THURSDAY, JANUARY 28, 2021
RATES
Continued from Page 1A
graduation rates. Charter
school districts must accept
all students who transfer
in from other districts if it
has room for them. This
means, for example, Cove
may be more likely to
get a student transferring
in his or her junior year
who has earned limited
credits, greatly reducing
their chance of graduating
their senior year. Pettit said
when this happens students
may be put on a program
LOOSE
Continued from Page 1A
of the Moderna and Pfi zer
vaccines that have been
approved for use on adults.
The vaccines require two
shots space about a month
apart.
Oregon is currently
on pace to get more than
12,000 shots administered
per day. Allen said that
OHA estimates 3.2 million
adults are eligible for vac-
cination, meaning that the
state will need 6.4 million
doses of vaccine to fi nish
the job.
Allen said the state had
enough centers for inocula-
tion and qualifi ed workers
to give the shots. It just
didn’t have vaccine to put
to work.
There is hope that
new vaccines from Astra
Zeneca, Johnson & Johnson
and others will be approved
and increase the fl ow of
available doses across the
country.
Allen said with only the
two approved vaccines and
the current projected rate
of supply coming to the
state each week, some Ore-
gonians will not be inocu-
lated until the end of 2021
or beyond.
The state is currently
working through the
highest priority group:
GYMS
Continued from Page 1A
Under the four-tier
risk ratings, counties are
assigned a level based on
COVID-19 spread: lower,
moderate, high or extreme.
As the levels go up, more
health and safety mea-
sures, along with business
and activity restrictions,
are required.
Tillamook County was
the big mover, dropping
from extreme risk all the
way to lower risk. Curry
County went from mod-
erate to lower. Grant rose
from lower to moderate
risk. All other counties
remained in the current
status.
The levels will be in
place from Friday through
Feb. 11, with the next revi-
sion announced Feb. 9.
Brown’s new guidelines
allow for indoor activi-
ties that were previously
banned in extreme risk
counties.
Beginning Friday, a
maximum of six people
can be indoors at facili-
ties such as gyms that are
larger than 500 square feet.
The new rules do not per-
tain to indoor dining.
THE OBSERVER — 5A
allowing them to graduate
as fi fth-year seniors.
“We put them on a dif-
ferent track,” he said.
Statewide graduation
rates at Oregon’s public
high schools rose 2.6%
from 2018-19, according
to an InterMountain Edu-
cation Service District
press release. A factor
that may have increased
graduation rates in 2020
was the state’s waiver of
its requirement that stu-
dents pass essential skills
tests for math, reading
and writing. The state
waived the requirement
due to the COVID-19
pandemic.
Baxter said his school
has never had students
not graduate because they
could not pass the essential
skills tests. However, he
said the need to pass these
tests has made it harder for
students to graduate in pre-
vious years because they
were often concentrating
more on the exams than on
completing classes needed
to earn a diploma.
“The waiver took pres-
sure off students,” Baxter
said, “and allowed them to
focus on their school work.”
Health care workers, plus
residents and staff of
nursing homes that have
accounted for over half of
the deaths in Oregon.
Sen. Tim Knopp,
R-Bend, a member of the
committee, said he’d heard
from constituents upset
with Brown’s decision to
vaccinate about 150,000
educators and school
workers next as a step to
getting schools reopened
this spring.
Those over 65 are the
most likely to suffer severe
illness or die from COVID-
19, with fatality rates rising
as people get into their 70s,
80s, or 90s. After waiting
nearly a year in fear and
isolation, the word that they
will have to wait longer
because of a desire to
reopen schools is diffi cult
to accept.
“They are very, very
unhappy about it,” Knopp
said.
Allen said that the fed-
eral guidelines calling for
seniors living outside of
nursing homes as the next
priority are “advisory” with
each state being able to
make its own decisions.
“We had to ask, what are
our priorities going to be?”
Allen said.
Moving the schools
group ahead of seniors
meant the start date for
inoculation of older Orego-
nians living independently
was pushed back from
Monday to Feb. 8. Even
then, only those over 80
can apply at fi rst. The eli-
gibility age will drop fi ve
years each week, until those
65 and over are eligible
March 1.
Oregon is the only state
that has placed educators
above seniors in priority for
the vaccine.
Allen defended the deci-
sion, saying that Brown and
OHA are trying to balance
a variety of health needs.
Getting educators vacci-
nated could return chil-
dren to in-class instruc-
tion, which state education
experts say will improve
their learning, as well as
emotional and physical
health.
“We are trying to
accommodate a lot of dif-
ferent health objectives,”
Allen said. “We are making
progress.”
Opponents of Brown’s
decision to prioritize
teachers and school workers
say that there is no guar-
antee that teachers will
return to the classroom
if children aren’t vacci-
nated. Some educators have
expressed concern that chil-
dren could infect each other
and while they are unlikely
to become severely ill,
they could infect parents
and grandparents at home.
Facilities smaller than
500 square feet allow for
one-to-one customer expe-
riences, such as personal
training.
All facilities must
follow guidelines on social
distancing, face coverings,
hygiene and cleaning of
surfaces. The full updated
guidance will be posted to
www.coronavirus.oregon.
gov by Jan. 29.
Cory Sudbrock, gen-
eral manager of Grande
Ronde Fitness Club, 2214
Adams Ave., La Grande,
said he and his staff are
in the process of deter-
mining what they will
do. He said Brown’s six-
person limit will make
it diffi cult to operate the
fi tness center. He said
having only six people
in at a time while having
an employee working
there does not make sense
fi nancially.
“It does not pencil out,”
Sudbrock said.
The general manager
said he hopes to get more
clarifi cation on what the
governor’s announcement
means.
Sudbrock said many
club members have been
calling since Tuesday but
that is nothing new.
“About a dozen people
(club members) have been
calling me every day since
we closed,” Sudbrock said.
The news could be
better but Sudbrock is
encouraged by Brown’s
step.
“It is better than staying
closed,” he said. “At least it
is progress.”
Brown encouraged
people to exercise outdoors
whenever possible.
“The science has shown
us that outdoor activities
are safer than indoor activ-
ities when it comes to the
spread of COVID 19,” she
said.
But a recent drop in
infection rates and the
lack of a major spike in
COVID-19 cases over the
winter holidays allowed
for some limited indoor
activity during the colder
winter months.
“We have seen over
the last several weeks that
Oregonians have largely
complied with risk levels
to the point that we have
not seen a surge in hos-
pitalizations that would
have jeopardized hospital
capacity,” Brown said.
— Observer reporter
Dick Mason contributed
to this article.
RETREAT
Continued from Page 1A
takeout only — we don’t
want to lose any more of
those businesses.”
Clements voiced similar
sentiments, saying he pre-
ferred not to commit addi-
tional resources so long as
state and federal programs
were available to help busi-
nesses, but he supported
keeping some funds in
reserve as a safety net. Coun-
cilor Mary Ann Meisner
added her support for that
course of action as well.
Kaleb Lay/The Observer, File
The La Grande City Council met for is annual work retreat
on Monday, Jan. 25, and Tuesday, Jan. 26, 2021, to set out
priorities for the coming year. Topics included COVID-19
recovery, city development and wildfi re emergency pre-
paredness.
City development
One major topic of dis-
cussion during the Monday
night half of the council’s
retreat was the city’s busi-
ness park, which La Grande
has used in recent years in
an attempt to attract out-of-
area businesses to develop
a local presence and boost
economic activity.
Councilors voiced
their displeasure with the
park’s lackluster perfor-
mance and expressed con-
cerns about dedicating large
chunks of funding toward
it, especially given the pan-
demic largely has halted
efforts to recruit incoming
businesses.
“So we have $400,000
dedicated to the business
park, and we’ve just talked
about how we’re not going
to be actively recruiting
people because of COVID-
19,” said Councilor John
Bozarth. “Why in the hell
are we doing that?”
Councilor Nicole
Howard shared Bozarth’s
concerns, referring to the
business park as an “alba-
tross” and suggesting the
city’s efforts may be better
focused elsewhere.
“Light industry is not
fl ocking to La Grande,”
Howard said. “The couple
of bites we had didn’t take
for all kinds of reasons,
some of them unfortunate.
I wouldn’t want to spend
any more energy than we’re
spending to get somebody
out there because I don’t
think that dog can hunt.”
Christine Jarski, eco-
nomic development director
for the city, said one reason
businesses have been reluc-
tant to invest in the park
was because it is in a
fl oodplain.
Clements fl oated the
possibility of reallocating
funds from the business
park instead to be eligible
for calls for projects in the
downtown area.
Housing, poverty
and homelessness
Since the completion of
La Grande’s housing needs
analysis in June 2019,
which confi rmed the city
was in dire need of addi-
Bozarth
Clements
Howard
Glabe
tional housing, the city
council has been working
toward the adoption of
a housing production
strategy.
That strategy has been
in production for several
months, Community Devel-
opment Director Mike
Boquist told the council
on Tuesday, and could be
ready for review in the
coming months.
“We’ll get the public’s
input on what they see as
our needs for the commu-
nity and challenges that
may need to be overcome,”
Boquist said.
Clements said he
believed the issues of
housing and homelessness
in La Grande were closely
linked. He also raised the
possibility of developing
a homeless shelter in La
Grande, saying he did not
support the city itself doing
so but the concept needed
to remain on the council’s
radar.
“The city is unable,
I believe, to bring any
resources to (addressing
homelessness) in any mean-
ingful way,” said Clem-
ents, suggesting the council
should fi nd ways to be
involved and keep informed
on the efforts of local orga-
nizations such as Housing
Matters Union County.
Howard pointed to the
efforts of the Cook Memo-
rial Library, which has
implemented free Wi-Fi
hotspots and technical
help with matters such as
printing, as an example of
measures that help take on
the issue of poverty.
Kip Roberson, director
of the library, suggested the
council follow a national
trend in doing away with
late fees for overdue library
materials, saying the fees
disproportionately burden
those unable to afford them
— often, those who rely on
library services the most.
“The American Library
Association recommends
Strope
that libraries not charge
overdue fi nes on at least
the basic library materials,”
Roberson said. “I would
like to eliminate those.
Studies have shown that
doesn’t affect the return of
library items, that overdue
fi nes are not punitive to
those who can afford them
and they only hurt those
who can’t really afford to
pay them.”
The council appeared
widely supportive of the
idea, with many nodding in
agreement as Strope enter-
tained the idea of moving
forward with a vote in the
near future.
Wildfi re
preparedness
As the western United
States has burned with
more and more intensity
during recent fi re seasons,
the destruction of towns
such as Paradise, Cali-
fornia, and Phoenix, here
in Oregon, have illustrated
in no uncertain terms
the risk many communi-
ties, including La Grande,
carry during the summer
months.
While it was one of
the last points the council
discussed Tuesday eve-
ning, the council struck an
urgent tone on the subject
of wildfi re preparedness.
Howard minced no words
on the issue.
“I think that we are not
prepared. I think we do
not have a clear evacua-
tion plan or communica-
tion plan,” Howard said.
“When you look at what’s
happening in the West,
you’ve got your head in the
sand if you don’t think it’s
going to happen to us this
July, or this August.”
Howard went on to say
La Grande needed a “clear
community plan” on what
to do in the event of a
wildfi re emergency, and
development of that plan
needed to happen quickly.
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