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East Oregonian
Saturday, July 24, 2021
Art:
Continued from Page A1
Pendleton Arts Committee
to request a series of five
bronze medallions repre-
senting the various branches
of the armed forces.
While the initial request
was approved, the commit-
tee and Blagg continued
to dream of a more signifi-
cant way to honor military
members in the community.
“I started with a smaller
concept and then the arts
committee got a hold of
it and made it even more
grand,” said Blagg.
Since that initial request,
the Pendleton Military Trib-
ute has raised $25,000 in
commemorative brick sales,
$70,500 from the Oregon
Heritage Commission’s
veterans memorial grant and
other foundations, includ-
ing the Johnson Foundation,
Pendleton Foundation Trust,
Altrusa and the Round-Up
Foundation.
The remainder of the
project’s $150,000 price tag
came from the city of Pend-
leton public arts fund.
“We’re selli ng li ke
10-15 (bricks) a week now,”
Denight said.
Once the bricks have
been manufactured, Denight
said they will line the wall
around the sculpture site.
He added he has seen many
people purchasing more than
one brick as a way of honor-
Ben Lonergan/East Oregonian
A crane lifts the pergola for the Beacon of the Sentinels art installation into place Tuesday,
July 20, 2021, at the Pendleton Military Tribute in Pendleton.
ing friends or family.
The sculpture, designed
by Michael Clapper, of
Denver, Colorado, features
a 24-foot “beacon” flanked
by a series of basalt columns
supporting a star-shaped
pergola. Five military branch
seals were cut through the
steel “beacon” to allow light
to shine through them at
night.
Clapper said he envisions
the star-shaped pergola as
representative of the United
States, while the beacon goes
back to the longstanding idea
of the torch or beacon as a
symbol of freedom.
“I really wanted to use
the beacon or the torch as
a symbol of strength and
protection,” he said.
In addition to the beacon,
the pergola features a series
of glass stars that cast color-
ful shadows on the concrete
below. Clapper said he
enjoyed working with
members of the committee
and VFW Post 922 to create
the piece, and hopes it will
be enjoyed by the commu-
nity for years to come.
“I love designing these
things so a community can
come together and share
something creative,” he said.
Unlike a traditional veter-
ans or war memorial, Blagg
had dreamed up the idea of a
broader military tribute from
the start.
“This is about every-
body,” he said “All eras —
past, present, future — it’s to
tribute our military and civil
service in the U.S.”
While the tribute was
officially unveiled at a small
ceremony on July 21, Blagg
and Denight both said there
is more work to be done.
There are bricks to be
installed, and the landscap-
ing on the site remains in
need of attention.
Ben Lonergan/East Oregonian
A crane lifts the 24-foot-tall steel “beacon” into place Tues-
day, July 20, 2021, for the Beacon of the Sentinels art instal-
lation at the Pendleton Military Tribute.
Blagg also said he is
working on fine tuning the
placement of the bronze
medallions he received for
the site in 2018 and hopes
to have them permanently
set up soon, as well as a few
Cases:
Continued from Page A1
day reported 70 new cases in
Umatilla County, and a report
the OHA released earlier this
week shows the county has
reported a higher case rate
than any other county in
Oregon since late June.
“Our numbers are some
of the highest in the state,
and yet our vaccination rates
are some of the lowest in the
state, so is there a correla-
tion?” said Shafer. “I’m not
a scientist, but if I’m looking
at the numbers, I’ve gotta say
it’s related. The cases we’re
seeing are from unvaccinated
people.”
Emily Smith, a spokes-
person for CHI St. Anthony
Hospital in Pendleton, said
the hospital has recently
seen an uptick in COVID-19
hospitalizations and COVID-
19 cases in the emergency
department. Over the past
few days, she said, between
20-30% of patients tested in
the emergency department
had COVID-19, after several
weeks where the hospital
didn’t see a single COVID-
19 inpatient.
“I know people have
heard it a hundred times but
please stress the importance
of getting vaccinated against
COVID-19,” Smith said in an
email to the East Oregonian.
Officials suspect the
highly contagious delta
variant, which has been
confirmed to be spreading in
Umatilla County, is contrib-
uting to the case spike. But to
what extent is unclear.
Fiumara said health offi-
cials are watching closely
to see if recent large events,
such as the Pendleton
Whisky Music Fest, create an
increase in cases. If it does,
he said, that will be a strong
indicator of what could
happen when the Pendleton
Round-Up brings thousands
of people to town.
“If Whisky Fest happens
and there’s huge case spikes
because of it, it doesn’t speak
well for Round-Up,” he said.
“I do think there’s a risk, I
just can’t speak to how large
that risk is yet.”
Gov. Kate Brown said in
June the Round-Up would go
on after a COVID-19 caused
cancellation in 2020.
“Let ‘er buck,” Brown
said, using a popular saying
for the event.
But she made the state-
ments when COVID-19
infections were in steep
decline and as Oregon
pushed toward its 70% vacci-
nation benchmark. Since the
state reached that goal in
early July, Umatilla County
vaccine rate has lagged
behind the state.
Delta variant surging
The highly contagious
COVID-19 delta variant has
Kathy Aney/East Oregonian, File
Cody DeMoss clings to Shadow Rider during saddle bronc action Sept. 14, 2019, at the Pendleton Round-Up as other cowboys
on the infield cheer him on. COVID-19 cases are increasing in Umatilla County, but there is no sign the 2021 Round-Up will
take a hiatus like it did last year because of the pandemic.
caused a steep increase in
the number of infections in
Oregon — but with different
impacts across the state.
“Oregon is open, but the
pandemic is not over,” said
OHA Director Pat Allen
during a press call Thursday,
July 22.
COVID-19 infections by
the delta variant have doubled
in the past week, leading to a
new spike in total numbers.
OHA reported the number of
delta variant cases had risen
25% between July 21 and 22
alone.
The delta variant now
accounts for over half of all
COVID-19 cases in Oregon
and is likely to rise, mirror-
ing the national average of
80%.
The statistics were rolled
out at OHA’s first high-profile
press briefing since Brown
ended statewide COVID-19
restrictions June 30.
Allen demurred, however,
on if the state would step in to
curb or cancel the Round-Up
in September if Umatilla
County’s infection rates
stayed at current levels.
“Two or three months in
the future are an eternity” in
the pandemic, he said.
The rise in cases comes as
vaccinations in the state have
slowed to a trickle. While
about 2.4 million residents
have received at least one
shot of vaccine, Allen said
the latest daily number of
new inoculations was about
2,000. That’s down from a
peak of over 50,000 on some
days in early April.
Allen said COVID-19
cases are surging, up tenfold
in the past week. The delta
variant spreads up to 75%
faster than the original
COVID-19 virus that first
appeared in Oregon in Febru-
ary 2020.
The spread of the virus is
not evenly spread throughout
Oregon as in earlier spikes,
OHA reported.
Umatilla County in
spotlight
Allen singled out Umatilla
County, which has vacci-
nated just under 43% of eligi-
ble adults and had 70 new
cases, according to the OHA.
Portland State University’s
Population Research Center
estimated the 2020 popula-
tion of the county at almost
81,500 residents.
In contrast, Washington
County, near Portland, had
43 new cases and has vacci-
nated 75% of eligible adults.
It’s 2020 population is just
more than 620,000.
Statewide, the percentage
of positive cases averaged
3.8% through the two-week
period ending July 17. But
in Umatilla County, the
percentage was 12.4% and
Morrow County was 14.4%.
In contrast, Multnomah
County — which includes
Portland — was 2%. Lane
County — including Eugene
— was 2.9%. And Deschutes
County — including Bend —
was 3.4%. But OHA reported
even these small percentages
were increases over the prior
two-week periods going back
to June 20.
Clatsop County, at 4%,
was one of the few counties
to report a drop in infections
over the period.
“The pandemic is fading
for those that are vaccinated
— they can resume activities
with relative peace of mind,”
Allen said.
While significantly more
contagious, the delta vari-
ant has not been shown to be
any more virulent or able to
break through vaccines that
have been widely available
since spring.
While infections and
hospitalizations are rising,
the number of deaths is
expected to be capped well
below levels seen last winter
when the virus was rampant
and no vaccines were avail-
able.
Allen said that despite the
July 22 press call to publicize
the extent of the delta vari-
ant, there were no plans for
Brown or OHA to step in and
exert control over local deci-
sions.
“The state is trying to be
hands-off and hand things
down to local government,”
Fiumara said.
While OHA was ready to
help with additional vaccine
and other support, it is up to
county health departments
to take a measure of the local
impact of the virus and for
county commissioners to
decide what should be done.
Salem would not issue
edicts, but advice.
“Take action now,” Allen
said of counties with lagging
vaccination rates.
Allen pointed to state
statistics showing that 15 out
of 36 counties had started
vaccinating less than half
their adult population. State-
wide the number is about
70%.
Unvaccinated
most at risk
Dean Sidelinger, the state
health officer and chief epide-
miologist, said the jump in
infections should be a “red
alert” for those who have not
been vaccinated.
“You are at higher risk
now than you were earlier
in the pandemic and you are
putting the people around
you at risk,” Sidelinger said.
Not moving to increase
vaccination levels would
mean the shadow of the
pandemic would continue in
communities, schools, work-
places and gatherings.
“The virus looms large,”
Sidelinger said.
OHA again said it was
hoping for increased persua-
sion and for local influential
individuals and political lead-
ers to take action. There were
no plans for new mandates,
or to tell employers they
should require vaccinations.
Citing the “highly polit-
ical” nature of the COVID-
19 debate, Allen said efforts
to increase vaccinations had
to come from trusted local
sources, including civic and
faith leaders, as well as polit-
ical officeholders.
Soon after the transfer of
responsibility to counties,
the governor’s office said it
would monitor the response.
“Oregon is moving into
the next chapter of this
other forms of recognition
for other civil services.
“It going to be quite a
nice attraction,” he said. “It’s
going to lend something addi-
tional to Pendleton as people
are coming into town.”
pandemic,” Brown spokes-
person Charles Boyle said
July 7. “While our state-
wide response will now look
different, OHA continues
to have an ongoing leader-
ship role working with local
public health partners in
vaccination efforts, as well
as pandemic response and
recovery.”
Boyle said Brown was
aware of the already rising
impact of the delta variant in
other parts of the nation.
“We will continue to
monitor the spread of vari-
ants closely,” Boyle said.
While transferring daily
control of the pandemic
response to counties, Brown
has not lifted the state emer-
gency order that has been in
place since March 2020 and
renewed several times.
Allen said getting people
to realize the gravity of the
pandemic and to make their
own choice to get vaccinated
was going to work best.
“I don’t care what you
think, you have to get
vaccinated,” he said, was a
message that wouldn’t help
anyone.
Allen also said he had
conversations with many
leaders of all political views
and it was up to them to
decide their public role when
it comes to addressing vacci-
nation.
“Let them speak for them-
selves,” he said, adding,
“Who are the right messen-
gers, what is the right
message?”
Up until June 30, the state
had decided the risk level for
infection in each county and
what restrictions should be
in place. Though Brown offi-
cially disconnected the risk
analysis from state response,
the state still reports the
statistics each Monday.
OHA on July 21 posted an
update showing the number
of confirmed cases of the
COVID-19 delta variant had
more than doubled, from 43
to 90, between reports on
July 10 and July 17.
OHA officials say the
prevalence of the delta vari-
ant likely is an undercount,
as sequencing data can take
weeks to be reported and
not all coronavirus cases are
tested for the variant.
COVID-19 has killed over
610,000 Americans and 4.1
million people worldwide.
Many of the variants have
had their origins thousands of
miles away from Oregon, but
in modern times can reach
anywhere on the globe in a
relatively short time.
Sideli nger said the
pandemic has had many
turning points for bad and
good.
Thin king that it is
defeated would “come at a
high cost.”
“Our fight is not over,” he
said. “COVID-19 is a stub-
born foe.”