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About The Blue Mountain eagle. (John Day, Or.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 20, 2019)
A4 OPINION Blue Mountain Eagle Wednesday, November 20, 2019 Critical to earn readers’ trust tion fits a political outlook. If the “facts” don’t fit that political view, then they are bogus. As depressing as that is, we in the local and regional news industry must do more to earn trust from our readers. It is simply not just a good idea but, in some ways, it is a crucial act of self-preserva- tion. The good news from the study is that 79% of Amer- icans find their local news organizations covering issues that impact their daily lives. That is heartening. The overarching issue, though, boils down to cre- ating and building trust to ensure democracy thrives. Residents — voters — can’t make informed decisions about important matters if they don’t have the informa- tion. We at the Blue Moun- tain Eagle are the crucial link between voters and their elected leaders regarding information flow. Without the information, members of a democracy are no more than a mob. Our job, then, is to work hard to be as value-free as possible regarding the pre- sentation of news. Because we are human, that is a tall order. Humans makes mis- takes. Humans are fallible. But readers need to know that we will do all we can, always, to deliver balanced information in our stories. We believe it to be criti- cal that we earn our readers’ trust. And we do that by pre- senting information in a fair and professional manner. A recent study pro- duced by the Knight Foundation and Gal- lup probably didn’t grab the attention of a lot of county residents, but it sure caught our gaze. The study “State of Public Trust in Local News” carried some good news and some bad news for the print media in America. One conclusion the study delivered was that Americans tend to trust their local report- ers more than the national news. For many of us in the con- servative heartland of Eastern Oregon, that probably isn’t much of a surprise. But other results of the study were less heartening for reporters and editors striving to work in rural areas like Grant County. One key result from the study: About 45% of Amer- icans have either a “great deal” or “quite a lot” of trust in local news compared with 31% for national news. At first glance that stat may seem cause for celebration, especially in the newspaper industry. But it isn’t. That’s because the statis- tic means more than half of Americans don’t trust their local press. Even fewer, obviously, trust our national counterparts. Much of that could be put squarely on the shoulders of the current political climate we now inhabit, like it or not, in the United States. Facts tend to be whatever informa- Water questions in search of answers In the West, few resources evoke more passion than water. The rea- son is obvious: Everything comes down to the quantity and quality of water. That’s well illustrated across Oregon. In the Klamath Falls region, the periodic shortage of water is well-known, as are the many demands placed on it. Analogous stories can be found in many areas east of the Cascades, as agriculture, urban growth, res- idential and industrial uses, fish and other environmental concerns collide. Even on the west side of Ore- gon, where ample precipitation is the rule, its seasonality and lim- ited storage put stress on cities and farms. Protected fish and other spe- cies also have a major impact on the quantity of water available at any given time. Because of the critical impor- tance water holds for every aspect of life, it’s surprising that Oregon is just now developing a plan for man- aging it in the years to come. More clearly, the state does have a strat- egy, but has done little to put it into effect. That could change in the near future, as state water managers, in conjunction with their regional counterparts, put together a plan to better manage surface and ground water. During the course of developing this “Water Vision” managers have asked for comments, and we have some. We also have questions. For example: • Why are people in regions such as Klamath Falls left fighting for their livelihoods, often as the result of state actions, or inactions? • Why don’t cities such as Salem and Portland get their water from the Willamette River, which runs through them? Instead, Salem gets much of its water from the North Santiam River 20 miles away, and Portland gets some water from the Willamette but most of it from any- where else. Wouldn’t it make more sense for those and other cities on the river to clean it up instead of tak- ing water from other sources? • The video introducing the the “Water Vision” refers to providing clean, affordable water to Orego- nians. Why is it that some residents of small towns are paying nearly $100 a month for water and sewer service, while other cities, whose overloaded sewage systems some- times empty directly into the Willa- mette, pay much less? • The video also says the state’s water infrastructure has been pretty much ignored for the past 50 years. Why is that? Is it a case of misplaced priorities? Storage, including dams and aquifer recharge, continues to be the ongoing need in Oregon, yet lit- tle has been done at the state level to maintain or develop it. • The Columbia River — one of North America’s great waterways — flows along much of the north- ern border of Oregon, yet it is barely mentioned as a source of water. Why is that? Wouldn’t it make sense to tap the Columbia as a source of water for municipal use and irriga- tion, as Washington state has? These and other questions rep- resent the “elephant in the living room” as water managers look to the future, but they can also repre- sent solutions. Our hope is that all sources of water will be “on the table” as Ore- gon’s leaders plan for the future. — The Capital Press Blue Mountain EAGLE Published every Wednesday by SHOOTING THE BREEZE Animals on the run M y all time favorite story about shooting at run- ning game took place before I was born. My dad had a pronghorn tag and was itching to go. In those days his only hunting rifle was a Savage 99 in .300 Sav- age. On the wide open ground he was attempting a stalk on a small bunch of ten with two billies and eight nannies. Being as the eyesight of your average pronghorn is some six times better than the aver- age human, the engaging hunter was busted and in a single file at forty something miles an hour the bunch took off. Dad, ever confident in his old Savage took aim at the big- ger buck running out in front and quickly calculating a lead, squeezed off a shot. As the lumbering 150 grain bullet made its way across the dis- tance, nine of the 10 antelope ran past, unscathed. The 10th, luck- ily also a billy, was not so lucky and took the bullet squarely in the heart. Though he was aiming at the first, his bullet hit the last. For years I struggled to hit run- ning game. But after reading some classic literature and receiving some sage advice I began con- necting. There are really three LETTERS TO THE EDITOR a bid. I felt like they knew Frivolous spending submit Appreciation the answer to that already, and of on courthouse roof course I said no because of prior of Veterans Day obligations. support On Nov. 6, I returned from elk I encouraged the court to get at camp to attend an “emergency” meeting about the roof of the Grant County Courthouse. As the meeting began, we were informed that the Court was declaring a state of emergency for the roof, and they were going to hire a con- tractor based out of Pendleton to do the work for $180,000. Because it is a “state of emergency,” Judge Scott Myers said they were not required to get multiple bids for the work. The courthouse does not have a very large roof. I gave my back- ground in commercial roofing and suggested the bid was very high, that other bids should be taken and the court could save up to 30%. Judge Scott Myers said “it is not about the money.” I asked relevant questions about the roofing compa- ny’s offer regarding materials and process. Judge Myers said they have had leaking roof issues since the ele- vator was put in years ago. He also said that he had personally thought the roof was going to cost $150,000 prior to consulting any roofing professional, suggesting he is a “licensed roofing contrac- tor.” I felt he was suggesting that my experience and knowledge was insignificant. I was soon asked if I could start the roof on Nov. 11, if I were to Grant County’s Weekly Newspaper Publisher............ ......................................Chris Rush, crush@eomediagroup.com Editor & General Manager ...............Sean Hart, editor@bmeagle.com Reporter ...................................................Rudy Diaz, rudy@bmeagle.com Community News .................................Angel Carpenter, angel@bmeagle.com Sports ........................................................Angel Carpenter, angel@bmeagle.com Marketing Rep .......................................Kim Kell, ads@bmeagle.com Administrative Assistant ..................Christy Smith, csmith@bmeagle.com Office Assistant .....................................Alixandra Hand, office@bmeagle.com MEMBER OREGON NEWSPAPER PUBLISHERS ASSOCIATION ing your moving game animal by a prescribed distance and firing your bullet in front of them so that they both intersect at the exact right moment can be trickier than it sounds. But with practice, you’ll pick it up. In general the smaller it is and faster the animal moves, the more difficult it will be to hit. And how the animal moves also comes into play. Rabbits hop, deer bound, elk prance, and bears amble. Some animals are shifty while others run in straight lines. The angle of their escape and whether the shot presented is at the vitals or not must also be evaluated. Don’t mistake me for espousing some Elmer Fudd-esque notion of flinging lead at every come what may shot opportunity. That is foolhardy at best. The bottom line is, through a lot of practice you’ll develop aspects of all three of the preced- ing schools of thought. You’ll learn to follow through, to lead and very importantly when to not shoot. Any tips to share for shoot- ing at running game? Write us at shootingthebreezebme@gmail. com! Dale Valade is a local country gent with a deep love for hand- loading, hunting and shooting. schools of thought regarding shooting at moving game. The first school is to just never do it. Some I know consider it Dale unsportsmanlike to Valade do so as the chances of merely wounding rather than a quick clean kill go up consid- erably. There are shots we just shouldn’t attempt, especially on moving game. That being said, it’s up to each of us to decide it’s morality. This should be based solely upon the individual oppor- tunities that present themselves and our own abilities as shooters. The second school of thought is called the follow through. These folks are primarily shooting birds with shotguns. Aerial targets are a much dif- ferent three dimensional dynamic versus a four-legged animal run- ning on the ground. The follow through is very self explanatory, while drawing a bead you follow the expected trajectory of your target with your swinging barrel, but aim where you want to hit and keep following through even after the trigger is pulled and the shot has left the barrel. The third school of thought is the lead (lead not lead). Lead- Online: MyEagleNews.com least one other bid from a company in Baker that had offered to come give a bid, according to Judge Myers. They made a motion to give the other roofer an opportunity to bid and hold another court meet- ing on Friday to decide on award- ing the bid. They voted yes, unan- imously. I was relieved that they were going to at least get another bid. I left the meeting. I was later informed that after I had left, they changed their mind on the other bid and simply decided to hire the con- tractor out of Pendleton. I have lost sleep over this, because I know very well the cost of materials, dump fees and labor for such a project. If any one per- son was managing their own money, I feel they would responsi- bly look for ways to use it wisely. I am uncomfortable with know- ing our County Court uses their funds so frivolously. I am very disappointed in the management of our County Court and the way I was spoken to by a non-bias elected official. I am looking for more responsible representatives to step forward next election that we can put our trust in to take care of such issues in a timely manner with the County’s spending being managed wisely. Darrell McKrola Mt. Vernon 1 YEAR SUBSCRIPTION RATES (including online access) Grant County .........................................$45 Everywhere else in U.S. .......................$57 Outside Continental U.S. ....................$60 Subscriptions must be paid prior to delivery Two sides to ‘Dissent’ story Since when did the front page of our newspaper become a forum for personal rants? Refer to the incred- ibly biased “The High Cost of Dis- sent in Grant County.” I certainly hope the other side of that discussion receives equal space. Rozanne Mullin John Day Periodicals Postage Paid at John Day and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER send address changes to: Blue Mountain Eagle 195 N. Canyon Blvd. John Day, OR 97845-1187 USPS 226-340 Phone: 541-575-0710 This past Veterans Day saw many acts of kindness and appreciation to our veterans. Too many to list all, but free meals from restaurants, meals and recognition from students at schools, handmade Quilts of Valor given to vets, handi- work on homes and firewood delivered. Again, so many acts of help and recognition to our veter- ans show the great appreciation from our Grant County citizens for their freedom and secu- rity. May God continue to bless America. Dave Traylor John Day Copyright © 2019 Blue Mountain Eagle All rights reserved. No part of this publication covered by the copyright hereon may be reproduced or copied in any form or by any means — graphic, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, taping or information storage and retrieval systems — without written permission of the publisher. facebook.com/MyEagleNews @MyEagleNews
