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A8 News Blue Mountain Eagle Wednesday, October 12, 2016 ‘New Idaho’ still improbable New state chief but would sway U.S. politics operating offi cer bucking cancer New Idaho: Re-drawing the map A La Grande, Ore. farmer is seeking comment on the idea of eastern portions of Washington and Oregon joining Idaho. The new, supersized Idaho would see a 125 percent population increase. By George Plaven EO Media Group Proposed state of Idaho Area in detail By Jade McDowell A year after La Grande farmer Ken Parsons proposed Oregon and Washington’s east- ern counties join Idaho, the idea is no closer to reality. “I haven’t heard a peep from anybody in probably six months,” he said Monday. Parsons hopes the idea might gain new legs after Election Day, however. The concept cap- tured the region’s imagination last year, spawning news arti- cles and discussions of “what if” around the Pacifi c Northwest, because rural conservatives felt Boise might be more recep- tive to their ideas than Salem or Olympia. That feeling tends to be exacerbated by watching election results roll in. Even if the idea remains nothing more than a hypo- thetical, those “what if” con- versations offer an interesting political science exercise when looked at through the lens of the upcoming election. One hypothetical model would see the 17 Oregon coun- ties east of Hood River County and the 20 Washington Counties east of King County join Idaho. That scenario would see Ore- gon’s population drop by about 13 percent and Washington’s population by 22 percent, while Idaho’s population would rise by 125 percent to 3.68 million. Since the 435 seats in the House of Representatives are apportioned every 10 years based on the states’ population count in latest census, Wash- Spokane Seattle EO Media Group WASHINGTON Olympia Yakima Oregonian research Pendleton Portland Jade McDowell and Alan Kenaga/ EO Media Group La Grande Salem Eugene IDAHO Bend Burns Boise Idaho Falls OREGON Pocatello Twin Falls Medford ington would likely lose two of its 10 representatives to Idaho, and Oregon could possibly lose one of its fi ve representatives to another state. Electoral College votes, meanwhile, are based on the number of senators and repre- sentatives a state has serving in Washington, D.C. If reliably blue state Washington lost two representatives and reliably red state Idaho gained two, future Republican presidents could count on another two “safe” Electoral College votes in the foreseeable future — possibly three, depending on whether Oregon grew enough to hang on to all of its representatives. In a tight race like 2016, it could make a difference. The odds to all of that hap- pening are slim to none, howev- er. And Parsons understands that he’s fi ghting an uphill battle. But he did say he was encouraged by what seemed like genuine inter- A TTENTION G RANT C OUNTY V ETERANS : Did you know there may be VA benefits available for you as a result of your spouses’ military service? See your Grant County Veteran Services Officer today for more information, located at Grant County Court House. est from a variety of Malheur County food producers who told the media last fall that they would join Idaho in a heartbeat if offered the chance. “Everything about Malheur County is more identifi ed with Idaho,” Owyhee Produce gen- eral manager Shay Myers told the Capital Press at the time. “I wish I knew how to actually make this happen.” If Malheur County led the way, Parsons said, it was possi- ble a handful of other counties would be on board with sup- porting an effort to redraw state lines. “It all comes back, to me, to Malheur County,” he said. “If they don’t want to move into Idaho I don’t see any other counties having the economic and political incentive.” Parsons said he is looking to be more of a “facilitator” than a leader on any movement to- ward secession, which is why he made a Yahoo group on the is- sue, which later spurred a Face- book group called “E. Washing- ton/E. Oregon join Idaho.” That group drew 240 mem- bers, who have discussed topics such as messaging (they prefer talk of “shifting boundaries” to “seceding”) and the differ- ences in responses by Idaho, Oregon and Washington on political questions such as allowing Syrian refugees into their state. “One of the nice things about having Eastern Washington and Oregon be a part of Idaho, is that (maybe) people on the east side would stop viewing Democrats as awful Seattle and Portland liberals, but as Spokane or Boise mod- erates who want to reach a reasonable compromise,” page administrator Dan Wallace wrote. Parsons said even if the boundaries between the states never do change, gen- erating public discussions around the issue sends a message to Democrats in Salem and Olympia that they shouldn’t just run over the concerns of Republicans representing the eastern counties on topics such as minimum wage. “It’s saying, ‘Listen, the people in eastern Oregon and eastern Washington are upset. They don’t like what you’re passing,’” he said. Call 541-575-1631 for an appointment Open: Mon, Wed, & Fri 10am-4pm by appointment. Debbie Ausmus 245 South Canyon Blvd. John Day, OR 97845 OPEN WED. & THUR. 9 am - 5 pm 541-575-1113 24 hrs/7 days wk debbie.ausmus@ countryfinancial.com On behalf of Grant County and Beyond in Full Support of Sheriff Palmer, we would like to apologize if your name was listed without your permission. We only printed names that were given to us. 04669 Katy Coba was ready since April for this year’s Tough Enough to Wear Pink day at the Pendleton Round-Up. It has been a turbulent year for Coba, a Pendleton native and longtime director of the Oregon Department of Agricul- ture. She was diagnosed with breast cancer on Oct. 19, 2015, undergoing 12 weeks of chemo- therapy and another six weeks of daily radiation treatment. Coba said she was feeling healthy and ready to don her new pink shirt and cowboy boots at last month’s rodeo. She was joined by her friend and fellow breast cancer survivor Ann Knutson, who traveled all the way from Oklahoma City to take part in Tough Enough to Wear Pink. In fact, the entire arena was awash in pink from the grandstands to the buck- ing chutes to raise money and awareness for local patients. Last year, the Round-Up brought in more than $36,000 for cancer support groups. Coba, 54, said she’s always been thankful to the rodeo com- munity for embracing such a good cause, supporting people like her personal cancer hero, Pendleton High School Span- ish teacher Kathryn Youngman, who is facing her third bout with the disease. This year, however, was dif- ferent. “This year will bring a whole new meaning, because it’s touched me personally,” Coba said before the event. “I think I will refl ect on how lucky and blessed I am in so many ways.” Fortunately for Coba, she was able to catch her cancer early. It started with a routine mammogram, where doctors noticed a small lump on her left side that didn’t look right. It was probably nothing serious, they told her, but scheduled an ultra- sound and biopsy to be sure. The results left both Coba and her doctors stunned — tri- ple-positive breast cancer, the type that spreads more quickly and aggressively than usual. The worst part of the ordeal, Coba said, was breaking the news to her husband, Marshall, as well as their two grown daughters, friends and family. “I wanted to protect them, because I knew they were going to be scared and worried about me,” she said. As for herself, Coba said she’s very much a process per- son. She simply viewed it as another challenge to overcome. Katy Coba “I just immediately went to, ‘OK, I’ve got it. Now, what do I do about it?’” Coba said. The treatments began with a lumpectomy in early Novem- ber, where doctors removed the small lump from her breast. The cancer had not spread to her lymph nodes, which was a promising sign. She then began chemotherapy on Dec. 2. If telling friends and family was the most diffi cult part of battling cancer, Coba said los- ing her long brown hair was the second-most diffi cult. “When you lose your hair, you become a very visible pa- tient,” she said. “It’s all out there in the public.” Chemotherapy and radia- tion can lead to a litany of side effects, yet Coba said she still felt well enough to continue working full-time at the ODA in Salem. She alerted her staff and Gov. Kate Brown, all of whom lent their support and pulled to- gether to make sure the depart- ment didn’t miss a beat. “They would have been fi ne if I had been gone fi ve days a week,” Coba said with a laugh. “The overwhelming support was quite humbling.” Coba still has a long way to go before she’s out of the woods. She will continue to receive tar- geted treatments via an IV in- jection once every three weeks through December. Breast cancer patients aren’t declared cancer-free until after 10 years, assuming there are no setbacks. In the meantime, Coba has plenty to keep her busy. She began her new job Oct. 1 as Or- egon’s new Chief Operating Of- fi cer, overseeing the day-to-day operations of state government. Coba said the experience will also lead her to become an advocate for women to get regu- lar mammograms and checkups, which in her case might have saved her life. The 1982 Round- Up queen said she was excited to be back home to support Tough Enough to Wear Pink, and hopes to reach out to cancer patients however she can. “This has given me the op- portunity to be thankful to live every day,” she said. Your Rural Fa mily Health Clinic Grant County HEALTH Department 528 E. Main, St. E, John Day Monday - Friday 8am - 5pm Karen Triplett, FNP Services Provided: Farmer hopes election discontent renews New Idaho discussion • Primary Care • Acute Care • Women’s Health Exams • Men and Children Exams • Immunizations • Family Planning • Contraception • Pregnancy Testing & Referrals • HIV Testing & Referrals • Cacoon • WIC • High Risk Infants • Maternity Case Management Grant County Health Department does not discriminate against any person on the basis of race, color, national origin, disability, or age in admission, treatment, or participation in its programs, services and activitie s, or in employment. Appointments available Call and schedule your appointment today! TOLL FREE 888-443-9104 or 541-575-0429 A MAN WAKES UP in the morning after sleeping on... an advertised bed, in advertised pajamas. Baker City 2830 10th St. 541-524-0122 Every other Monday in John Day 170 Ford Rd. 541-575-1311 He will bathe in an ADVERTISED TUB, shave with an ADVERTISED RAZOR, have a breakfast of ADVERTISED JUICE, cereal and toast, toasted in an ADVERTISED TOASTER, put on ADVERTISED CLOTHES and glance at his ADVERTISED WATCH. He’ll ride to work in his ADVERTISED CAR, sit at an ADVERTISED DESK and write with an ADVERTISED PEN. Yet this person hesitates to advertise, saying that advertising doesn’t pay. Finally, when his non-advertised business is going under, HE’LL ADVERTISE IT FOR SALE. Then it’s too late. AND THEY SAY ADVERTISING DOESN’T WORK? DON’T MAKE THIS SAME MISTAKE Advertising is an investment, not an expense. Think about it! Blue Mountain Eagle MyEagleNews.com Don’t get left behind, call today! Kim Kell 541-575-0710
