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History Mystery | A5 TD seniors cap regular season in style | A9 ▶ Weekend The Dalles, Oregon www.thedalleschronicle.com Vol. 229, Issue 18 Blue Horizons Weekly virus updates planned There are no cases of Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) in Oregon and risk remains low, but North Central Public Health District (NCPHD), in partnership with the Oregon Health Authority (OHA), is monitoring developments and will begin posting weekly statewide updates March 3, according to Teri Thalhofer of NCPHD. Updates, posted by OHA, will provide information on persons under monitoring (PUM) and persons under investigation (PUI) for the virus as state epidemiolo- gists, local public health officials and federal partners continue their investigation of the disease, which has sickened tens of thousands of people worldwide. Starting Feb. 26 and continuing every Tuesday beginning March 3, OHA will post current data on its website, http://healthoregon.org/ coronavirus. PUMs are individuals who do not have symptoms such as fever, cough or difficulty breathing but who may have been exposed through close contact with a confirmed case or have travelled to mainland China. PUIs are individuals with COVID-19 symptoms—but not necessarily the virus—who have had one of these exposures. OHA is notifying local health departments daily as they are informed by the CDC of Oregonians reentering the country after travel- ling to China. Local health districts are then contacting those identified to evaluate their individual risk level, and to facilitate quarantine and monitoring. If a person with symptoms tests positive for the virus, OHA will no- tify the public through a statewide press release naming the person’s county of residence. NCPHD is working with com- munity partners in healthcare to $1.00 February 29 - March 1, 2020 coordinate response in the event that a case is identified in the community. “The CDC, OHA, and local health authorities are commit- ted to providing all residents of Oregon with the most up-to-date information available regard- ing the COVID-19 investigation and clear guidance regarding preventive efforts” said Miriam McDonell, MD, a health officer with NCPHD. “We encourage individuals to reach out to their healthcare providers, local public health and the OHA website for additional information if needed.” FACT SHEET Novel Coronavirus What is novel coronavirus? Novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) is a virus strain that has only spread in people since December 2019. Health experts are concerned because little is known about this new virus. It has the potential to cause severe illness and pneumo- nia in some people and there is not a treatment. How does novel coronavirus spread? Health experts are still learning the details about how this new virus spreads. Other corona- viruses spread from an infected person to others through: • The air by coughing and sneezing. • Close personal contact, such as touching or shaking hands. • Touching an object or surface with the virus on it, then touching your mouth, nose, or eyes. How severe is novel corona- virus? Experts are still learning about the range of illness from novel coronavirus. Reported cases See VIRUS, page A2 An adult male western bluebird perches on the dead branch of a pine in the area of Cherry Heights. The bluebird is a small thrush about 6.5 to 7 inches long. The adult males are bright blue on top and throat with an orange breast and sides. They can be found in open woodland, both coniferous and deciduous. They also live in backyards, burned areas and farmland, from sea level far up into the mountains. Gary Elkinton photo Wasco Cultural Trust grants awarded Sacon ■ By The Walker Dalles Chronicle to do a little bit of testing a couple of years in a row and the kids that attended S.L.A.M. slid about 50 The Wasco County Cultural Trust percent less,” Anderson said. Corin Parker, who teaches music Coalition awarded $11,350 in grants to 12 projects on Feb. 8 in a ceremo- at Chenowith Elementary School, ny at The Dalles Art Center. Coalition received grants for two projects she’s working on as Columbia Gorge board member Corliss Marsh said the awards went to projects which fit Orchestra Association’s education into the coalition’s three priorities of outreach director. One is a youth youth, multiculturalism and service choir which she hopes to take on the road and the other is a summer dra- to the entirety of Wasco County. Marsh said the coalition typically ma camp where students will learn awards around $9,000 in grants an- stagecraft and perform “Frozen.” Parker said there are “huge gaps” nually and had some leftover money from last year’s grants to use this year. around culture, art and music in kids’ lives. The coalition distributes funds “I think the schools have to do locally from the Oregon Cultural Trust, Marsh said. Their yearly total more, but I also think the commu- is a percentage—determined by nity as a whole needs to be more in population—of the statewide trust’s tune with it. I also think that every annual allocation, Marsh said. individual family is losing it,” Parker said. Youth focus Parker said her older students, fourth and fifth graders, are “blown Eight of the projects receiving grants directly involve Wasco County away” when she points out that the youth. Marsh said kids are the coali- media they consume is created by working artists. tion’s “number one priority.” “I think just knowing that they Coalition board member Leslie can create the art instead of just Nelson said these projects are for everyone in the county to enjoy but sitting in front of a television and watching it is a big difference,” she they focus on reaching youth. said. South Wasco Youth Programs Marsh said exposing children director Amber Anderson said her non-profit work was funded almost to culture and the arts helps make entirely by grants like this until she them better citizens. “It adds so much to the commu- started receiving donations from individuals in the last few years. nity to have kids that are engaged Anderson runs summer camps and learning not just ‘ABCs’ but and after school programs at Maupin culture, arts and music,” Marsh said. Elementary School. She said her Artistic support S.L.A.M. (science, literacy, arts and math) summer camps focus on keep- Columbia Gorge Community ing kids from disengaging intellectu- College Library Director Dylan ally and forgetting what they learned McManus said art education teach- during the previous school year. es students critical thinking and “We were able to get the school problem solving. Art education also INSIDE For the Record Opinion History ‘Gorge Us Night’ brings fun to Salem Neumann-REA ■ By The Kirby Hood River News Dylan McManus, Columbia Gorge Community College library director, accepts a grant at Wasco County Cultural Trust Coalition’s 2020 grant award ceremony Feb. 8 at The Dalles Art Center. Courtesy Scott Stephenson teaches students to willingly accept criticism, he said. McManus received a Cultural Trust grant for a September gallery show which will feature prints made by artists from the Mexican state Oaxaca. He said he hopes the show, which will feature artists’ statements in English and Spanish, will empower Hispanic students. “By showing art that is culturally diverse, not rooted in a single style, you can empower those people who might think their art isn’t of value because it doesn’t fit in a traditional western mold,” McManus said. “Then think about what that does to design. Think about what that does to problem solving, what it does to product design. Think about what it does to a community,” McManus said. McManus said art training is more practical and economically A2 A4 A5 valuable than some realize. “Every brand needs a logo. Every wall needs a piece of art or it’s boring,” McManus said. “There’s a reason art is on the wall. There’s a reason we turn music on. What would a dentist’s office be if there was no art on the wall? It would be a very scary place,” McManus said. Oregon Cultural Trust spokes- person Carrie Kikel said the trust has issued $259,466 in grants to Wasco County since it was created by the state legislature in 2001. The trust is funded entirely from do- nations through the Cultural Trust tax credit and sales of the Cultural Trust license plate, Kikel said. Kikel said 42 Wasco County res- idents contributed to the Oregon Cultural Trust in 2018. She said the trust has received 147 donations from residents of the county since the its founding. Obituaries Comics Sports A festive air surrounded legislators, staff and Gorge residents at last week’s annual social event, “Gorge Us Night in Salem.” The Gorge-wide advocacy group One Gorge hosted the eighth-annual event. One Gorge is an informally organized group of professionals from various public agencies, organizations and private businesses in the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area that works on issues and priorities of the Gorge region in the state and federal legislatures. One Gorge held a similar event earlier in February in the Washington capital, Olympia. Beer, wine and cider flowed courtesy of purveyors in Hood River, Cascade Locks and The Dalles to go with a catered buffet at Willamette Heritage Center’s Spinning Room in the historic Mission Mill complex. Present were groups promot- ing private and public projects that seek long-range funding support from the legislature. These included City of Mosier’s See GORGE, page A2 A7 A8 A9-10
