The Observer. (La Grande, Or.) 1968-current, October 24, 2020, Image 2

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The Observer., October 24, 2020, Page 2, Image 2

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Newspaper Page Text2A — THE OBSERVER DAILY PLANNER TODAY Today is Saturday, Oct. 24, the 298th day of 2020. There are 68 days left in the year. TODAY’S HIGHLIGHT IN HISTORY On Oct. 24, 1972, Hall of Famer Jackie Robinson, who’d broken Major League Baseball’s modern-era color barrier in 1947, died in Stam- ford, Connecticut, at age 53. ON THIS DATE In 1931, the George Wash- ington Bridge, connecting New York and New Jersey, was ofﬁ cially dedicated (it opened to trafﬁ c the next day). In 1940, the 40-hour work week went into effect under the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938. In 1945, the United Nations ofﬁ cially came into existence as its charter took effect. In 1962, a naval quar- antine of Cuba ordered by President John F. Kennedy went into effect during the missile crisis. In 1992, the Toronto Blue Jays became the ﬁ rst non- U.S. team to win the World Series as they defeated the Atlanta Braves, 4-3, in Game 6. In 1996, TyRon Lewis, 18, a Black motorist, was shot to death by police during a trafﬁ c stop in St. Petersburg, Florida; the incident sparked rioting. (Ofﬁ cer James Knight, who said that Lewis had lurched his car at him several times, knocking him onto the hood, was cleared by a grand jury and the Justice Department.) In 2002, authorities apprehended John Allen Muhammad and teenag- er Lee Boyd Malvo near Myersville, Maryland, in the Washington-area sniper attacks. (Malvo was later sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole; Muhammad was sentenced to death and executed in 2009.) In 2005, civil rights icon Rosa Parks died in Detroit at age 92. In 2018, authorities said they had intercepted pipe bombs packed with shards of glass that had been sent to several prominent Democrats, including Hillary Clinton and former President Barack Obama; none of the bombs went off, and nobody was hurt. (Cesar Sayoc, who admitted sending the bombs to Democrats and to CNN, was sentenced to 20 years in prison by a judge who con- cluded that the bombs were not designed to explode.) LOTTERY Megabucks: $3.4 million 1-12-29-31-32-42 Mega Millions: $86 million 46-54-57-58-66 —10 x3 Powerball: $91 million 1-3-13-44-56—PB-26 x3 Win for Life: Oct. 21 9-23-63-70 Pick 4: Oct. 22 • 1 p.m.: 9-1-9-1; • 4 p.m.: 1-0-1-9; • 7 p.m.: 7-8-7-6; • 10 p.m.: 5-2-0-9 Pick 4: Oct. 21 • 1 p.m.: 9-6-2-5; • 4 p.m.: 1-1-0-9; • 7 p.m.: 4-1-9-1; • 10 p.m.: 8-6-3-2 DELIVERY ISSUES? If you have any problems receiving your Observer, please call 541-963-3161. SATURDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2020 LOCAL/REGION Elgin Opera House reopens Season premieres with socially distanced performance of a Sherlock Holmes tale By Sabrina Thompson The Observer ELGIN — The game soon will be afoot at the Elgin Opera House. The performance center at 104 N. Eighth St., Elgin, has ﬁ gured out how to put on a live stage perfor- mance while following all state and local coronavirus safety guidelines. The stage adaptation of “Sherlock Holmes: A Scandal in Bohemia” will be the ﬁ rst socially dis- tanced performance at the theater since it closed in March. The show opens Friday, Oct. 30, at 7:30 p.m., and will run for two weekends. Grant Turner is por- traying the titular char- acter. He also adapted the piece and directed it. In deciding what show would reopen the Opera House, Turner said he felt com- fortable putting on this particular play in any format, including ﬁ lming and livestreaming. He said he is happy it will be in front of a live audience. “We have been starting and stopping this project for a while, looking at dif- ferent options for shows and ways to put them on safely,” Turner said. “A few months ago we set- tled on this show and have been rehearsing sporadi- cally since.” Turner said the big- gest hurdle in the produc- tion is having to rethink all of the show’s elements — including costumes, staging and the script — in By Sabrina Thompson The Observer Sabrina Thompson/The Observer The cast of “Sherlock Holmes: A Scandal in Bohemia” rehearse Wednesday night, Oct. 21, 2020, at the Elgin Opera House. The show will premiere at the reopening of the theater Oct. 30 and adhere to social distancing requirements. IF YOU GO The show will premiere Friday, Oct. 30, at 7:30 p.m. with addi- tional showings on Oct. 31, Nov. 1 and Nov. 6-8 at 7:30 p.m. with a 2:30 p.m. matinee Nov. 1 and Nov. 8. Tickets, $19 gen- eral admission, are available at www.elginoperahouse.com. a way that maintains social distancing and safety for the cast, crew and the audi- ence. On stage, the actors will remain 6 feet apart at all times, each in a desig- nated section of the stage, and will read their lines out to the audience. Turner is using projections and sound effects to help tell the story. “When ﬁ guring out the particulars for the show, I realized the best way would be to do it without having the actors move,” Turner said. “Doing so unlocked more things we could do visually and with sound effects.” To keep audience mem- bers at least 6 feet apart, the theater is blocking off certain seats and capping the total at 50 people per night. Cassandra Johnson, who portrays Irene Adler in the show, said this has been a very “go with the ﬂ ow” experience, some- thing Turner is known for. “But it has still been a fun production,” Johnson said. “This will be my ﬁ rst time performing in the Opera House space, and my ﬁ rst time performing in front of a live audi- ence since March. I am a little excited and a little bit nervous.” In addition to Turner and Johnson, the play fea- tures Michael Cooper as Dr. Watson, Liberty O’Dell as the King of Bohemia and Sam Miller as multiple characters. Turner noted that both actors and audi- ences beneﬁ t from live performances. “There is a hunger for theater that needs to be ﬁ lled,” Turner said, “but we don’t want to just give people anything to ﬁ ll that hunger. We want to give them something good.” Virtual symphony performance a success Grande Ronde Symphony’s Night In with the Symphony hits all the right notes By Sabrina Thompson The Observer LA GRANDE — The Grande Ronde Sym- phony’s concert Oct. 3 reached more than 700 people, showcasing the success of holding virtual performances. “It was great to give people a connection back to the joy of listening to classical music,” Grande Ronde Symphony Asso- ciation President Alice Trindle said. “I am abso- lutely delighted by the response.” The best thing about the “Night In with the Symphony” performance, Trindle said, is the audi- ence could experience the music anywhere. While she didn’t have a particular number of people she was hoping to see engaged, Trindle was excited to see so many people attending the event, which featured Viet Block on violin, Matt Cooper on piano and Zach Banks on cello. Trindle said she also was happy there weren’t any technical problems during the show, although reading off a teleprompter was new for her and Banks, the symphony’s music director — who together provided com- mentary during the lives- tream — and it took some getting used to. Due to the success of the virtual concert, Trindle said it is likely the sym- phony will continue pro- ducing shows in a vir- Screenshot from YouTube Viet Block performs as part of the Grande Ronde Sym- phony’s virtual concert Oct. 3. tual format, even when attending live performance is safe again. “This show being received so positively will deﬁ nitely impact how we present future shows including our chamber concerts,” Trindle said. “We are so grateful for our patrons and their support.” The virtual concert took the place of the Grande Ronde Symphony Associ- ation’s annual fundraiser, and the event raised more than $4,000 in donations. This funding, in addi- tion to Oregon Cultural Trust funding and private donations and grants, puts the organization in good standing. “We are fortunate,” Trindle said. “Larger sym- phonies are still having difﬁ culties with funding. But because we are small I feel very good about our funding.” Hermiston Christian School alleges discrimination in lawsuit By Antonio Sierra East Oregonian PENDLETON — A Hermiston private school, with an enrollment of 51, is suing Gov. Kate Brown and several state agencies with the help of a conservative legal organization. Attorneys from the Arizona-based Alliance Defending Freedom ﬁ led a complaint on behalf of Hermiston Christian School in federal court in Pendleton on Oct. 16. The complaint alleges the gov- ernor violated the school’s constitutional rights by forcing it to remain closed during the COVID-19 pandemic. “After 41 years of faithful service, Herm- iston Christian School … could be forced to shut its doors for good unless the court stops an obvious case of discrimination: Defen- dants’ COVID-19 orders and guidance generally prohibit in-person instruc- tion but grant a ‘small school’ exception to public schools, while denying the same exception to pri- vate religious schools … in Umatilla County,” the attorneys wrote in the Ben Lonergan/East Oregonian A sign directs visitors to the entrance of the Hermiston Christian School in Hermiston. The Arizona-based Alliance Defending Freedom ﬁ led a lawsuit on behalf of Hermis- ton Christian School on Oct. 16, 2020, in federal court in Pendleton alleging Gov. Kate Brown and several agencies violated the school’s constitutional rights by forcing it to remain closed during the COVID-19 pandemic. introduction. The lawyers wrote the state’s actions violated the school’s First Amendment right to freedom of religion and 14th Amendment right to due process. In the complaint, the alliance draws compar- isons between Herm- iston Christian School and Ukiah School, a public school 80 miles away. While Ukiah was included in a list of small and remote schools that COVID-19 cases spike Thursday in Union County were allowed to reopen for in-person instruction, no private schools in the county, all of them reli- gious, were afforded the same opportunity. The ﬁ ling also lays out a timeline of changing reopening standards, the lawsuit alleging the state had advised private schools they could reopen in the fall before changing course on July 29. The school’s law- yers argue the gover- nor’s administration was motivated by a fear that allowing private schools to remain open, while most public schools stayed close, would lead to major disen- rollment from the public schools. One Brown staffer allegedly said it would cause a “mass exodus” in a conference call with administrators. The alliance is asking the court to not only issue a temporary restraining order that would allow Hermiston Christian School to reopen, but also grant the school damages for the social distancing measures it installed in its facilities and for the poten- tial enrollees who decided to go elsewhere because of the closure. The attorneys argued in-person instruction was essential to the school staying open but also its afﬁ liate church’s ability to practice its faith. “In-person education is essential for (the school’s) free exercise of religion,” the complaint states. “(The school’s) mission is to teach its students what it means to be a disciple of Jesus Christ, not only through classroom education, but also through prayer, wor- ship, and religious forma- tion that occurs in-person.” The alliance not only sued Brown, but also the leaders of several state agencies, including Oregon State Police, Oregon Health Authority and the Oregon Department of Education. All, including the governor’s ofﬁ ce, declined to comment or didn’t return a request for comment. UNION COUNTY — The Oregon Health Authority on Thursday, Oct. 22, reported Union County has six new cases of coronavirus. The new cases is the largest number reported in a day since July 3. The county added one new case Friday, bringing the total number of cases in Union County to 465. Local public health ofﬁ - cials are not calling this spike an outbreak. “This jump has been expected due a number of factors causing an increased risk to the com- munity,” said Carrie Bro- goitti, public health admin- istrator for the Center for Human Development, La Grande. “We have con- sistently had cases every week, students are back in school and at Eastern Oregon University, and people are indoors more as the weather cools. These can increase close contact, which increases the risk for exposure.” Brogoitti added that the risk of infection will con- tinue to increase with the onset of cold weather and the holiday season begins. She also said testing capacity is increasing and the people receiving a test at this time often are symptomatic. According to the Oregon Health Authority, Union County reports testing 5,407 people, and 8% tested positive. “We want to remind the community we are not immune. COVID-19 is in Union County and it is spreading in the com- munity,” Brogoitti said. “People should take mea- sures to protect them- selves, the community, family and people we care about and help keep hos- pital capacity low.” Union County has had two deaths. The OHA also announced Baker County’s third death related to COVID-19 — an 83-year-old man who tested positive Oct. 4 and died on Oct. 18 at St. Alphonsus Regional Med- ical Center in Boise. He had underlying conditions. Island City approves Panda Express By Sabrina Thompson The Observer ISLAND CITY — A Panda Express may be coming to Island City in the northeast corner of the Walmart parking lot. The Island City City Council at its Oct. 12 meeting gave a unani- mous vote to approve the construction of the eating establishment. The project is more than a year in the making as Panda Express has been working with city staff, engineers and the city con- tract planner Jesse Winte- rowd to bring an application forward, according to the staff report to the city. Construction includes building the 2,381 square- foot drive-thru Panda Express, updating the parking lot to include two spaces compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act, four bicycle spaces and a new sign along Highway 82. Now the project goes before the Union County Building Divi- sion, which will provide a building permit to begin construction.