The latest news stories across the state of Oregon from the digital home of the Oregon coastal cities, OregonBeachMagazine.com
Friday, December 4, 2020
Oregon Beach Weather
Today- Patchy fog before 10am. Otherwise, sunny, with a high near 57. East wind around 6 mph becoming northwest in the morning.
Saturday- Rain likely, mainly after 4pm. Increasing clouds, with a high near 56. East southeast wind around 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
Sunday- A 20 percent chance of rain before 10am. Partly sunny, with a high near 55. South wind around 6 mph.
Monday- Partly sunny, with a high near 56.
Tuesday- A chance of rain, mainly before 10am. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 56.
OREGON COVID-19 Update
1153 New Cases and 21 New Deaths in Oregon
| Total cases | 79,293 |
| Total deaths | 973 |
| Positive tests | 114,191 |
| Negative tests | 1,929,133 |
| Total tests | 2,043,324 |
COVID-19 affects different people in different ways. Infected people have had a wide range of symptoms reported – from mild symptoms to severe illness.
Symptoms may appear 2-14 days after exposure to the virus. People with these symptoms may have COVID-19:
- Fever or chills
- Cough
- Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
- Fatigue
- Muscle or body aches
- Headache
- New loss of taste or smell
- Sore throat
- Congestion or runny nose
- Nausea or vomiting
- Diarrhea
Look for emergency warning signs for COVID-19. If someone is showing any of these signs, seek emergency medical care immediately:
- Trouble breathing
- Persistent pain or pressure in the chest
- New confusion
- Inability to wake or stay awake
- Bluish lips or face
More Students and Staff Quarantined at Coastal Schools WALDPORT — Students and staff at two Lincoln County School District schools have been advised to quarantine after potential exposure to COVID-19.
Two staff members at Waldport Junior and Senior High tested positive Nov. 9 and were listed in the Oregon Health Authority’s weekly report Nov. 18. Those staff members, who reported feeling symptoms before testing positive, did not directly interact with students. The following week, the OHA report included a third staff member, who tested positive Nov. 13. Unlike with the prior two cases, 17 pupils and staff with whom they had close contact were advised to quarantine.
Most middle and high school students in Lincoln County are still using comprehensive distance learning, but some career technical education students are in classrooms, as are some high school students without at-home internet access, special-needs students and students displaced by the wildfires.
Susan Van Liew, LCSD assistant superintendent, told the News-Times in an email that the first set of students and staff who quarantined at Waldport were allowed to return earlier this week. She said an additional group of students in Waldport had been advised to quarantine due to potential exposure to a student COVID-19 case — which has not yet appeared in the Oregon Health Authority’s weekly report — and those students can return Dec. 2.
Additionally, Van Liew said, a group of students and staff at Newport Middle School have been warned they may have been exposed. “Based on the information given to us yesterday,” Van Liew said, “we quarantined students and staff in a class at NMS because of potential exposure to a COVID-19 case on Nov. 19 and 20. Those quarantined will be able to return on Dec. 7.” An update sent to the school community Tuesday said the district was aware of a bus driver testing positive. Lincoln County Public Health later said six employees of First Student, which provides transportation services for the district, had tested positive.
The Oregon Department of Education has promulgated guidance for school response to an outbreak within the “Planning for COVID-19 Scenarios in Schools” toolkit, which the district relies upon as part of its reopening blueprint. The document (tinyurl.com/y3j8q8eq) outlines 12 scenarios based on conditions such as testing results, whether cases are within the same or from multiple cohorts, the presence of symptoms and the type of exposure/proximity of contacts.
Lincoln County’s new COVID-19 case rate for the previous two weeks is 161 per 100,000 residents, moving the school district into a new category according to the education department’s metrics for conducting in-person classes. They’d previously been in the “green” tier, with fewer than 50 new cases per 100,000, in which schools are allowed to bring all grades back into classrooms. The district is now in the “orange” tier — between 100 and 200 new cases per 100,000 — meaning it should consider a transition to comprehensive distance learning with “limited in-person instruction.”
If new cases rise above 200 per 100,000, the district would move into “red,” which means implementing distance learning, again with allowable limited in-person instruction.
Shutter Creek slated for closure in governor’s budget proposal -Oregon Gov. Kate Brown is proposing to close the Shutter Creek Correctional Institute near North Bend next winter in her new budget proposal.
The governor announced her budget plan Tuesday and it included closing three prisons — Shutter Creek and Warner Creek near Lakeview, which state budget writers also proposed closing earlier this year, and Mill Creek in Salem.
Her plan unveiled Tuesday proposes to close Mill Creek at the start of July, Shutter Creek six months later and Warner Creek in July of 2022. Brown said she convened the Racial Justice Council to help advise her priorities and that the focus on criminal justice reform led to her proposal on the prisons. “My plan for the future of our prison is that the state will no longer invest in expensive buildings, but invest in people,” she said.
Shutter Creek, located east of Hauser, is a minimum-security facility with 302 beds. It formerly was an Air National Guard radar station and was given to the state by the U.S. General Services Administration in 1990 and converted into the prison. It employs 87 workers and focuses on preparing inmates near the end of their sentences from six Southern Oregon counties — Coos, Curry, Douglas, Lane, Jackson and Josephine — for release back into society.
AROUND the STATE of OREGON
2 People Found Dead in Eugene Following Standoff – Two people are dead following an investigation into reported shots fired and a subsequent standoff, the Eugene Police Department said Thursday night.
At 2:36 p.m. Thursday (Dec. 3, 2020), Eugene PD responded to reports of shots fired related to a possible domestic incident at a residence in the 2600 block of Hawkins Lane. There were multiple teams responding due to information about shots fired. Traffic was blocked to restrict travel in the area for safety reasons, as well as to allow access to teams, EPD said.
These included EPD Patrol, Crisis Negotiation Team, Metro Explosives Disposal Unit (for robot) and the Drone Team, Animal Services, and K9 team. Eugene Springfield Fire EMS was called to stage for possible medical needs. Crisis Negotiation attempted to make contact without success, the report said.
Police conducted hails inside the home and a family member living in the basement was able to exit the home safely with no injuries. “Due to concern of injured people possibly being inside, SWAT entered the home and located two deceased individuals just before 5 p.m.,” EPD said.
The scene has been turned over to the EPD Violent Crimes Unit to investigate. “EPD will not be able to release identification of the two deceased individuals,” the department said. There are no outstanding suspects or threat to the neighborhood, police said.
USDA invests $542M in homeownership for low-income rural Oregonians – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development invested a record $542.6 million in 2020 to help more than 2,225 low-income rural Oregonians purchase, build, or repair their homes, announced State Director John Huffman.
“The rising cost of housing and limited inventory has made homeownership unattainable for many low-income families living in rural Oregon communities,” said Huffman. “USDA’s housing programs give hard-working families the leg up they need to make the leap into homeownership.”
Through USDA’s Single Family Housing Guaranteed Loan Program, Rural Development helped 2,074 rural Oregonians with limited income purchase a home. By guaranteeing private sector mortgage loans, USDA helps to reduce the risk for private lenders so they can make additional financing available for low-income families.
The Single Family Housing Direct Loan Program made homeownership attainable for 117 rural residents that did not qualify for traditional bank loans by investing $28.9 million in loans that offered low interest rates and had no down payment requirement.
Through the Single Family Housing Repair Program, Rural Development invested $295,000 in 30 low-interest loans for very-low-income rural homeowners and $192,600 in 28 grants for low-income seniors to enable them to complete critical repairs to their homes that they could not otherwise afford.
This funding was provided in federal fiscal year 2020, which ended on Sept. 30. All recipients of USDA homeownership funding must personally occupy the dwelling as their primary residence and meet income eligibility requirements. Applications for these programs are accepted year-round.
These investments represent the highest level of homeownership funding by USDA in Oregon in the last decade. Over the past 10 years, Rural Development has invested a total of $4.9 billion to help low-income rural Oregonians buy safe, affordable homes or mitigate health and safety hazards so they can remain in their homes. These investments help families build equity and improve their financial outlook for the long term.
USDA Rural Development provides loans and grants to expand economic opportunities and create jobs in rural areas. This assistance supports infrastructure improvements; business development; housing, community facilities such as schools, public safety, and health care facilities; and high-speed internet access in rural areas. Learn more at www.rd.usda.gov/or.
Pneumonia outbreak spreads to new Baker County bighorn sheep herd – Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife and the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation have determined that the same strain of bacterial pneumonia that caused a die-off in the Lookout Mountain bighorn sheep herd earlier in the year has spread to the Burnt River herd.
This year is the first-time bacterial pneumonia (caused by the organism Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae) has been identified in the Burnt River herd. While Interstate 84 normally separates the herds, bighorn sheep have been known to try to cross the highway. The Lookout Mountain herd ranges north of I-84 and west of Brownlee Reservoir, about 10 miles from the Burnt River Canyon herd, which is south of I-84.
ODFW and the Tribes collected samples for disease testing (nasal swabs) from a tribally hunter-harvested 4.5 year-old ram and another young ram found dead in Burnt River Canyon. Tests results show the bacterial strain in these animals closely matches the Lookout Mountain strain and is unique from strains isolated from neighboring Hells Canyon herds. This information paired with the timing of the outbreak and documentation of sheep trying to cross I-84 suggests likely transmission between these two herds.
So far, ODFW has collected three dead sheep from the Burnt River herd. A very sick lamb was also put down and another sick lamb was observed near one of the dead ewes collected (likely her offspring). All of these sheep were confirmed to have bacterial pneumonia.
The Lookout Mountain bighorn sheep herd pneumonia outbreak was discovered in February, and resulted in the cancelation of all once-in-a-lifetime sheep hunts in the unit this year. All lambs in the Lookout Mountain herd have perished due to this outbreak but adult mortality appears to have tapered off during the summer months as expected.
Sheep will congregate at lower elevations during the late fall and winter period, increasing the risk of disease transmission between individuals. Currently ODFW is testing and monitoring the Lookout Mountain and Burnt River herds to determine the extent of the mortality and the current infection rate in the remaining population
Pneumonia has killed numerous wild sheep in Oregon and other Western states over the past few decades and is considered the largest risk to wild sheep populations. Once a herd is infected, an all-age die off can occur and the disease may remain chronic in the population.
Disease treatment in free-ranging populations of sheep is not practical. Wildlife managers strive to keep wild and domestic sheep and goats separate to avoid transmission of the disease.
Oregon OSHA receives 15K workplace complaints since March for COVID-19 – As Oregon faces a record number of COVID-19 workplace outbreaks, Oregon Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is addressing complaints.
Oregon Health Authority reported there were 108 active workplace outbreaks as of last week, a record number since the pandemic started. Aaron Corvin, a spokesperson for Oregon OSHA, said another problem is rising. “Employers who are choosing to disregard requirements,” Corvin said.
Oregon OSHA recently implemented new emergency rules for all workplaces in the state. In addition to protections such as masks and distancing, Oregon OSHA requires employers to notify employees of possible COVID-19 exposure within 24 hours. Employers must also provide training for spread prevention, safer ventilation, and employee input opportunities.
“Nobody knows their workplace and their job better than the worker doing it,” said Graham Trainor, president of Oregon AFL-CIO, Oregon’s statewide federation of labor unions.
Trainor’s group advocates for workers’ rights and commended Oregon OSHA for stepping beyond the minimum federal guidance. Trainor said more should be done to support essential workers on the front lines.
“Treat them like the heroes that we call them,” Trainor said. “That also includes paying them for the risks they bear when they go to work.”
Oregon AFL-CIO said in a news release one in six Oregonians have gotten COVID-19 in connection to a workplace outbreak. The top three workplace outbreaks in Oregon are within prisons, with more than 1,200 combined cases.
Others include distribution centers such as Amazon in Troutdale at 101 cases, the Fred Meyer distribution center in Clackamas at 88 cases, and Walmart distribution center in Clackamas at 87 cases. Meanwhile, Oregon OSHA is on overdrive.
“Edging into the territory of about 15,000 COVID complaints since March,” Corvin said. “In a typical year, we receive just over 2,000 complaints.”
Corvin explained despite the high demand, Oregon OSHA works to address complaints quickly, especially those filed online. “We reach out, probably in a matter of days…to engage the employer as quickly as possible,” Corvin said.
According to Corvin, Oregon OSHA’s enforcement efforts are ramping up, but the goal is more focused on helping employers get back on track with resources. Oregon OSHA can provide infection control plans, risk assessments for worker exposure, fact sheets, and consultants to help businesses. Corvin emphasized people who file complaints have their identities legally protected. “This cannot be all on Oregon OSHA,” Corvin said. “We take this very seriously, we’re working as hard as we can, but we need a lot of folks to be pulling in the right direction.”
https://osha.oregon.gov/workers/Pages/index.aspx
Klamath Tribal Members Have More COVID-19 related deaths and 50 New Cases
Two members of the Klamath Tribe have now died due to COVID-19, a 60-year-old man, and a 52-year-old woman. “It is with great regret and heartbreak that the Klamath Tribes announce the first deaths due to COVID-19,” said the Klamath Tribes through a press release. Both had underlying health conditions.
“The Klamath Tribal Council mourns with our people, colleagues, and our community at this time. It is especially heartbreaking that due to COVID-19 restrictions, family and friends cannot traditionally gather in this time of mourning to celebrate the lives of those we have lost,” said the press release.
The Klamath Tribal Council sends their heartfelt condolences to the families, friends, and colleagues of those who have passed.
The two deaths increase the Klamath County COVID-19 death toll to seven.
Today, Klamath County Public Health Officials report 50 new cases of COVID-19 in the community. This brings this weeks case count to 104 and the total count to 976.
The Centers for Disease Control has indicated that older adults and those with certain health conditions are at higher risk for severe illness from COVID-19. Those conditions include:
- Cancer
- Chronic kidney disease
- COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease)
- Heart conditions, such as heart failure, coronary artery disease, or cardiomyopathies
- Immunocompromised state (weakened immune system) from solid organ transplant
- Obesity (body mass index [BMI] of 30 kg/m2 or higher but < 40 kg/m2)
- Severe Obesity (BMI ≥ 40 kg/m2)
- Sickle cell disease
- Type 2 diabetes mellitus
Not all of these conditions can be seen. It is recommended that everyone remain vigilant to protect their own health and that of others.
To help protect yourself officials from KCPH advise:
- Limit physical contact with other people as much as possible.
- Wash your hands often.
- Avoid close contact (6 feet, which is about two arm lengths) with people who are sick.
- Clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces.
To protect others around you officials from KCPH also advise:
- Cover coughs and sneezes.
- Stay home when sick.
- Wear a clean mask in public spaces, including outdoors when six feet of social distance cannot be maintained.
FBI helping investigate killing of Black man in Ashland hotel parking lot – Federal authorities are involved in the investigation of the shooting death of a Black man last month in the parking lot of an Ashland hotel, police said Thursday.
The FBI is working with Ashland police to assess whether Robert Keegan violated any federal laws in the fatal shooting of 19-year-old Aidan Ellison, according to the Ashland Police Department. Keegan, 47, has pleaded not guilty to murder and other charges in Jackson County Circuit Court.
The shooting drew condemnation from southern Oregon’s Black community. “The murder of Aidan Ellison is another example of Southern Oregon’s racist history with and current practice of white supremacy,” wrote Southern Oregon Black Leaders, Activists and Community Coalition in a statement. “Aidan was murdered because he was a young Black person who made a white man uncomfortable and refused to submit to that man’s personally-perceived authority – not because he was listening to music too loudly.”
Keegan pleaded not guilty Nov. 27 to second-degree murder, first-degree manslaughter, unlawful possession of a firearm and recklessly endangering another person. Keegan is being held in custody without bail until his next court date on Feb. 22, officials have said.
Jackson County Sheriff’s Office Investigating White City Officer-Involved Shooting – White City, Ore. — The Jackson County Major Assault Death Investigation Unit (MADIU) is currently investigating an officer-involved shooting that happened in White City on Wednesday night, December 2.
Deputies from the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office responded to a report of a disorderly, loud party just before 7:45 p.m. in the 2500-block of Agate Meadows. Neighbors reported a group of more than 25 people inside a home. The Sheriff’s Office said there were several speeding vehicles leaving the scene and other vehicles parked illegally in the neighborhood.
Just before 8 p.m. a deputy on scene reported that were involved in a shooting. No law enforcement officers were injured or harmed during the shooting, according to JCSO. One man sustained a gunshot wound that the Sheriff’s Office believes is not life-threatening. The injured man is being treated at a local medical facility.