WINNER OF THE 2020 ONPA GENERAL EXCELLENCE AWARD
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2020
HermistonHerald.com
EasternOregonMarketplace.com
First COVID-19 vaccine doses arrive in Oregon
By GARY A. WARNER
OREGON CAPITAL BUREAU
The fi rst of millions of expected
vaccine doses needed to control
the COVID-19 virus arrived in
Oregon on Monday, Dec. 14, start-
ing a process that could last into
fall 2021.
The Oregon Health Author-
ity issued a statement that the fi rst
doses of the vaccine manufactured
by Pfi zer-BioNTech arrived in the
state at 7 a.m. on Dec. 14. Four
facilities in or near Portland, along
with a medical center in Ontario
in Malheur County, each received
a 975-dose packages on Tuesday,
Dec. 15.
Caitlin Cozad, communications
director for Good Shepherd Health
Care System in Hermiston, said
the hospital will be following Ore-
gon Health Authority’s guidelines
for vaccination order, which priori-
tizes health care workers and long-
term care facilities.
“Over the course of the next
month Good Shepherd will receive
its fair share to cover all of our
staff and external frontline/essen-
tial workers,” she said in an email.
She added that all staff will
still be required to follow personal
protective equipment guidelines
and other safety procedures after
receiving the vaccine.
Oregon is slated to receive
35,100 doses this week. The
remaining 30,225 Pfi zer doses
will go to unspecifi ed hospitals
later this week. Another 10,725
doses will go to unspecifi ed skilled
nursing facilities for vaccinations
beginning next week.
“Today, I can tell you that
help is here,” said Governor Kate
Brown in a statement on Dec. 14.
The vaccine’s initial arrival
comes as the state, like most of
the nation, has seen a steep rise in
COVID-19 cases since September.
As of Sunday, Dec. 13, there
have been 93,853 positive cases of
COVID-19 in Oregon and 1,155
deaths. Nationwide, there have
been over 16.3 million cases and
300,267 deaths.
While a sign of hope, getting
the vaccine to most of the more
than 2.6 million estimated adults in
See Vaccine, Page A11
Ben Lonergan/Hermiston Herald, File
A sign directs visitors at the Good Shepherd Health Care System campus in
Hermiston on Nov. 16, 2020. The hospital has a plan in place to vaccinate
employees as it receives its fi rst doses of the COVID-19 vaccine over the
next month.
UPDATES
Local
counties
still in
‘extreme
risk’
category
By JADE MCDOWELL
NEWS EDITOR
Umatilla and Morrow
counties remained on the
state’s “extreme risk” list
for COVID-19 as Oregon
Health Authority updated
its assessments of each
county.
In total, 29 of Ore-
gon’s 36 counties now fall
under the category, one of
four levels in the state’s
new COVID-19 restric-
tions. The list is updated
every two weeks as
OHA reevaluates the lat-
est COVID-19 cases, test
positivity and community
spread of the virus.
In the seven-day period
between Wednesday, Dec.
9 and Tuesday, Dec. 15,
Umatilla County Public
Health reported 234 new
cases of COVID-19.
The county needs to
get down to less than 80
cases over a 14-day period
for all elementary school
students to return to class-
rooms, and about 40 cases
per 14-day period to see
middle school and high
school students return.
On Dec. 9, the county
reported the death of
a 39-year-old Uma-
tilla County man with
underlying
conditions
who was diagnosed
with COVID-19 on Oct.
16 and died Nov. 1 at
Kadlec Regional Medi-
cal Center in Richland,
Washington. On Dec. 15,
it reported the death of
an 89-year-old man who
tested positive Nov. 20
and died Dec. 6 at Good
Shepherd Medical Cen-
ter in Hermiston.
According to Umatilla
County Public Health’s
website, since the pan-
demic began, 14.8% of
the county’s COVID-19
cases have been under age
20. Just over 39% of cases
have been age 20-39,
29.6% of cases have been
age 40-59, 13.2% have
been ages 60-79 and 2.6%
have been over age 80.
About 47% of cases have
been female.
INSIDE
Ben Lonergan/Hermiston Herald/East Oregonian
Craig Dircksen, left, Emily Bonner, center, and Lori Smith pose for a portrait in the front yard of their Hermiston home on Thursday, Dec. 10, 2020.
Deck the halls
Musical display adds plenty
of holiday cheer to Hermiston
By JADE MCDOWELL
NEWS EDITOR
Ben Lonergan/Hermiston Herald
Christmas lights adorn the house and yard of Craig Dircksen and Lori Smith
on West Johns Avenue in Hermiston on Thursday, Dec. 10, 2020.
Ben Lonergan/Hermiston Herald
Christmas lights adorn the West Johns Avenue home of Craig Dircksen and
Lori Smith in Hermiston on Thursday, Dec. 10, 2020.
A3  Manuel Gutierrez recognized
for his service to Hermiston
A6  Christmas Express wraps up
donation collection
As Hermiston-area residents
hop in their car and go searching
for the best Christmas light dis-
plays in town, Craig Dircksen and
Lori Smith’s house is becoming a
must-see.
Dozens of cars pull up along
their home on Johns Avenue
or in the Desert View Elemen-
tary School parking lot kitty-cor-
ner from their property to enjoy
their tens of thousands of lights,
all working in sync with a musi-
cal concert more than an hour long
broadcast on a loop over 88.1 FM
each night from 5:30-9 p.m.
During one song, a giant Spider
Man dances on a 28-foot-tall metal
Christmas tree. During another, a
wave of pink crosses the house at
the mention of Santa Claus bring-
ing a Barbie.
“I’m one of those ‘go big or
go home’ people, and I’m already
home so I might as well go big,”
Dircksen said.
Umatilla County residents
interested in a tour of Christmas
lights in the area can get help from
an online map on bit.ly/lightupthe-
town-umatillacounty. The map has
been curated by Hermiston Parks
A7  Wheatridge Renewable
Energy Facility powers up wind farm
IF YOU GO
Craig Dircksen’s light display
runs from 5:30-9 p.m. each night
at 790 West Johns Ave. in Herm-
iston. The full concert of songs
runs about an hour and fi fteen
minutes long, on a loop starting
at 5:30 p.m. For more informa-
tion, see the “Miracle on John’s
Avenue” Facebook page.
and Recreation and has more than
40 entries, including the Festival
of Lights at the Eastern Oregon
Trade and Event Center.
The Festival of Lights is now a
walk-through on Fridays and Sat-
urdays from 5-11 p.m. and drive-
thru only on Thursdays and Sun-
days from 5-10 p.m.
In Boardman, the SAGE Cen-
ter at 101 Olson Road is hosting its
annual musical light display every
night in December from 5-10 p.m.
Visitors can enjoy the display, set
to music, in their vehicles while
tuned in to 106.1 FM.
When it comes to private dis-
plays, however, Dircksen and
Smith’s home at 790 W. Johns
See Display, Page A11
A10  Hermiston quilter, age 90,
still going strong with donations