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About The Observer. (La Grande, Or.) 1968-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 24, 2020)
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 24, 2020 THE OBSERVER — 5A SHOP FAITH Continued from Page 1A Continued from Page 1A The La Grande Police Department has held Shop with a Cop for 12 years. In that time, 175 children have participated. In past years, 15 chil- dren participated in Shop with a Cop each Christmas season. The number was smaller this year because of COVID-19. Hays explained when 15 chil- dren were involved, the La Grande Police Department has needed offi cers from the Union County Sher- iff’s Offi ce and the Oregon State Police to help. Get- ting assistance from law enforcement from different agencies would have been more complicated this year in part because state rules for the virus are frequently changing. Hays said to simplify the process and make sched- uling easier, La Grande police ran Shop with a Cop exclusively with its own offi cers this year. He noted the Union County Sheriff’s Offi ce and the Oregon State Police always have been forging ahead with gath- ering plans for the hol- idays. The Christian Life Center in Elgin on Sunday, Dec. 20, held an in-person service. “It was wonderful,” said Christian Life Center pastor Eli Smith. “We had a special kids min- istry and women’s choir. It was just a great family atmosphere. Everybody was excited and rejoicing, and (there was) a sense of peace. That’s really what we were hoping for.” A video on the church’s Facebook page shows groups of un-masked attendees singing in close proximity, and people can be heard coughing in the indoor crowd. Smith said around 100 people attended the ser- vice, which was more than usual, but he said he was confi dent no one sick attended and the gathering would not lead to a rise in local COVID-19 cases. “I’m not worried at all, absolutely not,” Smith said. “We haven’t had any cases or outbreaks this whole time, from the very beginning of COVID until now, just because … common sense. If they feel like they’re sick or they’ve been around anyone with COVID, they’re gonna take the necessary precautions and self-isolate for 14 days and that kind of stuff.” Smith noted masks always are available at the front of the church and the center’s ushers do wear them, though he him- self did not wear a mask during the service despite the crowded environment. “No, I don’t wear a mask,” he said. “Preaching with a micro- phone, nobody would be able to hear. It’s hard enough to hear with the microphone, the lapel microphone, there’s no way anybody would be able to hear. It’d be all muffl ed if I wore a mask the whole time. It’s the same way with our singers. … It’d be almost impossible to try to have a normal service with masks on.” He also insisted that holding Christmas ser- SESSION Continued from Page 1A have liked to see the leg- islature make use of the spacious fi eld houses of area colleges, with each chamber meeting in a sep- arate athletic facility where observers could be safely accommodated with plenty of social distancing and ventilation. At minimum, he said, he would like to see citizens be allowed to make an appointment via Zoom to testify before committees. “When you go down a path that shuts out the public, that creates anxiety,” he said. As for the work accom- plished by the legislature during their one-day ses- sion, Smith said he was pleased to be able to vote to provide liability relief to schools as they navigate trying to open classrooms safely during the pandemic. However, he didn’t think the bill went far enough, and wished it also had extended protections to other cate- gories, such as the hospi- tality industry and medical clinics. He said said the $600 La Grande Police Department/Contributed Photo Lt. Jason Hays of the La Grande Police Department stands with DeMarion Ray and the pile of gifts the two bought together through the annual Shop With a Cop program, which took place between Dec. 1-18, 2020. more than willing to help Shop with a Cop. Hays wanted to keep the program going this year because it gives chil- dren a good Christmas season experience and allows them to make pos- itive connections with police officers. “We want kids to know that they should not fear police offi cers,” he said, “that we are their friends and are here to help them.” million the legislature set aside for additional COVID relief efforts seemed “rea- sonable,” and said he was glad to see additional fi nan- cial relief for tenants and landlords pass, but he did question the constitution- ality of the eviction morato- rium that has been in place since the spring. “The legislature has broad abilities, but the ability to break a contract is not one of them,” he said. Rep. Greg Barreto, R-Cove, could not attend the special session because he is self quarantining after possible exposure to someone with COVID-19. As of Tuesday, Dec. 22 Bar- reto was in the 10th day of a 14-day quarantine and has had no symptoms of the virus. The state representative said he would have voted for three of the four bills the Legislature passed on Dec. 21. The bill Barreto would have voted against is House Bill 4401 which extends a statewide moratorium on evictions until July 1, 2020. The eviction ban, which has been in place for at least several months and had been scheduled to lapse on Jan. 1, 2021. Barreto opposed HB 4401 because he said too many tenants are taking advantage of the statewide moratorium on evictions. Barreto said he would have supported House Bill 4402, which protects schools from COVID-19 lawsuits. HB 4402 would prevent a school from being liable if someone contracts COVID-19 through it. The state representative said HB 4402 is a good bill. However, he does have one reservation, explaining it is unfortunate that while the government is protecting schools, it is not protecting businesses in this way. Barreto also said he would have supported the legislation passed which provides more state funding for wildfi re recovery and Senate Bill 1801, which allows restaurants to sell to-go cocktails. Barreto said he supports the sale of take out cocktails because it will help restaurants. Barreto said he was opposed ear- lier to-go cocktail legisla- tion because it would have required restaurants to pay fees that would have made it cost prohibitive for restau- rants to offer this service. “The cost of making a cocktail would have been more than the sale,” Barreto said. Barreto said he doubts the to-go cocktail legislation will provide a major fi nan- cial boost to restaurants. Sen. Bill Hansell, R-Athena, also was excused from the special session while on a family vacation. He said he followed the ses- sion and the bills involved, however. Hansell said the $200 million in relief for land- lords and tenants is better than doing nothing, but said he is hearing it would take $500 million to make make landlords “whole” for the rent have not received this year due to the evic- tion moratorium. He said he would like to see addi- tional relief for landlords, either through legislation the next session or as part of the overall $600 million COVID relief funds. — Observer reporter Dick Mason contributed to this feature. vices online or through virtual formats was not an option. “It’s just not the same,” Smith said. “The expe- rience, being in church with people, seeing the expressions on their faces, the celebration of Jesus being born and the reason and everything that is all about, it’s just not the same watching virtually. We have a virtual audi- ence, and we make that available for people, but we encourage people to come in person.” Smith continued to defend his church’s gath- ering by citing a passage from Hebrews. “The Bible’s very clear in that God says ‘don’t forsake the gathering of the Saints,’ and it’s because corporate wor- ship is God’s idea, and so he blesses it,” Smith said. “And we want his pres- ence, we want his min- istry. ... It’s just absolutely not the same virtually.” Other faith organi- zations, however, have found ways to celebrate the holiday that miti- gate the risk of spreading COVID-19. La Grande’s United Methodist, Zion Lutheran and St. Peter’s Epis- copal churches have all turned to modifi ed for- mats for Christmas ser- vices. United Methodist, for example, plans to hold an outdoor Christmas Eve gathering in downtown La Grande where masks and social distancing will be required. There also will be no singing at the event. Others have posted services online and pro- vided virtual resources to help households safely connect during the pandemic. Among the myriad of challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic is the challenge of practicing congregate faith safely during a pandemic that has killed more than 300,000 Americans. The Oregon Health Authority has issued guidance on how to hold faith gatherings while minimizing the risk of spreading the disease. The OHA’s full guid- ance on COVID-19 safety for faith institutions can be found on its website at oregon.gov/oha. Gov. Brown sees ‘light at the end of this long tunnel’ By Sara Cline The Associated Press/Report for America PORTLAND — For most of the year Orego- nians have faced chal- lenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, but Gov. Kate Brown said on Tuesday, Dec. 22, people fi nally caught a glimpse of the “light at the end of this long tunnel.” In the past week, thou- sands of Oregon health care workers were vacci- nated, weekly coronavirus cases decreased and, on Dec. 21, Oregon lawmakers passed COVID-19 related bills that include $800 mil- lion in relief to people struggling from the pan- demic and wildfi res. “I know the mere thought of 2020 coming to an end brings a smile to many of our faces. It surely has been a year for the books,” Brown said. “Even in our most diffi - cult moments, I continue to be endlessly impressed with how Oregonians come together and lift one another up during tough times.” Last week, Oregon received a total of 35,100 doses of the Pfi zer La GRANDE AUTO REPAIR TownNews.com Content Exchange Gov. Kate Brown said Tuesday, Dec. 22, 2020, that people have caught a glimpse of the “light at the end of this long tunnel.” COVID-19 vaccine and 4,475 people were vacci- nated. This week, Oregon health offi cials expect an additional 97,450 Pfi zer and Moderna doses of the vaccine. “In case anyone has doubts, Oregon wants as much vaccine as pos- sible as soon as we can get it,” Patrick Allen, the director of the Oregon Health Authority, said Dec. 22. “We believe every adult Oregonian should be immunized against this potentially deadly virus.” While Oregon health care workers have already begun to be vaccinated, Gov. Brown said this week the vaccines will also be administered to long-term care residents and staff. “Since the very early days of this pandemic, one of the greatest tragedies has been the deadly nature of COVID-19 for our seniors living in long-term care,” Brown said. In addition, Brown said that teachers, school staff and child care providers “must be at the top of the list in Oregon’s next round of vaccines.” “As we continue to work toward stemming the spread of COVID-19 in our communities, getting our teachers and school staff vaccinated will help ensure we are making learning environments as safe as possible,” Brown said. Lawmakers also played a part in the step towards students’ returning to in person school by voting in favor of a bill Monday that protects schools from some coronavirus-related lawsuits. The other bills that law- makers passed during the Dec. 21 one-day special legislative session were an eviction moratorium that includes $200 million in relief for landlords and ten- ants, a restaurant relief package that includes a provision legalizing cock- tails to-go and a measure that will transfer $600 mil- lion in to the state’s emer- gency fund for COVID-19 and wildfi re-response and recovery. “Both the $800 mil- lion in relief from our state Legislature, and the long awaited stimulus package from Congress will be an enormous lifeline for Ore- Sponsored by: 2nd Annual 975-2000 www.lagrandeautorepair.com MOST ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY AVAILABLE Joe Horst ACDelcoTSS COMPETITION The Second Annual County-wide Decorating Competition For a full list of Holiday houses and map of the route. Visit is here! Winners are selected based on creatively decorated homes, streets and businesses — for trophies & prizes — call BRAGGING RIGHTS!! including energy credits from OTEC — and or serious www.VisitUnionCounty.org 541-963-8588 gonians who have suf- fered so much,” Brown said. “It will help carry us through the coming months as we continue to gain traction with our vaccine campaign.” Since the start of the pandemic, the Oregon Health Authority has reported more than 103,755 coronavirus cases. The death toll is 1,347. Last week’s Oregon’s case count decreased by 11% from the week before, offi cials said. And while health offi - cials say the arrival of the vaccines, decrease in cases and added safety nets for those struggling during the pandemic, Oregonians must con- tinue to follow COVID-19 related safety measures, especially during the upcoming holidays. “I know it’s hard as we approach Christmas and New Year’s. But in a time of pandemic, we’ve all learned how a joyous gathering can have life-al- tering consequences,” Allen said. “Don’t let the memories of this holiday turn into painful regrets because a gathering led to a tragic outbreak.” “Real Food for the People” Open Fri-Sun Take-out Menu 5pm-8pm Updated Weekly www.tendepotstreet.com 541-963-8766 tendepotstreet@gmail.com be There will on NO PAPER Saturday r 26, Decembe 2020
