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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 29, 2022)
NORTHWEST East Oregonian A2 Saturday, January 29, 2022 Behavioral Health Court off to promising start By DICK MASON The Observer LA GRANDE — Union County Circuit Court has a promising new program for veterans and commu- nity members — Behavioral Health Court. The program aims to help people facing crimi- nal charges due to actions triggered by conditions they suff er from, including post-traumatic stress disor- der. The participants meet regularly at the courthouse to receive guidance from a 15-member team of coun- selors, attorneys, veterans service providers, judicial employees, law enforcement and probation offi cers. The team develops programs for the participants designed to help them overcome the issues they are facing. Some of those who will be graduating from Behav- ioral Health Court will have the charges against them dismissed, and all should be emerging with more stability and improved coping skills, said Union County District Attorney Kelsie McDaniel, the program’s founder and a team member. “We want to give them a new lease on life,” McDaniel said. Behavioral Health Court conducted its fi rst graduation on Dec. 27, 2021. There were Dick Mason/The Observer Kelsie McDaniel, from left, Kara Rudd and Troy Davis, all members of the Behavioral Health Court team, talk during a meeting Jan. 10, 2022, at the Union County Courthouse in La Grande. McDaniel is Union County’s district attorney, Rudd is with the Oregon Judicial Department and Davis works for the nonprofi t Center for Human Development Inc. in La Grande. two graduates, both of whom made tremendous progress since starting. “We are so proud of them,” McDaniel said. their team after its members spent an hour reviewing their progress since the last meet- ing. Their probation offi cers would discuss whether they had kept appointments with counselors, for example, attended treatment sessions and taken their required drug tests. “The team works together to do everything it can to help them,” McDaniel said. Participants in Behav- ioral Health Court meet ‘The team works together’ The graduates had each come to the courthouse at least twice a month and sometimes weekly for 12-18 months to meet with their Behavioral Health Court team. They would meet with Forecast for Pendleton Area TODAY SUNDAY | Go to AccuWeather.com MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY with their team in a court- room in a formal setting, as if they are part of an actual court hearing. The meet- ing is conducted by Union County Circuit Court Judge Tom Powers, who wears his judicial robe. Powers reviews the participant’s progress and any setbacks. At the end of the session Powers rules whether the week has been a success- ful one for the participant. A ruling of success means a reward awaits the individual. The participant chooses an item from a basket of small rewards Powers has assem- bled. Other rewards Powers provides include reducing how often participants must check in with probation offi - cers. Powers enjoys having the opportunity to encour- age participants and provide incentives. He noted that normally when people come before him in a courtroom it is because they are about to be sentenced or have been charged with a crime, all occasions calling for stern expressions. “Now I get to be a smiling judge,” Powers said. On the down side, Powers does have to issue sanctions if the participant has had a bad week by missing coun- seling appointments, drug tests or other assigned tasks. The sanctions he may impose include adding drug tests and check-ins with the individu- al’s probation offi cer. A range of participants Not all Behavioral Health Court participants have drug problems but each must be drug tested to confi rm sobri- ety and to help with medica- tion management, McDaniel said. Some participants are new to the judicial system, but others are not. Some have extensive criminal records Baker City to pursue quiet zone Dixon and Johnny Waggoner Sr. voted against the proposal. McQuisten and Dixon BAKER CITY — The both talked about an initia- Baker City City Council tive petition that would ask on Tuesday evening, Jan. city voters to amend the city 25, voted 4-3 to apply for charter to prohibit the city a railroad quiet zone in the from enacting a quiet zone city, a controversial idea unless voters approve such that opposing coun- a plan. cilors say should be Dixon, who is decided by voters. the chief petitioner, T he cou ncil’s said if voters chose to add that clause to newest member, the charter, it would Dean Guyer, who “halt any ongoing was appointed Dec. eff orts to establish a 14, 2021, submitted the proposal, which Guyer railroad quiet zone calls for the city to effective immedi- seek a quiet zone through the ately.” Federal Railroad Adminis- Dixon said she hopes tration. to get the charter change Guyer voted for the measure on the May 22 proposal to seek a quiet zone, ballot. joined by Councilors Shane In a quiet zone, freight Alderson, Heather Sells and trains are not required to Jason Spriet. sound their whistles when Mayor Kerry McQuis- approaching a street cross- ten and Councilors Joanna ing. Train crews still would By SAMANTHA O’CONNER Baker City Herald Chilly with clouds and sun Cloudy and milder 36° 25° 46° 35° Winds subsiding with sunshine Partly sunny and chilly Cloudy and chilly PENDLETON TEMPERATURE FORECAST 41° 27° 41° 25° 39° 26° HERMISTON TEMPERATURE FORECAST 35° 26° 43° 38° 45° 30° 44° 26° OREGON FORECAST 40° 27° ALMANAC Shown is today’s weather. Temperatures are today’s highs and tonight’s lows. PENDLETON through 3 p.m. yest. HIGH LOW TEMP. Seattle Olympia 46/43 38/28 33/24 Longview Kennewick Walla Walla 33/25 Lewiston 46/37 33/26 Astoria 49/43 Pullman Yakima 31/22 48/41 43/31 Portland Hermiston 49/37 The Dalles 35/26 Salem Corvallis 48/34 Yesterday Normals Records La Grande 35/23 PRECIPITATION John Day Eugene Bend 49/36 53/31 44/26 Ontario 28/17 Caldwell Burns 34° 31° 45° 29° 61° (1984) -21° (1957) 24 hours ending 3 p.m. Month to date Normal month to date Year to date Last year to date Normal year to date Albany 47/31 Boardman Pendleton Medford 58/29 0.00" 0.89" 1.04" 0.89" 0.49" 1.04" WINDS (in mph) 32/20 35/14 0.00" 1.47" 1.40" 1.47" 0.78" 1.40" through 3 p.m. yest. HIGH LOW TEMP. Pendleton 37/20 50/35 24 hours ending 3 p.m. Month to date Normal month to date Year to date Last year to date Normal year to date HERMISTON Enterprise 36/25 38/32 30° 27° 43° 29° 67° (1931) -14° (1957) PRECIPITATION Moses Lake 46/39 Aberdeen 32/26 27/23 Tacoma Yesterday Normals Records Spokane Wenatchee 46/41 Today Sun. NE 3-6 NW 6-12 SW 6-12 SW 7-14 50/19 Forecasts and graphics provided by AccuWeather, Inc. ©2022 Sunrise today Sunset tonight Moonrise today Moonset today New 7:20 a.m. 4:57 p.m. 5:35 a.m. 1:51 p.m. First Full Last NATIONAL EXTREMES Yesterday’s National Extremes: (for the 48 contiguous states) High 78° in Santa Ana, Calif. Low -33° in Antero Reservoir, Colo. Jan 31 Feb 8 Feb 16 Feb 23 NATIONAL WEATHER TODAY trigger their warning whis- tles at their discretion — if, for instance, they saw a vehi- cle or pedestrian on or near the tracks. There are 967 quiet zones across the nation, according to the FRA. There are 13 in Oregon, including Pendle- ton, which has had a quiet zone since the 1970s, and La Grande, where the quiet zone took eff ect in Decem- ber 2019. An October 2017 report f rom the Gover n ment Accountability Office — the offi cial auditor of federal programs — concluded that analyses in 2011 and 2013 by the Federal Railroad Admin- istration “showed that there was generally no statisti- cally signifi cant diff erence in the number of accidents that occurred before and after quiet zones were estab- lished.” The FRA studied 359 quiet zones in 2011, and 203 more in 2013. IN BRIEF SUN AND MOON Klamath Falls and are in the program because the root cause of their problem is one the Behavioral Health Court team believes the right corrective action can solve. For example, an individual may have been committing crimes because of an addiction to alcohol, which the team believes can be successfully addressed with treatment the individual has not received, McDaniel said. James Schaeffer, a La Grande defense attorney and a member of the team, cred- ited the program with adding stability to the lives of partic- ipants. “It provides them with structure and the mental health services they need. It is a good alternative,” Schaef- fer said. He added the program not only helps participants but also the community. When people have issues addressed, he explained, they are better able to become productive members of society. Kara Rudd, the Behav- ioral Health Court’s coordi- nator, is encouraged by how she has seen the program change people’s lives for the better. She also said she is optimistic about the future of the program. “It is a very exciting program,” she said. “The participants are excited and it is gaining momentum.” Oregon bill could allow self-serve gas pumping SALEM — The Oregon Legislature will again consider giving the state’s drivers the option to pump their own gas. House Bill 4151, fi led ahead of the legis- lative session that begins Tuesday, would allow gas stations to offer self-service pumps alongside pumps staff ed by a station attendant. Oregon is one of only two states in the U.S. that don’t allow self-service gas pumps, although the state relaxed those rules for some rural counties in 2015, allow- ing customers to pump their own gas at night. The state also allowed self-serve gas for a few months in 2020 at the beginning of the pandemic, and briefl y during a heat wave last summer. The bill is sponsored by members of both parties in both chambers of the Legisla- ture, including Rep. Shelly Boshart Davis, R-Albany; Rep. Julie Fahey, D-Eugene; Rep. Ron Noble, R-McMinnville; Rep. Rick Lewis, R-Silverton; Sen. Janeen Soll- man, D-Hillsboro; and Sen. Brian Boquist, I-Dallas. Gas station owners and the legislators sponsoring the bill said the workforce short- age from the pandemic has led to long lines at the pump, overworked attendants and some stations struggling to remain open to comply with the attendant requirement. According to proponents of the bill, it would preserve the availability of assis- tance for people with disabilities or others who need or want help from an attendant. The bill requires that prices would remain the same whether pumped by a customer or a station attendant. — EO Media Group Shown are noon positions of weather systems and precipitation. Temperature bands are highs for the day. -10s -0s 0s showers t-storms 10s rain 20s flurries 30s snow 40s ice 50s 60s cold front E AST O REGONIAN — Founded Oct. 16, 1875 — 70s East Oregonian (USPS 164-980) is published Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, by the EO Media Group, 211 S.E. Byers Ave. Pendleton, OR 97801. Periodicals postage paid at Pendleton, OR. 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