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THE WEEK
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REGION, A3
FEBRUARY 27-28, 2021
145th Year, No. 57
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Umatilla County to see vaccine surge
State revising county’s
weekly vaccination
allotment from 700 to
2,400 vaccine doses
By BRYCE DOLE AND
ANTONIO SIERRA
East Oregonian
UMATILLA COUNTY —
Mired near the bottom of the state’s
vaccination rates, Umatilla County
is ramping up its vaccination oper-
ations.
On the same day Gov. Kate
Brown announced the state was
expanding vaccination eligibil-
ity over the next several months,
Umatilla County Public Health
Director Joe Fiumara learned that
Oregon Health Authority was revis-
ing the county’s next vaccination
allotment up from 700 to 2,400
doses.
“This will be a huge jump in
vaccines from what we had,” he said.
The allocation will include 1,600
fi rst doses of the Moderna vaccine
and 800 second doses. The state is
also sending an additional 300 doses
to the Mirasol Family Health Center
in Hermiston.
New possibilities to speed
vaccination schedules
Previously frustrated by incon-
sistent vaccine allocations, Fiumara
said OHA gave the county assurance
that the upcoming shipment repre-
sented a new fl oor for future vaccine
allotments.
If a steady increase of vaccine
supply holds true, Fiumara said the
county could accelerate its schedule
for vaccine operations.
Brown announced on Friday, Feb.
26, that the state intended to expand
vaccine eligibility to younger age
groups over the next four months,
culminating on July 1, when the
state expects all Oregonians 16 and
older who want the vaccine will have
access to it.
To meet the demand, Fiumara
said the county plans to continue
holding mass vaccine clinics multi-
ple times per week in the coming
See Surge, Page A9
FEDERAL STIMULUS
Residents
could see
increase
in tax bill
Nearly 900,000
Oregonians affected,
state lawmakers
consider a solution
By MIKE ROGOWAY
The Oregonian
Ben Lonergan/East Oregonian
Rod Theis wheels a hand truck fi lled with boxes of donated food into the Pendleton VFW Post No. 922 on Thursday, Feb. 25, 2021.
Helping others
Pendleton VFW partners with American Military Encouragement
Network to deliver food to local veterans in need
By BEN LONERGAN
East Oregonian
P
ENDLETON — A small
group of local veterans is
lending a helping hand to aid
hungry veterans.
Veterans with Pendleton’s
Veterans of Foreign Wars Let’er Buck Post
No. 922 gathered on Thursday, Feb. 25, to
unload nearly 180 boxes of donated food
for local veterans in need. The delivery,
donated by the American Military Encour-
agement Network (AMEN), consisted of
150 nonperishable food boxes — weighing
roughly 46 pounds each — and 30 USDA
Farm to Families perishable food boxes.
Judith Burger, the commander of the
Pendleton VFW post, was among those
helping to unload and distribute the food
to local veterans.
“For me personally, it’s amazing, Feed-
ing people is one of my passions and for
everybody here, knowing that this is going
See Food, Page A9
WHO TO CONTACT
Judith Burger, commander of the Pend-
leton VFW Let’er Buck Post No. 922, said
she expects to have somewhere be-
tween 30 and 40 boxes of food remain-
ing and said veterans and their families
are welcome to contact her to arrange
to pick up food boxes as supplies last.
She can be reached by email at vfw922.
burger@gmail.com, or by calling the
VFW post at 541-278-2720.
SALEM — Last year’s federal
stimulus payments will generate
$112 million in additional Oregon
taxes because of a quirk in state tax
law.
The taxes will hit 877,000
Oregonian taxpayers, about half
of all those who
received federal
stimulus payments
in 2020 and early
in 2021, according
to the state. They
would owe an aver-
age of about $130
Hansell
apiece, including
many lower income
workers who would owe $100 or
more.
Lawmakers from both parties
say that’s unfair, and the Oregon
Legislature is examining a fi x that
would wipe out the higher tax bill.
But with the April tax fi ling date
already fast approaching it’s not
clear there’s consensus to make a
change.
Here’s why this is happening:
In March 2020, Congress autho-
rized $1,200 in stimulus checks for
adults and an additional $500 for
children, with the amount declining
for wealthier taxpayers. A second
round authorized in December
2020, and paid early in 2021, paid
$600 per adult and another $600
per child — again, with the totals
declining in more affl uent house-
holds.
The stimulus payments were
structured as a tax rebate, which
means they aren’t subject to federal
or state income taxes. But Oregon is
one of six states that allow taxpay-
ers to deduct a portion of their
federal tax payments from their
state income taxes.
Most years, the deduction func-
tions as a state tax break. But when
the feds are handing out free money,
it reduces the size of that break. A
lower federal tax bill means there’s
See Increase, Page A9
Winter storms bury bird rehab center in snow
Blue Mountain Wildlife
assesses storm damage
By TAMMY MALGESINI
For the East Oregonian
PENDLETON — As many in the
region recently spent time clearing
their sidewalks and driveways, Blue
Mountain Wildlife was assessing the
damage caused by a series of weather
systems that dumped record snowfall
in the Pendleton area.
In her weekly online journal news-
letter on the nonprofi t organization’s
website, Executive Director Lynn
Tompkins initially was counting her
blessings.
“I’m feeling pretty lucky today,”
she wrote in her Feb. 8-14 entry.
Tompkins said while they had more
than a foot of snow on the ground
with two-foot drifts, she was grateful
to still have power, as many Orego-
nians on the west side of the state
weren’t as fortunate.
Little did Tompkins know, the
worst was yet to come. As the storm
lingered, she said their snow removal
efforts were hampered by the drift-
ing snow on top of the Scavenger Pen
— a 48-foot long greenhouse frame
with metal roof — as well as having
to navigate a ditch near the structure.
“That’s the most snow we’ve had
since we’ve been here,” Tompkins
said. “It came all at once and we just
couldn’t keep up with it.”
However, Tompkins maintained
an upbeat attitude. The facility’s
director was counting her blessings.
See Birds, Page A9
FREE Self-Administered COVID-19 testing.
No insurance or doctor’s order needed
Every Monday through March 29th
9am to Noon At the Pendleton Convention Center.
SAHPENDLETON.ORG