Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The Observer. (La Grande, Or.) 1968-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 6, 2020)
BUSINESS & AG LIFE THURSDAY, AUGUST 6, 2020 THE OBSERVER & BAKER CITY HERALD — 3B CELEBRATE SPENDING Continued from Page 1B Continued from Page 1B career of 32 years as a teacher. He was feted many times as an educator while at LHS and about 15 years ago was named Oregon’s high school art teacher of the year by the Oregon Art Education Association. The educator came to La Grande High after teaching 15 years at Nyssa High School. Judy Jensen recalled the interview team at LHS did not deliberate long after interviewing him. “I received a call from LHS offering him the job before he got home,” she said, speaking of a time when landlines ruled, not cellphones. Bob Jensen said his stint at the high school was the most enjoyable of his education career because he so liked working with its students and faculty. “Everything clicked,” he said. One of the most popular programs the Jensens have run at the Potter’s House is a Christmas show that was conducted annually for 17 years through 2017 at their gallery and home, which are connected. Each room at their business and this past week. The fi rm concluded that online shopping is likely to retain much of the boost it is enjoying during the pandemic, and that for the foreseeable future people are likely to focus their spending on essentials given the enduring eco- nomic uncertainty. Oregon allowed many WEDDINGS Continued from Page 1B large or small, indoor or outdoor, masks have become a sticking point for photos and video. Some couples argue that masks spoil their visuals and are banning them altogether. Others are making them optional. Still more are going the opposite route, wearing bedazzled satin and lace masks to match their gowns. “I get that this is not how they want their wed- dings to look,” Alvarez said. “The big question everyone needs to be answering right now is what’s the moral respon- sibility, and also what’s their liability in hosting an event that potentially could Van Eenennaam aimed to use SRY, a gene that instructs mamma- lian embryos to develop male traits. Her goal, she said, was to use Crispr to cut DNA and insert SRY onto the X chromosome of bovine embryos to increase the likelihood of producing a male herd. For years, they avoided inserting DNA from other species, because that would make the calves “trans- genic,” and according to FDA, genetically modi- fi ed organisms, or GMOs. In 2017, FDA classifi ed any edited animal DNA as though it were a new kind of drug. “To call an animal a drug is a bit wonky,” said Van Eenennaam. The rule meant a geneti- cally engineered calf could never enter the food supply, GMO or non-GMO. So, because it made no dif- ference, the researchers inserted bioluminescent jel- lyfi sh DNA into the calf embryos. If the SRY inser- tion worked, the embryo would glow green under ultraviolet light — making the researchers’ job easier. The scientists moved the SRY gene and jellyfi sh DNA to chromosome 17 of 200 embryos. Of those, 22 survived. Nine glimmered green. Only one grew to maturity. Cosmo was named after a glowing green character from the animated Nick- elodeon television series, “The Fairly OddPar- ents.” The show’s title also seemed fi tting: Cosmo’s dad was a Holstein named Swordfi sh and his biological mom was an ovary donor from a processing plant. Critics contend Crispr has too many risks. Other Crispr animals have had odd side effects: pigs with extra vertebrae, cattle that die prematurely, rabbits with huge tongues. Lisa Moses, animal bio- ethicist at Harvard Medical School, told the Wall Street Journal last year, “It’s really hubris of us to assume that we know what we’re doing and that we can predict what kinds of bad things can happen.” Van Eenennaam said because of public sentiment, Crispr challenges and FDA rules, there likely won’t be a U.S. market soon, if ever. “If you’d told me 30 years ago this still wouldn’t be allowed by U.S. reg- ulators, I wouldn’t have believed you — and I would’ve for sure pursued a different career,” she said. Jim Reecy, researcher in Iowa State’s Department of Animal Science, said he thinks regulatory agen- cies should treat genetically engineered or modifi ed ani- mals no differently than engineered plants. “Genetically modifi ed corn, tomatoes and other vegetables are accepted by a large portion of society,” he said. “So why should an animal be any different?” Cosmo won’t become steak, but the little calf has work to do: get weaned, grow up, and breed to see if his offspring really are 75% male. “Time will tell,” said Reecy. portation industries. • Expands a qualifying project into a new area based on a proven suc- cessful model. • Pilots a qualifying project that has a high likelihood of success based on business need with metrics. • Serves as a model for other Eastern Oregon areas that have shown interest in the successful project. For more details on qualifying for the grants or to apply, visit www.eowb. org. CALF Continued from Page 1B Staff photo by Dick Mason/EO Media Group Judy Jensen restores old furniture at the Potter’s Gift House & Gallery, La Grande. She and her husband, Bob Jensen, have operated the business for 20 years. house would be fi lled with Christmas gift items for weeks. The Jensens would move out of their house during this time to allow its use for the show. Visitors became so accustomed to visiting the Jensens’ home during this time that some came to think of it as a permanent part of the Potter’s House. Today, people occasion- ally walk into the Jensens’ home expecting to fi nd a continuation of the gallery. The Potter House’s 20-year celebration started Wednesday, Aug. 5, and will continue through Aug. 25. The Jensens have not planned any big par- ties during the celebration because of the COVID-19 pandemic but are offering special sales and drawings. Sales during the cele- bration will be monitored in intervals of 20 and the customers making every 20th sale will receive a 20% discount. There also will be drawings for prizes of $20. A 25th anniversary cel- ebration may be only fi ve years away. Judy Jensen said she cannot imagine a time when she and her hus- band will not be running the Potter’s Gift House & Gallery. “It is what we do,” she said, “and we do it together.” lead to an outbreak?” She said that breaking her contract for the indoor wedding, where masks would be optional, would cost her $4,000. It’s her fi rst job this year. In a normal year, she would be juggling 28 weddings from March to September. While the couple trimmed their guest list from 175 to help with social distancing, “masks are not a concession that they’re willing to make,” Alvarez said. Alvarez plans other safety measures, such as spreading out tables and offering wider-spaced seating grouped by house- holds, when possible. She also suggested a tactic used by other couples, offering color-coded wrist- bands for guests to declare their comfort levels with contact. To avoid crowd issues, some couples are holding their ceremonies and receptions with different groups of guests invited at staggered times. “There’s just so much emotional baggage that has come with weddings this year that the idea of masks at their weddings is the last straw,” Alvarez said. “But of course there’s danger in that.” cally shared that this pan- demic is not going to get in the way of their wed- ding plans and that there will be no masks handed out and no signs pro- moting social distancing at their wedding,” she said. “The bride has said that when she shows her chil- dren her wedding video, she doesn’t want it to be a documentary of the 2020 pandemic.” Most of Goldberg’s cou- ples have rescheduled or downsized, but “there’s always someone who doesn’t want to follow the recommended path.” Planning a wedding for 200 guests while social distancing is challenging but doable, Goldberg said, but: “Asking 200 guests to not wear masks is crazy.” Funds available to advance Eastern Oregon’s workforce ‘There’s always someone’ Wedding planner Lynne Goldberg has a December wedding scheduled for 200 guests at the home of the bride’s parents in New York. “They have emphati- EO Media Group LA GRANDE — The Eastern Oregon Work- force Board in a press release Tuesday, Aug. 4, announced it has $48,000 available to help launch projects/programs that support job advancement and training. The EOWB serves Baker, Grant, Harney, Malheur, Morrow, Uma- tilla, Union and Wallowa counties and invites busi- nesses and organizations in the area to apply for these funds. An organiza- tion may qualify for funds if the project/program: • Supports busi- ness growth or job cre- ation and/or advancement opportunities. • Supports advance- ment of the health care, manufacturing or trans- sectors, notably manu- facturing and construc- tion, to continue operating throughout the pandemic. And thousands of offi ce workers continue doing their jobs from home. But some sectors of the economy simply won’t be back until the virus is gone, the Oregon Business Plan concluded in a new report on the state’s recovery. Lei- sure and hospitality in par- ticular may not have a clear path forward. C lassifieds Published by The Observer & Baker City Herald - Serving Wallowa, Union and Baker Counties PLACING YOUR AD IS EASY...Union, Wallowa, and Baker Counties Phone La Grande - 541-963-3161 • Baker City - 541-523-3673 On-Line: www.lagrandeobserver.com www.bakercityherald.com Email: Classifieds@lagrandeobserver.com Classifieds@bakercityherald.com 110 Announcements PULL TABS ACCEPTED AT THE FOLLOWING BAKER CITY LOCATIONS Money sifieds Talks If you’re looking to boost your income, there’s no better place to turn than the Classifieds. Deadline to place your ad is: DEADLINES: LINE ADS: Tuesday: 10:30am Monday Thursday: 10:30 am Wednesday Saturday: 10:30 am Friday DISPLAY ADS: 2 Days Prior to Publication Date 541-523-3673 | 541-963-3161 ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ Baker City Herald Dollar Tree Black’s Distributing Ryder Bros VFW Baker Elk’s Lodge Main Event Lefty’s Tap House Little Bagel Shop Baker City Fire Dept. Haines Sell-Rite Idle Hour Salvation Army 110 Announcements You too can use this ATTENTION GETTER! Ask how you can get your ad to stand out like this! THE DEADLINE for placing a CLASSIFIED AD is 10:30 A.M. ONE BUSINESS DAY BEFORE PUBLICATION Publication Days: Tuesday,Thursday,Saturday Our farm community is well rep- resented in the classified col- umns of this newspaper. For all your agricultural needs, look to classified. DEADLINES: LINE ADS: Tuesday: 10:30am Monday Thursday: 10:30 am Wednesday Saturday: 10:30 am Friday DISPLAY ADS: 2 Days Prior to Publication Date 114 Self-Help Group Meetings AA MEETINGS Wednesday Nights, 7-8:15pm. Fort Union Grange Hall, corner of McAlister & Gekeler Lanes. For more info, call 541-786-1222 AL-ANON Attitude of Gratitude. Wednesdays, 12:15-1:30pm. Faith Lutheran Church. 12th & Gekeler, La Grande. 541-786-2051 A LITTLE AD GOES A LONG WAY Who says ads have to be big to work? A little one can get a big job done. NARCOTICS ANONYMOUS Monday, Thursday, & Friday at 8pm. Episcopal Church 2177 First St. Baker City
