SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2021
VIRUS
Continued from Page 1A
Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention.
According to the CDC,
as of Feb. 17, 140 reported
COVID-19 deaths have
come from children and
teenagers younger than 14.
Only 1.3% of the state’s
confi rmed and presump-
tive COVID-19 cases
among children 9 years old
or younger required hos-
pitalization, according to
the CDC. The state has
reported just under 7,000
cases of the virus among
children.
Cases in Union,
Wallowa counties
Union County’s offi -
cial number of COVID-19
cases creeped up this week
to 1,259, an increase of just
10 cases since Monday,
Feb. 15. The Oregon Health
Authority also reported no
new deaths in the county
from the virus.
But the La Grande
School District on
Thursday, Feb. 18, in an
email reported in the fi rst
two weeks of February, 11
staff and 83 students tested
positive for COVID-19, dis-
played a primary COVID-19
symptom or were identifi ed
as a close contact.
“Staff members and
students being identifi ed
as close contacts cause a
largely preventable insta-
bility to our operations,”
according to the message
from Superintendent George
Mendoza.
He urged parents and
guardians to take the fol-
lowing steps to help La
Grande schools:
• Keep children home if
they show any COVID-19
primary symptoms.
• Contact school nursing
staff or a building adminis-
trator if you or someone in
your household is showing
primary symptoms or is a
close contact.
• Work to avoid members
of your household being
within 6 feet of people out-
side your household for
longer than 15 minutes.
Following these steps
“to the greatest extent pos-
sible,” the message stated,
would help “limit staff
and students being iso-
lated/quarantined and will
help keep our schools in
operation.”
Mendoza also pleaded
with families in the district
to heed precautions to pre-
vent the spread of COVID-
19, including “guiding all
members of your family to
wear face coverings, wash
their hands frequently, cover
their coughs and sneezes
and avoid contact with
people who have signs of
illness.” He also said mem-
bers of households need to
get plenty of rest, exercise
and eat a healthy diet.
Wallowa County had two
BILLS
Continued from Page 1A
know what districts will
look like earlier than late
fall at best.
Legislative logjam
Lawmakers have sub-
mitted thousands of new
bills and resolutions for the
session — with the over-
whelming majority headed
for the trash bin.
Concern over pos-
sible right-wing violence
last month and winter
storms this month have put
the 2021 session behind
schedule from the begin-
ning. The Legislature is
constitutionally required to
adjourn July 1.
Deadlines are starting to
loom. Friday, Feb. 19, was
the deadline for drafted bills
to be sent from staff to law-
makers. The fi nal day that
bills can be introduced is
Feb. 23. With the exception
of bills that go to Rules or
Ways and Means commit-
tees, bills that don’t hit key
deadlines automatically die.
Bills must have a work
session — when a bill is
brought up for a vote by
committee — scheduled by
March 19. The work session
must occur by April 13. At
THE OBSERVER — 5A
new cases of COVID-19 in
the Oregon Health Authori-
ty’s report Wednesday, Feb.
17, which brings the overall
total in the county to 139
since the start of the pan-
demic. There have been 37
cases in the month of Feb-
ruary. The rate of infection
in the county is now just
less than 2%.
The statewide scene
Oregon added 492 new
cases of COVID-19 on
Friday, Feb. 19, bringing the
state’s total to 152,190. The
Oregon Health Authority
also reported the death toll
is 2,149.
There have been more
than 755,000 doses of
the COVID-19 vaccine
administered, and more
than 232,000 people have
received both doses for full
inoculation.
And most Oregon coun-
ties would maintain or
improve their COVID-19
risk rating next week,
according to preliminary
data from the Oregon Health
Authority.
Counties won’t offi cially
fi nd out where they place
on the four tiers of risk level
until Tuesday, Feb. 23. The
Oregon Health Authority
measures COVID-19 cases
and positive test percent-
ages each week. Every
other week, it uses the num-
bers to adjust the position
of counties on the four-tier
risk chart of extreme, high,
medium and lower risk.
Each category has dif-
ferent restrictions on busi-
nesses and activities.
Malheur County is on
track to move from extreme
to medium risk and Baker
County is maintaining its
high risk rating.
But Umatilla, Wallowa,
Union, Morrow and Harney
counties appear to be main-
taining extreme level
caseloads.
Wasco County could
move from extreme to high
risk.
There are a few excep-
tions to the trend. Douglas
County is showing a rise
to 271.7 cases per 100,000,
a pace that would push
it back into extreme risk
restrictions.
Lake County continues
to be a center of COVID-19
infections, with 1,002.4
cases per 100,000 and a
rising infection rate of 19.4%
Statewide, Oregon has
181.3 cases per 100,000 and
a test positive rate of 3.8%
A full report of the
most recent data can be
found at www.oregon.gov/
oha/covid19/Documents/
DataReports/Weekly-Coun-
ty-Metrics.pdf.
An interactive map of
Oregon showing data and
risk levels is at corona-
virus.oregon.gov/Pages/
living-with-covid-19.
aspx#countystatus.
— Other members of
the EO Media Group
contributed to this report.
each point, the number of
dead bills grows.
Additional deadlines for
fl oor votes, hearings and
work sessions in the second
chamber and fl oor votes in
the second chamber are all
trip-wires for bills to die.
House Speaker Tina
Kotek, D-Portland, said last
week there will be little time
left to debate beyond a short
list of pandemic-related
bills, economic recovery,
housing, police reform and
the sprawling state budget.
2022 election
early birds
It’s been just a little over
three months since the 2020
election, but candidates are
starting to pop up for 2022
races.
Sixteen candidate cam-
paign fi nance committees
have been created. Senate
Majority Leader Rob
Wagner, D-Lake Oswego,
is the biggest name to have
a 2022 committee so far.
Others include Bud Pierce,
who has declared his candi-
dacy for the GOP nomina-
tion for the open governor’s
seat in 2022. Pierce was the
2016 GOP nominee for gov-
ernor, losing to Brown, who
is barred by term limits
from seeking another term.
In a separate move,
MISSION
emergencies, including
fi res, crime and natural
disasters.
Lou Gerber, an EMT,
made his presentation with
the aid of an interpreter
who translated his words
into Kinyarwanda, Rwan-
da’s national language.
Early in his three-hour
presentation, the inter-
preter tapped Gerber on
the shoulder.
“She asked me to slow
down so that she could
catch up to me. When
I’m talking about some-
thing I’m excited about I
start talking too quickly,”
Gerber said”t
Matt Gerber said his
father’s talk was given in
a hot, uncomfortable out-
door setting. Despite this,
he said the fi rst responders
listened intently
throughout.
“These people were so
excited,” he said. “They
were on the edge of their
seats.”
Sadly, Rwanda is best
known to many throughout
the world for its horrifi c
civil war of 1994, which
was triggered by long-run-
ning disputes between the
Hutu and Tutsi tribes. The
four-month war claimed
the lives of hundreds of
thousands of Rwandans.
Rwanda is moving past
the war but it still healing,
said Matt Gerber, who has
made a number of service
trips to the nation in recent
years.
“It has been rebuilding
for the last 26 years,” he
said.
At the heart of its
recovery effort has
been the elimination of
the tribal affi liations in
Rwanda. He said today ref-
erences to tribes are rarely
heard in Rwanda.
Gerber and his father
refl ected on the 1994 civil
war during a visit to the
Nyamata Genocide Memo-
rial in Rwanda. The memo-
rial is a former church
where 10,000 people locked
themselves inside for
safety but were killed by
attackers. The remains of
about 40,000 people killed
in the area attack are buried
at the site and the interior
of the old church has skulls
and clothing of the many
who died.
“It is a very solemn
place,” said Matt Gerber.
Ariella Lorenzen, a
fi lmmaker from Sweden,
accompanied the Gerbers
on their journey. Lorenzen
captured images of some
of the work of the father
and son team. The party’s
stops included a two-day,
one-night visit to Akagera
National Park. The park is
a former cattle ranch now
home to African wildlife,
including hippopotamuses,
zebras and elephants.
The party traveled in a
vehicle during an unfor-
gettable two days.
“It was the intensity
of being in the wild, the
thrill of the unexpected.
You might see 50 baboon
around one corner and
a herd of elephants the
next,” Matt Gerber said.
The presence of hippo-
potamuses had the trio on
alert.
“Hippopotamuses kill
more people than lions
do,” Matt Gerber said.
“Even when they are not
violent they can crush
you by walking over your
tent.”
To protect themselves
from such threats, they
spent their night at the
park in a solar-powered
treehouse that had over-
night accommodations.
Matt Gerber, a corpo-
rate social responsibility
strategist, also spent a por-
tion of his time in Rwanda
helping to develop a voca-
tional development pro-
gram for individuals who
want to become seam-
stresses. He donated two
sewing machines and a
large amount of sewing
items to help get this pro-
gram started.
The trip to Rwanda was
the fi rst for Lou Gerber
and the sixth for Matt in
the past seven years. Matt
Gerber said he hopes he
and his father can make
similar trips in the future.
“I hope we can start
making service trips
somewhere in the world
every year,” he said.
Redacted and unre-
dacted versions of the
report — The Observer
obtained both through
public records requests —
stated the statutes of lim-
itations had run out on
any criminal charges Ras-
mussen may have faced.
Rasmussen in the stipu-
lation also stated, “DPSST
was in the process of con-
ducting a fair and objective
review of the facts which
I believe would benefi t me
in retaining certifi cation.
They appear to be inter-
ested in seeking informa-
tion from full-time cur-
rent county employees to
offset DOJ’s lack of inter-
views with that group of
witnesses. However, given
what my family and I
have been through with an
almost-a-year-and-a-half
investigation during a cam-
paign, and also that I have
started a new career path,
I have elected to surrender
my certifi cation.”
He also remained fi rm
in his stance that he had
done nothing wrong.
“I do not believe I have
done anything to warrant
desertifi cation,” he stated
in the document. “I am dis-
appointed I can’t fully vet
out the facts for the policy
committee to review.”
Rasmussen also stated
he was blessed to have
worked with tremendous
people at the sheriff’s
offi ce, partner agencies
and “the good citizens of
Union County.” He said he
was proud “of the profes-
sional offi ce that has been
structured the past four
terms and the employees
we have hired. I know
they will continue to serve
the citizens well.”
In signing the stipula-
tion to hand over his certi-
fi cations he waved his right
to a hearing or appeal.
Les Hallman, the
interim director of the
department of public safety
standards in training in
Oregon, signed the stipu-
lation Jan. 12, and DPSST
then revoked the former
sheriff’s certifi cations.
Cody Bowen suc-
ceeded Rasmussen as
sheriff and has been in the
offi ce since early January.
Bowen had no comment
about his former boss
and said he is focused on
the future of the sheriff’s
offi ce and improving it
and reestablishing trust,
if need be, with the com-
munity. He also said he
remains committed to
greater transparency.
Continued from Page 1A
once saw people in a car
stopped at a red light
having their temperatures
checked.
People entering Rwanda
also face intense screening.
“We had to be tested in
the United States fi ve days
before we left (for Rwanda)
and after we arrived we
were quarantined for 24
hours,” Matt Gerber said.
This diligence is likely
why Rwanda has been
ranked fi rst in Africa and
sixth globally in man-
aging the COVID-19 pan-
demic, according to a 2021
story in Africannews.com,
which cites rankings made
by the Lowy Institute of
Australia.
Rwanda is lauded for
its COVID-19 prevention
efforts but not the state of
its economy.
“The whole country
is impoverished,” Matt
Gerber said.
The nation has a dearth
of fundamental medical
supplies as a result. Often,
Matt Gerber said, Rwan-
dans lack basics, such as
bandages.
He said his father was
inspired to teach Rwan-
dans how, in the absence
of bandages, to cut sheets
that can be used to stop
bleeding.
To help address this
shortage, the Gerbers
brought a large assort-
ment of fi rst aid supplies,
many donated by people
in Union County. The sup-
plies were collected and
organized with major help
from Lou Gerber’s wife,
Robin.
“She rallied the com-
munity to give donations,
which made this a suc-
cessful venture,” said her
son Matt.
The CPR and fi rst aid
class Lou Gerber taught
was in an open air class-
room with fi rst responders
who handle all types of
SHERIFF
Continued from Page 1A
later during my reelection
campaign.”
Rasmussen blamed
the justice department
for releasing their “fi nd-
ings” to the public the
week before ballots went to
Union County voters.
“DOJ did not release the
report to me nor did they
inform me of their accusa-
tions prior to releasing the
information to the public.
I simply was not able
to refute the allegations
before the citizens voted,”
according to Rasmussen.
The justice department
released the report on April
28, 2020, ahead of the May
primary election. Ras-
mussen at the time claimed
“the DOJ cleared me.”
Ralph Huber, a Springfi eld
private security offi cer, has
fi led with the Federal Elec-
tion Commission to create
a fundraising committee
to run in the Republican
primary in Congressional
District 2, a seat held by
freshman Rep. Cliff Bentz,
R-Ontario.
Exoneration
expenses
People who are incarcer-
ated for crimes they did not
commit would be eligible
for state payments under
Senate Bill 499, introduced
by Sen. Kim Thatcher,
R-Keizer.
Oregon is one of 15 states
that does not automatically
allocate money to someone
who is exonerated of a crime
they didn’t commit. The
average allocation in states
that do offer aid is $50,000
per year behind bars,
according to the Oregon
Innocence Project, which
works to clear wrongly con-
victed people.
The group reported
21 people in Oregon who
served nearly 90 years
cumulatively in prison
have been exonerated in
recent years. The bill is in
the Senate Judiciary and
Ballot Measure 110 Imple-
mentation committee.
Matt Gerber/Contributed photo
Lou Gerber of La Grande, left, and his son Matt Gerber
during their visit to Rwanda in December 2020.