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About The Observer. (La Grande, Or.) 1968-current | View Entire Issue (May 7, 2020)
SPORTS/LOCAL THURSDAY, MAY 7, 2020 Baseball is back! — in South Korea By Kim Tong-Hyung The Associated Press SEOUL, South Korea — The new baseball season began in South Korea on Tuesday with the crack of the bat and the sound of the ball smacking into the catcher’s mitt echoing around empty stadiums. After a weeks-long delay because of the coro- navirus pandemic, umpires wore protective masks and cheerleaders danced beneath rows of unoccu- pied seats as professional baseball got back on the fi eld. There were many faces in the stands in at least one stadium, but they were pic- tures instead of real people because fans aren’t allowed into the venues — at least for now. Instead, it was easy to hear players cheering and shouting from the dug- outs. And it was a relief to fans watching from home in a country that is now attempting to slowly return to pre-COVID-19 normalcy. The country’s pro- fessional soccer leagues will kick off Friday, also without spectators. As one of the world’s fi rst major professional sports competitions to return to action amid the pandemic, the Korea Base- ball Organization has employed various mea- sures aimed at creating safe playing environments. Players and coaches will go through fever screenings before entering LEVY Continued from Page 1A Chris Law, manager of the Union County Vector Control District, said pas- sage of the levy would help his department upgrade the services it provides. “We are looking at expanding our services by using new technology,” Law said. He explained this would allow his district to make greater use of safer organic products and do aerial applications with drones. Law said with unmanned aircraft his staff would be able to treat large areas in much less time, thus cre- ating the potential to treat BAKER Continued from Page 1A including its efforts to get approval from Oregon Gov. Kate Brown to begin the county’s three-phase plan to reopen its economy. “Our Health Depart- ment, county and commu- nity partners have been pre- paring for this day since we learned of this virus spreading its way across the world,” said Nancy Staten, Baker County Health Department director. “Now that it is here, we need to not panic, but pull together as a community. Just because we have a con- fi rmed case of COVID-19 in Baker County doesn’t change the everyday pre- cautions that are already in place. Please understand this is a serious illness and take the appropriate mea- sures to keep ourselves, our families and our commu- nity safe.” Residents are urged to take precautions to prevent the spread of coronavirus to those most vulnerable to complications from COVID-19. The high-risk populations include adults age 60 and over, those suffering from a serious health condition including lung/heart issues, dia- betes, and kidney disease, or anyone with a sup- pressed immune system. Those vulnerable to com- plications are advised to follow the recommenda- tions from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to stay home as much as possible and avoid gatherings. stadiums, while umpires and fi rst- and third-base coaches must wear masks during games. Players are prohibited from signing autographs or high-fi ving teammates with bare hands. Also, chewing tobacco was banned to prevent spit- ting, while masks and latex gloves will be required at training facilities. Fans will be barred from games until the KBO is convinced the risk of infection has been mini- mized. If any member of a team tests positive for the coronavirus at any point of the season, the league will be shut down for at least three weeks. “I feel great,” said Cho Ki-hyun, a 65-year-old SK Wyverns fan who shared a mattress with three other fans outside the walls of the team’s sta- dium in Incheon, watching the game against the Dae- jeon-based Hanwha Eagles with a tablet computer. “I am delighted just to hear the sounds of a baseball game from outside.” The teams tried to create a festive atmosphere in the empty stadiums. In a game in the capital, LG Twins defeated cross- town rival and defending champion Doosan Bears 8-2 at Jamsil Stadium, where the outfi eld seats were decked with huge banners of the Twins’ cheering slogans. Twins outfi elder Kim Hyun-soo, who spent some time with the Baltimore Orioles, hit the league’s LOANS fi rst home run of the season in the third inning, a two-run shot off Bears starter Raul Alcantara. As he rounded the bases, Kim extended a hand toward third-base coach Kim Jea-gul, who raised his arm but stayed out of contact. “The players just really wanted to play baseball, and we are delighted to do just that,” Kim Hyun-soo said. The Wyverns imitated a home crowd in Incheon by covering their outfi eld seats with rows of hori- zontal banners showing faces of fans wearing the team’s hats and masks. They still lost 3-0 to the Eagles, who won their fi rst season opener in 11 years with former Detroit Tigers pitcher Warwick Saupold hurling a two-hit, complete game shutout. In Daegu, the city worst hit by the virus, the Sam- sung Lions used their huge scoreboard to play video messages from players, celebrities and fans thanking doctors and med- ical staff fi ghting the out- break, which overwhelmed the city’s hospitals in late February and March before slowing in recent weeks. The Lions fell to the Changwon-based NC Dinos 4-0 in a game that was broadcast on ESPN. “It would have been better if they could be with us, but I am glad that we delivered something good to fans watching TV,” said Dinos outfi elder Na Sung-bum. more acres. Law said a drone could treat a 180-acre area in 30-40 minutes, a task that would take several people working on the ground two to three hours to do. “We would be able to treat areas more effectively and get more treatments done,” Law said. Law said passage of the levy would put Union County in a better posi- tion to prevent the spread of the sometimes deadly West Nile Virus and also possibly the Zika virus, which has gotten as far north as Mexico and may someday make it to Oregon. The Zika virus can cause serious neurological complications. THE OBSERVER — 5A Should the Union County Vector Control District not be approved, Law said he would still pursue making technology upgrades. He said it would take one to two years longer to get them in place though without passage of the levy. The proposed levy would raise about $304,000 in 2020-21, $314,000 in 2021- 22, $325,000 in 2022-23 and $336,000 in 2023-24, according to the election ballot. These estimates are based on information from the Union County Asses- sor’s Offi ce. Ballots for the May elec- tion were sent out late last week by the Union County Clerk’s Offi ce. They must be returned by May 19. “Shop Responsibly, Shop Local” Continued from Page 1A Recipients of the loans included The Landing Hotel, owned by Karin Tsi- atsos and her husband Gust, which received a $10,000 loan. Karin Tsiatsos said the loan will help her business be in a position to continue making a strong recovery once it can fully reopen. Without the loan, Tsiatsos said, The Landing faced the prospect of fi nancial hardship. Tsiatsos said the loan will cover insurance expenses, the city’s lodging tax, mortgage payments, utilities and employee wages. “It will fi ll in many gaps,” she said. Tsiatsos said her busi- ness went fi ve to six weeks with little income after Gov. Kate Brown’s stay home order in mid-March. The Landing’s hotel has been able to operate because lodging has been deemed an essential service. How- ever, its restaurant, like all those in Oregon, had to shut down its main dining area. Still, The Landing has been able to provided room ser- vice meals and take out meals. Tsiatsos said business at her hotel has picked up sig- nifi cantly in recent weeks because people are trav- eling more. “We have been quite busy,” she said. Buggy Bath Car Wash, owned by Mat and Toni Miles received a $5,000 loan from the city. “We were thrilled when La GRANDE AUTO REPAIR 975-2000 we got the call. It was a breath of fresh air,” Mat Miles said. He said without the loan his business would be in jeopardy of closing. Miles noted in March revenue was down 50% of what it normally is that time of the year. This added to an already challenging fi nan- cial situation. “We always lose money in the winter, it is tough to survive,” said Miles, who said the car wash is open in the winter to help people clean salt off their vehicles. Mat and Toni Miles will use their loan to pay for the car wash’s operating expenses, which include water, electricity for pumps and heating. The Mountain Works Bicycles received a loan of $10,000. Mavis Hartz, co-owner of The Mountain Works Bicycles with her husband Whit, said the loan will provide her store with an important buffer. “If we get sick we have 541-786-8984 Joe Horst ACDelcoTSS Alliance Self Storage 2105 E L Ave., La Grande • allianceselfstorage123@gmail.com A S Y OUR C OMMISSIONER Check your Voter’s Pamphlet for more details. WORKING FOR ALL OF UNION COUNTY DONNA BEVERAGE www.lagrandeautorepair.com MOST ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY AVAILABLE to shut down and we cannot pay our bills. This will allow us to operate with a little cushion,” Mavis Hartz said. Hartz is grateful the city of La Grande stepped for- ward to help businesses via the loan program. “They didn’t have to do this,” she said. Each business was able to apply for a loan of up to $10,000, but Strope said some requested less. In most cases, the city granted the loans for the full amount the businesses applied for. There have been two or three exceptions and each involved busi- nesses that indicated they would spend a portion of the loan money on expenses they will encounter after reopening rather than immediate costs. In one case a restau- rant indicated it would use $8,500 of the money it was requesting to pay utilities, rent and wages and $1,500 would go toward inventory. 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