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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (June 5, 2021)
OFF PAGE ONE Saturday, June 5, 2021 East Oregonian A9 Pendleton: Continued from Page A1 Kathy Aney/East Oregonian, File Bullfighter Dusty Tuckness distracts a bull as its rider scram- bles away Sept. 14, 2019, during the Pendleton Round-Up. Oregon Gov. Kate Brown on Friday, June 4, 2021, said the Round-Up and other large events would be able to go on once Oregon hits its target vaccination rate of 70% of eligi- ble residents. Brown: Continued from Page A1 Oregon. She will re-examine whether or not to lift her emer- gency order that gave her a wide latitude on public health decisions. “The pandemic will not be over,” Brown said. To try to increase the vacci- nation rate toward the goal, many pharmacies will extend hours to reach out to more people who want shots. “Some people are not vaccine resistant, but vaccine inconvenienced,” Allen said. Brown also reiterated plans to give away $1 million to a vaccinated Oregonian, along with $10,000 to a vacci- nated person in each of the 36 counties. Scholarships worth $100,000 are also being offered to lucky vaccinated youth. Brown and OHA officials said it was time to push past the current levels of inocula- tion as medical evidence and state statistics show the impact of the virus has separated resi- dents into two groups with very different likely futures. Those with vaccination are almost completely free of infections, severe illness and death. But the pandemic is still “a shadow” across the state for those who are not inocu- lated. OHA said nine out of 10 deaths are currently among people who have no record of vaccination. “There are still Oregonians who need to take extra precau- Hermiston: Continued from Page A1 listened to speeches while their parents and other family members waited outside. Afterward, district adminis- trators brought each student’s six designated guests into the building to watch them walk across the stage in the commons area to receive their diploma. Graduates then proceeded out the front doors of the high school for the last time, greeted by a photog- rapher, “swag bag” and the cheers of friends and family. The livestream online had technical difficulties and did not include audio, but students seated inside were able to hear from Inle Gonzalez, Adam- aryz Lopez Navarrete, Elea- nor Ernst, Paige Palzinski and Ella Hagel. “It feels like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders,” Gonzalez said after she exited the building. “This is the next step to making my parents proud.” She said her favorite memory from high school BEST OF HAWAII FOUR-ISLAND TOUR tions to feel and stay safe,” Brown said. Those battling cancer, immunocompromised Orego- nians, and organ donors were among those still needing protection, to name a few. There are also many Oregon kids who are not yet eligible for a vaccine. “So, it will remain incredi- bly important for Oregonians to continue making smart choices,” Brown said. OHA will continue to monitor the global pandemic and provide assistance and resources, but will increas- ingly advise local officials on measures to take. OHA and CDC are expected to issue more guid- ance in coming days as the state nears the 70% goal. was playing in the band at Hermiston’s state football championship game. Now she is headed to Portland State University, where she plans to double major in social work and community development with a minor in Chicano/ Latino studies. Lopez Navarrete said she is planning to major in computer science at Univer- sity of Oregon. “I’m excited and ready to take on the world,” she said of graduating. As Hagel left the building, she said felt accomplished, and happy to have finished a hard final year of school. She plans to go to University of Oregon, but is not sure of her major yet. She said she will miss the camaraderie with her friends from high school the most. Cristina Cuevas, who served as the high school counselor to the Class of 2021, said there were 369 students in the class who walked at graduation. A few more still are finishing up, however, with another seven who have since qualified for their diploma or will within days. $ ulated the county’s vacci- nation rate may influence tourists’ travel decisions. In a Umatilla County Board of Commissioners meeting this week, Commis- sioner Dan Dorran said tour- ism likely will take a hit because of the county’s low vaccination rates. “I can guarantee you that tourism in Umatilla County or Pendleton or any area, there’s going to be people that use that vaccination percentage as a yes or no if they’re going to visit that area,” he said. Dorran added he wants to see immunization rates increase “as quickly as possible” to spur the coun- ty’s reopening and quell pandemic-related fear. Only 24.1% of Umatilla County residents are fully immunized against COVID- 19, the lowest percent- age in Oregon, according to an Oregonian/Oregon- Live database. The county has consistently reported some of the lowest vacci- nation rates per capita since February, according to state health data, and officials say demand for shots is only dwindling. Dollarhide said Mult- nomah County’s high vaccination rate may aid in boosting tourism in Pendle- ton. While vaccinated tour- ists may not be comfortable traveling far out of state for a vacation, they may look to shorter trips like Pendleton. Pendleton Comes Alive organizers said they’re already starting to get atten- tion from other communities and tourism organization for their ambition. Rosenberg said it was an opportunity to help Pendle- ton stand out. “We’re on the hot seat,” she said. — Reporter Bryce Dole contributed to this article. Continued from Page A1 ZIP code for a town like Helix would receive about $11,000. Some ZIP codes are near- ing that mark, with Helix at approximately 50%, Meacham at 44% and Herm- iston at 43%, according to Fiumara. “We chose (60%) because we wanted something to be reasonably obtainable for the localities in our county,” said Joe Fiumara, the coun- ty’s public health director. “Our (vaccine) rates are lower than we would like. Obviously, our goal would be 100%. But we felt that 60% would be a reasonable accommodation that would provide a lot of additional protection within those communities.” The com missioners agreed to make the program a direct effort to ramp up vaccinations in the county. Commissioner Dan Dorran brought up the idea of setting a target date to reach the 60% mark to expedite vaccinations, saying he “would like to see Umatilla County get as high a level as possible as quickly.” Only 24.1% of Umatilla County residents are fully immunized against COVID- 19, the lowest percent- age in Oregon, according to an Oregonian/Oregon- Live database. The county has consistently reported some of the lowest vacci- nation rates per capita since February, according to state health data, and officials say demand for shots only has dwindled in recent months. Ben Lonergan/East Oregonian, File After an initial morning rush, lines sit empty at a Umatilla County Public Health mass COVID-19 vaccination site in Pendleton on April 30, 2021. The county is rolling out the “Community Rewards Program” to incentivize vaccinations. The funds come from the nearly $510,000 the state sent in May as part of a $25 million effort by the federal government to assist vacci- nation efforts in a variety of ways, including provid- ing incentives, according to Fiumara. To receive funds, orga- nizations would need to describe what they have done to assist vaccinations. The county has yet to decide how this will work, but Fiumara said it likely will be a written description. The county also will use $51,000 to reimburse participating organizations for their efforts and to fund organizations that lack the financial ability to partici- pate. County organizations that receive the funds would be able to use them as they see fit, Fiumara said. The 60% threshold for the county’s program will have to be met by Decem- ber. All unused funds will be given to ZIP codes that achieved the 60% mark. The effort is part of a larger move by state and county officials of incentiv- izing vaccines to drive up immunization rates. Nation- wide, states are offering free baseball tickets, hunting and fishing licenses, free passes to theme parks and transit cards in major cities. Ohio even has weekly lotter- ies, giving out a $1 million lottery to vaccinated resi- dents each week for five weeks. Oregon recently announced a program of its own, called “Take Your Shot, Oregon” to encourage Oregonians over the age of 12 to get the shot. The campaign, a partner- ship with Oregon Lottery that is funded by Oregon Coronavirus Relief Act, will award $1 million to one vaccinated Oregonian, $10,000 to one vaccinated resident in each of the state’s 36 counties, and $100,000 to five Oregonians as scholar- ships through the Oregon College Savings Plan. All Oregonians who have received their first shot of any COVID-19 vaccine are automatically entered to win the prize money. The drawing will occur on June 28 and names will be announced the following week. Recent experiments by the UCLA COVID-19 Health and Politics Project suggest vaccine incentives have the potential to ramp up immunization rates. More than 7,200 unvacci- nated people were asked if they were more likely to get the shot if cash were involved. Roughly one- third said yes. The county has yet to iron out all the details for its incentive program, offi- cials said, but organizations will likely apply by email or submit a form showing their intent to participate in the program. The program will run regardless of if the state reaches the benchmark of 70% of all residents vacci- nated, the point when nearly all pandemic restrictions will be lifted in Oregon. EASTERN OREGON 2,599 2,349 Contributed Photo/Tim McFetridge Travel Pendleton Manager Kristen Dollarhide, left, Pendleton Chamber of Commerce CEO Cheri Rosenberg and Pendleton Downtown Association Director Tim McFetridge clean up storefronts on the 400 block of Pendleton’s South Main Street on Thursday, June 3, 2021 in preparation for Pendleton Comes Alive. Vaccine: FROM $ * 12 days, departs year-round 1-888-817-0676 TM Pendleton’s existing infra- structure rather than rein- vent the wheel. With access to amenities like horses and Western equipment, many of the new attractions weren’t too difficult to put together. Dollarhide said the Port- land metro area is one of their target audiences, look- ing to reach a set of tourists that aren’t hesitant to travel to Bend, which is roughly the same distance from Port- land as Portland is to Pend- leton. This is one of the first big projects for Tim McFendtridge, the new director of the downtown association. A Pendleton resident since 2001, McFetridge said he spent most of those years in banking, his most recent stint being a position at Banner Bank. Laid off during the pandemic, cham- ber CEO Cheri Rosenberg reached out to McFetridge to solicit his interest in the newly open downtown asso- ciation position. While McFetridge and company are excited for the new initiative, it comes at a challenging time for Umatilla County. Despite a sustained decrease in COVID-19 cases state- wide, the county contin- ues to see a relatively high number of daily cases while its vaccination rate remains low. One county official spec- promo code N7017 2021 PHOTO CONTEST Offi cial Rules: Photo Contest open now and closes at 11:59 pm Sunday, June 20, 2021. * Free date changes anytime up to 45 days prior to departure for land tours, up to 95 days prior to departure for cruise tours. Deposits and final payments remain non-refundable. Prices are per person based on double occupancy plus $299 in taxes & fees. 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