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About The Observer. (La Grande, Or.) 1968-current | View Entire Issue (June 25, 2020)
2A — THE OBSERVER THURSDAY, JUNE 25, 2020 LOCAL DAILY Northwood confi rms fi ve employees have COVID-19 PLANNER All 5 are employees TODAY Today is Thursday, June 25, the 177th day of 2020. There are 189 days left in the year. TODAY’S HIGHLIGHT On June 25, 1876, Lt. Col. Colonel George A. Custer and his 7th Cavalry were wiped out by Sioux and Cheyenne Indians in the Battle of the Little Bighorn in Montana. ON THIS DATE In 1788, Virginia ratifi ed the U.S. Constitution. In 1867, barbed wire was patented by Lucien B. Smith of Kent, Ohio. In 1910, President William Howard Taft signed the White-Slave Traffi c Act, more popularly known as the Mann Act, which made it illegal to transport women across state lines for “im- moral” purposes. In 1947, “The Diary of a Young Girl,” the personal journal of Anne Frank, a German-born Jewish girl hiding with her family from the Nazis in Amsterdam during World War II, was fi rst published. In 1950, war broke out in Korea as forces from the communist North invaded the South. In 1962, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that recitation of a state-sponsored prayer in New York State public schools was unconstitu- tional. In 1973, former White House Counsel John W. Dean began testifying before the Senate Watergate Committee, implicating top administration offi cials, including President Richard Nixon as well as himself, in the Watergate scandal and cover-up. In 1990, the U.S. Supreme Court, in its fi rst “right-to- die” decision, ruled that family members could be barred from ending the lives of persistently comatose relatives who had not made their wishes known conclu- sively. In 1996, a truck bomb killed 19 Americans and injured hundreds at a U.S. military housing complex in Saudi Arabia. In 2003, the Recording Industry Association of America threatened to sue hundreds of individual computer users who were illegally sharing music fi les online. In 2009, death claimed Michael Jackson, the “King of Pop,” in Los Angeles at age 50, and actress Farrah Fawcett in Santa Monica, California, at age 62. LOTTERY Megabucks: $3.0 million 8-13-25-27-28-34 Mega Millions: $35 million 6-20-37-40-48—15 x3 Powerball: $25 million 10-31-41-63-67—PB-5 x3 Win for Life: June 22 1-19-31-67 Pick 4: June 23 • 1 p.m.: 3-4-6-0 • 4 p.m.: 5-2-8-2 • 7 p.m.: 2-4-1-6 • 10 p.m.: 8-1-1-1 Pick 4: June 22 • 1 p.m.: 2-5-4-3 • 4 p.m.: 4-0-3-7 • 7 p.m.: 6-1-7-1 • 10 p.m.: 7-2-5-6 DELIVERY ISSUES? If you have any problems receiving your Observer, call the offi ce at 541-963-3161. at the Outdoors RV location By Ronald Bond The Observer LA GRANDE — A La Grande-based business has confi rmed that some of its workers contracted the new coronavirus, but the emer- gence of the virus has not prevented the business from moving forward in its own reopening plan. Northwood Investments, the parent company to both Outdoors RV and North- wood Manufacturing, stated in a press release Tuesday it has had fi ve confi rmed cases of COVID-19 at its Outdoors RV facility, but there have been no cases at Northwood Manufacturing. According to the release, all fi ve of the confi rmed cases Observer fi le photo Northwood Investments, the parent company to both Outdoors RV and Northwood Manufacturing, has had fi ve confi rmed cases of COVID-19 at its Outdoors RV facility, but there have been no cases at Northwood Manufac- turing. According to the release, all fi ve of the confi rmed cases were contracted outside of work and the individuals who tested positive are in quarantine. were contracted outside of work and the individuals who tested positive are in quarantine. Northwood in the release said it has taken steps rec- ommended by health authorities at the state and local level to ensure the health of its workers, including a daily tem- perature scan and a safety dance at each location has bounced between about 200 and 225 since the com- pany’s Phase 3 was imple- mented. That variation in range includes individ- uals who don’t yet feel safe returning for health rea- sons or who perhaps had returned but since have been potentially exposed and are quarantining. About 15 at each location are not returning, Rinker said. Some of those who are in self-quarantine, Rinker said, attended gatherings or events at Lighthouse Pen- tecostal Church in Island City, which health author- ities pegged as the source of at least 236 of the cases in Union County. Rinker added that, to his knowl- edge, those who may have been exposed self-quar- antined once they realized they were at risk and were encouraged to do so. Grande Ronde River poses risks to boaters and fl oaters By Sabrina Thompson The Observer LA GRANDE — As the weather continues to warm in the Grande Ronde Valley, the water of the Grande Ronde River looks more inviting. However, the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest is warning those who go out onto the river to be cautious as they fl oat along as dangers lurk below and above the surface. The Wallowa-Whitman National Forest has been working to restore a fi sh habitat upstream of La Grande. In doing so, large logs and boulders, side channels, deep pools, gravel bars and a variety of riparian vegetation have been placed along the river to create habitats. While this is wonderful for the natural life in the river, it can cause problems for people who visit the waters. “Logs placed in and across the channel, and embedded in riverbanks, have many sharp stubs and branches that could snag Photo contributed by Aric Johnson, Wallowa-Whitman National Forest Wallowa-Whitman National Forest is warning boaters and fl oaters of the dangers that lie above and below the waters of the Grande Ronde River due to recent fi sh habitat resto- ration projects. a watercraft or clothing and trap a person under- water,” said Peter Fargo, public affairs offi cer for the Wallowa-Whitman. “River currents are powerful and unpredictable, and they need to be treated with added caution and respect when combined with recent restoration features.” Fargo said the best way to remain safe is to avoid the areas of recent res- toration projects. Those interested in fl oating on the river can view the river fl ows on the Oregon Water Resources Department Near Real Time Hydro- graphics Data webpage. Boaters and fl oaters should follow all river safety practices, especially in whitewater or more tur- bulent areas, including wearing a lifejacket regard- less of fl oat or boat type or diffi culty of the waters, not recreating under the infl u- ence and knowing weather and water conditions before you go. The Forest Service also reminded people not to stand up in a moving river. Habitat restoration work on the Grande Ronde River has been done between Red Bridge State Park and Spring Creek, and along 8 miles adjacent to the 51 road. The next area to be worked on is near Longley Meadows. Construction will begin during 2020 and is likely to be completed sometime in 2021. The Wallowa-Whitman National Forest has posted signs where restoration projects have occurred and an upated map of these projects can be found on the department’s website. Details for Imbler High School’s July 4 graduation in the works Plans complicated by COVID-19 By Dick Mason The Observer IMBLER — The status of Imbler High School’s graduation ceremony remains in fl ux because of the coronavirus pandemic. What is certain is the commencement will be conducted at the school on the Fourth of July at 10 a.m., Imbler School District Superintendent Angie Lakey-Campbell said Wednesday. The cer- emony will either be at the school’s football fi eld or in the gym. A deci- sion on the exact location will not be made until it is known what social dis- tancing rules will be in place in Union County. Lakey-Campbell said she will be checking with Union County Public Health Administrator Carrie Brogoitti for addi- tional information. The option of having a traditional commence- ment ceremony in the gym that would meet social dis- tancing standards still is a possibility if rules are relaxed, because the high school has a small class of 13 seniors, Lakey-Camp- bell said. Should Imbler High conduct its graduation ceremony at the football fi eld, the superintendent said, it would be a drive- thru commencement, like recent commencements for seniors at La Grande, Cove and Elgin schools due to the pandemic. “We want to make the graduation somewhat normal,” Lakey-Campbell said. GO STEM gets new executive director The Observer LA GRANDE — Greater Oregon STEM, an organization focused on educating youth on the areas of science, tech- nology, engineering and mathematics, has announced its new execu- tive director. David Melville steps in after spending the last three years in Boise. He took over the posi- tion from Michael Jaeger, the interim director, who served during the organi- zation’s nationwide search to fi ll the role. Melville started at his new position April 2. “David brings the ideal combination of experience, education and interest to this position,” Jaeger said. “His strengths in program development and delivery, and his ability to work with the spectrum of part- ners in the region will be a tremendous asset in advancing the goals of sci- ence, technology, mathe- matics and engineering in survey prior to beginning work. Those who fail either are asked to return home and monitor their situa- tion, and to “seek testing, and/or medical assistance as it necessary and keep us apprised,” the release stated. The company has applied the same require- ments to employees who have shown symptoms of COVID-19 or who have been potentially exposed to a carrier of the virus. The company’s Phase 3 of reopening was to bring back all employees on its assembly line, which Lance Rinker, director of pur- chasing and marketing for Northwood, said took place June 1. It had moved into a second phase, bringing ini- tial workers back, May 18. Each plant employed about 240 individuals prior to the coronavirus pan- demic, Rinker said. Atten- Contributed photo David Melville is the new executive director of Great- er Oregon STEM. Eastern Oregon.” Melville coordinated the 4-H SNACZ project, a partnership between the Union County Extension Service and Oregon Health & Science University at Eastern Oregon Univer- sity, and has served as an educator for more than 15 years throughout the western U.S. before taking this new position at GO STEM. “I wanted to transition into a leadership role with environmental and with an education focus,” Melville said. “When this oppor- tunity opened up, I was in the process of looking for my next step and the prospect of coming back to Eastern Oregon made me want to take that leap. My job will be to support the seven county region in STEM goals. I will be doing what I can do to promote STEM inside and outside of the classroom.” The Greater Oregon STEM Hub is hosted by EOU and is dedicated to educating young people on STEM topics through pro- gramming and resources for schools. “STEM education plays a vital role in devel- oping 21st century skills in our students as they grow and prepare for high-paying careers in the growing healthcare, nat- ural resources and tech industries throughout our region,” Melville said. “In this ever-connected and increasingly online world, GO STEM is poised to support educators and industry leaders in devel- oping the next generation of thinkers, innovators and explorers.” “Shop Responsibly, Shop Local” Our local businesses need us and we’ll get through this together www.VisitUnionCounty.org It is very likely that all of the school’s gradu- ating seniors will be able to attend the ceremony. All still are in the Grande Ronde Valley, except for a student who is in Utah but plans to return for gradu- ation, the Imbler superin- tendent said. The Imbler School Board decided in May to schedule the graduation ceremony for July 4 in the hopes the pandemic would have dissipated in Union County to the point social distancing standards would be relaxed, allowing for a traditional graduation. The board also was hopeful that after the graduation ceremony, students could ride in Imbler’s annual Fourth of July parade, Lakey-Campbell said. The parade hopes ended when the city of Imbler canceled the event because of the pandemic. The chances of Imbler Hig having a tradi- tional graduation were greatly reduced early last week when the number of COVID-19 cases in Union County increased dramatically.
