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The Chronicle

Wednesday, July 15, 2020

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thechronicleonline.com

Serving Columbia County since 1881

A wave of yellow ribbons CHRISTINE MENGES chronicle2@countrymedia.net

St. Helens residents have seen something new crop up in town over the past week: yellow ribbons adorning trees and utility poles all over the main streets of the city. The tying of the yellow ribbons is part of the Hometown Heroes program, and is meant to support the troops, according to Hometown Heroes board member and American Heritage Girls service project coordinator Vivian Rupe, who led the ribbon-tying. Hometown Heroes is a program that honors local residents currently deployed, and is spearheaded by the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO). “[Ribbon-tying has] been used for hundreds of years and over time, it just ended up developing the meaning of supporting the troops, regardless of whether you have somebody in the military who’s deployed or whether you just simply support them,” Rupe said. The approximately 3,000 ribbons were tied by about 20 people right before the Fourth of July, Rupe said. It was mostly the local American Heritage Girls troop and friends and family members of those deployed who tied the ribbons, Rupe said.

Photo courtesy of Vivian Rupe

Photo courtesy of Vivian Rupe

A yellow ribbon, tied in a bow, adorns a utility pole in St. Helens.

A group of American Heritage Girls ties a yellow ribbon around a PUD utility pole.

The yellow ribbons are there to remind people of “what it means to be deployed and why we are able to enjoy all the freedoms that we have because of being deployed and them being away from

families and sacrifices that they make,” Rupe said. At first, Rupe approached the city of St. Helens for permission to start the ribbon-tying. According to Rupe, city representatives

said they were concerned about the ribbons falling off the trees and littering city property. Additionally, Rupe said, there were not enough trees for the ribbons to be spread out evenly. That’s where

the Columbia River PUD came in. According to Rupe, she approached the PUD for permission to place the ribbons on the more evenly-spaced light posts and utility poles. “I reached out to them and they were more than happy to provide approval for us to put them on their posts,” Rupe said. The PUD provided Rupe with a map of where all the utility poles are within St. Helens. Starting shortly before July 4, the team of 20 people then set to work trying to cover all of the main streets in St. Helens, including St. Helens Street, Gable Road, Old Portland Road and Columbia Boulevard. Rupe broke the areas down by section, putting families with relatives currently serving in charge of certain areas. Those families are in charge of periodically patrolling the area where they have placed ribbons and picking up ribbons that have fallen or retiring damaged ribbons. “It was organized to make sure that the city was happy and that the PUD was happy and that we were still able to accomplish that mission of raising awareness,” Rupe said. The entire project involved about 2,000 feet of ribbon, Rupe

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See RIBBONS Page A7

New mandates to stop COVID-19 MAX KIRKENDALL newsguardeditor@countrymedia.net

Courtesy photo

Governor Kate Brown announces new mandates to slow the COVID-19 pandemic.

Over the past week, the state of Oregon has reported more confirmed cases of COVID-19 than it did in all of the month of May. Governor Kate Brown said that this is cause for concern, and she has decided to take more action to try to slow transmission of the virus. “We’re here today to sound the alarm,” Brown said. “The COVID-19 disease is spreading rapidly across the entire state of Oregon and each and every one of us needs to take action, immediate action to slow the spread of this disease.” As of Monday, July 13, the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) reported 12,438 COVID-19 cases and the state’s death toll at 237.

Columbia County Public Health reported a total of 57 cases and no deaths related to the virus, as of Monday, July 13. Columbia’s cases rose by 10 over the past weekend.

“We are at risk of allowing this virus to spiral out of control.” ~Kate Brown, Oregon Governor

During a news briefing on Monday, July 13, Brown pointed out other statistics, including the fact that Oregon has not reported less than 100 cases in the Oregon Health Authority’s daily report in over a month. Brown stated that

half of all cases are people under the age of 40 and one third are under 30. “We have done so much, we have come so far, we have sacrificed so deeply… we cannot let this virus get the best of us,” Brown said. “We are at risk of allowing this virus to spiral out of control.” Brown cited the rapid spread in several states across America, such as New York and Texas. She alluded to the fact that Oregon may be heading toward that trend. State health officials have stated COVID-19 is extremely contagious and can spread even before an individual starts to show symptoms. This is why Brown said people should always remember the three W’s: Wear a face covering, Watch your distance and Wash your hands.

The OHA has identified several hotspots through contact tracing. These include: Workplaces, assisted living facilities, nursing homes, prisons and social gatherings. The mandates To address these trends, Brown announced two new steps to slow the spread. First, is a stated ban on indoor social gatherings of more than 10 people. “I am mandating that social get togethers like pot lucks, dinner parties, birthday parties and book clubs that take place indoors cannot exceed ten people,” Brown said. The new rule does not impact

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See COVID-19 Page A4

Reopening schools: A work in progress JEREMY C. RUARK jruark@countrymedia.net

With only a few weeks before classes are set to begin for the new school year, district administrators in Columbia County and across the state are carefully assembling policies and procedures under the Oregon Education Department’s (ODE) Ready Schools, Safe Learners Blueprint. The blueprint is a project designed to provide a framework for schools for the 2020-21 school year that ensures the health and safety of all

Opinion: ...................A4 Poll: ...........................A4 Cartoon: ...................A4 Out & About: ...........A5 Obituaries: ................A6 TV Guide: .................A7 Classified Ads: .........A8 Legals: .......................A9 For The Record ......A10

Vol. 138, No. 29

students and staff and the families they return to each day in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. St. Helens School District Superintendent Scot Stockwell has issued a letter to students and parents about his district plans for the new school year. In the letter Stockwell writes “Although we continue to navigate the ongoing challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic, we are focused on creating a learning environment for the 2020-2021 school year that is committed to the following: • Safe, inclusive and respectful

• Meets and exceeds the educational needs of all our students • Tends to the social and emotional well-being of all our students.” Stockwell said ODE in the Ready Schools, Safe Learners plan guidance allows schools to implement three possible instructional models: on-site, distance learning, or a hybrid of the two. “This plan focuses on the reentry back into our buildings while providing the requirements we must meet to keep our students, staff, and community safe,” Stockwell states in his letter. “This guidance is informed by

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what is now known about COVID-19 and with an understanding that we will all need to continue to navigate the State’s evolving efforts to mitigate the spread.” Stockwell said the district has selected a hybrid model with the additional option of a fully online virtual program for families that choose not to send their children to the brick and mortar schools. Stockwell said that that plan would be posted to the district website and filed our with the ODE no later than Aug. 15. “Our administrative team is leading the planning for the reopening

of our facilities and campuses with representation from elementary, middle, and high schools and creating a plan dedicated to the teaching and learning environment,” Stockwell’s letter reads. “We recognize our students, families, and community play an essential role in identifying what is needed in our school environments to provide a high quality, equity-focused education for all students.” Stockwell also thanked those who

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See SCHOOLS Page A6

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