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About The Blue Mountain eagle. (John Day, Or.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (May 20, 2020)
A18 NEWS Blue Mountain Eagle Court “Restrictions on church services are also devastating in that, in light of the effects of the governor’s executive orders, we need our churches more than ever so that people may gather together and pray,” he said in the affidavit. Sam Palmer told the Eagle he received an email from state Sen. Brian Boquist surprised that the gover- nor’s office bypassed the Court of Appeals and went straight straight to the Oregon Supreme Court. “I don’t know if that’s good, bad or indifferent,” he said. Sam Palmer said he expects the Oregon Supreme Court will rule on the lawsuit by the end of the week. “I think the laws are pretty black and white, so I feel con- fident that, if they follow the laws, the places of faith can open back up,” he said. Two attorneys from the Oregon Department of Justice who are representing Brown asked Shirtcliff to either issue a stay, meaning the prelimi- nary injunction wouldn’t take effect immediately, or to wait 48 hours before entering his decision into the record, which would have the same effect. Open Events Continued from Page A1 Continued from Page A1 little different than a regu- lar sit-down restaurant, and restrictions, such as clos- ing by 10 p.m., are inconve- nient for her establishment. “Yes, there is a compo- nent in there under restau- rants and bars that all establishments have to close by 10 p.m., and I cannot explain where that came from,” said state Sen. Lynn Findley, R-Vale during a virtual town hall. “... I would hope to heck that, as we get to this point, we can continue to work on and add some common sense.” Squeeze-In Restaurant owner Shawn Duncan said she is not sure how reopen- ing is going to go, but her restaurant is ready to go as tables are spread out to comply with the 6-feet requirement. A benefit of reopening Squeeze-In is that some of Duncan’s employees hadn’t received their unem- ployment benefits yet and needed to get to work. She said she is glad to have them back to earn money. Duncan hopes that cases of COVID-19 do not begin to spread and that people traveling to the county do not bring the illness with them. “My biggest fear of opening this place is that it might spread, and that is why I almost did not open back up,” Duncan said. “We have been lucky, and we want to keep it that way.” opportunities, in addition to graduation and end-of-year ceremonies, stripped away would be devastating. “I am just trying to come up with ideas so that we are not shutting everything down,” Dobler said. “I am trying to work inside the guidelines.” Meanwhile, both Mon- ument and Prairie City have canceled their respec- tive Fourth of July fireworks shows. The city of Monument posted on its Facebook page: “It is with great regret and sad- ness that the city has come to this decision, but please know that it was in the best interest of everyone; our community members, our families, elders and businesses.” Prairie City Mayor Jim Hamsher said Monday the city council voted to cancel the annualfireworks show at its May 13 meeting. “I just don’t see how we can have it,” he said. “It’s very sad.” Monument Mayor Sahara Hyder said the city was hold- ing out on making a decision about the fireworks show, hoping there would be wiggle room under the state’s guide- lines. But another obstacle the city faced was getting spon- sors onboard. Hyder said 2020 was sup- posed to be a big year for Mon- ument. In addition to having to cancel the high school gradu- ation ceremony, they usually hold high school reunions for every graduated class. Hyder said there would Continued from Page A1 Shirtcliff denied both requests, saying he would enter his decision immediately. The governor’s lawyers, Marc Abrams and Christina Beatty-Walters, sought an immediate review of Shirt- cliff’s decision by the Oregon Supreme Court, with a goal of overturning his ruling. Solicitor General Benja- min Gutman filed a petition with the state’s highest court Monday afternoon. Abrams said there is evi- dence that measures in the governor’s executive orders have been effective at curbing the spread of the coronavirus, and that Shirtcliff should delay the injunction as a result. But Hacke countered that the “issue is not whether it’s working. It’s whether she has exceeded the limits of her authority.” Since Shirtcliff has agreed that Brown has exceeded that authority, Hacke argued, delaying the injunction would in effect render the injunction moot. In his written decision, the judge compared gro- cery stores and other busi- nesses that have remained open, without social distanc- ing guidelines, to churches, writing that churches can use the same precautions during worship services that involve more than 25 people, which Wednesday, May 20, 2020 has been the limit under the governor’s executive orders. In separate statements, both Brown — who appointed Shirtcliff to replace retiring Judge Greg Baxter last fall — and Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum took issue with Shirtcliff’s decision. “Today’s ruling from the Baker County Circuit Court will be appealed to the Oregon Supreme Court within hours to keep my emergency orders in effect,” Brown said in a press release. “This will ensure we can continue to safeguard the health of all Oregonians — including frontline health care workers, those living in nurs- ing homes, workers in agri- Eagle file photo The Whiskey Gulch Gang fires off shots from their float during the 2017 ‘62 Days Parade in Canyon City. ‘62 Days Celebration organizer Colby Farrell said the group is working on a modified plan that would work within the governor’s restrictions on social gatherings of 25 or more people. Dave Dobler have been several classes cele- brating and that they expected a big turnout. Colby Farrell of the Whis- key Gulch Gang, which orga- nizes the ‘62 Days Celebration in Canyon City, said the group Hello Grant County! floated the idea of an alternate route for a parade this year, but he said the state’s Occu- pational Safety and Health Administration is the regula- tory agency and the city could not take on the liability. Farrell said, if the organiz- ers were to try and take on the liability, the Whiskey Gulch Gang could face fines of up to $70,000 and be stripped of its nonprofit designation. Farrell said the group is going to try and come up with something at some point throughout the year, but it will not be a traditional ‘62 Days Celebration. “Hopefully, we come up with something that will rep- resent ‘62 Days,” he said. “Especially being the 99th (year), we were really looking forward to trying to get some- thing big together for the hun- dredth next year.” Farrell said the group’s demolition derby, scheduled to take place July 18 at the Grant County Fairgrounds, is in limbo, but the group is still holding out hope that they can pull it off at some point. “The drivers put so much hard work into their cars, and for the people here in Grant County, it is one of the big- gest turnouts of the year,” he said. Farrell said, if restrictions ease earlier than expected, Phase 1 I hope all of you are well and looking forward to brighter days Continued from Page A1 ahead! “We need to do what we can to make sure these busi- nesses succeed,” Palmer said. “Because if not, it is unlikely they’ll come back.” Palmer said, when it comes to a possible spike in cases, he is most concerned about the spread coming from outside of the county, but the coun- ty’s reopening plan has mea- sures in place to address that concern. According to the county’s reopening plan, although it does not border a state, there are still concerns with inter- state travel, mainly from tour- ism and recreational activities. Grant County will need to operate for three weeks under Phase 1 of Brown’s plan with- out a significant uptick in cases or hospital usage, while main- taining the ability to track new cases quickly, before it can move on to Phase 2. Palmer said the governor’s office has yet to release specific details about the next phase, but he said the county is eager to get started on the plan. “We want to start on Phase 2 today,” he said. County Health Administra- These last few weeks have been difficult and trying for everyone. As usual, I am so proud of how our Grant Countians have persevered through it all! I am proud of our health care workers and businesses that have been on the front lines working through this to provide for our needs. Thank you all! With the Phase I opening, several businesses have been able to re-open. Please support them whenever you can! If the Chamber can do anything for any of you, please let me know! Our businesses are so important to us! We are here for you. Unfortunately, the following events have been canceled: The Seneca culture and food processing plants, and Oregonians with underlying health conditions — while the legal process moves forward.” Rosenblum said: “We will argue that the judge erred in his construction of the relevant statutes and that he abused his discretion in issuing the pre- liminary injunction.” In granting the plaintiffs’ motion for a preliminary injunction, Shirtcliff con- cluded that Brown, by citing a certain state law in some of her executive orders since her original emergency declara- tion March 8, in effect placed a 28-day limit on the state’s enforcement of those orders. the drivers could be ready for derby in two weeks. Farrell said people must stay safe and healthy, but he said people need to recognize the cost to the collective men- tal health of the community if the county is shut down for the summer. “If we can’t do the things we’ve always done, I mean, it’s gonna take a toll on peo- ple’s mental health,” he said. “People need to get out and be a community here. We’ve always been pretty close community.” Events across Oregon have been canceled — from the Oregon State Fair to Cycle Oregon, which planned rides through Grant County in Sep- tember, to the BMW Rid- ers of Oregon’s Chief Joseph Rally, which was scheduled in June to take place at the Grant County Fairgrounds. The loss of Grant County’s summer events will have an impact on its already hobbled economy that relies on tour- ism to get through the year. According to a survey from Businesses Oregon, Travel Oregon and the Oregon Small Business Development Cen- ter, these businesses are barely holding on. The survey revealed that 70% of businesses report they have either closed or laid off employees or will have to do so by July if economic condi- tions do not improve. Uncertainty and a decline in sales are the most signifi- cant challenges facing busi- nesses during the pandemic. Overall, rural businesses have been hit the hardest: 45% closed temporarily while 3% shuttered for good. tor Kimberly Lindsay said the team at the Emergency Oper- ations Center worked hard and submitted a well-writ- ten reopening plan to the gov- ernor’s office. She said the county can now look ahead and focus on moving forward thoughtfully. “We are not immune to this,” she said. “Other rural areas across the country have been hard hit, and we need to move forward thoughtfully.” A press release from Grant County said the approval was made possible by all the hard work and collaboration of the county commissioners, med- ical staff, Grant County Eco- nomic Development, Oregon RAIN and other community leaders. “Approval for Phase 1 is a positive indicator of our col- lective efforts to limit the spread of COVID-19 in Grant County,” said interim Emer- gency Management Coor- dinator Dave Dobler in the statement. “We need our com- munity to continue being smart about maintaining phys- ical distance, practicing good hygiene and wearing masks when distancing cannot be maintained so that we can keep our loved ones, neigh- bors and coworkers healthy.” Oyster Feed, 62 Days, The Chief Joseph BMW Rally, Cycle Oregon’s Painted Hills Classic, and many more. 60561 HWY 26, John Day, Oregon 97845 541-575-0023 We are waiting to hear if other events will be canceled. Hang in there everyone, it saddens us to see this happen, but we will just enjoy them even more next year! S185393-1 PIONEER FEED & FARM SUPPLY Take care and stay well! Tammy Bremner Manager, Grant County Chamber of Commerce S189141-1 541-523-6377 541-963-6577 541-573-6377 541-576-2160
