OPINION
Wallowa County Chieftain
A4
Wednesday, February 6, 2019
Rural
Response
T
he state of Oregon must begin grap-
pling with the lack of reliable emergency
response in its wildest and most remote
places.
Cash-strapped, tax-burdened rural Oregon
counties like Wallowa County are playing host to
more adventurous visitors, while their own popu-
lations age and require more medical care. Mean-
while, the tax base that supports rural emergency
responders continues to decline as their economies
sputter and their children move elsewhere to find
economic opportunity.
To sum
up: Adven-
of the
turous visi-
tors are get-
ting into
more and
Christian Ambroson
more trou-
ble, but the
places where they find that trouble are having a
harder and harder time providing reliable emer-
gency response. As we recently reported, Wheeler
County is one of these places. With little economic
activity after its logging-based economy collapsed
in previous decades, Wheeler has become the least
populated and fastest shrinking county in the state.
And its aging population is straining the volunteer
emergency responders that for generations helped
support a thin professional crew of law enforce-
ment professionals.
Those volunteer systems are beginning to col-
lapse under the weight of state and federal regula-
tions, heavier burdens being placed on fewer and
fewer people, and a lack of institutional resources.
And it’s not just Wheeler County. Other poor
rural counties in eastern, southern, central and
coastal Oregon see the same fate on the horizon.
There are no more rocks to squeeze for a little
additional funding in many such frontier locales.
Tax rates are high while economic prospects are
low.
It’s hard enough for the professionals to make it
out there. Members of the Wheeler County Sher-
iff’s Department must buy their own boots, guns
and bulletproof vests, wear uniforms handed down
from other departments and type up their reports
on hand-me-down computers. On days off, depu-
ties change the oil and do brake work on their own
patrol cars. Police evidence storage areas are used
as cells for inmates between hearings.
Imagine doing all that hard work, without many
resources, and not getting paid. That’s what volun-
teer ambulance drivers, firefighters and EMTs are
facing. And if the state doesn’t want to see the sys-
tem collapse entirely over the next years, it needs
to find a sustainable, reasonable route of migrat-
ing dollars from our tourism and recreation econ-
omy to the people tasked with keeping those tour-
ists and recreators safe.
Some have floated a motel tax that would be
divided equitably among the state’s 36 coun-
ties. Just $1 a night on every hotel stay in Oregon
could bring a small county like Wheeler upwards
of $200,000 a year. That would provide a reliable,
steady stream of income to help a poor sheriff’s
department, make life easier for rural ambulance
and fire crews, and on down the line. It will save
lives.
That help must come from elsewhere. As we
said above, there’s few options to raise that kind of
money on the backs of poor people in poor coun-
ties, thanks to Oregon’s tax system. Governor Kate
Brown has pledged to use her last term to help
rural Oregon keep pace with the gains that the rest
of the state has enjoyed. The problems facing rural
law enforcement and emergency response offers
her — and the Legislature — the chance to put her
words into meaningful action.
VOICE
CHIEFTAIN
WHERE TO WRITE
U.S. Rep. Greg Walden, R (Second District) — 1404 Longworth
Building, Washington D.C. 20515. Phone: 202-225-6730. No direct
e-mail because of spam. Web site: www.walden.house.gov Fax: 202-
225-5774. Medford office: 14 North Central, Suite 112, Medford, OR
97501. Phone: 541-776-4646. Fax: 541-779-0204.
Pending Bills
For information on bills in Congress — Phone: 202-225-1772.
Salem
State Rep. Greg Barreto, R-Cove (District 58) — Room H-384,
State Capitol, 900 Court St. N.E., Salem OR 97301. Phone: 503-986-
1458. E-mail: rep.gregbarreto@state.or.us. Web site: http://www.ore-
gonlegislature.gov/barreto
State Sen. Bill Hansell, R (District 29) — Room S-423, State Cap-
itol, Salem 97301. Phone: 503-986-1729. E-mail: Sen.BillHansell@state.
or.us. Web site: www.oregonlegislature.gov/hansell.
Oregon Legislative Information — For updates on bills, services,
capitol or messages for legislators, 800-332-2313.
The fajita school of journalism
B
ack around 2007 I made a
career change. Decided it was
a good time to shake things up.
Do something different. Bold new
vistas. Change of pace. That kind of
thing. Only problem was, I didn’t
have any new vistas on deck. No next
paycheck. No backup plan. But my
philosophy toward life has always
kind of been that everything sort of
ends up working itself out somehow
or another. I may have cribbed this
theory from Jean-Paul Sartre, Aris-
totle, Tom Waits or some other noted
thinker. I can’t be sure.
My parents came out to Wal-
lowa County for a visit right after I’d
turned in my notice on my old job.
We were settled into a booth at El
Bajio. Just ordered dinner. I got the
fajitas, because I was feeling frisky.
That sizzle. So exciting. I’d already
let my folks know I was shifting gears
on the job front and they politely
inquired what my next move might
be. Well, I said. I’ll tell ya. Right after
I go visit the restroom.
Now, friends, I assure you the
following anecdote and timeline is
entirely factual. On my approach to
the water closet, with no solid job
prospects, I passed then-editor of the
Wallowa County Chieftain, Dave
Hassler, and we exchanged how-
AND
FURTHERMORE
Jon Rombach
dies. He was aware of my recent job
change from having one to not hav-
ing one … and right there at the El
Bajio cash register he allowed as how
he had a somewhat urgent vacancy on
the writing staff and encouraged me
to come aboard. One of his reporters
had recently skedaddled to go travel
to either Central or South America,
I can’t remember which. But it was
definitely one of the Americas to the
south of us. I already knew about
this scenario, the same way he knew
I needed a job. It’s Wallowa County.
Some things you just hear on the
wind. Hassler and I made an appoint-
ment to iron out details.
So I return to our table, sit down,
fiddle with my napkin a little bit,
then let my folks know that my next
job will be writing for the Chieftain.
Phew. A real buzzer beater. A wise
man once said: Things always work
out one way or another. Same guy
followed up with: Unless they don’t.
Turns out I was not really a good
How to cope with allergies at school
C
hildren with food allergies, or
food sensitivities, have a harder
time than other children when
it comes to school celebrations. An
allergy is different than a sensitivity.
An allergy to a certain food, e.g.,
eggs, dairy or peanuts, means if the
person eats, or even comes in contact
with an allergen, their body reacts in a
way that can be life threatening. This
is called anaphylaxis. The person may
experience some, or all, of the follow-
ing: swollen face or tongue, difficulty
breathing, rash or hives.
The person needs immediate med-
ical attention. Though an intolerance,
or sensitivity, can cause some of the
same signs and symptoms as a food
allergy, people often confuse the two,
according to Dr. James Li, MD, of the
Mayo Clinic. Many people with food
allergies carry a device called an Epi
pen. This is administered to counteract
the effects of the allergen in the body.
Medical attention is still required fol-
lowing use of an Epi pen.
A food sensitivity is generally not
considered life threatening, though
for the person with the sensitivity, it is
still unpleasant. For example, if a per-
son is lactose intolerant, if they eat
dairy products they will experience
digestive discomfort, such as abdom-
inal bloating. These people know to
avoid foods made with dairy, or dairy
EATING
HEALTHY
Ann Bloom
foods.
For the child with a food allergy
or a sensitivity, navigating the school
celebration maze is challenging at
best. For the parent of the child it is
just as challenging. What do you pack
for lunch? What do you provide for
a classroom celebration? With a lit-
tle planning and communication with
the teacher and other parents, the child
with a food allergy or food sensitiv-
ity can participate equally in school
celebrations.
More and more children are pre-
senting with gluten intolerance, i.e.,
intolerance or sensitivity to foods con-
taining gluten, which includes wheat,
pasta, bread and some grains, lactose,
eggs or nuts, or peanuts. If the child
has a gluten intolerance, many cookies
and muffins can be made with a flour
replacement, with little or no taste
difference.
In the case of lactose, foods such
as smoothies made with milk, yogurt
parfaits, etc. are off limits. However,
some smoothies taste just fine made
Wallowa County’s Newspaper Since 1884
M eMber O regOn n ewspaper p ublishers a ssOciatiOn
Published every Wednesday by: EO Media Group
VOLUME 134
USPS No. 665-100
P.O. Box 338 • Enterprise, OR 97828
Office: 209 NW First St., Enterprise, Ore.
Phone: 541-426-4567 • Fax: 541-426-3921
Contents copyright © 2019. All rights reserved.
Reproduction without permission is prohibited.
reporter. It’s hard. I admire those who
can pull it off.
So I made another career change.
Had a nice chat with Penny Arentsen
of Winding Waters River Expeditions
next to a different cash register in
Wallowa County and that turned into
me rowing rafts down in Hells Can-
yon. That was just lovely. There’s not
much in the way of deadlines when
you’re rowing boats. During my exit
interview from being a temporary
Chieftain reporter, Hassler asked if
I’d keep writing a column. Well, now.
That was the only part of the job that
didn’t give me night terrors, so I said
yeah, sure.
I know our new Chieftain edi-
tor, Christian Ambroson, from his
days at Fishtrap. And I know his dad,
Rodd, through our mutual friend
Gareth Tabor, who – incidentally –
was on my raft the one and only time
I ever flipped a boat in Hells Can-
yon. Long story. Don’t have time
to get into it now. But I can tell you
Gareth is a fine swimmer. Back to
my main point: Christian, let’s go
get fajitas one of these days and talk
punctuation.
Jon Rombach is a local columnist
for the Chieftain. He flipped a raft one
time, big deal. Wild Sheep Rapid can
be difficult. Give him a break.
with almond milk or soy milk, unless
either of these foods is a known aller-
gen. Smoothies can also be made with
just fruit juices and frozen fruits. Non-
dairy yogurt can be substituted for
yogurt made from cow’s milk.
In the case of tree nuts, or pea-
nuts, these can usually be eliminated
from a recipe as they are often listed
as optional.
There are still many snacks which
avoid allergens and sensitivities. Good
options include gluten free crack-
ers and hummus, sliced fruit, vege-
tables with a bean dip or non-dairy
ranch dressing, slices of lean turkey or
chicken, muffins made with a wheat
flour replacement, fruit or gluten-free
crackers with sunflower butter.
Informing your child’s teacher at
the beginning of the school year is
important. This will allow him or her
to keep an eye out for foods contain-
ing allergens, and also communicate
with other parents as to appropriate
snacks they can bring into the class-
room. Also, if there happens to be a
snack your child cannot have, you
can also provide snacks the teacher
can keep in the classroom for special
occasions.
With a little planning everyone can
happily participate in the childhood
experience of classroom parties and
celebrations.
Periodical Postage Paid at Enterprise and additional mailing offices
Subscription rates (includes online access)
Wallowa County
Out-of-County
1 Year
$40.00
$57.00
Subscriptions must be paid prior to delivery
General manager, Jennifer Cooney, jcooney@wallowa.com
Editor, Christian Ambroson, editor@wallowa.com
Publisher, Chris Rush, crush@eomediagroup.com
Reporter, Stephen Tool, steve@wallowa.com
Administrative Assistant, Amber Mock, amock@wallowa.com
Advertising Assistant, Cheryl Jenkins, cjenkins@wallowa.com
See the Wallowa County
Chieftain on the Internet
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facebook.com/Wallowa
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Wallowa County Chieftain
P.O. Box 338
Enterprise, OR 97828