2A — THE OBSERVER
DAILY
PLANNER
TODAY
Today is Thursday, April 9,
the 100th day of 2020. There
are 266 days left in the year.
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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
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