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About The Blue Mountain eagle. (John Day, Or.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (July 8, 2020)
RANCHERS HIT HARD BY WOLVES | PAGE A7 Wednesday, July 8, 2020 152nd Year • No. 28 • 16 Pages • $1.50 Behind the mask People with health problems treated differently while following guidelines By Rudy Diaz Blue Mountain Eagle The Eagle/Rudy Diaz According to the OHA, Oregon has reported the largest increase in cases per day in July. With the number of COVID- 19 cases in Oregon reaching new heights last week and masks being required indoors statewide, some local residents say they have been treated differently for wearing a mask. Gov. Kate Brown announced that all Oregon residents will be required to wear masks or face cov- erings in indoor public spaces start- ing July 1 to help curb the spread of COVID-19. “Over the last month, we have seen the disease spread at an alarm- ing rate in both urban and rural counties,” Brown said. Grant County residents Dean Reynolds and Helen Myrick said before the mask-mandate went into effect that masks were very import- ant for them because of vulnerabil- ities, but some people have reacted when they wear masks. Myrick said that she has hypogammaglobulinemia, a rare blood disorder, which puts her in a vulnerable situation and makes recovery a taxing process. “When I get sick, without infus- ing plasma donated by other peo- ple with the antibodies for the ill- ness, it takes me months to recover,” Myrick said. “What can be a normal illness for other people can debili- tate me for months.” Myrick said other people assume she looks well because the illness is not physically visible, but the public is unaware of her circumstances or the situations of others. She said that both she and Reyn- olds cannot take the risk of possible exposure. “We can’t assume somebody’s A Contributed photo/Kalli Wilson A lamppost in Dayville, decorated by Kalli Wilson, reminds folks of the spirit of Independence Day Saturday. floated along the river before the fireworks show. Redmond resident Earnie Slavey said he wanted to step See Celebrate, Page A16 See Insurance, Page A16 The Eagle/Rudy Diaz Fireworks illuminate the night sky Satur- day along the North Fork of the John Day River at North Fork RV and Camping Park in Monument. North Fork RV and Camp- ing owners Steve and Susan Mills held this year’s festivities privately. Plaintiffs voluntarily dismiss lawsuit challenging governor’s pandemic restrictions By Jayson Jacoby EO Media Group The plaintiffs, including a Baker City church, who sued Oregon Gov. Kate Brown in early May, claiming she had exceeded her legal authority in restrict- ing activities due to the pandemic, have voluntarily dismissed their complaint. In a motion ending the lawsuit, Salem attorney Ray Hacke cited the Oregon Supreme Court’s June 12 ruling in the governor’s favor. The state’s highest court ordered Baker County Circuit Court Judge Matt Shirtcliff to vacate his May 18 decision to grant a preliminary injunction to the plaintiffs, which include Elkhorn Baptist Church in Baker City. Shirtcliff agreed with Hacke and another Salem attorney, Kevin Man- nix, who represented a group of interve- nor-plaintiffs, including Bill Harvey, chairman of the Baker County Board of Commission- ers, Grant County Sher- iff Glenn Palmer and Grant County Commis- sioner Sam Palmer. Judge Matt Shirtcliff The plaintiffs argued that Brown’s executive orders related to the pandemic, including ones that restricted businesses and limited the size of public gatherings, were limited to 28 days. One state law, dealing with public health emergencies, that the governor invoked in many of her orders includes the 28-day limit. But the governor’s attorneys argued that Brown’s orders were not subject to the 28-day limit because her original emergency declaration invoked a differ- By Rudy Diaz Blue Mountain Eagle See Pandemic, Page A16 A socially distant Fourth of July s coronavirus cases spiked and hospital beds filled up across the state, Grant County communities found alternative ways to celebrate the Fourth of July. In Monument, upwards of 100 people came out to take in the town’s yearly fireworks display. “Monument is the biggest lit- tle fireworks show,” organizer and pyrotechnics specialist Jer- emy Boyer said. The annual festivities were held privately on the North Fork of the John Day River at North Fork RV and Camping Park. With every RV and camp- site full, visitors competed in the annual cornhole tournament and Liability coverage plays major role in what can open ent state law, one that has no time limit. Shirtcliff sided with the plaintiffs and granted their request for a preliminary injunction that temporarily voided the governor’s executive orders. But that injunction was only in effect for several hours on May 18. Later that day the Oregon Supreme Court issued a temporary stay on Shirtcliff’s order, which meant Brown’s executive orders remained in effect. The Supreme Court later accepted written arguments from both sides. On June 12 the court issued its ruling, ordering Shirtcliff to vacate his decision granting the preliminary injunction. That decision only affected the injunc- tion, and the lawsuit was at that time still active and could eventually have led to a trial in Baker County Circuit Court. See Mask, Page A16 The Eagle/Steven Mitchell back for the weekend. “We just wanted to get away from our phones and the internet and just unplug for the weekend,” he said. He said the small-town feel and friendliness of the area is what keeps him coming back. “As soon as you get to Mitch- ell, people are much more friendly,” he said. While Redmond’s annual Fourth of July fireworks show at the Deschutes County Fair- grounds was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Bend’s tra- ditional fireworks show from the top of Pilot Butte was one of the few fireworks display that went on as planned in Oregon. Dayville’s residents held a Lack of COVID-19 insurance may hamper schools As planning continues for school districts around the state on how to best conduct the new school year for their students and staff, insurance was a part of a recent dis- cussion by state Rep. Mark Owens, R-Crane, and Sen. Lynn Findley, R-Vale. As of June 30, PACE insurance, w h i c h covers a majority of school districts in Oregon, will no lon- Bret ger provide Uptmor liability insurance for schools against lawsuits related to COVID-19. “This means any student, staff member, parent, or pri- vate citizen who contracts COVID on school property or at a school event would be able to sue the school dis- trict,” Owens and Findley said in a press release. The release said, with- out liability insurance, some schools are deciding to not open since it will leave them vulnerable to lawsuits, which could financially impact a school for years. Findley was hopeful a bill would be passed to address this matter during the special session in June, but it did not happen. “One thing I was disap- pointed to see not pass in the special session was liabil- ity protection for schools and private businesses in Ore- gon from COVID-19 related suits,” Findley said. “Without any sort of liability protec- tion, schools will not be able to open in the fall, and busi- nesses who follow all OHA safety guidelines could still be held liable for the natural spread of COVID-19.” Grant School District 3 Superintendent Bret Uptmor said, while PACE will not cover COVID-19 and other communicable diseases as far as a liability, their insurance coverage will continue as planned. He said his hope is that, legislatively, something is done to reduce the risk of lawsuits in the coming school year. “We would like to come back to school in the fall and not be worried because we’re in person and some- body might get COVID that we would be responsible for,” Uptmor said. “Now, if we’re irresponsible in our actions, then it makes sense we would be held accountable, but most of us have been plan- ning very heavily to be very responsible.” Uptmor added that he hopes that, in the July spe- cial session, legislators would develop a plan to protect schools from liability. Insurance has been a concern for more than just schools. The Grant County Library had been preparing for a chance to begin reopening A slip-n-slide was set up Saturday at the Fish House Inn and RV Park in Dayville. By Steven Mitchell Blue Mountain Eagle MyEagleNews.com