A4
East Oregonian
Saturday, January 18, 2020
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 Tygh Camp-
bell, Umatilla Electric
Cooperative linemen and all
of those citizens who joined together
to help pull vehicles from ditches and
plow roadways so stranded motor-
ists could get somewhere out of the
elements.
Conditions on Wednesday night
forced the Oregon Department of
Transportation to keep Interstate 84
between Pendleton and Ontario and
Highway 11 between Pendleton and
Milton-Freewater closed overnight,
leading to many people opting for
alternative routes off the major road-
ways. Many that night trying to tra-
verse the county’s back roads found
themselves stuck in dangerous condi-
tions, where they had to rely on emer-
gency personnel and friendly neigh-
bors like Campbell to save them from
being stranded.
“You always have to make sure
your neighbors are taken care of,”
Campbell said.
And indeed, Campbell and oth-
ers did just that Wednesday night,
showing we remain a community that
cares.
A tip of the hat to the Umatilla
County Board of Commissioners for
approving a $60,000 loan for the East
Umatilla County Ambulance Area
Health District to replace a 13-year-
old ambulance with a cracked cylinder
head.
The district’s 2006 Ford Ambu-
lance has been out of commission for
a few weeks, and the costs to repair
the vehicle would have outweighed
total replacement, Mark Moore, the
ambulance district administrator, said.
He anticipates the new rig — a four-
wheel-drive 2019 Dodge Ram 3500 —
will be ready to roll in the next cou-
ple of weeks. The new ambulance will
provide a reliable emergency vehi-
cle for the district, which covers 450
square miles encompassing Athena,
Weston, Adams and Helix, and had
been relying on its secondary ambu-
lance, a 1998 Chevrolet.
We applaud both organizations’
ability to work together to strike an
accord that benefits both and, more
Staff photo by Ben Lonergan
Tygh Campbell uses his tractor to clear snow drifts from a section of Gerking Flat Road near
Athena on Thursday afternoon.
importantly, the residents of the
district.
It’s a little late, but a tip of the hat
and a bit of encouragement for all
who set goals for the new year and
find themselves bogged down a couple
of weeks into the new year.
We know that many new year’s res-
olutions end almost before they get
started. Most of the time, resolution
goals are the hardest to achieve, so it
usually comes as no surprise when
some goals are not met, or are not met
as initially planned. But we believe the
YOUR VIEWS
North Bank committee
invites community to
meeting at Rec Center
A recent letter to the editor contained
a number of misconceptions about the
North Bank of the Umatilla Advisory
Committee’s work. I urge everyone who
is interested in this topic to attend the
community meeting on Wednesday, Jan.
22, at 7 p.m. in the Foundation Room at
the Pendleton Rec Center.
This meeting is a chance for the com-
mittee to share their work so far, and
for members of the public to share their
thoughts about how the river’s north
bank should be managed to best meet
the community’s interests.
Kathryn B. Brown
Chair, Pendleton Parks
& Recreation Commission
Less finger-pointing,
more solutions
Once again, the East Oregonian
is criticizing the Oregon Legisla-
ture’s attempts to deal with reducing
greenhouse gas emissions and climate
change. Criticism can be useful, but
when other options are not suggested,
it just becomes finger pointing with no
action.
Look around us — Australia is burn-
ing, Alaska just had one of its historic
worst fire seasons, water shortages
all over the world, and severe storms
throughout the eastern part of this coun-
try. Here at home, wildfire seasons are
getting longer, mountain runoff is hap-
pening earlier in the spring, and precip-
itation is becoming less predictable for
our dryland farmers. We will not even
talk about the invasive weeds.
FROM HERE TO ANYWHERE
Climate change will impact all of us
— rich or poor, conservative or liberal.
It will especially affect our children and
grandchildren. While individual actions
are necessary to help sustain our envi-
ronment, policy and cultural changes
are necessary to deal with this global
issue. Some may say that what we do in
Oregon will not make a difference, but
every little bit helps, and helpful actions
can start with Oregon. Collectively, we
must find ways to reduce our fossil fuel
impacts.
I do not support what the Legisla-
ture is developing yet, because it is still
unclear. I do support, however, their
attempts to deal with this very real
issue. I support it for our children and
grandchildren. Taking no action, con-
tinuing to accept the status quo, is unac-
ceptable. Let’s put our energies into
solutions, not just criticisms.
Jeff Blackwood
Pendleton
Extinguish the war flames
It’s heartening to see growing sup-
port in the Senate for limiting Trump’s
use of war powers. Last week, the House
passed a resolution to limit his war pow-
ers against Iran. The measure, although
it doesn’t carry the force of law, said
Trump should withdraw U.S. forces
from conflict with Iran within 30 days if
he does not get congressional approval.
Sen. Ron Wyden and Sen. Jeff Merk-
ley should push for the same, or even a
stronger version, in the Senate. We do
not want war with Iran, and we most
definitely do not want this rogue impul-
sive president to create or fan any more
war flames.
Vicki Nunenkamp
Hood River
CONTACT YOUR REPRESENTATIVES
U.S. SENATORS
U.S. REPRESENTATIVE
Ron Wyden
221 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg.
Washington, DC 20510
202-224-5244
La Grande office: 541-962-7691
Greg Walden
185 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
202-225-6730
La Grande office: 541-624-2400
GOVERNOR
Jeff Merkley
313 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
202-224-3753
Pendleton office: 541-278-1129
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.
concept on face value — having the
self-awareness to realize that there is
some potential for self-improvement
— is one that has a great deal of merit.
We encourage those who have
set resolution goals to keep working
toward them and remember a setback
isn’t a failure unless you allow it to be.
We encourage everyone to keep plug-
ging away, no matter what the goal.
Stay positive. Look to others for help
and encouragement and, above all
else, remember those goals are still
within reach.
Kate Brown
160 State Capitol
900 Court Street
Salem, OR 97301-4047
503-378-4582
It’s all about connecting
through stories
T
he women stopped me as I walked
All over Eastern Oregon, people are gath-
ering to listen to stories and share ideas.
through Sisters Cafe to put up a First
Baker City, La Grande — and now The
Draft Writers’ Series poster on the
Dalles, too, where Jackie McManus has orga-
bulletin board.
nized a series of workshops and readings
“What’s First Draft?” they wanted to
called Writer’s Talk, also held on third Thurs-
know. “Is it a writers’ club?”
days. In Enterprise, Fishtrap Firesides give
No, I explained. We invite Northwest
writers to read to us. It’s not a club — there’s Wallowa County residents monthly fall and
winter opportunities to hear to their local
no admission and everyone is invited.
writers.
They were librarians, I learned, on their
Winter Fishtrap is back, too, and just
way home to Madras after hearing Johanna
wrapping up three days of reading and listen-
Stoberock read in Walla Walla, Washing-
ton, the night before — and they
ing and talking about dams. Histo-
rian Bill Lang was on the program,
were looking forward to their own
Bobbie Conner was a panelist.
upcoming Community Read. Molly
CTUIR Communications Director
Gloss would be coming in April,
Charles F. Sams III’s talk this morn-
and the Jefferson County Library
ing was titled “Tamanawit — Nat-
District was busy lending copies of
ural Law / Kya’ak ha’ast — Air/
her novel “The Hearts of Horses”
Cu’uc — Water / Tiica’m — Land /
and planning their own two-day
Nati’tayt — People.” I wish I could
festival.
B ette
have been there.
They were excited about hosting
H usted
We crave stories. Reading, listen-
Molly Gloss, and that brought back
COMMENT
ing — and community, just being
memories.
with others who need stories too.
She kicked off our First Draft
Maybe you are a member of a book club here
series in May 2013, and I remember hold-
ing my breath to see how many people would in Umatilla County. Or an online member of
turn out. As it turned out, so many came that a Silent Book Club. I just learned about this
there was barely breathing room.
phenomenon. In 2012, two women were sip-
ping wine in a San Francisco restaurant and
This month First Draft also hosted
wishing they could be members of a book
Johanna Stoberock, winner of the Art-
ist Trust’s $10,000 2019 LaSalle Storyteller
club without having to vacuum the house
Award for outstanding fiction. In Febru-
and make deviled eggs, or read a book they
ary, we’ll welcome former congressman Les
weren’t really interested in and didn’t have
AuCoin with his new memoir “Catch and
time to finish — but still be part of a group
Release: An Oregon Life in Politics.” March
where they could meet with others who also
will bring Don Colburn, former journalist
loved to read.
and Pulitzer Prize finalist who now writes
So they began meeting — each bringing
poems nearly everyone loves — at least I
her own book, ordering a drink and commit-
ting to reading a silent chapter before conver-
don’t know a writer who doesn’t smile at
sation. People noticed. Asked questions. Now
“In the Workshop After I Read My Poem
there are 50,000 online members and 180
Aloud.”
And remember Sully, the pilot who landed active chapters in 20 countries.
For the first half hour in a Silent Book
Flight 1549 on the Hudson River? Colburn
Club people order a drink and talk a bit
was one of the 155 passengers; reading his
about whatever book they are reading. Then
poem is almost like being there ourselves:
“Someone named Josh knew to knock the there’s an hour of silent reading. And then —
they keep reading, or chat. “Introvert Happy
door out / over the wing. I didn’t notice the
Hour,” they call it — because with a book
guy carrying / his garment bag or the lady
in your hand it’s easier to have something to
screaming for her shoes. / I just remember
say. Something you want to say.
getting pushed toward a hole / in the side of
Because — well, stories.
the plane and tumbling out / into the cold
———
gray blinding afternoon / which held me. I
Bette Husted is a writer and a student of
came to my feet / on the submerged wing
T’ai Chi and the natural world. She lives in
with the others / and we walked on water.”
Pendleton.
Is it any wonder we love to be read to?
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