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About The Observer. (La Grande, Or.) 1968-current | View Entire Issue (April 11, 2020)
2A — THE OBSERVER SATURDAY, APRIL 11, 2020 REGIONAL DAILY Baker County freezes hiring, limits spending PLANNER By Samantha O’Conner EO Media Group TODAY Today is Saturday, April 11, the 102nd day of 2020. There are 264 days left in the year. TODAY’S HIGHLIGHT On April 11, 1980, the Equal Employment Oppor- tunity Commission issued regulations specifi cally pro- hibiting sexual harassment of workers by supervisors. ON THIS DATE In 1814, Napoleon Bona- parte abdicated as Emperor of the French and was ban- ished to the island of Elba. (Napoleon later escaped from Elba and returned to power in March 1815, until his downfall in the Battle of Waterloo in June 1815.) In 1865, President Abraham Lincoln spoke to a crowd outside the White House, saying, “We meet this evening, not in sorrow, but in gladness of heart.” (It was the last public address Lincoln would deliver.) In 1921, Iowa became the fi rst state to impose a cigarette tax, at 2 cents a package. In 1945, during World War II, American soldiers liberated the Nazi concen- tration camp Buchenwald in Germany. In 1968, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed into law the Civil Rights Act of 1968, which included the Fair Housing Act, a week after the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. In 1970, Apollo 13, with astronauts James A. Lovell, Fred W. Haise and Jack Swi- gert, blasted off on its ill-fat- ed mission to the moon. In 1981, President Ronald Reagan returned to the White House from the hos- pital, 12 days after he was wounded in an assassina- tion attempt. Race-related rioting erupted in the Brixton district of south London. LOTTERY Megabucks: $2.4 million 6-8-13-26-29-30 Mega Millions: $136 million 25-33-43-51-68-20 x2 Powerball: $20 million 2-37-39-48-54—PB-5 x3 Win for Life: April 8 14-21-66-67 Pick 4: April 9 • 1 p.m.: 7-9-9-3; • 4 p.m.: 8-9-1-9 • 7 p.m.: 8-4-2-6; • 10 p.m.: 6-9-9-2 Pick 4: April 8 • 1 p.m.: 3-8-8-2; • 4 p.m.: 7-4-9-3 • 7 p.m.: 0-5-4-0; • 10 p.m.: 0-2-3-1 BAKER CITY — Baker County commissioners have instituted a freeze on hiring employees not involved in working on corona- virus issues. Commission Chairman Bill Harvey also has to approve any expen- ditures exceeding $500 as offi cials brace for cuts in state revenue due to the pandemic. Commissioners, meeting Wednesday morning, also discussed reassigning employees whose salaries are paid in part by Oregon Lottery revenue or the local lodging tax. “We need to conserve all of our resources and our contingency at this point to be able to possibly have to realign some of the losses that we may have to experi- ence,” Commissioner Mark Bennett said. The county’s general fund contingency for the current fi scal year, which ends June 30, is $692,000. “I think that what drove this whole discussion on the funding restrictions is the fact that we have the unknown on the road pact One project that isn’t being held up by budget concerns is the construction of a new Eagle Valley Rural Fire Department station in Richland. The project is paid for by a federal Community Development Block Grant the county received four years ago. Commissioners voted Wednesday to award the construction contract to Gyllenberg Construction of Baker City. Commissioners initially awarded the $1,363,000, job to Gyllenberg Construction now, we have the unknown for the lottery funds, we have the unknown on the (lodging tax) funding,” Bennett said. Both Bennett and Com- mission Chairman Bill Harvey said the county has more questions than answers right now regarding the actual fi nan- cial effect on the county. “I think that one of the things that’s somewhat stressing is that legislature will likely not meet until May, mid-May, so we really have no guidance whatso- ever,” Bennett said. in November 2019, but that was contingent on either the county or the Eagle Valley Rural Fire Depart- ment or the county raising more money, as the bid was about $75,000 more than the $1,288,700 available through the grant. State offi cials, who administer the grant, increased the amount to the maximum of $1.5 million, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture added $80,000. The Leo Adler Founda- tion contributed $60,000, and Idaho Power Company $5,000. Masking up becoming the norm At left, Jake and Kathy Wolfe of Enterprise wear masks when they are out and about, including grocery shopping. Kathy Wolfe is a volunteer for the hospital auxiliary and has made many masks to help augment those of nurses, physicians and other providers at the hospital, as well as making those that she and her husband were wearing. They cover their faces, she said, “because we don’t want to get sick, and we don’t want others to get sick either.” Sewing a mask (below left) The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention provide these instruc- tions for how to sew a mask. This fi lter pattern also can incorporate additional layers of fi ltration material. No-sew masks (below right) The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention provide these instruc- tions for a simple face mask that incorporates an extra fi lter such as coffee fi lter, or HEPA vacuum bag. Graphics provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Photo by Ellen Morris Bishop/EO Media Group DELIVERY ISSUES? If you have any problems receiving your Observer, call the offi ce at 541-963-3161. TODAY’S QUOTE “We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful about what we pretend to be.” — Kurt Vonnegut, Ameri- can author (born 1922, died this date in 2007) Pianist performs COVID concert for audience at an appropriate distance By Kathy Aney EO Media Group PENDLETON — It was live music with a social dis- tancing twist. The performer sat inside her Pendleton home Wednesday afternoon playing her baby grand piano, the sound fl owing out a front window to spectators sitting in cars, lawn chairs or sprawled on the grass. Suzi Wood started playing piano 69 years ago at age 5. With Gov. Kate Brown’s executive order decreeing the closure of all but essential businesses, the piano teacher stopped instructing students in mid- March and was at loose ends. So the classically trained pianist messaged friends and neighbors, inviting them to a concert like none they had ever attended. She would play show tunes inside, while they listened from afar. At 4 p.m. Wednesday, about 20 people positioned them- selves in the Woods’ front yard, across the street and in vehicles. Wood’s husband, Pend- leton City Councilor Chuck Wood, offered refreshments and an array of pandemic supplies: masks, gloves and hand wipes. Two cyclists cruised up and leaned their bikes against a tree. A family of three and their dog set- tled into a spot of lawn on the parking strip. Wood stepped out onto her porch and greeted her fans. She dedicated the con- cert to two friends who died last week, one from COVID-19 complications and the other of cancer. “If you feel like getting up and dancing, please do that,” she said. She re-entered the house, appearing at a living room window where she sat down at the piano. Almost imme- diately “Exodus” fl owed from the house, strong and easily heard a block away. The tunes kept coming — “Born Free,” “Don’t Cry for Me Argentina,” “It’s a Wonderful World,” Memory,” “Piano Man,” “The Morning After,” “My Heart will Go On,” “Nadia’s Theme,” “I Dreamed a Dream” and “All I ask of You.” Motorists driving by slowed to give a listen. “I did this for my friends who were getting cabin fever,” Wood said. “With being locked in our homes, we needed uplifting things. I thought show tunes, something people could identify with.” DOC TALK Q&A: COVID-19 (NOVEL CORONAVIRUS 2019) A: If you develop COVID-19 or have been exposed to the virus, you may be asked to "self-isolate” (if you're sick) or "self-quarantine" (if you might be sick). In some people, COVID-19 is mild enough that you can safely recover at home. Here’s how you can protect others in your household while you recover: Don’t leave home except to get medical care. Keep away from people and pets at home. Use a face mask, cover your coughs, and clean your hands often. Clean high-touch surfaces. Stay home until you get the green light. -Frank Szumski, DO, GRH RMC Primary Care Provider Your trusted GRH doctors are answering your COVID-19-related questions through this Doc Talk Q&A series. For more information on what to do if you’re sick, visit cdc.gov/coronavirus. Photo by Kathy Aney/EO Media Group Spectators listen to show tunes Wednesday outside the Pendleton home of classically trained pianist Suzi Wood. As we navigate COVID-19, we want to be sure and remind you that the safety and health of our patients, staff and community is our number one concern. We are working closely with CHD, OHA, and other partners to respond appropriately and as effectively as possible. For the latest updates from GRH, visit our web page dedicated to COVID-19 News & Updates: grh.org/covid19. An Independent Insurance Agency Reed & Associates for excellent service LOCALLY! Nicole Cathey 10106 N. ‘C’ • Island City 541-975-1364 Medicare, Auto, Home insurance and Annuities Toll Free 1-866-282-1925 www.reed-insurance.net Kevin Reed