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.
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Powerball: $25 million
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Win for Life: June 22
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• 10 p.m.: 8-1-1-1
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• 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.