The latest news stories across the state of Oregon from the digital home of the Oregon coastal cities, OregonBeachMagazine.com
Wednesday, August 11, 2021
Oregon Beach Weather
Today– Widespread haze between 2pm and 4pm. Sunny, with a high near 71. Light north wind becoming north northwest 5 to 10 mph in the afternoon.
Thursday– Widespread haze. Partly sunny, with a high near 70. Calm wind becoming west northwest 5 to 7 mph in the afternoon.
Friday– Partly sunny, with a high near 69. Calm wind becoming west around 6 mph in the afternoon.
Saturday– Mostly cloudy, with a high near 68.
Sunday– Mostly cloudy, with a high near 68.
Tillamook County Fair Kicks Off Today
In 1921, a county-wide levy of $1 million was approved to acquire and build the present fairgrounds. In 1925, the County Fair was held in the new domed exhibit building and in 1926-27, the Grandstand, Barns and Dance Hall were added to the fairgrounds. And the 2021 Tillamook County Fair kicks off today!
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The Tillamook County Fair will be held August 11th-14th, 2021.
The Tillamook County Fair rightly received its recognition as one of the top ten Blue Ribbon fairs in the nation because of its uniqueness, offering so much for fair-goers to enjoy free with their paid admission. Fair-goers can enjoy all of the Open Class and 4-H/FFA exhibits that Tillamook County residents have prepared this year, free entertainment and concerts, live exotic animal displays, and more!
Check out Find Your Fair Fun page for a comprehensive list of what our Fair offers.
Fair admission tickets and Parking Passes will be available online and at the Fair entrance gates. CLICK HERE to purchase admission tickets or parking passes online
Daily Admission:Adult – Ages 12 & Up: $10.00Child- Ages 6-11: $6.00
Season Passes:Good for One Entry Per Day (hand stamp required for re-entry)Adult Season Pass: $30.00
Promotions:Canned Food Drive (Wednesday 10:00 am – 1:00 pm) kids age 15 and under get in for free with 2 cans of food for the Food Bank.Senior Day (good Thursday Only): $6.00**age 62 and older
Online Purchase: Tickets purchased online may be made with debit/credit card, and are subject to service and handling fees.
CLICK HERE to purchase admission tickets or parking passes online
Onsite Gate Purchase: Tickets purchased at the entrance gate may be made with cash, check, or debit/credit card. Purchases made with debit or credit cards are subject to service and handling fees.
Unlimited Ride Wristbands early discount pricing: https://secure.interactiveticketing.com/1.30/90c069/
- Unlimited Ride Wristbands are for one day use only.
- Wristband purchase does not include Fair admission.
- Ride Wristbands will only be available for purchase online this year. You will need to print out or show your receipt on your mobile device to exchange for a Wristband at the Carnival ticket booth during Fair. As a reminder, several Tillamook County Library branches offer public computer and printer usage. Online purchases subject to service and handling fees.
- Ride Wristbands are $40 onsite during the Fair.
- The Carnival is open noon-close each day of Fair.
- No exchanges or refunds.
Gold Beach Municipal Airport Receives Federal Grant
Oregon U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley announced that Gold Beach Municipal Airport and La Grande/Union County Airport will receive a combined $54,000 in federal grants for operations, sanitation and personnel.
Gold Beach Municipal Airport will receive $22,000 and La Grande/Union County Airport will receive $32,000 from the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 that Wyden and Merkley supported.
These grants for the two rural airports provide economic relief funds for costs related to operations, personnel, cleaning, sanitization, janitorial services, debt service payments and combating the spread of pathogens at the airports.
“Rural airports serve as critical connectors for every nook and cranny of Oregon and provide crucial support for wildfire suppression via aircraft,” Wyden said. “I’m gratified that Gold Beach and La Grande have secured these federal dollars and will continue working to ensure the airports builds on their role as essential infrastructure assets for the South Coast and Eastern Oregon.”
“Now is the time for us to invest in building the foundation our communities need for strong, prosperous futures,” Merkley said. “Rural airports—which help businesses ship their products, firefighters battle blazes and Oregonians connect with loved ones—have a crucial role to play in forming that foundation. I’m pleased that this funding is headed to Gold Beach and La Grande, and will do all that I can to bring similar investments to more communities throughout our state.”
“We feel fortunate to receive these funds and are excited to put them to good use,” Andy Wright, port manager at the Port of Gold Beach, said. “Our tourism based local economy took a big hit last year and this will go a long way to aid the recovery.”
Coos County Has 72 New Virus Cases In 24 Hours
Coos Health and Wellness reported 72 new active COVID-19 cases there over 24 hours as hospitalization increased to 11. The health department on Monday issued an emergency public health advisory about the spike in new cases, calling on businesses and individuals to voluntarily resume masking, distancing and limiting capacity in public space.
Among the recommendations, it strongly encourages implementing masks and distancing in businesses, limiting capacity at restaurants to 50% and postponing large indoor events.
Governor Kate Brown on Tuesday issued a state of emergency declaration stretching from August 10 through 20 as much of the region braces for a return of triple-digit temperatures.
A similar heatwave in late June resulted in the deaths of 116 people. With the emergency declaration, state agencies are activated to help local and Tribal governments in providing for the health and safety of their residents — not just for the direct impacts of heat, but for potential hits to critical infrastructure like utility outages and transportation disruptions.
Brown’s office said that she has directed the Office of Emergency Management (OEM) to activate the state’s Emergency Coordination Center to coordinate “essential protective measures,” and requested that state agencies
provide any assistance requested by OEM to support the response.
Here in Southern Oregon, cities are working to open cooling shelters once more so that people without anywhere else to go can get a break from the heat. Shelters in Medford and Talent will be open at least into the weekend, but Josephine County is still looking for help from community organizations to open a similar shelter.
Smoke and Haze Around Oregon from Wildfires
Several wildfires across Oregon and California, including locally, are contributing to periods of thick smoke and haze. The wildfire smoke will continue to impact parts of the region this week and could become more widespread again next week. Air quality could be very bad at times in the days ahead.
The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality issued an air quality advisory on Tuesday for southern Oregon and eastern Lane and Linn counties due to unhealthy levels of smoke from fires in the Oregon Cascades and Northern California.
Other areas of the state may see intermittent smoke and haze, but likely will not experience prolonged periods of unhealthy smoke. For Southern Oregon, the advisory covers Curry, Josephine, Jackson, Klamath, Lake, and
eastern Douglas counties. Unhealthy levels of smoke are expected to remain for the next several days, and DEQ said that the advisory could last until at least Friday afternoon.
Wildfire Smoke Training Requirements for Employers
Employers now have a free and flexible resource to help them comply with rules aimed at protecting workers from wildfire smoke, thanks to an interactive online training course developed by Oregon OSHA. The course – Wildfire Smoke Training Requirements – is designed to help employers meet certain training requirements found in Oregon OSHA’s emergency temporary rule, which addresses wildfire smoke in The temporary rule addressing wildfire smoke took effect Aug. 9 and will remain in effect for 180 days.
The rule requires employers to comply with employee training provisions by Aug. 16. They must do so for employees who may be exposed to wildfire smoke where the ambient air concentration for fine particulate matter (also known as PM2.5) is at or above an Air Quality Index (AQI) 101, which is unhealthy for sensitive groups.
Moreover, employers must ensure workers who may be exposed to AQI 101 have been trained in a manner and language they understand. The training requirement applies unless the employer predetermines that operations involving wildfire smoke exposure will be suspended before employees are exposed to an AQI 101.
Looking for an interactive map of the fires? The National Wildfire Coordinating Group (NWCG) offers an interactive map that allows users to track the progression of the fires using satellite heat detection. To explore it for yourself visit https://go.usa.gov/xFP6n
Bootleg, Walrus, Yainax Fires – All evacuation notices related to the Bootleg and Walrus fires were lifted Monday, as firefighters continued mop up and containment work on the fires. For nearly two weeks, the size of the Bootleg Fire has remained unchanged at over 413,000 acres.
Over the weekend, firefighters reached 96 percent containment. Grid and mop up work continues in the northeast area of the fire near Silver Creek, a press release stated. Containment on both of the smaller burns on Bly Mountain — Walrus and Yainax — crept up over the weekend as well. The 75-acre Walrus Fire is 65 percent contained,
while the 84-acre Yainax Fire is 50 percent contained. The last evacuation notice for the Yainax Fire was lifted Saturday evening.
Crews are “well into the mop-up phase” on both of those fires. Firefighters have constructed containment lines and laid hose around both fires. The Oregon National Guard on the Bootleg left the fire yesterday. Additionally, firefighters are removing pumps, hose and other suppression supplies no longer needed on the fire.
Skyline Ridge Complex– 5 mi E of Canyonville, OR. Start 8/1. The complex includes 18 fires.
The Oregon Office of the State Fire Marshal has sent structural firefighters and equipment to protect residences and other buildings near the Poole Creek Fire if needed. The 27 firefighters from Polk and Yamhill counties arrived this evening with eight fire engines, two water tenders and two command vehicles. Tomorrow they’ll begin assessing structures along Ferguson Lane and Moore Ranch Road. If needed, they will improve defensible space around homes and outbuildings.
The Poole Creek Fire remains firefighters’ top priority. Crews are working to complete and strengthen control lines on the fire’s east and west flanks. A mobile retardant base placed on the south bank of the South Umpqua River is making it more convenient for helicopters to drop retardant along control lines to cool hot spots. Helicopters are also dropping retardant on unburned vegetation to reduce the risk of any fires crossing the control lines.
On the south and southwest side of the Poole Creek Fire, firefighters have mopped up about 200 feet from the perimeter of the fire. This part of the fire is unlikely to spread beyond those well-established control lines. Overall containment stands at 23% on fires in the Complex.
ODF’s Partenavia aircraft, which is equipped with night-vision and infrared heat cameras, will fly over the Poole Creek Fire tonight looking for heat. This helps firefighters identify and extinguish any remaining heat and find new spot fires beyond control lines. New spots can be difficult to find beneath heavy vegetation on steep slopes.
Wednesday will see higher temperatures into the upper 90s and lower humidity over the fire, with a Red Flag Warning for dry and unstable air.
A Level 1 “Be Ready” evacuation advisory is in effect for residences in the area north of the Poole Creek Fire. For the latest evacuation information go to www.dcso.com/evacuations
*Ike Butte. OR-732S-000212. IMT1, ODF Team 1 (Hessel). 5 mi E of Canyonville, OR. Start 8/2. Cause: Lightning. 120 acres. 20% containment. Active fire behavior. Timber. This incident is being managed within the Skyline Ridge Complex.
*Oshae Cr. OR-ROD-000488. IMT1, ODF Team 1 (Hessel). 5 mi E of Canyonville, OR. Start 8/6. Cause: Lightning. 198 acres. 20% containment. Active fire behavior. Timber. This incident is being managed within the Skyline Ridge Complex.
*Poole Cr. OR-ROD-000469. IMT1, ODF Team 1 (Hessel). 5 mi E of Canyonville, OR. Start 8/6. Cause: Lightning. 1,943 acres. 20% containment. Active fire behavior. Timber. Structures threatened. Evacuation notices. This incident is being managed within the Skyline Ridge Complex.
Devils Knob Complex. 30 mi SE of Roseburg, OR. Start 8/3. Cause: Unknown. 3,944 acres (+940). 5% containment. The complex includes 38 fires. Fire Weather Watch was issued and a Red Flag Warning will be issued for Wednesday. An Excessive Heat Warning has been posted starting today through Saturday for all of southwest Oregon
The Devil’s Knob Complex is a grouping of 40 plus lightning caused fires with the majority burning on the Tiller Ranger District, Umpqua National Forest with a number of fires burning on private lands protected by Douglas Forest Protective Association. The fires were started from thunderstorms on July 29th and August 1st.
The Devil’s Knob Complex is situated between the Rough Patch Complex and Jack Fire to the north, which is being managed by Northwest Incident Management Team 13 and the Skyline Ridge Complex to the southwest, which is being managed by Oregon Department of Forestry Team 1. The Devil’s Knob Complex is managed by Northwest Incident Management Team 8 from an incident command post at the Milo Academy near Tiller, Oregon.
Jack Fire and Rough Patch Complex–
New area closures are in place for the protection of the public and to provide firefighters with unrestricted access to the many fires scattered across the Rough Patch Complex and Jack Fire.
“Our big success today on the Rough Patch Complex was catching a spot in the Steamboat drainage,” Northwest 13 Operations Section Chief John Spencer reported Monday evening.
Spot fires are ignitions outside a fire’s perimeter caused by flying sparks or embers. This fire, which started late Sunday night, had spread to about 50 acres by the time crews, engines and heavy equipment working both flanks in very steep, rugged ground, were able to stop its forward progression.
Fire managers are working to minimize the impact of wildfires within the drainage, which encompasses the 100,000-acre Frank and Jeanne Moore Wild Steelhead Sanctuary. One component of these efforts includes leaving some large diameter trees in cold water streams to provide spawning habitat for salmonids.
Black Butte- 25 mi S of Unity, OR. Start 8/3. Cause: Lightning.
On the northeast end of the Black Butte fire, crews were able to burn vegetation near completed handline to dozer line. They will continue to hold the line today, burning between fire lines and fire’s edge to secure the fire edge. On the eastern edge, hand crews and engines will hold and secure lines to keep fire from Bear Creek. The fire did cross the creek near Vale Dip, but aircraft were able to provide support for on the ground firefighters to contain the spot. Crews will scout and establish new lines to minimize fire spread and scout for primary and secondary lines to tie fire’s edge into North Fork Malheur River.
Protecting private lands and structures at Flag Prairie is a priority and firing operations will continue along 1675 and 284 roads. On the eastern edge of the fire, crews will scout primary and alternative lines to North Fork Malheur River.
On the southern edge of the fire, east of the River, firefighters will hold and secure the fire edge and spot fires in the east-west drainage. To the west, crews will prep containment lines and burn out vegetation as needed. Firefighters will scout and construct line on the northwest edge where fire went across the 1812 road.
Glacier Fire: The Glacier fire is currently 75 acres and burning in the footprint of the 2019 Cow Fire. Firefighters continue to monitor the fire for activity. Steep terrain and hazard trees are safety concerns for suppression activities.
Middle Fork Complex and Knoll Fire–
Fire personnel are continually assessing and shifting available resources to where they are most needed to protect communities and provide for public and firefighter safety.
Firefighters are securing containment line around the Kwis Fire and evaluating for strategic burning operations as well as preparing fire lines to the south and west. Night operations for the Kwis Fire are ongoing and four task forces with the Oregon State Fire Marshall Red Team will arrive today to support wildland fire suppression.
Yesterday firefighters used strategic firing to remove unburned fuels from areas between the containment line and active fire. They are working to limit fire spread by utilizing a combination of constructed line, existing roads, and natural features. Today they will continue strategic firing operations as conditions allow. There are numerous hazards that pose a danger to public safety in the vicinity of this fire. Active fire and fire weakened trees make conditions unsafe for McKenzie River travel and hiking. It’s advised to use alternate recreation areas.
On the Gales and Ninemile Fires, crews and heavy equipment are using existing road systems to establish containment lines. Firefighters are burning out to consume vegetation between the line and the active fire. This increases the depth of containment lines to reduce potential for spread of fires towards communities.
Progressively warmer and drier conditions will prevail until at least Sunday, resulting in increased fire activity, especially as the smoke inversion lifts. It has been 55 days since there has been a wetting rain in the area and dry moss and lichen can carry through the air lofting embers ahead of the fire to receptive fuels. Smoke columns will likely be visible in the afternoons. For current air quality information visit oakridgeair.org/smoke or the Oregon Smoke Blog https://oregonsmoke.blogspot.com/.
Bull Complex. OR-MHF-000738. IMT3. 13 mi NE of Detroit, OR. Start 8/3. Yesterday crews continued to make good progress in constructing fire line along Forest Roads 6370 and 4698. Janus, Kola, and Ridge Fires continued to grow marginally, slowly backing down the slopes.
Monday saw warmer temperatures and lower relative humidity than in previous days. This warmer, drier weather is expected to continue throughout the week with temperatures reaching up to triple digits by midweek and relative humidity falling into the high teens.
An increase in fire behavior can be expected with this change in weather. Firefighters have contained the Round Lake and Ogre Fires. The Janus, Kola and Ridge Fires are in remote areas that make direct attack challenging. Today’s activities include prepping lines along roads on the east and south side of the fires and scouting for opportunities for lines to the west and north, using roads and previously burned areas. We continue to use the resources we have in the highest priority areas and are making steady progress.
Bean Creek 766 CS. OR-DEF-000766. IMT3. 20 mi W of Jefferson, OR. Start 8/5. Full Suppression. Cause: Lightning. 138 acres (+0). 0% containment. Minimal fire behavior. Timber. Structures threatened. No update received.
Oregon reports 2,329 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 2,912, the Oregon Health Authority reported 2,329 new confirmed and presumptive cases of COVID-19 bringing the state total to 232,436. The 2,329 cases reported today include new cases that were reported to some counties over the weekend.
The new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases reported today are in the following counties: Baker (33), Benton (17), Clackamas (145), Clatsop (12), Columbia (6), Coos (73), Crook (20), Curry (55), Deschutes (132), Douglas (122), Gilliam (1), Harney (6), Hood River (7), Jackson (267), Jefferson (8), Josephine (117), Klamath (46), Lake (3), Lane (199), Lincoln (34), Linn (81), Malheur (31), Marion (313), Morrow (16), Multnomah (141), Polk (41), Tillamook (27), Umatilla (102), Union (17), Wallowa (8), Wasco (42), Washington (128) and Yamhill (79).
Gov. Brown is expected to announce new COVID-19 requirements at a press conference today.
State officials say state employees will be required to be vaccinated, and there will be statewide indoor mask requirements. The specifics of those requirements are not yet known. The changes come amid the spike in hospitalizations caused by the highly contagious Delta variant.
“Oregon is facing a spike in COVID-19 hospitalizations––consisting overwhelmingly of unvaccinated individuals––that is quickly exceeding the darkest days of our winter surge,” said Brown.
If no intervention is taken, the latest modeling indicates COVID-19 hospitalizations will far exceed the state’s capacity in the next several weeks, state officials say. When hospitals are at capacity, it has a big impact on people suffering from other causes such as heart attacks, strokes, car crashes and more.
State employees in the executive branch will be required to be fully vaccinated on or before Oct. 18 or six weeks after a vaccine receives full approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, whichever is later.
SEIU 503, a union for public services workers and care providers in Oregon, issued the following statement: “It is our analysis that once FDA approval is final, employers have the legal right to mandate vaccines. However, the State can not simply declare a vaccine mandate and walk away. They must listen to essential workers and address our concerns with how this policy is implemented.”
You should be able to see Press Conference here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIvf0TD6Lo0L6_lQEBhGYkQ
Nursing Home Bill Led by Sen. Ron Wyden Being Considered
Responding to the ravages of COVID-19 in nursing homes, senior Democratic senators Tuesday introduced legislation to increase nurse staffing, improve infection control and bolster inspections.
The bill, from a group led by Sens. Ron Wyden of Oregon and Bob Casey of Pennsylvania, is part of a broader overhaul of long-term care just getting started.
Separately, President Joe Biden is seeking $400 billion to expand home and community-based care as an alternative to nursing homes in the giant domestic agenda bill Democrats are pushing in Congress. His COVID relief law already provided a down payment.
Nursing homes and long-term care facilities house a tiny proportion of the U.S. population but they’re estimated to account for about 3 in 10 deaths from COVID-Vaccines have finally brought relief, dramatically reducing cases and deaths, but concerns remain. The Congressional Budget Office has not put a price tag on the bill, but it could reach tens of billions of dollars.
Florida Issues Consumer Warning On Hemp From Oregon
Florida state officials have issued a consumer alert warning about hemp grown in Oregon containing rocks, sticks, and other foreign material accompanied by fraudulent certificates of analysis.
The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, which regulates and inspects the cultivation and sale of hemp, issued the warning in July, saying it had received several complaints about the hemp grown in Oregon, one of the nation’s largest hemp producers.
Florida officials are working with federal and Oregon agriculture officials to remedy the problem.
The 2018 Farm Bill and U.S. Department of Agriculture gives states until Jan. 1, 2022, to operate under USDA-approved plans for growing hemp. According to the Portland Business Journal, Florida’s plan has been approved, but Oregon hasn’t submitted its yet.
However, the state regulates edible hemp products, which require inspections and oversight by the ODA Food Safety Program, which outlines testing requirements for pesticides, solvents, and water content.
Oregon House Bill 3000 is expected to address Florida’s concerns by allowing the Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission and ODA to inspect hemp fields.
The Deadline to Sign Up for Health Insurance is August 15th
So far, 19,957 Oregonians have enrolled in health coverage since the COVID-19 special enrollment period started April 1, 2021. The special enrollment period ends Aug. 15, 2021, and is open to all people who qualify to shop.
People throughout Oregon are finding that substantial savings are waiting for them through the Oregon Health
Insurance Marketplace. Anyone not currently enrolled in health coverage can apply and enroll by Aug. 15 to get health coverage with these extra savings for the rest of 2021.
No one who enrolls through the Marketplace will pay more than 8.5 percent of their income towards their monthly health coverage premium. Current Marketplace enrollees can log in to their HealthCare.gov account and update their information to receive the additional savings now available thanks to the American Rescue Plan. If you don’t take
action, the system may automatically redetermine the amount of financial assistance you receive on Sept. 1, using information most recently given in the HealthCare.gov application.
If you don’t qualify for Oregon Health Plan (OHP) and you don’t have insurance through your work, you can sign up for an individual or family plan at the Oregon Marketplace. The deadline for 2021 coverage is Aug. 15.
To learn more, visit OregonHealthCare.gov or call 855-268-3767 (toll-free) to find free, local help.