KATHRYN B. BROWN
Owner
ANDREW CUTLER
Publisher/Editor
ERICK PETERSON
Hermiston Editor/Senior Reporter
TUESDAY, JANUArY 4, 2022
A4
Founded October 16, 1875
OUR VIEW
Staying
safe on
the roads
T
he warning from the Oregon
Department of Transportation on
Sunday, Jan. 2, was as stark as it
was simple: Motorists in Umatilla County
are advised to stay at home because of
severe weather conditions.
Most routes throughout the county
were closed or, because of blowing snow,
unplowed.
The warning from the transportation
department described how conditions
were so extreme snowplow drivers could
not see the road well enough to complete
the task of clearing it.
The weather doesn’t appear to be on
the verge of clearing anytime soon either.
Snow and high winds are forecast for a
large section of the entire region.
Snowstorms are nothing new to
anyone who has lived in the local area for
very long. Inclement weather, interstate
closures and treacherous driving condi-
tions over Cabbage Hill are a routine part
of Eastern Oregon weather.
Yet that doesn’t mean the danger from
severe weather is any less or should be
disregarded. When the transportation
department issues a warning that, in
effect, tells residents to stay off the roads
that means the situation is a bit more seri-
ous than expected.
What that means to the rest of us,
though, is clear. Not only should we stay
off the roads unless we absolutely must,
but it also is a legitimate warning that we
all need to take proper heed.
It is easy, after living through a couple
of Eastern Oregon winters, to become
complacent. We can grow dismissive
of the weather, consider it just a minor
nuisance that can be ignored, at the very
least, downplayed.
That isn’t the case. Winter storms, such
as the ones we are now enduring, are
serious and always carry to potential to
become extremely dangerous.
The best thing, of course, is to stay off
the roads if possible. If not, then extreme
caution should be the watchword. Going
slow on the drive to and from work is not
only a good idea but may save someone’s
life, or at the very least, avoid a costly car
repair.
When conditions deteriorate as they
appeared to over the weekend and prob-
ably will again this week, motorists have
an obligation to take the weather condi-
tions seriously and not take any undue
risks. Not only will you be taking care of
yourself, but you will be ensuring others
remain safe as well.
So be careful out there.
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.
LETTERS
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:
editor@eastoregonian.com,
or via mail to Andrew Cutler,
211 S.E. Byers Ave., Pendleton, OR 97801
The next generation is ready to join the table
DANIEL
WATTENBURGER
HOMEGROWN
W
hen East Oregonian editor
Andrew Cutler asked me
in January 2020 to join a
monthly rotation of local columnists in
this newspaper’s Opinion page, I was
honored. I also figured it would be easy.
There’s a rich and diverse vein of
news running through Eastern Oregon,
which I got to mainline working in
the paper’s newsroom for more than
a decade. There’s always something
new happening to consider and write
about, and I hoped my perspective as a
subscriber rather than a journalist could
add context or at least flavor to the cover-
age.
Plus, after working on a daily dead-
line for all those years, how hard could
a 30-day turnaround be for a simple
600-word column? Piece of cake.
Little did I know the months to follow
would flip the world on its head and send
us all into a repeating news cycle. Two
years in, only my first two contributed
columns are not shaded by coronavirus.
Sure, I’ve found some other topics
to write about — patriotism, housing,
elections, my kids — but every thought
I’ve put on paper seems linked to this
pandemic. That’s a challenge, because
I’m running out of context and flavor.
I’ve shared my thoughts. Hard times
can develop character, individually and
communally, but that takes work. Free-
dom is a wonderful thing and should
be used responsibly. The next genera-
tion will forever be the post-COVID-19
generation and will have a unique and
powerful perspective if we’ll listen to
them.
It’s that last point I’ve kept coming
back to. I’ve watched my wife, brother
and many close friends in public educa-
tion pour so much of themselves into
preparing students for a larger world
that has become increasingly difficult to
predict and understand.
The end goal is to produce a genera-
tion that will learn from past mistakes
and be equipped to tackle the challenges
yet to come. This requires allowing them
to think differently and including their
perspective into larger decisions.
That’s something people haven’t often
done well. I grew up on the older edge
of the millennials often criticized as a
generation of participation trophy recip-
ients. It’s an odd allegation, especially
coming from the generation that was
handing out the trophies and coddling
our childhoods in bubble wrap (or so the
assertion goes).
In turn, I’ve seen my generation join
up with our elders to criticize Generation
Z for its lack of work ethic and self-ob-
session. Somehow we do that with a
straight face, not taking ownership of
the bad habits we’ve passed along or our
own negligence in instilling positive
values.
It’s foolish to assume the next gener-
ation is inferior or less capable than
the previous, especially when it’s still
in development and hasn’t yet had the
opportunity to show what it can do.
And it’s especially dangerous to excuse
ourselves from the responsibility of help-
ing guide it to maturity.
The best way out of this repeating
cycle is to focus on what we can do for
the next generation and how we can
prepare it to lead, not how we can pass
the buck. It may feel like we’re stuck in
an endless loop, but one day we’ll be free
of it and on to other challenges.
As the late, great Norm MacDonald
said, “When I was a child, they told me
the children are our future. Then I grew
up, and now they’re saying it’s actu-
ally these new children. I know a Ponzi
scheme when I see one.”
———
Daniel Wattenburger is the former
managing editor of the East Oregonian.
He lives in Hermiston with his wife and
children and is an account manager for
Pac/West Lobby Group. Contact him at
danielwattenburger@gmail.com.
that point that without funding, not much
more could be done, especially since it
had accomplished the original objective
— stopping the sale of the city property.
That original utopian vision has since
blossomed into a project that encom-
passes both riverbanks the entire 5½
miles through town to explore the “ripar-
ian” restoration and flood control oppor-
tunities along the river.
The question is, what exactly does
the plan entail? Current thinking among
conservationists is that wetlands and
flood plains are one of Mother Nature’s
ways of flood control and replenishing
aquifers. The Umatilla river has been
flooding this area long before the city
existed. The current river channel does
not remotely resemble the original.
Actual restoration of the original
would entail removing of the levee,
nonnative trees and a whole lot of build-
ings, making it pretty unrealistic. Further
encroachment on the flood plain would
require a major expansion of the levee
system, be very expensive and also not
very practical.
To answer that question, the commit-
tee is enlisting the assistance of the
city manager, managers from Parks
and recreation, the planning depart-
ment, along with Public Works Director
Bob Patterson, and of course his favor-
ite consulting firm, Anderson Perry,
the firm he’s selected to solve the street
maintenance issues. The key manager
missing would be from finance to explain
how this project fits into the budget.
The burning questions from residents
are: For a program that wasn’t to receive
any city resources, how did so many
managers get involved, what can this
possibly have to do with accomplishing
the goals set by the city council, and what
the heck is riparian?
Rick Rohde
Pendleton
YOUR VIEWS
Distractions blur focus
on city’s goals
Once upon a time, Pendleton’s city
government had a problem. It lacked
a comprehensive plan to confront and
solve the issues facing city development.
Issues were handled haphazardly, leaving
some projects abandoned or incomplete,
the most glaring being the infamous
“road to nowhere.”
The city set to acquire property and
build larger parks with no correspond-
ing increase in tax revenue. City infra-
structure was literally falling apart. As
a remedy, the mayor and city council
settled on plan to focus on a specific set
of goals, a tactic they felt would guaran-
tee management success. Unfortunately,
the inability to say “no” to unrelated
special interest projects continues to
plague city hall.
One such project approved by the city
council was the formation of the North
Bank of the Umatilla river Committee,
stopping all development along the north
riverbank, specifically the sale of a lot the
city owned. The committee then received
a $10,000 grant that produced a plan for
the riverbank, a utopian vision of the
future. Perhaps the committee realized at
A unique bird wintering
in the Echo area
I live in Echo and have a pair of black
chin hummingbirds wintering over, first
time ever. I’m wondering if anyone else
is experiencing this locally.
I did read about a lady in Spokane,
Washington, who has a pair of Anna’s
hummingbirds wintering over.
Colleen Williams
Echo