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Weekend of March 14-15, 2020 B1 The Dalles Chronicle TheDallesChronicle.com Weekend $1.00 March 14-15, 2020 The Dalles, Oregon www.thedalleschronicle.com Vol. 229, Issue 22 B 1 Two file for Wasco County commissioner Gibson ■ Mark The Dalles Chronicle public defender; a commu- nity affairs specialist; a leg- islative aide for the Oregon House of Representatives; and as a park ranger with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, according to his filing with the Wasco County Clerk. Swift is a graduate of Crofton High School, has a bachelor’s degree in mar- keting management from Bellevue University and a Juris Doctorate from Roger Williams University School of Law. Running unopposed are Assessor Jill Amery; Clerk Lisa Gambee, Sheriff Lane Magill and Treasurer Elijah Preston. A revised city charter for the City of The Dalles will two terms on the board of the Port of The Dalles Two candidates have prior to first filed for Wasco County running for Commission, position #2, commission- and will be on the May 19 primary ballot. er in 2012. Steve Kramer Incumbent Steve Kramer He studied will face a challenge from lo- business cal attorney Marcus Swift for and forestry at Chemeketa Wasco County Commission, Community College for two terms, and is a graduate of position #2, in the May 19 primary election. Both candi- Ontario High School, ac- dates filed as nonpartisan. cording to his filing with the Steve Kramer, a resident Wasco County Clerk. Marcus Swift is a resident of Dufur and 2020 chair of of The Dalles working as an the county commission has a background in self employ- attorney and and small busi- ness owner of Overland Law, ment in the private sector, LLC. His prior government and served two terms on experience includes service the Dufur city council, two terms on the Dufur Park and with the Wasco County Recreation District board and Planning Commission; as a also be on the May 19 ballot. The charter was last revised in 1994, and changes are meant Marcus Swift to bring the charter up to date with current state law and city administration practices. According to the notice of measure election filed with the County Clerk, the revised charter “specifies a general grant of powers consistent with state law; a council/manager for of government; elimination of council districts; nomination and election of councilors and the mayor at large with terms established on a staggered basis; establish- ment of a four-year term for the mayor beginning with the 2022 biennial election; establishment of the office of city attorney as the chief legal officer of the city government with the ability to assign duties of the office by con- tract; revision of procedures for adoption of ordinances; elimination of the provision providing that the mayor and councilors shall not receive compensation for serving as public officials; and other matters.” The filing deadline was March 10. Registration open Although you must be 18 years of age to vote, anyone 16 or over can register to vote. If you have an Oregon driver’s license, permit or I.D. number issued by the Oregon Department of Motor Vehicles, you can register online. If not, you will need to submit a printed form and deliver it in person so your signature can be recorded. Details and links can be found on the Wasco County website, click on “depart- ments/clerk” from the home page. You may register at any time, but your voter regis- tration card must be post- marked or delivered by the 21st day before the election you intend to vote in, which will be Wednesday, April 29 for the Tuesday, May 19 election. Paddler returns to Columbia on 22-river trek Stops planned at Memaloose, The Dalles and Rufus areas Neumann-Rea ■ By The Kirby Hood River News rivers he plans to follow, along with some overland portaging, to reach Astoria, Queens, New York, a com- mercial district in the New York City borough of Queens, in about two years. Moore said his timeline is open-ended, due to encoun- ters with weather and water conditions he must prepare for and the range of human Journalist and voyager contact he relishes. Neal Moore is used to the With “22 Rivers, 22 States strange looks and skeptical and 7,500 Miles Across questions when he tells America By Canoe,” Moore people he is paddling the was en route east this week Columbia River on the first from Hood River after stage of a solo canoe expe- spending four days here. dition overland to New York He planned stops in the City. Memaloose and The Dalles “Why would you want areas, and then to Rufus, to go to New York City?” a where he will connect with Montana rancher once dis- his friend Gus Herrera, who believingly asked Moore. In Hood River this week, he got runs Gorge Outfitters. The new cross-country similar reactions. paddle is his second attempt; “I tell people, it’s not New in April 2018 he traveled York City itself—that’s the through Hood River and by destination. It’s what I find autumn 2018 made it as far as along the way.” North Dakota before his sec- “I’m on the lookout for stories that connect and unite ond boat—and second set of us, not divide us,” said Moore, portaging wheels—gave out who embarked aboard his and he decided to regroup. fully-laden 16-foot canoe This year, he consid- from Astoria on Feb. 9. ered returning to the same Moore chronicles his ad- location in the Dakotas and venture on 22 Rivers.com—a picking up where he left off, but preferred to do the entire reference to the number of route uninterrupted—more or less. Moore did break up his journey three weeks in by getting a ride from Cascade Locks back to Astoria in order to attend the annual Fisherpoets gathering there. He had friends reading at Fisherpoets, and learning about peoples’ lives and ex- periences on the river is part of Moore’s ongoing journey as a freelance journalist, film-maker and explorer. “I know the recipe I found in Hood River County is that of collaboration and people trying to connect with each other. In this part of the world, all up the Columbia, I’m finding that the salm- on and all that it means is the central defining point,” Moore said. He has also traveled the length of the Missouri and Mississippi rivers solo by canoe and has written ex- tensively on the experiences, including his book “Down the Mississippi.” Moore, 48, is a California native who has lived and worked in Cape Town and a total of about 16 years in Taipei, Taiwan, as a teacher and journalist. He returned to Taipei in autumn 2018. Canoeist Neal Moore loads his gear at Port of Hood River on Monday morning, March 9, with plans to spend another week or so in the mid-Columbia before taking the river east and north to Canada. Kirby Neumann-Rea photo Back on the Columbia and with 21 more rivers to touch, north and east, Moore plans to assemble new stories along the way as well as circle back with people from Hood River County that he met and blogged about two years ago. Frequently asked if he plans a book or other compilation of his journey, Moore said he is open to the prospect but “I’m mainly in this for the experience.” He said he enjoys re- connecting with friends he made on the first third of the intended trans-continental route, and meeting new peo- ple and telling their stories. His 22 Rivers route will take him to Trail, B.C., via the Columbia and then south again via the Pend Oreille River, connecting with the Missouri and Mississippi, then working through a maze of southeast U.S. and Appalachian rivers back up through the Ohio River system, the Great Lakes, and down the Hudson—to Astoria, Queens. State Health Authority reports new coronavirus cases Les Zaitz ■ By Oregon Capital Bureau information is received. As of 1:53 p.m. Thursday, no cases of the virus had been confirmed in Wasco Life in Oregon under- County. went a dramatic change The developments are Thursday, as Gov. Kate Brown unfolding as Oregon health banned large gatherings, officials on Wednesday major universities shifted announced that six more to remote classes for 80,000 people have tested positive students, local schools were for COVID-19, including two urged to cancel events and residents at a veterans’ nurs- medical professionals will ramp up testing for the novel ing home in Lebanon. coronavirus. Statewide, Oregon has Locally, School District 21 recorded 21 presumptive announced Thursday that all cases in 11 counties with in-season athletic practic- health officials warning more are likely. es and club meetings may And in Washington, the proceed as normal; however, Trump administration and all athletic contests, club tournaments, band concerts Congress are consider- and other gatherings are ing pumping money into canceled or postponed. (See the American economy. related story page B3.) President Donald Trump has Maryhill Museum of Art suggested stopping payroll canceled programs but will taxes and deferring income still open March 15. tax payments. In a speech Additional concerts and to the country Wednesday events have also been can- night, Trump also an- celed, including St. Pat’s at St. nounced a ban on travel to Pete’s on Saint Patrick’s Day. the U.S. from Europe with Closures are posted online the general exception of U.S. at www.thedalleschronicle. citizens. com and will be updated as The governor was scheduled to hold a news conference in Portland Thursday to provide details on new state restrictions and steps state and local governments are taking to address the outbreak, now considered a global pan- demic by the World Health Organization. “It’s time for us all to do what we can to slow its spread and take care of one another,” Brown said in a statement Wednesday evening. She is banning all gather- ings of 250 people or more for the next four weeks. “A gathering is defined as any event in a space in which appropriate social distancing of a minimum of three feet cannot be maintained,” her statement said. Brown also announced new guidance for Oregon’s local schools that will touch every student, teacher and parent. “To keep schools open, all non-essential school-asso- ciated gatherings and group activities should be canceled — such as group parent meetings, field trips, and competitions,” Brown said. The Salem-Keizer School District, the state’s sec- ond-largest, announced that it was suspending “all school- based assemblies and events, off-campus field trips, and professional development meetings and events.” The district also said no one would be allowed into sporting events “with the exception of essential personnel and credentialed media.” Workplaces across the state should modify their practices as well, Brown said. Employers should use “dis- tancing measures including an increased physical space between employees in offices and worksites, limited in-per- son meetings, limited travel, and staggered work sched- ules where possible.” The new restrictions follow the state’s decision to greatly restrict visits to Oregon’s 670 nursing homes, residential care facilities and other licensed care centers. More This undated electron microscope image made available by the U.S. National Institutes of Health in February 2020 shows the Novel Coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, orange, emerging from the surface of cells, green, cultured in the lab. Also known as 2019-nCoV, the virus causes COVID-19. than 30,000 Oregonians live in such settings. The state has said only essential visitors should be allowed in – after screening – and that includes friends and relatives for end-of-life visits or visits otherwise considered vital to a resident’s care. Brown also reached out a second time to federal WEATHER FOR THE DALLES, OR | MARCH 14 - 20, 2020 Today Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday /26° /22° /22° Cold with periods of sun Chilly with clouds and sun /25° Sun, but chilly /31° Plenty of sunshine /30° Cloudy Mark Gibson contributed to this report. Actual High/Low Friday 38° 38° 44° 49° 54° 57° 60° Snow at times; 1-2” officials, seeking more med- ical equipment and supplies and money to deal with ev- erything from deep cleaning of schools to providing child care for first responders, steps she said were “critically necessary.” /33° Clouds yielding to sun Mar 5 - 11 Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday 62/30 59/40 54/40 56/30 60/27 64/28 57/42 Updated 3.12.20, 7:30 AM PDT Data from Accuweather.com