2A — THE OBSERVER
TUESDAY, APRIL 14, 2020
STATE/REGION
DAILY Virus closes one rural tradition, another continues
PLANNER
EO Media Group staff
TODAY
Today is Tuesday, April 14,
the 105th day of 2020. There
are 261 days left in the year.
TODAY’S HIGHLIGHT
On April 14, 1865, Presi-
dent Abraham Lincoln was
shot and mortally wounded
by John Wilkes Booth during
a performance at Ford’s
Theater in Washington.
ON THIS DATE
In 1939, the John Stein-
beck novel “The Grapes of
Wrath” was fi rst published
by Viking Press.
In 1981, the fi rst test fl ight
of America’s fi rst operational
space shuttle, the Columbia,
ended successfully with a
landing in California.
LOTTERY
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Mega Millions: $145 million
2-11-21-57-60-13 x2
Powerball: $22 million
22-29-30-42-47—PB-17 x3
Win for Life: April 11
4-6-35-75
Pick 4: April 12
• 1 p.m.: 6-1-8-7; • 4 p.m.: 5-7-7-9
• 7 p.m.: 2-9-9-5; • 10 p.m.: 8-7-0-8
Pick 4: April 11
• 1 p.m.: 2-9-2-0
• 4 p.m.: 7-0-6-6
• 7 p.m.: 4-4-3-2
• 10 p.m.: 3-8-8-0
Pick 4: April 10
• 1 p.m.: 7-0-1-4
• 4 p.m.: 4-6-1-9
• 7 p.m.: 0-2-1-8
• 10 p.m.: 6-6-5-5
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TODAY’S QUOTE
“I am a man of fi xed and
unbending principles, the
fi rst of which is to be fl exible
at all times.”
— Everett Dirksen, Ameri-
can politician (1896-1969)
SALEM — COVID-19
is impacting rural Oregon
in a variety of ways.
One well-known Oregon
rural tradition has decided
not to open, while another
will operate under much
different rules.
For the fi rst time in
36 years, Iverson Family
Farms in Woodburn, will
not hold its annual Wooden
Shoe Tulip Festival, a col-
orful rite of spring that
draws thousands of visitors
from around the world.
Barb Iverson, who runs
the tulip farm, said it was
a diffi cult but necessary
decision as the number of
COVID-19 cases increased
and more restrictions were
placed on gatherings. The
festival was scheduled to
begin March 20 and con-
tinue through May 3.
Iverson said the farm is
still considering whether
to provide any access to
the tulip fi elds this season
— the fl owers are going to
bloom regardless of what
happens, she said. The con-
cern is whether that would
lead to a sudden rush of
traffi c and potentially
increase people’s exposure
to the virus.
“We want everybody to
be safe,” Iverson said. “It’s
just hard, because right now
we don’t have enough infor-
mation. Who knows what
the next two weeks will
bring?”
Last year, the festival
brought in about 150,000
visitors and a little more
than $1 million in revenue,
she said.
EO Media Group fi le photo
Crowds enjoy opening week of the Wooden Shoe Tulip Festival in Woodburn on March
26, 2015.
EO Media Group fi le photo
Many farmers’ markets in Oregon are open, but are taking
precautions in light of the COVID-19 outbreak.
“It’s a big hit for the
farm,” Iverson said. Iverson
Family Farms grows about
1,200 acres of grass seed,
vetch seed, tulips, wine-
grapes and, most recently,
industrial hemp.
Losing the festival could
mean cutting back on sea-
sonal employees and other
expenses to help make ends
meet, Iverson said. Other
local and school groups
also use the festival to host
fundraisers of their own,
extending the economic
impact into the community.
“It’s going to be a tough
year for a lot of them,”
Iverson said. “We will
get through this. Hope-
fully it doesn’t take down
everything.”
Farmers’ markets are
known to cultivate a fes-
tive atmosphere that attracts
crowds, which is exactly
what people are supposed
to avoid during the corona-
virus outbreak.
At their core, however,
such markets are about food
distribution, which is why
they’re exempt from Ore-
gon’s prohibition on gath-
erings of more than 25
people.
Now that they must
emphasize only food — not
fun — Oregon farmers’
markets are preparing to
strip their operations down
to the essentials during the
spring season.
“The social fabric
we’ve been weaving for
years, we’re rapidly unrav-
eling,” said Kelly Crane,
executive director of the
Oregon Farmers Market
Association.
At least for the time
being, live music is out,
as are chairs, tables, kids’
activities and anything
else that would encourage
people to congregate, she
said.
Vendors will space their
booths farther apart, lots of
hand-washing stations will
be provided and signs will
advise visitors to maintain
social distance, Crane said.
A couple of Oregon
farmers’ markets have even
decided against opening as
planned this spring, since
they didn’t have enough
physical space available to
spread out their vendors,
she said.
Apart from providing
an opportunity to buy food
in the open air, the state’s
farmers’ markets are critical
for the 6,700 small busi-
nesses that sell about $63
million worth of goods at
them each year, Crane said.
Markets that maintain
operations year-round have
already seen a decline in
attendance, but their sales
haven’t dropped as sharply,
she said. That’s because
shoppers are still showing
up individually, without
their friends and families.
NEWS BRIEFS
EO Media Group staff
Gas station self-
service extended
until April 25
SALEM — The Offi ce
of the State Fire Marshal
has extended temporary
rule allowing Oregon gas
stations to voluntarily offer
self-service. The state fi re
marshal’s offi ce announced
the move Friday, extending
the deadline to April 25.
“We appreciate the
patience of all Oregonians
and businesses with this
temporary suspension of
rules, which now allow for
self-service at Oregon gas
stations,” State Fire Mar-
shal Jim said in a state-
ment. “These changes
provide station opera-
tors fl exibility to manage
their operations and help
to make refueling safer for
both customers and service
station attendants, while
Photo By Ellen Morris Bishop/EO Media Group
Enterprise and Joseph fi refi ghters mop up Monday morn-
ing after a fi re burned down this home in Enterprise.
Early morning fi re torches
Enterprise home, shed
By Ellen Morris Bishop
EO Media Group
ENTERPRISE — A
fi re that started in a large
detached garage and shop
around 5 a.m. Monday
destroyed that building and
severely damaged the Zak
Bradshaw home at 61448
Lime Quarry Road.
Enterprise and Joseph
fi re departments responded
to 911 calls from
neighbors.
“The shed and south
side of the house were
fully involved by the time
we got here,” said Enter-
prise assistant fi re chief
Dan Niezen. “We turned
our attention to the house
fi rst. There wasn’t much
we could do to save the
shed.”
The garage/shop con-
tained stored furnish-
ings, equipment and other
household items, much of
which belonged to Chief-
tain reporter Bill Brad-
shaw. It was a total loss.
Niezen also estimated
the home, a 5-bedroom
craftsman built in 1904,
was a total loss as well.
Homeowner Zak Brad-
shaw reportedly suffered
severe burns on his hand
and arm when removing
a tractor from the shed
and was taken to Wallowa
Memorial Hospital.
The only other casu-
alty of the fi re appeared
to be some baby chicks
that were in a crate in the
house and perished of
smoke inhalation.
The fi re was visible
from Enterprise.
“When I was driving
up here in the truck,” one
fi refi ghter said, “I saw a
big plume of fl ame go up,
and thought maybe it was
a diesel tank. But then the
fl ames just exploded into
the sky and as I got closer
I realized it was a big
tree that was next to the
house.”
Friends and neighbors
rallied around the family,
who will need a place to
stay while they piece their
lives back together.
“We are so grateful
that everyone is OK,” said
homeowner Lynn Brad-
shaw. “We know that God
is looking out for us all.”
keeping stations open
at a critical time when
COVID-19 is impacting
gas retailers who serve our
many essential workers
statewide.”
The rule allows sta-
tion attendants to assist
customers without face-
to-face or hand-to-hand
contact and institutes phys-
ical distancing measures.
Attendants will continue
to sanitize equipment and
help customers as needed.
According to a news-
release from the Oregon
Fuels Association, a recent
survey found 88% of local
gas station owners reported
having staff unable to work
or resigning due to the pan-
demic. Three-fi fths also
reported employees have
asked to be removed from
face-to-face interactions
with customers.
Self-service is not man-
datory, but having it as an
option allows some gas
stations to continue their
operations with less staff
and allows Oregonians
who have to travel to still
drive without concern they
may not be able to fi nd gas.
This extension of the
self-service rules change
does not affect areas of the
state already authorized for
self-service refueling under
Oregon law.
$116 million
from CARES Act
earmarked for
Oregon college
students
WASHINGTON, D.C.
— $116 million in aid is
heading to Oregon college
students for relief during
the COVID-19 pandemic,
Oregon’s U.S. Sens. Jeff
Merkley and Ron Wyden
announced Friday in a
press release.
The funds will be dis-
tributed between the state’s
73 colleges, universities
and community colleges,
according to the statement,
which then will decide
which students receive the
aid in a form of a direct
emergency cash grant.
Eastern Oregon Univer-
sity was allocated
$1.15 million.
The funding comes
from the Higher Education
Emergency Relief Fund
in the Coronavirus Aid,
Relief and Economic Secu-
rity (CARES) Act. Dis-
tributions to each institu-
tion is determined by the
number of full-time stu-
dents who are Pell-eligible
but also takes into consid-
eration the total popula-
tion of the school and the
number of students who
were not enrolled full-time
online before the corona-
virus outbreak.
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
La GRANDE
AUTO REPAIR
975-2000
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.
www.lagrandeautorepair.com
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