$1.50
EXPERTS DISCUSS FOREST FOX ARCHERY MOVES TO
MANAGEMENT ON MORAINE LEWISTON HIGHWAY
LOCAL, A3
BUSINESS, A10
THE WEEK
IN PHOTOS
THE BACK PAGE, A16
136th Year, No. 28
Wallowa
County
Voices
Emma
Harker
WINNER OF THE 2020 ONPA GENERAL EXCELLENCE AWARD
Wednesday, October 21, 2020
Second COVID-19 death reported in Wallowa County
Chieftain staff
ENTERPRISE
—
Wal-
lowa County had a second death
attributed to COVID-19 reported
in the Saturday, Oct. 17, update
from the Oregon Health Authority.
The county had four cases in
fi ve days, according to OHA, and
as of Tuesday afternoon has had 40
cases of the coronavirus since the
start of the pandemic.
OHA’s reported fatality was of
an 83-year-old Wallowa County
woman who died Sept. 29, 15 days
after testing positive for the virus.
The OHA report said the woman
had underlying conditions.
The county reported four
new cases of COVID-19 in the
last week, with individual cases
Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday
and Sunday, according to OHA.
Wallowa County has been
among the areas of the state least
hit by the coronavirus, as just six
counties have had fewer cases. The
county also has an infection rate of
0.559%, well below the state rate,
which is nearing 1%.
Oregon’s latest report Tuesday
had 346 new cases and six deaths,
and since the start of the pandemic
the state has reported 40,136 cases
of COVID-19. OHA has attributed
633 deaths in the state to the virus.
The current survival rate of known
cases in Oregon is 98.42%.
As of Tuesday afternoon, the
state’s positive test rate was 4.8%,
and the county’s positive test rate
was 3.35%. Roughly 16% of the
population of Wallowa County has
been tested.
Enterprise
School online isn’t
her learning style
ENTERPRISE — Emma Harker has
lived in Enterprise the past three years,
but she also lived here as a young child.
The 15-year-old is a freshman at
Enterprise High School, but because of
the COVID-19 pandemic, she’s doing
the online school EHS provides through
Brigham Young University in Utah.
“I’m going to try to get back to ‘real’
school,” she said. “The home schooling is
really hard. I’m so used to being taught.
For the BYU online, they just give you a
bunch of reading and tell you, ‘Go ahead,
have fun.’ … Their online program is
great. It’s just not my learning style.”
Emma is looking forward to being
able to get her learner’s permit and driv-
er’s license.
“I bought my fi rst car a couple
weeks back,” she said. “I bought it off my
brother.”
Emma lives with her parents, Damon
and Jessica Harker, and has four siblings.
She recently shared her thoughts on
living in Wallowa County.
What’s your favorite thing about
Wallowa County?
The view of the mountains and the
return of the snow. It’s a lot better than
the boringness of no snow. I really like
how small it is and how simple.
Are you concerned about
catching COVID-19?
No. If I get it, I get it. If I don’t, I don’t.
There’s a 50-50 chance. Everyone’s going
to get it at some point.
Are you looking forward to the
election even though you’re too
young to vote?
I’m defi nitely interested because
I want to know what’s going to hap-
pen when it’s over. … I don’t know how
people are going to react with who-
ever wins. Some people may try riot-
ing. Some might freak out. Who knows
what’s going to happen?
What have you learned from
living in Wallowa County?
I’ve learned about hunting. … I
didn’t realize you had to get a tag. And
I rode my fi rst horse here. It was fun. I
hurt a lot the next day, but it was still fun.
I’ve also learned about agriculture and
about rodeos.
What’s your advice for people
who are thinking about moving
here?
Buy some land, get some cows and
horses. Just defi nitely put yourself out
there.
— Bill Bradshaw,
Wallowa County Chieftain
Bill Bradshaw/Wallowa County Chieftain
Lee Manuel, left, listens as her husband, David, describes one of his current works, called “Warrior of Peace,” depicting Nez Perce Chief Joseph
counting coup on a Crow warrior rather than killing the Crow. He was describing the piece to visitors at a preview of the Manuel History Bronze
museum in Enterprise on Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2020.
Manuel History Bronze museum holds preview
By BILL BRADSHAW
Wallowa County Chieftain
NTERPRISE — A massive col-
lection of historic artifacts from
the West, American military his-
tory and art is what visitors were
treated to Tuesday, Oct. 13, when
the Manuel Historic Bronze museum held a
preview for a select group of visitors.
The Manuels, who used to have a
museum in Joseph before moving to Hot
Lake Springs east of La Grande, are have
opened their museum to showcase their
collection of historic artifacts, as well as
David Manuel’s art work. Chief among his
pieces are the bronzes he does with West-
ern themes.
E
“All the people here have helped us in
one way or another in this move — our
friends, our grandkids and other family,”
said Lee Manuel, who with her husband,
David, hosted the event.
He has an area at the museum where he
can talk to visitors while he works on the
clay sculptures that will eventually be cast
in bronze. The Manuels team with Timo-
thy Parks, owner of TW Bronze Foundry
in Enterprise, where David Manuel’s works
are cast.
“This piece here, I wanted to do it espe-
cially for being up here because this is Chief
Joseph,” David Manuel told onlookers of the
piece called “Warrior of Peace.” “I wanted
MANUEL HISTORY BRONZE
Hours: 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesday, Thurs-
day and Friday. Subject to change. 10 a.m.
coff ee and 2 p.m. wine.
Location: W. North and NW 2nd streets,
Enterprise.
Phone: 541-398-2769.
Email: manuelhistorybronze@gmail.com.
Website: manuelhistorybronze.com.
Cost: Adults — $20; seniors and students
with ID — $15; Bronze Collector’s Card
holder and younger than 5 — $10; infants
and those in a wheelchair free.
See Museum, Page A7
Perfection made possible at Wallowa, Joseph schools
WHS, JCS with 100%
on-time graduation
rates in latest ODE
report; EHS at 90%
By RONALD BOND
Wallowa County Chieftain
WALLOWA — Perfection is
starting to become a theme in the
Wallowa School District.
For the second year in a row, Wal-
lowa had a 100% on-time gradua-
tion rate in the latest Adapted At-A-
Glance school and district profi les,
which the Oregon Department of
Education released last week. The
graduation rates are from the 2018-
19 year, according to the ODE,
though other data on the report is
from 2019-20.
The ODE report listed the grad
rate at “greater than 95%” but Wal-
lowa Superintendent Tammy Jones
said the rate was perfect. The rate
also was perfect in 2019-20, giving
the school a fl awless three-year run.
Wallowa wasn’t the only school
Ronald Bond/Wallowa County Chieftain
Wallowa High School, pictured here, and Joseph Charter School both had a
perfect on-time graduation rate.
to have a spotless on-time rate,
either, as Joseph also had a 100%
graduation rate, according to Super-
intendent Lance Homan, in both
2018-19 and 2019-20.
All three of Wallowa County’s
main school districts, in fact, were
well above the state average, which
was 80%. Joseph Charter School’s
on-time rate increased from 93%
to 100%. Enterprise High School’s
rate of 90% was also above the state
benchmark, though it was down
from the previous year, which was
97%.
“That is the highlight — on-time
graduation,” Wallowa Superinten-
dent Tammy Jones said. “And I
think the other piece … they high-
light the on-time graduation for the
different ethnic groups. We don’t
have enough numbers in most of the
areas, but the students that are free
and reduced lunch (or) that are in
poverty. They are 100%.”
Wallowa’s two-year fl awless
graduation run followed a year
where the graduation rate was 88%,
but Jones noted that in such a small
graduating class one student not
making it can drastically impact the
numbers.
The community size, though,
makes it more possible for students
to succeed.
“Every kid counts, but I think
what happens in these small commu-
nities … our rates are higher because
of our size,” Jones said. “If you have
10 kids or 18 kids, then you know
See Schools, Page A7