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About The Observer. (La Grande, Or.) 1968-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 7, 2020)
Tips for smoking fish In Outdoors Inside Ladd Canyon project wraps up, 2A Farmworkers to get overtime, 8A Weekend Edition SATURDAY-MONDAY • November 7, 2020 Good day to our valued subscriber Carla McCall of La Grande • $1.50 Union County schools have staff with COVID-19 Schools could go back to virtual teaching as case count climbs By Sabrina Thompson The Observer LA GRANDE — A teacher at La Grande High School on Wednesday, Nov. 4, tested pos- itive for COVID-19, La Grande School District Superintendent George Mendoza reported. Union School District reported a case Thursday, and the Imbler School District on Oct. 30 took to its Facebook page to report a case. The Oregon Health Authority on Friday, Nov. 6, reported eight new positive cases in the county, bringing the county’s total to 521 cases since the start of the pan- demic. OHA reported 770 new cases statewide, pushing Oregon’s total to 48,608. Gov. Kate Brown during a press conference Friday afternoon said Union County is on the cusp of being included in a two-week “pause” of activities to help curb Sabrina Thompson/The Observer Seventh- and eighth-grade students in Sarah Jacobson’s class at Grande Ronde Academy, La Grande, sit behind clear screens Thursday, Nov. 5, 2020, to help mitigate the risk of spreading COVID-19. While private schools such as Grande Ronde Academy are not required to operate under the same virus restrictions as Oregon’s public schools, GRA has implemented many safety measures. Upping the response Grande Ronde Academy aims to exceeds state requirements See, Cases/Page 5A Boise Cascade reports quarterly windfall By Sabrina Thompson The Observer LA GRANDE — The Grande Ronde Academy in La Grande opened its doors to in-person instruction Sept. 8. Bob Kavanaugh, board member for the private institution, said the school approached its reopening plans with an attitude of going above and beyond what it was required to do to welcome back students. “When we saw the guidelines we decided our approach would be based on the safety of the students and faculty fi rst,” Kavanaugh said. The Oregon Department of Educa- tion required private and public schools to complete the “Ready Schools, Safe Learners” reentry blueprint. However, private schools had to com- plete only three of the plan’s sections, addressing the school’s plans for public health protocols, school operations and response to outbreaks. Private schools were not required to address areas regarding instruction, family and community engagement, mental, social and emotional health and morale. Kavanaugh said Grande Ronde Academy’s board and administrators, however, despite the lack of a mandate, chose to include these issues in its reentry plans. Possible closure of Elgin plywood plant looms By Kaleb Lay The Observer BOISE — Boise Cascade announced in an Oct. 30 press release the company recorded $103.2 million in net income during the third quarter as demand for wood products out- paced supply and production nationwide, driving prices to record heights. The company also reported it ended the third quarter with a total of $849.3 million in available liquidity, $503.9 million of which was cash or cash-equivalent. “We look to the future with optimism, as our balance sheet provides us the fl exibility to pursue organic and acquisition growth opportunities in support See, Profi ts/Page 5A Sabrina Thompson/The Observer The drinking fountain at Grande Ronde Academy, La Grande, is off limits as a pre- caution to curb the spread of COVID-19 in the private school. “The question in developing our plans was how do we create a learning envi- ronment and experience, allow a peer-to- peer experience, while ensuring safety,” Kavanaugh said. “We were methodic and mindful in considering the design of our plans. Safety was No. 1, but we didn’t want to create a panic.” Kavanaugh said the board and admin- istration, under the leadership of Don McLean, the school’s director and prin- cipal, relied on communicating and working with parents to create a safe learning environment. Students attending Grande Ronde Academy are compliant with wearing masks when required. Every desk in the classroom has a plastic barrier. Each cohort of students has its own playground equipment and space to play. “Our parents aren’t asking for dis- tance learning,” Kavanaugh said. “We explored distance learning as a possibility for students, but as of today we embrace in-person learning.” Kavanaugh said the collaborative effort between students, parents, faculty and the board at the academy, which serves stu- dents up through the eighth grade, made the transition easy. He said the goal was to include everyone who could be impacted to ensure a willingness to embrace the changes. “Even if we have these mandates, we maintain communication with parents and students,” Kavanaugh said. Several procedures were put in place, including weekly symptom questionnaires for parents and students to complete and temperature checks for everyone who enters the building. See, Private/Page 5A Trump faces tough road in gett ing Supreme Court to intervene in election By Jessica Gresko and Mark Sherman Associated Press WASHINGTON — Presi- dent Donald Trump has repeat- edly said there’s one place he wants to determine the outcome of the presidential election: the U.S. Supreme Court. But he may have a diffi cult time ever getting there. Trump late this week has leaned in to the idea the high court should get involved in the election as it did in 2000. Then, INDEX Classified ...... 2B Comics .......... 5B Crossword .... 4B Dear Abby .... 6B Horoscope .... 4B Lottery........... 2A Nation ........... 8A Obituaries ..... 3A TUESDAY Opinion ......... 4A Outdoors ...... 1B Sports ........... 6A State .............. 7A the court effectively settled the contested election for President George W. Bush in a 5-4 deci- sion that split the court’s liberals and conservatives. Today, six members of the court are conservatives, including three nominated by Trump. But the outcome of this year’s election seemed to be shaping up very differently from 2000, when Florida’s electoral votes delivered the presidency to George W. Bush. Then, Bush led in Florida and WEATHER went to court to stop a recount. Trump, for his part, has sug- gested a strategy that would focus on multiple states where the winning margins appear to be slim. But he might have to persuade the Supreme Court to set aside votes in two or more states to prevent Joe Biden from becoming president. Chief Justice John Roberts, for his part, is not likely to want the election to come down to himself and his colleagues. Rob- erts, who was not on the court Full forecast on the back of B section Tonight Sunday 27 LOW 35/19 A little snow Snow showers LA GRANDE BUSINESS LOANS for Bush v. Gore in 2000 but was a lawyer for Bush, has often tried to distance the court from the political branches of govern- ment and the politics he thinks could hurt the court’s reputation. It’s also not clear what legal issues might cause the justices to step in. Trump has made repeated, unsubstantiated claims of election fraud. Lawsuits fi led by his campaign so far have been small-scale efforts unlikely See, Election/Page 5A CONTACT US 541-963-3161 Issue 133 3 sections, 34 pages La Grande, Oregon Email story ideas to news@lagrande observer.com. 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