LOCAL
A2 — THE OBSERVER
TODAY
On Jan. 13, 2021, President
Donald Trump was impeached
by the U.S. House over the vio-
lent Jan. 6 siege of the Capitol,
becoming the only president to
be twice impeached; 10 Repub-
licans joined Democrats in
voting to impeach Trump on a
charge of “incitement of insur-
rection.” (Trump would again
be acquitted by the Senate in a
vote after his term was over.)
In 1733, James Oglethorpe
and some 120 English colonists
arrived at Charleston, South
Carolina, while en route to
settle in present-day Georgia.
In 1794, President George
Washington approved a mea-
sure adding two stars and two
stripes to the American flag,
following the admission of
Vermont and Kentucky to the
Union. (The number of stripes
was later reduced to the orig-
inal 13.)
In 1898, Emile Zola’s famous
defense of Capt. Alfred Dreyfus,
“J’accuse,” was published in
Paris.
In 1941, a new law went into
effect granting Puerto Ricans
U.S. birthright citizenship. Nov-
elist and poet James Joyce
died in Zurich, Switzerland, less
than a month before his 59th
birthday.
In 1982, an Air Florida 737
crashed into Washington, D.C.’s
14th Street Bridge and fell into
the Potomac River while trying
to take off during a snowstorm,
killing a total of 78 people,
including four motorists on the
bridge; four passengers and a
flight attendant survived.
In 1987, West German
police arrested Mohammed Ali
Hamadi, a suspect in the 1985
hijacking of a TWA jetliner and
the killing of a U.S. Navy diver
who was on board. (Although
convicted and sentenced to life,
Hamadi was paroled by Ger-
many in December 2005 and
returned home to Lebanon.)
In 1990, L. Douglas Wilder
of Virginia became the nation’s
first elected Black governor as
he took the oath of office in
Richmond.
In 1992, Japan apologized
for forcing tens of thousands
of Korean women to serve as
sex slaves for its soldiers during
World War II, citing newly
uncovered documents that
showed the Japanese army
had had a role in abducting the
so-called “comfort women.”
In 2000, Microsoft chairman
Bill Gates stepped aside as chief
executive and promoted com-
pany president Steve Ballmer to
the position.
In 2001, an earthquake esti-
mated by the U.S. Geological
Survey at magnitude 7.7 struck
El Salvador; more than 840
people were killed.
In 2011, a funeral was
held in Tucson, Arizona, for
9-year-old Christina Taylor
Green, the youngest victim
of a mass shooting that also
claimed five other lives and crit-
ically wounded Rep. Gabrielle
Giffords.
In 2020, at a royal family
summit in eastern England,
Queen Elizabeth II brokered a
deal to secure the future of the
monarchy; it would allow Prince
Harry and his wife, Meghan, to
live part-time in Canada.
Today’s Birthdays: Actor
Frances Sternhagen is 92. TV
personality Nick Clooney is
88. Comedian Charlie Brill
is 84. Actor Billy Gray is 84.
Actor Richard Moll is 79. Rock
musician Trevor Rabin is 68.
R&B musician Fred White
is 67. Rock musician James
Lomenzo (Megadeth) is 63.
Actor Kevin Anderson is 62.
Actor Julia Louis-Dreyfus is 61.
Rock singer Graham “Suggs”
McPherson (Madness) is 61.
Country singer Trace Adkins is
60. Actor Penelope Ann Miller
is 58. Actor Patrick Dempsey is
56. Actor Suzanne Cryer is 55.
Actor Traci Bingham is 54. Actor
Keith Coogan is 52. TV produc-
er-writer Shonda Rhimes is 52.
Actor Nicole Eggert is 50. Actor
Ross McCall is 46. Actor Michael
Pena is 46. Actor Orlando Bloom
is 45. Meteorologist Ginger
Zee is 41.
THuRSday, JanuaRy 13, 2022
Snowpacks growing across the state
Winter storms
subsiding for next
two weeks
By KATY NESBITT
Up-to-date
vacccination status
redefined
For EO Media Group
PENDLETON —
Winter storms recently
wreaked havoc across
Northeastern Oregon,
knocking out power,
closing schools and roads
and compromising ship-
ments to grocery stores
among other businesses.
On the bright side, almost
every river basin in Oregon
is well above average for
precipitation.
The Umatilla-Walla
Walla-Willow Basin is at
117% of average precipita-
tion since Oct. 1, 2021, the
beginning of the “water
year” as measured by the
USDA Natural Resources
Conservation Service.
Grande Ronde-Burnt-Pow-
der-Imnaha Basin is at
112%, and the John Day
Basin is at 108%.
Much of that precipita-
tion has come in the form
of snow with high water
equivalent, meaning more
water stored for the spring
and summer months.
The Umatilla-Walla Wal-
la-Willow Basin is at 142%
of snow water equivalent,
while the Grande Ronde-
Burnt-Powder-Imnaha
Basin is at 122% and the
John Day is at 124%.
According to data
gleaned from the Nat-
By ALEX WITTWER
The Observer
union County Search and Rescue/Contributed Photo
The Wallowa Mountains are covered in snow in October 2021. According to the National Weather Sys-
tem’s extended forecast, the northern Blue and Wallowa mountains will likely get a break from the
snowstorms until the end of January into early February.
ural Resources Conserva-
tion Service website, the
Snotel station at Emigrant
Springs, elevation 3,800
feet, measured 105% of
its median snowpack level
with 13.9 inches of pre-
cipitation and 4.6 inches
of snow water equiva-
lent. Milk Shakes Snotel,
at 5,800 feet on the Ore-
gon-Washington line,
is at 118% of its median
snowpack, recording 32.6
inches of precipitation and
22.1 inches of snow water
equivalent. High Ridge,
at 4,920 feet east of Pend-
leton, is at 111% of its
median snowpack with
23.4 inches of precipitation
and 14.7 inches of snow
water equivalent.
In the Wallowas, Moss
Springs, at 5,760 feet out-
side of Cove, has recorded
21 inches of precipitation
with 12.6 inches of snow
water equivalent and is
at 111% of its snowpack
median.
Across the divide in
Wallowa County, Mount
Howard, 7,910 elevation,
has received 17.6 inches
of precipitation, which
is 123% of average, but
its 7.4 inches of snow
water equivalent is 88%
of average. The nearby
Snotel near Aneroid Lake
has been in somewhat of
a snow shadow, recording
87% of its median snow
water equivalent (8.7
inches) and 77% of precipi-
tation (11.7 inches).
According to the
National Weather System’s
extended forecast, the
northern Blue and Wallowa
mountains likely will get a
break from the snowstorms
until the end of January
into early February.
For the backcountry
enthusiasts, the recent
storms have been a boon,
yet not without risk. A
report released Monday,
Jan. 10, on the Wallowa
Avalanche Center web-
site described existing
and developing wind-
slabs to be the main con-
cern in the Blue, Elkhorn
and Wallowa mountains
through Jan. 12. While the
chance of snow is slight,
moderate to strong south
and southwest winds are
predicted.
“Human triggered ava-
lanches are possible on
the slopes steeper than 34
degrees at or near ridge-
lines and any steep lee-
ward terrain features near
and above treeline,” the
avalanche center website
reported.
Shortage of COVID-19 tests hits La Grande
By DAVIS CARBAUGH
The Observer
LA GRANDE — As the
omicron variant continues
to spread and COVID-19
cases rise, local availability
of at-home testing has
reached a standstill.
Local pharmacies and
stores have found their
shelves empty as the
demand for COVID-19
testing skyrocketed in
recent weeks. As the self-
testing kits remain back-
logged, La Grande and
Union County residents are
faced with little options for
at-home testing.
There has been a
noticeable increase in pos-
itive COVID-19 cases in
Union County since the
holidays and start of 2022,
a trend that coincides
with a national uptick due
to the omicron variant.
In December 2021, the
Oregon Health Authority
reported just five days in
which Union County’s
daily case count reached
double digits. Through
Tuesday, Jan. 11, Union
County’s case counts
have been in double digits
every day of the new year.
The county has eclipsed
20 cases five times and
recorded 102 total cases
over the weekend of Jan. 9.
From small stores to
national chains across La
Grande, the once readily
available at-home kits are
nowhere to be found.
Rite Aid on Island
Avenue sold out of kits
alex Wittwer/The Observer, File
Giavonna LaMiller, under the direction of volunteer Catherine
Parks, prepares to self-administer a COVID-19 test in the Bi-Mart
parking lot, the site of a mass testing event in La Grande on Friday,
Aug. 27, 2021. In the wake of the COVID-19 spike near the conclu-
sion of 2021, take-home kits have vanished from local pharmacy
shelves in La Grande.
on Jan. 9. The store
clerk noted that the omi-
cron-related spike in cases
brought a large increase in
sales of the kits in recent
weeks. The employee
stated that the pharmacy
is expecting a shipment of
at-home kits late Thursday
night, which would allow
the store to start selling
the tests by the morning
of Friday, Jan. 14. The
store previously was able
to keep a steady supply
of take-home kits on the
shelves, while refraining
from conducting testing in
the pharmacy.
At Rite Aid and other
pharmacies, promised
shipment days ultimately
mean crossing your fin-
gers and hoping for the
best. This is the case at
the Red Cross Drug Store
in downtown La Grande,
where the tests have been
unavailable for days.
Bi-Mart in La Grande is
also out of take-home kits,
but a store clerk said the
staff was expecting a ship-
ment in mid-January.
Larger stores like
Walmart and Safeway
are experiencing similar
shortages of COVID-19
at-home tests. A Safeway
employee said the staff is
unsure when the next ship-
ment of tests will come
in, while Walmart’s phar-
macy line states that over-
the-counter tests can be
ordered at the store’s web-
site while supplies last.
Several tests are listed on
the store’s website, but
all in-store options are
marked as out of stock.
The spike in COVID-19
and subsequent shortage
of testing supplies raised
alarm from the Center for
Human Development in La
Grande, which released an
update on the pandemic on
Jan. 10.
“We have been notified
by OHA that CHD will be
receiving some at-home
test kits for distribution to
our community, but these
kits can only be used for
specific purposes (for pop-
ulations disproportionately
affected by COVID-19
and have not historically
had access to COVID-19
testing, and persons who
have a known exposure
or have COVID-19-like
symptoms),” the statement
from CHD Public Health
Director Carrie Brogoitti
read.
The statement said the
tests cannot be used for
screening and that the
shipment to CHD will not
include enough to give one
test to every Union County
resident but the orga-
nization “will continue
working with our partners
to see if additional testing
kits can be obtained and
distributed.”
Weekly testing clinics
are held from noon to
5 p.m. on Tuesdays at the
Union County Fairgrounds.
Center for Human Devel-
opment continues to hold
drop-in vaccination clinics
from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
every Friday, and appoint-
ments are available for the
vaccine, according to its
website.
LOTTERY
Monday, Jan. 10, 2022
Megabucks
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Estimated jackpot: $8.2 million
Lucky Lines
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Estimated jackpot: $73,000
Win for Life
32-35-40-52
Pick 4
1 p.m.: 4-1-2-1
4 p.m.: 4-4-7-7
7 p.m.: 9-6-3-9
10 p.m.: 1-8-3-0
Tuesday, Jan. 11, 2022
Mega Millions
2-3-19-52-58
Mega Ball: 16
Megaplier: 2x
Estimated jackpot: $325
million
Lucky Lines
1-6-12-15-17-23-26-31
Estimated jackpot: $74,000
Pick 4
1 p.m.: 6-6-2-3
4 p.m.: 7-2-6-1
7 p.m.: 7-2-9-2
10 p.m.: 6-3-3-1
CHD
offers new
COVID-19
guidance
NEWS BRIEFS
Dead wolf found in Wallowa
County likely shot, OSP says
email at TIP@state.or.us. Reference
case No. SP22006179.
WALLOWA — Oregon State
Police are seeking information
about a dead wolf found in Wallowa
County after apparently being shot
by a firearm.
A citizen reported the wolf car-
cass to OSP about 10:36 a.m. on
Saturday, Jan. 8.
The wolf was found along
Parsnip Creek Road about 6 miles
southeast of Wallowa.
The wolf, which was fitted with
a tracking collar, is a 2-year-old
female that had dispersed from the
Chesnimnus Pack, according to a
press release from OSP.
The initial investigation showed
the wolf had been fatally shot.
OSP is urging anyone with infor-
mation regarding this case to call
the Oregon State Police TIP line at
1-800-452-7888, *OSP (*677), or
Power outage cause still
under investigation
ENTERPRISE — The cause of
widespread power outages in Wal-
lowa County on Sunday, Jan. 9,
is still under investigation — and
likely will remain so for days or
weeks, according to a spokesperson
for Pacific Power & Light.
The lights went out just after
9 a.m. and were restored just before
4 p.m.
According to a PP&L post on
Twitter on Jan. 9, the meters of
5,318 customers were affected,
hitting virtually all of Wallowa
County. Posts and emails began
assuring a restoration of power in
late morning, ultimately saying it
would be restored by 5 p.m.
Drew Hanson, a PP&L spokes-
person, said service was restored
to about 900 customers in the Wal-
lowa area by about 1 p.m. and the
remainder of the county had its
power restored by just before 4 p.m.
“Crews were dispatched at the
first reports of an outage, but weath-
er-related driving conditions slowed
our response time,” he said.
Hanson said crews were out
on the ground and by air looking
for possible causes. There was no
single cause, such as a vehicle hit-
ting a power pole.
“The actual cause of the inter-
ruption is under investigation,” he
said, adding that it could take some
time.
“We understand the impact being
without power in such weather
can have,” Hanson said. “We fully
understand the impact and appre-
ciate customers’ understanding
while crews are working.”
— EO Media Group
LA GRANDE — In
response to a meteoric rise
of COVID-19 cases over the
weekend — more than 100
new cases have been added
in Union County alone, and
nearly 1.5 million cases
across the United States
— the Center for Human
Development, La Grande,
has created a guideline for
residents to follow with
the aim of mitigating the
spread of the virus and
minimizing the damage of
the omicron variant.
“If forecasting for the
next month is accurate this
is just the beginning of a
surge that could be unlike
any we have experienced
thus far,” according to a
CHD press release.
The changes come on
the heels of a statement
from the Oregon Health
Authority last week that
case investigations and
contact tracing are not
effectively slowing the
spread of COVID-19. As a
result, CHD will no longer
contact everyone who tests
positive or is identified as
a contact and instead has
inititated new quarantine
guidance and updated the
definitions of who is and
isn’t vaccinated.
“We know that this is
a major change from how
we have handled cases and
contacts since the begin-
ning of the pandemic,” said
Carrie Brogoitti, public
health administrator at the
Center for Human Devel-
opment. “This approach
will be the most efficient
way to handle the volume
of cases we will see with
this surge and after, as
COVID-19 will likely be
something we are living
with for a while.”
The CHD guideline now
recommends that those
who have tested positive,
and those who have symp-
toms after being exposed
to someone who has tested
positive, quarantine for at
least five days, regardless
of vaccination status. If no
symptoms develop or are
resolved after five days, the
individual may leave home
but should wear a mask
around others for five more
days.
Individuals exposed to
someone with COVID-19
but are up to date on vac-
cinations and do not have
symptoms, do not need to
quarantine but should wear
a mask around others for
10 days. Testing on day
five is recommended.
Unvaccinated residents,
and those who are not up to
date on vaccinations, who
were exposed to the virus
but have no symptoms
should quarantine at home
for five days. If no symp-
toms arise during this time,
they may end the quar-
antine but should wear a
mask around others for five
additional days. CHD rec-
ommends testing at the end
of quarantine.
Individuals who have
been exposed but do not
have symptoms and are
unable to quarantine
should wear a mask for 10
days when around others at
home or in public.
Anyone who is unable
to wear a mask, and those
younger than 2 years of
age, and has been exposed
to the virus should quar-
antine for the full 10 days,
per CHD guidance.
Those who have not
received a booster or it’s
been more than six months
since the initial Pfizer or
Moderna vaccine series
or more than two months
since receiving the ini-
tial dose of Johnson &
Johnson are not consid-
ered up to date on vaccina-
tions, according to the new
guidance.