Jul 20 2020 thru Jul 26 2020

On Friday, July 31 the Oregon Food Bank is holding an emergency food distribution event at Beck-Kiwanis Park in Ontario from 1-3 p.m. Due to Covid, drive-thru and curbside pickup options are available.

At a hearing on July 14, Ontario City Councilor Freddy Rodriguez contested a restraining order filed against him by a former girlfriend. Witnesses at the hearing testified about his threatening and abusive conduct.

An investigation found claims from Director Eric Evans's January tort threat unsubstantiated. Evans said the report didn’t address his concerns, but wants leave the issue behind.

President Donald Trump has recently voiced concerns of widespread voter fraud in the upcoming election due to mail-in ballots, but local and county officials remain confident in their well established voter fraud prevention processes.

On Sunday, around 40 cars drove down Ontario in support of Vanessa Guillen and other victims of violence in the military. This event was organized by the Black Lives Matter Ontario group.

The Dorian Place Residential Facility's five cases, reported yesterday, were isolated quickly after the parent company mandated 100% testing across its 39 facilities. One resident died while hospitalized.

Greater Idaho wants to fold more than a dozen Oregon counties into Idaho. The grassroots effort is already at work with a petition in the county. Greater Idaho consists of residents from across eastern, central and southern Oregon.

Malheur County has recorded the majority of its Covid infections since July 1 - a total of 415. County officials say the public has to act now to forestall any tighter restrictions on business and public activity.

Costs to make the Ontario aquatic center usable again range from $2.5 to $4.2 million, and the district is not considering rebuilding the entire aquatic center, lockers or bathrooms.

Estate of Carl E. Kochsmeier, Estate of Keith L. Meacham, Estate of Richard Lee Johnson

City Councilor Freddy Rodriguez, with a history of domestic violence incidents, can't expect to keep the confidence of the public in his Ontario city role. He should resign from the council.

New Covid restrictions requiring children to wear masks and lowering gathering sizes, among other new guidelines, were announced by Gov. Kate Brown at a press conference Wednesday. The changes go into effect Friday, July 24.

Elvin LeeRoy Ballou, Donald Vandeweghe, Joyce Elaine Shaw, Maria Elena Contreras Gallegos, Anastacio C. “Don” Gonzales

Positions include Instructor, Test Proctor, Ranch Worker, Seasonal Packer.

By Labor Day, if people don’t wear masks and the current trend continues, Saint Alphonsus expects as much as 50% of all hospital resources to be used for Covid care.

Three Ontario women on July 19 organized a car cruise as a memorial to a murdered Texas Latina soldier.

UPDATED: As reported cases of the coronavirus continue to climb in Malheur County, state and county officials are expected to announce Wednesday that additional limits on public activity will be required. The county has one of the highest infection rates in the state and more than 500 caes.

The National Weather Service put Malheur County under a red flag warning from noon to 6 p.m. Wednesday due to potential thunderstorms causing fire conditions. Due to weather conditions, the Vale Bureau of Land Management announced new restrictions on its public lands.

Mike Blackaby turned in his resignation after the five-member board voted not to publicize a report into board member misconduct triggered by an anonymous letter and a threat by another director to file for damages. Directors said no misconduct was found in the report.

Field Fresh Foods, based in Los Angeles, will move into the former Golden West warehouse in Nyssa, the Enterprise has learned. The firm is already hiring truck drivers and plans to be open by this fall. Field Fresh Foods could hire up to 45 people.

A Covid outbreak at Kraft Heinz in Ontario caused 26 cases as of July 8, resulting in the facility’s shut down for deep cleaning from June 30 to July 8. In other developments, three more Covid deaths were reported in Malheur County as of Saturday.

Revitalize Ontario's board voted to postpone the first-ever Tater Tot Festival until September 2021, based on Gov. Kate Brown's orders for Covid protocol.

An illegal attempt to pass on the 95, close to Rome, resulted in a Subaru and semi-truck collision on Sunday. The truck driver had minor injuries.