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About The Observer. (La Grande, Or.) 1968-current | View Entire Issue (March 14, 2020)
2A — THE OBSERVER SaTuRday, MaRcH 14, 2020 STATE Daily Planner TODAY Today is Saturday, March 14, the 74th day of 2020. There are 292 days left in the year. TODAY’S HIGHLIGHT On March 14, 1794, Eli Whitney received a patent for his cotton gin, an in- vention that revolutionized America’s cotton industry. ON THIS DATE In 1885, the Gilbert and Sullivan comic opera “The Mikado” premiered at the Savoy Theatre in London. In 1907, President Theo- dore Roosevelt signed an executive order designed to prevent Japanese laborers from immigrating to the United States as part of a “gentlemen’s agreement” with Japan. In 1962, Democrat Ed- ward M. Kennedy officially launched in Boston his successful candidacy for the U.S. Senate seat from Massachusetts once held by his brother, President John F. Kennedy. (Edward Kennedy served in the Senate for nearly 47 years.) In 1964, a jury in Dallas found Jack Ruby guilty of murdering Lee Harvey Os- wald, the accused assassin of President John F. Kenne- dy, and sentenced him to death. (Both the conviction and death sentence were overturned, but Ruby died before he could be retried.) In 1965, Israel’s cabinet formally approved establish- ment of diplomatic relations with West Germany. In 1967, the body of President John F. Kennedy was moved from a tempo- rary grave to a permanent memorial site at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia. In 1976, movie musical director and choreographer Busby Berkeley, 80, died in Palm Springs, California. In 1980, an LOT Polish Airlines jet crashed while at- tempting to land in Warsaw, killing all 87 people aboard, including 22 members of a U.S. amateur boxing team. In 1990, the Soviet Con- gress of People’s Deputies held a secret ballot that elected Mikhail S. Gor- bachev to a new, powerful presidency. In 2001, inspectors tight- ened U.S. defenses against foot-and-mouth disease a day after a case was con- firmed in France. In 2002, the government charged the Arthur Andersen accounting firm with ob- struction of justice, securing its first indictment in the collapse of Enron. (Although Arthur Andersen was later found guilty, its conviction was overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court; however, the damage to the firm’s reputation was enough to put it out of business.) Five years ago, Robert Durst, a wealthy eccentric linked to two killings and his wife’s disappearance, was arrested by the FBI in New Orleans on a murder warrant a day before HBO aired the final episode of a serial documentary about his life. (Durst is now on trial for murder in Los Angeles.) Math enthusiasts observed “Pi Day,” in which the date — 3-14-15 — lined up with the first five digits of the mathematical constant pi: 3.1415. LOTTERY Megabucks: $5.9 million 3-9-16-24-30-42 Mega Millions: $80 million 7-22-37-43-44-22 x4 Powerball: $120 million 4-29-49-50-67—PB-23 x2 Win for Life: March 11 5-23-37-47 Pick 4: March 12 • 1 p.m.: 9-6-9-2 • 4 p.m.: 2-3-4-5 • 7 p.m.: 8-1-3-9 • 10 p.m.: 5-1-7-9 Pick 4: March 11 • 1 p.m.: 9-4-0-5 • 4 p.m.: 5-1-2-2 • 7 p.m.: 1-7-4-4 • 10 p.m.: 3-7-0-2 DELIVERY ISSUES? If you have any problems receiving your Observer, please call the office at 541- 963-3161. QUOTE OF THE DAY “Any fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent. It takes a touch of genius — and a lot of courage — to move in the opposite direction.” — Albert Einstein, Ger- man-born American physicist (born this date in 1879, died 1955) Lawmakers snub state’s public defenders By Conrad Wilson Oregon Public Broadcasting SALEM — A bill that would’ve boosted Oregon’s public defenders died as a result of the derailed legis- lative session in Salem. House Bill 4004 would’ve established per- formance and case stan- dards, and eliminated a requirement for the state to run a public defense system built around being as cost effective as possible. “That had been, I think, originally thought by people to mean the cheapest,” said Lane Borg, executive director of the state’s Office of Public Defense Services. The bill passed in the state House overwhelm- ingly. But like almost every other bill in the 2020 leg- islative session, it stalled after Republicans walked out because of a climate change bill, denying the Legislature a quorum nec- essary to conduct business. The public defense bill also would’ve expanded the commission that runs the Office of Public Defense Services from seven mem- bers to nine, and required one of the members be an individual who had received public defense services. Last session, lawmakers failed to pass HB 3145, OPB photo by Kaylee Domzalsk Carl Macpherson is the executive director of Metropolitan Public Defender. The MPD is the largest single provider of public defense services in Oregon. which would’ve overhauled the state’s public defense system and started the process of turning some public defenders into state employees. At the trial level, all public defenders in Oregon are contract employees of the state. Some of the attorneys work at nonprofits, while others are self employed or work with other attorneys in consortia. In 2019, lawmakers received a report from the nonpartisan Sixth Amend- ment Center, which found Oregon’s public defense system was structurally flawed and effectively unconstitutional. The commission that oversees public defense addressed some of the largest concerns raised by the report, including a flat fee contracting model that paid attorneys per case, regardless of the hours it took. While lawmakers didn’t pass HB 3145, they pumped an additional $38 million into the system for the 2019-21 budget; that led to about 30 additional attorneys and pay increases across the state. Teenage vaping small but growing trend in Wallowa County By Bill Bradshaw and Ellen Morris Bishop EO Media Group Photo by Kathy Aney/EO Media Group Crystal King, charge nurse at Willowbrook Terrace, takes the temperature of Amber Rice on Thursday morning. Rice, deemed an essential visitor, had come to visit her grandmother. State halts nursing home visits Kathy Aney EO Media Group PENDLETON — A sign inside McKay Creek Estates’ sliding front doors Thursday morning stopped visitors cold. In red marker, it said “Under executive order by the Governor, we are not allowed visitors at this time.” The Pendleton assisted living facility placed the sign in the foyer after receiving a mandate from the state to prevent the spread of the novel corona- virus that has proven espe- cially deadly for the elderly. About a mile away, Wil- lowbrook Terrace gave visitors much the same message. A sign warned, “STOP HERE!” ALL VIS- ITORS AND VENDORS. Due to the COVID-19 virus, we are screening all visitors. Please see the nurse before entering.” Only visitors deemed “essential” will gain entrance into Oregon’s nursing homes, assisted care facilities and residen- tial care facilities — phy- sicians, physical thera- pists, hospice workers and family members consid- ered essential for the indi- vidual’s well-being and care or visiting during end- of-life stages. Even essen- tial people must answer screening questions and have their temperatures taken. “Our No. 1 priority is to stop the spread of this virus,” said Fariborz Pak- seresht, director of the Oregon Department of Human Services. Pakseresht and Pat Allen, director of the Oregon Health Authority, announced the new restric- tions Tuesday evening. The extraordinary step comes as data from around the world shows the elderly are most vulnerable to the corona- virus that causes the respi- ratory disease COVID-19. State health authorities also directed the facility operators to limit commu- nity outings and work to arrange “virtual visits” for their residents. The first cases of coro- navirus at an Oregon assisted living facility were announced Wednesday night after two residents in a veterans’ nursing home in Lebanon contracted the virus. State health officials have sent a “strike team” into the nursing home and will test all of its residents and staff. Local administrators appear to be taking the mandate seriously. “We have a really vul- nerable population here,” said Corey Crisman, administrator at Willow- brook Terrace. “We’re trying to limit as many visi- tors as possible.” So far, he said, family members are being understanding. “They know we have to protect our residents,” Crisman said. “We’ll get through it.” Malhia Lieuallen, exec- utive director at McKay Creek Estates, said resi- dents, employees and vis- itors are disappointed, but compliant. “This executive order trumps everything,” Lieuallen said. “We’re just being cautious.” Both facilities have ceased taking groups of residents to movies, con- certs and other events in the community, everything except medical appoint- ments. Similarly, musical groups and other com- munity visitors won’t be allowed to come in. “We’re doing a lot of bingo and planning a St. Paddy’s Day party,” Lieuallen said. “We’re trying to keep them busy.” Crisman said Wil- lowbrook residents will have movies and popcorn on-site, instead of going to a theater. Tests to determine whether someone is infected are conducted through medical swabs sent to the state’s central health laboratory. Pakseresht said Oregon officials are taking every step they can to avoid “the tragic situation devel- oping in Washington.” An Independent Insurance Agency Reed & Associates for excellent service LOCALLY! Nicole Cathey Borg said there was an additional $20 million pos- sibility attached to the short session’s budget bill, which also did not pass after the Republican walkout. He said he hopes to get the money released through the state’s Emergency Board, which is made of a group of lawmakers who can allo- cate funds outside of the legislative session. There are also rumors of a special session. Some public defenders said they’re disappointed lawmakers didn’t pass HB 4004. “It does hurt morale in that public defenders are hoping, we’re counting on this to pass,” said Carl Macpherson, executive director of Metropolitan Public Defender, a non- profit that serves indigent clients in Multnomah and Washington counties. If Oregon fails to ade- quately provide a public defense system that meets the needs of its clients, the state could face a lawsuit. “With the failure of House Bill 3145 in 2019 and the failure of 4004 in the short session, I think it’s possible it could move us closer to a lawsuit,” said Carl Macpherson, executive director of Met- ropolitan Public Defender, a nonprofit that serves indigent clients in Mult- nomah and Washington counties. The American Civil Liberties Union has sued a number of states over a lack funding to public defense: Michigan in 2007, Washington in 2011, Loui- siana in 2016, Missouri and Nevada in 2017, and Idaho in 2018. Kelly Simon, interim legal director at the ACLU of Oregon, said it’s good to see the state investing in the public defense system. But, Simon added, there remains the potential for costly litigation. 10106 N. ‘C’ • Island City 541-975-1364 ENTERPRISE — Vaping among young people has reached epi- demic proportions both in Oregon and the U.S. according to the U.S. Food and Drug Admin- istration. And this new, high-tech method of inhaling nicotine and other substances seems to be a growing problem in Wallowa County as well. In Wallowa County, schools ban both smoking and vaping on school grounds and at school activates. But within the past three months, several students and student-ath- letes have reportedly been involved in vaping at athletic events. Despite the ban on kid-friendly vaping flavors, Mandy Decker, Director of Juve- nile Services for Wallowa County, sees vaping as a growing problem. Just like smoking tobacco, vaping delivers nicotine to the user. Hence, other concerns cited by the CDC include the negative effects of nicotine on the devel- oping adolescent brain, the presence of heavy metals, including nickel, tin and lead in the aero- sols inhaled, and the presence of known car- cinogens in the same fluids. Flavorings can also trigger serious lung disease. “It took 20 to 30 years to get the studies out that tobacco could kill you,” said David Howe, prin- cipal at Wallowa High School. When it comes to studying vaping, “They’re only a few years into it.” Howe would nei- ther confirm nor deny vaping by Wallowa students. At Joseph Charter School, high school prin- cipal Sherri Kilgore said the school has taken steps to detect vaping in the school buildings and on the school grounds. “It’s a big enough problem we bought and installed vaping detec- tors in the bathrooms and locker rooms,” she said. “Those tend to be the places kids go to vape. We already have cameras down all the hallways. … They work, they definitely work.” She said some stu- dents were caught vaping during a wrestling match in January, but they were not Joseph students, were from a visiting school and their coach was notified. Sheriff Steve Rodgers said that the sheriff’s office was called late last year to Joseph Charter School and a youth was cited. Although youth vaping has been called an epi- demic, Kilgore doesn’t believe that’s the case at Joseph. But she admits she could be wrong. “Problem is, the kids can conceal their use,” she said. “I think it’s a bigger problem than we see.” Enterprise School Superintendent Erika Pinkerton agreed, but noted that there haven’t been any known incidents in Enterprise this school year. Enterprise Police Chief Joel Fish noted that there was an incident at the Enterprise School where someone was reported vaping during a game. He didn’t recall if anyone was caught or a citation was issued. While a 2018, con- gressionally mandated, National Academy of Sci- ence study found that e-cigarettes and vaping may be less harmful than conventional cigarettes, it also noted that the long term effect of e-cigarettes was not clear, and that they were likely to draw more young people into nicotine addiction and, ultimately cigarette smoking. Mandy Decker, director of Juvenile Services for Wallowa County, said Friday, March 6, that although the youth vaping problem is growing, it doesn’t seem to be very wide- spread in Wallowa County — yet. Medicare, Auto, Home insurance and Annuities Toll Free 1-866-282-1925 www.reed-insurance.net Kevin Reed
