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145th Year, No. 133
WINNER OF THE 2020 ONPA GENERAL EXCELLENCE AWARD
County sets
record for
COVID-19
deaths
4 deaths raise this month’s
toll to 14; county expects
that to increase this week
Ben Lone
Tour guid rgan/East
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expl
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LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS
HEED MASK MANDATE
By ANTONIO SIERRA
AND BRYCE DOLE
East Oregonian
By BRYCE DOLE
East Oregonian
PENDLETON — Umatilla County
reported four new COVID-19 deaths
Wednesday, Aug. 25, setting a new
pandemic record for deaths reported in
a single day.
The grim disclosure raises this
month’s death toll to 14.
The last time the county reported
as many COVID-19 deaths in a single
month was in January, when a COVID-
19 outbreak rocked Two Rivers Correc-
tional Institution in Umatilla. The
county in July 2020 reported the most
deaths from COVID-19 in a month, with
21.
Umatilla County Public Health
Director Joe Fiumara said health offi -
cials expect to report more COVID-19
deaths later this week.
In all, 112 Umatilla County residents
who have tested for COVID-19 have died
since the pandemic started in March
2020, according to county data.
The newly disclosed deaths come as
the county reported 69 new COVID-
19 cases on Aug. 25. Fiumara said
some cases are being traced back to
the Umatilla County Fair, which ran
Aug. 11-14. He said the health depart-
ment fully expects to report more cases
connected to the fair, but the county has
yet to determine whether there was an
outbreak.
The county has averaged at least 55
new COVID-19 cases per day during
the past week, showing a slight decline
from the record-breaking surge in
previous week. Last week marked the
fourth consecutive week where the
county reported at least 400 cases, also
a pandemic record.
See Deaths, Page A7
UMATILLA COUNTY —
With COVID-19 cases continu-
ing to surge in Eastern Oregon
and around the state, Gov. Kate
Brown expanded the mask
mandate to include outdoor
events where social distancing
isn’t possible.
The new rule goes into
eff ect Friday, Aug. 27.
With the region still in the
midst of its summer events
season, the mandate will aff ect
several large events in the
weeks ahead, including the
Pendleton Round-Up. Umatilla
County Public Health director
Joe Fiumara said masks were a
good tool in slowing the spread
of the virus in crowds and was
preferable to the shutdowns or
cancellations.
“One of my fears is that
more steps will be taken,
and it won’t be economically
neutral,” he said.
For its part, the Pendleton
Round-Up Association is plan-
ning to comply with the new
mandate.
“We are excited about the
111th Pendleton Round-Up
and the prospect of the
economic impact it will bring
to the community, county and
region,” Round-Up public-
ity director Pat Reay said in a
statement. “We intend to follow
all county and state guidelines
at the event as they continue to
evolve.”
In a typical year, the
Round-Up not only draws thou-
Ben Lonergan/East Oregonian, File
Rodeo fans fi ll the stands Sept. 11, 2019, at the Pendleton Round-Up Grounds for the opening day
of the 2019 Round-Up. Gov. Kate Brown announced a mask requirement for outdoor events, such
as the Round-Up, to begin Friday, Aug. 27, 2021.
sands of rodeo fans from across
the Northwest and beyond, but
also a legion of volunteers,
vendors, contractors and other
assorted visitors. Fiumara said
offi cials from public health and
Round-Up have been meeting
monthly to discuss the Round-
Up’s health plan and likely will
meet a few more times ahead of
the rodeo, which commences
the second full week of
September. Fiumara said hold-
ing the Round-Up still pres-
ents concerns over the potential
spread of COVID-19, but
government offi cials will need
to weigh the lives it puts
at risk versus the
eff ect any kind of curtailment
will have on the community’s
mental and economic health.
Fiumara said vaccines still
are the most effective way
of halting the spread of the
virus and the public health
department will try to use the
Round-Up to its advantage.
Umatilla County Commis-
sioner George Murdock in a
weekly update of COVID-
19 data reported
1,217 vacci-
nations
occurred in the county in
the third week of August, an
increase from the week before,
when there was 1,021.
See Masks, Page A7
Ben Lonergan/East Oregonian
A sign Wednesday, Aug. 25, 2021, near Butte Park in Hermiston
advertises the Greater Hermiston CityFest, which is Aug. 28, the
day after Gov. Kate Brown’s mask mandate for large outdoor
gatherings goes into eff ect once more.
Environmentalists decry proposed Boardman dairy
Opponents say dairy
will worsen drought,
other environmental
problems plaguing
the region
By BRYCE DOLE
East Oregonian
BOARDMAN — A coali-
tion of environmental groups is
calling on Gov. Kate Brown to
reject a permit application for
the proposed Easterday dairy
in Boardman.
In a press conference Tues-
day, Aug. 24, leaders from the
Stand Up for Factory Farms
Coalition said the dairy will
exacerbate a variety of envi-
ronmental problems already
plaguing the region and hasten
climate change.
“These problems are likely
to worsen if the state issues a
permit for this mega-dairy,”
said Mackenzie Aime, the
Oregon organizer with Food
and Water Watch and Food and
Water Action. “All mega-dair-
ies pose a threat to Oregon’s
public health and environment.”
The groups submitted a
petition with more than 1,400
signatures to Brown on Aug.
24, demanding the governor
direct state agencies to deny a
confi ned animal feeding opera-
tion permit, or CAFO, that Cole
Easterday seeks.
See Dairy, Page A7
EO Media Group, File
The former Lost Valley Farm outside Boardman, which Cole Easterday proposes to re-
open. A coalition of environmental groups is pushing for Gov. Kate Brown to deny East-
erday’s permit, claiming the massive dairy will increase a slew of environmental prob-
lems in the region.
