INSIDE
THE VARIED HISTORY OF A PAINT, A HARDWARE AND A NOODLE SHOP |
Local school districts
disregarding state
guidance on limiting
extracurriculars
$1.50
TUESDAY EDITION
January 11, 2022
No plans
to cancel
activities
HOME & LIVING, B1
DISPATCHES FROM
FLYING J TRUCK STOP
Closure of I-84 on Jan. 5 leaves truckers stranded in the Grande Ronde Valley
By DICK MASON
The Observer
UNION COUNTY — A
state guidance calling for
extracurricular activities in
Oregon schools to be can-
celed to reduce the spread
of the COVID-19 omicron
variant will likely have a
limited impact on school
districts in Union County.
Oregon’s education
and health leaders said on
Monday, Jan. 3, if schools
continue to host extracur-
ricular activities, “they
should expect rapid trans-
mission of COVID-19″ that
could prevent students from
being able to attend class in
person due to isolation and
quarantine periods.
“We accept it as a rec-
ommendation. It is telling
us to pause, review and
strengthen our risk mitiga-
tion safety protocol,” said
George Mendoza, superin-
tendent of the La Grande
School District.
Mendoza said the guid-
ance will not prompt his
school district to scale back
its extracurricular activi-
ties. However, he said the
La Grande School Dis-
trict will place an increased
focus on safety protocol,
including increasing the
number of hand sanita-
tion stations and more
strictly enforcing the state’s
mask rule, which requires
everyone inside a school
building to wear a mask.
Mendoza does not
foresee a need for the
school district to cut back
on sports and club activi-
ties because the system the
school has now is working
so well that La Grande is
in the low-risk category
due to minimal COVID-19
infections.
“This is an indication
that we should keep fol-
lowing our key practices
for preventing the spread
of COVID-19,” he said.
“We have a successful
operation.”
Mendoza said it is
Photos by Alex Wittwer/The Observer
Trucker Ken Spriggs makes his way toward the Flying J Travel Center, La Grande, after winter weather forced the shutdown Wednesday, Jan. 5, 2022, of
Interstate 84. Now 78, he said he’s considering making this his last season of driving.
By ALEX WITTWER
EO Media Group
L
A GRANDE — Brenda Holman
belongs to a dying generation of
truckers.
Her jacket is embroidered with “Aunt
B.” She jokes that she is an aunt to seven,
mother to none. A byproduct of the lifestyle,
she said. She noted it was diffi cult to fi nd a
partner. She’s been a truck driver for more
than 32 years.
Inside her truck, a collection of books.
A physical map of interstates. A small
bed, slightly disheveled. A CB radio hangs
above the driver’s seat. A smattering of
notebooks and pens placed neatly on the
dashboard. A small monitor attached to the
dash for checking the routes, though she
usually uses her phone to fi nd information
on road closures.
Her CB radio has become more silent
over the years, with less chatter coming over
the airwaves. She remembered when truck
stops were abuzz with truckers swapping
stories and jokes over coff ee whenever the
roads were closed.
On Wednesday, Jan. 5, she found herself
See, Truckers/Page A5
See, Activities/Page A5
LEFT: Brenda Holman, a truck driver with Fremont Contract Carriers Inc., checks TripCheck for road closure notifi cations at the Flying J Travel Center in La
Grande. RIGHT: Truck driver Ken Spriggs of Vale looks over his coff ee inside the Flying J Travel Center. They were among the dozens of truckers stranded
there Wednesday, Jan. 5, 2022, when Interstate 84 was closed due to winter weather.
State lawmaker seeks to limit governor’s emergency powers
Oregon has been under a state of emergency since Brown declared one March 8, 2020
By STEVEN MITCHELL
Blue Mountain Eagle
CRANE — A state lawmaker
from Eastern Oregon will look to
trim the powers of state govern-
ment during an emergency when
the Legislature meets for a short
session next month.
A bill written by Rep. Mark
Owens, R-Crane, would amend
Oregon’s Constitution to spell out
when governors can declare emer-
gencies, what powers they can
exercise and, more important, how
long they can unilaterally keep
WEATHER
INDEX
Classified ......B2
Comics ...........B5
Crossword ....B3
Dear Abby ....B6
Home .............B1
Horoscope ....B2
Letters ...........A4
Lottery ...........A2
THURSDAY
Obituaries .....A3
Opinion .........A4
Sudoku ..........B5
Weather ........B6
them in place.
Oregon has been under a state
of emergency since March 8, 2020,
when Gov. Kate Brown declared
her intention to take extraordinary
measures to combat the COVID-19
pandemic. Brown has extended the
state of emergency several times
Full forecast on the back of B section
Tonight
Wednesday
31 LOW
39/28
Cloudy
Mostly cloudy
SHORT SESSION TO TAKE ON AG ISSUES
since then.
Under Owens’ proposal, known
as Legislative Concept No. 49 until
it is assigned a bill number, the
governor, when making a decla-
ration of emergency, must specify
each county where the emergency
exists and list reasons why local
See, Powers/Page A5
CONTACT US
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Issue 4
2 sections, 14 pages
La Grande, Oregon
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Online at lagrandeobserver.com