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TUESDAY • July 21, 2020
• $1.50
Good day to our valued subscriber Ben Davison of La Grande
COVID-19
Union
County
cases rise
to 383
By Phil Wright
The Observer
LA GRANDE — Union
County added four cases of
COVID-19 to its tally over the
weekend, increasing the total
number of offi cial cases to 383.
The Center for Human Devel-
opment, La Grande, reported no
new cases in the county Monday.
The Oregon Health Authority
on Monday
reported 277
INSIDE
new con-
• New COVID_19
cases by county,
fi rmed and
and a look at
presump-
recent case totals
tive cases
in Northeast
statewide,
Oregon, Page 5A
bumping Ore-
gon’s total to
14,847. The Monday count is a
drop from Sunday when the state
reported 436 new cases.
The daily record for newly
reported cases in Oregon is 437,
set on Thursday. The state had set
new records for the last three con-
secutive weeks. Monday marked
the fi rst day since Wednesday
the state did not top 300 for new
cases.
The number of cases has
climbed as Oregon reopened busi-
ness and public life. State and
local public health authorities also
have reported more cases are the
result of community spread rather
than workplace outbreaks or
people coming into contact with
known cases.
While Union County’s number
of cases has been fl attening, the
county remains the state’s fourth
worst per capita, according to the
Oregon Health Authority, with
142.7 cases per 10,000 people.
Neighboring Umatilla County,
which continues to see its case
total spike, is the worst in the
state per capita, with 170.2 cases
per 10,000.
Umatilla County also now has
1,381 total cases, good enough for
fourth most of any county, with
only Marion (2,170), Washington
(2,246) and Multnomah (3,566)
having higher totals.
The number of hospital
patients with COVID-19 stands
at 233 in the state, the Heath
Authority reported.
The Oregonian/Oregon Live
reported on Friday hospitaliza-
tions have climbed to levels not
previously seen during the pan-
demic, indicating more people
are suffering the most severe
See, Cases/Page 5A
Photo by Ellen Morris Bishop/EO Media Groupn
Elk cows and calves line up along a fence on The Nature Conservancy’s Zumwalt Prairie Preserve. According to the Oregon Department of
Fish and Wildlife, the population of elk on the preserve has declined in recent years.
Elk numbers decline
Ranchers are pleased
but hunters find tags
harder to come by
By Ellen Morris Bishop
EO Media Group
WALLOWA COUNTY — Rocky Moun-
tain elk have often been a controversial
animal in Wallowa County, but one long-
standing issue — the number of elk on Zum-
walt Prairie’s private lands — has fi nally been
brought under control.
The consequence? Ranchers are hap-
pier, but elk tags on the Zumwalt and in the
Chesnimnus hunting unit have been reduced
for the 2020 season.
Elk numbers have see-sawed from abun-
dance to near extinction and back to abun-
dance. On Zumwalt Prairie’s mostly private
land, the 2020 population estimate for elk in
the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife’s
Chesnimnus unit, which includes the prairie,
is 3,500 elk. But as recently as 2015, the
number of elk on the unit approached 4,500,
according to ODFW data.
“There were herds of 400 to 500 animals,”
Photo by Ellen Morris Bishop/EO Media Group
In early morning, elk mosey up a slope on private lands on Zumwalt Prairie for their
post-breakfast nap.
See, Elk/Page 5A
“Both sides — the ranchers and the hunters — think
elk are important. No one wants to see the numbers too
high or too low.”
Chad Dotson, biologist at The Nature Conservancy
Elgin summer lunch program a midday hit
By Dick Mason
The Observer
ELGIN — Oregon schools
remain closed because of the
coronavirus pandemic, but each
weekday members of the staff at
Stella Mayfi eld School in the tiny
town of Elgin open their hearts to
its children.
Two Elgin School District
employees distribute free lunches
at Stella Mayfi eld’s east entrance
between 11 a.m. and noon,
Monday through Friday. Anyone
18 or younger can grab a lunch
for free, but the majority of the
50 or so youth who come each
day are Stella Mayfi eld students,
according to Megan Myers of the
Elgin School District, which has
about 400 students.
Myers, a preschool educator,
prepares and distributes the
meals each day along with Candy
Marago, a food service employee.
Myers said providing the meals to
children is a labor of love.
“It is my favorite part of the
day because I get to see the chil-
dren and interact with them,”
Myers said.
Main entrees include turkey
Staff photo by Dick Mason
Anji Schmittle and her children, Thorin (red shirt) and Morgin (green
shirt), exit Stella Mayfi eld School, Elgin, with free lunches last
week. The family lives in Elgin but the brothers do not attend Stella
Mayfi eld. Even so, the lunches are available to anyone age 18 and
younger.
bologna and cheese sandwiches;
beef, bean and cheese burritos;
turkey salami and cheese sand-
wiches; mini corn dogs; and
pizza. Milk, fruits and vegetables
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also come with the meals.
Myers said the youth have a
clear favorite for the summer’s
most popular entree.
“Stuffed cheese sticks,” she
said, speaking of breaded mozza-
rella cheese.
Rod Spikes, a member of the
Elgin School Board, said the
meals provide a greater service
than ever for children because of
how the economy is impacting
families.
“For some of these kids it may
be the only really good meal they
get (in the day),” Spikes said. “It
is a great thing for them.”
Spikes added the meals could
provide a fi nancial benefi t as well.
“It reduces the burden on their
families,” he said.
The Elgin School District’s
summer lunch program, which
food service supervisor Kim
VanCleave heads up, receives
funding from the U.S. Depart-
ment of Agriculture. The federal
agency reimburses participating
school districts for the meals
they serve.
The Elgin School District
has been offering free summer
lunches through this USDA pro-
gram for at least a decade. The
local program was cut several
See, Lunch/Page 5A
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Issue 86
2 sections, 16 pages
La Grande, Oregon
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