Archives for August 2020

The new location of the Union County Warming Station on Third Street in La Grande could be ready on November 15th. The building is said to be 95 percent complete and the city is now simply waiting on the final approval for an occupancy permit. Training sessions will be held virtually and will be mandatory for all volunteers, regardless of past volunteer status.

Five more people in Oregon are dead from COVID-19. The latest numbers from the Oregon Health Authority put the state’s death toll at 438. OHA also reported 212 more cases, bringing the total number of cases above 25-thousand-seven-hundred.

President Trump is again criticizing Oregon leaders for their response to ongoing protests in Portland…. specifically calling out Governor Kate Brown and Mayor Ted Wheeler, saying they need to call up the National Guard. He said the federal government is ready to end problems with violent demonstrators upon request. Governor Brown responded back, telling the president that Oregon isn’t interested, and she would rather talk with him about needs associated with the coronavirus pandemic.

Three more patients are dead from COVID-19 in Oregon. The latest report from the Oregon Health Authority puts the state’s death toll at 420. OHA also reported 220 new cases, bringing the statewide case total above 25-thousand.

Library at Your Door Delivery Service begins in La Grande this coming Friday, courtesey of the Cook Memorial Library. It’s for La Grande residents who cannot physically come to the library due to long- or short-term health concerns or physical challenges. Deliveries will be made on Fridays beginning this Friday, and there is no fee involved. For more information, call the Library at 541.962.1339 or visit www.cookmemoriallibrary.org.

Oregon is giving 500 dollars to 70-thousand Oregonians waiting for unemployment benefits. Oregon residents who made less than 48-thousand dollars a year before the pandemic and have yet to receive unemployment benefits are eligible. The Legislature’s Emergency Board approved 35-million dollars for the emergency check program in July.

Governor Kate Brown is declaring a State of Emergency due to imminent threat of wildfire. She says much of the state is in extreme fire danger with red flag warnings issued for hot, dry, windy conditions and dry thunderstorms. The declaration allows state resources and the Oregon National Guard to be used to put out fires.

Seventy-thousand Oregonians will get some help thanks to a partnership between the state and several local banks. House Speaker Tina Kotek announced that residents can apply for an emergency one-time payment of five-hundred dollars. Residents qualify if they have suffered financial hardship from the state’s Stay Home orders, and have not received all of the unemployment payments they are owed.

Two cases of COVID-19 have popped up, and now the La Grande School District… which was planning to start the school year with on-site instruction for kindergarten through third grade, has changed that plan. The district will begin the school year in Comprehensive Distance Learning for all students, meaning no students will be in the classroom when school begins August 31. A follow up will be done by September 21 to determine whether the district meets state guidelines.

Oregon Governor Kate Brown says most wildfires are human-caused and everyone can make a difference. Governor Brown expressed the need for extreme caution during dry, hot weather. …

Brown warned that residents should not operate heavy machinery when it’s hot and dry….

Oregon Chief of Fire Protection Doug Graf outlines the current situation.