THURSDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2021
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‘Janie’s
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146th Year, No. 27
WINNER OF 16 ONPA AWARDS IN 2021
DECEMBER 22–29, 2021
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Fair Lights in
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INSIDE
CHECK OUT A BIT OF CIVIL WAR HISTORY IN GO!
County Chieftain
Bill Bradshaw/Wallowa
for
County Fairgrounds
Cars enter the Wallowa
HARVESTING THE CHRISTMAS SPIRIT
Ben Lonergan/East Oregonian
A Santa Claus fi gurine drives a combine covered in Christmas lights Tuesday, Dec. 21, 2021, along Stewart Creek Frontage Road outside of Pilot Rock.
Storms boost anticipation of snowy, wet and cold winter
By KATY NESBITT
For EO Media Group
PENDLETON — After a rela-
tively dry autumn, the days lead-
ing up to the winter solstice fi nally
brought the prediction of a La Nina
year to fruition.
According to the National
Weather Service website, there is a
95% chance that La Nina conditions
will continue in the Northern Hemi-
sphere until April.
The oceanservice.noaa.gov
website defi nes La Nina as weather
occurrences affected by stron-
ger-than-average trade winds that
push more warm water toward Asia.
Off the West Coast of the Americas,
upwelling increases, bringing cold,
nutrient-rich water to the surface.
These cold waters in the Pacifi c
Ocean push the jet stream north-
ward and tend to lead to drought in
the southern U.S. and heavy rains
and fl ooding in the Pacifi c North-
west and Canada.
During a La Nina year, winter
temperatures are warmer than
normal in the southern U.S. and
cooler than normal in the northern
U.S. La Nina also can lead to a more
severe hurricane season.
For Northeastern Oregon,
the National Weather Service’s
Lisa Britton/Baker City Herald
The Elkhorn Mountains near Baker City glow white in the morning sunshine on Friday, Dec. 17, 2021. The National Weather Service’s Climate Predica-
tion Center reports Northeastern Oregon should expect a 50-60% chance for above-average snowfall and lower-than-average temperatures.
Climate Predication Center
reports the region should expect a
50-60% chance for above-average
snowfall and a 50-60% chance of
lower-than-average temperatures.
Recent snowfalls have boosted
the anticipation of a snowy, wet
and cold winter. A look around the
region’s snow sensors reveals the
current conditions for the Blue and
Wallowa mountains.
High Ridge, in the Blue Moun-
tains east of Pendleton, sits at
4,920 feet.
See Snow, Page A9
Northeastern Oregon hospitals, providers receive nearly $8M
Program for funding rural
hospitals also provides
$29.4M to Portland hospitals
By ALEX WITTWER
EO Media Group
LA GRANDE — A bevy of local
hospitals and providers are receiving
more than $7.8 million in funds through
the American Rescue Plan via a program
specifi c to rural hospitals.
While the fund allocated $118 million
to hospitals across the state, nearly 25%,
or more than $29.4 million, was sent to
hospitals in Portland — mostly to Prov-
idence, a hospital chain that serves the
Willamette Valley and coastal regions
of Oregon.
The largest single payment in North-
eastern Oregon went to Good Shepherd
Health Care System, Hermiston, which
collected a little more than $2.6 million,
while Baker City’s Saint Alphonsus Medi-
cal Center received more than $1.1 million
through the program. The list of providers
and suppliers that were awarded funds also
includes: Interpath Laboratories, Pendle-
ton; Center for Human Development Inc.,
La Grande; Wallowa County Health Care
District, Enterprise; Blue Mountain Hospi-
tal District, John Day; and Morrow County
Health District, Boardman.
“Good Shepherd Health Care System
did receive the $2.6 million, and we plan
on using it for either of two areas — to
be applied to additional COVID expenses
we have incurred or to lost revenue due
to the COVID pandemic,” Caitlin Cozad,
marketing and communications director
for Good Shepherd Health Care System,
said in an email.
See Hospitals, Page A9
Ben Lonergan/East Oregonian, File
Motorcycles fi ll a portion of the parking lot at Good Shepherd Medi-
cal Center in Hermiston on Dec. 5, 2020, following the Echo Toy Run.
Good Shepherd Health Care System, which operates the hospital,
received $2.6 million in funds through an American Rescue Plan pro-
gram for rural hospitals.