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About The Observer. (La Grande, Or.) 1968-current | View Entire Issue (April 3, 2021)
The snow must go on In Outdoors & Rec Inside Survey shows remote working divide, 2A Fourth COVID-19 surge looms, 6A Weekend Edition SATURDAY– MONDAY • April 3, 2021 Gun storage bill heads for vote at Legislature Students return to classrooms April 12 By PHIL WRIGHT The Observer LA GRANDE — Students in the La Grande School District are heading back to in-person learning every day of the week. Days will remain short through the school year, however, and students enrolled at La Grande Virtual Learning Academy can con- tinue with online learning. School district Superintendent George Mendoza announced in a virtual town hall meeting Thursday night, April 1, the move back to more regular classes starts Monday, April 12. “K-12 is all in, we’re going, every day, for the rest of the school year,” he said. That also means there is no school Friday, April 9. Mendoza explained staff need the time to prepare for the infl ux of students and to organize lesson plans, as well as to reconfi gure classrooms and bring in furni- ture. Also, he said, the school needs to deal with the logistics of providing meals to more students. Getting to this point, Mendoza said, started March 19, when Gov. Kate Brown announced an update to the Ready Schools, Safe Learners guidance that lowered the phys- ical distancing rule for students in schools from 6 feet to 3 feet and removed the 35 square feet per person requirement for coun- ties that meet Oregon’s COVID-19 moderate risk levels. Mendoza said this was not a man- date from the state to increase the number of students in schools, but instead will now be a local decision. “What that did for our school district is it increased the opportunity or propensity for us to have students back, every day, all in, K-12,” he said. Union County also remains in the mod- erate risk level, which gives the La Grande School District a green light to allow its stu- dents in its buildings at the same time. But Mendoza also showed how COVID-19 has been aff ecting students and staff . The district has 2,188 students, Mendoza said during his presentation, and since the By PETER WONG Oregon Capital Bureau See, Bill/Page 5A Good day to our valued subscriber Ruth Uhrig of Elgin LG schools: ‘All in’ House to decide whether stricter requirements are necessary to keep children safe SALEM — Another gun regu- lation bill is headed for a legisla- tive debate and vote, this time in the Oregon House. House Bill 2510, approved Tuesday, March 30, by the House Health Care Committee, would require the storage of fi rearms with trigger or cable locks, in a locked container or in a gun room. An off ense would be a Class C violation, which carries a maximum fi ne of $500, unless someone under age 18 obtains access, in which case it is a Class A violation with a max- imum fi ne of $2,000. No jail time is imposed for violations. The committee vote was 6-4. All Democrats voted for it, and all Republicans against it. On March 25, the Oregon Senate voted 16-7 to approve a bill making state buildings — including the Oregon Capitol — off -limits to fi rearms carried by concealed handgun licensees. Senate Bill 554, which went to the House, leaves it up to local governments to decide that ques- tion for their own buildings. Oregon is among the states with no laws regulating gun storage, according to the pro-regulation Giff ords Law Center. Laws in California and Washington apply to some aspects of storage. When the House Health Care Committee heard the gun storage bill March 11, nearly 400 pieces of testimony were sub- mitted for and against House Bill 2510. Some people submitted more than one. “We cannot gun-proof chil- dren,” Dr. Benjamin Hoff man, pediatrician at Doernbecher Children’s Hospital at Oregon Health & Science University, testifi ed. “We must child-proof guns.” Between 1999 and 2019, he said, Oregon averaged 3.5 deaths by fi rearms per 100,000 people, compared with the national average of 2.3 per 100,000. For youths under 19 during the period, he said Oregon averaged 6.3 deaths per 100,000, com- pared with the national average of 5 per 100,000. “Gun violence is one of the leading causes of death for • $1.50 See, Return/Page 5A Alex Wittwer/The Observer A student with La Grande Middle School boards a school bus in the afternoon following class on Friday, April 2, 2021. School district Superintendent George Mendoza announced middle and high school students return to in-person learning each day of the week starting April 12 based on local data and guidance from health offi cials. “K-12 is all in, we’re going, every day, for the rest of the school year.” — Superintendent George Mendoza, on La Grande students returning to in-person classes Community blood drives have big impact Local drives produced 338 units in March, with 180 units in 2 days By DICK MASON The Observer LA GRANDE — A year ago health offi cials feared the COVID-19 pandemic could trigger a blood shortage. The concern was legitimate because opportunities for con- ducting blood drives were dwin- dling. The American Red Cross found that putting on blood drives at schools and businesses no longer was a viable option because students were taking classes virtually and many employees were working at home, greatly reducing the poten- tial donor base. This left the Red Cross with only its community drives as a blood donation source. People coming to these blood drives have increased, allowing the Red Cross’ blood pipeline to remain strong. “Our community blood drives have been amazing,” said Jacob Dick Mason/The Observer American Red Cross phlebotomists Jeff ery Zillman, left, and Robert Vincent talk with blood donor Lou Gerber on March 31, 2021, during the blood drive at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in La Grande. Reines, who lives in Caldwell, Idaho, and is an account manager for the Red Cross’ Idaho-Mon- tana district, which includes Union County and other portions of Northeast Oregon. The blood drives Reines is referring to include the Red Cross-operated La Grande Com- munity Blood Drive, which con- ducted a draw on Tuesday, March 30, and Wednesday, March 31. INDEX Classified ...............2B Comics ....................5B Crossword .............2B Dear Abby .............6B WEATHER Horoscope .............3B Letters ....................4A Lottery ....................3A Obituaries ..............3A TUESDAY Opinion ..................4A Outdoors ...............1B State ........................6A Sudoku ...................5B SOUP SUPPER The drive collected 180 units of blood, putting it on pace to have its most successful year in at least two decades. To date, the La Grande Community Blood Drive, coordinated by Sheldon and Linda Strand, has drawn 338 units after a pair of two-day draws at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1802 Gekeler Lane. Reines said strong collections Full forecast on the back of B section Tonight Sunday 44 LOW 58/31 Mostly cloudy Cooler in Northeast Oregon are helping the entire Idaho-Montana district to be strong in terms of its blood supply. Donations in La Grande have been so successful, Reines said, that its drives now are often two days instead of one. Regulars coming to these blood drives include Lou Gerber and his wife, Robin, of La Grande, who again donated this week. Lou Gerber made the 30th blood donation of his life and Robin made her 31st. “It is really important to do something to help others. It does not cost anything and it is easy,” Robin Gerber said. She is now about one unit away from reaching the 4 gallon donation mark for her lifetime and her husband is about two units away. A unit of blood is about a pint. The Gerbers have been coming together to community blood drives for years. Robin noted in the 1990s, the married couple would have lunch dates at blood drives, enjoying midday meals while donating blood. The Gerbers were among about 180 people who gave blood in La Grande this week. All of See, Drives/Page 5A CONTACT US 541-963-3161 Issue 40 2 sections, 12 pages La Grande, Oregon Email story ideas to news@lagrande observer.com. More contact info on Page 4A. Online at lagrandeobserver.com