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6A — THE OBSERVER TUESDAY, JULY 7, 2020 STATE/SPORTS Young sisters take on big project in McMinnville By Starla Pointer News-Register via AP StoryShare MCMINNVILLE — Sisters Lilly, Harley and Delaney Riha took on a big project this spring: Making ear protectors to help people who need to wear masks during the corona- virus pandemic. So far, the McMinnville girls have produced more than 1,200 bands with but- tons on each end. Nurses, veterans and others who receive the ear protectors can place them behind their heads, then attach the straps of their masks to the buttons, rather than over their ears. The straps won’t rub behind their ears that way, making mask-wearing more comfortable, the girls said. Harley, 9, Lilly, 11, and Delaney, 3, are members of the American Legion Junior Auxiliary at McMinnville Post 21. Making the ear protec- tors is a project that’s part Photo by Marcus Larson/News-Register via AP StoryShare Several of the hundreds of mask ear protectors three sisters made for delivery to nurses, veterans and others. Photo by Marcus Larson/News-Register via AP StoryShare Lilly Riha of McMinnville sews a mask ear saver under the guidance of her grandmother, Jeanne Clayton. of their junior auxiliary service. They’ve had some help from some friends in the adult Auxiliary, too. Becky Berwager, Glenna Smith and Debra Godwin from the Auxiliary have helped attach some of the buttons. They’ve delivered more than 300 to nurses at Wil- lamette Valley Medical Center in McMinnville. Members of the Legion Riders will deliver ear pro- tectors to medical profes- sionals and residents in vet- erans’ homes in Lebanon and The Dalles. Those for veterans have heart-shaped buttons that say “Made with Love,” Harley said. The sisters’ grand- mother, auxiliary member Jeanne Clayton, also helped the girls buy and obtain buttons, thread and elastic headbands, which they cut to make bands for the ear protectors. She didn’t just give them the money, though. The sis- ters said they earned it by helping clean and organize her house. Harley, who is going into fi fth grade at Memo- rial Elementary School, said they started the project after their grandmother showed them photos of nurses whose ears have been rubbed raw by mask straps. “We got the idea to help prevent that,” she said. Lilly, who will be a sixth-grader at Duniway Middle School, said it takes only a few minutes to make each strap. “It’s pretty simple.” But, she and her sis- ters said, the ear protectors really work. “They make a big differ- ence,” Lilly said. Pandemic leads to unusually short list of ballot measures By Gary A. Warner For the Oregon Capital Bureau SALEM — Drug decriminalization, a cig- arette tax increase and limits on political cam- paign fi nancing are on a historically short list of ballot measures that will go before voters in the Nov. 3 election. The COVID-19 pan- demic has made it diffi - cult for traditional signa- ture-gathering techniques such as stations at shopping centers and fairs, or going door-to-door. With Thursday’s dead- line to submit signatures, only one of the 72 ballot measures that have at some point submitted for review by the Secretary of State made it across the fi nish line. The drug decriminal- ization initiative will join two referrals from the Leg- islature — a cigarette tax increase and campaign fi nance reform — on the ballot. The fate of two other initiatives was uncertain at the deadline. Backers of the legalization of the ther- apeutic use of psilocybin said they had submitted the required signatures by the deadline, but are awaiting fi nal approval from the Secretary of State’s offi ce, which they said should be announced in coming weeks. A group trying to change political district reappor- tionment decisions from the Legislature to an indepen- dent panel has taken legal action against Secretary of State Bev Clarno to be allowed more time to gather signatures because of the pandemic. Even if all fi ve measures make it onto the ballot, it will be the lowest number this century. Proposed mea- sures dealing with sexual assault, guns, forests, water quality, air pollution, taxes, transportation, animal rights, and toll roads were either withdrawn, never got off the ground or didn’t gather enough signatures to even try to submit petitions to the state. What’s on the ballot: The Secretary of State has certifi ed Initiative Peti- tion 44, a fi rst-in-the-nation law to decriminalize pos- session of small amounts of drugs, including heroin, cocaine and methamphet- amine, to go to voters. The initiative would change simple possession for personal use from a felony to a misdemeanor, with violators paying a $100 fi ne. Those who agree to take part in substance abuse programs wouldn’t have to pay the fi ne at all. The initiative would shift the money not spent on possession prosecutions to addiction treatment pro- grams. It would also take a portion of state taxes on legalized marijuana sales and apply it to the addiction programs. The initiative will join two other measures on the ballot, both referrals from the Legislature that do not need signature-gathering. Initiative 401 would allow for campaign contri- bution limits. The state cur- rently has no limits on cam- paign contributions, though Sports What could be on the ballot: Voters may get a shot at a second drug-related ballot measure, to legalize the use of the psilocybin in con- trolled treatment centers. Supporters say psilocybin, the active component of what are nicknamed “magic mushrooms” have been shown as a new, effective therapy for clinical depres- sion and anxiety disorders. As of Thursday’s dead- line, backers of Initiative Petition 34 had not offi - cially reached the require- ment of gathering just over 112,000 qualifi ed signatures to make the ballot. Supporters made an early submission of over 135,000 signatures on May 22. But the Secretary of State reported on June 23 that only about 107,000 were valid. The petition drive had continued through June and backers announced Thursday they had sub- mitted more than 164,000 signatures. If the numbers are accurate, the initiative would need to have less than 20% of the signatures veri- fi ed to go to voters. TREASURE VALLEY STEEL, INC. Damian Lillard emerges from shutdown ready for playoff push By Anne M. Peterson Associated Press PORTLAND — Grieving the death of a cousin and missing his mother, Damian Lillard struggled emotionally after the NBA shut down because of the coronavirus. But he also found inspi- ration in his activism for Black Lives Matter and his fl ourishing music career. The Trail Blazers were just out of the playoff pic- ture, sitting ninth in the Western Conference stand- ings on March 11 when the league was shuttered. The team will be among 22 that will depart next week for Orlando as part of the re-start. Portland will have eight games to secure a playoff berth, starting on July 31 with Memphis. “We don’t have time to ease our way in, we don’t have time to try and fi gure stuff out, we’ve got to come in assertive and aggressive and just go after it,” he said. Lillard welcomes the chance to resume playing after a diffi cult few months. He admittedly had no idea how serious the virus was when the league closed down. He went to Phoenix with his family, intent on fi nding a gym to stay in shape during the layoff. But the NBA said players couldn’t go to third-party facilities or trainers because of health concerns. While grateful that he had his fi ance and son with him, Lillard essentially sheltered in place once he got back to Portland. He didn’t see his mom for more than a month. And then his cousin and personal chef, Brandon Johnson, suddenly passed away. “It was tough, man. I they must be recorded with the Secretary of State and put on a website available for public view. The state Supreme Court has voided earlier attempts to lower the amount of money raised and spent in campaigns, citing the state’s expansive defi nition of freedom of speech. Initiative 402 would increase the cigarette tax by two dollars and add a 65 percent tax on vaping products. Manufacturing Zee & Cee Purlins In-HouseCustom Cut Exact Lengths Photo by Craig Mitchelldyer/Associated Press Portland Trail Blazers’ Damian Lillard, second from right, joins other demonstrators in Portland during a protest against police brutality and racism sparked by the death of George Floyd, who was killed May 25 by police in Minneapolis. think that was when I got to the point where I was like, if I was waking up and it wasn’t a sunny day, it was messing with my mood. It was just tough,” Lillard said. “I got through it, just from having a lot of my family around. That really helped. So I can see why somebody who is with one person or by themselves would have a really hard time. Defi nitely a tough few months.” Always diligent about his fi tness, Lillard found a way to train. Then George Floyd was killed in Minne- apolis, touching off nation- wide protests over police brutality. Lillard marched in Portland. He also released a pow- erful rap “Blacklist,’’ under his music persona, Dame D.O.L.L.A. “I grew up with Oscar Grant, who was killed at a BART station while hand- cuffed facedown. I’ve been racially profi led by cops, before I was in the NBA. So I have thoughts and feel- ings about this stuff. That’s what Blacklist was about,” he said. Lillard was averaging 28.9 points and 7.8 assists this season. In January he scored 61 points in a game against the Warriors and he had seven games with 40 or more points. He’ll be among those sequestered at Disney’s Wide World of Sports Complex for games, but the resumption of the season comes as cases of COVID-19 are spiking in Florida. Some players have opted out, including Port- land’s Trevor Ariza and Caleb Swanigan. But Portland will see the return of big men Jusuf Nurkic, now recovered from a broken leg last season, and Zach Collins, who was sidelined with a shoulder injury. One thing that’s not a concern for the Blazers is fi tness. “They’ve been very dil- igent about taking care of themselves, both in the weight room and on the court, and treatment. So I’ve been very impressed with all of their condi- tioning,” Blazers coach Terry Stotts said. • 24 Colors • Custom Trim • 2 1/2” Corrugated • Delivery Available • Full Soffitt Line • 3 ft. Gulf Coast Panel • 3 ft. PBR Panel • 3 ft. Mesa Panel • 3 ft. Tuff Rib Panel • Standing Seam DELIVERY • 2 ft. Delta Rib AVAILABLE • 3 ft. Pro Panel 40 Year Full Paint Warranty • WeatherX Paint System ONTARIO 541-889-4214 BOISE 208-336-7505 1460 N. Verde Dr. Toll Free 1-866-887-8335 6619 S. Supply Way Toll Free 1-888-717-8335 WWW.TREASUREVALLEYSTEEL.COM
