The latest news stories across the state of Oregon from the digital home of the Oregon coastal cities, OregonBeachMagazine.com
Thursday, May 13, 2021
Oregon Beach Weather
Today– Partly sunny, with a high near 60. Breezy, with a north northwest wind 10 to 15 mph increasing to 16 to 21 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 34 mph.
Friday– Partly sunny, with a high near 58. Breezy, with a north northwest wind 9 to 18 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph.
Saturday– Mostly sunny, with a high near 60. Breezy, with a north wind 9 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 24 mph.
Sunday– Mostly sunny, with a high near 63.
Monday– Mostly cloudy, with a high near 61.
Oregon reports 616 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 2,558. The Oregon Health Authority reported 616 new confirmed and presumptive cases of COVID-19 bringing the state total to 193,014.
The new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases reported today are in the following counties: Baker (2), Benton (14), Clackamas (80), Clatsop (1), Columbia (7), Coos (9), Crook (11), Deschutes (63), Douglas (15), Gilliam (1), Grant (2), Hood River (2), Jackson (42), Jefferson (13), Josephine (6), Klamath (15), Lake (2), Lane (49), Lincoln (2), Linn (21), Malheur (6), Marion (53), Multnomah (105), Polk (11), Tillamook (2), Umatilla (20), Union (1), Washington (49), Wheeler (2) and Yamhill (10).
Oregon’s 2,553rd COVID-19 death is a 32-year-old man from Lane County who tested positive on April 24 and died on May 11 at Oregon Health & Science University Hospital. He had underlying conditions.
Vaccinations in Oregon
Today, OHA reported that 34,415 new doses of COVID-19 vaccinations were added to the state immunization registry. Of this total, 17,961 doses were administered on May 11 and 16,454 were administered on previous days but were entered into the vaccine registry on May 11.
The 7-day running average is now 34,869 doses per day.
Oregon has now administered a total of 1,850,101 first and second doses of Pfizer, 1,413,162 first and second doses of Moderna and 113,436 single doses of Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines
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, 2,211,885 doses of Pfizer, 1,798,980 doses of Moderna and 253,800 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.
COVID-19 hospitalizations
The number of hospitalized patients with COVID-19 across Oregon is 346, which is one more than yesterday. There are 88 COVID-19 patients in intensive care unit (ICU) beds, which is one fewer than yesterday.
The total number of COVID-19 positive patient bed-days in the most recent seven days is 2,316, which is a 2.5% increase from the previous seven days. The peak daily number of beds occupied by COVID-19 positive patients in the most recent seven days is 346.
The total number of patients in hospital beds may fluctuate between report times. The numbers do not reflect admissions per day, nor the length of hospital stay. Staffing limitations are not captured in this data and may further limit bed capacity. More information about hospital capacity can be found here.
COVID-19 weekly cases, hospitalizations decline
The Oregon Health Authority’s COVID-19 Weekly Report, released today, shows a second consecutive week of declining cases and hospitalizations.
OHA reported 4,896 new daily cases of COVID-19 during the week of Monday, May 3 through Sunday, May 9. That represents a 12% decline from the previous week and marks the second consecutive week of lower weekly cases.
New COVID-19 related hospitalizations also declined from 272 to 245.
There were 31 reported COVID-19 related deaths, nearly doubling the previous week’s total.
There were 111,121 tests for COVID-19 for the week of May 2 through May 8. The percentage of positive tests was 6.1%.
People 70 years of age and older have accounted for 39% of COVID-19 related hospitalizations and 75% of COVID-19 related deaths.
Today’s COVID-19 Weekly Outbreak Report shows 42 active COVID-19 outbreaks in senior living communities and congregate living settings, with three or more confirmed cases and one or more COVID-19 related deaths.
Oregon surpasses 2 million vaccinated
Oregon reached another milestone in the efforts to vaccinate Oregonians — more than 2 million people have received at least one dose of a safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine.
According to the latest data, 2,006,179 people in Oregon have received at least one shot. Overall, 1,509,537 Oregonians have completed their series.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Oregon vaccinators have now administered at least one shot to 49% of all Oregonians. Oregon ranks 21st in the nation in the percentage of the total population who have received at least one dose, exceeding the national average of 46%.
“Based on our current trends, Oregon is on track to meet our goal of vaccinating 70% of adults by mid- to late-June,” said OHA Director Patrick Allen. “Thanks to all of our partners for helping us stay ahead of a virus that is circulating in our communities.”
“We still have work to do but it’s encouraging to see so many local partners working to achieve parity in vaccination rates for communities of color. The more people who have access to vaccines and choose to get vaccinated, the sooner we can end this pandemic and go back to doing the things we enjoy.”
Oregon Health Authority to allow Pfizer vaccinations for 12 to 15-year-olds beginning today
The Western States Scientific Safety Review Workgroup said it completed its review of the federal process Wednesday night and unanimously concluded that the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is safe and effective for youth aged 12 to 15.
The Oregon Health Authority informed health care providers that vaccinations for 12- to 15-year olds can begin in Oregon Thursday.
On Monday, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration authorized the use of the vaccine in 12- to 15-year olds, and the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices affirmed that decision on Wednesday. The Workgroup reviewed and affirmed the federal decisions Wednesday evening.
Washington, Oregon, and Nevada joined California’s COVID-19 Scientific Safety Review Workgroup in October. The workgroup, made up of nationally-acclaimed scientists with expertise in immunization and public health, has concurrently and independently reviewed the FDA’s actions related to COVID-19 vaccines. It will continue to evaluate other COVID-19 vaccines as they go through the federal process.
LOCAL HEADLINES:
Clatsop County Focuses on Disaster Preparedness and Tsunami Wayfinding Project
Clatsop County has taken steps to protect residents and tourists from catastrophe with a Cascadia Subduction Zone earthquake and tsunami on the horizon in mind.
The county has completed the Tsunami Wayfinding Project, which inventoried evacuation signs and identified where additional signs were needed.
The county is also planning to relocate its public works facility out of the tsunami inundation zone — an initiative formerly known as the Resiliency Project, which had included establishing alternative evacuation routes around vulnerable parts of U.S. Highway 101 and U.S. Highway 30.
The alternative routes were put on the back burner, however, after backlash from residents in Lewis and Clark who live along a road that the county identified as an option.
In 2019, the county received a transportation and growth management grant through the state to develop a tsunami evacuation facility improvement plan. The plan will focus on tying walking and cycling trails into evacuation routes and identifying gaps.
Parametrix, a consulting group in Portland leading the project, presented the plan and solicited feedback from the public during a virtual open house last week.
“We’re talking about a very serious and substantial event that could occur tomorrow or 200 years from now,” Ryan Farncomb, a senior planner and project manager at Parametrix, said. “So it could be difficult to make the case to folks the need for improving evacuation facilities or thinking about this. And so by tying this work to recreational facilities — trails which people could use every single day — I think we’re really setting the county up for making improvements in the near term after this plan is done.”
Gail Henrikson, the county’s community development director, said the work ties in and can build off efforts the county’s emergency management staff has completed, like the wayfinding project and the natural hazards mitigation plan.
“We’re really focused on the coastal areas in unincorporated Clatsop County, but are also looking at the interconnections with the incorporated areas,” Henrikson said.
The project is looking at Arch Cape, Clatsop Plains, Fort Stevens State Park and the Miles Crossing and Jeffers Garden area.
“What we did in this initial exercise, is we looked at the existing evacuation system, existing assembly areas — which again are those places that people are supposed to head to during an emergency — and then also looked at a lot of environmental information, including things like where are there streams, rivers and wetlands,” Farncomb said. “And also, where are there landslides or bridges that are maybe over land of concern.
“We looked at all of this information at once to be able to understand what are the risks to existing evacuation routes, what are the opportunities and where are there trails already on the ground that could be used for evacuation.”
Farncomb said there is substantial landslide risk in many areas along the coast, as well as liquefaction risk, especially north of Gearhart.
“The area of greatest evacuation needs overall is that Clatsop Plains area north of Gearhart all the way to Fort Stevens State Park,” he said. “There are many neighborhoods there that lack east-west access to higher ground.”
Farncomb said there are a lot of north-south oriented waterways like lakes, streams and wetlands that make it difficult to create new connections. Meanwhile, a wide swath of the coast is expected to be inundated during a major earthquake and there are few places to reach higher ground.
Farncomb said improving trails in Fort Stevens State Park is also a priority because of the heavy visitor traffic during the summer. The project will also look at building a vertical structure people can climb to evade a tsunami.
The county expects to hold two more public meetings in the summer and fall before presenting the completed project plan to the Board of Commissioners early next year. An advisory committee for the project is made up of representatives from cities, fire districts, private and public landowners, and nonprofit agencies, including Consejo Hispano.
More INFO on Tsunami Wayfinding Project : https://www.oregon.gov/oem/Documents/Tsunami_Evacuation_Signage_and_Wayfinding_Guidance.pdf
State Board Reverses 2 More Jordan Cove Permits After Project Put on Pause
The state Land Use Board of Appeals on Tuesday issued two decisions reversing authorizations from the city of Coos Bay and Coos County to dredge portions of the Coos Bay estuary.
According to the decisions, the navigation channel dredging would have been necessary for deep-draft liquefied natural gas tankers to enter the estuary and access the proposed LNG terminal on the bay’s north spit.
Both the city and the county in late 2019 and early 2020 approved exceptions and changes to planning and zoning rules to allow for the dredging at four points along the bay’s navigation channel.
The dredging would have taken portions of the estuary, which is usually around 10 feet in depth, down to the channel’s 37 feet in depth, expanding the channel at corners along the route. Both the city and county agreed with project’s argument that the dredging would have improved the reliability and safety of the channel for the tankers.
But in parallel appeals filed by the Confederated Tribes of the Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw Indians, Citizens for Renewables and Oregon Shores Conservation Coalition, a three-member state appeals board disagreed with the city and county.
“We agree with petitioner and Oregon Shores and conclude that the city failed to demonstrate that there is a need for the (exception),” LUBA chair Michelle Gates Rudd wrote in the decision on the city appeal.
The board’s opinion was largely the same in the county appeal, saying in part the county improperly applied state law in allowing the dredging permit.
Both decisions by the state board provide another significant hurdle for Pembina, the Canadian company behind the proposed terminal and associated pipeline, to cross. Unlike previous LUBA rulings, the city and county findings were reversed, not remanded.
That means they don’t go back to the city and county for reconsideration, and the company’s only option for overturning the rulings is to go to court.
Representatives for Pembina did not return a request for comment about the decision or any plans to seek judicial review.
“It was so good to see that the high standards necessary to protect the integrity of the Coos Estuary were upheld and maintained by the LUBA,” wrote Jody McCaffree, executive director of Citizens of Renewables, in a press release Wednesday. “Our fishing, crabbing, clamming and oyster industries can now breathe a sigh of relief that critical habitat areas necessary for their vitality will not be destroyed for the speculative and unnecessary Jordan Cove LNG project.”
The rulings come after the company announced a pause in the development of the project in April and the removal of the company’s project-specific website.
Highway 101 Reopens After Truck Fire in Coos Bay
A vehicle caught fire on Highway 101 Wednesdar afternoon. Tessa Cupp, communications supervisor with the Coos Bay Police Department, said multiple 9-1-1 reports came in Wednesday afternoon of a black Dodge pickup on fire.
“Units arrived on scene to find (the truck) towing a trailer, fully engulfed,” Cupp said.
The vehicle was on Highway 101 at Basset-Hyland, Cupp said. It was pulled over between north-bound and south-bound lanes. “There was no report of an accident,” Cupp said. “The cause of the fire is unknown.”
At least three law enforcement units and two fire engines were on scene as of 3 p.m. – The fire was controlled and all lanes of Hwy 101 now reopened.
AROUND the STATE of OREGON
Oregon Lawmakers’ School Funding Bill
Gov. Kate Brown this week issued a blistering rebuke to lawmakers’ plans to fund K-12 education for the next two years, suggesting a portion of the budget could be illegal and that a plan to increase spending could shortchange students who have been historically left behind.
“The budget you have crafted does not make additional investments to address the historic disparities inherent in our school system that have disadvantaged generations of Black, Indigenous, Latino, Latina, Latinx, Asian, Pacific Islander, Tribal, and students of color…” Brown wrote in a letter sent to fellow Democrats, House Speaker Tina Kotek, Senate President Peter Courtney and top legislative budget writers. “Let me be clear: I will not sign a budget that leaves students from communities of color behind.”
The target of Brown’s ire is $9.3 billion lawmakers are planning to deposit into the State School Fund for the 2021-23 budget. The fund is the largest single appropriation in the state’s budget and pays for K-12 schooling throughout Oregon.
The $9.3 billion spending plan is a little more than $300 million over what state budget staff say would be necessary to fund schools at the current level of service. And it’s around $200 million more than Brown and top budget writers initially proposed spending in their respective initial budget proposals.
But Brown has a big problem with where legislators want to get that additional $200 million. Lawmakers would pluck those dollars from a reserve fund known as the Education Stability Fund, or ESF, which is meant to rescue schools when economic downturns risk cuts to education.
The Education Stability Fund is accessible to lawmakers only when certain conditions are met. Among those conditions: expected revenues being at least 2% less than than initial projections, or the governor declaring a funding emergency for public schools. Brown says neither of those has occurred.
“The Legislature is considering a potentially unconstitutional use of Education Stability Funds in the K-12 school budget which, if it were to become law, would cause unnecessary confusion and disruption for our school districts and students after a year of uncertainty during the pandemic,” Brown wrote.
Lawmakers say there’s no issue. The Legislature dipped into the Education Stability Fund last year as the state braced for an enormous hit to revenues brought on by COVID-19. The revenue picture has improved significantly since then — to the point that Oregon is now expected to take in more during the current two-year budget period than the state projected prior to the pandemic, and also has billions in federal aid to spend.
But the Legislature says that doesn’t matter. A written opinion that Kotek obtained from legislative lawyers on May 10 suggested that, since conditions were met once during the current budget biennium to tap the Education Stability Fund, it remains fair game.
Brown, meanwhile, characterized the move as “raiding one-time funds from our state’s savings accounts to cover ongoing and increasing operating expenses,” a move she said would “necessitate pink slips for teachers and programs and service cuts for our students when the one-time funds you spend today disappear in the next biennium.”
Those words offered a strong hint that Brown could veto the proposal, Senate Bill 226, which passed out of a subcommittee on May 12 and is scheduled for a vote in the budget committee on May 14.
While Brown and lawmakers spar over how to spend $200 million, schools officials around the state have argued that even $9.3 billion isn’t enough. They’ve instead pressed lawmakers to put $9.6 billion toward K-12 education for the next two years.
“To help our students regain their footing, both academically and emotionally, we need to be able to reengage, to support their needs, to rebuild our learning communities,” John Larson, president of the Oregon Education Association, wrote in testimony submitted in March. “Our students need your investment in them now more than ever.”
House Republicans on May 12 signaled their support for stepped-up education funding, too. State Rep. Werner Reschke, R-Klamath Falls, attempted to introduce an amendment in committee to put $9.6 billion into the State School Fund. It went nowhere.
Pursuit of Kidnapping Suspect Leads to Police Shootout Near Silverton
A Marion County Sheriff’s Office deputy and two Silverton police officers opened fire Wednesday during a pursuit of a possible kidnapping suspect, Oregon State Police said.
OSP said someone inside a white Ford F-150 fired shots at police in Silverton during the chase.
OSP said the original call for the incident happened in Gervais. Detectives were seen collecting evidence in one neighborhood.
The driver of the pickup eventually stopped on Highway 214 near Forest Ridge Road NE and police said there was an exchange of gunfire.
The driver, a male, was detain by police. A female passenger was flown to a hospital with life-threatening injuries. Police did not say how she was injured.
OSP said several police vehicles were hit by gunfire. No law enforcement officers were injured. The three law enforcement officers who fired their guns will be placed on leave, which is standard procedure. OSP is leading the investigation.
State and Wireless Firm Reach Settlement in Oregon Lifeline Overcharging Case
Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum and the state Public Utility Commission announced Wednesday a $1.6 million False Claims Act settlement with a Sprint (now T-Mobile) subsidiary called Assurance Wireless, for overcharging the Oregon Lifeline program.
This program, managed by the PUC, provides discounted voice and broadband service to qualifying low-income Oregonians, paid for with federal and state subsidies.
In 2019, PUC staff launched an investigation of Sprint’s billing practices and discovered it had been systematically overcharging the Oregon Lifeline program for ineligible usage.
PUC’s discovery eventually led to a nationwide investigation where the FCC recovered approximately $368 million for the federal Lifeline subsidy and issued a $200 million penalty.
After securing an Oregon refund of $788,061 in December 2020, the PUC assisted Oregon DOJ’s civil enforcement team in securing an additional settlement payment of $859,451 under the Oregon False Claims Act, for a grand total of $1,647,512 returned back to the state.
“Sprint significantly overcharged Oregon’s program—as it did elsewhere across the country,” Rosenblum said. “Luckily, we caught on and made them pay. Especially when it comes to services for people with low incomes, big companies like Sprint have a duty to act responsibly. I want to thank everyone at Oregon’s Department of Justice and the PUC who worked on this settlement. Together we are sending a strong signal: We will not tolerate waste and abuse of critical state subsidies.”
“Oregon Lifeline provides an invaluable service to low-income Oregonians by helping them stay connected and have access to local emergency services, jobs, healthcare, education, and other vital resources,” said PUC Chair Megan Decker. “The efforts of our team helped ensure the integrity of the Lifeline program not only for customers in Oregon, but across the country as well. Without these efforts, this issue may have gone undetected indefinitely.”
For additional information about the Oregon Lifeline program, visit https://www.lifeline.oregon.gov.
Gov. Brown Decides Against Closing Minimum Security Prison in Lake County
Gov. Kate Brown told the Lake County Prison Committee this week that the Warner Creek Correctional Facility will stay open through the rest of her term. She told Lake County commissioners that she would leave the decision to the next governor. Brown also thanked them for the “thoughtful presentation” they gave in April advocating for the facility to remain open.
More than 100 Lake County residents work at the prison. Closing it would have displaced hundreds of residents.
Brown in January said she was using her executive authority to close three Oregon prisons including Warner Creek, a decision her office said would save the state more than $44 million. Her office said Brown would like to reduce the state’s reliance on incarceration and invest more dollars in the program areas that work to prevent people from entering the criminal justice system.
Mill Creek Correctional Facility in Salem is scheduled to be closed this summer, and Shutter Creek Correctional Institution in North Bend is to close by January 2022.
State Rep. E. Werner Reschke in a statement thanked Brown for keeping Warner Creek open, saying it will be “a relief for the people who rely on these family-wage jobs with good healthcare.”
Bill Would Increase Shipments that Oregon Wineries can Ship to Mail Order Customers
Right now, a winery can send up to two cases of wine per month to a mail-order customer. This measure would increase that to five cases per month. Oregon wineries could send more wine through the mail under a bill headed to Gov. Kate Brown.
Supporters said Senate Bill 406 would benefit Oregon’s wine industry, which has seen a slowdown in sales during the pandemic.
With COVID-19 restrictions easing, more people are scheduling events such as wedding receptions and festivals, and raising the limit on the number of cases per customer could drive additional sales for the state’s wineries.
Opponents said the increase would enable people with alcohol addictions to more easily buy large quantities.
But Rep. Marty Wilde, D-Eugene, said people struggling with addiction have many other options. “The major factor in problem drinking is not access to alcohol,” he said. “Access, for better or worse in Oregon, is already fairly easy. There are no limits if you go down to the store, and there are no limits (if you go to the) distributor. There are just limits by mail.”
That prompted a rebuttal from Wilde’s fellow Democrat, Rep. Tawna Sanchez of Portland.
“When somebody is willing to drink at home, alone, because they don’t want people to judge them, or make assumptions about them, they will buy online and in whatever quantity they can get,” she said.
The measure passed the Oregon House 39-13 Wednesday and is now on its way to the governor’s desk.