23 budget picture for Union County is a paradoxical one. The county’s proposed total budget, one approved by its budget committee on Tuesday, May 24, is up 13%, but all is not as bright as it might seem. The proposed budget calls for two cor- rections offi cer and three sheriff ’s offi ce deputy positions to be cut. The three deputy positions are set to be cut because the Elgin City Council voted on Wednesday, May 18, not to renew its contract for law enforcement services from Union County. The contract expires at the end of June. The corrections offi cer posi- tions would be cut due to rising personnel costs and because some revenue the county anticipated receiving for the positions did not materialize, according to Shelley Burgess, the administrative and budget offi cer for Union County. Trimming the fi ve law enforce- ment positions would save Union County $470,000, Burgess said. Burgess explained that four will be able to take other positions within the Union County Sher- iff ’s Offi ce, Sheriff Cody Bowen said. Still, the sheriff said he will have to issue layoff notices to two patrol deputies. “It is awful. These are people to me,” he said. “They have fam- ilies and children of their own. In today’s economy, to have to tell someone they are being laid off is corrections positions were added a year ago with approval of the budget committee and that two of these positions are now being cut. Burgess said at the time the budget committee believed the county would receive grants that would help fund the four positions. Due to personnel shuffl ing made possible by resignations, some of the law enforcement employees impacted by the cuts See, County/Page A7 EOU graduation back to normal Community Stadium ceremony returns after COVID-19, turf replacement interruptions By DAVIS CARBAUGH The Observer LA GRANDE — After a three-year hiatus, the Eastern Oregon University commencement ceremony will return to its normal routine. The graduation ceremony will take place at 9:30 am. Saturday, June 11, at the university’s football fi eld at Commu- nity Stadium — following two years of altered ceremonies due to COVID-19 and the fi eld’s turf replacement in 2019, com- mencement will now be back to a standard format. This year’s gradua- IF YOU GO tion marks the univer- OHSU annual sity’s 92nd commence- convention ment ceremony. EOU and awards anticipates awarding ceremony: up to 675 degrees and 8:30 a.m., June 10 certifi cates this aca- EOU student demic year, with more awards assembly: 1:30 p.m., June 10 than 300 undergrad- Master’s hooding uate and master’s ceremony: students set to walk 8:45 a.m., June 11 across the stage. All General who fi nished their commencement: courses in the summer 9:30 a.m., June 11 of 2021, fall of 2021 or winter or 2022 are invited to participate in the spring com- mencement ceremony. The last two years the COVID-19 pan- demic altered Eastern’s graduation plans, with the university turning to virtual gath- erings and drive-thru ceremonies. Last year, Eastern graduates packed their cars with family members and received their diplomas from EOU Pres- ident Thomas Insko on the west side of campus. The brigade of cars, many clad Dick Mason/the Observer Ellen Campbell, a trailblazing wildlife biologist, poses in May 2022 with the Artemis Award she received from the Wild Sheep Foundation. True trailblazer Retired La Grande wildlife biologist Ellen Campbell has helped open doors for other women biologists By DICK MASON The Observer L A GRANDE — Retired La Grande wildlife biologist Ellen Campbell is a trailblazer, qui- etly breaking through many glass ceil- ings during the course of a four-decade career. Campbell, who grew up in Balti- more and has been a La Grande res- ident 14 years, has left not shards of glass in her wake but instead new career paths for women to follow. The respect she has earned as a pio- neer is one of the reasons Campbell has received a legacy-defi ning honor — the Artemis Outstanding Woman Conser- vationist of the year award from the Wild Sheep Foundation. “She is very richly deserving of the honor,” said Walter Chuck, president of the Oregon Wild Sheep Founda- tion, which is connected to the national Wild Sheep Foundation. The Artemis Award recognizes many portions of Campbell’s work as a wildlife manager including her work with Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep as a member of the Oregon Wild Sheep Foundation, her role in showing that women could succeed in a fi eld dom- inated by men, her success as a big game hunter, community service work and much more. “It is a very prestigious honor,” Chuck said. See, Campbell/Page A7 Jim Ward/Contributed Photo Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep are among the wildlife Ellen Campbell has helped protect. This ram was photographed in Canada’s Banff National Park. See, EOU/Page A7 Opioid crisis requires all hands on deck Local treatment centers grapple with increase in opioid overdoses Editor’s Note: This is the fi nal part of a multistory series addressing the trends related to opioid overdoses in Union County and across the nation. By DAVIS CARBAUGH The Observer LA GRANDE — As opioid overdoses increasingly aff ect the nation, local treatment centers are going full speed ahead to slow the trend. As examined in the fi rst two parts of this series from The Observer, the uptick in drug over- doses and addiction is reaching families and communities far and wide. With adjustments in state- wide legislation regarding the decriminalization of controlled substances, local law enforcement are adjusting their methods in eff orts to slow the alarming trend. For treatment centers across the United States and locally in Union County, the recent surge has led to a state of emergency in addressing substance abuse. WEATHER INDEX Classified ......B2 Comics ...........B5 Crossword ....B2 Dear Abby ....B6 Horoscope ....B3 Local...............A2 Lottery ...........A2 Obituaries .....A5 Opinion .........A4 Outdoors ......B1 Sudoku ..........B5 Voices ............A6 “As a company who works with addiction, the weight of the current state of aff airs falls heavy upon our shoulders,” a statement from staff members at the Center for Human Development, La Grande, read. “The sheer infl ux has created a state of emergency for all who work with those struggling with substance use.” An uphill battle The overdose uptick has been building for years in the United States, but the pandemic accel- erated the numbers — in Union County, the law enforcement call center is on pace to shatter pre- Full forecast on the back of B section Tonight Sunday 45 LOW 49/39 A t-storm or two A few showers vious records for overdose calls. Union County reported 20 drug-re- lated overdose calls through the end of March, which is well ahead of last year’s total of 45 calls throughout 2021. In 2020, the county reported just 10 total calls. Following the passing of Mea- sure 110 in November of 2020, the approach to substance abuse in Oregon shifted to a focus on treatment and heightened services toward substance abuse as a public health issue. Allocations saved by limiting costs related to arrests, incarcerations and supervision of See, Opioids/Page A7 CONTACT US 541-963-3161 Issue 64 2 sections, 14 pages La Grande, Oregon Email story ideas to news@lagrande observer.com. More contact info on Page A4.