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About The Observer. (La Grande, Or.) 1968-current | View Entire Issue (April 9, 2020)
2A — THE OBSERVER DAILY PLANNER TODAY Today is Thursday, April 9, the 100th day of 2020. There are 266 days left in the year. LOTTERY Megabucks: $2.2 million 17-19-24-28-34-36 Mega Millions: $136 million 25-33-43-51-68-20 x2 Powerball: $190 million 8-31-39-40-43—PB-4 x3 Win for Life: April 6 39-42-46-68 Pick 4: April 7 • 1 p.m.:4-2-2-8; • 4 p.m.: 0-9-9-4 • 7 p.m.: 7-1-2-3; • 10 p.m.: 6-9-4-8 Pick 4: April 6 • 1 p.m.: 7-9-6-9 • 4 p.m.: 9-7-1-3 • 7 p.m.: 8-3-9-9 • 10 p.m.: 1-2-8-4 DELIVERY ISSUES? If you have any problems receiving your Observer, call the offi ce at 541-963-3161. KINDNESS Continued from Page 1A many cases it is not because of mobility issues, Roberts said, but rather the fear of contracting the potentially deadly virus. Many of those the new neighborhood watch orga- nization is helping fall into this category, Roberts said. They include Jordan Hov- ingh and her daughter, Ella. The two have not been out- side in four weeks because they share a genetic condi- tion that compromises their immune systems. Roberts delivers groceries to the two several days a week. She places the food on their doorstep and then thy bring it inside after sanitizing it. “We are so thankful,” Hovingh said Wednesday morning after receiving bread and milk, for which she had electronically paid Roberts. Some of neighborhood watch’s most heartwarming stories of outreach have unfolded after word was received of multiple La Grande families in need of food because of fi nancial problems. Neighborhood watch members in each case fi lled cars of food and drove them to the families’ houses. “The outpouring was incredible,” Roberts said. She said families provide very heartfelt thanks. “The appreciation is huge,” Roberts said. Neighborhood watch members found out about the families through the watch’s La Grande Strong Facebook site. Linked to the site is a page that is part of La Grande Strong and is fi lled with reports of local random acts of kindness. “We want to bring great acts of kindness to light,” Roberts said. At the start of the Face- book page, Roberts writes of altruistic love, some- thing she said members of the neighborhood watch are displaying. “Selfl ess love means put- ting the needs, desires, and sometimes, the wants of the person you love ahead of your own.... Whether it hurts, is painful, or you get nothing out of it for your- self, loving someone self- lessly means that you make decisions based not on what you want, but what is best OPINIONS Continued from Page 1A gesting that COVID-19 does not have a natural origin,” the statement says. “Conspiracy theo- ries do nothing but create fear, rumors and prejudice that jeopardize our global collaboration in the fi ght against the virus.” In addition to her unfounded theory, Wright said business restrictions and stay home orders need to be lifted in Oregon because the economic impacts are too severe, and claimed the elevated news coverage of the pandemic is an attempt by newspa- pers and the media to make money. “If they hadn’t made such a big deal about it in the newspaper, I don’t think anyone would have gotten as concerned about it as they are now,” she said. “But hey, you’ve got to sell papers and keep your num- bers up.” Wright’s claims again ignore reality, consid- ering publications across the country, including EO Media Group, have announced layoffs and cut- backs due to a decrease in revenue during the pandemic. Wright said she’s “mixed” on whether the coronavirus does pose a public health risk, but said she’s refused to change her lifestyle because of the virus. “I was never totally con- vinced that we needed to stay home and do nothing, and I’m still not convinced that staying home and doing nothing is the right thing to do,” she said. “I happen to be one of these people that believe if you’re going to get it then you’re going to get it. I may be a fool. I don’t know.” All three legislative dis- tricts in Northeast Oregon — House District 57, House District 58 and Senate District 29 — are unusu- ally competitive this year, with candidates in every Republican and Democratic primary. All the remaining candi- dates shared their thoughts on how they’ve been dealing with COVID-19 both as residents and politicians. Senate District 29 The incumbent in the race for the Oregon Sen- ate’s 29th District, Sen. Bill Hansell, R-Athena, has a unique perspective on the COVID-19 pandemic. Hansell was hospitalized on March 29 at St. Mary Media Center in Walla Walla after experiencing pain in his left lung while breathing and a slight fever. Though doctors eventually identifi ed blood clots in his lungs as the source, he fi rst had to go through the hospi- tal’s COVID-19 protocols. “What it did for me was see the protocols that were in place and gave me a sense of security that our medical professionals have responded appropriately,” he said of his experience in the hospital last week. After seeing directly how a hospital was responding to the pandemic and state projections now indicating Oregon’s hospi- tals have enough beds for a THURSDAY, APRIL 9, 2020 LOCAL “... if this had never been plastered all over the nightly news we wouldn’t have had this world panic and paranoia.” “... it was smuggled into China by a woman from the Unitied States.” “... our government knew that a vial of their precious biological warfare missing...” for the one you love,” Rob- erts said in a Facebook post. The La Grande neigh- borhood watch will later be divided into a number of zones, each identifi ed by a color. Members will be encouraged to get to know as many people as they can in their zone and be on the lookout for those who may need help. La Grande Strong’s neighborhood watch and acts of kindness Facebook pages are places where everyone in La Grande can connect. “We have created instant community for people,” said Roberts, who said she has received enormous help from her husband, Darwin. The link to the neigh- borhood watch page is www.facebook.com/ groups/204864584260514, and the link to the #LaGrandeStrong “Spread Kindness, Not Virus” Facebook page is www.facebook.com/ groups/840884383054146. The owner of Le Bebe Cakes Coffee Shop and Bakery, Roberts also is involved in community service activities outside of La Grande Strong. For example, she is one of the leaders of Kids Immediate Dinner Solutions, which is delivering free dinners to all youths age 12 and younger in Union County in April. Roberts said reaching out to others is a joy for her and helps her deal with the anxiety everyone is facing during the COVID-19 crisis. tors, both Republicans and Democrats, the president, as well as our Democratic governor, are taking steps to protect people’s lives, we shouldn’t oppose that,” he said. Bylenga said he’s been thinking about the gov- ernment’s economic relief lately, especially since the federal stimulus package’s direct payments to residents excludes dependents and college students like him. He would like the state to look at relief for those caught in the loophole as well as for small businesses, noting Barreto Manufac- turing, the La Grande com- pany owned by outgoing state Rep. Greg Barreto, recently laid off two-thirds of its workforce. how money is used. Smith cited his experience in past recessions and special ses- sions saying the key is to be as informed as possible in order to react as appropri- ately as possible. “Right now, there is a tremendous amount of information on the virus fl oating around and some of it is accurate and some of it is inaccurate,” he said. “What we need to be doing as a Legislature is making sure that the right mes- sages are being sent out and we are taking the right actions.” Roland Ruhe, a con- tender from Irrigon for the Oregon House District 57 seat, said he agrees with the decisions the governor has made, but acknowl- edged they cause hardship for many people, including himself and his family. Ruhe, a Democrat, said he has seen a drop in his con- struction business, as well as that of his wife’s, who works as a beautician. “I agree with the efforts and the steps that are being made,” he said. “It’s such a fi ne line that is being walked here that there is never going to be a perfect solution that is going to be equal amongst everybody.” Despite his agreement with the steps being taken to counteract the spread of the novel coronavirus, Ruhe said he is worried about the impacts of clo- sures and shutdowns on the economy both now and in the future, something he hopes a special session will help resolve. “It doesn’t matter if we become healthy as a society if we are crippled as a system,” he said. “I am concerned with our economic stability in the short run, let alone the long run, and I would hope that would be a high concern for our offi cials at that spe- cial session.” Ruhe said he doesn’t necessarily see a better solution to what has been done, but hopes people are able to take the issue seri- ously and react accord- ingly so recovery can begin sooner rather than later. “I think people need to take this serious and do their part,” he said. “The only thing you can control is your response.” ——— East Oregonian reporter Ben Lonergan and La Grande Observer editor Phil Wright contributed to this report. House District 57 “Somehow the SARS virus was altered so that we have what they call COVID-19.” Graphic by Andy Nicolais/EO Media Group surge of cases, Hansell said he’d like to see hospitals be able to accept elective and nonemergency surgery patients once again. While lifting these restrictions would allow more people to receive medical care, Hansell was concerned about the fi nan- cial impact the restrictions are having. “Like any other busi- ness they’ve got to have the income to pay the bills,” he said. Hansell was released from the hospital April 1 and said he is recovering at home. Garison Lee Alger, a Pendleton carpenter who is challenging Hansell in the Republican primary, has been checking up on rela- tives to make sure they get what they need during the stay home order. Alger said it’s important for the government to take action now to prevent more drastic measures in the future, and the state’s order tasks residents with slowing the spread. “It’s on us, to a cer- tain extent, to make sure we’re not passing it to one another,” he said. “I think it’s a good idea to make sure that large gatherings aren’t taking place and it’s not becoming a widespread thing. I think maybe a little bit of extra panic has set in, but it’s to be expected when something out of the ordi- nary happens.” Alger said he still needs to talk to constituents about Eastern Oregon’s spe- cifi c needs, but he’d like to see a relief package target small business owners and farmers. Mildred O’Callaghan of Joseph is the lone Democrat running for Senate District 29. Campaigning has been a bit tough with social dis- tancing in place. “Well, we haven’t been able to hold anything,” she said. “We’re trying to do virtual meetings.” O’Callaghan said her campaign also is relying on the tradition of let- ters to the editor, and as a former precinct person, she is making use of voter lists to call Democrats. She also described Gov. Kate Brown’s response to the pandemic as “spot-on.” “I think she’s been ahead of the game,” O’Callaghan said. If the Legislature con- venes for a special session, she said unemployment funding should be a top priority. Wallowa County relies on tourism spending, but the “stay home, save lives” campaign to curb the spread of the corona- virus means those tourists will be staying home, and local businesses are looking at taking a serious fi nan- cial hit. House District 58 Wright will have to advance past an opponent in the Democratic primary and win a general election to share her views in the Legislature. Not much has changed in the day-to-day life of Bobby Levy since the arrival of COVID-19. The Republican can- didate for District 58 has started avoiding the crowds at grocery stores, but it’s easy for Levy to stay socially distant when her days are spent delivering lambs on her family farm near Echo. “I think everyone should take it serious,” she said. “My personal opinion is I believe that everyone in Eastern Oregon is taking it serious.” Levy said she would like to see the Legislature meet sooner rather than later to approve an economic relief package for Oregonians. She wanted the package to include delays on the cor- porate activities tax and an increase to the gas tax for at least a year. “We have people who are basically running their businesses on a shoestring, and then they have to be hit with the CAT tax,” she said. “And they have to pay it whether they’re doing well or not.” A second Republican in the race, Mike Nelson of Elgin, dropped out. The other Democrat in the District 58 race, Port- land State University stu- dent Nolan Bylenga, made an early return home to Pendleton once the univer- sity moved all its classes online. Bylenga said he dis- agrees with people who say residents should continue going about their daily lives despite the stay home order. “When all the legisla- FAMILY OWNED The incumbent in the race for the Oregon House’s 57th District, Rep. Greg Smith, R-Heppner, com- mended the governor on her handling of the COVID-19 outbreak in the state and said while the pair don’t always agree, his support was behind her at this point in time. “As of right now I have no criticism of the gov- ernor — I would throw her accolades for the heavy lifting that she is doing and we need to sustain her at this point in time as she’s making those decisions,” said Smith. “I can share with you why I don’t always agree with her on certain policy issues, but she has Oregon’s best interest in mind and she would never make decisions to know- ingly hurt the state of Oregon.” Smith stressed the importance of social dis- tancing and, when possible, supporting local businesses so the framework for Ore- gon’s economy continues to exist when things get moving again. Smith said he has been reaching out to local businesses and talking to neighbors and friends about how they are being impacted by the virus. “I think, right now, people understand that this is a pandemic, we need to take it serious. No one person caused this, and we’re all in this together,” he said. Smith said one of the primary goals of the spe- cial session will be deter- mining exactly how money fl ows into the state as well as complying with any strings or regulations on www.CountrysideSheds.com Garden Sheds STORAGE BUILDINGS (541) 663-0246 Locally owned and operated for over 25 years La GRANDE AUTO REPAIR 975-2000 www.lagrandeautorepair.com MOST ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY AVAILABLE Joe Horst ACDelcoTSS RENT to OWN 215 Elm Street La Grande (541) 963-5440 northwestfurnitureandmattress.com 10505 N. McAlister Road (Corner of Hwy 82 & N. McAlister Rd.) starting at $ 68 Month