The latest news stories across the state of Oregon from the digital home of the Oregon coastal cities, OregonBeachMagazine.com
Friday, August 27, 2021
Oregon Beach Weather
Today– Mostly sunny, with a high near 68. Breezy, with a north wind 5 to 10 mph increasing to 15 to 20 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 29 mph.
Saturday– Sunny, with a high near 69. Breezy, with a north wind 7 to 12 mph increasing to 15 to 20 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 28 mph.
Sunday– Mostly sunny, with a high near 66. Breezy, with a north wind 7 to 17 mph, with gusts as high as 23 mph.
Monday– Sunny, with a high near 64.
Tuesday– Sunny, with a high near 65.
Public Health Advisory for Harris Beach State Park
Oregon Health Authority (OHA) is issuing a public health advisory today for unsafe levels of fecal bacteria in ocean waters at Harris Beach State Park in Curry County.
People should avoid direct contact with the water in this area until the advisory is lifted. Unsafe levels of fecal bacteria can cause diarrhea, stomach cramps, skin rashes, upper respiratory infections, and other illnesses. Children, elderly, and those with a compromised immune system should use extra caution as they are more vulnerable to illness from waterborne bacteria.
Visitors should avoid wading in nearby creeks, pools of water on the beach, or in discolored water, and stay clear of water runoff flowing into the ocean. Levels of fecal bacteria tend to be higher in these types of water sources.
Even if there is no advisory in effect, avoid swimming in the ocean within 48 hours after a rainstorm.
Astoria Riverfront Trolley Suspends Service Due to Volunteer Shortage
The Astoria Riverfront Trolley says it has been struggling to find volunteers and will suspend operations starting Sunday.
“It’s a very tough decision,” said Frank Kemp, the trolley’s maintenance coordinator. Operators cited a shortage of volunteers, who expressed concern for their health amid the rapid spread of the delta variant of the coronavirus, as the primary reason.
The trolley, one of Astoria’s most popular attractions, resumed in July after a 16-month hiatus.
Bob Miller, an operator, said the suspension is especially painful for those who worked so hard to get Old 300 back up and running. “This hurts. We were having so much fun out there,” Miller said. Even before the delta variant’s spread, however, Miller said the trolley had difficulty finding as many volunteers as before the pandemic.
“The numbers are what they are. We’re looking at hospitalizations and things with the delta variant and suddenly there’s concern,” he said. “We’re looking out for our people and we’re looking out for our passengers.”
The trolley typically ends seasonal service in mid-September, so operators are not optimistic service will return in 2021. “If things get better, we’ll be back,” Miller said. “But I don’t have a lot of faith in that.”
CBHS Lighthouse Greeting Center Gift Shop and Port Orford Lifeboat Station Museum to OPEN Labor Day Weekend!
The Cape Blanco Lighthouse Greeting Center Gift Shop and Port Orford Lifeboat Station Museum will soon open for visitors. Our official opening is Labor Day Weekend (Sept. 2-4) and we look forward to your visit. Our hours when we open will be 10AM – 3PM, Thursday – Saturday starting out. We plan to add Sunday as staffing allows.
The Lifeboat Station Museum is located at Port Orford Heads State Park and the Greeting Center Gift Shop is at Cape Blanco State Park in close proximity to our famous lighthouse. At present, the lighthouse and the short road from the lighthouse gate are not open as they are both in need of repairs.
Visitors will need to walk the short distance from the gate to the Greeting Center Gift Shop and can easily hike from there to view the exterior of the lighthouse. Despite the lighthouse being closed, a trip to the tip of Cape Blanco and the Greeting Center is a lovely day trip that offers beautiful scenery and energizing hikes on the surrounding nature trails. Please exercise caution as the wind at the Cape is quite strong at times and your safety, as always, is our first concern.
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
Steve Roemen
CBHS President
Cape Blanco Heritage SocietyP.O. Box 1132Port Orford, OR 97465
(541) 332-0521www.capeblancoheritagesociety.com
heritage32@frontier.com
Truck Pulled From Water In Seaside
Seaside police, fire and Classic Towing fished out an unoccupied Nissan pickup truck Thursday shortly after noon from the Necanicum River near Cartwright Park.
The truck likely came in from the nearby boat ramp, Police Lieutenant Guy Knight said.
Before pulling the truck from the water, divers searched it, Knight said. “There was a bunch of junk in there, but we didn’t see anybody,” he said.
Oregon reports 2,057 new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases, 9 new deaths
There are nine new COVID-19 related deaths in Oregon, raising the state’s death toll to 3,095. The Oregon Health Authority reported 2,057 new confirmed and presumptive cases of COVID-19 bringing the state total to 265,210.
The new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases reported today are in the following counties: Baker (15), Benton (12), Clackamas (133), Clatsop (19), Columbia (22), Coos (21), Crook (13), Curry (24), Deschutes (95), Douglas (69), Grant (29), Harney (9), Hood River (5), Jackson (215), Jefferson (8), Josephine (75), Klamath (67), Lake (5), Lane (190), Lincoln (24), Linn (103), Malheur (26), Marion (206), Morrow (13), Multnomah (184), Polk (67), Sherman (1), Tillamook (22) Umatilla (112), Union (13), Wallowa (8), Wasco (23), Washington (158), Wheeler (3) and Yamhill (68).
Mask Mandate Starts Today
Oregon will require adults and most children to wear face coverings starting today in most public settings where people are close to each other, in yet another attempt to slow the spread of the contagious delta variant of COVID-19.
Children under 5 years old are exempt from the mandate, as are people of all ages while eating and drinking
outdoors and people living outdoors while experiencing homelessness.
Gov. Brown announced the new rule Tuesday and noted the number of people hospitalized with COVID had hit 1,000. Oregon is one of five states with an indoor mask mandate already in effect, according to the New York Times. It is the first to announce a mask requirement for outdoor activities during which people are close together.
People will need to wear masks regardless of whether they are vaccinated.
Pediatric Weekly dashboard update — Today, OHA published its newest dashboard report of pediatric COVID-19 case data in Oregon.
This dashboard replaces the previous report and will be published weekly on Thursdays with the most recent full week’s data. A key finding this week is an increase in hospitalizations in children 0-5 years.
This isn’t just in Oregon. Children are now being hospitalized in large numbers across the United States as the swift-moving Coronavirus Delta variant drives cases higher.
“While an increase in COVID cases is difficult news to hear, it’s especially disheartening when there is a sharp rise in serious cases among the youngest people in our community. New hospital admission rates for kids due to COVID-19 in the U.S. have reached the highest levels since tracking pediatric cases started about a year ago. The Delta variant is more contagious than previous variants—and likely is causing more severe disease in children, as it is in adults—and is leading to a surge in pediatric hospitalizations nationwide. Please get vaccinated if you can and wear a mask to help stop COVID from spreading, especially to kids who can’t yet get the vaccine. Let’s work together to keep our community and our children safe,” said Dr. Dean Sidelinger, health officer and state epidemiologist for Oregon Health Authority.
Pandemic Situation Becoming More Dire
The 2020 Pandemic was an event that many people across the country and Oregon will never forget. During 2020, more than nineteen million people were infected with coronavirus and more than 343,000 people died as a result. But in almost 9 months into the second year of the pandemic has the situation become more dire?
The answer is yes.
According to the CDC, roughly 630,000 thousand people have died in total since the pandemic started. That means in 2021, more than 290,000 people have already died and there are still four more months in the year. On average that means in 2020, roughly 28,000 people were dying every month while in 2021 that number has jumped to more than 36,000.
Data also shows that recently, the U.S. has begun to report about 1,000 deaths per day from COVID-19, due to the recent surge. Hospitalizations are also at record numbers this year. OHA is reporting that across the state, more than a thousand people are currently in the hospital with COVID-19.
In Region 5 which includes Jackson and Josephine Counties, hospitalizations have surpassed more than 220 people. The previous record in 2020 was 69.
The most recent report from the CDC also shows that COVID-19 was the third leading cause of death in the U.S. in 2020 with only cancer and heart disease taking the top two spots. Studies show that during the pandemic, cancer deaths dropped very slightly while new cancer deaths increased dramatically compared to 2019.
Moderate winds allowed smoke to lift earlier in the day yesterday, but below normal temperatures and normal to above normal relative humidities resulted in light initial attack activity and low to moderate fire behavior on existing incidents.
Clouds spread across all of Washington and parts of northern Oregon as the day progressed, and light precipitation fell in western Washington and northwest Oregon. No lightning was detected.
Expect clearing today after morning clouds. Temperatures are expected to be below normal and humidity above normal for the geographic area. Westerly winds through the Columbia River Gorge and Columbia Basin will be less today than on Thursday.
Over the weekend expect warming and drying for much of the region. General winds will decrease Saturday
and shift more to north or northeast.
The potential for new significant fires will remain at or below normal background level for late August. Warming and drying over the weekend with poor overnight humidity recovery will increase fire danger slightly and potentially boost the risk of growth on ongoing incidents.
Here are links to be able to see updated info on the larger fires in Oregon:
- Black Butte InciWeb
- Bootleg InciWeb
- Bruler InciWeb
- Bull Complex InciWeb
- Devil’s Knob Complex InciWeb
- Elbow Creek Inciweb
- Fox Fire InciWeb
- Jack Fire InciWeb
- Rough Patch Complex InciWeb
- Middle Fork Complex/Knoll Fire InciWeb
- Skyline Ridge Complex InciWeb
This public lands link is super helpful to check before you head outdoors. The Keep Oregon Green website carries ODF’s public use restrictions. Click the link for up-to-date information:
https://keeporegongreen.org/current-conditions/
The Oregon State Fair Starts Today
The Oregon State Fair starts this Friday and runs through September 6, 2021.
The Oregon State Fair follows COVID-19 health and safety measures as mandated by the Oregon Health Authority and the Governor’s office, and at this time in Oregon, masks are required both indoors and outdoors.
So, at the Oregon State Fair, masks will be required to be worn by all guests ages 5 and up, exhibitors, employees, and volunteers while on the Oregon State Fairgrounds, in both indoor and outdoor locations. Fairgoers should bring their own masks. The Oregon State Fair will provide a mask to fairgoers who need one, while supplies last. Fairgoers will not be required to wear a mask while actively eating or drinking.
The Oregon State Fair encourages all fairgoers who have not yet received a vaccination to do so in advance of the fair. In partnership with Salem Health, the Oregon State Fair will offer a Vaccine Clinic in Cascade Hall from 12:00pm-8:00pm Weekdays and 10:00am-6:00pm Weekends. Fairgoers who receive a vaccination at the Fair will receive a free ticket to return to the Oregon State Fair again in 2021, or in 2022.
An OSP Trooper will be stationed at each entrance greeting every visitor who comes to the fair.
The Oregon State Police has a temporary command center at the fair, which includes a dispatch console. This command center gives OSP Troopers the ability to quickly facilitate remedies to a wide variety of incidents that can come up at the State Fair.
They also will be encouraging parents to utilize the “if lost” bracelets that the fair provides. Parents or guardians will be asked to write their cell phone number on the inside of a bright yellow “if lost” bracelet and place it on their child’s wrist in case the child gets separated. Reminder masks will be required to be worn by all guests ages 5 and up,
exhibitors, employees, and volunteers while on the Oregon State Fairgrounds, in both indoor and outdoor locations. https://oregonstatefair.org/
Oregon Drought Update
Experts say Oregon is becoming less resilient to drought as fewer seasons of abundant rain and snow prevent it from bouncing back from hot and dry conditions. The Capital Press reports that Larry O’Neill, state climatologist at Oregon State University, says the current drought is “historically significant,” with about three-quarters of the state
experiencing conditions considered “extreme” or “exceptional.”
However, the state is actually in the fourth year of below-average precipitation, which has exacerbated the drought during “unprecedentedly” high temperatures this summer, O’Neill told the Oregon Water Resources Commission on Wednesday. Parched soils were insufficiently recharged with moisture over winter and spring, which has harmed vegetative growth, including crops and forage, said Ryan Andrews, a hydrologist at the Oregon Water Resources Department, which is overseen by the commission.
Procession Of Fallen Firefighter From Eugene To Medford
The body of a firefighter who died while fighting the Gales Fire near Oakridge on Monday was escorted by multiple agencies from Eugene to Medford on Thursday afternoon.
56-year-old Frumencio Ruiz Carapia died on Monday, August 23rd after officials said a tree fell on him.
Multiple fire agencies began a silent procession from Lane County to Medford. The somber procession left RiverBend hospital around 1:45 p.m. carrying Ruiz’s body back to his hometown of Medford.
Police officers blocked off the intersection of Gateway and Beltline, while multiple agencies drove through. Police officers and many people in the gathered crowd saluted the emergency vehicles as they drove by.
The group of people stationed on the sidewalk as the procession went by were holding signs that said “Amamos Nuestros Bomberos. Gracias.” This translates to: “We love our firefighters. Thank you.”
The Medford contingents met with the procession carrying Caparia’s body south before they left together, heading for the funeral home. Joining the honor guard were firefighters from the Oregon Department of Forestry, Medford Fire Department, Jackson County Fire Districts 3 and 5; as well as officers from Medford Police and deputies from the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office. Carapia’s fellow crew members from GE Forestry formed the core of the group.
After the procession, the family gathered to lay their loved one to rest. Family and friends came together to pray, sing, and commemorate Carapia’s memories who was widely respected amongst his peers.
Have You Seen Trevor Watson?
The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office is asking for the public’s assistance in locating a missing Ashland man.
On Sunday, August 22, 2021, the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office took a missing person report from the family of 36-year-old Trevor E. Watson of Ashland. Watson had left a residence in the 300-block of Fir Point Lane in Glendale on foot and hasn’t been in contact with family since. He left behind his cellphone and wallet.
Deputies and Search and Rescue volunteers have been unable to locate Watson and are asking anyone who may have information as to Watson’s whereabouts to contact the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office at (541) 440-4471.
Watson is described as a white male adult standing at 5’8″ tall weighing 135 pounds. He has light brown hair and light brown eyes. — Case #21-3792 Douglas Co. Sheriff’s Office
Ivermectin Poisonings Increase in Oregon
Poison control operators in Oregon have already seen a third more calls this month for people who intentionally misused veterinary and human forms of ivermectin than they saw in all of the other seven months of the year combined.
The Oregon Poison Center at Oregon Health & Science University has received nine calls surrounding the
“intentional misuse“ of the anti-parasitic drug, according to OHSU spokesperson Franny White.
Only six poison control calls for intentionally misusing the drug were reported between January and July. The drug, which the Food & Drug Administration says is not an anti-viral, is most often prescribed to humans in pill form for intestinal parasites.
Its use as an ill-advised COVID-19 home remedy became national news over the weekend, however, after the Mississippi State Department of Health issued a public health alert Friday because people ingesting veterinary formulations of ivermectin made up about 70% of that state’s poison control calls.
Bend Resident and Affiliated Residential Care Company Agree to Pay $2.9 Million to Settle Health Care Fraud Allegations
A Bend, Oregon resident, and his residential care company have agreed to pay $2.9 million to settle allegations by the United States and the State of Oregon that the company submitted false reimbursement claims to the Oregon Medicaid program.
Kevin Cox, 51, and At Home Care LLC, doing business as At Home Care Group (AHCG), will pay $1.86 million to the United States and $1.04 million to the State of Oregon.
AHCG also waived indictment and pleaded guilty today in Deschutes County Circuit Court to two counts of making a false claim for health care payment.
“Individuals and companies who submit false claims to federally-backed state health care programs increase health care costs for everyone,” said Scott Erik Asphaug, Acting U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon. “We take health care fraud very seriously and will continue to hold accountable those who undermine the integrity of these important programs.”
“This national pandemic has put an unprecedented strain on our health care system. There is never a time for Medicaid providers to enrich themselves with fraudulent schemes—but now is certainly not the time. This case shows you that we will work aggressively with our federal law enforcement partners to investigate and prosecute providers that victimize our most vulnerable Oregonians and the programs that serve them,” said Attorney General Ellen F. Rosenblum.
“Health care providers should regard Medicaid as a lifeline for vulnerable beneficiaries in need of wellness services, not as a financial reserve for personal enrichment,” stated Steven Ryan, Special Agent in Charge with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. “To assist in preserving Federal health care programs, our agency and law enforcement partners investigate and cease wrongful activity that compromises their funds.”
AHCG provided in-home medical and non-medical care to individuals in Oregon. The United States and State of Oregon contend that, between March 2013 and September 2018, AHCG altered caregiver scheduling calendars and billed the Oregon Medicaid program for hours of in-home care not actually performed.
As part of the settlement, AHCG and Cox will be excluded from participating in Medicare, Medicaid, and all other federal health care programs for 15 and 8 years, respectively.
Acting U.S. Attorney Asphaug and Attorney General Rosenblum made the announcement.
This settlement was the result of a coordinated investigation by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Oregon, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, Oregon Department of Justice Medicaid Fraud Unit, and Oregon Health Authority. The United States was represented in this matter by Alexis Lien, Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon. Senior Assistant Attorney General Elizabeth Ballard Colgrove led this case for the Oregon Department of Justice.
The claims resolved by this settlement, except for those admitted in AHCG’s guilty plea, are allegations only, and there has been no determination or admission of liability. U.S. Attorney’s Office – District of Oregon
**UPDATE** Death Investigation at Rooster Rock State Park – Multnomah County
On August 13, 2021, The Oregon State Police Criminal Investigation Division and members of the Multnomah County Major Crime Team responded to Rooster Rock State Park to investigate human remains found at the park.
Investigators have identified the deceased as twenty-one year old Stephanie Celeste Jones of Portland. Detectives are actively investigating the circumstances surrounding Jones’s death. If anyone the community has information related to this investigation, please call the Oregon State Police at 1-800-442-0776 or OSP.
Oregon State Police Detectives are leading the investigation. No more information is expected to be released until early next week. Oregon State Police