U.S. employment up
Page 6A
Inside
Greater Idaho gains momentum, 2A
Detoured, but not deterred, 1B
Weekend
Edition
SATURDAY-MONDAY • June 6, 2020
COVID-19
by the
numbers*
• $1.50
Oregon cases: 4,570
Oregon active cases: 2,210
Oregon deaths: 161
Total Oregon tests: 143,118
Union County cases: 6
Union County active
Worldwide cases:
6,535,354
Worldwide deaths: 387,155
U.S. cases: 1,862,656
U.S. deaths: 108,064
Total U.S. tests: 19,811,243
Good day to our valued subscriber Loren Wagoner of La Grande
cases: 1
Union County deaths: 0
Total Union County tests:
496
Wallowa County cases: 2
Wallowa County active
cases: 1
Wallowa County deaths: 0
Total Wallowa County
tests: 165
*As of 2:30 p.m. Friday,
June 5.
Sources: World Health
Organization, Centers for
Disease Control and Pre-
vention, Oregon Health
Authority and Oregon Mili-
tary Department.
Sheriff race
will pit
Bowen vs.
Rasmussen
May 19 primary
election for sheriff
was marked official
Thursday
By Ronald Bond
The Observer
Observer fi le photo
La Grande Church of the Nazarene pastor Kevin Goss adjusts computer
settings for the camera the church began using in March to livestream
its services in response to government moves to reduce gathering sizes
during the COVID-19 outbreak. Come Sunday, the church will reopen
under Phase 2 and hold a service in its building at 10:30 a.m.
LA GRANDE — The
race for sheriff in Union
County will offi cially be
between the incumbent and
one of his deputies.
Sheriff Boyd
Rasmussen
maintained his
margin over
challenger Bill
Miller in the
Rasmussen May 19 pri-
mary election
— which the
county certifi ed
Thursday — to
secure the No.
2 spot in the
Nov. 3 election
Bowen
and will face
deputy Cody Bowen, who
won the primary with close
to 42% of the overall vote.
Rasmussen pulled about
26% of the vote, and Miller
was near 25%.
“I am looking forward
to a campaign focusing on
the needs of the citizens of
Union County,” Rasmussen
said in an email to The
Observer.
Union County clerk
Robin Church certifi ed the
election after a two-week
period to allow for signa-
ture verifi cation on about
200 ballots and for ballots
from residents who were
out of the county. Little,
though, changed in the num-
bers from the unoffi cial
May 19 tally. Miller did gain
on the sheriff but fi nished
short with 2,548 votes. Ras-
mussen’s offi cial count was
2,681, giving him an edge of
133 votes.
Bowen’s total was 4,305,
and fourth-place Shane Rol-
lins fi nished with 785, or
about 7.5% of the vote. More
than 200 residents turned
in ballots that did not cast a
vote for sheriff.
Bowen, who said that
before election day he had
anticipated Miller would beat
Contributed photo by Amanda Welch
Union County’s transition into Phase 2 of reopening during the corona-
virus pandemic means swimmers again can take to the water starting
June 15 for laps and therapy at Veterans’ Memorial Pool, La Grande.
Union County moves into Phase 2
Wallowa, Baker
counties also among 26
that get OK from
governor on Thursday
By Ronald Bond
The Observer
LA GRANDE — Union County
has entered Phase 2 of reopening.
Gov. Kate Brown sent a letter
Thursday afternoon to the Union
County Commissioners, allowing
the move into the next phase effec-
tive Friday morning.
It was among 26 counties state-
wide, along with Wallowa and
Baker counties, that received the
OK to proceed with reopening
Thursday — several did so Friday
and others will Saturday or
Monday. Three more counties were
given approval Friday.
Phase 2, however, seems to be
where the state will remain for the
foreseeable future as the guidelines
for Phase 3 state it won’t be an
option until a “reliable treatment or
prevention” or a vaccine is avail-
able, according to the state’s guide-
line page.
That statement also was in
Brown’s letter to the counties that
are in Phase 2 and is Union County
Commissioner Paul Anderes’ big-
gest concern.
“The goal is unrealistic,” he
said, noting he was cautious of the
way to word his concerns. “We’re
talking potentially years and years
out for a cure or a vaccine even
with the government fast track.
This is not a fast process. I don’t
know that the state leadership can
keep the state locked down for that
length (of time).”
Anderes called the move “the
logical step to normalization” but
said he believes it won’t be the last
piece of Phase 2.
“Without trying to put words
in the governor’s mouth or Oregon
Health Authority, I think we’re
going to see subsequent versions
of Phase 2,” he said. “As questions
come up on specifi c businesses,
we’re going to get more clarity as
we move on.”
Included in the second phase
of the reopening plan is further
easing of restrictions for restau-
rants, bars, breweries and more,
according to the Oregon Health
Authority. Larger indoor and out-
door gatherings are allowed. And
some venues will be able to open
for the fi rst time since they were
closed back in March.
Churches, movie theaters, pools
and some outdoor entertainment
facilities may resume, though the
number of individuals who can be
at a gathering varies.
In the reopening guidelines
from the OHA, gathering sizes
are capped at 50 for indoors and
100 for outdoors. But for “venues,
restaurants and bars, indoor and
outdoor entertainment facilities
and fi tness-related organizations,”
the number is 250 people, provided
specifi cations on social distancing
measures are set.
Under this guideline, the
capacity is based on allowing
See, Phase 2/Page 5A
Fire season being held at bay — for now
Fire officials say outlook for fire season
in Northeast Oregon ‘above average’
By Katy Nesbitt
For the EO Media Group
PENDLETON —
Spring rains are holding the
wildfi re season at bay for
the time being while local
fi re agencies are gearing up
for summer’s eventual high
temperatures and lightning
storms.
Joe Hessel, Northeast
Oregon regional district
forester for the Oregon
Department of Forestry,
said the outlook is for
an “above average” fi re
season.
See, Sheriff/Page 5A
“We are in a good spot
right now with a better than
average snow pack up high
and precipitation this May
has helped,” Hessel said.
“We were dry a month
ago.”
The state will likely
be declared around mid-
June or so, Hessel said,
with a lot of the activity
starting mid-July through
mid-September.
“We have a warmer and
drier outlook through the
summer months,” he said.
Darcy Weseman, public
affairs offi cer for the Uma-
tilla National Forest, sug-
gested that because of the
above normal fi re risk pre-
dicted for later this summer
wildland/urban interface
landowners should take
measures to protect their
property.
“With much of the
greater Umatilla area expe-
riencing ever increasing
drought conditions and the
summer’s forecast of above
normal temperatures and
below normal precipita-
tions, now is the time to
tackle that defensible space
project on your property,”
See, Fire/Page 5A
U.S. Forest Service Photo
The Granite Gulch Fire in the Eagle Cap Wilderness was
the largest by far on the Wallowa-Whitman National
Forest in the summer of 2019.
LG School District budget picture may be on solid ground
Uncertainties remain, and proposal calls
for putting $225,000 into reserve funds
By Dick Mason
The Observer
LA GRANDE — The La
Grande School District will
encounter uncertain fi nan-
cial waters in 2020-21 but
there is a realistic chance
it will emerge in solid
condition.
School Superintendent
George Mendoza told the
district’s budget committee
Wednesday night that,
despite the funding short-
fall the state has suffered
because of the coronavirus
pandemic, he believes there
is a good chance Oregon’s
school districts may not
suffer a cut in state funding
in 2020-21. State programs,
according to some esti-
mates, Men-
doza said, are
expected to
lose about 10%
of their revenue
in 2020-21
Mendoza
because of
the pandemic,
which forced the state to
shut down many businesses
for two months, costing
it signifi cant income tax
revenue and crippling the
economy.
This means the state’s
INDEX
Classified ..... 3B
Comics ......... 7B
Community . 3A
Crossword ... 5B
school fund is expected to
lose about $900 million
in revenue, but Mendoza
said he thinks legislators
will fi nd a way to replace
the money so schools will
receive all of the funding
allocated to them when law-
makers approved a $9 bil-
lion education budget for the
2019-21 biennium.
“I believe that the Legis-
lature will backfi ll the state
school fund,” Mendoza said.
The superintendent
stressed, however, nothing
will be certain until the
Legislature meets this
summer to make decisions
regarding state funding.
“Until the Legislature
meets, we will not know,”
Mendoza said.
The superintendent said
that in meetings with orga-
nizations, including the
Confederation of Oregon
Administrators, he has
See, Budget/Page 5A
CONTACT US
Dear Abby ... 8B
Health .......... 2B
Horoscope ... 5B
Lottery.......... 2A
TUESDAY
Obituaries .... 3A
Opinion ........ 4A
Outdoors ..... 1B
State ............. 6A
COMING COMMENCEMENTS
541-963-3161
Issue 68
2 sections, 14 pages
La Grande, Oregon
Email story ideas
to news@lagrande
observer.com.
More contact info
on Page 4A.
Online at lagrandeobserver.com