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About The Observer. (La Grande, Or.) 1968-current | View Entire Issue (June 30, 2020)
In Home & Living Inside Get Cracking Search for missing teen continues, 2A First special session wrapped up, 6A Follow us on the web TUESDAY • June 30, 2020 • $1.50 Good day to our valued subscriber Sherri Ritchie of La Grande Union County COVID-19 count ticks up to 327 Masks or other face coverings now required statewide By Ronald Bond The Observer LA GRANDE — Union County added 13 more con- fi rmed cases of COVID-19 over the weekend — 11 on Saturday and two on Sunday — and fi ve more cases Monday, raising the total to 327, according to the Center for Human Development. That count is the sixth-highest in the state, according to data from Oregon Health Authority, which also announced Monday the state total now sits at 8,485. The latest count comes the same day Oregon Gov. Kate Brown announced a requirement for all Orego- nians to wear face cover- ings in indoor public spaces effective Wednesday, extending a mandate already in place in eight other counties. “Over the last month, we have seen the disease spread at an alarming rate in both urban and rural counties. The upcoming July 4th holiday weekend is a critical point for Oregon in this pandemic, and we can all make a dif- ference,” Brown said in a press release. “Modeling from the Oregon Health Authority shows that if we don’t take further action to reduce the spread of the dis- ease, our hospitals could be overwhelmed by new COVID-19 cases and hospi- talizations within weeks.” The release stated Oregon OSHA and state and local agencies will lead the enforcement of face covering requirements. Some local business, such as Safeway and Walmart, have been encour- aging customers to use masks. Joe Beans Coffee, the popular gathering spot in downtown La Grande, stated on its Facebook page the governor’s order is forcing the establishment to close. “Last day till its over is Tuesday June 30,” according to the posting. To date, there has been one death in the county Airport receives $5.6 million grant By Ronald Bond The Observer LA GRANDE — The main runway at the La Grande/Union County Air- port soon will undergo a major improvement — and get a new number. Oregon U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley announced Friday that reha- bilitating the runway, No. 16-34, is the main project at the airport that will be funded by a portion of more than $9 million in federal grants to four small airports in the state. “These federal invest- ments in local infrastruc- ture are always important, and especially now when rural Oregon is working overtime to deal with the economic impact of the COVID-19 crisis,” Wyden said in a press release. Of the $9.1 million grant, the airport just southeast of La Grande will receive $5.62 million, the largest share of the funds. “It sets us up for the next 20 years so that our airport is in good shape,” said Doug Wright, Union County public works related to the virus, a 90-year-old woman who died Thursday at Grande Ronde Hospital, La Grande. Data from the center con- tinues to show 13 people are considered as having recovered from COVID- 19, meaning there are 313 active cases. More than 600 tests were conducted June 18-19 at a drive-thru testing clinic in See, COVID-19/Page 5A Expanded edition coming Thursday The Observer Staff photo by Ronald Bond A LifeFlight and an Amerifl ight plane sit on the apron in front of Runway 16-34 Monday afternoon at the La Grande/ Union County Airport. The facility will undergo more than $5 million in upgrades with a federal grant. The project will shift Runway 16-34, the main runway at the airport, 500 feet to the south. director. “We’re very fortu- nate to have this project. Wright said the Federal Aviation Administration had fl agged the north end of the roughly 3,400-foot main runway as a safety concern, so a large portion of the grant will cover the cost of adding 500 feet of runway to the south end. “The center section of the runway is still in good shape,” Wright said. The adjustment to the runway also will result in a number change to 17-35 because of its positioning. Improvements and changes also will be made to the taxiways in the air- port — in particular, taxiway D — and lighting also will be added to the main runway to help guide in LifeFlight or cargo car- riers, such as FedEx and UPS, that come in at night. Taxiway A also will be extended to allow for a new run-up to the new portion of the runway. “The improvement to the taxiway is a major improve- ment as well,” Wright said. Union County Com- missioner Paul Anderes said the work is important because it will help mod- ernize the airport. “The airport in my view is one of those things that is kind of a sleeper within our county. There is much more activity out there than at fi rst glance,” See, Airport/Page 5A In recognition of Independence Day and the resulting federal holiday, The Observer will not publish an edition on Saturday, July 4. “July Fourth is one of several postal hol- idays throughout the year,” said Andrew Cutler, regional editor for the EO Media Group, which owns The Observer, the East Oregonian and other newspapers. “As a result, we will not produce a newspaper that day but we will beef up our July 2nd edition.” The Observer will publish an expanded edition, including additional comics and puzzle features on Thursday, July 2. The Observer’s offi ce will be closed Friday, July 3, in observance of the national holiday. Fuse relit for Fourth of July fi reworks at Wallowa Lake By Bill Bradshaw EO Media Group JOSEPH — The on-again-off-again fi re- works show over Wallowa Lake is offi cially on again, said Gary Bethscheider of Joseph, who is spear- heading the effort. “I don’t think we should be shutting down our whole lives,” Bethscheider said, referring to the COVID- 19-related shutdowns. “We should be able to celebrate the Fourth of July like it should be celebrated, and do it safely.” The fi reworks show is scheduled to take place over the north end of lake at 10 p.m. on Independence Day. “This is about our patri- otic rights and celebrating Fourth of July,” Beth- scheider said. The annual “Shake the Lake” fi reworks show, usu- ally put on by the Wallowa County Chamber of Com- merce with assistance from the Wallowa County Com- mission, was canceled in early June. Then, Mike Lockhart and the Wal- lowa Lake Tourism Asso- ciation took up the mantle until a massive mid-June surge in coronavirus cases in Union County and a cor- responding rise in Wal- lowa County cases to eight. Lockhart told the commis- sioners June 17 his efforts were on hold. On June 22, he said the association was abandoning the effort. But Bethscheider and others — including the Joseph Chamber of Com- merce — are not giving up. The next day, he said the show would go on. “The fi reworks are on. It’s happening,” he said. Bethscheider said they need another $2,500 in donations to foot the bill for the show. Pre- vious years’ shows have cost the Wallowa County Chamber about $14,000 for a 25-minute show. This year, Bethscheider said he’s trying to raise about $12,500. “If we do raise that, the show will be better than we’ve ever had,” he said. Nicole Brookshire, an employee of Bethscheider’s, posted on Facebook on Tuesday, June 23, that See, Fireworks/Page 5A EO Media fi le photo Fireworks burst over Wallowa Lake for Independence Day in 2018. After a series of on-again, off-again efforts, it ap- pears the show will go on this Fourth of July. Wyden urges Oregonians to set a good example Senator discusses mail-in voting and meat processing during virtual town hall By Jade McDowell EO Media Group UNION COUNTY — Eastern Oregon residents expressed to Oregon’s U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden during a Thursday virtual town hall that many in their community are not taking COVID-19 precautions seriously despite rising case levels. One Elgin woman ref- erenced a quote by Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, that some Ameri- cans “don’t believe in sci- ence and don’t believe in authority.” “What steps can be taken to deliver COVID-19 info to people of this mindset?” she asked. Wyden said while there is no simple answer, many people are more willing to trust their friends and neighbors than an expert in Washington, D.C. He said in a small commu- nity, people seeing their neighbors wearing a mask at the grocery store can have more of an effect than “handing out 10 papers by Tony Fauci.” “At a fundamental level, you cannot in effect force people — control — how INDEX Classified ...... 4B Comics .......... 7B Community .. 3A Crossword .... 5B everybody handles a pan- demic,” he said. “You just can’t. But when you wear a mask where people see how important it is to you, and your family and friends, I personally think that makes a really big difference.” He said he wears a mask while around other people, based on the scientifi c evi- dence that doing so helps lower the risk of transmit- ting COVID-19. He encour- aged everyone else to take it upon themselves to lead by example in their own circle. “Talk to friends, talk to family, tell them why you believe in precautions, and why those precautions are important to you,” he said. In response to another question about COVID- 19, Wyden said “practical, common sense measures” such as washing your hands shouldn’t have anything to do with political parties. See, Wyden/Page 5A CONTACT US Dear Abby .... 8B Home ............ 1B Horoscope .... 5B Letters ........... 4A THURSDAY Lottery........... 2A Obituaries ..... 3A Opinion ......... 4A State .............. 6A FIREWORKS FOR THE FOURTH 541-963-3161 Issue 78 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
