The latest news stories and stories of interest in the Willamette Valley from the digital home of Southern Oregon, from Wynne Broadcasting’s WillametteValleyMagazine.com
Tuesday, June 8, 2021
Willamette Valley Weather
Today– A 50 percent chance of showers after noon. Partly sunny, with a high near 66. Light west southwest wind becoming west 5 to 10 mph in the afternoon.
Wednesday– A 40 percent chance of showers, mainly after noon. Mostly sunny, with a high near 67. Calm wind becoming west 5 to 8 mph in the afternoon.
Thursday– Mostly sunny, with a high near 69. South wind 3 to 7 mph.
Friday– Rain. High near 68. Chance of precipitation is 90%.
Saturday– A chance of showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 76.
Oregon reports 125 new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases, 0 new deaths
There are no new COVID-19 related deaths in Oregon, and the state’s death toll remains at 2,694. The Oregon Health Authority reported 125 new confirmed and presumptive cases of COVID-19 bringing the state total to 203,374.
The new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases reported today are in the following counties: Baker (1), Benton (1), Clackamas (19), Clatsop (1), Columbia (3), Crook (1), Deschutes (8), Douglas (5), Grant (1), Harney (2), Jefferson (1), Josephine (2), Klamath (4), Lane (14), Linn (6), Morrow (2), Multnomah (37), Polk (2), Union (1), Wasco (2), Washington (2), Yamhill (10).
Vaccinations in Oregon
Today, OHA reported that 14,268 new doses of COVID-19 vaccinations were added to the state immunization registry. Of this total, 10,301 doses were administered on June 6 and 3,967 were administered on previous days but were entered into the vaccine registry on June 6. Note:Today’s totals include data from June 5 and 6 which was not reported due to maintenance of the ALERT Immunization Information System.(IIS)
The seven-day running average is now 14,545 doses per day.
Oregon has now administered 2,293,598 first and second doses of Pfizer,1,641,377 first and second doses of Moderna and 150,091 single doses of Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines.
As of today, 1,939,623 people have completed a COVID-19 vaccine series. There are 2,286,813 who have had at least one dose. The number of adult Oregonians needing vaccinations to reach the 70% threshold is 106,671. A daily countdown can be found on the OHA website.
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 IIS.
To date,?2,852,235 doses of Pfizer, 2,168,120 doses of Moderna and?299,000 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 206, which is eight more than yesterday.?There are 50 COVID-19 patients in intensive care unit (ICU) beds, which is eight fewer than yesterday.
The total number of COVID-19 positive patient bed-days in the most recent seven days is 1,512, which is a 16.9% decrease from the previous seven days. The peak daily number of beds occupied by COVID-19 positive patients in the most recent seven days is 238.
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.
OHA issues revised quarantine guidance
New guidance released by the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) allows Local Public Health Authorities to consider a shortened quarantine period for a person with COVID-19.
OHA is now recommending a 10-day quarantine or a seven-day quarantine with a negative COVID-19 test as acceptable alternatives. The shortened quarantine option is not recommended in high-risk settings such as long-term care facilities and other residential care settings.
However, in all cases, a 14-day quarantine is the safest option to prevent the spread of COVID-19 to others. Revised guidance for this new recommendation is being finalized.
People who have been fully vaccinated are not required to quarantine even after exposure to a person with COVID-19. A person is considered fully vaccinated if it has been two weeks or longer since they received the final dose of their vaccine series. People who are fully vaccinated are still encouraged to isolate and seek testing if they develop symptoms of COVID-19.
Oregon OSHA confirmed on Monday that it will repeal most elements of a permanent rule codifying COVID-19 rules in the workplace once the state reaches Governor Kate Brown’s benchmark of 70 percent vaccinated.
Governor Brown has repeatedly stated that most of the state’s coronavirus restrictions will be lifted once 70 percent of Oregonian adults have received at least one dose of a vaccine. OSHA said that Brown asked them to review rules currently in place in light of the goal. Discussions on the broader rule-set are expected to begin the week of June 14, OSHA said. Preceded by a temporary rule, the permanent list of COVID-19 measures took effect on May 4. The
permanent rule did include changes introduced through public comment, OSHA said, but the requirements are “largely consistent” with those in place since November of last year, following guidance from the Oregon Health Authority. As of Monday morning, OHA reported that 66.2 percent of Oregonian adults had received at least one dose of a vaccine.
Meanwhile, Oregon OSHA issued citations with penalties totaling $44,600 to four employers in May, with all of the cases involving willful violations of rules designed to protect workers from potential exposure to the coronavirus disease.
The citations were issued to two restaurants, a bakery, and a wood products company in Deschutes, Wasco, Linn, and Multnomah counties, respectively. Penalties ranged from $8,900 to $17,800. Violations included willfully failing to ensure workers and customers wore face coverings indoors, and willfully allowing indoor dining despite operating in a county that was designated as an “extreme risk” for transmission of COVID-19.
Ongoing refusals to correct violations and come into compliance with workplace health and safety standards can lead to additional higher penalties. Meanwhile, if an Oregon OSHA inspection documents violations while a county is at extreme risk, but the county’s risk level drops before the citation is issued, the citation will still be issued. The change in risk levels may affect how the violation needs to be corrected, but not whether it is cited.
LOCAL HEADLINES:
NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championship Meet At Hayward Field
It’s been two years since the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships last took place, and three years since the meet was held in Eugene.
Both streaks will end this week when Hayward Field opens its doors to the top collegiate athletes in the nation, who will be treated to a partially filled stadium and a live broadcast from ESPN’s family of networks.
The men’s meet will take place Wednesday and Friday, and the women’s meet is Thursday and Saturday.
“Excited to get this thing going,” Oregon coach Robert Johnson said. “This is kind of the crown jewel of our season. One of the things we prepare for all season. … Ready to shoot the gun and get this thing going.”
Eugene was home to the NCAA championship meet every season between 2013-18. But when Hayward Field went under construction the meet was moved to Austin, Texas, in 2019 and was to be held there again in 2020 before COVID-19 caused the season to get canceled.
Following guidance from the Governor’s Office of the State of Oregon, and in order to provide an enhanced student-athlete experience, Hayward Field will have a capacity of 4,400 fans per day for the NCAA Division I Men’s and Women’s Outdoor Track and Field Championships from June 9-12.
In addition to prioritizing guests of participating student-athletes and coaches, there will be a limited number of tickets available for purchase starting on Friday, June 4. More information pertaining to tickets will be announced later this week.
Fans will be required to wear face coverings to the event, and there will be sections only available to fully vaccinated patrons, who will be required to show proof of vaccination upon entry. Additionally, there will be physically distanced sections for unvaccinated patrons. https://goducks.com/news/2021/5/30/track-and-field-hayward-field-capacity-for-ncaa-championships-announced.aspx
Now the meet is back, in more ways than one, as is the excitement and anticipation within the collegiate track community.
Meet info: TV broadcast schedule
Upcoming Olympic Trials Will Feel Ongoing Labor Shortage In Eugene
The Olympic Trials in Eugene are less than two weeks away now and will put Eugene on the world stage. But local businesses may not have enough staff to meet the demands of incoming fans. The event usually means a boost in traffic to local businesses, but there are new issues this year.
With an ongoing labor shortage that’s been seen across the country, there are questions as to whether businesses will be ready for tourists.
“The workforce issues at our restaurants and lodging properties as well has been a real challenge,” said Andy Vobora, the vice president of stakeholders for Travel Lane County. “A lot of the owners are bussing tables, washing dishes and delivering food and doing everything they can to keep their normal hours. But we have seen some restaurants curtail some of the number of hours and days they’re operating of the week. So, it is a challenge.”
The upcoming trials are set to go start June 18th, bringing in people from all over the world. Lane County will be in the low-risk category by then, and that will allow more indoor dining at restaurants. But businesses may struggle to meet the demand of more customers while working with fewer employees.
“People are slower to go back out to get jobs if they haven’t had one,” said Brittany Quick-Warner, the CEO of the Eugene Chamber of Commerce. “One of the reasons is, our state is still providing unemployment benefits above the normal level, which is hurting some of our businesses recruiting people and being able to rehire.”
That means a scramble to get jobs done and provide service to everyone once the trials start. If you’re out to dinner, Travel Lane County says to be patient and understanding.
AROUND the STATE of OREGON
OHA Announces New Section and Manager for Psilocybin Programs
Angie Allbee, former OHA policy advisor, to lead Psilocybin Services Section
The Oregon Health Authority’s Public Health Division has a new section to oversee the state’s new psilocybin services program, and a new manager to lead it.
Angie Allbee, who has served as senior policy advisor for OHA Government Relations, based in the External Relations Division, since 2018, has been named manager for the Psilocybin Services Section. The section, created to develop and administer psilocybin services programs as directed with the passage of Measure 109 last November, will be part of the Center for Health Protection, which houses programs that oversee health care facilities and licensing, and environmental health and regulation.
“We’re all very familiar with Angie’s hard work and commitment to public health from her current and soon-to-be-past role as the Public Health Division’s legislative senior policy advisor,” said Andre Ourso, J.D., administrator of the Center for Health Protection. “I’m looking forward to working with Angie in building the new section and implementing Measure 109.”
Allbee begins her work as section manager on June 1. She’s says she’s honored to lead the new program she hopes will bring innovative therapies to Oregonians with mental health conditions.
“I am excited to help move the agency closer to our strategic plan goal of eliminating health inequities while creating safe, effective and accessible psilocybin services in Oregon,” she said.
A Oregon Psilocybin Advisory Board will make recommendations to OHA and the Psilocybin Services Section on available scientific studies and research on the safety and efficacy of psilocybin in treating mental health conditions. The board also will make recommendations on the requirements, specifications and guidelines for providing psilocybin services in Oregon.
Allbee has worked on shaping legislative policy for almost a decade. In addition to serving as senior policy adviser for OHA Government Relations for three legislative sessions, she has served in policy roles with the Oregon Department of Human Services (ODHS), Oregon Criminal Justice Commission, Oregon House Majority Office and Oregon Legislative Assembly.
Prior to her policy work in Oregon, Allbee spent nearly a decade in the non-profit sector engaging with a diverse range of clients, including older adults, individuals experiencing disabilities, refugees, asylees, veterans and survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault—work she says “taught me that healing is an essential part of experiencing a healthy, joyful life.”
“Psilocybin therapy offers another option for healing that has been used for centuries by indigenous and tribal communities, and has generated a growing body of research over many decades,” she added. “I am honored to be part of this very important work and to ensure safe, effective and equitable access to psilocybin therapy in Oregon.”
Allbee has recently served on the Board of Advisors for the Voxapod Menstrual Equity Project and worked with community members in rural St. Thomas, Jamaica, to secure infrastructure for the Access to Safe Drinking Water Project. She received her Executive Master of Public Administration degree from the Hatfield School of Government in the College of Urban and Public Affairs at Portland State University.
Man Arrested in Klamath County with 87 Pounds of Meth
Methamphetamine and cocaine were found during a traffic stop along Highway 97 in Klamath County over the weekend, according to Oregon State Police.
The traffic stop occurred Saturday, at about 12:19 a.m., on Highway 97 near milepost 287. OSP said a trooper from the Klamath Falls Area Command stopped an SUV for speeding. The trooper noticed signs of criminal activity during the stop and a consent search was conducted, according to OSP. The trooper located about 87.1 pounds of meth and about 2.2 pounds of cocaine concealed in the vehicle.
The driver, identified by OSP as 42-year-old Pablo Carmona-Carmona, from Yakima, Washington, was arrested. He was booked into the Klamath County Jail for unlawful possession, manufacture and delivery of methamphetamine, and unlawful possession and delivery of cocaine.
Investigation Continues Into Human Remains Found On Saturday in Douglas County
The investigation continues into human remains found on Saturday near the base of Mt. Nebo, along the Interstate Five southbound onramp at exit 124 in Roseburg.
Saturday detectives from Oregon State Police, Douglas County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue crews and County Medical Examiner Craig Kinney spent hours combing the area.
Along with searching next to the freeway, some involved climbed to the first terrace of the hillside.
This is not the first-time human remains have been found in that area.
On June 6th, 2018, workers with the Oregon Department of Transportation were performing maintenance operations along the northbound offramp of the same interchange when they located a nearly full human skull.
In December of 2019, OSP said that DNA testing determined the remains were those of Scotty Evenson, who would have been 44 years of age at the time they were discovered. OSP said Evenson, who was from Myrtle Creek, had been reported as missing at some point in the past on a Facebook post, but never to police.
Oregon DHS Looking For Missing Clackamas Teen
The Oregon Department of Human Services Child Welfare Division is asking for the public’s help locating a Clackamas teenager who has been missing since last week.
DHS says ShaNai K. Daniels, 16, who is a foster child, went missing from the Clackamas area on June 4 and is believed to be in danger. According to DHS, Daniels is suspected to be attempting to fly to Newark, New Jersey, out of the Portland International Airport. She may also be in Salem.
Daniels is described as 5 feet 2 inches tall, 133 pounds, with brown eyes and black hair.
Anyone who has information about ShaNai’s whereabouts is asked to call 911 or local law enforcement.
Sheriff’s Office Confirms Missing Man From Klamath Falls Found Dead
A man who was reported missing from the Klamath Falls area in April was discovered dead, the Klamath County Sheriff’s Office confirmed on Monday.
31-year-old Benjamin “Buttons” Mowery was out of contact with friends and family for an unknown amount of time, though he may have been sighted in Klamath Falls on March 24. KCSO confirmed that he had been reported missing on April 6. A Sheriff’s Office official had said at the time that Mowery’s vehicle had been discovered burned.
In a statement issued on Monday, KCSO said only that investigators had located and confirmed Mowery’s death. There was no further information about the circumstances, which the agency said are still under investigation.
“Mr. Mowery’s family has been notified and our thoughts are with them at this difficult time,” KCSO said.
Anyone with information about Mowery’s death is asked to contact the Klamath County Sheriff’s Office at 541-883-5130, or through the KCSO tip line at 541-8505380.
Mild Weather Helps Slow Eastern Oregon Fire Near Joseph That Has Burned Over 4,000 Acres
Cooler temperatures and less wind are helping firefighters tackle a blaze that has consumed 4,000 acres between remote eastern Oregon and Washington since Friday.
The Joseph Canyon fire remains 0% contained, but milder weather has helped firefighters slow its spread, officials said in a statement Monday.
Six specialized crews, 12 fire engines and seven helicopters were fighting the blaze, with additional resources and firefighters on the way, said Larisa Bogardus, public affairs officer with the U.S. Bureau of Land Management.
The Joseph County fire was one of several blazes that started Thursday night and Friday morning when thunderstorms passed through the region. The Washington Department of Natural Resources spotted the fire Friday morning when lightning struck, starting flames that spread through the canyon’s dry, grassy vegetation and crossed the border from Wallowa County.
The blaze is about 23 miles southwest of Lewiston, Idaho, and is burning in the Nez Perce Precious Lands Wildlife Area, Héte’wits Wétes, an area in Wallowa County protected by the Oregon Department of Forestry.
The fire nearly doubled in size between late Saturday and Sunday morning, when “extreme winds” limited firefighters’ ability to attack the blaze by air. Cooler temperatures and less windy conditions helped firefighters limit the spread of the fire to 300 acres Sunday.
The area’s steep, rugged terrain remains their biggest challenge, officials said.
No structures had been threatened or destroyed Sunday afternoon and no livestock had been killed, but ranchers were moving cattle away from the fire, Bogardus said.
Another blaze is burning about 10 miles southeast of the Joseph Canyon fire. Firefighters are working to contain the Dry Creek fire, which has burned through 1,600 acres in the Hells Canyon National Recreation Area inside the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest in remote northeast Oregon.
Oregon’s fire season is off to an early start, with dry spring weather leaving most of the state in a drought. This has firefighters and emergency preparedness officials on high alert heading into summer.
More than 1 million acres burned in September when a succession of fires swept through nearly every part of the state and choked much of Oregon in smoke. About 10% of the state’s residents were subject to an evacuation warning at some point that month.