WEDNESDAY, JULY 1, 2020
Eugene Weather
Today Mostly sunny, with a high near 69. West northwest wind 3 to 7 mph.
Thursday Partly sunny, then gradually becoming sunny, with a high near 75. Calm wind becoming north northwest 5 to 7 mph in the afternoon.
Friday Mostly sunny, with a high near 76. Light north northwest wind.
Saturday, Independence Day Sunny, with a high near 78.
Sunday Sunny, with a high near 77.
Monday Sunny, with a high near 77.
Tuesday Mostly sunny, with a high near 74.
Today’s Headlines
COVID-19 has claimed three more lives in Oregon, raising the state’s death toll to 207, the Oregon Health Authority reported this morning.
The OHA reported 181 new confirmed and presumptive cases of COVID-19 as of late yesterday, bringing the state total to 8,656.
Jackson County had five new cases, here in Klamath County three new cases were reported overnight. Two more in Lake County and 2 in Josephine County wrap up the soutbern region numbers for the past 24 hours.
Throughout the state of Oregon, new cases reported are in the following counties: Clackamas (19), Coos (1), Deschutes (10), Jackson (5), Jefferson (12), Josephine (2), Klamath (3), Lake (2), Lane (7), Lincoln (3), Linn (4), Malheur (7), Marion (25), Multnomah (38), Polk (2), Umatilla (9), Union (10), Wasco (1), Washington (18), and Yamhill (3).
A reminder today, that Oregonians statewide will be required to wear face coverings in indoor public spaces starting today, ordered by Governor Kate Brown.
OSHA,The Oregon Occupational Safety and Health will take the lead in enforcing face covering requirements for all covered Oregon businesses. Masks must be worn in restaurants, grocery stores, gyms and shopping malls.pharmacies, public transit, salons and barber shops, all retail stores and shopping malls, and in ride shares.
The announcement said that face coverings help reduce the spread of COVID-19, and may help prevent the state from having to roll back reopening phases as some other states have done. Oregon is on track for a major COVID-19 outbreak.
Governor Kate Brown said on Tuesday that she has extended the “coronavirus state of emergency declaration” for an additional 60 days, until the beginning of September — delivering a message to Oregonians that they “have a choice” to help save lives in the coming days.
An emergency declaration serves as the legal underpinning for all of the coronavirus-related executive orders issued by Governor Brown since Oregon’s outbreak began in earnest during the month of March. Extending the emergency declaration allows for those orders to stay in effect. Brown’s office said that she would “review and reevaluate” each of her emergency orders every 60 days to see if they need to be continued, changed, or removed.
Tips for a safe Fourth of July
The safest choice this holiday is to celebrate at home. If you choose to celebrate in other ways, activities that take place outdoors, allow for enough room to maintain physical distancing and involve fewer people are lower risk than activities that take place indoors, don’t allow for physical distancing and involve more people. Below are some extra tips for enjoying the holiday safely:
- Stay home if you’re sick or if you have an underlying medical condition that puts you at higher risk of severe illness from COVID-19.
- If you host a gathering, provide hand sanitizer or give people easy access to places where they can frequently wash their hands.
- Adjust your food offerings to avoid sharing utensils and offer individual servings. Don’t share drinks.
- During and afterward thoroughly clean all frequently touched areas your guests have access to.
- Wear a mask if you cannot maintain 6 feet of physical distance.
By knowing and understanding the risk of our actions and activities, we can make informed decisions that not only impact our own health but also protect the health of everyone around us.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Oregon has filed a class-action lawsuit against Portland Police and the city on behalf of journalists and legal observers who they say were targeted and attacked by the police while documenting protests.
The suit in Federal District Court in Portland says police have used tear gas, pepper spray, shot rubber bullets and thrown flash bangs directly at both journalists and legal observers. The filings also say police have arrested journalists and legal observers. The complaint lists six primary plaintiffs—two ACLU observers and four journalists—and includes others similarly situated. Matt Borden, an attorney and partner at Braunhagey & Borden serving as co-counsel with the ACLU, said the lawsuit is intended to try to stop the police from attacking and assaulting legal observers and reporters in the future.
The ban on evictions in Oregon is extended through the end of September. During the special legislative session, Oregon lawmakers passed House Bill 4213, which extended the moratorium on both commercial and residential properties in Oregon.
The moratorium allows Oregonians to remain in their businesses and homes without the risk of eviction until after least September 30. The bill also allows for six-month grace period to pay back any rent that has not been paid during the moratorium.
AROUND THE STATE
Fireworks Safety Reminder
What do you get when you mix fireworks with tinder dry vegetation? A disaster that’s just waiting to happen. After a two year reprieve, we have returned to a hot and dry summer. These conditions help set the stage for the possibility of a small fire to get out of hand.
The use of fireworks inside of the Grants Pass City Limits is prohibited. However, on July 4th if allowed by the City Fire Marshal, between the hours of 6:00pm and 11:00pm, residents may use fireworks, except in all City parks, schools and the Urban/Wildland Interface areas. The Urban/Wildland Interface areas are: (also see maps attached)
1. The area west of Highland Ave. and Dimmick St., North of the railroad tracks
2. The area north of Interstate 5
3. Panoramic Loop Area
4. Overland Drive Area
5. Haviland Drive Area between Cloverlawn and Linden
6. All City parks
7. Any area posted: “NO FIREWORKS ALLOWED”
BE PREPARED before lighting fireworks!
– Use only Oregon legal fireworks
– Make sure fireworks are allowed in your neighborhood.
– Store fireworks out of children’s reach.
– Always read and follow label directions.
– Place pets indoors; they are easily frightened by fireworks.
– Always have water handy (a garden hose or bucket of water).
BE SAFE when lighting fireworks.
– An adult should always light fireworks.
– Keep matches and lighters away from children.
– Use fireworks outdoors only.
– Light one firework at a time.
– Keep children and pets away from fireworks.
– Do not throw fireworks or hold in your hand.
BE RESPONSIBLE after lighting fireworks.
– Soak used fireworks thoroughly in a bucket of water.
– Dispose of used fireworks and debris properly.
– Never re-light a “dud” firework (wait 15 to 20 minutes and then soak it in a bucket of water).
The Oregon Department of Human Services and the Oregon Health Authority are upgrading the eligibility system Oregonians use to apply for health coverage.
The upgrade is the first milestone in a larger project to make it easier for Oregonians to apply for health and human services benefits. As we transition from the old system to the new one, there are two important considerations to be aware of:
- The online application will be unavailable from July 2-5 while the upgrade is in progress.
- Online applications that are not submitted by 4:00 p.m. PDT on July 2, 2020, cannot be transferred to the new system during the upgrade and will have to be restarted.
For Oregonians applying for Oregon Health Plan benefits online, it is important to complete those applications by July 2 or wait to start the application after July 6. Paper applications and applications completed over the phone are not impacted.
The Oregon Department of Public Safety Standards and Training (DPSST) serves two important roles in our state’s criminal justice system.
The first, establishing minimum state standards for training and certification of more than 41,000 public and private safety professionals. The second, providing a comprehensive basic training program for all newly hired law enforcement professionals, and supporting professional development by offering advanced and leadership training opportunities. DPSST accomplishes its work in partnership with the 24-member Board on Public Safety Standards and Training (BPSST or Board) which is made-up of various public safety stakeholders including a citizen member.
The tragic death of George Floyd due to the actions of Minneapolis police officers has led to lots of discussions, both in Oregon and around the nation, regarding police training and accountability. The actions of the Minneapolis police officers are inexcusable. While DPSST has always actively engaged with stakeholders, it was of the utmost importance for us to pause our work as we mourned the death of Mr. Floyd and listened to the questions and concerns being raised about policing in our state and nation. Many of the questions within our state have been regarding the training and accountability of Oregon law enforcement officers.
To address these questions, to share information, and to answer questions, over the past two weeks DPSST held a number of virtual sessions specifically for local community leaders, elected officials, state legislators, and media. One session addressed Oregon’s criminal justice professional standards system. Another focused specifically on police use of force training in Oregon offered by DPSST. And the last covered the basic police training program offered at DPSST to all newly hired city, county, state, tribal, and university law enforcement professionals. Participants had the ability to ask questions of DPSST staff during each of these sessions.
Each of the sessions were recorded and have been posted for viewing on the DPSST webpage at https://www.oregon.gov/dpsst/CJ/Pages/InformationalFiles.aspx While each of the presentations covered the same information, each generated different questions based on the background and specific interests of those participating. We have also posted the responses to the questions that were asked and are in the process of completing this document as we gather the information for those questions that need an answer.
DPSST’s new and improved webpage now includes the content of the 16-week DPSST Basic Police Course. This link https://www.oregon.gov/dpsst/CPE/Pages/curriculum-facilitator-development.aspx#curriculum_overviews will take you to the accordion where the information can be found.
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