Editorials

The news that more than half of Oregon’s state employees will get an extra six weeks to get inoculated against COVID-19 was welcome, but the question of what happens after the deadline remains…

The people getting vaccinated against COVID-19 are called sheep. The people not getting vaccinated against COVID-19 are called anti-vaxxers.

For decades there have been concerns that foreign investors are buying up farmland in the United States.

Saturday marked the 20th anniversary of the horrific terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.

Here we go again.

U.S. Sen Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, will host an online town hall meeting Tuesday, Aug. 31, and if you get the chance, we urge you to listen in.

The heavy hand of government has always been one of those peculiar aspects of American democracy that often leave voters scratching their heads.

It’s one thing to mandate masks.

Last week, our school-age children and youth were once again thrust into center of the COVID-19 pandemic when Gov. Kate Brown ordered new mask mandates for K-12 students.

It was a bit surprising to discover that some of the rivers proposed for Wild and Scenic designation were dried up or were creeks, streams or gulches — not really rivers at all.

In a matter of hours last week, the Elbow Creek Fire started and erupted, expanding thousands of acres, tearing through tinder-dry fuel while driven by wind, and quickly threatening homes on E…

At least at first glance, the idea that police departments should be abolished in favor of other methods of protection seems so counterintuitive, it’s difficult to know where to begin.

It’s time to begin the healing process in Joseph.

Typically, Americans don’t spend a lot of time looking backward but we must know our own history so we can navigate the future.

Oregon’s political life bursts with conflict. But the state will be in trouble if the political life is not anchored in a way that serves and represents all the people who live here.

He was almost instantly dubbed by some in the city of Joseph as a superhero.

Sharing someone’s personal information with intent to harm them could soon get you sued in Oregon. A bill in the Oregon Legislature would permit a lawsuit for what’s commonly called doxxing.

The “cloud” that remains over the city of Joseph is starting to take on the appearance of smoke. And where there is smoke, there is fire.

We’d like you to draft a multimillion-dollar wish list and send it off to your Oregon state senator and state representative.

Light is the best disinfectant, and transparency is vital to establishing trust.

The abrupt resignation of Joseph City Administrator Larry Braden late last week comes as a shocking blow to the city at a time when the city government needs an administrator on board — budget…

Oregon lawmakers did something good recently when they approved Senate Bill 513, a measure that requires high school students to complete one semester of civics before they graduate.

The Oregon Legislature is poised to approve yet another gun mandate and while the battle lines over such issues are clearly drawn, the real lesson for voters is they must remain involved and w…

Rural Oregon is facing a difficult post-COVID economic recovery. The $1.9 trillion federal coronavirus relief package will undoubtedly help, but without addressing some long-standing barriers …

Policy disagreements, partisanship and the walkouts can give Oregonians a distorted picture of what their Oregon Legislature is like. Journalists — and certainly this editorial page — tend to …

Jessica Barnett died when she was 17. She had started fainting when she was 12. It looked like a seizure. Her lips would go blue. She was put on epilepsy medication. The fainting didn’t stop.

Oregon lawmakers at the state and national level do far more work regarding unintended consequences when they craft new legislation.

The news was about as exciting as a touchdown at a state championship football game.

Oregon Gov. Kate Brown already has been under scrutiny for where she placed seniors in the vaccination timeline.

Whether at the state or national level, there has been ample criticism levied about the rollout of the two COVID-19 vaccines in the U.S.

The math is inexorable. Most Oregonians do have health care. The costs, though, keep going up faster than incomes. Gov. Kate Brown summed it up: “Per capita health care costs in Oregon are gro…

The news last week definitely was shocking — a health care worker in Wallowa County was hospitalized for several days after a severe allergic reaction to the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine.

In today’s pop culture dominated climate, politicians rarely receive much thanks, but the work of U.S. Rep. Greg Walden stands out as a classic example of what an elected leader should do once…

Hope arrived Monday afternoon.

The Observer’s related publication, The Baker City Herald, recently asked Gov. Kate Brown’s office to explain why Oregon’s new risk level system for COVID-19 prohibits restaurants and bars fro…

Oregonians passed Measure 110 by a wide margin in November. It means decriminalization of personal possession of small amounts of illegal drugs, including cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine and …

The next global pandemic looms. Will Oregon and the world be more prepared?

Recounts and legal challenges notwithstanding, it appears Joe Biden will be president on Jan. 20, 2021.

The news of skyrocketing numbers of COVID-19 infections across the United States is reminding us of the original meaning of the phrase “going viral.”

Joe Biden was declared the winner of the 2020 race for the White House on Saturday, Nov. 7, four days after the election.

The last time we editorialized about how Oregon is moving slowly on helping families find child care that is safe and affordable, it got the attention of state Rep. Karin Power, co-chair of th…

Today’s edition of the Wallowa County Chieftain is the last one before next week’s general election.

In 2019 the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries released an investigation finding many instances of sexual harassment in the state Capitol. It was made worse by ineffective investigation of …

Imagine you were deprived easy access to a COVID-19 vaccine simply because you lived on the west bank of the Snake River rather than the east, in Oregon rather than in Idaho.

At the risk of being a tad bit early, we want to urge everyone in Wallowa County to vote.