The Observer makes a difference

It is sad and difficult to experience loss, whether that be family, friends or even the suspension of a business that we’ve depended on. Recently we got word that The Observer newspaper will cease printing on July 1, bringing the end of an era that started in 1896.

The Observer has been the source of local news for generations, and the public has come to depend on it — for news, sports, events, and so on. I know and have known a good number of the employees who have worked at the newspaper. They all took their jobs seriously and worked hard to get the paper out for readers. Keeping the community informed has been and continues to be The Observer’s mission. We’re going to miss not having a printed publication.

As I get older, I’m drawn more to reading the obituaries first, but I’ve always appreciated learning more about our area, its residents and history through local stories. The reporters help keep a watchful eye on local government, and their news stories help keep the public informed about what’s going on. What is going to fill that void for residents who don’t read the local news online?

The local paper has always been there for us, keeping us in the know about almost every facet of our life, whether that’s been Eastern Oregon University or high school sports, festivals and events that are occurring in every town in our region, events like the Eastern Oregon Livestock Show, Crazy Days, car shows, the fair. Or when a tragic event occurs, The Observer is there to let us know what happened. We will miss receiving the paper throughout the week and reading about these events and the news that comes from them.

The internet, social media and the pandemic changed much in the way we get our news and how we shop. But the reality is that social media is not a reliable news source, and it’s not going to make up for the loss we’ll feel with the suspension of The Observer in print.

I would encourage the readers and the community to continue to subscribe and be open-minded to the new change that is coming with a regional paper. I will miss receiving and reading The Observer in print, and I believe the community will too.

A big “thank you” to all those who have worked at The Observer over the years. Your efforts and your newspaper made a difference.

John Howard

Former small-business owner and former Union County commissioner

La Grande

Donald Trump has shown us who he is

Trump’s conviction in New York reaffirms the principle that no one — not even a former president — is above the law in the United States of America.

The evidence presented to the jury was damning, including numerous falsified documents with Trump’s signature on them. Falsification of business records is a serious crime, and Trump is finally being held accountable just as any other American would.

Trump has often been called a fraudster — and now he has been convicted of just that: fraud, and trying to illegally pull one over on the American people.

Trump’s felony conviction is not merely about illegal hush money payments made 11 days before an election; it is about safeguarding the integrity of our elections. Trump has a clear pattern of lying to the American people and trying to undermine our elections in order to cling to power. This trial was the first of several — he still faces three additional indictments and 54 criminal charges, including federal charges for inciting a deadly insurrection to overturn the 2020 election.

Donald Trump has shown us who he is: a fraudster who will lie and break the law in order to cling to power. We must remember that when we go to the ballot box and cast our vote for the next president.

Kelli Snider

Cove

Political decisions and personal favors

It seems Gov. Tina Kotek learned nothing from the political downfall of former Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber by providing political power to his fiancée, thereby improving her financial income.

If some of the staff of Kotek had not resigned in protest of her efforts to provide direct political power to her wife, the public would never have been made aware there was a problem of delegating political power to an unelected relative of hers.

Kotek has been a power player in Oregon politics for many years, and as speaker of the House this type of action is normal for her.

I view most politicians as masters of spin, deflection, misdirection, word parsing and other less than fully ethical actions to work their personal will and advance their personal desires in most government actions they participate in.

I may be overly cynical; however, I voted in every election since 1960, and I consider myself very well informed. I dig deeply into the public documents that show what happens with public money that never gets discussed in front of the public.

I consider many political decisions at all levels of government are motivated by doing favors for friends, family or other politically influential people out of public view, and contrary to what I consider ethical, based on my values.

I object to political actions by elected representatives that favor specific people, and are not available to anyone else who is not politically connected.

Scott Widdicombe

Warrenton

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