A12 THE BULLETIN • WEDNESDAY, MARCH 3, 2021
Forecasts and graphics provided by AccuWeather, Inc. ©2021
TODAY
THURSDAY
TONIGHT
HIGH
64°
LOW
35°
Mostly sunny
Mild with partial sunshine
ALMANAC
SATURDAY
57°
32°
59°
43°
Mainly clear
SUNDAY
51°
33°
Breezy in the morning;
partly sunny, mild
MONDAY
51°
30°
Some sun, then turning
cloudy
A couple of showers
possible
OREGON WEATHER
Bend Municipal Airport through 5 p.m. yest.
EAST: Plenty of
sunshine today with
a mild afternoon.
Fair and cold tonight.
Mostly sunny and
even milder Thursday.
CENTRAL: Mostly
sunny and mild today.
Clear and cold
tonight, then sunny to
partly cloudy and even
milder Thursday.
WEST: Sunny to partly
cloudy and mild today.
Fair and cool tonight.
Increasing clouds
and continued mild
Thursday.
TEMPERATURE
PRECIPITATION
24 hours through 5 p.m. yesterday
0.00"
Record
0.72" in 1972
Month to date (normal)
0.00" (0.06")
Year to date (normal)
1.09" (2.68")
Barometric pressure at 4 p.m.
29.86"
SUN, MOON AND PLANETS
Rise/Set
Today
Thu.
Sun
6:39am/5:56pm 6:37am/5:58pm
Moon
11:39pm/9:10am
none/9:41am
Mercury 5:34am/3:32pm 5:33am/3:33pm
Venus
6:34am/5:23pm 6:33am/5:25pm
Mars
9:35am/12:41am 9:33am/12:41am
Jupiter
5:40am/3:36pm 5:36am/3:33pm
Saturn
5:16am/2:52pm 5:12am/2:48pm
Uranus 8:41am/10:38pm 8:38am/10:34pm
Last
New
First
Full
Mar 5
Mar 13
Mar 21
Mar 28
Tonight's sky: Constellation Orion due south
around 7 p.m.
Source: Jim Todd, OMSI
UV INDEX TODAY
10 a.m.
Noon
2 p.m.
4 p.m.
3
4
3
1
The higher the AccuWeather.com UV Index ™ number,
the greater the need for eye and skin protection. 0-2 Low,
3-5 Moderate; 6-7 High; 8-10 Very High; 11+ Extreme.
ROAD CONDITONS
For web cameras of our passes, go to
www.bendbulletin.com/webcams
I-84 at Cabbage Hill: Partly sunny and milder
today. Fair and chilly tonight.
US 20 at Santiam Pass: Mostly sunny today.
Fair and chilly tonight. Mild Thursday.
US 26 at Gov't Camp: Mostly sunny today.
Clear to partly cloudy tonight.
US 26 at Ochoco Divide: Mostly sunny today.
Fair tonight. Partly sunny tomorrow.
ORE 58 at Willamette Pass: Mostly sunny
today. Mainly clear tonight. Milder tomorrow
with some sun.
ORE 138 at Diamond Lake: Mostly sunny
today. Fair tonight. Some sunshine Thursday.
SKI REPORT
Astoria
49/38
Seaside
50/40
Cannon Beach
48/41
Hood
River
0s
10s
20s
30s
40s
50s
60s
70s
80s
90s
100s
110s
NATIONAL
EXTREMES
YESTERDAY (for the
In inches as of 5 p.m. yesterday
T-storms
Shown are today’s noon positions of weather systems and precipitation. Temperature bands are highs for the day.
Rain
Showers
Snow
Flurries
Ice
Warm Front
Stationary Front
Cold Front
Source: OnTheSnow.com
Bend
Continued from A11
“Clearly our ranking
slipped due to short-term
job growth, high-tech GDP
growth and housing afford-
ability,” said Damon Run-
berg, regional economist for
the Oregon Employment
Department. “Short-term
job growth is not surprising
since we were hit hard by
COVID layoffs due to our
high-than-average concen-
tration of jobs in leisure and
hospitality.”
Roger Lee, executive di-
rector for Economic Devel-
opment for Central Oregon,
agreed that the drop in tour-
ism during COVID-19 lock-
downs took a significant toll
Energy
Continued from A11
“It’s huge. It’s the first li-
cense of its type to be issued
in the United States,” said
OSU’s Burke Hales, chief sci-
entist on the project.
Oregon State’s project
would offer a prepermitted
area offshore of Newport,
where wave energy develop-
ers could anchor and plug in
their devices to the grid.
The array would spread
over about 8 square miles of
ocean and include four test-
ing “berths” with undersea
Rent
Continued from A11
“This new funding comes
at a critical time to bring small
businesses out of accumulated
debt caused by the pandemic,”
said Chris Cummings, Busi-
ness Oregon interim director,
in a statement. “With improv-
ing COVID-19 numbers and
us all doing our part to curb
the spread, we can get busi-
nesses operating again. This
program lets them get going
with a little less weight on their
shoulders.”
The Oregon Legislature’s
Emergency Board voted to
seed the fund in January. At the
on Bend’s economy, which
makes up 16% of local em-
ployment.
But Lee admits that rank
drop in high-tech GDP
growth is “perplexing” as the
number of companies con-
tinued to grow during the
year.
“There has been labor
force availability constraints
for some time that has not
allowed employment (not
GDP) to expand as quickly
as our local tech companies
would like,” said Lee in an
email. “That said, my gut feel
is that it only takes a few of
our growing software com-
panies to cancel out that
loss.”
e e
Reporter: 541-617-7818,
mkohn@bendbulletin.com
cables to carry energy pro-
duced back to shore south-
east of Seal Rock. The energy
developers would pay Ore-
gon State University for use
of the testing facility.
“We hope to be moving
this summer with ground-
breaking for building our
shoreside facility,” Burke said,
adding that the underground
and under-ocean boring
work needed to run the
transmission lines offshore
would start this year as well.
The goal is to install the
offshore components of the
test facility in 2022.
time, Business Oregon hoped
to launch the program in Feb-
ruary, but it took the agency
longer than anticipated to work
out the details of the new fund.
That has left small-business
owners who have struggled to
keep up on their rent payments
in a state of uncertainty.
Oregon lawmakers voted in
December to extend the state’s
residential eviction morato-
rium through June for renters
experiencing hardships, but
the state has not had a com-
mercial eviction ban in place
since the end of September.
Businesses have until March
31 to pay back their outstand-
ing rent, which may have
A couple of showers
possible
Yesterday
City
Hi/Lo/Prec.
Abilene
63/29/0.00
Akron
39/18/0.00
Albany
24/9/Tr
Albuquerque
56/22/0.00
Anchorage
19/10/0.04
Atlanta
49/44/0.04
Atlantic City
38/27/0.00
Austin
66/44/0.00
Baltimore
44/29/0.00
Billings
56/32/0.00
Birmingham
49/44/0.06
Bismarck
62/21/0.00
Boise
56/30/0.00
Boston
28/13/Tr
Bridgeport, CT 34/20/0.00
Buffalo
27/16/Tr
Burlington, VT
21/4/Tr
Caribou, ME
12/-3/0.07
Charleston, SC 56/52/0.01
Charlotte
48/41/0.00
Chattanooga
55/41/Tr
Cheyenne
56/24/0.00
Chicago
43/22/0.00
Cincinnati
46/23/0.00
Cleveland
39/19/0.00
Colorado Springs 63/19/0.00
Columbia, MO
59/28/0.00
Columbia, SC
50/48/Tr
Columbus, GA
49/44/0.53
Columbus, OH
41/21/0.00
Concord, NH
24/7/Tr
Corpus Christi
70/52/Tr
Dallas
63/39/0.00
Dayton
43/19/0.00
Denver
62/27/0.00
Des Moines
55/21/0.00
Detroit
38/16/0.00
Duluth
43/13/0.00
El Paso
61/30/0.00
Fairbanks
9/-8/0.04
Fargo
50/16/0.00
Flagstaff
54/12/Tr
Grand Rapids
39/13/0.00
Green Bay
37/17/0.00
Greensboro
49/35/0.00
Harrisburg
42/25/0.00
Hartford, CT
29/13/Tr
Helena
52/26/0.00
Honolulu
81/70/0.06
Houston
65/47/0.35
Huntsville
53/39/0.11
Indianapolis
44/22/0.00
Jackson, MS
47/42/0.76
Jacksonville
59/57/0.61
Today
Thursday
Hi/Lo/W Hi/Lo/W
72/47/s
75/50/pc
52/29/s
35/21/pc
41/26/pc 33/13/pc
64/41/s
56/34/c
18/6/s
19/15/s
62/43/pc
68/42/s
50/39/s
44/28/s
69/41/pc 73/53/pc
58/36/s
49/27/s
55/29/s
55/34/s
63/38/pc
70/43/s
61/27/s
59/29/s
55/30/s
58/36/s
46/30/s
39/21/s
48/34/s
43/24/pc
40/25/pc 29/18/pc
36/16/sf 26/12/pc
27/7/pc
21/3/s
59/41/r
69/43/s
63/37/r
67/33/s
63/37/s
68/38/s
56/27/s
44/27/pc
50/32/s
42/28/pc
59/32/s
49/25/s
49/30/s
34/23/pc
57/32/s
45/31/sh
63/36/s
61/38/s
61/37/r
70/38/s
64/41/pc
70/43/s
58/31/s
42/22/pc
41/23/pc
34/15/s
69/53/pc 73/60/pc
68/44/s
70/51/s
58/31/s
45/23/s
60/31/s
40/29/sh
52/29/s
51/30/s
51/28/s
38/21/pc
38/24/pc
33/22/s
74/52/s
69/42/pc
2/-13/c
8/4/s
40/26/pc
42/28/s
52/27/pc 47/22/sf
45/23/s
39/18/pc
43/21/pc
36/17/s
62/39/pc
61/32/s
56/35/s
45/25/pc
47/30/s
39/18/pc
51/25/pc
51/31/s
80/68/pc 79/68/pc
67/44/s
70/51/s
60/35/s
67/38/s
59/29/s
49/25/s
62/36/pc
70/43/s
61/45/t
72/43/s
Amsterdam
Athens
Auckland
Baghdad
Bangkok
Beijing
Beirut
Berlin
Bogota
Budapest
Buenos Aires
Cabo San Lucas
Cairo
Calgary
Cancun
Dublin
Edinburgh
Geneva
Harare
Hong Kong
Istanbul
Jerusalem
Johannesburg
Lima
Lisbon
London
Madrid
Manila
54/38/pc
63/44/s
73/64/sh
78/58/s
88/78/t
48/27/s
63/53/sh
56/37/pc
65/49/sh
59/30/pc
81/73/pc
83/60/pc
64/49/pc
44/25/s
86/71/s
46/37/c
40/36/c
61/38/s
75/58/c
71/66/c
50/38/pc
51/40/pc
77/59/s
78/69/pc
67/53/pc
52/41/c
63/40/pc
92/78/s
City
Juneau
Kansas City
Lansing
Las Vegas
Lexington
Lincoln
Little Rock
Los Angeles
Louisville
Madison, WI
Memphis
Miami
Milwaukee
Minneapolis
Nashville
New Orleans
New York City
Newark, NJ
Norfolk, VA
Oklahoma City
Omaha
Orlando
Palm Springs
Peoria
Philadelphia
Phoenix
Pittsburgh
Portland, ME
Providence
Raleigh
Rapid City
Reno
Richmond
Rochester, NY
Sacramento
St. Louis
Salt Lake City
San Antonio
San Diego
San Francisco
San Jose
Santa Fe
Savannah
Seattle
Sioux Falls
Spokane
Springfi eld, MO
Tampa
Tucson
Tulsa
Washington, DC
Wichita
Yakima
Yuma
Yesterday
Hi/Lo/Prec.
38/35/0.27
63/24/0.00
39/14/0.00
68/40/0.00
47/22/0.00
64/26/0.00
51/33/0.00
76/49/0.00
50/29/0.00
37/12/0.00
50/40/Tr
85/70/0.00
39/16/0.00
47/16/0.00
55/35/0.00
51/50/1.09
33/21/0.00
35/21/0.00
44/40/0.00
62/29/0.00
61/26/0.00
82/63/0.05
78/46/0.00
50/20/0.00
38/25/0.00
79/48/0.00
38/19/0.00
25/7/0.05
31/16/Tr
51/37/0.00
59/26/0.00
59/27/0.00
47/32/0.00
29/11/Tr
71/41/0.00
59/27/0.00
56/26/0.00
67/43/0.00
72/44/0.00
65/44/0.00
67/40/0.00
56/18/0.00
58/55/0.91
50/41/Tr
55/26/0.00
52/36/0.00
57/26/0.00
82/72/Tr
78/51/0.00
63/30/0.00
46/31/0.00
64/25/0.00
60/30/0.00
79/44/0.00
Today
Thursday
Hi/Lo/W Hi/Lo/W
39/30/sf 40/30/pc
66/37/s
66/42/s
47/23/s
37/17/s
68/45/pc
68/46/s
56/31/s
50/25/s
60/30/s
59/34/s
64/39/s
68/45/s
63/49/sh
66/51/s
62/35/s
54/31/s
43/25/pc 37/21/pc
62/40/s
68/46/s
87/63/pc 80/63/pc
44/30/pc
36/26/s
41/28/pc
42/27/s
62/38/s
64/37/s
61/48/pc
67/49/s
52/36/s
43/24/pc
51/36/s
44/24/pc
56/41/pc 52/34/pc
67/41/s
68/45/pc
57/32/s
57/33/s
76/55/t
75/51/s
66/47/sh
75/52/s
55/30/s
51/27/s
54/37/s
45/26/pc
81/53/pc 69/49/pc
56/29/s
36/19/pc
40/23/s
36/17/s
48/31/s
43/21/s
61/39/pc
62/34/s
58/25/s
56/28/s
58/30/pc
61/32/s
60/38/pc 55/29/pc
42/26/sn 29/15/pc
70/43/pc
66/40/s
64/35/s
57/35/s
59/37/s
55/35/r
69/46/pc 74/56/pc
63/53/r
66/49/s
61/48/pc
63/48/s
66/44/pc
66/42/s
62/36/s
52/28/c
61/42/r
71/46/s
55/39/pc
57/45/r
56/32/s
56/32/s
54/29/pc 56/38/pc
64/35/s
65/44/s
73/56/t
73/54/s
81/48/pc 67/44/pc
69/41/s
69/47/s
58/39/s
51/29/s
67/36/s
65/47/pc
58/32/s
58/37/pc
73/46/pc
72/47/s
88/61/0.00
82/55/0.00
16/0/Tr
39/30/0.10
82/62/0.00
82/65/0.00
83/55/0.00
48/47/0.38
48/34/0.00
19/0/Tr
63/36/0.00
84/74/0.04
62/39/0.00
82/59/0.00
86/68/0.02
28/23/0.53
43/32/0.00
51/34/0.00
91/77/0.00
46/37/0.00
73/67/0.01
62/58/0.34
64/52/0.04
65/55/0.47
30/9/0.00
46/36/Tr
50/23/0.00
50/36/0.00
86/64/pc
79/55/s
33/10/pc
37/33/c
81/58/s
83/70/pc
88/60/pc
49/36/pc
42/25/pc
35/10/c
63/44/pc
87/75/pc
61/39/s
86/60/s
84/67/t
27/11/sn
48/32/s
54/48/c
91/77/c
46/26/s
69/62/pc
67/59/pc
62/50/sh
51/40/s
43/22/pc
49/38/c
54/32/pc
50/37/pc
INTERNATIONAL
48 contiguous states)
National high: 90°
at Immokalee, FL
National low: -15°
at Crested Butte, CO
Precipitation: 1.85"
at McComb, MS
Ski resort
New snow
Base
Anthony Lakes Mtn
0
0-100
Hoodoo Ski Area
0
0-95
Mt. Ashland
0
61-66
Mt. Bachelor
0
117-127
Mt. Hood Meadows
0
0-184
Mt. Hood Ski Bowl
0
79-104
Timberline Lodge
0
186-186
Willamette Pass
0
0-80
Aspen / Snowmass, CO
0
44-60
Mammoth Mtn. Ski, CA
0
60-105
Squaw Valley, CA
0
0-112
Park City Mountain, UT
0
58-70
Sun Valley, ID
0
84-103
A couple of showers
possible
NATIONAL
NATIONAL WEATHER
-0s
47°
27°
TRAVEL WEATHER
Yesterday
Today Thursday
Yesterday
Today Thursday
Yesterday
Today Thursday
City
Hi/Lo/Prec. Hi/Lo/W Hi/Lo/W
City
Hi/Lo/Prec. Hi/Lo/W Hi/Lo/W
City
Hi/Lo/Prec. Hi/Lo/W Hi/Lo/W
Astoria
49/42/0.00 49/38/pc 52/45/r
La Grande
47/31/0.00 49/32/pc 53/41/s
Portland
55/38/0.00 59/40/pc 59/45/pc
Baker City
52/23/0.00 47/25/pc 50/31/s
La Pine
55/20/0.00 57/26/s 54/34/s
Prineville
58/25/0.00 67/32/s 54/46/pc
Brookings
62/39/0.00 51/42/s 55/47/r
Medford
67/34/0.00 66/36/s 66/43/s
Redmond
62/24/0.00 64/29/s 63/41/pc
Burns
52/23/0.00 51/23/s 56/28/s
Newport
50/36/0.00 48/38/pc 53/45/r
Roseburg
67/36/0.00 63/37/pc 62/45/pc
Eugene
61/36/0.00 58/36/pc 63/44/pc
North Bend
54/37/Tr
51/42/pc 57/47/r
Salem
55/35/Tr
57/36/pc 59/43/sh
Klamath Falls
56/17/0.00 59/27/s 53/34/s
Ontario
53/28/0.00 51/28/pc 56/32/s
Sisters
58/25/0.00 65/29/s 61/42/pc
Lakeview
54/18/0.00 52/25/s 50/32/s
Pendleton
63/44/0.00 66/34/s 70/55/s
The Dalles
61/37/0.00 60/36/s 60/39/pc
Weather(W): s-sunny, pc-partly cloudy, c-cloudy, sh-showers, t-thunderstorms, r-rain, sf-snow flurries, sn-snow, i-ice, Tr-trace, Yesterday data as of 5 p.m. yesterday
-10s
TUESDAY
49°
28°
Shown is today’s weather. Temperatures are today’s highs and tonight’s lows.
Umatilla
67/33
Rufus
Hermiston
58/34
67/32
61/36
Arlington
Hillsboro Portland
Meacham Lostine
61/35
57/37 59/40
47/28
Wasco
49/27 Enterprise
Pendleton
The Dalles
Tillamook
49/27
58/32
66/34
Sandy
60/36
McMinnville
52/38
Joseph
Heppner
La
Grande
58/38
Maupin
Government
57/36
49/32
48/31
Camp
60/31 Condon 65/35
Union
Lincoln City
58/32
51/32
49/31
Salem
48/39
Spray
Granite
Warm Springs
57/36
Madras
63/30
Albany
48/26
Newport
Baker City
66/31
69/33
Mitchell
48/38
57/34
47/25
Camp Sherman
58/34
Redmond
Corvallis
John
Yachats
Unity
63/30
64/29
57/34
Day
Prineville
47/39
45/23
Ontario
Sisters
67/32
Paulina
55/29
51/28
Florence
Eugene 65/29
Bend Brothers 53/25
Vale
50/41
58/36
64/35
53/28
Sunriver
53/27
Nyssa
61/31
Hampton
Cottage
La Pine
55/26
Juntura
Oakridge
Grove
57/26
52/26
OREGON EXTREMES Coos Bay
Burns
48/26
63/36
61/37
Fort
Rock
50/40
51/23
Riley
YESTERDAY
Crescent
58/24
52/26
High: 67°
55/27
Bandon
Roseburg
Christmas Valley
Jordan Valley
at Medford
Beaver
Frenchglen
Silver
49/43
63/37
59/25
49/26
Low: 17°
Marsh
Lake
55/30
Port Orford
52/25
59/28
at Klamath Falls
Grants
Burns Junction
Paisley
51/44
Pass
59/26
Chiloquin
60/30
69/37
Rome
Medford
58/27
Gold Beach
66/36
60/28
49/42
Klamath
Fields
Ashland
McDermitt
Lakeview
Falls
Brookings
54/27
65/40
59/27
50/25
51/42
52/25
Yesterday Normal
Record
61°
48° 75° in 1921
30°
25° -13° in 1917
High
Low
FRIDAY
55/34/0.00
55/46/0.00
75/63/0.28
75/47/0.00
95/81/0.00
43/24/0.00
64/55/0.00
53/29/0.00
66/50/0.01
57/23/0.00
82/75/0.00
82/57/0.00
68/54/0.00
43/27/Tr
84/75/0.11
47/27/0.00
39/37/0.00
55/30/0.00
72/57/0.04
73/65/0.04
47/41/0.18
56/44/0.00
73/53/0.00
83/71/0.00
64/48/0.00
47/39/0.00
57/45/0.00
91/77/0.01
45/32/r
63/47/s
72/60/t
79/53/pc
92/78/t
59/31/s
59/55/t
42/28/c
63/48/sh
61/39/pc
80/68/pc
83/58/pc
69/50/pc
48/29/pc
83/72/sh
43/38/c
42/31/sh
59/40/sh
76/60/t
74/69/pc
50/42/s
49/42/t
79/61/s
78/69/c
59/50/sh
44/36/c
62/38/s
91/77/pc
Pendleton
prevented an onslaught of
commercial evictions in the
months since the moratorium
expired. But business owners
who are unable to access help
through the new commercial
rent relief program could begin
facing evictions in April.
It is unlikely that the $100
million in commercial assis-
tance will be enough to meet
the needs of businesses that
have struggled to keep up with
their rent during the pandemic.
Many Oregon businesses
have been struggling for their
survival since March 2020.
Certain businesses, includ-
ing gyms, restaurants and
bars, have been shut down or
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‘It feels really good to feel a
little more stable than we did
before’
With some of the highest
coronavirus infection rates in
Oregon, Umatilla County has
been caught firmly in the ex-
treme risk category for months.
However, with a steady recent
decline in cases, the governor’s
office announced on Feb. 23
that the county was eligible for
high risk, permitting indoor
dining at 25% capacity.
The change also allows in-
door and outdoor recreation,
entertainment, and shopping
and retail establishments to re-
open at limited capacity, as well
as faith institutions, funeral
homes, mortuaries and cem-
eteries. It allows indoor and
outdoor visitation at long-term
care facilities and only recom-
mends, rather than requires,
that office work be done re-
motely.
When speaking of future
business, Meda and Burt
couldn’t help but follow each
prediction or aspiration by
mentioning the uncertainty
that has consumed local busi-
nesses throughout the pan-
demic. But on Friday, watch-
ing the familiar faces of loyal
customers walk through the
door and taking countless
phone calls brought with it a
sense of hope that things were
inching back to normal.
Collin Taber, a 19-year-old
employee at Moe Pho Noodles
& Cafe in the same block as
Joe’s Fiesta, said he showed up
at work on Friday at noon to
find seven full tables, a sight he
described as both “scary” and
“exciting.” After three months
of solely takeout orders, he and
his co-workers were rusty, but
over a 2½-hour rush, they got
back in the swing of things.
“It was nice to see familiar
faces, too,” said Taber, a stu-
dent at Mount Hood Commu-
nity College. “When I came
in I noticed that the people I
saw before were back, which
was really cool, and then I had
something to talk to them
about, about being back. And
they were really excited, which
made us really excited.”
Customers who came to get
their daily dose of pho were
happier than usual, said Taber
and his co-worker, Alexi Bre-
haut. Customers were eager
to know how the business was
doing and to show support by
coming in. They knew how
much other businesses had
been struggling.
“It’s just us getting some
breathing room,” Brehaut, a
20-year-old student at Eastern
Oregon University, said. “Being
able to take a deep breath and
finally get something that’s not
supposed to mean that much
to someone, but it does mean
that much to people.”
Taber added that the latest
reopening has brought with it
a sense of stability after months
of uncertainty.
“With all the uncertainty
that we had, it feels really good
to feel a little more stable than
we did before,” Taber said.
required to limit operations
multiple times throughout the
pandemic as the state has an-
nounced revolving coronavirus
restrictions.
The state has loosened those
restrictions recently in many
Oregon counties due to declin-
ing COVID-19 cases, but busi-
nesses that are open are still
operating with enhanced safety
requirements and limited ca-
pacity rules.
Business Oregon and other
local government agencies
across the state have launched
numerous grant programs
over the last year to help small
businesses impacted by the
pandemic, while the federal
government has offered some
relief through the Paycheck
Protection Program and other
Small Business Administration
grants and loans.
Oregon’s emergency
small-business grant program
helped 7,500 small businesses
last year with $43 million in
grants.
However, many of those
grant programs, especially
those at the local and state
level, have been extremely
competitive and many busi-
nesses have missed out on
funding.
The new commercial rent
relief program is the first state-
wide fund that specifically of-
fers rent relief to small-business
owners and their landlords.
Business Oregon will keep
the application process open
for two weeks. The agency will
distribute $50 million during
the first round of funding be-
fore opening the application
process for a second round in
late April. Eligible applicants
who don’t receive funding
during the first round will au-
tomatically be considered with
any new applicants during the
second round.
Oregon is aiming to ensure
that grants are distributed eq-
uitably across the state. Grant-
ees in each area will be chosen
through a lottery system.
Continued from A11
“The community has been
really supportive,” said Joe
Meda, the owner of Joe’s Fiesta
Mexican Restaurant. “Saying
anything less than that would
be ungrateful on my part.”
Throughout the pandemic,
Meda has been adding on to
his business, creating a Day
of the Dead-themed cantina
next door. The high-ceilinged
bar, colored predominantly
in red and gold, is decorated
with dozens of multicolored
skulls over glossy countertops
of reddish-brown wood. Empty
wooden frames adorn the walls,
waiting to be filled with tall can-
vas paintings, Meda said.
“There was some uncer-
tainty in making sure I was
good to go ahead and be able
to make this and keep the busi-
ness going,” Meda said of the
new addition to his business.
“Business expansion has to do
with projected sales. When
your projected sales are not
coming, your investment be-
comes: ‘Should I do this?’”
With the limited reopening
effective Friday, Meda said he
is pushing to open his new es-
tablishment in the next two
months. Across the street, Burt
is undergoing a similar effort.
He plans to open a new grilled
cheese restaurant in April
nearby called “Toasted.”
“Now that there’s a little light
at the end of the tunnel, now I
can start training people and
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Ben Lonergan/East Oregonian
Joe Meda, owner of Joe’s Fiesta Mexican Restaurant in Pendleton, ex-
plains the challenges of opening a new business venture in the midst
of a pandemic during a Feb. 26 tour of his new cantina.
see about opening this when
we’re at least 50 or 75%,” Meda
said, simultaneously reach-
ing above him to knock on a
wooden frame overhead.