ANDREW CUTLER
Publisher/Editor
KATHRYN B. BROWN
Owner
ERICK PETERSON
Hermiston Editor/Senior Reporter
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2021
A4
Founded October 16, 1875
OUR VIEW
Child care
center a
source
of pride
A
t least recently good news can
seem hard to find but for those
looking for a story that show-
cases what community and business can
do tighter one needs to look no further
than the Families First Child Care Center
in Boardman.
Last month, U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden
visited the center and was suitably
impressed. So are we, and so should be
area residents.
The center serves 53 children between
the ages of six weeks and 12 and provides
a viable outlet for parents who must work.
The center is more than a daycare and
provides educational opportunities for
youth.
The program succeeds on a limited
budget, but it also is a triumph because
it secured the support of some key, local
businesses. The Port of Morrow, Board-
man Foods and Threemile Canyon Farms
are key supporters of the child care
center.
Businesses provided financial support
while the Port of Morrow created a place
for the program at its new facility.
Wyden vowed to bring the Families
First Child Care Center concept to the
attention of other lawmakers in Washing-
ton, D.C. We hope he does.
That’s because this program is clearly
a success and represents the best example
of private businesses and concerned resi-
dents uniting in a common goal to help
youth.
Sometimes such a venture doesn’t
work, or it is only partially successful.
Not this program. The primary reason,
we believe, is the dedication of the busi-
ness owners who saw a need and decided
to step up and make it successful.
The program also is a great exam-
ple of local people solving a local prob-
lem. Often it can seem easier to let state
of federal agencies take on a particular
hometown challenge but that isn’t always
a good idea either.
Finding child care for workers and
other parents isn’t just an area problem,
either. It is a nationwide challenge that
grows worse by the year. The COVID-19
pandemic hasn’t helped either.
We do hope Wyden can highlight this
wonderful program so other states in the
nation can reviews it and create a similar
agenda.
All that were involved in this program
deserve a thanks from the community.
EDITORIALS
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.
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of 400 words or less on public issues and public
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SEND LETTERS TO:
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YOUR VIEWS
It’s time for an
intervention
Why, why, why haven’t the Trump
children initiated an intervention by
now for the sake of our democracy?
Janet Boyd
Hermiston
Sept. 11 was a great
day for veterans
You should have seen their faces —
nearly 100 veterans and professional
river guides from throughout the
Pacific Northwest took to the Colum-
bia River on Saturday, Sept. 11, for a
day at “ Fish’n the Brave.”
The smiles on their faces said it all,
as each boat, proudly flying the U.S.
flag, returned to Umatilla Marina in
the early afternoon.
Those smiles were proof that it
doesn’t get much better for a vet than
spending the day with fellow veterans
and with guides, who are honored to
donate their time, boats, equipment,
fuel and door prizes for this annual
free event for veterans.
Tony Fisher, of Fisher’s Catch
Outfitters, Tri-Cities, initiated the
adventure six years ago. Today,
more sponsors are coming alongside,
including the city of Umatilla, its
chamber of commerce, the American
Legion & Auxiliary and a multitude
of businesses and groups throughout
the Columbia Basin and the Pacific
Northwest.
The next Fish’n The Brave won’t
be until Nov. 11, 2022. Our veterans
organization salutes this program and
proudly supports its mission. If you
know any veterans who would love a
day of fishing on the Columbia next
year, I urge you to get their names on
the roster at 509-727-7137.
Every freedom we enjoy in this
country was purchased by the sacri-
fices of veterans. Please, always honor
the fallen and support the living.
Cathy Stolz
Hermiston
River Democracy Act
a good thing for all
I just wanted to briefly point out
how great it is that Sen. Ron Wyden
spearheaded the move to expand the
wild and scenic rivers in Oregon.
Overall, the state has around 1%
of its rivers and streams designated
as such, and with this new push it
should end up closer to 6%. Still, this
pales in comparison to the 17% of all
U.S. river miles that are impacted by
our 75,000 or so dams.
At a time when there is a new
weekly reminder of climate derange-
ment, it is a step in the right direc-
tion to safeguard these habitats.
Every little piece is worth protect-
ing. Carbon accounting only gets
us so far, and I fear that without
intact ecosystems everywhere, we’ll
continue to face adverse effects with
weather.
In this plan it’s refreshing to see
that clean, cold water and fire plan-
ning are put in the forefront. What’s
more, tribal voices will have a place
in the conversation about how to
manage these waterways and ripar-
ian areas. Overall, it seems to be a
safe compromise that leaves private
property and irrigation rights fully
protected. I hope similar legislation
is given consideration here and else-
where into the future.
Garik Asplund
Enterprise
Government shouldn’t
force COVID-19 shots
It is the sickest of ironies (possibly
cognitive dissonance) that the same
liberals who demand a woman have
complete control of her body, to the
point of being allowed to murder
her unborn child, are just fine with a
governor and president who want to
force citizens to receive a COVID-19
shot.
Where are the “my body, my
choice” demands regarding shots?
To be clear, I support getting the
shots and my wife and I got ours last
spring, after discussion with our
medical providers, as soon as our
age group was eligible. The signif-
icance, however, is that we did it
by our choice, not the governor’s or
president’s mandate. While I encour-
age my fellow citizens to talk to their
medical provider and evaluate getting
the shots, it should be absolutely their
choice and I staunchly oppose the shot
mandates and consider them a gross
overreach of government.
Our state and national leaders are
demonstrating tyranny, not sound
judgment, and causing unnecessary
division within our country. If people
aren’t getting the shots, it means they
don’t need them or aren’t convinced
that they should. The governor and
president need to come up with better
information and arguments, not force.
Jim Carnahan
Baker City