FROM PAGE ONE
SATURDAY, AUGUST 7, 2021
TRENDING
Continued from Page A1
Although the county is
seeing a spike in patients,
Ford said that hospital
administration does not
anticipate bed capacity
reaching 100% or any
delays in service.
“At this point, however,
we are managing well. It’s
what we do. We know how
to prepare for emergen-
cies,” she said.
Other hospitals in
Eastern Oregon are facing
a similar situation. At
CHI St. Anthony Hos-
pital in Pendleton, roughly
two-thirds of the hospi-
tal’s inpatients over the
past week tested positive
for COVID-19, and more
than a quarter of patients
admitted to the emer-
gency department had the
virus, the East Oregonian
reported on Aug. 5.
Of the 25 intensive care
unit beds across six coun-
ties in Eastern Oregon,
only three were available
on Aug. 6, according to
OHA.
Cases going up
Between July 28 and
Aug. 5, Union County
reported an average of 13.2
cases each day, a 776%
increase from the average
between June 1 and July
15.
Along with this, four
COVID-related deaths
were reported on Aug. 4,
raising the county’s pan-
demic death total to 28.
These high rates make
Union County an area of
“extremely high risk,”
according to public health
experts at Johns Hop-
kins Bloomberg School of
Public Health.
Across the country, and
internationally, many areas
seeing high transmission
rates have brought back
requirements for masks,
social distancing and more.
CYCLING
Continued from Page A1
Dirty Freehub’s
purpose
English said the group’s
goals are multiple.
“We’ve been pro-
viding fi ve-star gravel bike
route guides since 2014,
but becoming a nonprofi t
better refl ects our mis-
sion,” English said. “While
cyclists use our website to
fi nd routes, our real mission
is to connect cyclists to the
places they ride.”
The group also has other
missions.
“We have a bunch of
social missions: inspiring
people to get outside and
ride, utilizing existing roads
but trying to keep cyclists
off busier roads,” English
said in an email. “Economic
development for areas
that depend on tourism,
inspiring cyclists to become
donors, volunteers and
advocates to organizations
that preserve theses areas.”
She said Wallowa
County off ers some unique
opportunities for cyclists.
“To connect a cyclist to
where they ride, we can use
a variety of approaches,”
she said. “The stories about
the granges are fascinating.
The history of Joseph,
information about the fi sh
hatchery and environmental
info from organizations that
work to protect the beauty
of the area, the ecosystems,
etc.”
Dirty Freehub also is
focused on how to utilize
technology to help cyclists
fi nd the best routes.
“I’m so impressed with
the range of technology
they have implemented,”
said Chuck Allen, a board
member and retired Micro-
soft executive. “They off er
downloadable routes with
turn-by-turn directions, a
searchable database and
mapping overlays that let
you look at multiple routes
on a map in one area. With
media, they have pictures,
videos, and now podcasts.
They are really changing
the game of route guides.”
Another board member,
Mike Hobson, said the
However, Union County
offi cials have no such
plans.
According to Union
County Commissioner
Matt Scarfo, county and
health offi cials met on
Aug. 4 to discuss the pos-
sibility of bringing back
COVID-19 restrictions, but
no changes were made.
“If anybody wants to
wear masks, that is their
right to do so,” he said.
Scarfo added that to
bring back restrictions,
“we’ll have to discuss
it with the experts, the
experts will advise us. We
are in constant contact
with each other.”
In high-risk areas,
experts recommend
bringing back restrictions
to slow the spread of the
virus.
“Physical distancing,
masking, good health
hygiene, those mitigation
factors work and have been
proven to be very eff ec-
tive,” said Dr. Bukhosi
Dube, senior health advisor
for the Oregon Health
Authority. “As a public
health offi cial, my personal
opinion is that that is the
right thing to do.”
Vaccine rates stall
Out of 36 counties in
the state, Union County
ranks fi fth highest in
COVID-19 case rates while
also ranking fi fth lowest in
vaccination rates for total
population, according to
data compiled by the New
York Times.
All of the available vac-
cines have been proven
to slow the spread of the
virus, but rates in recent
weeks have lowered to
about 18 full vaccinations
per day.
To reach OHA’s goal
of vaccinating 80% of
adults in Union County,
this number would have
to increase to 254 every
day until Aug. 31 — a
1,461% increase in daily
MORE INFORMATION
Find Dirty Freehub online at
www.dirtyfreehub.org, or for
more information, email info@
DirtyFreehub.org or call Exec-
utive Director Linda English at
541-550-8930.
group’s goals fi t right into
places like Wallowa County
communities.
“Farming towns … are
just a blast to ride,” he said.
“I love the big views of the
mountains and quiet roads.”
He also noted that this
means tourism dollars to
communities that could
really benefi t.
And what about e-bikes?
Dirty Freehub fully sup-
ports gravel e-bikes, with
each route clearly tagged as
e-bike friendly.
Dirty Freehub’s past
Dirty Freehub has a long
history with gravel cycling.
“Back in 2014, Dirty
Freehub founders Linda
and Kevin (English) were
enthusiastically convincing
me that gravel was going
to be the next big thing
in cycling, they were on
the forefront of the gravel
scene with a pointed vision
to start creating routes for
their community to enjoy,”
said Nicola Cranmer,
founder and general man-
ager of TWENTY24 Wom-
en’s Pro Cycling Team and
Dirty Freehub adviser.
“They were so passionate
about riding gravel, who
could have foreseen the
explosion of events, cul-
ture and participation in the
years that followed, they
were such visionaries.”
English said she’s partic-
ularly eager to get cyclists
around Wallowa County,
with which she’s become
familiar.
“We also love to help
with dispersing people;
we worked on routes that
used roads up toward Hells
Canyon Overlook and saw
absolutely nobody,” she
said. “Same thing with the
road up Zumwalt, which
was spectacular. There are
loads of great farming roads
around Lostine and Enter-
prise. Same thing around
Imnaha.”
THE OBSERVER — A5
inoculations.
“The county and state
have been trying to answer
people’s questions and
concerns and trying to
encourage vaccination
in all populations,” Dube
said. “This is a prevent-
able disease, but the fact
that we have so many
cases, it highlights that we
need to get more people
vaccinated.”
Workplace outbreaks
in Union County
In addition to the work-
place outbreak at Grande
Ronde Hospital, the
Oregon Health Authority
disclosed two other work-
places in Union County
facing active COVID-19
outbreaks in its Aug. 4 out-
break report.
One of those work-
places is a nursing home,
according to the state.
The state publishes an
active outbreak in nursing
homes if the facility
reports more than three
cases. The outbreak is con-
sidered resolved if no new
cases are reported within
28 days of the last case.
• Wildfl ower Lodge
Assisted Living Com-
munity, La Grande, has
reported fi ve COVID-19
cases since July 18,
according to the state.
There have been no
reported deaths.
In addition, the state
publishes a workplace out-
break when fi ve or more
cases are reported at a
facility with 30 or more
workers. Like nursing
homes, the outbreak is
considered resolved if no
new cases are reported
within 28 days of the last
case.
The state also reported
this workplace outbreak:
• Miller’s Home Center,
La Grande, reported 16
cases between its fi rst
reported case on June 29
and its most recent onset
case on July 20.
Alex Wittwer/The Observer
Concerned citizens fi lled the gymnasium at Central Elementary School during the school board meeting
on Wednesday, Aug. 4, 2021.
MASKS
Continued from Page A1
mandate. Many were par-
ents, including some who
said they planned to pull
their children out of the La
Grande School District if
there is a mask mandate.
Their comments often were
cheered loudly by many
of the nearly 150 people
present, including some
holding anti-mask signs.
One man speaking
urged the school board to
to stand up to the state and
have the school district
defy Brown’s mask man-
date. The individual also
reminded school board
members they were elected
offi cials and could be sub-
ject to a recall.
One early speaker
became angry when the
school board tried to cut
him off after his three-
minute speaking time
limit expired. The school
board let him fi nish, but
after that a large digital
timer was displayed on a
screen everyone could see
during the public forum.
Another man said the
mask issue may create a
divide similar to the one
that existed in the U.S.
just before the Civil War.
At the end of the
meeting, which was mon-
itored by a number of law
enforcement offi cers, the
board voted to approve a
COVID-19 safety oper-
ations plan for 2021-22.
The operations plan calls
for students to attend
school as members of
cohorts, adhere to social
distancing rules, wash
their hands frequently,
be in school much longer
each day than in 2020-21
and to wear masks when
indoors.
The passage of the
operations plan did not
trigger an angry audience,
which Maille credited to
La Grande School District
Superintendent George
Mendoza, who told the
crowd why the district has
no choice but to mandate
masks.
“George did an excel-
lent job of explaining this,”
she said.
Mendoza noted the
school district could be
fi ned $500 for each viola-
tion of the mask mandate.
Community objection
Prior to the Aug. 4
school board meeting,
a group of community
members gathered to
voice their opinion about
Brown’s recent mask man-
date. Brown authorized
the Oregon Department of
Education and the Oregon
Health Authority to man-
date mask usage in indoor
settings for grades K-12,
as well as for staff , volun-
teers and visitors.
The Union County
Freedom Alliance, in col-
laboration with the La
Grande and Union County
Parents Against Masking
Children Facebook group,
organized the demonstra-
tion in front of Central
Elementary School prior to
the meeting.
More than 800 mem-
bers have joined the Face-
book group, with more
than 50 attending the
demonstration prior to
the start of the meeting.
By the time the meeting
started, that number
climbed to approximately
150 individuals in atten-
dance for the gathering at
the Central Elementary
School gymnasium.
“I think at the heart of
it, we really have a deep
concern for our children,”
said Blake Bars of the
Union County Freedom
Alliance. “We want to
stand up for their health,
safety and freedom.”
PGG
Continued from Page A1
a store and restaurant. The
McGregor Co. of Colfax,
Washington, completed
acquisition of the PGG
grain division and the
McKennon Station seed
processing center, which
will continue to operate
under the Pendleton Grain
Growers banner.
But the centerpiece
of PGG’s once extensive
holdings was its headquar-
ters at 1000 S.W. Dorion
Ave. The facility includes
the co-op’s former retail
showroom, automo-
tive service center and
warehouse.
The PGG building has
sat mostly empty as the
cooperative sold assets
elsewhere. The city of
Pendleton considered the
PGG building when it was
trying to decide a new
location for its fi re depart-
ment in 2016, but ulti-
mately opted to build a
new facility on bare land
Ben Lonergan/East Oregonian
An electronic sign in the parking lot of the former Pendleton Grain Growers building advertises job
openings for CDL drivers at “EO Rentals” on Wednesday, Aug. 4, 2021. The former PGG building sold at
auction to Braseth Properties, of La Grande, on July 23, 2021, for roughly $1.8 million. Braseth Proper-
ties does business as Eastern Oregon Rentals & Storage in La Grande, and the family also owns Eastern
Oregon Rental & Sales and Mountain West Moving & Storage.
at 1455 S.E. Court Ave. In
2019, PGG commissioned
renderings of concepts
that could fi t the building,
including a van or RV
conversion business or a
Goodwill-like operation
with retail and workforce
training.
By the time the
building went up for auc-
tion with a reserve price
of nearly $2 million, PGG
had lowered the asking
price from $2.1 million.
When PGG completed
the sale of the building on
July 23, Braseth Properties
bought the property for
roughly the same amount
as its assessed value.
Thank you Dr. Stephen Bump for giving us 30 years
of your dedication and
kindness while providing
excellent medical care
to our community.
We will miss you.
From your GRH family—
we wish you all the best that
a happy retirement brings!
It is richly deserved.
Stephen Bump, MD—Internal Medicine