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About Wallowa County chieftain. (Enterprise, Wallowa County, Or.) 1943-current | View Entire Issue (March 4, 2020)
500 WINS ENTERPRISE COACH MIKE CRAWFORD POSTS A MAJOR MILESTONE IN A LONG, DEDICATED HIGH SCHOOL CAREER | A10 Enterprise, Oregon Wallowa.com 134th Year, No. 47 Wednesday, March 4, 2020 County prepares for coronavirus Health District holds town hall meeting Wednesday 6-7 p.m. at Cloverleaf Hall By Steve Tool Wallowa County Chieftain Occupational Safety and Health Administration Computer-generated model of the COVID-19 coronavirus What happens in China doesn’t stay in China. What started as a small blip in the world news cycle, coronavirus, or Covid-19, an infectious fl u-like illness, now dominates the news cycle and has spread to the U.S. On Wednesday, March 4 the Wal- lowa County Health District is host- ing an informative community town hall, aptly titled Prepare, Don’t Panic”. The event will be at Cloverleaf Hall, 6-7 p.m. and features Dr. Elizabeth Powers and other providers who can answer questions and provide updates on preparations. Wallowa County is far removed from mainland China, but those who thought its relative isolation might offer some protection should think again. Oregon recently picked up its fi rst cases, which now total three. On Monday the Wildhorse Casino just east of Pendleton shuttered its doors tempo- rarily because an employee reportedly was diagnosed with the disease. On March 2, Oregon’s state health offi cer announced it’s possible that 300-500 Oregon residents are unknowingly car- rying the virus. At this time there are no know or suspected cases in Wallowa County, said Emergency Services Director Paul FOR MORE INFORMATION, SEE ALL ABOUT THE CORONAVIRUS ON PAGE 16 Karvoski. But even though Wallowa County is isolated and has no hint of Covid-19 doesn’t mean that local health care professionals as well as schools and care facilities aren’t already mak- ing preparations in the event of a local outbreak of the virus. Dr. Elizabeth Powers, co-founder of Winding Waters, a local non-profi t com- munity health center based in Enter- prise, said that local health offi cials are already planning a response. To that end, she has already prepared and sent See Coronavirus, Page A7 Feds balk at breaching four dams Draft EIS off ers six alternatives for Lower Snake River; Comments due April 13 By Don Jenkins Capital Press Bill Bradshaw Enterprise School librarian Molly Goodrich and several elementary school students show off their hats worn on crazy hat, hair or tie day Wednesday, Feb. 26, as the school celebrates Dr. Seuss Week. Monday, March 2, would have been the 116th birthday of children’s author Theodor Seuss “Ted” Geisel. ‘Seuss crazy’ pervades Enterprise School Kids’ author’s books used to promote reading By Bill Bradshaw Wallowa County Chieftain A cat in a funny hat, a Lorax, Sam I am, a grinch and more odd characters were swarming all over Enterprise Elementary School last week for Dr. Seuss Week in an effort to spur reading among the students. Organized by school librarian Molly Goodrich, the week was held to celebrate the 116th anniver- sary of the birth of Theodor Seuss Geisel, the well- known writer of children’s books such as “The Cat in the Hat,” “The Lorax,” “Green Eggs and Ham,” “The Grinch” and many more. Geisel died in 1991, but his legacy lives on – particularly in the amusing, creative and easy-to-read books he left for children. To celebrate Dr. Seuss Week, the school had dress-up days. Each day last week had a theme: Mon- See Seuss, Page A7 Bill Bradshaw Enterprise EMT Donald Taggart leads Mrs. Yanke’s fi rst-graders in acting out one of Dr. Seuss’ books Thursday, Feb. 27, during Enterprise School’s celebration of Dr. Seuss Week. He was one of the guest readers at the school. The Draft Environmental Impact State- ment (DEIS) for Columbia River Sys- tem Operations released on Feb. 28 rejects breaching four Lower Snake River dams in southeast Washington, fi nding it would raise transportation and production costs for farm- ers, while also increasing greenhouse gases, raising electric rates and making the North- west more vulnerable to power blackouts. This “preferred alternative” is one of six alternatives provided in the DEIS. Public comment on the DEIS is open until April 13. The draft environmental impact state- ment, produced jointly by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Bonneville Power Administration and Bureau of Reclamation, drew immediate criticism from environmen- tal groups that advocate breaching the dams to increase fi sh runs. The DEIS considered removing earth on the sides of Ice Harbor, Lower Monumen- tal, Little Goose and Lower Granite dams. It concluded that breaching the dams would have the most benefi ts for endangered salmon. Several Indian tribes said it was the best option for offsetting the river system’s harm to treaty rights. But breaching would not allow federal operators to meet the congressional mandate to maintain the dams for navigation, hydro- power and irrigation, according to the report. “It also has the highest adverse impacts to other resources, especially social and eco- nomic effects,” the report states. New congressional authority and fund- ing would be needed to breach the dams, according to the DEIS. The study looked at the entire Colum- bia River hydropower system, made up of See Dams, Page A7 Joseph gym won’t have to be torn down, report says Charred building still sound, needs restoration By Bill Bradshaw Wallowa County Chieftain Joseph Charter School’s gymna- sium will not have to be demolished to be restored in the wake of a Jan. 18 fi re. Superintendent Lance Homan said Tuesday, March 3 that the district has received an engineer’s report assess- ing the damage. “It looks like the beams were not compromised,” he said. The gym will have to be gutted and rebuilt on the inside. That includes the basketball court and bleachers on the ground fl oor and the weight room and wrestling facilities on the upper fl oor. But the building’s structural integrity is sound. At present, the school’s cafeteria is still being cleaned, as are some class- rooms. Then work will begin remov- ing the charred portions of the gym and cleaning it before construction can begin. Homan said he does not have a time- line for when the work will be com- pleted, or even if it will be done by the time school starts in the fall. “That would be ideal, but we really don’t know at this point,” he said. “Maybe as we get closer to summer, we’ll have a better idea.” Ellen Morris Bishop A basketball remains on the fl oor of the gym, along with water and debris from the ceiling two days after a fi re damaged the building. This image is a 65-second exposure in a mostly dark and unlit place. The engineers report found that the beams in the gym remain structurally sound.