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About The Observer. (La Grande, Or.) 1968-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 26, 2022)
OBSERVER A8 — A1 | SPORTS, UNION, ENTERPRISE STANDOUTS EARN NUMEROUS ALL-LEAGUE BASKETBALL NOMINATIONS THE SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2022 INSIDE February 26, 2022 COVID-19 Oregon to lift masking rules March 19 Gov. Kate Brown is also ending the two-year-long state of emergency By DIRK VANDERHART Oregon Public Broadcasting SALEM — Oregon’s masking rules now have a fi rm expiration date: March 19. As COVID-19 infec- tions and hospitaliza- tions plummet across the state, the Oregon Health Authority will lift require- ments for masks in indoor public spaces and schools earlier than expected; the mandate had been sched- uled to lapse by March 31. At the same time, Gov. Kate Brown announced Thursday, Feb. 24, that she will rescind her COVID-19 state of emergency decla- ration on April 1. By then the declaration will have lingered for more than two years, allowing the gov- ernor to take unprecedented actions to stem the spread of the virus. “I am really excited that our numbers are down,” Union County Commis- sioner Donna Beverage said. “Of course, you can only hope that we can get back to how we were before the pandemic.” Taken together, the moves are the most sig- nifi cant curtailment of COVID-19 restrictions that Oregon has seen since the arrival of the virus in March 2020. Brown pre- viously revoked masking and distancing require- ments last summer as cases dropped, only to reinstate them weeks later as the delta variant of the virus took hold. Despite those fl uctu- ations, the governor has repeatedly extended the emergency declaration that has allowed her to wield broad powers. Brown cau- WEEKEND EDITION $1.50 MERA project nears completion No estimate yet on size of tree harvest on Mount Emily By DAVIS CARBAUGH The Observer LA GRANDE — The fi rst sec- tion of a contested forest manage- ment project at Mount Emily Rec- reation Area is nearly fi nished. Phase one of the Red Apple Forest Management project, which is aimed at improving forest health and conducting logging, is set to be completed after a month of work by ReedCo Forestry. The project intends to limit future wildfi res in the 300-acre Red Apple area at MERA. “They’re wrapping up and looking to get out of there by the the forest management. According to Chambers, winter conditions throughout the month were ideal, making the project go on without any hiccups. “It stayed good and cold, so the ground was hard and maintained snow cover,” he said. “It was really great conditions.” After the project was delayed end of this week,” Union County Parks Coordinator Sean Chambers said. ReedCo Forestry, a Union County business, was awarded the project bid on Jan. 5, following a lengthy public debate over the proposal. The project’s time frame was very dependent on the winter weather, with frozen grounds cre- ating a better work condition for See, MERA/Page A7 A NEW HOME La Grande School District’s shop facilities will relocate to Adams Avenue location if voters approve bond By DICK MASON The Observer A GRANDE — The La Grande School Dis- trict’s shop for maintenance and grounds work may have a new home in the next couple of years. The shop’s facilities, based at an old building constructed about 110 years ago, will be moved from the La Grande Middle School area to the Adams Professional Plaza on the 1800 block of Adams Avenue if voters approve a $4.485 million bond in the May election. Money from the bond would be spent on the replacement of the school district’s aging Annex building with a new aca- demic and athletic center. L Alex Wittwer/EO Media Group, File The building housing La Grande School District’s maintenance, facilities and grounds shop, seen through a window on Thursday, Dec. 23, 2021, is more than 100 years old. The structure will be torn down along with the adjacent Annex building if a new athletic and academic center is approved by voters. See, Schools/Page A7 Adams Professional Plaza, photographed Tuesday, Feb. 22, 2022, could be the site of the new maintenance and grounds work shop for the La Grande School District within the next year or two. Alex Wittwer/EO Media Group See, Masks/Page A7 Imprisoned by the past New law proposed in Senate could vacate previous criminal verdicts at the expense of victims By ALEX WITTWER EO Media Group SALEM — Legislators are pushing through a broad reform bill that would retroactively allow criminals to appeal their case if the verdict wasn’t reached unani- mously. That could mean regional district attorneys would be open to dozens if not thousands of formerly closed cases that could stretch back decades. Senate Bill 1511, which would WEATHER INDEX Classified ......B2 Comics ...........B5 Crossword ....B2 Dear Abby ....B6 TUESDAY Horoscope ....B4 Local...............A2 Lottery ...........A2 Obituaries .....A5 Opinion .........A4 Outdoors ......B1 Sports ............A8 Sudoku ..........B5 allow those previously convicted of crimes with a less than unanimous jury to appeal their decision, is based on the recent Ramos vs. Lou- isiana Supreme Court ruling that found that non-unanimous juries were unconstitutional. Oregon, along with Louisiana, were the only two states in the nation to allow non-unanimous juries. The Oregon law was put into eff ect in 1934, and had racist and xenophobic origins according to numerous testimonies for SB 1511. The Supreme Court of the Full forecast on the back of B section Tonight Sunday 28 LOW 38/28 A bit of snow Rain/snow shower TITLE III GRANT BRINGS $2.5M FOR STUDENT SERVICES United States denied the retroac- tivity clause by a 6-3 ruling on May 17, 2021 in the case of Edwards vs. Warden Vannoy, with Justice Brett Kavanaugh writing the majority opinion. However, Kavanaugh also wrote that the states could make their own retroactivity laws, which is what Oregon aims to do with SB 1511. Baker County District Attorney Greg Baxter said the law for non-unanimous juries was followed See, Verdicts/Page A7 CONTACT US 541-963-3161 Issue 25 2 sections, 14 pages La Grande, Oregon Email story ideas to news@lagrande observer.com. More contact info on Page A4. Online at lagrandeobserver.com