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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 2, 2019)
A4 East Oregonian Saturday, November 2, 2019 CHRISTOPHER RUSH Publisher KATHRYN B. BROWN Owner ANDREW CUTLER Editor WYATT HAUPT JR. News Editor JADE McDOWELL Hermiston Editor Founded October 16, 1875 OUR VIEW Tip of the hat, kick in the pants A tip of the hat to those who take the time to participate in democracy. It is, after all, one key to the health of our nation. That is why it is always with a certain degree of frustration we view challenges where city and county citizen commit- tees are short active members. A good case in point is in Herm- iston, where its budget committee has two slots that have been open for a long time. The budget committee might not seem like a big deal, but it is this committee that tackles a $55 mil- lion budget. That budget is chock-full of taxpayer dollars. Your dollars. Stepping up to take a volunteer position on a committee takes a lot of commitment. Let’s face it, spending a weeknight poring over budget num- bers probably isn’t everyone’s idea of a good time. But such work is vital to the health of our democracy. We need more peo- ple to get involved in our government. Our system is a simple one and it works best when citizen participate. A tip of the hat to those who have turned in their ballots even though the county charter issue isn’t one to grab a lot of headlines nor attention from the public. Voting is one of the best and most simple ways to partic- ipate in our little experiment called democracy, and those who took the time in their busy day to vote on this matter should be praised. Sounds pretty mundane, but it isn’t. If you are an eligible voter in this county — or any other — you should be voting no matter how uninteresting the issue may seem. A tip of the hat to all of those ghosts and goblins that dressed up to celebrate All Hallows Eve Thurs- day, and especially those who went the EO file photo Sam Carpenter speaks to the Hispanic Advisory Committee, while members Manuel Gutier- rez and Hector Ramirez look on during a 2018 meeting. extra mile in their costumes. Every once in a while we all need to stop and lasso a little fun, and Halloween offers a great opportunity to do just that. And a special thank you to all of the business along Main Street who opened their doors to a host of robbers and ghosts and goblins and dinosaurs Thursday night for the annual down- town trick-or-treat event. Such events are not only a good thing for all the young trick-or-treaters, but shows a high degree of community spirit. Our merchants showed they interwoven into the fabric of our community, and that is a good sight to see. FROM THE TRACTOR SEAT For the love of the game t happens every fall. After only cursory Diego Padres were playing in the National interest in the national pastime during League Championship Series. When the regular season, I start paying more weak-hitting pitcher Rick Sutcliffe, who attention to baseball as the World Series won 16 games after being traded from approaches. As a kid, I was not merely a fan Cleveland in mid-season, hit a ball out of the park onto Waveland Avenue, I knew it was but truly an aficionado of the game. a sign from above that the Cubs My interest was fueled by a were going to the World Series. favorite aunt. Born in 1927 (the Apparently, however, the Lord ain’t year the Yankees swept the Pirates a Cubs fan — the Padres won the with arguably the greatest lineup next three in a row and all of us ever assembled on a baseball dia- mond with the likes of Ruth, Geh- card-carrying members of C.U.B.S. rig, Lazzeri, Combs, Muesel), (Citizens United for Baseball in the Sunshine) had to wait another 32 she was a better ballplayer than years for the World Series to come almost everyone, boys included, M att to the North Side of the Windy with whom she attended school W ood City. (in grade school that was at Hold- COMMENT man). She gave me old “SPORT” All through college I watched magazines with guys like Eddie WGN-TV from Chicago when- ever possible, and vowed to one day set foot Mathews on the cover. A truly great third in Wrigley Field. Thankfully, I’m married baseman and slugger who was overshad- owed by Lew Burdette’s three pitching wins to a wonderful woman who allows me to in the 1957 World Series against the Yan- frequently indulge flights of fancy (or fan- kees, he was my Uncle Bill’s favorite player. tasy). In September 1993, we celebrated our impending graduation from school by A certain Pendleton resident, with a driving to Chicago, stopping by Dyersville, downtown office full of house plans he has Iowa, en route. I shagged flies and took drawn, had a brief encounter with Mathews batting practice on the “Field of Dreams” many decades ago — ask him about it next movie location with Steve from Michigan. time you see him at my favorite brewery. When the 1994 World Series was can- Aunt Helen also passed along a copy of celed on account of the Big Strike, I felt Roger Kahn’s “The Boys of Summer,” the betrayed and vowed to kick my habit of fol- definitive story of the Brooklyn Dodgers of lowing baseball. However, coaching Little the 1940s and 1950s. League for more than a decade and, more My dad regaled me with stories of importantly, seeing my own kids enjoy the growing up in St. John’s (north Portland) game both as participants and fans brought and attending Portland Beavers games me back into the fold — as did connections at Vaughn Street Park. His favorite play- ers were Gene and Dick Sisler, sons of with other fans like my friend Mike, with George, who batted .420 in 1922. My dad whom I attended the 1999 All-Star game at also let me build a “ballpark” in our pas- Fenway Park and my fellow long-suffering ture between the barn (replete with a “Bull Cubs devotee Kathy from Oak Park, Illi- nois, who recently sent me a Wrigley-Field Durham Smoking Tabacco” advertisement themed “wait ’til next year” postcard. painted on one wall) and the old milkhouse Ultimately, I like baseball for its rich from Echo Hollow Dairy (phone 321). Home history and pastoral vibe (perhaps best field advantage meant nothing in this year’s described by George Carlin in his compar- World Series between the Nationals and ison with football). I also like the stories of Astros, but when cowpies, water troughs, its great personalities. One of my favorites fence posts and chicken coops are in play, is about Wilcy Moore. In 1927, as a 30-year- familiarity with one’s surroundings can be old rookie from Oklahoma, he was a sud- of paramount importance. den star with the Yankees. Though a great I listened to a lot of Seattle Mariners pitcher, he was not much of a hitter. Babe games on the radio as a youngster and still get a lump in my throat when I hear a replay Ruth, in fact, wagered $300 he wouldn’t get three hits all season. Along about August, of their great announcer Dave Niehaus. His he eked out a weak infield grounder for voice, like Nat King Cole’s, only improved his third hit of the season. Ruth, true to his with each cigarette — unfortunately, his word, paid the money and Moore, a cot- health did not. I didn’t mind blowout games ton farmer, used the funds to buy two new when the Mariners were behind by 10 runs mules for his agrarian endeavor back home. because Niehaus would sing “The Wabash Now there’s a practical man eminently wor- Cannonball.” It wasn’t Acuff-esque, but I thy of emulation. loved it, anyway. ——— In 1984, we got cable TV. I was late Matt Wood, a community columnist for the returning to school after eating lunch at East Oregonian, lives and farms near Helix. home when the Chicago Cubs and San I OTHER VIEWS School bond support, from a student’s perspective This letter is about the school bond that we are going to try to pass next week. I’m speaking from the perspec- tive of a middle school student. I believe we should support this bond because the money for it will be used to build a new elementary school, rebuild Rocky Heights Elementary School, and add on to the high school. Why we need a new elementary school is because they just aren’t made for 600 kids. For example, at Desert View Elementary School, their lunch room cannot fit 100 kids per grade for lunch. They are squished so badly at the lunch tables. So hypothetically the trays are like 20 inches by 8 inches. Most people would have the tray sitting so the 20-inch side is facing them and have a little more space on either side. The kids at DVES have it so the 8-inch side is facing them and have no room on either side of the tray. So, for the kin- dergarteners, it is not that big of a prob- lem; but for the fifth-graders, that is a different story. Fifth-graders are bigger so they are very squished and don’t have any room to move and actually eat their lunch. Another reason to support the bond is for the upcoming middle-schoolers. Right now, they have bigger classes than the high school grade levels. The high school is already crowded, and with big- ger classes coming in, there won’t be enough room for all the new students. There are already four modular class- rooms at the high school. There isn’t a good location to add more. And you can only fit so many kids into a room before it becomes an issue. I personally prefer to be able to sit at a desk and have my work space — a luxury we won’t have if they have to cram too many chairs into the same room. So, please consider supporting the school bond. For your own kids, or your neighborhood kids. It would be a great way to support our community. Andrew Goller Hermiston CONTACT YOUR REPRESENTATIVES U.S. REPRESENTATIVE REPRESENTATIVES Greg Walden 185 Rayburn House Office Building Washington, DC 20515 202-225-6730 La Grande office: 541-624-2400 Greg Barreto, District 58 900 Court St. NE, H-38 Salem, OR 97301 503-986-1458 Rep.GregBarreto@state.or.us SENATOR Bill Hansell, District 29 900 Court St. NE, S-423 Salem, OR 97301 503-986-1729 Sen.BillHansell@state.or.us Unsigned editorials are the opinion of the East Oregonian editorial board. Other columns, letters and cartoons on this page express the opinions of the authors and not necessarily that of the East Oregonian. Greg Smith, District 57 900 Court St. NE, H-482 Salem, OR 97301 503-986-1457 Rep.GregSmith@state.or.us The East Oregonian welcomes original letters of 400 words or less on public issues and public policies for publication in the newspaper and on our website. The newspaper reserves the right to withhold letters that address concerns about individual services and products or letters that infringe on the rights of private citizens. Letters must be signed by the author and include the city of residence and a daytime phone number. The phone number will not be published. Unsigned letters will not be published. Send letters to the editor to editor@eastoregonian.com, or via mail to Andrew Cutler, 211 S.E. Byers Ave. Pendleton, OR 97801