Oregon Beach News, Thursday 4/15 – OHA Seeks Input On Which Oregon Beaches To Monitor In 2021, Covid-19 Cases Force Clatsop Community College in Astoria To Close

The latest news stories across the state of Oregon from the digital home of the Oregon coastal cities, OregonBeachMagazine.com

Thursday, April 15, 2021

Oregon Beach Weather

Today- Sunny, with a high near 64. Light and variable wind becoming north northwest 6 to 11 mph in the afternoon.

Friday- Sunny, with a high near 74. Northeast wind 5 to 10 mph.

Saturday- Sunny, with a high near 66. Light and variable wind becoming east 5 to 8 mph.

Sunday- Sunny, with a high near 62.

Monday- Patchy fog before 7am. Otherwise, partly sunny, with a high near 61.

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Oregon reports 816 new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases, 3 new deaths

There are three new COVID-19 related deaths in Oregon, raising the state’s death toll to 2,449. The Oregon Health Authority reported 816 new confirmed and presumptive cases of COVID-19 bringing the state total to 172,206.

The new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases reported today are in the following counties: Baker (14), Benton (25), Clackamas (97), Clatsop (2), Columbia (13), Coos (4), Crook (2), Curry (3), Deschutes (84), Douglas (8), Grant (32), Harney (1), Hood River (8), Jackson (50), Jefferson (3), Josephine (19), Klamath (27), Lane (49), Lincoln (6), Linn (23), Malheur (2), Marion (83), Morrow (1), Multnomah (126), Polk (18), Sherman (1), Tillamook (1), Umatilla (9), Union (2), Wasco (8), Washington (86) and Yamhill (9).

Vaccinations in Oregon

Today, OHA reported that 39,326 new doses of COVID-19 vaccinations were added to the state immunization registry. Of this total, 24,097 doses were administered on April 13 and 15,229 were administered on previous days but were entered into the vaccine registry on April 13.

The 7-day running average is now 38,392 doses per day.

Oregon has now administered a total of 1,215,804 doses of Pfizer, 1,052,206 doses of Moderna and 86,624 doses of Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines. As of today, 945, 453 people have completed a COVID-19 vaccine series. There are 1,492,658 who have had at least one dose.

Cumulative daily totals can take several days to finalize because providers have 72 hours to report doses administered and technical challenges have caused many providers to lag in their reporting. OHA has been providing technical support to vaccination sites to improve the timeliness of their data entry into the state’s ALERT Immunization Information System (IIS).

To date,1,499,355 doses of Pfizer,1,289,900 doses of Moderna and 215,500 doses of Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines have been delivered to sites across Oregon.

These data are preliminary and subject to change.

OHA’s dashboards provide regularly updated vaccination data, and Oregon’s dashboard has been updated today.

LOCAL HEADLINES:

OHA Seeks Input On Which Oregon Beaches To Monitor In 2021

OHA invites public comment on proposed beach locations through April 26

PORTLAND, Ore.—Oregon Health Authority’s Beach Monitoring Program invites public comment on a list of beaches it is proposing to monitor this summer.

The OHA Oregon Beach Monitoring Program (OBMP) works with the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) to pick beaches that need monitoring based on established criteria.

These criteria include pollution hazards present; previous beach monitoring data that identify water quality concerns; type and amount of beach use; and public input.

As part of a flexible sampling plan, beaches and sampling locations are routinely re-evaluated to ensure available resources best protect public health. Based on OBMP’s evaluation criteria, the following list contains the proposed beaches for 2021 monitoring season; a copy of DEQ’s beach evaluation is available upon request:

The proposed list includes some of the most frequently visited beaches in Oregon, beaches where the program has found bacteria present, or beaches for which local partners and the public have requested monitoring due to potential pollution concerns.

OHA and DEQ use available resources to monitor as many beaches as possible. However, with more than 360 miles of coastline, more than 90 beaches and just one full-time sampling technician, not all beaches can be monitored.  

OBMP will accept public comments and suggestions on the proposed 2021 beaches through April 26, 2021. Contact OBMP by email at each.Health@state.or.us“>Beach.Health@state.or.us or call 971-673-0400 to submit input.

Covid-19 Cases Force Clatsop Community College in Astoria To Close

Clatsop Community College’s Astoria campus has been shut down and students moved to remote learning after another case of the coronavirus was detected.

Clatsop Community College - Community | Facebook

The college said it’s “erring on the side of caution” with the shift back to remote learning, which is effective immediately. Students will be in distance learning at least through Tuesday, April 20, “to deter any spread of COVID-19 on campus,” according to the school’s Facebook post.

Students and staff were notified by email Tuesday evening of the schedule change. CCC said this comes after a new case of the coronavirus was detected among the school’s population.

“This most recent case seems to be separate from the previous,” said CCC in the email.

There are currently two positive cases at the school and three more people who have symptoms and are awaiting test results. Contact tracing is underway, according to CCC.

In the temporary shift back to remote learning, access to campus will be reserved for essential personnel and the buildings will be locked.

The college said it will evaluate the campus’s COVID-19 risk level next week and determine if activities can resume on-campus.

AROUND the STATE of OREGON

The Number Of Small Wildfires Has Tripled This Spring Partly Because Of Dry Conditions Across Oregon

The Oregon Department of Forestry said Tuesday the number of small wildfires has tripled this spring partly because of dry conditions across Oregon. The agency said Tuesday they’ve already doused 70 fires, almost half of which resulted from escaped backyard debris burn piles, the Statesman Journal reported. In a normal season, usually 24 fires occur by April 13. In response, the City of Salem issued a ban on all open burning within the city, including recreational fires.

The Dallas Fire Department was called to a grass fire Tuesday threatening homes in an area where a resident had been burning over a couple days, Dallas Fire Department officials said. With the high winds and dry conditions, the fire grew beyond the control of the property owner, officials said. No homes were burned and no one was injured, fire
officials said.

Fires broke out around Southern Oregon and other parts of the state. Authorities are asking people to respect burn bans that are now in effect. Check our article for more details on how you can help prevent wildfires:

Virus Deadly To Rabbits Found In Multiple Areas Of Oregon

Environmental experts are concerned about Oregon’s wild rabbit population after multiple cases of a virus that is deadly to the animals were confirmed in different parts of the state.

The latest case of the rabbit hemorrhagic disease, which was confirmed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture on Wednesday, was in La Pine. Last month, the disease was detected nearly 200 miles away in Milwaukie, a suburb of Portland, in eight dead domestic and feral rabbits.

Following last month’s discovery, Dr. Ryan Scholz, Oregon’s state veterinarian, said the virus has taken hold in the feral rabbit population. The disease, also referred to as RHD, causes sudden death and is highly contagious
among the animals, spreading through contact with infected rabbits, meat, fur, or other materials. Birds, rodents, flies, predators, and scavengers can also spread this virus, as well as people by carrying it on their clothing, hands, and shoes.

Former Weyerhaeuser Employee Sentenced to Federal Prison 

Susan Tranberg of Eugene, Oregon, was sentenced to federal prison today for defrauding her former employer, the Weyerhaeuser Company, out of more than $4.5 million, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Scott Erik Asphaug. Tranberg was sentenced to 57 months in federal prison and three years’ supervised release.

According to court documents, beginning as early as June 2004 and continuing to January 2019, Tranberg defrauded Weyerhaeuser out of more than $4.5 million by submitting fraudulent invoices for payment to a fake vendor she created. Tranberg had worked for Weyerhaeuser in Springfield, Oregon in various positions for more than 40 years.

A financial analysis determined that the vast majority of the money was used to fund a lavish lifestyle of expensive dinners, vacations, six-figure wedding expenses, and shopping sprees. At some point in or before June 2004, Tranberg created a fake timber contract between the company and a vendor she named after her mother, who was unaware of the scheme.

Over the next 10 years, Tranberg would use her positions in the company’s accounting and finance departments to request cashier’s checks, which she then cashed into her own bank account. During this time period, Tranberg requested and received more than $2.6 million.

South Fork Forest Camp Walk Away Back in Custody

An Oregon Department of Corrections (DOC) adult in custody who walked away from a South Fork Forest Camp (SFFC) work crew is back in custody. Jedaiah Lunn walked away from a work crew near Gales Creek Campground at approximately 2:30 p.m., Wednesday, April 14, 2021.

Oregon State Police and Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office arrested Lunn on Sauvie Island at approximately 10:37 p.m., Wednesday, April 14, 2021.

An adult in custody walked away Wednesday, April 14, 2021, from South Fork Forest Camp (SFFC) in Tillamook. Jedaiah Lunn walked away from a work crew near Gales Creek Campground at approximately 2:30 p.m.

Around the same time in the same area, a carjacking occurred. Two victims were assaulted and their blue 2015 Subaru Legacy four-door sedan with license plate 799HSW was stolen. SFFC is minimum-security work camp that houses approximately 200 adults in custody who are within four years of release.

Part of SFFC’s mission is to supply a ready work force to combat forest or wild fires throughout the state. Crews provide critical support for statewide fire operations, recreation, and reforestation; as well as provide support for special projects such as sign making, metal fabrication, and tool or equipment repair. SFFC was established in 1951 and is a satellite facility to CRCI and managed jointly with the Oregon Department of Forestry. It is located approximately 28 miles east of Tillamook, just off of Highway 6 along the Wilson River in the Tillamook Forest. Oregon Dept. of Corrections –

Water Rations Effect Farmers Amid Drought

Hundreds of farmers who rely on a massive irrigation project that spans the Oregon-California border learned yesterday they will get a tiny fraction of the water they need amid the worst drought in decades, as federal regulators attempt to balance the needs of agriculture against federally threatened and endangered fish species that are central to the heritage of several tribes.

Oregon’s governor said the prolonged drought in the region has the “full attention of our offices,” and she is working with congressional
delegates, the White House and federal agencies to find relief for those affected.

The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation briefed irrigators, tribes and environmental groups early Wednesday after delaying the decision a month. The federally owned irrigation project will draw 33,000 acre-feet of water from Upper Klamath Lake, which farmers said was roughly 8% of what they need in such a dry year. Water deliveries will also start June 1,
two months later than usual, for the 1,400 irrigators who farm the 225,000 acres.

Gov. Kate Brown, a Democrat, said in a statement that Oregon water regulators are reviewing a plan to allow irrigators to pump more than twice as much groundwater per acre for their crops as allowed last year when drought reduced water supplies to a lesser extent. U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden say they are working with
Congressman Cliff Bentz to get aid for the Klamath Basin as it faces a particularly dry year.

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