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About The Observer. (La Grande, Or.) 1968-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 9, 2021)
INSIDE ISLAND CITY BUSINESS ENJOYS HELPING CUSTOMERS TRANSFORM PRODUCT PLANS INTO REALITY | September 9, 2021 BUSINESS & AG LIFE, B1 $1.50 THURSDAY EDITION SE PT EM BE R 8– 15 , 20 Loo A k E sh C ow art 21 WW W.GO EA ST ER NO RE GO N.C OM PA GE 4 Lea Pio rn skil nee ls r PA GE 13 Liste n J De on sh G E ler 18 PA DIS C Uni OV E R T H E Mu on Co seu unty m INSIDE EXPLORE UNION COUNTY’S HISTORY, IN AN D L PAG E EA 8 RN Jane Co t Do wb ds oys: on/Co Th en ntribu and ted No ph w is oto an exhib it at the AB OU T HE RIT AG E A PPL Un ion Co un ty Mu s ES AT A SPE C COVID-19 Gov: Schools should curtail activities to stop spread By GARY A. WARNER Oregon Capital Bureau SALEM — Schools should cancel or curtail some extracurric- ular activities to help Oregon main- tain what appears to be the begin- ning of a decline from record high numbers of COVID-19 infections, Gov. Kate Brown said Tuesday, Sept. 7. Multiple forecasts over the past week showed a peak in the two- month surge of infections driven by the highly contagious delta variant. Hospitals remain nearly full and case reports are still 12 times what they were in early July. The fragile ebb in the worst of the crisis will be challenged by the fl ood of schoolchildren returning to class. “It is with mixed emotions that we are welcoming our kids back to school at this time,” said Brown during the Sept. 7 press call. Brown was joined by health and education offi cials to announce additional, voluntary eff orts to go along with the mandatory vaccina- tion of school employees and mask mandates for students and staff . The state will issue School Health Advisories on a regular basis. The fi rst one, announced Sept. 7, asks schools to cancel or curtail extracurricular activities through a least Oct. 1. Alex Wittwer/The Observer Festival director Chris Jennings takes a break from preparing promotional material for the upcoming Eastern Oregon Film Festival at the HQ offi ce in La Grande on Wednesday, Sept. 8, 2021. Taking precautions Eastern Oregon Film Festival organizers are taking provisions By DAVIS CARBAUGH The Observer L A GRANDE — As fall approaches, so too does one of La Grande’s growing arts traditions. The 12th presentation of the Eastern Oregon Film Festival is slated for a hybrid presentation this year, with in-person and virtual events scheduled for Oct. 21-23. Prior to festival passes going on sale, a virtual sneak peek fundraiser will be held on Wednesday, Sept. 15. “We’re going to pull back a bit and be safe about things,” Eastern Oregon Film Festival Director Chris Jennings said. A big alteration to this year’s fi lm fes- tival will be the limited availability of in-person passes for only offi cial EOFF members and visiting artists. This deci- sion comes in the wake of the surge in COVID-19 cases and uncertainty of venue availability. Safety protocols Back-to-school events should be done online, if possible. Schools should hold as much activity outdoors as possible, including school meals and physical education classes. “The safety protocols put in place by your school not only make it safer for everyone, but they also help ensure that our kids actually get to stay in school,” said Colt Gill, Oregon Education Department director. While children can get ill from COVID-19, they rarely get severely sick, Gill said. But they can bring the virus home with them and spread it to at-risk people See, COVID-19/Page A5 See, EOFF/Page A5 Alex Wittwer/The Observer Jesse Cimon, left, Ryan Edvalson, center, and Chris Jennings pause for a portrait Friday, April 23, 2021, at the performing arts venue HQ in La Grande. The Eastern Oregon Film Festival orga- nizers are prepared to manage the 2021 festival in the safest way possible. Hospital capacity being tested Capacity reached several times at Wallowa Memorial during August as COVID-19 cases rise By RONALD BOND Wallowa County Chieftain ENTERPRISE — Statewide, hospitals have been near or even at their capacity, with more than 1,100 people in Oregon hospital- ized due to coronavirus and the state exceeding 90% capacity. Wallowa Memorial Hospital has been in a similar situation. Brooke Pace, WMH com- munications director, said the INDEX Business & Ag...... 1B Classifieds .............B2 Comics .................B4 Crosswords ..........B2 Horoscope ............B2 SATURDAY hospital has been at its patient capacity several times. She clarifi ed, though, that that doesn’t necessarily mean all 25 beds at WMH are full. The staffi ng availability also has to be taken into account. “We have reached capacity a number of times since the begin- ning of August,” she said. “That doesn’t mean we’ve had 25 patients. It means we’ve gotten to the point that we’re taking care WEATHER Lottery ...................A3 Obituaries .............A3 Opinion .................A4 Sudoku ..................B4 Weather ................B6 of as many patients as we physi- cally can.” Stacey Karvoski, the hospi- tal’s quality director, said the acuity of the patients — how much care they need — also is a consideration. “Hypothetically, we could have seven patients in the hospital and that is all we can take care of if the acuity is high,” she said. Pace said WMH has been asked if they have the ability to take on extra patients, but has had to turn those requesting hospitals down. “We have not had the ability to accept them,” she said. Full forecast on the back of B section Tonight Friday 55 LOW 68/45 Patchy clouds Thunderstorms A MIXED BAG OF FOREST GROUSE Pace said the hospital is working with Wallowa County Emergency Management to request additional personnel from the National Guard, antic- ipating a need for extra help in nursing, emergency medical ser- vices and more. Signifi cant increase While the exact number of coronavirus patients to enter WMH in the past month wasn’t available, Pace said several have been through the hospital doors. See, Capacity/Page A5 CONTACT US 541-963-3161 Issue 106 3 sections, 36 pages La Grande, Oregon Email story ideas to news@lagrande observer.com. More contact info on Page 4A. Online at lagrandeobserver.com
