The latest news stories across the state of Oregon from the digital home of the Oregon coastal cities, OregonBeachMagazine.com
Monday, January 25, 2021
Oregon Beach Weather
Today– Showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm. Snow level 1500 feet. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 45. West wind around 7 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
Tuesday– Rain, mainly after 10am. Snow level 1000 feet rising to 1500 feet in the afternoon. High near 40. Breezy, with a southeast wind 11 to 17 mph, with gusts as high as 28 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New precipitation amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.
Wednesday– Rain likely, mainly after 10am. Snow level 2000 feet. Partly sunny, with a high near 48. Southeast wind around 9 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible.
Thursday– A chance of rain before 10am, then a chance of showers after 10am. Snow level 3000 feet lowering to 2500 feet. Partly sunny, with a high near 48. Chance of precipitation is 50%.
Friday– A chance of showers, mainly after 10am. Snow level 2000 feet. Partly sunny, with a high near 48.
Oregon Health Authority reported 582 new confirmed and presumptive cases of COVID-19 as of 12:01 a.m. today, bringing the state total to 138,168.
The new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases reported today are in the following counties: Benton (3), Clackamas (49), Coos (26), Crook (9), Curry (1), Deschutes (31), Douglas (14), Harney (1), Hood River (9), Jackson (47), Jefferson (4), Josephine (20), Klamath (26), Lake (5), Lane (49), Lincoln (6), Linn (18), Malheur (3), Marion (72), Morrow (3), Multnomah (78), Polk (18), Tillamook (1), Umatilla (16), Union (5), Wasco (2), Washington (59) and Yamhill (7).
Three New COVID-19 Cases for Florence
Around Oregon and the U.S. reported cases of the novel coronavirus are showing signs of decreasing. Here in Florence there has been a steady report of cases over the past month, even though new cases are showing up at a lesser rate over the past two weeks there were still 3 new cases over the weekend in Florence. 143 is the new total for cases of COVID-19 for the 97439 zip code. Health officials say that one of the issues with testing is that if a person does not have enough of a viral load of the virus when coming in for testing, their test may prove negative and then can test positive days later. The OHA reported 2,234 new cases over the weekend and 38 new deaths. Lane County reported 214 cases.
The Oregon Health Authority was notified today that a person in Washington County has tested positive with the variant COVID-19 virus strain originally detected in the United Kingdom.
The person has a known travel history outside of the United States during their exposure period.
This is the third known case in Oregon of the United Kingdom variant strain, also known as strain B.1.1.7 or SARS-CoV-2 VOC 202012/01. Close contacts to the person have been identified and notified.
Multiple variants of the virus that causes COVID-19 have been detected in the U.S. and globally. The CDC provides case data information in the United States.
This strain is considered to be more contagious. OHA recommends that all Oregonians take the following steps to slow the spread of COVID-19.
- Maintain six feet of physical distance;
- Wear a face covering when outside the house;
- Practice good hand hygiene;
- Avoid any gatherings with people you don’t live with;
- People who experience symptoms — even mild ones — are urged to consult with a medical provider quickly to get instructions on how to care for yourself and your household members and whether to get tested.
Oregon Covid-19 Spread Rate ranks No. 49 Among States
Oregon reported far fewer coronavirus cases in the week ending Sunday, adding 4,963 new cases. That’s down 34% from the previous week’s toll of 7,522 new cases of the virus that causes COVID-19. Oregon ranked No. 49 among the states where coronavirus was spreading the fastest on a per-person basis, a USA TODAY Network analysis of Johns Hopkins University data shows. In the latest week, the United States added 1,190,227 reported cases of coronavirus, a decrease of -22% from the week before. Across the country, 1 state had more cases in the latest week than they did in the week before.
Lane County Issues Warnings to Beware of Vaccine Registration Scams.
Apparently there was some confusion as people showed up at mass vaccine sites who thought they had an appointment only to find out they had been victims of a scam.
Lane County vaccine information can be found at www.lanecounty.org/covidvaccine or by calling 541-682-1380.
39th Prisoner in Oregon Dies from Covid Reported
An inmate who tested positive for the coronavirus has died at the Two Rivers Correctional Institution, the Oregon Department of Corrections reported on Sunday. The man was between the ages of 75 and 85 years old.
The new report brings the total number of inmate deaths to 39 since the start of the pandemic.
“As with all in-custody deaths, the Oregon State Police have been notified, and the Medical Examiner will determine cause of death,” the DOC said in a release.Earlier this week, advocates for incarcerated people called on the state to vaccinate Oregon’s prisoners, saying the government isn’t doing enough to protect those in custody.
The DOC says the vaccine is currently being offered to staff and say they’re following all safety guidelines to prevent the spread of the virus. A “small number” of inmates who clean the COVID-19 units have also been vaccinated.
Coquille Police Department Participating in Oregon Safety Belt Overtime Blitz
The Coquille Police Department is taking part in the upcoming Oregon Safety Belt Overtime Blitz, the department said in a news release.
From February 1-14, law enforcement agencies throughout Oregon, including Coquille PD, will use federally funded overtime to educate the public about safety belt and child seat laws, including a law passed in 2017 increasing safety for children under age two.
ODOT crash data for 2018 shows lack of safety belt or child restraint use was a factor in 28% or 86 of a total 311 motor vehicle occupant fatalities.
Motor vehicle crashes are the leading nationwide cause of death for children ages one through twelve years old. In 2018, 1,832 children under twelve were injured in Oregon traffic crashes, 11 percent were reported not using a child restraint system. It is estimated that car seats may increase crash survival by 71% for infants under one year old and by up to 59% for toddlers aged one to four. Booster seats may reduce the chance of nonfatal injury among four to eight-year olds by 45% compared to safety belts used alone.
Safety belts used correctly can reduce the risk of major crash injury or death by up to sixty- five percent.
In 2017, an Oregon law was passed requiring children to ride in a rear-facing safety seat until they are at least two years old.
A child over age two must continue to ride in a car seat with harness or in a booster until they reach age eight or 4’ 9” in height and the adult belt fits them correctly.
The recent law, which extends the rear-facing requirement from the previous age one to age two, will better protect the child’s head, neck, and spine from potential crash injuries.
This is because a rear-facing seat spreads crash forces evenly across the seat and child’s body while also limiting forward or sideways motion of the head.
For help selecting or installing child car seats, consult the seat manufacturer’s instructions, your vehicle owner’s manual, or visit a local child seat fitting station listed at here or here.
Astoria Delays Reopening Schools
School leaders had hoped to begin phasing students back into buildings for more regular in-person instruction later this month and in early February. But at a special meeting Thursday night, school board members voted to follow a recommendation by Superintendent Craig Hoppes and delay fully reopening schools until local metrics begin to improve. With three new cases of the coronavirus at Astoria Middle School and ongoing concerns about health and safety, the Astoria School District will delay a return to school buildings.
The school district was notified about the three new virus cases at Astoria Middle School between Jan. 15 and Tuesday. Hoppes declined to say whether the people who are sick are staff or students. All three people are resting at home, he told The Astorian.
“The cases were confined to a specific area within the building, which has been closed and sanitized,” he wrote in a statement. “The district continues to monitor and adhere to the health and safety standards that have been created to protect our staff and students.”
Hoppes’ recommendation to delay a reopening of schools was rooted in concern about the high number of local cases and rate of infection, he said.
But with unease about students’ emotional and mental well-being as many continue their school work in isolation, administrators will also look at ways to expand limited in-person instruction and offer more opportunities for students to interact face to face.
Vaccinations will soon be available for school district staff and teachers — 30 employees who wanted the vaccine have already received it as of Thursday — but experts are predicting another spike in virus cases in mid-February, Hoppes told the school board Thursday. The school district wants to avoid reopening schools only to have to close the doors again.
Gov. Kate Brown has prioritized a return to in-person instruction. State caseload metrics that have guided how and when schools reopen are now advisory rather than mandatory, but school districts say they may risk losing coronavirus liability protections if they don’t continue to follow the metrics. They must also comply with other state guidelines if they open outside of the metrics, including a potentially difficult requirement to provide on-site testing for staff or students who show virus symptoms.
While the Astoria school board believes they have strong safety measures in place, other worries persist as local cases remain high.
“We are so close to being able to bring kids back to school without having to have as many concerns as we do at this time,” said Jimmy Pearson, the Astoria Library director, who serves on the school board.
Among the school district’s staff, half did not feel comfortable about reopening so soon while others remained uncertain about what they would do if schools reopened. Families surveyed by the district were split on whether students should return to in-person classes.
On Thursday, a high school freshman read a letter to the board urging them to reopen schools. She spoke of fellow classmates who may be suffering abuse at home or struggling with their mental health. She faces daily distractions while juggling responsibilities at home and overlapping online classes. She said she feels a level of sadness she has never experienced before.
AROUND the STATE of OREGON
Thieves Drive Truck into Junction City Gun Store and Steal Guns
A pick-up truck slammed through the front door of a Junction City gun store Saturday morning, causing thousands of dollars worth of damage.
Adam Bryce, the co-owner of GunRunner Arms, said the people in the truck also took several rifles. The Lane County Sheriff’s Office told Bryce they did recover one of the guns, but there are still some missing. Bryce said his store has multiple layers of securities features in the event of a break in.
“As soon as that hit the building all the alarms started going off,” Bryce said. “Everything from glass break detectors to motion censors all picked it up. Plus the fact that the front door was destroyed. It went off immediately and as soon as it did, I got a notification on my phone.”
Wood now covers the hole the truck made from the impact. Bryce said when his store is secure, he will be back open for business.
Cat Reunited with Family After Being Lost Near Diamond Lake for Months
In July, the McMillans, from the Phoenix, Arizona-area, took a trip to Oregon. “We decided to take the kids on an adventure,” Lizzy McMillan, the mom, said. Lexi, the family’s fluffy gray and white cat, joined the family on their trip. “She’s so shy, so she kind of got brought along for the ride,” McMillan said.
Once they got to Oregon, Lexi the cat got away at one of their stops near Diamond Lake. “I saw her, I told him, he put her in the back and somehow, five of us, none of us saw her make her grand escape,” McMillan said. The McMillans extended their trip one day to try looking for her, but, sadly, they had to head back home to Arizona without Lexi.
Four months later, an ODOT worker, Chris Southwick, found Lexi just a few miles from where the McMillans last saw her. “It was hiding on the engine of a piece of equipment, that had been used earlier in the day, to try and stay warm. I opened up the engine compartment and grabbed it,” Southwick said. “There were fires, when I found her, we’d been getting a pretty good snowstorm. Probably two or three feet at that time. I’m surprised she actually lived.”
After Lexi made herself at home in Southwick’s house in Glide, he decided to take her to a shelter. “I just kept thinking of my kids and how sad they would be if they lost an animal like that,” Southwick said.
He took her to Saving Grace Adoption Center in Roseburg, where they found her owners because she was microchipped. “This is why you chip your animal,” said Janice Quist, a volunteer at Saving Grace.
Quist said she was happy to deliver Lexi back to her family in Arizona. She just happened to have a trip planned to Surprise, Arizona anyway – just an hour away from the McMillans’ home.”No big deal. I was determined to do it for the family,” Quist said.
As all of these plans were being figured out, Lizzy and Andy McMillan kept this a secret from their kids. Needless to say, Maxine was happy to have Lexi back home. “I was like ‘oh my god, is this really her!?’ I got so excited that I started crying,” Maxine said through tears. Lizzy said Lexi is adjusting back to her life in Arizona just fine.
Oregon’s Samuel Mindra takes Bronze Medal at U.S. Figure Skating Championships
Oregon native and 17-year-old Samual Mindra has claimed the bronze medal at the U.S Figure Skating Championships in the Junior competition. According to FanZone U.S. Figure Skating , Mindra went from eight the third with a free skate that scored 121.12. That skate brought his total up to 181.49. That was also the first Mindra has ever scored above 180.
Mindra trained at the Bill Collier Ice Arena at Running Y because ice rinks all around the state are closed due to the coronavirus pandemic. Collier arena is open air. Mindra said it was pretty nice and Klamath Falls, there was some altitude and it helped me with my breathing.
He will continue to train wherever he can, and could return to the Klamath Basin again. Mindra also spoke of his drive to improve. “All the improvements that you make, it makes you want to keep going and make more improvements and get better as a skater. And so I guess that’s, what’s pushing me to get better.”
Those improvements have helped Mindra represent Oregon by claiming a medal at one of the most prestigious competitions in figure skating.
60 Dogs and Cats from Texas Flown to Oregon are Ready for Adoption
The Oregon Humane Society and the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals flew 60 cats and dogs Saturday from Texas to the Portland area, where organizers hope they’ll find adoptive homes.
The pets are part of the Oregon Humane Society’s Second Chance program, which transports animals from regions with low demand for adoptions to the Portland area and Southwest Washington, with the goal of adopting them out.
“We are fortunate to live in a community where adopters are ready to open their hearts and homes to pets in need,” says Sharon Harmon, Oregon Humane Society president and CEO, in a news release. “This effort demonstrates how animal welfare organizations work together every day to save lives.”
The public can start the adoption process for this batch of 60 starting Sunday between 6 p.m. to 7 p.m.
The Oregon Humane Society is closed to the public, except for by appointments. To view pets available for adoption or learn about how to make an appointment, visit www.oregonhumane.org/adopt.
2 Drivers Killed in Oregon Coast Crash
Two people were killed in a crash Saturday on U.S. 101 near Rockaway Beach, troopers said. Authorities responded about 1 p.m. to the crash, which closed the highway for several hours.
The Oregon State Police said two drivers — Robert Muzzy, 69, of Nehalem and Leeanna Sutton, 63, of Rockaway Beach — collided and suffered fatal injuries. They both died at the scene.
Muzzy, who was driving south in a Ford Clubwagon van, traveled into the northbound lane and collided with Sutton, who was driving a Nissan Rogue SUV, the state police said, citing an early investigation.
Woman’s Body has Been Recovered Beneath 15 feet of Debris after Landslide
The body of a woman whose car was overrun by a landslide in Oregon this month has been found by authorities.
Officials with the Multnomah County Sheriff’s office said they recovered Jennifer Moore’s remains on Saturday beneath a large pile of debris, more than a week after the landslide.
“It’s not the outcome everyone would have hoped for,” said Sgt. Steve Dangler in a statement. He added, “but at least at this point, it brings closure to the family and allows them to begin the grieving process.”
Moore had been driving in the city of Dodson when the landslide occurred on Jan. 13. The incident took place shortly after 1 a.m. that day, officials said.
Following the landslide, officials suspected Moore’s SUV to be under “15 feet of mud, rock and logs,” the sheriff’s office said in its announcement Saturday.
Deputies with the Multnomah County Sheriff’s office recovered Moore’s body Saturday. “To reach the location, road crews used heavy machinery, such as front loaders and dump trucks, to remove the debris from the edges of the debris field,” said the announcement from the sheriff’s office.
“This work had to be performed carefully, as the mud was wet and unstable.” Officials with the Corbett Fire District helped the Multnomah County deputies in their recovery of Moore’s body. Dodson is about 41 miles east of Portland.