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THURSDAY • January 7, 2021
• $1.50
Good day to our valued subscriber Julia Samples of La Grande
Gray wolves
delisted,
remain
protected in
Oregon
By KALEB LAY
The Observer
SALEM — Gray wolves no
longer receive protection under
the federal Endangered Species
Act, but they do from the state of
Oregon.
The U.S. Fish and Wild-
life Service formally removed
the gray wolf species from the
endangered species list effective
Monday, Jan. 4, in the lower 48
United States. The change trans-
fers wolf protections from the fed-
eral government to state govern-
ments. In Oregon, that job goes
to the Oregon Department of Fish
and Wildlife.
The known wolf popula-
tion in the state has grown from
14 in 2009 to 158 at the end of
2019, with 141 of those found in
ODFW’s eastern management
zone.
ODFW said in a press release
the most signifi cant change to the
management of Oregon’s wolves
will be in the form of depredation.
ODFW could allow the lethal
removal of a wolf in situations
where nonlethal measures have
proven unsuccessful.
Nonlethal and preventative
measures for resolving con-
fl icts with wolves are a focus for
ODFW.
“Wolves remain protected
throughout the state. Hunting and
trapping of wolves remains pro-
hibited statewide,” according to
an ODFW press release.
Fish and Wildlife encouraged
livestock producers to visit their
website to review preventative
measures to limit confl icts with
wolves and to sign up for updates
on wolf-livestock confl icts.
“We thank all landowners in
areas with wolves for going the
extra mile to implement nonle-
thal measures over the past few
years,” said ODFW Director Curt
Melcher. “We know that regard-
less of whether or not you lose
livestock to wolves, their presence
requires changes to your business
practices, and we thank you for
taking these steps to reduce con-
fl icts with wolves.”
ODFW identifi es “areas of
known wolf activity,” where
packs have become established
— such as the Clark Creek Pack
in Union and Wallowa counties.
The agency communicates with
livestock producers in these areas
about wolf conservation and non-
lethal protection measures, such
as fencing, protection dogs and
alarms. They emphasize these
measures in “areas of depredating
Julio Cortez/AP Photo
President Donald Trump supporters try to break through a police barrier, Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021, at the Capitol in Washington. As
Congress prepared to affi rm President-elect Joe Biden’s victory, thousands of people gathered to show their support for Trump and
his claims of election fraud.
Scenes of chaos
Capitol complex secure after violent occupation
By LISA MASCARO, ERIC TUCKER
and MARY CLARE JALONICK
Associated Press
WASHINGTON — Violent protesters
loyal to President Donald Trump stormed
the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, Jan. 6,
and forced lawmakers into hiding, in a
stunning attempt to overturn America’s
presidential election, undercut the nation’s
democracy and keep Democrat Joe Biden
from replacing Trump in the White
House.
The National Guard and state and fed-
eral police were called in for control, and
the mayor of Washington imposed a rare
evening curfew. One person was reported
to have been shot.
Offi cials declared the U.S. Capitol com-
plex “secure” after heavily armed police
moved to end the nearly four-hour violent
occupation.
An announcement saying “the Capitol
is secure” rang out Wednesday evening
inside a secure location for offi cials of the
House. Lawmakers applauded.
The occupation interrupted Congress’
Electoral College count that will formalize
President-elect Joe Biden’s upcoming
inauguration on Jan. 20.
Lawmakers were evacuated to secure
locations around the Capitol complex
and Washington, D.C. after thousands of
Trump supporters breached the building
and skirmished with police offi cers.
Lawmakers have signaled they would
resume the constitutionally mandated
count as soon as it was safe to do so.
The protesters were egged on by
Trump and his false attacks on the integ-
rity of the November presidential election.
While rallying his supporters outside the
White House, he urged them to march to
the Capitol. But later — hours after they
See, Wolves/Page 5A
Andrew Harnik/(AP Photo
U.S. Capitol Police with guns drawn stand near a barricaded door as protesters try
to break into the House Chamber at the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021, in
Washington.
INSIDE
• Oregon’s congressional delegation reacts to the turmoil and violence, Page 5A
fought police and breached the building —
he told them that although they were “very
special people” and he backed their cause,
they should “go home in peace.”
Biden, two weeks away from being
inaugurated, declared in Wilmington,
Delaware: “I call on President Trump to
go on national television now to fulfi ll
his oath and defend the Constitution and
demand an end to this siege.”
Biden said democracy was “under
unprecedented assault,” a sentiment
echoed by many in Congress, including
some Republicans.
The chaotic protests halted Congress’
constitutionally mandated counting of the
Electoral College results, in which Biden
defeated Trump, 306-232.
Republican Senate Majority Leader
Mitch McConnell had tried to steer Con-
gress away from Wednesday’s formal pro-
test of those results, and he said at the start
See, Chaos/Page 5A
Health care worker recovers after vaccine reaction
Adverse reaction to Moderna COVID-19 vaccine
could be the first in Oregon
By RONALD BOND
Wallowa County Chieftain
ENTERPRISE — A Wallowa
Memorial Hospital health care
worker has recovered and is out
of the hospital after the Oregon
Health Authority reported late
Thursday, Dec. 31, the individual
suffered an allergic reaction to
the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine.
The OHA, in its initial press
release, said the hospital worker
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was hospitalized after experi-
encing anaphylaxis following
their fi rst shot of the two-dose
vaccine.
In a follow-up email with the
Chieftain on Monday, Jan. 4,
OHA’s COVID-19 Health Infor-
mation Center spokesperson
Delia Hernandez said anaphy-
laxis was the only reaction the
individual had to the vaccine.
Brooke Pace, Wallowa
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CCC COMMISSIONER
Memorial Hospital’s commu-
nications director, said late
Tuesday morning the health care
worker, who had received the
fi rst dose Dec. 30, recovered and
had been released.
Pace also said nobody else in
the county who has received a
dose of the vaccine has had an
adverse response.
“There have been no other
severe reactions,” she said.
According to Ruthie Mann,
WMH’s infection-control offi cer,
the reaction to the vaccine hap-
pened within a couple of minutes
of it being administered, well
Full forecast on the back of B section
Tonight
Friday
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38/27
Cloudy
A bit of snow
within the observation window.
“All individuals are asked to
stay for 15 minutes after the vac-
cination,” Mann said, explaining
the process. “Once a reaction is
suspected, we assess for signs
and symptoms of a reaction and
the severity. We obtain vital
signs, check airway and eval-
uate the person’s reported symp-
toms. We have an anaphylaxis
kit available with the necessary
drugs and medical equipment
needed to initiate treatment. We
simultaneously start treatment
See, Reaction/Page 5A
CONTACT US
541-963-3161
Issue 3
3 sections, 22 pages
La Grande, Oregon
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observer.com.
More contact info
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Online at lagrandeobserver.com