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About The Observer. (La Grande, Or.) 1968-current | View Entire Issue (April 23, 2020)
2A — THE OBSERVER THURSDAY, APRIL 23, 2020 STATE DAILY Gov. Brown’s plan to reopen remains in fl ux PLANNER Framework TODAY Today is Thursday, April 23, the 114th day of 2020. There are 252 days left in the year. considers regional capacity for COVID-19 testing TODAY’S HIGHLIGHT On April 23, 1616, English poet and dramatist William Shakespeare died in Strat- ford-upon-Avon on what has traditionally been regarded as the 52nd anniversary of his birth in 1564. ON THIS DATE In 1943, U.S. Navy Lt. John F. Kennedy assumed command of PT-109, a motor torpedo boat, in the Solo- mon Islands during World War II. In 1954, Hank Aaron of the Milwaukee Braves hit the fi rst of his 755 ma- jor-league home runs in a game against the St. Louis Cardinals. In 1968, the Methodist Church and the Evangelical United Brethren Church merged to form the United Methodist Church. In 1988, a federal ban on smoking during domestic airline fl ights of two hours or less went into effect. In 1998, James Earl Ray, who confessed to assas- sinating the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., and then insisted he’d been framed, died at a Nashville, Tennes- see, hospital at age 70. Lottery Megabucks: $3.4 million 9-13-24-33-37-44 Mega Millions: $174 million 13-15-24-67-70-17 x2 Powerball: $29 million 4-44-46-56-63—PB-19 x2 Win for Life: April 20 35-54-66-68 Pick 4: April 21 • 1 p.m.: 8-8-9-0 • 4 p.m.: 1-6-9-1 • 7 p.m.: 4-7-3-9 • 10 p.m.: 9-5-4-5 Pick 4: April 20 • 1 p.m.: 5-6-4-0 • 4 p.m.: 0-6-0-7 • 7 p.m.: 1-1-4-8 • 10 p.m.: 8-9-0-4 DELIVERY ISSUES? If you have any problems receiving your Observer, call the offi ce at 541-963-3161. TODAY’S QUOTE “For in that sleep of death what dreams may come / When we have shuffl ed off this mortal coil / Must give us pause.” — From “Hamlet” Associated Press Oregon surfers ignore virus closures, receive citations OTTER ROCK — A sheriff’s deputy cited two surfers in Oregon after they climbed a chain-link fence to reach a beach southwest of Portland that remains closed to the public because of the coronavirus pan- demic, authorities said. The men were reported to authorities after they were seen Monday after- noon heading to the beach with surfboards in Otter Rock, according to the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Offi ce. A deputy saw them climbing back over the fence a couple hours later, the sheriff’s offi ce said. The deputy cited Max Gause, 20, and Konnor Owens, 19, both of Cot- tage Grove, for criminal trespassing. The men confi rmed a local resident told them the park was closed and they would be trespassing if they did it, according to the sher- iff’s offi ce. Deputies have stepped up patrolling that area and others following increased trespassing complaints and people gathering in viola- tion of the state and local government’s stay-at-home orders, the sheriff’s offi ce reported. The sheriff’s offi ce also stated it has been taking the approach of education fi rst and enforcement second. Victim ID’d in fatal shooting at adult club PORTLAND — Police have identifi ed the person killed in a shooting at an Oregon adult entertainment club Friday. Nathaniel Acosta, 24, of Yelm, Washington, died Friday after Ryan Newman, 25, shot him, The Orego- nian/OregonLive reported. Police said it appears By Dick Hughes For the Capital Bureau SALEM — Oregon’s economic reopening likely will be more gradual than what President Donald Trump has suggested. Churches, theaters, gyms and sporting events initially would remain closed. Other business reopen- ings from the COVID-19 pandemic are under study. Gov. Kate Brown and her staff shared her thinking with legislators and county commissioners this week. The governor’s “Reopening Oregon: A Framework for Restarting Public Life and Business” combines concepts Brown released last week and the national guidelines Trump announced a few of days later. Brown’s staff cautioned the ideas were still being reviewed. The goal is to release a more detailed draft next week. Work groups are preparing proposals on per- sonal services, such as hair salons; sit-down dining; bars; and other areas. Addi- tional child care facilities also would be reopened in the fi rst phase, but schools would remain closed. Much of the phased plan, including resumption of non-emergency medical and dental procedures, would roll out regionally. “A lot of states are taking statewide approaches, and the governor has been pretty consistent in telling us, ‘Look, I want to be able to do this in a regional way,’” said Nik Blosser, Brown’s chief of staff. Those geographical considerations include the regional capacity for COVID-19 testing, contract tracing and hospitalization, along with evidence that the growth in cases was sub- siding. Each county would have to submit a formal request to Brown, including commitments to have ade- quate personal protective equipment and, in the event of a surge in cases, avail- able hospital beds. Offi cials in Harney County asked Brown to let it become a pilot project for reopening Oregon. The frontier county has a small population, many businesses and individ- uals are hurting, and there have been no reported COVID-19 cases. “There’s no curve to fl atten out here. We never had a bump in the road. That’s what’s really eating at people,” County Judge Pete Runnels said, adding Oregon must adjust to living with the threat of coronavirus. To meet the framework outlined by Brown, the county would need state help in acquiring personal protective equipment. The local hospital could treat up to two, possibly three, cases at a time. Any positive case would require 20 hours of research to trace the per- son’s contacts, according to Runnels. During a phone call Monday afternoon with county offi cials and Rep. Mark Owens, R-Crane, the governor acknowl- edged the proposal but did not promise what would happen, Runnels said. “I don’t know if they understand the urgency of how dire it is for some,” he said of Brown and her staff. “They hear us but they don’t feel us.” Dr. Bob Dannenhoffer, the Douglas County health offi cer and a member of Brown’s coronavirus Med- ical Advisory Panel, said he knew of nowhere in the nation that was yet pre- pared to meet even the broad guidelines of the fed- eral plan. Those guide- lines include suffi cient personal protective gear, robust testing and an army of people to follow up on cases. Dannenhoffer said he could not forecast when any Oregon county would be ready. “I think anybody who would try to project the future is being somewhat foolish, because we really have to see what happens with case counts. We have to see what happens with testing. We have to see what happens with PPE. These are all things that are out of anybody’s control,” he said. Small Oregon town plans to deliver masks, door-to-door Volunteers have completed more than 2,000 masks By Samantha Swindler The Oregonian/OregonLive SUBLIMITY — The city of Sublimity, pop- ulation 3,000, has taken on an ambitious public health project. After a local nursing home saw 16 pos- itive coronavirus tests, the town is leading an effort to provide every city resident with cloth face masks. The project, Masks for Neighbors, expects to make 12,000 homemade masks to distribute not just door- to-door in Sublimity, but to surrounding communities in the North Santiam Valley of Marion County. City Councilor Greg Atkin a retired fi refi ghter, medic and department of corrections supervisor, is leading the effort. “We had a small out- break at a local retirement home,” he said. Numbers released from the Oregon Health Authority show 16 known cases at Marian Estates in Sublimity, and one death. “It’s always been my worst nightmare that some- thing like that would run through our retirement center,” Atkin said. “So we were talking, what can we do to help them?” The Centers for Dis- ease Control and Prevention says having access to wash- able cloth masks can help slow the rate of infections because wearing a mask can help prevent a sick person from spreading the disease to others. So Atkin put out a call on NextDoor and the city’s Facebook page, asking for help sewing masks. “Almost immediately, with 10 minutes, we had people saying, ‘I’ve got fabric, I’ll donate it,’” he said. “I contacted a number of sewers and quilting guilds in our area, and said, ‘If we put a project together would you be willing to help us?’ And of course every- body was overwhelmingly, ‘Yes, we can certainly do that.’” Atkins received 400 yards of donated fabric and purchased another 1,300 yards online. The scope of the project quickly expanded from the community’s elderly resi- dents to everyone in town. Local businesses have stepped up to help, too: Keizer Stitch and Sew is cutting fabric, Santiam Cleanery in Stayton is washing it, and Silver Fall Engraving in Silverton and Cruise Master Engraving in Sublimity are using their laser cutting machines to cut fabric patterns. The project launched on blanket in a poorly lit area at about 12:30 a.m. May 25, 2018. Schaupp drove his pickup onto the sidewalk. “(Schaupp) said he felt a bump on the tire and then heard a women (sic) yelling,” the report reads. An offi cer wrote that Schaupp didn’t appear impaired. Attorney Greg Kafoury, who is representing Taylor, said he offered a settlement with Central City Concern that included the agency providing Taylor a home. But Kafoury said the non- profi t wouldn’t oblige — and Taylor is still living outside. The lawsuit faults Schaupp for negligence. house fi re early Sunday just outside Dallas, authorities said. Authorities from mul- tiple agencies responded just after 3 a.m. and found the house in fl ames, the Polk County Sheriff’s Offi ce said. Polk County Public Works also was called to remove debris so fi refi ghters and sher- iff’s deputies could enter the house after the fi re was extinguished. NEWS BRIEFS the two were doing some construction work at the Gold Club in Milwaukie. Police have not said what provoked the shooting and said they don’t know if there was a connec- tion between Newman and Acosta. Newman’s father, who was there at the time, wrestled the gun out of his son’s hands after the shooting, holding him to the ground until police arrived, Clack- amas County Sheriff’s Sgt. Marcus Mendoza said. Newman was arrested and booked at the Clack- amas County Jail for murder. He is being held without bail. It wasn’t immediately known if he has a lawyer to comment for him. Mendoza said the club was not open. Woman run over while sleeping on sidewalk sues PORTLAND — A woman who was sleeping on a Portland sidewalk when she was run over by a truck operated by a home- lessness nonprofi t organi- zation has fi led a $450,000 lawsuit against the driver. Daphne Taylor is suing driver Warren Schaupp as well as his employer, Central City Concern, for the 2018 incident that left her with a broken leg, according to her lawsuit fi led Friday in Multnomah County Circuit Court. Schaupp declined com- ment Monday, The Orego- nian/OregonLive reported. Administrative staff and a lawyer for Central City Concern didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment Monday. The large nonprofi t helps people without homes fi nd homes and receive health- care, mental health coun- seling and substance abuse treatment. According to a police report, Taylor had been sleeping under a dark April 6, and so far volunteer sewers have completed more than 2,000 masks. Masks have already gone out into the community, with pri- ority given to the town’s frontline workers, retire- ment homes and residents at a 55-and-older mobile home park. Atkin wants to give workers multiple masks for use throughout the day. Then, members of the Stayton/Sublimity Commu- nity Emergency Response Team will go street by street, door to door — step- ping back at least 6 feet, of course, after knocking — offering cloth masks to households. Police and fi re- fi ghters also will help with distribution. Atkin anticipates it will take three more weeks to sew another 10,000 masks. “I think we’re up to 50 sewers in the community, as far as Keizer all the way up to Lyons and points in between,” he said. “Sub- limity, Stayton, Aumsville, Turner. Just a lot of folks who have stepped up and said, ‘We’re home, and we’d love to help you.’” On Friday, Atkin learned the city received a $5,000 grant from the Marie Lam- from Charitable Foundation to help cover costs of the project, namely the purchase of fabric. “It’s defi nitely a labor of love with neighbors who want to help neighbors keep safe during this virus,” Atkin said. “As long as there’s a need there, we will fi ll it.” Editor’s Note: This article was originally published by The Oregonian/Oregon- Live, one of more than a dozen news organizations throughout the state sharing their coverage of the coro- navirus outbreak to help inform Oregonians about this evolving heath issue. CORRECTION The article “Eastern Oregon counties push to reopen” that ran on The Observer’s front page Tuesday, April 21, incor- rectly referred to Ron Polk as a physician. Instead, he is the medical colum- nist for The Observer’s related paper, the Wallowa County Chieftain. The Observer regrets the error. FAMILY OWNED La GRANDE AUTO REPAIR 975-2000 www.lagrandeautorepair.com MOST ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY AVAILABLE Three die in house fi re west of Salem DALLAS — Three people died and one person was signifi cantly hurt in a Joe Horst ACDelcoTSS 215 Elm Street La Grande (541) 963-5440 northwestfurnitureandmattress.com Grande Ronde Hospital and Clinics proudly welcomes: Kim Myers, AGACNP-BC, FNP-BC To the Grande Ronde Hospital team as a Hospitalist Kim Myers, dual-certified nurse practitioner, joins the GRH Hospitalist team from Altamonte Springs, Florida, where she worked as a nursing instructor and simulation coordinator for the Cambridge Institute of Allied Health & Technology. She completed her Master's Degree at the University of South Alabama, and her undergraduate degree at Adventist University of Health Sciences. In the future, Kim hopes to complete her doctor of nursing practice degree. Kim has interests in whole person, patient- centered care, with special interests in inpatient, critical care, and palliative care medicine. Outside of work, Kim enjoys spending time with her husband, four children, and Labrador retriever. She has interests in travel, reading, cooking, scuba diving, sailing, hiking, running, and horseback riding. Grande Ronde Hospital Kim Myers, AGACNP-BC, FNP-BC 900 Sunset Drive, La Grande • 541.963.8421 Learn more about Kim in our online Provider Directory at www.grh.org today!
