LOCAL & STATE
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2020
BAKER CITY HERALD — 3A
LETTER
Continued from Page 1A
State representatives
State Sen. Lynn Findley, a
Republican from Vale, said he
and other legislators had been
working on drafts of the letter
for about three weeks before
sending it to the governor’s
offi ce on Wednesday, Nov. 18.
Since discussion of the letter
started weeks
ago, the COV-
ID-19 landscape
in Oregon looks
different. On
Nov. 1, Oregon
Findley
Health Author-
ity reported 524
new cases of COVID-19. Since
then the state has repeat-
edly set new records for daily
case counts, and on Nov. 19
reported 1,225 new cases.
Findley, whose district
includes all or parts of 11
counties, including all of Baker
County, said his main goal is
to promote a “dialogue” be-
tween the governor and other
state offi cials and legislators,
county commissioners, school
administrators and other local
offi cials in rural counties.
He said he wants the state
to give more autonomy to local
offi cials in designing strate-
gies to combat the spread of
COVID-19.
He notes that during the
spring, the state required
counties to submit detailed
plans for state approval before
moving into Phase 1, which re-
laxed some of the restrictions
on businesses, church services
and other activities that the
governor had imposed in
March at the outset of the
pandemic.
Findley contends that ap-
proach “is totally ignored now.”
He laments that in place
of pandemic planning that
acknowledges the different
effects the virus has had in
rural Oregon, state offi cials
have switched to a “one-size-
fi ts-all” strategy — including
the two-week statewide freeze
in effect from Nov. 18 through
Dec. 2.
He concedes that one refer-
ence in the letter about rural
communities slowing the
spread of COVID-19 has been
overtaken, to some extent,
by subsequent trends in new
cases.
“Clearly the situation seems
to continue to escalate, and
the numbers in most of the
(legislative) districts are pretty
darn high, which is unfortu-
nate,” he said.
Nonetheless, Findley stands
by his belief that statewide
restrictions such as the two-
week freeze fail to refl ect the
differences between rural and
urban areas.
Wheeler County, for in-
stance, has reported only one
COVID-19 case during the
pandemic.
Three other counties in his
district have had fewer than
SCHOOLS
Jayson Jacoby/Baker City Herald
Tyler Brown, owner of Barley Brown’s Brew Pub and Tap House in Baker City, is frus-
trated that Oregon Gov. Kate Brown has forced restaurants to offer takeout meals only
during a two-week statewide “freeze,” in effect through Dec. 2.
“You don’t get the feeling that there’s any sort of
emergency going on when you’re at a grocery store.
The only thing you see that’s apparent is when you
drive by and see restaurants closed.”
— Tyler Brown, owner, Barley Brown’s Brew Pub
100 cases — Lake, with 82
cases as of Thursday, Nov. 19,
Harney, with 78, and Grant,
with 74.
House District 58 State
Representative-elect Bobby
Levy, R-Echo, added her
signature to the letter because
she believes the individual
differences of counties should
be taken into account.
“I signed onto this letter
because I believe it’s true.
Hospitalizations in the metro
shouldn’t automatically mean
that our rural communities
suffer the consequences. Our
children need to be in school
full time. Our churches need
to be open to attend. State
business needs to open back
up and serve the communi-
ties they have left behind,’’
Levy said in an email to The
Observer.
Levy signed the letter be-
fore the governor’s freeze took
effect and said on Thursday,
Nov. 19, her feelings about the
COVID-19 lockdown issue
have not changed since then.
She remains very concerned
about how the state’s handling
of the pandemic is impact-
ing the district she is set to
represent.
“We have small commu-
nities that heavily rely on
summer tourism and rodeos
that were unable to count
on those funds to carry them
through the winter months.
We all are doing our best to
help keep our communities
safe and fi nancially afl oat
— but shutting down busi-
nesses, schools and churches
that have no correlation to
outbreaks is not the answer. I
want to make sure that HD58
and the rest of Oregon has a
fi ghting chance to survive this
pandemic. Physically, fi scally,
and mentally,’’ Levy said.
Levy will succeed three-
term State Rep. Greg Barreto,
R-Cove, when she is sworn in
in January. Barreto, who did
not run for reelection, signed
the letter for a fundamental
reason.
“I read it and I agreed with
it,’’ he said.
The state representative
said he objects to how the
governor’s mandates are the
same for all counties despite
their differences. A point also
made in the letter.
“The shutdowns are carte
blanche throughout the
state,’’ Barreto said.
He describes Brown’s
measures as unnecessarily
draconian.
“You cannot shut down
schools and businesses and
not expect huge consequenc-
es,’’ Barreto said.
He also said the governor
should not be focusing on
COVID-19 rates but rather
at how many cases of it are
hospitalizing people and
requiring respirators. Barreto
said these are the statistics
which really matter.
Barreto said that rather
than issuing strict orders,
Brown should be asking
people to take individual
responsibility and providing
guidelines for them to follow
in an effort to reduce CO-
VID-19 rates.
Baker County
Baker County Commission-
er Mark Bennett said he and
fellow commissioner Bruce
Nichols, along with nine other
commissioners from rural
counties, had a conference call
with the governor on Wednes-
day, Nov. 18.
Although that conversation
happened before the letter
had been sent to Brown’s
offi ce, Bennett said he and
the other commissioners
broached the same topics
outlined in the letter, namely
that is,” Witty said.
Blincoe already had been honored
Continued from Page 1A
through nomination by her Leader-
And even before BHS students
ship Class adviser Toni Zikmund
returned to their classrooms one
for the BHS Promise Student of the
day per week, they brainstormed
Month award based on her exempla-
to produce an event that included
ry all-around performance through
all 36 seniors eligible to serve on a
her years at BHS, where her mother,
modifi ed Homecoming Court.
Dawna Blincoe, teaches Spanish, and
After a processional through
even in her earlier years growing up
downtown Baker City on the night
in the District.
of Oct. 30, students returned to
Greg Mitchell, BHS principal, read
Bulldog Memorial Stadium for
a letter written by Nicole Sullivan,
the crowning of Sydney Keller as
who taught Blincoe as a fi rst-grader,
Homecoming queen and Mason Van and next as a student at Baker
Arsdall as Homecoming king. A lim- Middle School and later in biology
ited audience of invited guests joined and advanced biology classes at BHS.
the celebration.
Sullivan fondly recalled Blincoe’s
Blincoe, a member of the Home-
enthusiasm for learning even as
coming Court herself, deemed the
a fi rst-grader when she presented
event “really successful.”
a lengthy report about salt water
The student leaders are working crocodiles.
on special events, such as assem-
The Board also honored second-
blies, food drives and class competi- grader Brandon Houg as Brooklyn
tions leading up to the holidays,
Primary School’s Promise Student
Blincoe said. They even are con-
of the Month. His teacher, Katie
sidering ways to include students
Stephens, composed a song to honor
who have chosen not to return to
Brandon for his positive attitude
in-person classes, Blincoe told the
at school. She presented the tune,
Board.
accompanied by her husband on the
Witty took the opportunity to let
guitar, via the Zoom computer app at
Blincoe know how much he values
Thursday’s meeting.
the work she and her leadership
Principal Phil Anderson also spoke
team have put forth.
highly of Brandon.
“I can’t overemphasize how ben-
“He makes my day better with
efi cial to our student body I believe
each interaction,” Anderson said.
their insistence that coun-
ties should have autonomy
in crafting their strategies to
stem the rising tide of infec-
tions.
“We’d like to see that the
local level is where the deci-
sions are made,” said Bennett,
who has served as Baker
County’s incident commander
during the pandemic.
Bennett pointed out that
during the spring Baker
County offi cials, while writing
a plan to allow the county to
move into Phase 1 of reopen-
ing, assembled a robust
contact tracing and case
investigation plan.
Although he acknowledged
that the county’s case rate
has accelerated during No-
vember — about 38% of the
county’s 240 cases have been
reported since Nov. 1 — Ben-
nett said he objects to the cur-
rent statewide freeze not only
because it ignores geographic
differences but because it
imposes severe restrictions
on restaurants, bars and
churches, none of which has
been identifi ed as a signifi cant
source of COVID-19 spread.
“It’s the small social gather-
ings that causes our commu-
nity spread,” Bennett said.
Tyler Brown, who owns
Barley Brown’s Brew Pub and
Tap House in Baker City, said
the restrictions imposed on
restaurants have been “incred-
ibly frustrating.”
He hopes the letter the
legislators and commissioners
signed will prove infl uential in
Salem.
Brown, whose pub and tap
house are both on Main Street
in downtown Baker City, said
he’s had no feedback from
state offi cials about whether
previous requirements for
restaurants, such as limiting
seating capacity and requiring
diners to wear masks, actually
helped stem the spread of the
virus.
“We’re not getting any infor-
mation,” Brown said.
The two-week “pause”
announced on Nov. 9 to take
effect Nov. 11 in nine counties,
including Baker, required that
“And he makes Brooklyn a better
place.”
Witty, in his monthly report to the
Board, expressed his appreciation to
the staff for the work they have done
to help students stay healthy and
successful.
“This is really hard work,” Witty
said. “Our staff is doing amazing
work every day.
“It took work and commitment to
get our students into in-person school
safely,” he said.
Witty said that since students
at South Baker Intermediate and
Brooklyn Primary schools returned
to in-person classes four days a week
on Oct. 14 there has been no spread
of the coronavirus in the school set-
ting.
“We have not had a case transfer to
a student or staff member,” Witty told
the Board.
No cases have been reported
in Grades 7-12 since Nov. 9 when
those students returned to a hybrid
system of one day a week of in-person
instruction and the other three via
comprehensive distance learning, he
said.
Six elementary school students
have tested positive for COVID-19,
the most recent being a sixth-grader
at South Baker. The other students in
that sixth-grade classroom also have
been placed in quarantine, Witty said.
restaurant owners limit indoor
capacity to 50 people, including
customers and staff.
Brown said those restric-
tions had been in effect for just
two days when the governor
announced that the pause
would be superseded by the
two-week freeze, and that res-
taurants would be limited to
takeout meals only from Nov.
18 through at least Dec. 2.
He said he’s been frustrated
since the early days of the
pandemic, during the spring,
by what he considers the
state’s inconsistent approach
to regulating businesses to
combat COVID-19.
In particular he said he is
annoyed every time he visits a
grocery store.
“You don’t get the feeling
that there’s any sort of emer-
gency going on when you’re
at a grocery store,” he said.
“The only thing you see that’s
apparent is when you drive by
and see restaurants closed.”
He said the changes at
grocery stores, such as taping
directional arrows on the fl oor
to encourage shoppers to walk
one way down aisles, and
the installation of plexiglass
shields at checkout counters,
seem to him modest compared
to the restrictions imposed on
restaurants and bars.
Union County
Union County Commis-
sioner Donna Beverage said
the start of the freeze was the
right time to release the letter
that had been in the works for
about a month.
She said one of the most
important parts of the letter is
an early passage which says
the state’s uniform approach to
dealing with COVID-19 is no
longer applicable. She said all
the Eastern Oregon counties
really want is a seat at the
table when the state is deter-
mining what should be done to
reduce COVID-19 rates. She
believes county commissioners
and local health department
offi cials should be involved in
discussions with the state.
“We all want to be safe and
to make sure that we do not
lose people to depression or
suicide or have people lose
businesses,’’ Beverage said.
The Union County Commis-
sioner said the governor’s staff
in the past couple of days has
seemed to become more recep-
tive to the individual needs of
counties. Beverage said that in
the past when the governor’s
offi ce called Eastern Oregon
counties about COVID-19 it
told offi cials what to do.
“Now it is giving us a chance
to give more input,’’ said Bever-
age, who was re-elected to a
second-term in May.
Paul Anderes, chair of the
Union County Board of Com-
missioners, said he hopes the
letter opens lines of communi-
cation between the governor’s
offi ce and Eastern Oregon.
Anderes, like Beverage, wants
representatives of Eastern Or-
“It’s a broad net to make sure we
don’t get any spread in school,” he
said.
The total number of students
quarantined at the elementary
level since the reopening is 116.
As of Thursday night, 49 students
remained quarantined, Witty said.
The six students who tested
positive did not become infected at
school, Witty said.
Since July, the District has had
30 staff members quarantined as a
safety measure. Of those, seven had
potential school connections, with
six of those working with students
and one working with the District’s
technology department.
Three staff members have tested
positive for COVID-19 and all three
were infected outside schools, Witty
said.
Keeping the staff healthy, includ-
ing bus drivers and cooks, is vital to
children attending in-person classes,
Witty said.
If too many of the adults are in
quarantine, the in-person instruc-
tion would have to cease until those
quarantined were cleared to return
to work.
And, unless state guidelines
change or the number of cases in the
community decline, students will
have to return to comprehensive dis-
tance learning by Jan. 4, regardless.
Baker County
nearly sets
daily record
for new cases
Baker County re-
ported 12 new COVID-19
cases on Friday, tying
Nov. 13 for the second-
highest one-day total
since the pandemic
started.
The record is 13 new
cases, on Nov. 4.
The daily totals during
the past week: Nov. 14,
0; Nov. 15, 6; Nov. 16,
4; Nov. 17, 9; Nov. 18, 4;
Nov. 19, 2; Nov. 20, 12.
Baker County has
reported 252 total cases
since the pandemic
started in March.
egon counties to be at the table
with the governor’s staff when
considering what to do.
“We want to be part of the
discussions and decision mak-
ing,’’ Anderes said. “We want
them to let us in on decision
making rather than having the
state make decisions with a
wide blanket.’’
Anderes said he senses that
Brown and her staff are begin-
ning to listen more to Eastern
Oregon offi cials.
“I’m encouraged by the direc-
tion it (communication with
the governor’s offi ce) is going
now,’’ the fi rst-term Union
County commissioner said.
Wallowa County
Wallowa County Commis-
sioner Todd Nash said many
who signed the letter hoped to
get it to the governor sooner.
“There were a number of
us that wanted to send this
letter some time ago, but felt
like there was a decision
made to not send it prior to
the election and make it a
political stand,” Nash said.
The letter in a nutshell,
Nash said, is essentially a
request for counties to have
their own autonomy when
it comes to the COVID-19
response and not be placed
under an umbrella that may
work for some regions of the
state and not others.
“We want to engage with
the governor and come up
with the plans that best
suit our own communities,”
he said. “I had access to the
governor (Wednesday) night
and visited with her a little
bit. She’s not ready, at this
point, to drop the matrix and
just have them be guidelines.
She still wants them to be
enforceable.”
La Grande Observer reporter
Dick Mason, East Oregonian
repaorter Bryce Dole, Wallowa
County Chieftain editor Ronald
Bond, Baker City Herald editor
Jayson Jacoby and Hermiston
Herald editor Jade McDowell
contributed to this report.
“Our kids, families and our com-
munities are better off when our
kids are in school,” Witty told the
Board. “We’ve got to monitor our
behaviors if we’re going to make
that happen.”
Witty also expressed appreciation
for the work of the Baker County
Health Department and the impor-
tance of those workers being able
to keep up with demands of contact
tracing when positive cases are
reported.
“I have conversations with Nancy
Staten (health department director)
on Saturday, on Sunday at 8 o’clock
at night and at 6 a.m. on Monday,”
Witty said.
“They are working hard to do con-
tact tracing not just for the school
but for the community,” he said.
“We’re very appreciative of what
they’re doing.”
Witty said he will be issuing a
press release on Monday and a
radio interview will air in which he
will ask community members to
exercise caution over the Thanks-
giving holiday as advised by the
Oregon Health Authority and Gov.
Kate Brown.
“I continue to urge everyone to fol-
low the protocols and to be careful,”
he said. “Wearing a mask, physical
distancing and sanitizing does seem
to help.”