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Coronavirus Updates
ENTERPRISE — Wallowa County residents who are 16 and 17 years old now have an option to get vaccinated.
Coronavirus (COVID-19) Timeline
ENTERPRISE — Wallowa County residents who are 16 and 17 years old now have an option to get vaccinated. Read more
Oregon has "paused" using the Johnson & Johnson one-shot COVID-19 vaccine even though none of six newly reported severe reactions to the vaccine occurred in the state, health officials said Tuesday, April 13. Read more
WALLOWA — COVID-19 has again postponed the annual Tamkaliks Celebration. Read more
SALEM — The Oregon Health Authority has asked all of the state’s vaccine providers to immediately stop administering the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, after an announcement from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Federal Drug Administration early Tuesday, April 13. Read more
MISSION — With more doses than appointments, the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation is once again expanding its eligibility for the COVID-19 vaccine. Read more
ENTERPRISE — The Wallowa County Health Care District has given more 2,100 first doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine and has fully vaccinated close to 1,500 individuals in the county, Wallowa Memorial Hospital Communications Director Brooke Pace said. Read more
SALEM — All Oregonians age 16 and older will be eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine on April 19, a week earlier than the previous earliest date, Gov. Kate Brown said Tuesday. Read more
SALEM — COVID-19 infections are on the rise again in Oregon, a fourth wave of increasing cases since the pandemic began. Read more
SALEM — All adults in Oregon will be eligible for COVID-19 vaccinations as of May 1 under a binding order from the Biden administration. Read more
WALLOWA COUNTY — More than $2.25 million is slated to come to Wallowa County and its four incorporated cities out of the $1.9 trillion COVID-relief bill signed by President Joe Biden on March 11, and is being distributed to local governments, according to the office of U.S. Democratic Sen. J… Read more
ENTERPRISE — An ambulance service based in Eastern Oregon that often helps with wildfire victims has turned its attention to the still-raging COVID-19 pandemic that, unlike last year’s wildfires, has not yet subsided. Read more
SALEM — In yet another about face, the state announced Monday, March 22, that it would drastically reduce the amount of spacing required for students going back to school, to align with new guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Read more
Wallowa County had its first case of COVID-19 in nearly two weeks reported by the Oregon Health Authority Thursday, March 18, moving the total since the start of the pandemic to 145. Read more
ENTERPRISE — Around a quarter of Wallowa County has received a vaccine against COVID-19 through Wallowa Memorial Hospital, according to the latest numbers from WMH Communications Director Brooke Pace. Read more
JOSEPH — The ashes of a 911 dispatcher and reserve Wallowa County deputy were delivered by police escort to his parents’ Joseph home Friday, March 12, and a special “last call” over the county’s 911 system was issued for Bret Bridges. Read more
SALEM — Oregon would need up to double the doses of COVID-19 vaccine it currently receives to fulfill President Joe Biden’s seven-week sprint to allow all adults to be offered inoculation, Oregon health officials said Friday, March 12. Read more
ENTERPRISE — Wallowa County residents now have a second COVID-19 vaccine available to them. Read more
Counties that might fall back into the state's most restrictive extreme risk level for COVID-19 spread will be given a two-week grace period on heightened restrictions, Gov. Kate Brown announced Thursday. Read more
A fifth Wallowa County resident has died with COVID-19. Read more
Wallowa's first football game, scheduled originally for this weekend against Elgin, has been canceled, Wallowa Athletic Director Mitch Frye said Wednesday, March 3. Read more
Every Oregon county will receive 100 doses this week of the new Johnson & Johnson single-shot COVID-19 vaccine that President Joe Biden said Tuesday is a key part of vaccinating all Americans before summer. Read more
SALEM — Gov. Kate Brown will release the final list of priority groups for the COVID-19 vaccine at a press conference today. Officials with the governor's office say the eligibility and maximum target date will be: Read more
ENTERPRISE — Enterprise and Wallowa school districts both were closed on Thursday, Feb. 25, after each posted on their Facebook pages late Wednesday night that they had a confirmed case of COVID-19 within the district. Read more
ENTERPRISE — Wallowa County residents have another outlet where they will be able to get COVID-19 vaccinations as they are distributed. Read more
A steep drop in COVID-19 infections nationwide was reflected Tuesday, Feb. 23, with 16 Oregon counties improving their infection risk levels. Read more
JOSEPH — Save the dates! The 75th Chief Joseph Days rodeo is a sure thing for the last full week in July 2021. Read more
Wallowa County has surpassed 140 total cases of COVID-19 as the Oregon Health Authority reported two new cases in the county on Friday, Feb. 19, which puts the count at 141 — with 39 of them coming in the month of February. Read more
SALEM — Most Oregon counties would maintain or improve their COVID-19 risk rating next week according to preliminary data from the Oregon Health Authority. Read more
Wallowa County had two new cases of COVID-19 in the Wednesday, Feb. 17, report from the Oregon Health Authority, which brings the overall total in the county to 139 since the start of the pandemic. There have been 37 cases in the month of February. The rate of infection in the county is now … Read more
ENTERPRISE — On the volleyball court, there is a lot of excitement — and a little shock — that a season is going to happen. Read more
ENTERPRISE — Running in the snow, should it come to that, isn’t a concern for Wallowa Valley head coach Dan Moody. Read more
ENTERPRISE — The popping of football pads is starting up once again in Wallowa County. Read more
There were three new cases of COVID-19 in Wallowa County, the Oregon Health Authority reported on Tuesday, Feb. 16, which brought the overall total of cases to 137. It was the first reported cases since Saturday, when once case came in, according to the OHA. Read more
Wallowa County had two more confirmed new cases of COVID-19 in the Friday, Feb. 12 update from the Oregon Health Authority, putting the overall count up to 133 cases, which is closing in on 2% of the county's population. Thirty-three of those cases have been reported in the last two weeks, i… Read more
ENTERPRISE —Steven Busch wasn’t concerned about getting the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine. Read more
Wallowa County has four new cases of COVID-19, according to the latest report from the Oregon Health Authority on Thursday, Feb. 11, raising the county's overall total to 131. The state reported 621 new cases and 12 new deaths attributed to the virus. Read more
The popping of football pads will soon be heard once again in Wallowa County. Read more
ENTERPRISE — There still is an outside shot — or, perhaps more fitting, a Hail Mary — that a tackle football season could happen this spring. Read more
While the number of new COVID-19 cases statewide has been on the decline in recent weeks, Wallowa County is moving in the opposite direction. Read more
ENTERPRISE — Wallowa County has had a fourth death related to COVID-19 reported by the Oregon Health Authority. Read more
ENTERPRISE — A free webinar to bring awareness regarding restaurant challenges, issues and resources, and to focus on marketing a restaurant during the COVID-19 pandemic is being offered at 3 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 11, by the Blue Mountain Community College Small Business Development Center, in… Read more
Wallowa County had its highest one-day total of new COVID-19 cases in more than four months when the Oregon Health Authority on Thursday, Feb. 4, reported five cases among the 730 statewide. It raises the overall total of cases in the county to 113. Read more
For the second day in a row, Oregon Health Authority reported three new cases of COVID-19 in Wallowa County Wednesday, Feb. 3, which raised the total number of cases in the county to 108. There have been eight cases in the last three reports from OHA, and 31 cases since the start of 2021. Read more
Face masks and social distancing are likely to remain a fixture of the shopping and working experience for some time, according to the state's employee safety department. Read more
ENTERPRISE — The Paycheck Protection Program that helped businesses hurt by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 has reopened the program, according to a press release from the federal Small Business Administration. Read more
The Oregon Health Authority reported three new cases of COVID-19 in Wallowa County on Tuesday, Feb. 2, to bring the total in the county since the start of the pandemic to 105. There have been five cases in the last two reports from OHA. Read more
Oregon Health Authority reported two more cases of COVID-19 in Wallowa County on Monday, Feb. 1, to raise the case total in the county to 102. Read more
SALEM — Gov. Kate Brown on Thursday, Jan. 28, ordered 32,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines redirected to the Portland area instead of going to other parts of the state. Read more
ENTERPRISE — All of the residents and staff of Wallowa County’s five long-term care facilities who wanted them have received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. Read more
Wallowa County has been one of the regions of the state least-hit by COVID-19, but late Tuesday, Jan. 26, Oregon Health Authority reported one more case of the coronavirus, which is the 100th in the county since the start of the pandemic last year. Read more
There was one new case of COVID-19 in Wallowa County on Friday, Jan. 22, as reported by the Oregon Health Authority, the third day in a row the county has had one new case. The county is at 99 total cases since the start of the pandemic. Read more
HERMISTON — As rising COVID-19 numbers spark worry about hospital capacity in Oregon, the ability to quickly move patients between hospitals has been an important part of planning for surges. Read more
SALEM — School districts around the state have been waiting on the Tuesday, Jan. 19, update to Oregon’s “Ready Schools, Safe Learners” guidance. Read more
ENTERPRISE — The most susceptible members of the general public when it comes to fending off COVID-19 had access to the COVID-19 vaccine beginning Tuesday, Jan. 19. Read more
ENTERPRISE — Wallowa County's plan — as well as the plan of the rest of Oregon — to get vaccinations to seniors next week has undergone a major shift. Read more
Two new cases of COVID-19 were reported in Wallowa County by the Oregon Health Authority Friday, Jan. 15, bringing the total number of cases since the start of the pandemic 10 months ago to 94. Read more
Oregon Gov. Kate Brown tweeted Friday morning, Jan. 15, that the state won't be receiving an "increased shipment of vaccines" next week from the national stockpile as it anticipated earlier this week, potentially putting a damper on plans to roll out the COVID-19 vaccine to senior citizens a… Read more
ENTERPRISE — The most susceptible members of the general public when it comes to fending off COVID-19 will have access to the COVID-19 vaccine next week. Read more
Wallowa County had its highest one-day total of new COVID-19 cases in more than two months on Sunday, Jan. 10, when Oregon Health Authority reported four new cases of the disease in the county. That brings the overall total since the start of the pandemic to 92. Read more
There were two more cases of COVID-19 reported in Wallowa County Saturday, Jan. 9, by the Oregon Health Authority, putting the overall total since the start of the pandemic at 88. Read more
ENTERPRISE — More and more doses of the COVID-19 vaccine are arriving in Wallowa County. Read more
There were two new cases of COVID-19 in Wallowa County as reported by the Oregon Health Authority on Thursday, Jan. 7, marking the third day in a row OHA has noted two cases in the county. The number of overall cases in Wallowa County since the start of the pandemic now stands at 86. Read more
ENTERPRISE — A Wallowa Memorial Hospital health care worker has recovered and is out of the hospital after the Oregon Health Authority reported late Thursday, Dec. 31, that the individual suffered an allergic reaction to the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine. Read more
For the second day in a row, the Oregon Health Authority reported a new case of COVID-19 in Wallowa County, moving the county's total as of Saturday, Jan. 2, to 78 since the start of the pandemic. Read more
The first COVID-19 update of 2021 on Friday, Jan. 1, from the Oregon Health Authority showed 1,446 more new cases of the coronavirus, including one in Wallowa County. The new case brings the county's total since the start of the pandemic to 77, and the state's total now sits at 115,339. Read more
ENTERPRISE — The Oregon Health Authority announced in a press release a worker at Wallowa Memorial Hospital suffered a severe allergic reaction to a COVID-19 vaccine. Read more
With the support of Sandy Mayor Stan Pulliam, Estacada Mayor Sean Drinkwine, Troutdale Mayor-elect Randy Lauer and Gresham City Councilor-elect Sue Piazza, among others, multiple metro area businesses plan to open to customers indoors on Friday, Jan. 1. The protest is being called “Open Oregon” and the goal is to highlight how brutal the state-mandated closures have been. Supporters are heralding it as an exercise of First Amendment rights. Read more
ENTERPRISE — Parents, players, coaches and fans of all ages rallied in support of a high school basketball and wrestling season this year at the Wallowa County Courthouse. The hastily scheduled event drew more than 80 people, and featured talks by coaches, Wallowa County commissioners and athletes. Read more
SALEM — Gov. Kate Brown abruptly announced new rules for school reopenings on Wednesday afternoon, Dec. 23, making former directives optional and allowing districts to open if they follow safety precautions. Read more
SALEM — The Legislature held its third special session of 2020 on Monday, Dec. 21, amid a pandemic and violent protests at the Capitol organized by a right-wing group. Read more
ENTERPRISE — The COVID-19 vaccine has arrived in Wallowa County. Read more
JOSEPH — After more than four decades at Wallowa Lake, Oregon’s Alpenfest will have a new home in 2021. Read more
There were two new cases of COVID-19 reported in Wallowa County — one Tuesday, Dec. 15 and one Wednesday, Dec. 16 — but no cases Thursday. The total in Wallowa County — one of six counties in the state in Gov. Kate Brown's low-risk range — is at 76. Read more
The first doses of a COVID-19 vaccine were administered in Oregon on Wednesday, beginning a process that won't likely be finished until summer. Read more
Most of Oregon will greet the holiday season and New Year's Eve as "extreme risk" locations requiring tight COVID-19 limits on gatherings, dining and activities. Read more
Small businesses in Oregon struggling with a drop in income due to the COVID-19 pandemic will receive some tax relief, Gov. Kate Brown announced Monday. Read more
After weeks of negotiations with lawmakers, Gov. Kate Brown announced a one-day special session of the Legislature will be held Monday, Dec. 21, to deal with COVID-19 related issues. Read more
SALEM — The first of millions of expected vaccine doses needed to extinguish the COVID-19 virus arrived in Oregon on Monday, starting a process that could last into fall 2021. Read more
ENTERPRISE — Wallowa County reported one new case of COVID-19 Saturday, Dec. 12, but no new cases Sunday, placing the total number of cases since the start of the pandemic at 74, according to the Oregon Health Authority. Read more
SALEM — Despite the imminent arrival of the first doses of a COVID-19 vaccine, Oregon will likely have thousands more killed and tens of thousands infected before the mass majority of residents can be vaccinated, state officials said Friday, Dec. 11. Read more
Wallowa County had its first reported case of COVID-19 in eight days, as a single case reported Thursday, Dec. 10, raised the county's overall total to 73 cases, according to the Oregon Health Authority. Read more
ENTERPRISE — The Oregon School Activities Association executive board on Monday, Dec. 7, voted to revise the 2020-21 OSAA calendar by moving the start dates of Season 2 to February, with Seasons 3 and 4 to follow in the spring. Read more
SALEM — Gov. Kate Brown on Friday painted a dark future for Oregon if the COVID-19 pandemic spirals out of control in the several months it will take to get a vaccine to most in the state. Read more
ENTERPRISE — The 2021 Eagle Cap Extreme sled dog race, originally scheduled for January, has been canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the ECX website. Read more
Wallowa County had one new case of COVID-19 reported by the Oregon Health Authority on Wednesday, Dec. 2, bringing the county total up to 72. It was the first case reported in a week. Read more
ENTERPRISE — Wallowa County businesses that have been severely hampered by the COVID-19 pandemic — whether they have been forced to close or seen a large portion of their income axed by virus-related executive orders — now have an opportunity to obtain funding, an opportunity that expires at… Read more
A Nativity scene depicting the first Christmas graces the front yard of a home in Enterprise across North Street from Safeway. Read more
ENTERPRISE — The “two-week freeze” is over at the end of the day today, Wednesday, Dec. 2. Read more
SALEM — Gov. Kate Brown unveiled a highly-aspirational two-year state budget proposal Tuesday, Dec. 1, that would require a politically supportive U.S. Congress to make much of its most sweeping — and expensive — programs to work. Read more
With COVID-19 infection rates rising rapidly in Oregon, Gov. Kate Brown said Wednesday that at least 21 counties will stay in a modified version of the two-week "freeze" through most of December. Read more
ENTERPRISE — Gov. Kate Brown’s recent executive order mandating a “two-week freeze” on gatherings to slow the spread of COVID-19 is having a decidedly negative effect on businesses in Wallowa County. Read more
ENTERPRISE — More than 100 residents sat in on a virtual town hall with area and state health officials Tuesday, Nov. 17 to get a specific-to-Wallowa County update on the COVID-19 pandemic and to get questions answered. Read more
ENTERPRISE — A third Wallowa County death related to COVID-19 was reported Tuesday, Nov. 24, in a press release from the Oregon Health Authority. Read more
Elected leaders from Eastern Oregon counties who signed on to a letter asking Gov. Kate Brown for changes to her approach to COVID-19 shutdowns say the letter was not in direct response to the current two-week “freeze,” but was crafted over several weeks as an outline of what they hope to se… Read more
ENTERPRISE — A virtual town hall on resources to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic will be held today, Tuesday, Nov. 17, hosted by the Wallowa County Chamber of Commerce. Read more
WALLOWA — Wallowa junior high and high school reopened to in-person teaching Monday, Nov. 16, Superintendent Tammy Jones said in a post on the school district’s Facebook page Friday. Read more
SALEM — Oregon will restrict or close many businesses, curtail activities and put a six-person limit on gatherings, including Thanksgiving, under a statewide “two-week freeze” starting Wednesday, Nov. 18, in an effort to stem rising COVID-19 infection rates, Gov. Kate Brown announced Friday,… Read more
ENTERPRISE — The 25th annual Healthy Futures Dinner Auction should have taken place at the Cloverleaf Hall, as it has for more than 20 years. Read more
