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About Wallowa County chieftain. (Enterprise, Wallowa County, Or.) 1943-current | View Entire Issue (May 12, 2021)
A8 Wallowa County Chieftain LOCAL Wednesday, May 12, 2021 COVID vaccine walk-in clinics coming May 14 and 24 By RONALD BOND Wallowa County Chieftain ENTERPRISE — Wal- lowa Memorial Hospital and Medical Clinic will be host- ing two walk-in clinics — one Friday, May 14, in Joseph, and one Monday, May 24, in Wallowa — for individu- als who want a COVID-19 vaccine. These will be the fi rst walk-in COVID vaccine clin- ics put on by the hospital since the vaccine fi rst came to the county in December 2020, WMH Communica- tions Director Brooke Pace said. The fi rst will be held May 14 at the Wallowa Memo- rial Medical Clinic in Joseph from 9 a.m. to noon. The sec- ond will be at the WMMC in Wallowa May 24, also from 9 a.m. to noon. Both the two- shot Moderna vaccine and the one-shot option from Johnson & Johnson will be available. “Anyone interested in receiving a vaccine can walk in at that time,” Pace said. Pace said as of May 6, 2,083 individuals had com- pleted their vaccine series through WMH, and an addi- tional 40 had received the fi rst shot. “If people have questions (about a vaccine), contact their primary care providers,” Pace said. “We have reached the point where our supply is greater than the demand. We are encouraging people who have waited their turn in line to step up.” The number of people get- ting vaccinated in Wallowa Get All Your Needs Met! Heating & Cooling Bulk Fuel & Propane Propane stoves & heat for home/office Expertly installed heating systems Even distribution of heat Bulk farm fuel Residential propane heating fuel Bulk diesel, gas & propane Air conditioning units to keep your home/office comfortable in summer One Call Does It All! Equipment Sales, Installation & Service Call Wallowa County Grain Growers Today! 541-426-3116 Heating/cooling: x 1201 Bulk fuel/propane: x 1235 WALLOWA COUNTY GRAIN GROWERS A farmer-owned coop serving the people of Wallowa County since 1944 911 South River St Enterprise, Oregon 541-426-3116 M-F 8AM-5:30PM • SAT 8AM-5PM • SUN 9AM-3PM Ronald Bond/Wallowa County Chieftain Wallowa Memorial Medical Clinic in Joseph is the site of one of two upcoming walk-in COVID-19 vaccine clinics. The clinic in Joseph will be Friday, May 14, 2021, and there will be one in Wallowa May 24. County continues to increase, even if it is at a slower rate. But there still are plenty of individuals seeking the vac- cine, Pace said. “We are continuing to see people trickle in in terms of people who want it. I think that as more people get it and the longer the vaccinations have been happening, the people who were on the fence and see their friends and fam- ily members receive it, and not see any side eff ects, they are taking the vaccine,” she said. According to data from the Oregon Health Author- ity, Wallowa County is in the upper third of the state when it comes to the percentage of residents who have received a vaccine. As of May 10, the county vaccination rate was 41.8%, according to OHA. That number is below the state average of 46.5%, but is the 12th-highest rate in Oregon. Benton County, at 56.7%, has the highest rate. Umatilla County has the low- est rate at 24.8%. That means of the 7,160 people in the county, per OHA data, about 2,992 people have gotten at least one shot of the vaccine, and 37.1%, or about 2,656, have been fully vac- cinated. In terms of full vac- cination, Wallowa County is seventh in the state, and is ahead of the state average of 34.4%. In terms of those eligible for vaccine — which, cur- rently, is anyone 16 and older — the county is 13th in Ore- gon at 50.7%, and 45% of the nearly 5,900 people in that age range have been fully vaccinated. The completed rate among those eligible is the fi fth-highest in the state. The number of new cases in Wallowa County seems to have leveled off after a jump that led to the closure of Wal- lowa High School for two weeks. The school was scheduled to reopen May 12. The number of total cases in the county, as of May 10, was 182. Sixteen of those fell between April 27 and May 3, and at one point there were 20 cases in a 10-day span. But there have been just six new cases since May 3. Wallowa a hot spot during next week’s elections By RONALD BOND Wallowa County Chieftain WALLOWA COUNTY — The Wallowa School Dis- trict is likely to be the most active during next week’s pri- mary elections. In addition to voters decid- ing on a ballot measure to raise funds for upgrades to the school, two positions on the school board have con- tested elections on Tuesday, May 18. Michael Lowe, the incum- bent seeking another four- year term in Position 2, is fac- ing two challengers for the spot — Joseph Miles and Zach Lathrop. Position 5 will have a new person in the seat, as Mark Moeller and Bill Robb are both running for their fi rst term. Voters in Wallowa also will decide on a measure that would raise $7 million for the district and draw an addi- tional $4 million in a match- Bill Bradshaw/Wallowa County Chieftain The Wallowa School District’s bond measure that, if passed, would raise $7 million for the district and draw an additional $4 million in a matching grant from the state, is among the items on the ballot in next week’s district election. Two positions on the school board are also up for election. ing grant from the state. The measure would increase the property tax $1.96 per $1,000 of assessed property value for the length of the bond. The additional grant money comes only if the measure is passed. Only one other election — for Position 4 in the Joseph School District — features a contested race. Incumbent Rachel Sykora made a late decision to re-run for the four- year position, and will face Kathy Zacharias, who put her name in the ring only when it appeared Sykora was not going to run again, accord- ing to county Clerk Sandy Lathrop. Every other race in the county next week — from school to cemetery districts — is unopposed. We know Wallowa County! We also know that each of you have worked hard and have an amazing future ahead! CONGRATULATIONS Class of 2021 Your Wallowa County Newspaper Since 1884 In county schools, includes Olivia Losby for Position 6 in the Joseph School District; Heather Melville (Position 1), Kate Fent (Position 4) and Mandy Decker (Position 5) in Enterprise; and Rene Craw- ford (Position 2) and Dustin DeHaan (Position 5) in Troy. All those running except for Crawford are incumbents. The incumbent for that posi- tion, Ervin Hafer, retired, Lathrop said. In the Lower Valley Water District, incumbents Kim Werst in Position 4 and Rick Schaeff er in Position 5 are running unopposed, as are Rob Burns, Jason Cren- shaw, and Gary Willett — all incumbents — in the Ever- green Water District. Larry Wightman and Bob- bie Baker are each seek- ing another term in the Wal- lowa Rural Fire District, and incumbents Bob Young (Posi- tion 3), Dave Hurley (Position 4) and Greg Johnson (Posi- tion 5) are all running again. Bonnie Henderson is again running in the Wallowa Cem- etery District, and incumbents Muriel Jones, Les Carlsen and Shirley Dowd are seek- ing roles again for the Lostine Cemetery District. Enterprise’s Cemetery District will still have a cou- ple of holes following next week’s election. Incum- bent Tim Kiesecker is run- ning again for Position 5, but Positions 2 and 4, which are up next week, are currently vacant. Reid Kooch is running in the Alder Slope Cemetery District, and Tom Schaafsma looks to fi ll a role in Joseph. Wallowa Memorial Hos- pital Board incumbents Nick Lunde (Position 3) and Kate Loftus (Position 4) are run- ning unopposed. And at the ESD, David Flynn is running again for an at-large position, while Bre Austin is running to fi ll an open at-large role after Joan Madsen retired.