THURSDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2020
THE OBSERVER — 5A
TOURS
to COVID-19 social dis-
tancing rules. Multiple
tours, however, will run
at the same time, allowing
many to take part.
Halladay said Return to
Bethlehem will be able to
provide tours to a total of
347 people in one day and
still meet COVID-19 social
distancing standards. And
there is an elevator available
to help those with mobility
issues to reach the site.
The tours are free, but
people planning to attend
are encouraged to reserve
tickets online by going to
www.abundantlife.tick-
etleap.com.
Abundant Life, a group
of members of different
local churches, is putting
on Return to Bethlehem.
Halladay said between 70
and 100 people have helped
with the creation of this
program.
“The main purpose
of this is to help us come
together as a community,”
Halladay said.
John Bozarth, who was
just elected to a position on
the La Grande City Council,
is among the strong sup-
porters of the project. He
said it is needed because of
the challenges the world has
experienced this year.
“This is important
because we need a
little hope,” Bozarth
said. “It is important to
look at the spiritual
aspect of Christmas.”
another COVID-19 relief
package, Brown’s pro-
posed budget calls for fed-
eral funds for COVID-19
testing, health services,
rent forgiveness, targeted
mortgage relief, additional
$600 payments in Federal
Pandemic Unemployment
Insurance, a renewal of the
Paycheck Protection Pro-
gram for small businesses,
child care support and more
fl exible Coronavirus Relief
Fund support for local and
state governments.
In addition to applying
federal funds towards pan-
demic response, the gov-
ernor’s budget invests $30
million in public health
modernization “to better
prepare Oregon’s public
health system to respond
to events like the current
pandemic.
The budget also includes
$17.9 million in invest-
ments in a range of strat-
egies to protect seniors
living in assisted living and
nursing homes where there
have been an abundance of
COVID-19 outbreaks. Ore-
gonians who are 80 or older
account for more than half
of the state’s COVID-19
deaths.
Those also struggling
during the pandemic are
small business owners and
workers.
Restaurants have been
forced to close their doors,
only allowing takeout, as
an effort to slow the spread
of the virus and some-
times results in closing
their doors for good. Since
the start of the COVID-19
pandemic, about 200
restaurants, or 2%, have
permanently closed in the
state.
“The COVID-19 pan-
demic has had a devas-
tating fi nancial impact on
many Oregon businesses
and working families,”
said Charles Boyle, the
governor’s deputy commu-
nications director.
The governor’s budget
also seeks to maintain
funding for the Oregon
Worker Relief Fund,
Oregon Worker Quar-
antine Fund, and the
COVID-19 temporary paid
leave program, to con-
tinue to support Oregon
workers during the pan-
demic. In addition the
budget maintains funding
for the Oregon Employ-
ment Department to ensure
Oregon workers are paid
the benefi ts they are owed,
as well as for Oregon
OSHA, to ensure work-
place protections continue
to be enforced.
As people have lost their
jobs, their housing at times
has also been at risk.
Brown also is pro-
posing that $65.9 million be
invested into housing and
homelessness, $350 million
be used for rent assistance
and $250 million for afford-
able housing development
funds.
The governor also is
calling for reforms in
the justice system, from
expanding police account-
ability measures, reforming
courts and stabilizing the
Department of Corrections
budget going forward.
In addition, the pan-
demic has exacerbated dis-
parities in education. One
of the largest challenges
for rural and impover-
ished students is access to
the internet. Brown is pro-
posing an investment of
$118 million in broadband
expansion statewide to con-
nect an additional 50 com-
munities that lack access.
Lastly, the governor is
working to tackle the issues
of wildfi res, which burned
a million acres, destroyed
hundreds of homes and
killed at least nine Orego-
nians this year.
Brown’s budget ded-
icates $189.5 million to
rebuild communities
impacted by the fi res.
In addition, the gover-
nor’s Wildfi re Economic
Recovery Council will
have access to an addi-
tional $170 million of
community development
resources to support debris
cleanup, tree removal,
sheltering and housing,
food assistance and com-
munity infrastructure.
Continued from Page 1A
The La Grande Sev-
enth-day Adventist Church
provided the facades. The
church has used them for
years at its popular Living
Nativity display, which
often included a live camel.
The church will not be
able to conduct its Nativity
scene this Christmas
season, Halladay said, so
it provided items to the
Return to Bethlehem pro-
gram. He said he is grateful
for the assistance of the
church.
Return to Bethlehem
tours will operate the
next three Saturdays in
December (Dec. 5, 12 and
19) from 2-4:30 p.m. and
5:30-8 p.m. The guided
tours will take about 25
minutes, with groups
limited to six or fewer
people in order to adhere
BUDGET
Continued from Page 1A
budget document said.
A signifi cant amount of
the cuts fell on public safety
and included the closure
of three prisons in the next
two years.
In addition Oregon faces
a $718 million budget gap
for the Oregon Health Plan,
largely due to the pandemic.
Some of that gap will
require “cost savings and
asking our already-stressed
health system to share in
the sacrifi ce.” This could
include lower than antic-
ipated compensation for
healthcare providers,
which resulted in hospitals
decrying the budget.
“She has chosen to pro-
pose direct cuts to hospitals
in the middle of the biggest
public health crisis in a cen-
tury,” said Becky Hultberg,
the president and CEO of
the Oregon Association of
Hospitals and Health Sys-
tems. “Cuts of this magni-
tude could force hospitals
to reduce service to Orego-
nians during a pandemic.”
However, Brown’s
budget would keep the
state’s main school fund rel-
atively unchanged at $9.1
billion. In addition, the
governor’s budget stabi-
lizes education funding by
drawing $215 million from
the Education Stability
Fund for public schools.
The governor’s recom-
mended biennium budget
spending plan is $100.2 bil-
lion in total funds spending,
including $25.6 billion in
general and lottery funds.
Lawmakers will consider
it when they convene in
Salem in January. Brown’s
fellow Democrats control
the Legislature.
As lawmakers wait to
see if Congress will pass
Dick Mason/The Observer
A realistic cutout of a donkey is among the displays on
the Return to Bethlehem walking tour that opens Saturday,
Dec. 5, 2020, in the basement of Market Place Fresh Foods,
La Grande.
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• 10 Depot Street,
La Grande
• Brother Bear Café,
La Grande
• Community
Kindness, La Grande
• Cove Drive-In, Cove
• Le Bebe Cakes
Bakery, La Grande
• Maurice’s, Island City
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• Union Stoplight, Union
• Real Deals,
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Vaccine could
be available this
month in Oregon
By Gary A. Warner
Oregon Capital Bureau
SALEM — Pending
federal approval, the fi rst
35,100 of a COVID-19
vaccine shots could be
administered in Oregon
on Dec. 15, the gover-
nor’s offi ce confi rmed
Monday, Nov. 30.
The vaccine, created
by Pfi zer, is being sent
to states in advance of
expected approval by
the U.S. Food and Drug
Administration. A total
of 6.4 million doses of
the vaccine are being sent
to states in quantities
based on their per capita
percentage of the U.S.
population.
The fi rst shipment
of shots in Oregon will
be used to inoculate
doctors, nurses, health
care workers and med-
ical facility staff who
are working around
COVID-19 patients.
State health offi cials
have cautioned that vac-
cines for all the general
public who want one will
likely take months.
Inoculation requires
two shots given 19-23
days apart. On Dec. 31,
Oregon would receive
another 35,100 doses for
the second shot to be
given to those who had
started the inoculation
process.
An additional 52,650
doses in the shipment
would be used as the fi rst
shot for the next group of
vaccine recipients.
Additional doses of
the Pfi zer shot will arrive
regularly beginning in
January. After health care
personnel, a draft pro-
posal of the state’s vac-
cine plan calls for inocu-
lation of at-risk residents
of congregate care facil-
ities such as nursing
homes, along with staff
who come in contact with
residents.
If a second vaccine
from Moderna becomes
available, as expected by
year end, the number of
people inoculated can be
increased.
Oregon Health and
Science University,
meanwhile, is seeking
Portland-area residents to
participate in a research
study evaluating a poten-
tial COVID-19 vaccine
developed by Oxford
University and the phar-
maceutical company
AstraZeneca.
The clinical trial seeks
to enroll 30,000 partic-
ipants to evaluate the
safety and effectiveness
of the investigational vac-
cine known as AZD1222.
The experimental vaccine
is designed to be given
in two injections that are
administered about four
weeks apart.
The study strives to
enroll a diverse group,
prioritizing those who are
older than 55 and people
of color, the Portland uni-
versity said.
Two-thirds of partic-
ipants will receive the
experimental vaccine and
one third will receive a
placebo.
— The Associated
Press contributed to this
report.
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LOCAL-OPOLY
SHOP HOP
GAME RUNS Dec. 3-5, 2020: Collect Properties
for a Chance to Win Real Prizes!
• Carpet One, La Grande
• Rosewood Cottge,
La Grande
• Direct Music Source,
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• Cherry’s Florist,
La Grande
• Fitzgerald Flowers
La Grande
• Tap That Growlers,
La Grande
• Cat’s Paw, Union
• Buffalo Peak, Union
• Legacy Ford,
La Grande
For Info 541-963-8588
Info@VisitUnionCounty.org
www.VisitUnionCounty.org
Northeast Oregon Directory of Churches
Services
This Week
GRACE COMMUNITY
LUTHERAN CHURCH
The Place
62848 Philynda Loop in Island City
“We are called to Serve”
Sunday School for all ages - 9:00 am
Sunday Worship 10:00 am
Phone: 541-568-4230
grace.lutherancove@gmail.com
LA GRANDE UNITED
METHODIST CHURCH
“OPEN HEARTS, OPEN MINDS, OPEN DOORS”
1612 4th Street – 963-2498
Pastor Taylor Gould
For service information go to
www.lagrandeumc.org
Imbler
Christian
Church
440 Ruckman, Imbler 534-2201
www.imblerchristianchurch.org
Sunday Services
9:00 a.m.
10:00 a.m.
Sunday School
Worship Service
Zion Lutheran
Church
(an ELCA church)
902 Fourth Street,
La Grande, OR
(541) 963-5998
9:00 am - Worship
10:00 am - Fellowship & Refreshments
10:30 am - Classes
Pastor: Roberta Smythe
www.zionlagrande.org
Cove United
Methodist Church
1708 Jasper St., Cove, OR
North Powder
United
Methodist Church
First Christian
Church
(Disciples of Christ)
901 Penn Avenue 963-2623
lgdisciples@gmail.com
390 E. St., North Powder, OR
JOIN US... Catch the Spirit!
Worship
10:00 a.m.
Worship: 9:00 a.m. Cove
Worship: 10:00 a.m. N. Powder ~Join us at The Lord’s Table~
Amazing Grace
Fellowship
1316 T St., La Grande, OR
541-568-4567
Sunday 10:30 a.m.
2 Cor 12:9 My Grace is
sufficient for you.
SUMMERVILLE
BAPTIST CHURCH
Sunday Services:
Sunday School & Adult Bible Classes
9:45AM
Children’s Church & Worship Service
11:00AM
Family Worship Service
6:00PM
Wednesday:
Prayer Mtg, Children’s Bible Club, Youth
Group 7:00PM
A church for your whole family
IS 40:31
Visit us at summervillebaptistchurch.org
La Grande Seventh-day
Adventist Church
1531 S. Main St.
Union
541-562-5531
A Place where hope is found in Jesus
Join us in Fellowship & Worship
Saturday 11am
2702 Adams Avenue, La Grande
963-4018
lagrandeor.adventistchurch.org
Learning for Today and Eternity
Little Friends
Christian Preschool/Childcare 963-6390
La Grande Adventist Christian School
K-8th Grade 963-6203
www.UnionBaptistOregon.org
109 18th Street • 963-3402
Sunday School 9:15 a.m.
Sunday Worship 10:30 a.m.
Sunday Morning Worship
Service 11:00 am
Sunday School at 9:45 a.m.
Birthing, Building and Being
the Body of Christ
FIRST LANDMARK
MISSIONARY BAPTIST
CHURCH
1812 1st St. La Grande
Pastor Dave Tierce • 541-605-0215
We use the King James Version Bible
Sunday School - 10:00 am
Worship 11:00 am
Sunday Evening Bible Study - 3:00 pm (Effective June 10)
Wednesday Evening - 6:30 pm
“Where you can find TRUTH according to the scriptures”
www.flmbclagrande.com