Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The Blue Mountain eagle. (John Day, Or.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (May 13, 2020)
NEWS MyEagleNews.com Wednesday, May 13, 2020 A3 Eastern Oregon leaders react to plan to reopen Oregon By Rudy Diaz Blue Mountain Eagle State Reps. Mark Owens, R-Crane, and Daniel Bonham, R-The Dalles, and state Sen. Lynn Findley, R-Vale, talked about the fallout from Gov. Kate Brown’s three-phase plan to open businesses during a virtual town hall hosted by Findley on May 7. While Oregon may soon begin to reopen, the legis- lators agreed that this does not mean things are going back to normal. Findley said, while counties have submit- ted plans for reopening to the state for approval, Phase 1 still won’t begin until May Sen. Lynn 15 at the ear- Findley, liest for some R-Vale counties. Bonham said hearing the governor’s plan was difficult. “We’ve been proceed- ing down a path to try and meet some Phase 1 guide- lines and get people back to work ... and a little bit of that was modi- fied today,” Bonham said. “Goal posts were changed, and areas of the Rep. Mark state were Owens, not reflected R-Crane in the guide- lines. (I) certainly did not anticipate statements of large group activities not happening prior to the end of September.” Brown announced on May 7 that all large gather- ings, such as sporting events and fairs, will not be allowed until the state has access to a vaccine or reliable treatment for COVID-19. “The Oregon Health Authority is advising that any large gathering of these through September should either be canceled or signifi- cantly modified,” Brown said. Findley pointed out that county fairs would not be available until Phase 3, which is cause for concern. “Now the governor’s office did say today that they would like to give the ability for coun- ties to figure out how to have their livestock events so youth can raise them and somehow figure out how to show them and sell because most of that money goes to educational pur- poses,” Findley said. “I asked the governor about the Pendle- ton Round-Up, and it does not look favorable.” Owens said all of the coun- ties in House District 60 have submitted their plans for reopening. Findley said cooperation between state legislators, coun- ties and cities has been one pos- itive result from COVID-19. “The three of us hold bi-weekly phone calls with all the county commissioners in Senate District 30,” Find- ley said. “We have lengthy calls, and everyone speaks and everyone talks. We plot, share information and work on sce- narios on how we can move forward.” Findley noted several times that Phase 1 for reopening will not begin until May 15, and only then for counties whose plans have been approved by the state. Some of the busi- nesses that may reopen are restaurants, bars, select retail stores and salons. Restaurant adapts to survive amid coronavirus pandemic Wholesale grocery sales filling the dine- in void By Steven Mitchell Blue Mountain Eagle While the country finds itself in an era where toilet paper, hand sanitizer and disin- fectant wipes are in short sup- ply as COVID-19 continues to ransack the U.S. economy, a couple of local small business have shown there is a surplus of hope and business savvy, especially when it comes to accommodating the changes in the way the community buys food. The outbreak has led local restaurants to shutter their din- ing rooms temporarily, with some transitioning to takeout or delivery. For Squeeze-In Restaurant owner Shawn Dun- can, neither would work for her business and clientele. Instead, on the advice of her sales representative from her restaurant supply company, she has been selling hard-to-find food service items wholesale — from flour and yeast to toi- let paper and paper towels — to people in the community. Duncan said, at first, she was not sold on the idea of sell- ing food and restaurant supply items out of the Squeeze-In. “At first, I said no, I’m a restaurant, not a grocery store, so then he said think about it for a few days,” Duncan said. “Then I thought about it, and I said, what the heck, I’m not doing anything anyway, and then it just blew up.” Duncan said the reve- nue stream has allowed her to keep up on operating costs and essentials without deplet- ing what she has in savings or requiring her to take out addi- tional loans. As it was, she said she had applied for the Small Business Administration’s The Eagle/Steven Mitchell Shawn Duncan, the owner of the Squeeze-In Restaurant, chats with a customer May 5. Duncan, who opted to close the Squeeze- In temporarily when Gov. Kate Brown mandated restaurants statewide to close or switch to takeout to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, shifted to selling grocery items and food ser- vice supplies. Payroll Protection Program loan, but never heard back. Selling groceries is help- ing Duncan’s restaurant sup- plier, Sysco, the nation’s larg- est food service distributor. The company said it cut more than a third of its employees in response to the coronavirus pandemic. The Houston-based company, in addition to sup- plying restaurants, took a huge blow, losing revenue streams as institutional cafeterias, schools and large events shut- tered in March. Duncan takes orders through Facebook, by phone and text message and has an order form on Google Docs. She said orders need to be placed by noon Sundays and Wednesdays for Monday and Thursday pickups from noon to 5 p.m. at the restaurant. She said roughly 50 people from around the county have been ordering from her each week. Duncan said people have been most grateful for items like flour and yeast. “They have more time to prepare their own food with the stay-at-home and social dis- tancing orders,” Duncan said. Having the option to get the products locally not only keeps revenue in the county, but also lessens the amount of trips out- side of the area. Longtime Squeeze-In cus- tomer Howard Geiger, who traveled from the end of Pine Creek Road to pick up his gro- ceries, said the transformation to a store has allowed him to avoid trips to big box retailers in Bend or Ontario, thus elim- inating the risk of contracting the virus. The unlikely win-win part- nership between a small busi- ness like the Squeeze-In and a multinational corporation like Sysco is part of a grow- ing trend of restaurants, both big and small across the coun- try, that are not going down without a fight as the hospital- ity industry struggles to survive the worst of the economic fall- out of the pandemic. Grocery sales are part of a fast-growing offensive to save the industry as analysts and operators have been quoting an estimate that 75% of the inde- pendent restaurants that have been closed to protect Amer- icans from the coronavirus won’t make it. Sheriff, district attorney won’t enforce business closures, but OSHA still issuing fines OSHA: ‘It is our expectation that employers comply with the governor’s executive order’ By Steven Mitchell Blue Mountain Eagle Although the district attor- ney and sheriff said last week they will not enforce require- ments or prosecute busi- ness owners for defying state orders to remain closed, busi- nesses still run the risk of fines from the Oregon Occupational Safety and Health Adminis- tration and other governing agencies. “It is our expectation that employers comply with the governor’s executive order,” said Aaron Corvin, OSHA’s Public Information Officer. “Those businesses that are able to operate need to take appro- priate steps to protect their employees from a recognized hazard.” A willful violation of OSHA rules carries a minimum fine of $8,900, according to the agen- cy’s guidance. Grant County District Attorney Jim Carpenter said that some businesses, such as hair salons, are licensed through the state and need to be mindful of the risks should they plan to reopen. “I only have the authority to deal with crimes in the state,” not regulatory agencies, Car- penter said. Grant County Sheriff Glenn Palmer said businesses regu- lated by state licensure agen- cies are not his jurisdiction. “Those typically are health or other regulatory agencies that I am not getting involved in,” Palmer said. “Those agen- cies typically have administra- tive processes that deal with violations and are typically horribly severe.” Carpenter said, despite his decision to not prosecute busi- ness owners who decide not to follow the governor’s direc- tives, he does not want to triv- ialize the seriousness of the coronavirus pandemic. “I believe that prevention is worth something in every- thing we do,” Palmer said. “From personal hygiene to per- sonal choices, there are conse- quences for not taking preven- Contributed photo Grant County Sheriff Glenn Palmer at County Court April 22. Palmer issued a statement May 5 that his office will ease social distancing restrictions and not enforce the governor’s stay- home orders. District Attorney Jim Carpen- ter said his office will not pros- ecute business owners who defy the governor’s stay-home orders. tative measures in everything we do.” Carpenter said he is not tell- ing business owners to open if they are concerned about the virus. He said he real- izes how politically polariz- ing the COVID-19 pandemic has become in the last couple of months. “A certain type of political animal always finds something mate across out state and nation right now, there is a lot of dis- trust in government from a lot of people.” Politics aside, Carpenter said the closures to businesses and the stay-home orders have become more damaging to the community. “The cure is more damaging at this point,” Carpenter said. Palmer said requiring those The Eagle/Steven Mitchell to boost its platform,” Carpen- ter said. “I’m not picking any specific group.” He said that “political animal” exists on both sides of the political aisle. “Was it over blown or polit- ically polarized? I am not sure, but I think that the response and mandates we see in areas of little to no cases are unjusti- fied and unwarranted,” Palmer said. “With the political cli- who are not sick, or known to be exposed, to close their busi- nesses or to maintain social dis- tance is not justifiable in Grant County. “We are mandating locals to close their businesses but yet we see people here from out of the area in Washington, Idaho and California plated vehicles that apparently have the free- dom to travel as they will,” he said. “If we are requiring locals and taking them to task on opening a business, how can we justify those that are coming here or merely passing through?” Palmer said his office would resume full service functions, including fingerprinting and concealed handgun licenses, but jail visits will not resume yet. “The sheriff’s office is an essential service, and we didn’t have to take the precautions we did, but being a public safety agency, we believed it would be prudent to take safety mea- sures because of the amount of people come into contact with and some of the people we contact are what we consider high risk for exposure to a lot of illnesses,” Palmer said. TOM CHRISTENSEN CHRISTENSEN TOM CONSTRUCTION (541) 410-0557 • (541) 575-0192 Looking to buy small home in John Day or Canyon City 1200’ or less CCB# 106077 CASH BUYER NO PROJECT, MOVE IN READY 541-575-1113 S187516-1 24 hrs/7 days wk In pride of ownership neighborhood. Serious sellers ONLY. CONTACT MARY • 503-505-2725 REMODELS • NEW CONSTRUCTION • POLE BUILDINGS CONCRETE EXCAVATION • SHEET ROCK • SIDING ROOFING • FENCES • DECKS • TELESCOPING FORKLIFT SERVICES DONATE YOUR CAR BUNDLE NOW. SAVE ALL YEAR. ADD TO YOUR PACKAGE FOR ONLY 19 where available Price incl. SELECT TV Pkg., monthly service & equip. fees for 1 HD DVR & is after $5/mo. autopay & paperless bill and $10/mo. bundle discounts for up to 12 mos each. Pay $54.99/mo. + taxes and fees for TV until discounts start w/in 3 bills. New approved residential customers only (equipment lease req'd). Credit card req'd. Restr’s apply. S187866-1 MO. 190 CHANNELS Including Local Channels! CALL TODAY - For $100 Gift Card Promo Code: DISH100 for 12 Mos. 1-866-373-9175 Ask About A FREE 3 Day Vacation Voucher To Over 20 Destinations!!! S187864-1 Offer ends 7/15/20. All offers require credit qualification, 24-month commitment with early termination fee and eAutoPay. Prices include Hopper Duo for qualifying customers. Hopper, Hopper w/Sling or Hopper 3 $5/mo. more. Upfront fees may apply based on credit qualification. Tax Problems: RESOLVED Prepare for unexpected power outages with a Generac home standby generator SCHEDULE YOUR FREE IN-HOME ASSESSMENT TODAY! ✔Resolve Back Taxes ✔Wage Garnishment Release ✔Payroll Tax Negotiation ✔Stop Penalties and Interest ✔Tax Preparation & Bookkeeping Services ✔Tax Debt Negotiation & Settlement 877-557-1912 CALL your AT&T Dealer Today! Iv Support Holdings LLC 1-877-441-1933 Geographic and service restrictions apply to AT&T Internet services. Not all speeds available in all areas. Call or go to www.att.com/internet to see if you qualify. 1-YR BUNDLE PRICE: Ends 6/27/20. Pricing: $79.98/mo for first 12 mos. only. After 12 mos. or loss of eligibility, then prevailing rates apply (currently $85/mo. for SELECT TV Pkg.; $39.99/mo. for Internet), unless canceled or changed prior to end of the promo period. Must maintain all qualifying services and service addresses must match to receive advertised pricing. Pricing subject to change. $5/mo. autopay/paperless billing discount for TV: Must enroll in autopay & paperless bill within 30 days of TV activation to receive bill credit starting in 1-3 bill cycles. First time credit will include all credits earned since meeting offer requirements. Must maintain autopay/paperless bill and valid email address to continue credits. No credits in 2nd year for autopay/paperless bill. $10/mo. bundle discount for TV: Internet must be installed w/in 30 days of TV activation to receive credit starting in 1-3 bill cycles. First time credit will include all credits earned since meeting offer requirements. Must maintain both qualifying svcs to continue credits. No credits in 2nd year for bundled services. Includes: SELECT All-Included TV Pkg., Internet plans 768k to 100M, monthly service and equipment fees for one Genie HD DVR, and standard pro installation. Additional Fees & Taxes: Price excludes $10/mo. internet equipment fee, applicable use tax expense surcharge on retail value of installation, custom installation, equipment upgrades/add-ons (min. $99 one-time & $7/mo. monthly fees for each extra receiver/DIRECTV Ready TV/Device), and certain other add’l fees & charges. See att.com/fees for additional details. Different offers may apply for eligible multi-dwelling unit customers. † Must maintain a bundle of TV and Internet on a combined bill in order to receive unlimited data allowance at no add’l charge. Unlimited data allowance may also be purchased separately for an add’l $30/mo. For more info, go to www.att.com/internet-usage. DIRECTV SVC TERMS: Subject to Equipment Lease & Customer Agreements. Must maintain a min. base TV pkg of $29.99/mo. Programming, pricing, terms and conditions subject to change at any time. Some offers may not be available through all channels and in select areas. Visit directv.com/legal or call for details. The Addams Family: ©2019 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures Inc. and BRON Creative MG1, LLC. All Rights Reserved. ©2020 AT&T Intellectual Property. All Rights Reserved. AT&T, Globe logo, DIRECTV, and all other DIRECTV marks contained herein are trademarks of AT&T Intellectual Property and/or AT&T affiliated companies. All other marks are the property of their respective owners. S187867-1 One solution for oxygen at home, away, and for travel Introducing the INOGEN ONE – It’s oxygen therapy on your terms There are many ways we can tackle IRS or State tax relief together: ✔Tax Levies & Liens Release mo. For 12 mos. plus taxes & Internet equipment fee. *$19.95 ACTIVATION, EARLY TERMINATION FEE, $20/MO. FOR TV FOR EACH MONTH REMAINING ON TV AGMT., EQUIPMENT NON-RETURN & ADD’L FEES APPLY. America’s Top 120 Package Help Prevent Blindness Get A Vision Screening Annually 79 98 w/ 24-mo. TV agmt & combined bill. Autopay & Paperless bill req’d. TV price higher in 2nd year. $ 10/mo. internet equip. fee applies.* Incl Unlimited data allowance ( $ 30 value) at no add’l charge. † w/24-mo. TV & 12-mo. Internet agmts & combined bill. Savings based on extra $10/mo. off for 12 mos. compared to previous price, plus $10/mo. discount on internet and $10/mo. bill credit for 12 mos. on TV when you bundle. 2-YEAR TV PRICE GUARANTEE FREE TOWING TAX DEDUCTIBLE $ Now save $ 30/mo. for a whole year on a bundle with DIRECTV and AT&T Internet. . 99 /mo. $ S185395-1 YOUR PERFECT BUNDLE Blazing Fast Internet! 1-844-533-9173 debbie.ausmus@ countryfinancial.com S185396-1 Imagine The Difference You Can Make ACCREDITED BUSINESS ® A+ Rating No more tanks to refi ll. No more deliveries. No more hassles with travel. The INOGEN ONE portable oxygen concentrator is designed to provide unparalleled freedom for oxygen therapy users. It’s small, lightweight, clinically proven for stationary and portable use, during the day and at night, and can go virtually anywhere — even on most airlines. Inogen accepts Medicare and many private insurances! Reclaim Your Freedom And Independence NOW! Call us now for your FREE tax consultation & evaluation: 7-Year Extended Warranty* A $695 Value! 844-945-2056 Off er valid March 16, 2020 - June 30, 2020 Special Financing Available Subject to Credit Approval *Terms & Conditions Apply S187861-1 FREE Debbie Ausmus 245 South Canyon Blvd. John Day, OR 97845 OPEN WED. & THUR. 9 am - 5 pm Anthem offers a money-back guarantee designed to help you avoid wasting money on ineffective tax services. We will gather as much information from you as necessary and work with tax authorities to give you the best chance of reducing your tax debt. If for any reason that does not work out, and the government notifies us they refuse to reduce your overall tax liability or monthly payments by any amount, we will gladly refund you the fees you paid for our services in trying to reduce that debt. Money Back Guarantee does not apply to Bookkeeping and Tax Preparation Services. S187862-1 Call Inogen Today To Request Your FREE Info Kit 1-855-839-0752 © 2020 Inogen, Inc. All rights reserved. MKT-P0108 S187863-1