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About The Observer. (La Grande, Or.) 1968-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 5, 2020)
Healing Hands In Business & Ag Life Inside Major drug seizure in Malheur County, 2A Exorcisms increasing, 6A Follow us on the web THURSDAY • November 5, 2020 • $1.50 Good day to our valued subscriber Dick Stabb of La Grande Masked Mounties Bowen wins sheriff ’s race; Clements repeats as LG mayor Island City mayor race remains tight By Dick Mason and Sabrina Thompson The Observer UNION COUNTY — There’s a new sheriff-elect in Union County. Cody Bowen received 8,914 votes, according to unoffi cial election results Wednesday, Nov. 4. The sheriff’s deputy was the only name on the ballot after Sheriff Boyd Rasmussen dropped out of the race. “I am excited for the race to be over,” Bowen said. “This was my fi rst run in politics, and I learned a lot.” Bowen Bill Miller, who came in third against Bowen and Rasmussen in the May primary, reentered the race on a write-in campaign after Ras- mussen withdrew. The vote tally shows 4,819 write-in votes. Union County Clerk Robin Church said Miller needed at least 50% of the vote before her offi ce would count write-in names. Bowen had 64.9% of the total, with countywide turnout at 79%. See, Sheriff/Page 1A ELECTION RESULTS EOU plans safety measures for winter term amid pandemic By Kaleb Lay The Observer LA GRANDE — Eastern Oregon Uni- versity in La Grande is rolling out a plan to provide classes and student services during the coming winter term just as cases of COVID-19 are trending up locally and statewide. The plan is largely the same as EOU’s resumption plan for fall term, which included mandatory mask wearing, mass testing of stu- dents arriving on campus and restrictions on campus programs like athletics and student services. “I don’t think we’ve changed anything massively,” said Tim Seydel, vice president for university advancement at EOU. “We’ve changed maybe some classroom setups to try to accommodate student and/or faculty needs, things we learned through this term by having students on campus taking classes.” Students will take classes online, in person and as a hybrid of the two. EOU stated in a press release that it will require masks indoors. Students and employees also will have to fi ll out daily self-health checks online before coming to campus, and those with even minor symptoms of illness will be encouraged to stay home. Seydel said EOU developed a plan to accommodate students who have to quaran- tine. That plan includes assigning case man- agers to check in on them as well as providing dining services by delivery. The university also made changes to its traditional holiday schedule and plans to mass-test students returning in the new year. “We’re not having students come back after Thanksgiving — between Thanksgiving and Christmas,” said Luke Aldrich, cap- ital projects manager and pandemic response offi cer at EOU. “We’ll test them again coming back for winter term, just like we did this time. For spring term we’re talking about what spring break looks like but we haven’t decided completely on that.” Residence halls on campus will remain See, EOU/Page 5A The following results of the Tuesday, Nov. 3, election for con- tested national, statewide and local elections are from The Asso- ciated Press, Oregon Secretary of State and Union County Clerk’s Offi ce. The results are unoffi cial but accurate as of 2 p.m. Nov. 4. FEDERAL RACES U.S. President Joe Biden (D) — 50.26% Donald Trump (R) — 48.12% U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley (D) — 57.62% Jo Rae Perkins (R) — 38.8% U.S. Representative Cliff Bentz (R) — 60.03% Alex Spenser (D) — 36.81% Kaleb Lay/The Observer Eastern Oregon University student Adriana Juarez wears a mask Monday, Nov. 2, 2020, while crossing the campus in La Grande. EOU continues its plan of holding classes online, in person and as a hybrid of the two. “We’re not having students come back after Thanksgiving — between Thanksgiving and Christmas.” — Luke Aldrich, capital projects manager and pandemic response offi cer at EOU. Caring for the at-risk populations Retirement and hospice care for elderly patients during pandemic By Sabrina Thompson The Observer See, Results/Page 5A LA GRANDE — Licensed nursing, assisted living and res- idential care facilities in Oregon are open for limited indoor visits. Melody Johnson, director at the Grande Ronde Retirement Residence, 1809 Gekeler Lane, La Grande, said she is excited for residents to be able to have their families visit again. The Oregon Department of Human Services on Monday, Nov. 2, announced certain long-term care facilities could allow some visitation. “It has been hard, but we have good employees and wonderful residents who have stuck through it all,” Johnson said. Residents at these facilities are among the most at-risk popula- tions for catching and suffering from COVID-19, but they also are part of a population most at risk for feelings of isolation. So, while some restrictions apply to these visits, local retirement and long-term care facilities are happy to reopen their doors to visitors. INDEX Business ....... 1B Classified ...... 2B Comics .......... 5B Crossword .... 2B Ronald Bond/ The Observer, File Grande Ronde Retirement Residence, La Grande, now is allowing in- door visits for residents. Grande Ronde Retirement Residence had four employees test positive in June but have not seen any additional cases among staff or residence. The facility has mass testing twice a month and tests its staff on a weekly basis, Johnson said. The new visitation rules include limiting the number of visitors to two people for one hour. Everyone must wear a mask and the visits must take place in the resident’s private room. Johnson said as long as everyone follows protocol, the situation will be safe. Outdoor visits have WEATHER Dear Abby .... 6B Horoscope .... 2B Lottery........... 2A Milestone ..... 3A SATURDAY Obituaries ..... 3A Opinion ......... 4A Sports ........... 7A State .............. 8A been allowed, although as the weather cools, Johnson said, it will be nice to hold visits inside. Heart ‘n Home Hospice, which has an offi ce at 2104 Cove Ave., Suite A, La Grande, also has met with challenges due to the pandemic. Director of public relations Kandice Dickinson said patients using end-of-life care have relied on technology to share photos and communicate with loved ones. Johnson said Grande Ronde Retirement has done something similar, ensuring all residents have access to their families over Full forecast on the back of B section Tonight Friday 40 LOW 47/34 Cloudy, rain Showers around the phone or through video chat. “Hospice professionals are extremely well trained in bereavement and grief so we have been able to offer support to frontline workers and their teams that have experienced many forms of loss via virtual platforms, which we hadn’t done prior to COVID,” Dickinson said. “There are many processes and changes we will continue to do because they are more effi cient and have better outcomes for patients and families.” The hospice has dedicated nurses to help patients who have tested positive for COVID-19. Dickinson said that has given peace of mind to patients, their families and the community. “In the beginning of the shut- down, fi nding supplies was a challenge as well as knowing what to stock up on or prepare for, but fortunately we have a suffi cient supply now,” Dick- inson said. “Holding commu- nity events (with) the restric- tions to be COVID safe has been diffi cult, but being actively involved in our community is who we are, so we are looking at it as a growth opportunity and will be fi guring out how we can still do some activities COVID safe style.” CONTACT US 541-963-3161 Issue 132 3 sections, 22 pages La Grande, Oregon Email story ideas to news@lagrande observer.com. More contact info on Page 4A. PRIVATE SCHOOLS AND COVID-19 Online at lagrandeobserver.com
