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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 19, 2021)
INSIDE: Umatilla County reaches grim COVID-19 milestone | PAGE A3 E O AST AS AUG UST 18–2 5, THURSDAY, AUGUST 19, 2021 2021 WWW.GOE ASTE 145th Year, No. 130 REGONIAN RNO REGO N.CO M WINNER OF THE 2020 ONPA GENERAL EXCELLENCE AWARD Walk Railr d histo oa ry PA $1.50 GE 7 Lifeways forecasts laying off 100 workers Listen Side A- lley concer ts PA GE 12 Watch Live th eater 17 PA GE Cele Cult b u ra r te e www.nezp “Nimiipuu ercetraditions Aug. 21-2 Experienc .com e” show 2 and case Aug. 28-2 9 in Bake s Nez Perc e trad r City. itions, WITH ‘N IMIIPUU IN BAKE EXPERIENCE R CITY ’ PA GE “The food is fre sh, 8 ‘All for nothing?’ locall y sou rce d and Locals react as Taliban seizes Afghanistan Employees should not expect to come back to work for nonprofi t By BRYCE DOLE & NICK ROSENBERGER East Oregonian By BRYCE DOLE East Oregonian PENDLETON — Life- ways expects to lay off at least 100 employees when Umatilla County trans- fers its mental health and substance abuse services over to a new provider this fall, according to a notice sent to the county and state employment department on Aug. 13. The county’s former mental health provider lost its contract in May when the county went out for a request for a proposal, seeking a new provider that would cover both mental health and substance abuse services. The county gave that contract to Community Counseling Solutions, or CCS, in late May. Offi cials have said the Heppner-based provider will begin off ering addiction services in the county in September and mental health services in December. After serving the county for more than 16 years, Life- ways in a Worker Adjust- me nt a nd Ret r a i n i ng Notifi cation — or WARN — told the county board of com missioners and the Oregon Employment Department’s Dislocated Worker Unit that is expects layoff s to occur between Oct. 13 and Nov. 30, “depending on when the new provider takes over operations.” “All employees in all job titles and all positions in Umatilla County are aff ected,” the provider said, estimating the total number of employees to be approxi- mately 100. T h e O nt a r io - b a s e d provider, offi cials have said, employed more than 120 people, most of whom are county residents, and has 11 facilities throughout the county. The provider says it will “attempt” to retain some county employees “in other positions in other locations.” Some employees may be maintained or recalled by Lifeways, but “no employees who is being laid off should count on being recalled to employment with Lifeways.” See Layoff s, Page A7 Ben Lonergan/East Oregonian Jill-Marie Gavin, center, consoles her mother Shawna Shillal-Gavin at her brother Michael Gavin’s funeral service Aug. 11, 2021, at the Mission Longhouse as his father Greg Gavin plays the guitar. Michael Gavin died Aug. 7, 2021, of COVID-19. Two deaths, one family and one reservation Michael Gavin was only 39 years old when he succumbed to COVID-19 By ANTONIO SIERRA East Oregonian MISSION — Michael Gavin’s initial message was simple, but it would come to mean more in the weeks ahead. “I think I have the ‘vid.” On July 18, Michael dropped the revelation into a group text reserved for him and his siblings. He had spent the previous day with his family, reuniting after a trip to Bible camp while Jill-Marie, his younger sister, and other family members attended a memo- rial for their uncle, Chet Tias, the reservation’s fi rst COVID-19 death. Michael left the gathering not feel- ing well, but his sister didn’t pay it too much heed at fi rst. A cold had been circulating through the family. Michael’s text prompted a round of testing at Yellow- hawk Tribal Health Center, not only of Michael, but the other members of his household, mother Shawna and uncle Michael Ray Johnson, and his visiting sister and her four children. When Jill-Marie and her kids tested negative, she started to exhale. Maybe it was a cold after all. But her relief was short-lived. Michael’s COVID-19 test came back positive, as did Shawna’s and her uncle’s. Shawna and her brother were vaccinated. Michael was not, and was further at risk from his diabetes and high blood pressure. It was July 20. “My mom got pretty sick, not sick enough to need to go to the hospi- tal, but pretty sick,” she said. “My uncle was almost asymptomatic. But Mikey kept getting sicker and sicker.” EDITOR’S NOTE This is the fi rst of a two-part story. The second part will explore Michael Gavin’s identities as a Christian and a tribal member in the Saturday, Aug. 21, edition of the East Oregonian. PENDLETON — Veteran communities in Eastern Oregon were among the many who felt mixed emotions with the rapidly unraveling situa- tion in Afghanistan. Kerry Thompson, Eastern Oregon University’s Herm- iston Center military-veteran coordinator, has been in total disbelief at the pullout from Afghanistan and said he’s heartbroken. “I ask myself, is it all for nothing?” Thompson said. “Over 2,000 American lives lost over there, trillions of dollars we spent and my heart really goes out to the Afghani civilians. They have to be terrifi ed of what they’re going through right now.” Thompson said his son had served in Afghanistan as well and they both had friends who died while serving. He said he is worried about the American troops trying to get everyone out right now. “Do I think we needed to still be there?” he asked, “No, I do not. The way that we left I think is going to be a stain on America.” Thompson, who served in the Army from 1987 until 2008, was part of the first ground forces in Afghani- stan with the 10th Mountain Division in 2001 and 2002. He was deployed two times, once to Iraq and once to Afghanistan. He said the pullout could’ve been done more systematically. To him, it felt like one day troops were there and the next day they weren’t. “I haven’t been in the Army for 13 years, but I’ve never seen anything like this,” he said. For veterans who are struggling with recent news rolling out of Afghanistan, “be proud of yourself and what you’ve done,” Thomp- son said. “And don’t be afraid to reach out to anyone if you need help.” President defends decision to withdraw On July 26, Michael admitted his health was worsen i ng, coug hi ng constantly and frequently f i nd i ng h i mself out of breath. His family convinced him to go to the Veterans and their fami- lies nationwide are reeling from the recent news of the Taliban’s rapid seizure of Afghanistan after the United See Gavin, Page A7 See Taliban, Page A7 President picks Chuck Sams as National Parks boss By GARY WARNER AND ANTONIO SIERRA EO Media Group Ben Lonergan/East Oregonian, File Chuck Sams, a former interim executive director of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, was nominated by President Joe Biden on Wednesday, Aug. 18, to serve as the next director of the National Parks Service. An enrolled member of the CTUIR, Sams will re- quire confi rmation from the U.S. Senate to assume the role. WASHINGTON — Presi- dent Joe Biden has nominated Chuck Sams, a longtime tribal leader from Oregon, as National Parks Service director. Chuck Sams, 50, is a former administrator of the Confederated Tribes of Umatilla Indian Reservation, is the president’s choice to run the service, which over- sees a system that attracts 318 million visitors every year. If approved by the U.S. Senate, Sams would be the first American Indian to serve as national parks director. He is an enrolled member, Cayuse and Walla Walla, of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, where he and his wife, Lori Sams, and their four children live. Sams would be the service’s fi rst full-time direc- tor since the Obama admin- istration. Former President Donald Trump nominated a candidate, but the Senate never confirmed him, and series of acting directors has overseen the agency for the past four years. T he Nat ional Pa rk Service, established in 1916, include 63 national parks, such as Crater Lake, Yosem- ite, Yellowstone and Grand Canyon. It also controls national monuments and other historic sites that number about 423 across the nation. The service has about 12,300 employees. The nomination was among f ive the Biden administration announced Wednesday, Aug. 18. Sams will report to Interior Secre- tary Deb Haaland, a former New Mexico congress- woman who is the first American Indian to hold the position, which is part of the president’s cabinet. Gov. Kate Brown praised the selection, saying Sams would be an excellent See Sams, Page A7