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Saturday, January 8, 2022
a cheaper cup of coffee from
the counter clerk, said it was a
refill. He wasn’t interested in
watching TV. He sat down at
a Subway counter and looked
out the window. Rock ballads
from the ’80s played over the
Flying J’s sound system. The
trucks outside are packed in
like sardines.
“I spent a lot of years here,”
Spriggs said, reminiscing. “I
think I might just make this my
last run.”
Truckers:
Continued from Page A1
out of the lot. As one driver left
— a day-route driver without
a sleeping rig in the cabin who
wanted to find a hotel for the
night — space was cleared for
her exit. But it was just a hair
too late, as I-84 was closed yet
again due to unchained semis
blocking the route.
A few dogs perked their
heads up over the dashboards
in the trucks at the parking
lot. Some drivers, Holman
said, will bring dogs or family
along on the routes. Partner-
ing up, she said. It is a lonely
profession. None of the truck
drivers along the route had
known each other, despite
some driving along the same
route for years. Holman said
that she hasn’t seen some of her
co-workers back in Nebraska
for several years.
For brief moments, she
and a couple of truck drivers
she hadn’t met before spoke
outside as snow fell, and joked
about the closure.
“I think we’re stuck here till
spring,” one of the drivers said.
Past time
Ken Spriggs, 78, is a
Lawmaker:
Continued from Page A1
and vaccine requirements,
Owens explained in an inter-
view.
Additionally, the legislative
concept states that a gover-
nor may not retaliate against
a county whose governing
body has determined not to
fully continue a declaration of
emergency beyond the initial
30 days of the order. Owens
said this includes threats to
pull state funding, fines against
local businesses and other
types of state sanctions.
Under current Oregon law,
the governor must review and
reevaluate emergency orders
every 60 days to determine
whether those orders should
be continued, modified or
rescinded.
Local control emerged as
a significant issue for Grant
County residents in August
after Gov. Kate Brown
reversed course on her June
30 executive order handing
over public health decisions to
counties amid a resurgence of
COVID-19.
While the swiftly spread-
ing delta variant sent COVID-
19 case counts soaring, Brown
issued a barrage of new execu-
tive orders mandating masks in
K-12 schools, inside state build-
ings and, finally, in all public
indoor spaces in the state.
Those actions drew the ire of
Grant County leaders.
Parents asked for the county
court’s support in getting
decision-making back to the
districts and out of the hands
of the state.
County Judge Scott Myers
told parents the county does
not have the power to take
back local control of its
school districts from the state.
However, the county signed a
letter from the Eastern Oregon
Counties Association asking
for local control of school
districts.
“Some people might be
mistaken in thinking that the
county has power beyond a
voice,” Myers said. “We don’t
have the power to make those
things happen.”
In a Dec. 21 press release,
Brown extended the COVID-
19 state of emergency through
June, saying scientists believed
the state was just weeks away
from a new wave of hospital-
izations due to an anticipated
surge of the rapidly spreading
omicron variant.
Oregon Health and Science
University lead data scientist
Dr. Peter Graven predicted
that the omicron variant could
surpass the delta variant in
the number of cases due to its
extreme transmissibility.
Brown’s office said in the
press release the emergency
declaration provides the neces-
sary framework to access
resources in response to the
pandemic, which includes
the deployment of medical
providers to hospitals, flexibil-
ity around professional health
licensing, and access to federal
disaster relief funds.
“As Oregon prepares for
what could be our worst surge
East Oregonian
Extended stay
Alex Wittwer/EO Media Group
Semitrailers fill the parking lot Wednesday, Jan. 5, 2022, at the Flying J Travel Center, La
Grande. Frequent closures of Interstate 84 and other road due to inclement weather, crashes
and unchained semis trapped drivers between Baker and Umatilla counties.
day-route truck driver. That
means he goes home every
night — at least when he’s not
stuck in a road closure span-
ning several days.
He said he has a daughter
in Elgin he was thinking of
staying with for the night if
the roads didn’t soon open up.
Working for a company based
in Vale, he has been a truck
driver for 12 years. Before that,
as a police officer with Prairie
City for 20 years. Further back,
a veteran stationed in South
Korea just after the creation
of the Korean Demilitarized
Zone. He said he’s been shot
at in both jobs. He collects
two pensions, but continues to
work because he enjoys keep-
ing busy and loathes idleness.
“I just hate sitting around,”
Spriggs said, walking toward
the Flying J, reminiscing of
past days. “I used to come
here and eat all the time, years
ago. Those were the good days.
Awesome restaurant, we ate —
my daughter always met me
here, and we’d eat like crazy.”
His truck was parked along
Highway 30, several hundred
feet away from the truck stop.
He said he thinks this might
be his last season driving the
route.
“I thought about quitting
these guys, but they said no,”
Spriggs said, filling up a coffee
cup.
He charmed his way into
Michael Cruz had been at
the Flying J for two days due
to closures. He was sitting
sideways on a lounge chair in
the back watching television.
Next to him, Randy Payne, a
truck driver of 10 years, was
watching the television as
well. Payne had been there
for two hours. A string of
commercials played over the
TV. Payne wore a Pittsburgh
Steelers beanie, a well-worn
and stained reflective vest,
and a Bluetooth headset. He
was checking his phone, pass-
ing the time.
“Other than your CB
receiver, you have nobody
around you,” Payne said.
“That’s it. It’s a mindset.
Trucking is a lifestyle, it’s
not a job, it’s a lifestyle. You
A7
are living in a walk-in closet.
You live there for two to six
weeks at a time. You’re away
from your family — I don’t
live here, I live in Albuquer-
que. It can be a dream job for
somebody, but the wife has to
sign on for it, the husband has
to sign on for it, the kids sign
on for it.”
Truck drivers are paid per
mile. Typically, it’s under
50 cents per mile, lower for
newer drivers, according to
U.S. Bureau of Labor and
Statistics numbers. When the
trucks aren’t moving, the driv-
ers aren’t getting paid, and the
companies aren’t turning prof-
its. It’s a pressure that incentiv-
izes long hours and driving in
poor conditions.
“There are some compa-
nies that will be ‘Go, go, go!’
no matter what,” Payne said of
the pressure to keep the wheels
turning. “With my company, I
don’t really feel that way.”
Time is the enemy. If you
keep still, you make no money.
Boredom creeps in. Some pass
time with video games, or
movies, or books — or hitting
refresh on TripCheck or other
news stations for an update on
when the roads open back up.
“I was supposed to be in
Seattle today,” Payne said,
“and that’s not happening.”
in hospitalizations during this
pandemic, I know that this is
not the beginning of the new
year any of us had hoped for,”
Brown said.
Constitutional
framework
Jim Moore, a professor
of political science at Pacific
University in Forest Grove,
said Oregon’s Constitution
defines the governor’s emer-
gency powers and what types
of “catastrophic disasters” can
allow them to be used.
The Constitution puts acts
of terrorism at the top of the list,
along with earthquakes, floods
and public health emergencies.
Moore said the catastrophes
spelled out within the Consti-
tution are assumed to be rela-
tively short-lived.
“The problem we have
right now is that it’s going on
long term,” Moore said. “And
so Republicans have decided
that is an abuse of emergency
power.”
Indeed, Moore said, every-
one has a partisan take on the
debate.
“Republicans say, ‘We need
to change it.’ Why? Because
they don’t like what Kate
Brown is doing. Democrats
are saying, ‘No, we don’t need
to change it’ because they do
like what Kate Brown’s doing.”
Since the pandemic’s begin-
ning, it’s become evident that
the federal government has
minimal power in this situation
and the ability to deal with the
pandemic rests with the states,
Moore said.
That limitation on federal
power, he said, is by design as
part of the U.S. Constitution.
For instance, he said, Oregon
was able to pass an assisted
suicide law because states
have the right and the frontline
duty to deal with public health
issues.
Almost from the pandem-
ic’s beginning, the question of
how to respond to the coronavi-
rus has been a hot-button polit-
ical issue.
That said, Owens’ proposed
legislation is something of a
departure from recently passed
legislation in GOP strong-
holds. For instance, conserva-
tive legislators in more than
half of U.S. states, spurred on
by voters angry about lock-
downs and mask mandates,
have stripped local officials of
the power to protect the public
against infectious diseases.
Moore said the conserva-
tive ethos has long been that
more governing power should
be local. However, legislation
passed in red states like Flor-
ida runs counter to what has
traditionally been the GOP
ideology.
Thus, he said, this means
one’s political ideology shapes
one’s views on emergency
powers.
For his part, Owens said
his motives are not politically
driven.
“Honestly, it’s not about
partisanship,” Owens said. “I
by no means think the gover-
nor should not have the ability
to declare an emergency decla-
ration for 30 days, maybe even
longer,” Owens said. “That’s
reasonable.”
Ben Lonergan/East Oregonian, File
Pendleton High School students cheer on the Buckaroos Dec. 10, 2021, during a home game against the Putnam Kings-
men in Pendleton.
Sports:
Continued from Page A1
Portland), the report from
the sports medicine and
aspects committee was how
much time they have been
spending with student-ath-
letes and mental health. The
psychological aspects of
school and athletics being a
yo-yo. In-person education
and athletics are a vital part
of maintaining good mental
health in our students. We
are dedicated to making that
happen.”
Hermiston High School,
which plays in the Mid-Co-
lumbia Conference in Wash-
ington, follows guidelines
set forth by the Washington
State Department of Health
and the Washington Inter-
scholastic Activities Asso-
ciation, which govern high
school athletics and activi-
ties.
Hermiston AD Larry
Usher said a majority of the
athletes at the school have
been vaccinated, and the
school strictly follows the
WIAA guidelines, which
include COVID-19 test-
ing athletes three times per
week, with one test being
conducted at least 24 hours
Cases:
Continued from Page A1
send out to public health
authorities, various health
care organizations, schools
and other relevant groups.
Fiumara said he antic-
ipates Umatilla County
getting its own shipment of
tests, but was light on details
he could share.
“What I know is there
are a number of agencies in
the county who are going to
get some of these (tests),”
he said. “I don’t know how
Ben Lonergan/East Oregonian, File
The Stanfield bench cheers on their team during the second half. The Stanfield Tigers
defeated the Nixyaawii Golden Eagles 52-48 Wednesday, Dec. 15, 2021, at the Nixyaawii
Community School in Mission.
before a contest, and when-
ever possible, the day of the
event.
“At this time, it’s very
important that kids stay
connected to our schools and
programs,” Usher said. “We
will continue our current
health and safety protocols
and move forward as we are.”
While Eastern Oregon
schools are moving forward,
the Portland Public Schools
are tightening regulations,
requiring athletes to wear
masks at all times during
sports competitions and
practices.
The district also is ending
overnight travel for extracur-
ricular activities, shutting
down concessions, and will
require proof of vaccination
or a negative COVID-19 test
within 72 hours for anyone
over the age of 5 attending an
after-school event. The rules
will be in place until at least
Feb. 4.
Other school districts,
mainly in the Portland area,
have taken some of the same
measures.
many and I don’t know
when. The only number I’ve
been given so far is us as the
health department. We are
going to get just over 10,000
of them eventually. But all
I know is they’re not going
to show up all at once and
they’re going to show up at
some point.”
While they won’t be rapid
tests, St. Anthony Hospi-
tal, Pendleton, recently
announced it would offer
free drive-thru COVID-19
testing every Wednesday
in January from 11 a.m. to
1 p.m.
While no county in
Oregon has been immune
from the effects of the
pandemic, Umatilla County
has been hit hard by each
successive wave of COVID-
19. Fiumara said the county
has done the best it could
with the information it had
at the time.
Fiumara has long held
the stance that residents
shouldn’t need to test for
COVID-19 if they are
asymptomatic, a view he
largely maintains today.
He said if the country had
a larger supply of tests, he
might change his mind, but
at the moment, he thinks
only people who have been
directly exposed or are expe-
riencing symptoms should
seek out tests.
“I know you can spread
this without symptoms, and
I’m not denying that,” he
said. “I just still believe you
don’t spread it as efficiently
as somebody who does have
symptoms.”
Even if a resident does
have symptoms of COVID-
19, Fiumara said they don’t
necessarily need to get
tested as long as their symp-
toms are mild and they can
self-isolate at home when
they feel sick.