On December 30th, 2020 K9 Handler Deputy Zach Akin and K9 Ghost completed six weeks of training. During this time, they trained on Handler Protection, Tracking, Suspect Apprehension and Evidence Collection. This training also enhanced the important bond and trust between both Deputy Akin and Ghost. The team demonstrated these learned skills and became certified through the Oregon Police Canine Association Patrol Standards. The newly minted team began patrolling the streets shortly after.

On January 20, 2021 at approximately 1:00 PM Deputy Akin and K9 Ghost answered a request for assistance from the Lincoln City Police Department near the 2600 block of NW Lincoln City. When Deputy Akin arrived, he learned a male identified as Nicholas A. Ballentine age 32 of Lincoln City was seen by LCPD Officers. Mr. Ballentine had felony warrants for his arrest and fled from the Lincoln City Officers.

Deputy Akin and K9 Ghost immediately went to work tracking. K9 Ghost gave positive indicators he was hot on the trail of Mr. Ballentine. After a short time tracking, Mr. Ballentine was spotted and began to run from the team. The team announced the presence and use of K9 Ghost and Mr. Ballentine surrendered without further incident.

The Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office would like to thank the citizens of Lincoln County for their continued support of the K9 program.

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The Parkrose Board of Education of School District No. 3, Multnomah County, Oregon, will convene in a Virtual Executive & Business Meeting on Monday, January 25, 2021 online virtually with Zoom at the hour of 6:30 pm. 

The agenda is posted on our website at: https://www.parkrose.k12.or.us/index.php?id=275. 

Please click this URL to join: https://zoom.us/j/94961285856 or join by phone: 1-253-215-8782  Webinar ID: 949-6128-5856

If you wish to submit a public comment during this Board Meeting please fill out this electronic public comment form before "Reading of Public Comments" on the agenda: https://forms.gle/5sUjRZjxJikqmqVg9

For those of you who cannot participate virtually we will post a recording of the meeting on our website at: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXajhxrPxMclOQ6J00JUszQ.

Questions welcomed, please email: questions@parkrose.k12.or.us or leave a voice message at 503-408-2100.  

The Oregon Office of Emergency Management has posted the Oregon Wildfire Recovery Update for Jan.20, 2021, to the Oregon Wildfire Resources page. See today's Wildfire Recovery update here. 

Photo Caption:

Lincoln County, Ore. - September 21, 2020 - Life remains after the Echo Mountain Complex fire burned on the outskirts of Lincoln City Oregon. Photo by Jeff Markham/FEMA.

Jan. 20, 2021

Contact: OHA External Relations, covid19.media@dhsoha.state.or.us" target="_blank">orcovid19.media@dhsoha.state.or.us

Oregon reports 704 new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases, 24 new deaths

PORTLAND, Ore. — There are 24 new COVID-19 related deaths in Oregon, raising the state’s death toll to 1,832, the Oregon Health Authority reported at 12:01 a.m. today.

Oregon Health Authority reported 704 new confirmed and presumptive cases of COVID-19 as of 12:01 a.m. today, bringing the state total to 135,142.

Vaccinations in Oregon

Today, OHA reported that 13,694 new doses of COVID-19 vaccinations were added to the state immunization registry. Of this total, 8,570 vaccine doses were administered on Jan. 19 and 5,124 were administered on previous days but were entered into the vaccine registry on Jan. 19.

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).

Oregon has now administered a cumulative total of 238,760 first and second doses of COVID-19 vaccines. All vaccinations were administered by Oregon hospitals, long-term care facilities, emergency medical service (EMS) agencies, urgent care facilities and Local Public Health Authorities (LPHAs).

To date, 436,250 doses of vaccine 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 336, which is eight more than yesterday. There are 90 COVID-19 patients in intensive care unit (ICU) beds, which is two fewer than yesterday.

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.

Cases and deaths

NOTE: Death details are being reviewed and will be posted in an updated version of this press release.

The new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases reported today are in the following counties: Baker (3), Benton (21), Clackamas (36), Clatsop (6), Coos (12), Crook (7), Deschutes (38), Douglas (17), Harney (3), Hood River (6), Jackson (38), Jefferson (7), Josephine (15), Klamath (16), Lake (4), Lane (53), Lincoln (4), Linn (26), Malheur (29), Marion (83), Morrow (4), Multnomah (99), Polk (22), Tillamook (2), Umatilla (53), Union (7), Wallowa (1), Wasco (6), Washington (60) and Yamhill (26).

Learn more about COVID-19 vaccinations

To learn more about the COVID-19 vaccine situation in Oregon, visit our webpage, which has a breakdown of distribution and other useful information.

Portland, OR– State agencies will meet by teleconference February 1 on a proposed chemical process gold mine in Malheur County.

The Technical Review Team (TRT) Wildlife Subcommittee will meet by teleconference on Monday February 1 from 1:00 p.m. to 3 p.m. PST.

The public notices and related documents are available at: https://www.oregongeology.org/mlrr/chemicalprocess_Calico-GrassyMtn.htm

The public and media may listen to the meetings by joining the Microsoft Teams Meeting online, or by phone. Due to COVID-19 safety restrictions, there will not be an in-person location to attend this meeting. For online meeting details and call-in instructions, see the meeting agendas. For further information, contact the DOGAMI Albany office at (541) 967-2083 or email: mlrr.info@oregon.gov.

The TRT Wildlife Subcommittee is an inter-disciplinary team of state agencies that reviews wildlife information and concerns related to a proposed mine during all phases of the application process, and ultimately develops wildlife-related consolidated permit conditions that conform to Oregon regulations.

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Portland, OR– State agencies will meet by teleconference February 2 on a proposed chemical process gold mine in Malheur County.

The Technical Review Team (TRT) will meet by teleconference on Tuesday February 2 from 2:00
p.m. to 4 p.m. PST.

The public notices and related documents are available at: https://www.oregongeology.org/mlrr/chemicalprocess_Calico-GrassyMtn.htm

The public and media may listen to the meetings by joining the Microsoft Teams Meeting online, or by phone. Due to COVID-19 safety restrictions, there will not be an in-person location to attend this meeting. For online meeting details and call-in instructions, see the meeting agendas. For further information, contact the DOGAMI Albany office at (541) 967-2083 or email: mlrr.info@oregon.gov.

The TRT is an interdisciplinary team of state agencies that reviews information related to a proposed mine during all phases of the application process, and ultimately develops consolidated permit conditions that conform to Oregon regulations.

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Jan. 20, 2021

Media contact: Jonathan Modie, 971-246-9139, PHD.Communications@state.or.us

Oregon Cannabis Commission's Zoom meeting Jan. 27

What: A Zoom meeting for the Oregon Cannabis Commission.

Agenda: TBD

When: Wednesday, Jan. 27, 1-4 p.m.

Where: Conference call line: 669-254-5252, meeting ID: 160-573-6350.

Background: The Oregon Cannabis Commission was established in the 2017 legislative session through HB 2198. The commission consists of the state health officer or designee and an eight member-panel appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the senate. The commission is tasked with determining a possible framework for future governance of the Oregon Medical Marijuana Program, steps to address research on cannabis in areas of public health policy and public safety policy, agronomic and horticultural best practices, and medical and pharmacopoeia best practices. The commission also advises the Oregon Health Authority and the Oregon Liquor Control Commission regarding statutes governing medical and retail cannabis. Visit www.Healthoregon.org/cannabiscommission for more information.

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Everyone has a right to know about and use the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) Programs and services. OHA provides free help. Some examples of the free help OHA can provide are:

• Sign language and spoken language interpreters
• Written material in other languages
• Braille
• Large print
• Audio and other formats

If you need help or have questions, please contact Megan Lockwood at 971-673-0620, 711 TTY or .lockwood@state.or.us">megan.r.lockwood@state.or.us at least 48 hours before the meeting.

January 20, 2021

PORTLAND, Ore. – Today, Multnomah County District Attorney Mike Schmidt announced the reinstatement of a criminal case against 29-year-old Malia Lynne Trammell who is accused of using a device to puncture a tire on a Portland Police Bureau vehicle.

Trammell is charged with one count of riot, one count of criminal mischief in the second degree, one count of escape in the third degree, one count of interfering with a peace officer, and one count of identity theft.

On August 6, 2020, the Portland Police Bureau deployed a “sound truck” in the area of the 4700 block of East Burnside Street. The sound truck allows officers inside the vehicle to provide external and amplified verbal orders. A person, later identified as Trammell, allegedly used a device to puncture one of the vehicle’s tires.

On August 7, 2020, law enforcement submitted the case to the Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office for prosecution consideration. At that time, the district attorney’s office requested specific investigative follow up from Portland Police.

Because no charging document was filed with the court on August 7, due to the pending investigation, the criminal case was closed.

Members of the Portland Police Bureau’s Detective Division completed their supplementary investigation and re-submitted the case to the district attorney’s office.

Law enforcement contacted Trammell after the grand jury returned its indictment on January 8, 2021. Upon filing of the indictment, the criminal case was reinstated.

Trammell’s arraignment was held January 20, 2021.

No additional information can be released by the Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office at this time.

A charging document is only an accusation of a crime. Trammell is innocent unless and until proven guilty.

#MCDA#

Media Contact:

Brent Weisberg, Communications Director

Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office

Email: rent.Weisberg@mcda.us">Brent.Weisberg@mcda.us

Date:            January 20, 2021

Topic:           Fraudulent ID & Mail Theft Arrests

From:            Neal Holste, Chief of Police

For Release:  Immediately

On January 16, 2021 a Hood River Police Officer initiated a traffic stop on Mt. Adams Ave. near Cascade Ave.  The driver, Joseph Chumley, 42, of Battle Ground, WA failed to provide the Officer with any form of identification.  When Chumley gave the Officer his real name it was discovered he had arrest warrants in both Clackamas and Multnomah County.  After locating a fraudulent driver’s license inside Chumley’s wallet, the Officers on scene began investigating further and speaking with the passengers in the vehicle.  The investigation led Officers to a hotel room at the Best Western the occupants of the vehicle had rented.  Inside the hotel room Officers found dozens of fraudulent multi-state driver’s licenses and identifications, fraudulent social security cards, fraudulent and stolen checks, a computer and printer machine used to create the fraudulent identification.  Thousands of stolen pieces of mail were also located.  Joseph Chumley, along with Jensine Chumley, 37, of Battle Ground WA, Cameron Lodahl, 32, of Longview WA and Stephanie Primley, 30, of Vancouver WA were booked and lodged at NORCOR on charges of Identity Theft, Forgery and Mail Theft.  This investigation is ongoing.  The Hood River Police Department is working with the United States Postal Inspection Service to return the stolen mail.

Vancouver, Wash. – The Clark County Council and County Manager have appointed a volunteer Project Advisory Group (PAG) to provide input throughout the Housing Options Study and Action Plan project. The group represents a broad spectrum of interests including those most vulnerable to rising housing costs and displacement, people working in the housing industry, and parties responsible for housing-related regulations.

The group will utilize a consensus-based approach to creatively and collaboratively problem-solve issues regarding barriers in providing additional housing types in the unincorporated Vancouver Urban Growth Area and to develop recommendations that will become part of the Housing Options Study and Action Plan. The recommendations will be reviewed and considered by the public, the Clark County Planning Commission, and County Council.

The group’s first meeting is scheduled for 3 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 26 via Zoom. The meeting is open to the public.

For information on how to join and participate in the meeting, please visit https://clark.wa.gov/community-planning/housing-project-advisory-group.

Learn more about the project at www.clark.wa.gov/housingoptions.

(Salem) UPDATED: Oregon Department of Human Services Announces Missing Children Noelle Johnson and Addyson Gibson Found 

The Oregon Department of Human Services (ODHS), Child Welfare Division, is grateful for the community support in locating Noelle Johnson, age 7, and Addyson Gibson, age 12. The children were found on the morning of Monday, January 18. The siblings went missing with their caregivers from Portland on Sept. 28, 2020.  

Report child abuse to the Oregon Child Abuse Hotline by calling 1-855-503-SAFE (7233).  This toll-free number allows you to report abuse of any child or adult to the Oregon Department of Human Services, 24 hours a day, seven days a week and 365 days a year.

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Vancouver, Wash. – Clark County Public Health has been working closely with partners in Cowlitz and Skamania counties to plan for community vaccination sites across the Southwest Washington region. Two weeks ago, the three-county region, with support from the state, submitted a request for a Type 1 incident management team to help plan and manage the operation of community vaccination sites.

This weekend, FEMA approved the request to deploy one of 16 national Type 1 incident management teams to Southwest Washington. Pacific Northwest Incident Management Team 3 is made up of federal, state and local representatives experienced in handling complex incidents. The team arrived in Clark County on Tuesday and met with representatives from the three-county region.

Clark, Cowlitz and Skamania counties will work closely with the incident management team to establish multiple community vaccination sites in the region, including some mobile sites that can allow for vaccination at high-risk workplaces. Other community partners, such as health care providers and schools, will be involved in the process as well.

“We are thrilled to have Pacific Northwest Incident Management Team 3 in Southwest Washington,” said Dr. Alan Melnick, Clark County health officer and Public Health director. “Through a coordinated effort between the incident management team, the three counties and community partners, we will be able to more quickly and efficiently get people in Southwest Washington vaccinated against COVID-19.”

Details about the vaccination sites, including locations and opening dates, are not yet available. Updates will be provided in the coming days.

The effort to open community vaccination sites in Southwest Washington will require collaboration with the Washington State Department of Health. Funding support and vaccine supply from the state will be critical for ensuring the success of these sites.

Clark County Public Health is working to get additional information from the state Department of Health about the governor’s Monday announcement that a community testing site will open at the Clark County Fairgrounds next week. Clark County currently does not have any additional information about the plans for a vaccination site at the fairgrounds.

Accessing vaccine

People included in Phase 1a or Phase 1b Tier 1 (B1) of the state’s vaccination plan are now eligible to be vaccinated. People who are eligible and need help accessing COVID-19 vaccine can submit a request form on the Public Health website.

All requests must be submitted through the webform. Public Health is connecting eligible people to local health care facilities with COVID-19 vaccine. Public Health is not administering COVID-19 vaccine at its Center for Community Health offices.

Public Health began accepting requests from people eligible in Phase 1b Tier 1 on Tuesday morning. In the first 24 hours, Public Health received more than 11,000 request forms. Given the large number of requests and the continued limited vaccine supply, it may take several weeks before those who submitted request forms are contacted by a facility. Public Health will not be able to provide individual updates on the status of requests.

People who used the state’s Phase Finder tool to determine whether they are eligible for COVID-19 vaccination must still submit a request form on the Public Health website if they need help accessing vaccine. The Phase Finder tool does not connect eligible people to facilities with vaccine and it does not send information to Clark County Public Health.

For additional information about COVID-19 vaccine eligibility and accessing vaccine, visit the Clark County Public Health website.

Jan. 20, 2020

Contact: OHA External Relations, covid19.media@dhsoha.state.or.us" target="_blank">orcovid19.media@dhsoha.state.or.us

Oregon Health Authority Recommends Continued Administration of Moderna Vaccine Lot 041L20A Doses Based on Federal Advisory and Medical Expert Review

Moderna lot in Oregon under investigation; monitoring continues

(Salem, OR – January 20, 2021) State health officials in Oregon recommend that local vaccination sites continue to administer COVID-19 vaccines from Moderna Lot 041L20A, after the state’s immunization program received advice from federal officials to continue to dispense the doses. Moderna Lot 041L20A has been associated with six adverse events at a single site in California. On Jan. 19th, medical experts from the Western States Scientific Safety Review Committee evaluated the reports and will be following up with an announcement of their analysis later today, reaffirming the CDC recommendations to continue to administer doses from this Moderna lot of vaccine.  

This vaccine lot consists of approximately one million doses of vaccines. In Oregon, 57,400 doses of Moderna Lot 041L20A have been distributed to 118 vaccination sites. As of Jan. 20, Oregon vaccination sites had administered 30,803 doses from the lot.  Oregon continues to monitor adverse events following administration of all COVID-19 vaccinations and is currently investigating two adverse events at separate sites linked to this Moderna lot. All individuals reported to the Oregon Health Authority who experienced adverse events have recovered. Providers are required to submit reports of adverse events following vaccine administration to the Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System (VAERS https://vaers.hhs.gov/).

OHA received a communication from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which stated: “CDC is aware of a situation in California in which multiple potential adverse events were reported after vaccination with a specific lot of Moderna vaccine (Moderna Lot 041L20A) at one community vaccination clinic. We are working closely with the California Department of Public Health, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and Moderna to investigate these potential adverse events. At this time CDC does NOT recommend health departments stop administering this lot or any lot of Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine.”

OHA encourages local vaccine administration sites to share information about lot numbers in response to questions from patients. The Western States Scientific Safety Review Committee will continue to monitor further reports and will consider any additional guidance states receive from the federal government.

Oregon health officials reiterated their expectations that local vaccination sites monitor patients for 15 minutes after vaccination, or 30 minutes in persons with a history of an immediate allergic reaction of any severity to a vaccine or injectable therapy and persons with a history of anaphylaxis due to any cause, and have supplies on hand to respond to any adverse events.

Dr. Dean Sidelinger, state health officer for Oregon said: “Vaccines, along with wearing masks and limiting indoor gatherings, are the safest, most effective and most reliable ways to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Adverse reactions to vaccines are extremely rare, but we’re paying close attention when they do occur. At this time, there’s no evidence that these events have been associated with any other vaccine site and I encourage every eligible Oregonian to get a vaccine as soon as vaccination is available to you.”

The West Linn Police Department will be deploying extra patrol cars to search for distracted and intoxicated drivers this month, thanks to a grant from the Oregon Department of Transportation through Oregon Impact. Here are some sobering facts about DUII drivers (via MADD tracking data, 2018): 

In 2017, 10,874 people died in drunk driving crashes-one every 48 minutes-and more than 300,000 were injured in drunk driving crashes.

In fatal crashes in 2017, the highest percentage of drunk drivers was for drivers ages 21 to 24 (27%), followed by 25 to 34 (26%) and 35 to 44 (23%).

Each day, people drive drunk more than 300,000 times, but only about 3,200 are arrested.

Drunk driving costs the United States an estimated 132 billion a year.

Almost 7% of drivers, mostly under age 35, who were involved in fatal traffic crashes tested positive for THC, the principle ingredient in marijuana.

An average drunk driver has driven drunk over 80 times before their first arrest.

On average, a DUII could set you back $10,000 in attorney’s fees, fines, court costs, lost time at work, higher insurance rates, car towing charges and more.

Be safe, drive sober.

Beginning Monday, February 1 and extending through Sunday, February 14, law enforcement agencies throughout Oregon, including the West Linn Police Department, will use federally funded overtime to educate the public about safety belt and child seat laws, including a law passed in 2017 increasing safety for children under age two.

ODOT crash data for 2018 shows lack of safety belt or child restraint use was a factor in 28% or 86 of a total 311 motor vehicle occupant fatalities.

Motor vehicle crashes are the leading nationwide cause of death for children ages one through twelve years old. In 2018, 1,832 children under twelve were injured in Oregon traffic crashes, 11 percent were reported not using a child restraint system. It is estimated that car seats may increase crash survival by 71% for infants under one year old and by up to 59% for toddlers aged one to four. Booster seats may reduce the chance of nonfatal injury among four to eight year olds by 45% compared to safety belts used alone.

Safety belts used correctly can reduce the risk of major crash injury or death by up to sixty five percent.

In 2017 an Oregon law was passed requiring children to ride in a rear-facing safety seat until they are at least two years old. A child over age two must continue to ride in a car seat with harness or in a booster until they reach age eight or 4’ 9” in height and the adult belt fits them correctly. The recent law, which extends the rear-facing requirement from the previous age one to age two, will better protect the child’s head, neck, and spine from potential crash injuries. This is because a rear-facing seat spreads crash forces evenly across the seat and child’s body while also limiting forward or sideways motion of the head.

For help selecting or installing child car seats, consult the seat manufacturer’s instructions, your vehicle owner’s manual, or visit a local child seat fitting station listed at:

https://www.nhtsa.gov/equipment/car-seats-and-booster-seats#inspection-inspection or at http://oregonimpact.org/Child_Passenger_Safety.

Vancouver, Washington—The Vancouver City Attorney’s Office is pleased to announce another equity-based change to its prosecution practices aimed at assisting those suffering from substance abuse disorders.

The City Attorney’s Office has long been a participant in the Clark County Substance Abuse Court. This program provides intensive supervision to individuals charged with misdemeanor offenses who have been diagnosed with a substance abuse disorder. However, historically, participation in the program has required individuals first plead guilty to the underlying charged offense.

With the new equity-based changed, the Substance Abuse Court has transitioned to a pre-plea model. In qualifying cases, individuals who successfully complete the year-long treatment program can have their misdemeanor cases dismissed without having to plead guilty to a criminal offense. Participants will be able to avoid the barriers that a criminal conviction can pose for individuals seeking housing, employment and other opportunities for advancement.

This is the second equity-based change in prosecution practices announced recently by the City Attorney’s Office. The first is a pilot project changing the way the city prosecutes the crime of driving while license suspended in the third degree (learn more).

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Oregon’s unemployment rose to 6.4% in December from 6.0% in November. This was the state’s first monthly increase in its unemployment rate following seven months of declines. Meanwhile, the U.S. unemployment rate remained at 6.7% in both November and December.

Oregon’s over-the-month percent job loss was much greater than nationally. In December, Oregon lost 1.4% of nonfarm payroll employment while the U.S. shed 0.1%. Oregon’s total nonfarm payroll employment dropped by 25,500 jobs in December, following a revised gain of 2,100 jobs in November. The drop followed seven consecutive months of gains. Total nonfarm payroll employment stood at 1,783,300 in December, which was an over-the-year decline from December 2019 of 174,000 jobs, or 8.9%.

“December's job losses reflect the devastation COVID-19 continues to inflict on the lives and livelihoods of Oregonians. Ten months into the pandemic, Oregon has regained just 37% of the jobs lost in this recession,” said Gail Krumenauer, State Employment Economist with the Oregon Employment Department.

December job losses in Oregon were greatest in leisure and hospitality, which cut 28,600 jobs. Several other industries also cut at least 800 jobs in December, including private educational services (-1,700 jobs), government (-1,300), wholesale trade (-1,100), manufacturing (-900), and construction (-800). In contrast, four major industries each added thousands of jobs: retail trade (+2,200 jobs); transportation, warehousing, and utilities (+2,200); health care and social assistance (+2,200); and professional and business services (+2,100).

Within leisure and hospitality, full-service restaurants cut 17,600 jobs in December, which was the largest drop of its component industries. Full-service restaurants, where in-person dining has been severely reduced due to the pandemic, have cut far more jobs than limited-service eating places which shed 2,000 jobs in December.

On the plus side, reflecting the rapid increase in online shopping, the industries that employ the fulfillment center warehouse workers and package delivery drivers boosted December employment in industries within transportation, warehousing, and utilities. In particular, couriers and messengers added 3,600 jobs in December.

Next Press Releases

The Oregon Employment Department plans to release the December county and metropolitan area unemployment rates on Tuesday, Jan. 26, and the next statewide unemployment rate and employment survey data for January on Tuesday, March 2.

The PDF version of the news release can be found at QualityInfo.org/press-release. To obtain the data in other formats such as in Excel, visit QualityInfo.org, then within the top banner, select Economic Data, then choose LAUS or CES. To request the press release as a Word document, contact the person shown at the top of this press release.

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To file a claim for unemployment benefits or get more information about unemployment programs, visit unemployment.oregon.gov.

Equal Opportunity program — auxiliary aids and services available upon request to individuals with disabilities. Contact: (503) 947-1794. For people who are deaf or hard of hearing, call 711 Telecommunications Relay Services.

A Project Advisory Committee (PAC) for the Oregon City - West Linn Pedestrian and Bicycle Bridge Concept Plan is being assembled, and we are looking for community members. When this committee is appointed by the project partners Metro, Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT), Clackamas County, City of West Linn and City of Oregon City it will help represent a broad set of community perspectives and review materials and provide input throughout the project. ODOT is looking for two committee members to serve on this exciting project. The selection of this committee is expected to happen quickly, as the first meeting is scheduled for January 27th, from 3-5 p.m. 

The PAC will keep the Project Management Team, made up of partner agency staff, accountable and transparent and help inform decisions. PAC members will help ensure consistency with the project's goals and to ensure that the cultural significance of this proposed crossing honors the area and community.

Project Advisory Committee will be involved in:

• Engage the community in conversations around potential crossing issues, barriers, needs, opportunities, and ideas.
• An online open house and public meetings

Committee members will meet three times in the next five months, for two hours in a virtual setting. Each meeting will require one to two hours of preparation.

Decision-makers will consider the PAC’s technical analysis relying on assessing bridge feasibility, integration, and connectivity to the adjacent biking and walking networks, as well as public input. After this project is completed, the Oregon City Commission and West Linn City Council will vote on whether to adopt the recommended preferred alignment during the summer.

Sign up by January 22, 2021, to join the PAC here.

Project website found here.  

Participation in the Second Draw for Paycheck Protection Program loans offers relief for small businesses in Clackamas County. Clackamas applications are available for new and exisiting customers.

Milwaukie, Ore. (January 15, 2021) – Beginning on Friday, January 15th, Clackamas will begin accepting applications for First and Second Draw PPP Loans for exisiting and new customers. Eligible businesses can request their applications online by visiting www.clackamasfcu.org/covid-19-business-support/.

Clackamas Federal Credit Union spent last year working especially hard on behalf of local, small businesses by securing SBA loan funding through the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). In 2020, more than $16.5 million for over 250 businesses was funded, helping keep friends and neighbors of Clackamas employed.

During the first round of PPP funding, Clackamas’ Business Services Manager, Katie Gillespie, worked until 2 AM before the cutoff time in order to get loan dollars for as many business members as possible. Now, they’re getting ready to do it all over again. Clackamas Chief Lending Officer, Kimo Rosa is ready to get started.

“Our purpose is to improve the lives of our members. So we’re thankful for this chance to help out members struggling to keep afloat during this pandemic. Supporting small businesses is what we have done for years, so the Clackamas Team is eager to jump in to help with the second round, like we did for the first.“

During the first round, Greg Philo, owner at FIRE Restoration Inc. was able to keep 25 employees on payroll in part due to help from Clackamas Federal Credit Union.

“The PPP money has really helped us out. I once did the math on how many families and people are directly dependent on FIRE for their livelihood. The number is well over 400 men, women, and children. So please know that your efforts have blessed those 400 people! Thank you Clackamas and Katie for all that you did. We are truly appreciative.”

The Credit Union is emphasizing that both existing and new business members can apply. CEO Aaron Goff knows there there a lot of businesses who need help and are looking for support. “We want local business in Clackamas County to know that they don’t need to have a long-established membership to apply. They can join the Credit Union and apply. We want to help out as many businesses in our community as we can. It’s all about people helping people.“

About Clackamas Federal Credit Union

Clackamas is a not-for-profit financial cooperative that has worked for over 60 years to improve people’s lives. Clackamas is a different type of financial institution that's member-owned without corporate shareholders. Being a not-for-profit dedicated to helping hard working people achieve their financial goals means better rates, lower fees, and more money for members, not someone else. Since the pandemic began it has allowed over 3,700 skip payments on loans for individuals and small businesses without fees. Most consumer fees have been waived or reduced putting approximately $90,000 per month back into members’ pockets.  A new member relief loan is available to assist individuals and businesses, and rates have been dramatically cut on consolidation loans. To learn more, please visit www.clackamasfcu.org.

We’ve got your back.

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The Oregon State Marine Board will hold a work session on January 26 from 1 pm to 5 pm for a staff presentation and discussion around life jackets. The Board will hold its quarterly meeting on January 27, beginning at 8:30 am. Both the work session and Board meeting will be held via Microsoft Teams and live-streamed from the agency’s office, 435 Commercial Street NE, in Salem.

The Board will consider the following agenda items:

• River Ambassador Pilot Program -Clackamas River, Invited Guest Presentation;
• Facilities Grant 1670 -Westport;
• Rulemaking Request for Crescent Lake, Klamath County;
• Consideration for Rulemaking OAR 250-020-0280, 250-020-003, Boat Operations on the Lower Willamette in Multnomah and Clackamas Counties;
• Consideration for Rulemaking OAR 250-020-0073, Boat Operations on Ochoco and Prineville Reservoirs in Crook County;
• NIC Oregon (Digital Government Web Solutions Provider) Transaction Fee.

Written comments will be accepted through January 24, and can be sent via U.S. Mail to Jennifer Cooper, Executive Assistant, 435 Commercial St NE Salem, OR 97301, or email to .cooper@oregon.gov">jennifer.cooper@oregon.gov.

The meeting will be live-streamed via the Marine Board’s YouTube Channel. To view the agenda and staff report, visit https://www.oregon.gov/osmb/info/Pages/Board-and-Public-Meetings.aspx.

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Just before 3:00 a.m. crews were dispatched to a possible residential fire in the 28000 block of Hult Road in Beavercreek,with reports of the roof on fire. First arriving firefighters found smoke coming from the roof and quickly entered the residence to find active fire in the attic.  Hoselines were rapidly deployed, bringing the fire undercontrol, stopping the fire damage within minutes of arrival. 

The fire was called in by the homeowner who reported being awakened by the smoke alarm going off and finding smoke in his home.  The homeowner identifited the fire in the attic and attempted to exintguish the fire using a fire extinguisher. Thankfully, no injuries were reported and the residents were not displaced.  Fire Investigators will be on scene today to determine what caused the fire and the extent of damage caused.

Working smoke alarms do save lives.  Please install a working smoke alarm on every floor of your home and in each sleeping area.

On January 15, 2021 Yamhill County Sheriff’s Office detectives arrested Nicholas R. Santoya, age 31, on multiple warrants.  The warrants were the result of an indictment by a Yamhill County Grand Jury for multiple crimes investigated by Yamhill County Sheriff’s Office detectives.  He also had an outstanding federal arrest warrant from the FBI. 

Detectives with the Sheriff’s Office SIU (Special Investigations Unit) had spent a significant amount of time searching for Mr. Santoya and developed information that he was in a residence on SW Ashcreek Lane in the city of McMinnville.  Detectives were assisted by patrol deputies, detectives with McMinnville Police Department, a K9 from Newberg-Dundee Police Department, and the FBI in entering the residence and arresting Mr. Santoya.  During the arrest Mr. Santoya was bitten by the K9 and obtained medical attention from McMinnville Fire/EMS and a local hospital. 

Mr. Santoya was lodged in the Yamhill County Correctional Facility on warrants that include charges of:  Sexual Abuse First Degree-8 counts, Sexual Abuse Second Degree-4 counts, Sexual Abuse Third Degree Degree-3 counts, Strangulation-2 counts, Assault Fourth Degree-1 count, and Harassment-1 count.  He also has a hold for the FBI on his federal warrant issued for Manufacturing Child Pornography.  He currently has No Bail.

Jan. 20, 2021 - Salem, Ore. – It’s very exciting to win a big prize playing Oregon Lottery games and it’s a rare occurrence when a player can claim to be a repeat winner.

Thanks to winning a $50,000 prize in the Lottery’s Second Chance Scratch-it drawing, Peter Gilbert can honestly make that claim!

Gilbert is no stranger to winning the Lottery’s Second Chance Scratch-it drawing. “In May 2016, I won $10,000 in the Second Chance drawing,” said Gilbert, of Beaverton. “So, when I told a friend of mine that I’d won $50,000 this time, he decided to start calling me ‘Re-Pete!’”

When Gilbert claimed his latest Lottery prize on Jan. 14, he said hoped for a “three-Pete” by winning Mega Millions or Powerball.

Every Oregon Lottery Scratch-it game offers a second chance drawing for an additional top prize for that game. In Gilbert’s instance, he entered a non-winning “Crossword Inferno” ticket he had bought at the 7-Eleven on Tualatin Valley Highway in Beaverton. Once sales end for a particular Scratch-it game, that sets the wheels in motion for that game’s second chance drawing to occur.  

“Winning this prize is not life-changing,” said Gilbert, “but it is life affirming.”

Since the Oregon Lottery began selling tickets on April 25, 1985, it has earned more than $12 billion for economic development, public education, Outdoor School, state parks, Veteran Services and watershed enhancements. For more information on the Oregon Lottery visit www.oregonlottery.org 

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Jan. 19, 2021

Contact: OHA External Relations, covid19.media@dhsoha.state.or.us" target="_blank">orcovid19.media@dhsoha.state.or.us

Oregon reports 637 new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases, 5 new deaths

PORTLAND, Ore. — COVID-19 has claimed five more lives in Oregon, raising the state’s death toll to 1,808, the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) reported at 12:01 a.m. today.

Oregon Health Authority reported 637 new confirmed and presumptive cases of COVID-19 as of 12:01 a.m. today, bringing the state total to 134,468.

Vaccinations in Oregon

Today, OHA reported that 8,141 new doses of COVID-19 vaccinations were added to the state immunization registry. Of this total, 5,511 vaccine doses were administered on Jan. 18 and 2,630 were administered on previous days but entered into the vaccine registry on Jan. 18.

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).

Based on currently entered data, the average daily number of vaccinations for the past seven days has been 12,289 doses administered per day.

Oregon has now administered a cumulative total of 225,066 first and second doses of COVID-19 vaccines. All vaccinations were administered by Oregon hospitals, long-term care facilities, emergency medical service (EMS) agencies, urgent care facilities and Local Public Health Authorities (LPHAs).

To date, 339,950 doses of vaccine 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 328, which is 14 fewer than yesterday. There are 92 COVID-19 patients in intensive care unit (ICU) beds, which is two fewer than yesterday.

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.

Cases and deaths

The new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases reported today are in the following counties: Baker (5), Benton (16), Clackamas (63), Clatsop (1), Columbia (5), Coos (3), Crook (2), Deschutes (37), Douglas (5), Hood River (1), Jackson (41), Jefferson (2), Josephine (27), Klamath (25), Lake (3), Lane (71), Lincoln (5), Linn (7), Marion (67), Morrow (2), Multnomah (125), Polk (14), Tillamook (1), Umatilla (13), Union (4), Wasco (4), Washington (76) and Yamhill (12).

Oregon’s 1,804th COVID-19 death is a 78-year-old man in Deschutes County who tested positive on Jan. 5 and died on Jan. 15 at St. Charles Bend hospital. He had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 1,805th COVID-19 death is a 78-year-old woman in Josephine County who tested positive on Dec. 28 and died on Jan. 18 at Asante Three Rivers Medical Center. She had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 1,806th COVID-19 death is an 81-year-old woman in Lane County who tested positive on Nov. 25 and died on Dec. 15 at her residence. She had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 1,807th COVID-19 death is a 91-year-old man in Washington County who tested positive on Dec. 11 and died on Jan. 15 at his residence. He had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 1,808th COVID-19 death is a 65-year-old woman in Washington County who tested positive on Jan. 4 and died on Jan. 17 at Oregon Health & Science University Hospital. She had underlying conditions.

Learn more about COVID-19 vaccinations

To learn more about the COVID-19 vaccine situation in Oregon, visit our webpage, which has a breakdown of distribution and other useful information.

January 19, 2021

PORTLAND, Ore. – Today, Multnomah County District Attorney Mike Schmidt announced the arrests of 33-year-old Mena Kamel and 28-year-old Marina Zaki who are accused of knowingly causing serious injury to two children by starvation and malnourishment.

This case is being investigated by the Gresham Police Department and the Multnomah County District Attorney’s Multidisciplinary Child Abuse Team.

Both children are under the age of six.

Kamel and Zaki are charged with four counts of assault in the first degree and 14 counts of criminal mistreatment in the first degree.

According to court documents, the starvation, malnourishment and criminal mistreatment occurred between September 1, 2018 and June 27, 2020.

This investigation started on June 27, 2020 when one of the children suffered a critical injury that prompted a law enforcement and medical response to a residence in the 16400 block of East Burnside in Gresham.

The extent of the alleged starvation and malnourishment was first discovered by hospital staff.

Both children continue to receive medical attention to restore their health.

No additional information can be released by the Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office at this time.

Kamel and Zaki are scheduled to be arraigned in Multnomah County Circuit Court on January 20, 2021.

The Multidisciplinary Child Abuse Team includes representatives from CARES Northwest, local law enforcement, public schools, hospitals, health departments, local mental health service providers, the Oregon Department of Human Services, and Multnomah County’s Department of Community Justice.

The Multnomah County District Attorney’s Multidisciplinary Child Abuse Team works with community partners to protect children who have been abused and neglected while ensuring that all practices are trauma-informed and mitigate the life-long consequences of child abuse. The team also handles child homicides, felony child physical abuse cases, felony child abandonment cases, custodial interference cases, and felony sex crimes where the victim is currently under the age of 18 and where the suspect is determined not to be a stranger to the child.

#MCDA#

Media Contact:

Brent Weisberg, Communications Director

Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office

Email: rent.Weisberg@mcda.us">Brent.Weisberg@mcda.us

Stevenson, WA-January 19, 2021-Stevenson-Carson School District announces that all students in grades K-8 will make their return to full-time, in-person learning on Tuesday, January 19, 2021. The district administrative team worked closely with county health professionals to determine that Skamania county’s new case numbers of the Covid-19 novel coronavirus have dropped to a point where in-person learning has once again become a possibility. 

“We understand how difficult taking a step back from in-person learning was for both our families and our staff before the holiday break given the sharp increase in case numbers we had seen,” said Superintendent Ingrid Colvard. “Thanks to the hard work of our community to help reduce the spread of the virus, we are excited to bring our students back in-person where studies show more effective learning takes place.” 

As before, the district will take advantage of Wind River Middle School, reopened in the fall, and students and staff will use cohorting, social distancing, and mask-wearing to ensure all remain healthy and safe. All three reopened schools – Wind River as well as Stevenson and Carson Elementary Schools – receive thorough cleaning of all facilities at the end of each day. “The health and safety of our students and staff in the building remains our top priority above all else,” said Colvard. “We continue to take every possible precaution so that we can continue offering in-person learning while also remaining vigilant in the event of a spike in new virus cases.” 

In addition to the return of K-8 students, Superintendent Colvard, Stevenson High School Principal William Schwan, Vice-Principal Kelli Dizmang, and the district’s board of directors continues to diligently develop plans for the return of high school students as well as restarting the district’s athletic program in collaboration with the Washington Interscholastic Athletics Association (WIAA). “We know our high school families anxiously await a safe return to in-person learning so developing a plan to safely accommodate our older students drives a lot of the work our team has been performing,” said Colvard. “In addition, we’re working closely with the WIAA to allow our athletes to return to the sports they love as soon as possible.” 

Families with sixth grade students who prefer to remain with distance learning can opt to stay with Stevenson-Carson Learning Link, the district’s distance learning program, rather than returning to in-person school. “Some families may continue to remain concerned about their students returning to an in-person environment,” said Colvard. “In order to accommodate all of our families, we offer parents the choice whether their students return for full-time, in-person school or continue to learn remotely from home.” 

To learn more about how Stevenson-Carson School District educates our students and serves the community, visit the district webpage at www.scsd303.org. 

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Vancouver Police Department investigators are requesting assistance with locating Arthur Applegate, a seventy year old male.  Arthur was last seen leaving his residence on foot at 6100 block of Kansas Street in Vancouver, Washington.  Arthur mentioned to a family member that he was going to "roam around in Portland."

Arthur is seventy years old.  He is a White male, hazel eyes, gray hair (balding), approximately 5'6" tall, and weighing approximately 114 lbs.  Arthur was last seen wearing a gray jacket, blue jeans, and white shoes.  Arthur also had a small to medium size tan backpack on his person.

Arthur does not have a vehicle and the most recent number to his cell phone is unknown at this time.  Arthur has medical conditions that affect his memory and mental health.

Arthur's physical welfare may be compromised due to his absence as he at times gets confused and disoriented when on his own.  

Anyone with information on his whereabouts is asked to call "911" as soon as possible.  

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UPDATE:  Mr. Arthur Applegate has been located in Shasta Lake, California.  He appears to be okay both physically and mentally at the moment.  Family has been updated.  We thank all citizens and news agencies that assisted with the search.  

We are all aware of what extreme wildfires are doing to our homes, forests and air quality. What’s less clear is how wildfires pollute and alter the water coming out of our watersheds. 

Join us to hear what engineers have learned about this problem both locally and in other states, and what Salem is doing to protect the water we drink. This will involve a broad overview of the wildfire issue as it applies to the Pacific Northwest and California, along with a review focused on the Willamette Valley and Santiam watersheds.  The current status of Salem’s water supplies and our new ozone water purification facility will be discussed; in light of the wildfire, the latter is a very important upgrade to our system. Finally, there will be an overview of the water-related jurisdictional and political agreements we have with the multiple communities in the Santiam watershed.  The canyon wildfire highlights the need to ensure that they are working well. 

Our panel speakers are:

Jude Grounds, Vice President of Carollo Engineering,  has 20 years experience in water treatment plan design, construction, and process optimization. As head of the company’s PNW Water practice, he has worked with the City of Salem in support of the development of our near and long term responses to cyanotoxins. He also has managed some of the largest water supply planning and design Projects in the Northwest,  Jude has additional experience with California and Western States communities in drought and with post wildfire water issues.

Lacey Goeres-Priest is the Water Quality Supervisor for the City of Salem.  Lacey oversees drinking water regulatory programs such as watershed monitoring, cross connection, regulatory compliance sampling, and operation of the Aquifer Storage and Recovery (ASR) well system. .  She maintains Oregon Water Distribution III, Oregon Water Treatment I, and Oregon Cross Connection Specialist certifications.  

Chris Hoy is the city councilor from Ward 6 and currently serves as president of the city council and as chair of the Salem Housing Authority. He retired recently after a 30 years history with law enforcement in Clackamas County;  he rose through the ranks to the position of Undersheriff. Throughout his career, Chris worked to help incarcerated individuals in the criminal system have better outcomes and reduced recidivism. As a city councilor involved with Salem water issues, he will review the water relationships we have with our Santiam watershed neighbors.

This program will take place on January 22, 2021, at Noon on Zoom. To access the webinar, go to https://salemcityclub.com/, click the tab that says “Events,” click “Register” and once you register, your spot will be reserved for the event. You will then be sent a link for the Zoom Webinar. Meetings are free for members and $5 for nonmembers. 

Upcoming Program: 

February 5, 2021

The Power of the People - Animal Bond

Presented in Partnership with Salem Reads

Speaker; B.J. Andersen, Executive Director of the Willamette Humane Society 

Vancouver, Wash. – Clark County is looking to fill a position on the Clark County Arts Commission. The volunteer position is for a member of the business community.

The term is four years in length and begins immediately. The commission typically meets at 5:30 pm the first Tuesday of the month on the sixth floor of the Public Service Center, 1300 Franklin St. However, meetings are currently virtual due to the pandemic.

The Arts Commission is made up of 11 volunteer members. Each participating city appoints one member and the county manager appoints three members representing the arts, arts education and business communities.

The commission advises and collaborates with the county council and city councils and reports accomplishments to the community. Members advocate for the arts in the community, at public hearings, budget hearings and other public forums.

Anyone interested in applying for the position should submit a letter and résumé to Michelle Pfenning, County Manager’s Office, PO Box 5000, Vancouver, WA 98666-5000. Applications also can be faxed to 360.397.6058 or emailed to michelle.pfenning@clark.wa.gov.

Application deadline is 5 pm, Friday, Feb. 19, 2021.

Learn more about the Clark County Arts Commission at https://www.clarkcountyartscommission.com/.

NOTICE OF REGULAR MEETING OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

JANUARY 26, 2021 @ 6:30 p.m.

Oregon Virtual Academy Board Members are hereby notified that a Regular Meeting of the Board will be held via teleconference 1-720-707-2699 Ext. 526309737# and via Zoom at

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/5033141592

Pease see the attached press release regarding a vaccine update for Yamhill County.

EUGENE, Ore.—A former Eugene elementary school teacher pleaded guilty today for sexually abusing a minor female, announced U.S. Attorney Billy J. Williams.

William Hamann, 38, pleaded guilty to one count of sex trafficking of a child.

According to court documents, on several occasions beginning in 2018 and continuing until July 2019, Hamann paid a minor female for oral sex and recorded the minor performing the sex acts. The minor female was 15 years old during the first encounter with Hamman. Eugene Police Department detectives and FBI agents arrested Hamann on July 26, 2019, when he came to meet the minor a fourth time. Agents searched his mobile phone and found a recording of one of the sex acts. Hamman used social media to arrange the meetings with the minor.

On August 21, 2019, a federal grand jury in Eugene returned a four-count indictment charging Hamann with sexual exploitation and trafficking of a child, possession of child pornography, and attempted sex trafficking of a child.

Hamann was also charged with multiple counts in Lane County Circuit Court, including sodomy and sex abuse.

Hamann will be sentenced on March 1, 2021 before U.S. District Court Judge Ann Aiken. The U.S. Attorney’s Office will recommend a sentence of 160 months in federal prison to be served consecutively to a 20-month prison sentence in Lane County.

As part of the plea agreement, Hamann has agreed to pay restitution in full to his victim.

This case was investigated by the FBI and the Eugene Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Jeff Sweet, Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon, and Katherine Green, Lane County Deputy District Attorney.

Anyone who has information about the physical or online exploitation of children are encouraged to call the FBI at (503) 224-4181 or submit a tip online at tips.fbi.gov.

Federal law defines child pornography as any visual depiction of sexually explicit conduct involving a minor. It is important to remember child sexual abuse material depicts actual crimes being committed against children. Not only do these images and videos document victims’ exploitation and abuse, but when shared across the internet, child victims suffer re-victimization each time the image of their abuse is viewed. To learn more, please visit the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children’s website at www.missingkids.org.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

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On 01/19/2021, at around 0900 hours, an aggressive and potentially dangerous male Chow Chow dog escaped the custody of Clatsop County Animal Control.  An extensive effort was made to capture the animal by Animal Control, Warrenton Police Department, and the Clatsop County Sheriff’s Office.  Ultimately, initial efforts have been unsuccessful and the dog was last scene in the area of Business Hwy 101, near Willow Drive, in Warrenton.  The dog is all black in color, approximately 50 pounds, and SHOULD NOT be approached.  This animal has and will bite humans.  If you see this animal, please contact Clatsop County Dispatch at 503-325-2061. 

VANCOUVER, WA (Jan. 19, 2021) – Thrivent is awarding Evergreen Habitat for Humanity a contribution of $7,000 to help families in Clark County stay in their homes. Thrivent’s donation will allow Habitat to provide mortgage relief to Habitat homeowners who need temporary assistance making their mortgage payments during the COVID-19 pandemic. With Thrivent’s support, Evergreen Habitat will sustain affordable homeownership costs for more than 12 families in Clark County.

Prior to the spread of the novel coronavirus, more than 18 million households across the U.S. were paying half or more of their income on a place to live. As the pandemic continues to cause job disruption and economic fallout, many households are enduring lay-offs, unemployment, and pay cuts. This wage loss has amplified the financial burden on households to maintain essential payments and can result in families having to trade-off between bills, mortgage, or medical care.

“We're so thankful for Thrivent and their longstanding commitment to Habitat families.” Executive Director of Evergreen Habitat. “Thrivent has been a partner of ours for many years, and has always stepped up for our community. Together with Thrivent, we can ensure our families remain safe and stable throughout these challenging times.”

Evergreen Habitat is one of 100 local Habitat organizations across the nation partnering with Thrivent to help families stay in their homes during the COVID-19 pandemic. In total, Thrivent is donating $750,000 to Habitat for Humanity to assist with mortgage-related relief and prevent foreclosures across the U.S.

“This year has been incredibly difficult for many people as financial hardship has added stress and anxiety to daily lives,” said Nikki Sorum, senior vice president of Thrivent Advisors at Thrivent. “This pandemic has underscored how important it is for people to have safe, affordable homes. Given all we have endured in 2020, we are especially honored to provide financial support to Habitat for Humanity to help people stay in their homes so they can continue to build toward financial stability.”

Habitat for Humanity and Thrivent began their partnership in 2005. Over the past 15 years, Thrivent and their clients have contributed more than $275 million to Habitat and have partnered with families to build safe, affordable homes across the U.S. and around the world.

About Evergreen Habitat for Humanity

 Since 1991, Evergreen Habitat for Humanity has been strengthening the community by building homes and hope for families across Southwest Washington. We believe in a world where everyone has a decent place to live, and our work unites people from across sectors to come together to build community. To date, Evergreen Habitat for Humanity has built 48 homes serving 184 children and adults. Your support makes this happe

About Thrivent

Thrivent is a diversified financial services organization that helps people achieve financial clarity, enabling lives full of meaning and gratitude. As a mission-driven, membership-owned organization, it offers its more than 2 million members and customers a broad range of financial products, services and guidance. Thrivent and its subsidiary and affiliate companies offer insurance, investments, banking and advice over the phone, online as well as through financial professionals and independent agents nationwide. Thrivent is a Fortune 500 company with $152 billion in assets under management/advisement (as of 12/31/19). Thrivent carries an A++ (Superior) rating from AM Best, a credit rating agency; this is the highest of the agency's 16 ratings categories and was affirmed in May of 2019. For more information, visit Thrivent.com. You can also find us on Facebook and Twitter.

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Welcome to the Oregon FBI’s Tech Tuesday segment. Today: Building a digital defense with smart passwords and passphrases.

Last week, we talked about how bad actors are using stolen email passwords to gain access to smart home devices – think of items such as surveillance cameras and internet-connected doorbells. They are using that access to make 911 calls to law enforcement, resulting in a mass response – including SWAT teams. The best way to protect yourself is to use complex passwords or passphrases for online accounts, and don’t reuse passwords across different accounts.

The start of the new year is a great time to look at the passwords you use and make some easy – but consequential – changes.

Rule number 1 – Make sure, at the very least, that your email, financial, and health accounts all have unique passwords or passphrases.

Rule number 2 – Make sure your password or passphrase is as long as the system will allow.

Rule number 3 – Creating new passwords doesn’t have to be super complicated… just make sure they are complex. One easy way to do that is to create a passphrase. Pick a string of words that only you would associate with each other.

For instance, picture a scene that is unique to you such as your backyard and put those thoughts together. “Broken oak tree with fence needing staining overcome by snails and moss” can become “brokenoakstainsnailsmoss”. That’s 24 characters. Add in a capital, special character, and a number and you just made your passphrase even stronger but still easy to remember: “Brokenoak$tainsnailsmo55”.

Make sure you avoid well known strings of words that other people would put together – such as the colors of the rainbow or the name of a popular book.

Rule Number 4 - A password or passphrase is only the first piece of what’s called multi-factor authentication (or MFA). To keep yourself safe, you need at least two – preferably more – pieces to that MFA puzzle. Here’s an easy way to remember what multi-factor authentication includes:

• Something you know (passphrase or password)
• Something you have (such as a randomly-generated PIN texted to your phone)
• Something you are (such as face or fingerprint imaging)

Finally – consider using a reputable password manager. A manager is a program that saves all of your passwords locally or in a cloud vault, and all you have to remember is that one, very complex master passphrase. As with everything, there are no guarantees of 100% safety, but the more roadblocks you can build, the safer you likely will be.

If you believe your e-mail or other smart device credentials have been compromised, you should report the incident to the FBI’s Internet Crime Center at www.ic3.gov or call your FBI local office.  

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Jan. 19, 2021

Yamhill County Farm Bureau offers college scholarships 

This year Yamhill County Farm Bureau will award two $2,000 college scholarships to full-time students who have completed at least one year of college study directed towards a degree in a field related to agriculture.

The applicants must be a student who graduated from a Yamhill County high school or whose family has lived in Yamhill County during their senior year of high school. Successful applicants must have maintained at least a 2.5 GPA during their time in college. 

All application materials, which include an official transcript and two references, must be received by August 1, 2021. 

Find the application at http://www.oregonfb.org/scholarships/ .

For additional information, please leave a message for Marie Schmidt at the Farm Bureau office at 503-472-9123.

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A $337,000 grant from the PGE Drive Change Fund has allowed Meals on Wheels People to purchase two electric vehicles and install electric vehicle charging stations at its headquarters in Multnomah Village. The first of the two vehicles and the charging stations will be revealed on Thursday, Jan. 21, at 10 a.m. at 7710 SW 31st Avenue in Portland.

The PGE Drive Change Fund is funded by the DEQ’s Oregon Clean Fuels Program and is awarded annually through a competitive grant process. Meals on Wheels People received the gift in 2020 and was able to purchase a Nissan Leaf and a Ford Transit Cargo Van for its Meals 4 Kids program. Meals 4 Kids serves qualified children and families within the City of Portland experiencing food insecurity and is funded by the Portland Children’s Levy. The vehicles will be used to deliver meals. In addition, the grant provided enough funding to install three electric vehicle charging stations at the Meals on Wheels People headquarters, allowing staff, volunteers and the public to charge their vehicles while on location.

“This grant was a game-changer for us,” said Meals on Wheels People CEO Suzanne Washington. “Not only has it expanded our fleet of vehicles used for the Meals 4 Kids program, it provided enough funding to install electric vehicle charging stations at our headquarters. Meals on Wheels People is committed to responsible stewardship of resources. Sustainability is part of our corporate culture and why we were recently named one of the 100 Best Green Workplaces in Oregon. We are extremely grateful to PGE and the Drive Change Fund for supporting good nutrition for children and families!”

Dan Janosec, Grants Manager at PGE, said, “We celebrate the work Meals on Wheels People does every day, so we were excited to partner with them on introducing electric transportation to serve children and families in need. Working together, we can make our communities healthier through providing nutritious food and using cleaner transportation.”

About Meals on Wheels People: Meals on Wheels People has been changing lives, one meal at a time, since 1970. We provide more than a meal to thousands of older adults in the greater Portland metro area. Our service not only alleviates hunger and social isolation, but allows seniors to live independently with dignity in their own homes. Aging in place reduces depression, falls and hospitalization as well as the high cost of institutional care. For more information, visit: mowp.org.

About Portland General Electric: Portland General Electric (NYSE: POR) is a fully integrated energy company based in Portland, Oregon, with operations across the state. The company serves approximately 900,000 customers with a service area population of 2 million Oregonians in 51 cities. PGE has 16 generation plants in five Oregon counties, and maintains and operates 14 public parks and recreation areas. For over 130 years, PGE has delivered safe, affordable and reliable energy to Oregonians. Together with its customers, PGE has the No. 1 voluntary renewable energy program in the U.S. PGE and its 3,000 employees are working with customers to build a clean energy future. In 2019, PGE, employees, retirees and the PGE Foundation donated $4.3 million and volunteered 32,900 hours with more than 700 nonprofits across Oregon. For more information visit portlandgeneral.com/news. 

Linn County Sheriff Jim Yon reports that on January 19, 2021, his Detectives arrested Angela Renee Adams, 48, in connection to an embezzlement investigation of the Linn County Planning and Building Department.  In March of 2020, a Linn County employee told the Linn County Administrative Officer that they suspected the Linn County Planning and Building Office Manager, Angela Adams, was stealing from the department.  The Linn County Administrative Officer requested a financial audit of the Planning and Building Department after receiving the complaint.  The audit was concluded in November of 2020 and revealed some financial discrepancies.  The Linn County Administrative Officer requested the Linn County Sheriff’s Office conduct a criminal investigation. 

Detectives interviewed numerous Linn County Employees and served a search warrant and numerous subpoenas related to the investigation.  Detectives were able to determine that approximately $235,000 of cash payments made to Linn County Planning and Building had not been deposited with the Linn County Treasurer in the last eight years.  Detectives were able to see receipts for cash payments had been deleted from the permit software but were able to recover them with the assistance of the Linn County Information Technology Department who had the files backed up in the archive system. 

Angela Adams was arrested and lodged in the Linn County Jail for ten counts of Aggravated Theft in the First Degree and two counts of Theft in the First Degree.  The investigation is on-going.  If you have any information on this case, please contact Detective Matt Wilcox at (541) 967-3950.   

Vancouver, Wash. – The interim county manager is seeking an applicant to fill a vacancy on the Clark County Development and Engineering Advisory Board, DEAB. The position is open to professionals associated with private-sector development engineering or planning.

The position will fill an uncompleted term beginning March 1, 2021, and ending March 31, 2023.

The advisory board reviews policy and county code changes and works on process improvements and fees with the county’s Community Development and Public Works departments.

DEAB consists of ten members: three private-sector planners or engineers; one construction contractor; one public-sector planner or engineer; one land developer; one Building Industry Association representative; one professional associated with commercial or industrial development; and two other professionals associated with development.

DEAB typically meets 2:30-4:30 pm on the first Thursday of the month at the Public Service Center, 1300 Franklin St. Virtual meetings are being held while COVID-19 requirements are in place.

Anyone interested should submit a letter of interest and résumé to Michelle Pfenning, Councilors’ Office, P.O. Box 5000, Vancouver, WA 98666-5000. Applications also can be emailed to michelle.pfenning@clark.wa.gov.

Application deadline is 5 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 16, 2021.

More information, including meeting agendas and minutes, is available at www.clark.wa.gov/community-development/development-and-engineering-advisory-board.

Vancouver, Wash. – Clark County Public Health is now accepting requests for COVID-19 vaccination for those who are eligible in Phase 1b Tier 1 of the state’s vaccination plan. All requests for vaccine must be made through a webform on the Public Health website.

People who are eligible to be vaccinated in Phase 1a or Phase 1b Tier 1 (B1) and need help accessing COVID-19 vaccine can submit a request form on the Public Health website. Public Health is connecting eligible people to local health care facilities with COVID-19 vaccine.

Those who submit a request through the webform will be contacted by a local health care facility to set up an appointment as soon as possible. Wait times will vary. The number of people eligible in Phase 1b Tier 1 (B1) exceeds the county’s vaccine supply and capacity of local health care facilities.

“We ask people to please be patient,” said Dr. Alan Melnick, Clark County health officer and public health director. “We’re working with local health care providers to get people vaccinated as quickly as possible, but the demand for vaccine in Phase 1b is far greater than our current supply.”

Clark County Public Health and partners in Southwest Washington continue to explore opportunities for opening community vaccination sites in order to more quickly vaccinate people. Public Health will have additional information to share later this week.

Eligible phases

Clark County providers will continue to vaccinate people eligible in Phase 1a: people who work in health care settings, high-risk first responders, and people who live or work in long-term care facilities.

Local providers will also now begin vaccinating those who are eligible in the first tier of Phase 1b, which includes:

• All people 65 years and older.
• People 50 years and older who live in multigenerational households.

There are two categories of people who are eligible under the “multigenerational household” definition:

1. People who are 50 and older AND are not able to live independently AND are either:
   • Receiving long-term care from a paid or unpaid caregiver OR
   • Are living with someone who works outside the home
2. People who are 50 and older AND are living with and caring for a grandchild.

No one younger than 50 years is eligible, and no one 50 and older who is caring for a partner, friend or child is eligible.

For more information about the state COVID-19 vaccine allocation plan, visit the Washington State Department of Health COVID-19 Vaccine webpage.

Tuesday, January 19, 2021 – Ridgefield, WA – When high school students are all learning from home, it can be hard for them to connect socially.  In the past, Ridgefield High School’s Associated Student Body (ASB) hosted its events in-person.  With the switch to remote learning, the ASB chose instead to ramp up its online presence, offering students a new way to share experiences together.

The ASB runs one of the school’s Instagram accounts, SpudderNation.  ASB Leadership students decided to use the account as a platform for online content exclusive to Ridgefield High School.  They started creating fun features that all students could watch from their own homes.  Using Instagram allows them to social distance and be safe, but still have fun. 

They started a live show on Instagram TV (IGTV) called Good Morning Wednesdays.  ASB Leadership students, including Presley McCaskill, Jaynie Murray, and Gabe Berkey, appear live each Wednesday on a split screen, each one with a coffee or warm beverage.  And much like a morning talk show, they discuss different topics.  Past topics have included how to start good studying habits, how to apply for college, and how to practice good mental health.  Viewers can submit questions online, and ASB students answer them during the broadcast.  Stefanie Foster, ASB Leadership Advisor, is glad to see a chance for students to interact, saying, “This is awesome peer-to-peer engagement.” 

Each Friday, another group of ASB students host Spudder Night Live, a video compilation of different fun skits and segments.  Luke Price and Aidan Hundt serve as the hosts of Spudder Night Live and do their own segments, like interviewing guests or doing TikTok of the week, where they imitate a TikTok dance video.  Jacob Bell presents the weather, and Cash Hill discusses weekend highlights.  Justin Wilkins and his dog, Bentley, co-host random shower thoughts, like “Is the S or C silent in the word scent?”.  And Drew Harteloo reviews different products; recently he sawed up a log to review a chainsaw.  Annikka Hill helps put the video features together into a show.

Over the holidays, they also created a special music video.  High school teachers and staff lip-synced and danced to different sections of Jingle Bell Rock, and the students compiled the clips together into one fun video.  They released it on Spudder Night Live during winter break. 

Price is glad people are enjoying Spudder Night Live.  “We started it to make people feel like they’re still connected.  So if it gets hard to think of new ideas, we remind ourselves that it’s about feeling like we’re all still together.”  He plans for Spudder Night Live to continue even after they return to school.  

In addition to the student-run shows, ASB also hosts events on Instagram, like a gingerbread house decorating contest, and virtual class color wars, where each grade wore a different color.  Spirit Week went entirely online as well.  And the ASB sponsored a real-life food drive for the Ridgefield Family Resource Center, posting collection boxes at Ridgefield Pioneer Marketplace, Lava Java, and Ridgefield High School. 

Having a social media feed that is almost entirely student-driven is unusual, but it has proved to be incredibly popular; SpudderNation gets hundreds of student views.  Ridgefield High School Principal Christen Palmer said, “I am so proud of these students for finding a way to communicate with each other despite all these challenges.  They are absolutely killing it with SpudderNation!”

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PORTLAND, OR – Today on the courtyard steps of One World Trade Center, 121 SW Salmon Street, several of Portland’s civic leaders will stand together, to call on everyone to be here for Portland.

EDITORS:
Media crews set up 2:15 p.m. – press conference starts at 2:35 p.m. (pause for bells/remembrance of COVID-19 victims)
COVID-19 precautions and physical distancing measures in place at this outdoor staging.

LOCATION:
Courtyard steps of 1 WTC, 121 SW Salmon Street, Portland, OR (block facing SW Salmon).

SPEAKERS:
Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler
Commissioner Dan Ryan
Commissioner Mingus Mapps
Andrew Hoan, president & CEO, Portland Business Alliance, Greater Portland’s Chamber of Commerce

This statement of unity comes at a critical moment when the city we love emerges from the darkest days of a pandemic that has set up a challenging economic year for many in our community. 

Here for Portland is a new city-wide awareness campaign that encourages everyone to put your money where your heart is and support local businesses this holiday season and through the winter months. 

Several billboards and signs can be found across the central city, encouraging Portlanders to “Go big, buy from home” and “Be here for Portland.”

In collaboration with the creative teams at North, Travel Portland, Prosper Portland, Downtown Portland and others, Portland Business Alliance is pleased to share this special initiative that calls on all Portlanders to help the Rose City bounce back from the unprecedented economic and pandemic setbacks of 2020.

BE HERE FOR PORTLAND:

Visit HereforPortland.com to find out how you can support local businesses with shopping online or safely in person, and learn how to add your voice to be here for Portland.

Tag & add your voice: #HereforPortland 

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About Portland Business Alliance
The Portland Business Alliance is greater Portland’s Chamber of Commerce. Our mission is to create opportunity and advance well-being for all who live and work in the greater Portland and SW Washington region. Our vision is a healthy and resilient business ecosystem. Visit PortlandAlliance.com for more information.

About Downtown Portland
The Downtown Portland Clean & Safe District provides extraordinary essential services to the people, places and businesses within a core 213-block area of our unique city. Operating since 1988, the district is one of the oldest, largest and most successful enhanced service districts in the nation. Visit DowntownPortland.org for more information.

PRESS RELEASE 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

January 19, 2021

POPULARITY OF “SAVOR THE COUVE” CONVINCES GREATER VANCOUVER CHAMBER

AND VISIT VANCOUVER USA TO CONTINUE WEEKLY SERIES THROUGH MARCH 2021

Weekly takeout dinner for two has been a sell-out success for eight weeks.

Vancouver, Wash. - The Greater Vancouver Chamber and Visit Vancouver USA are partnering again to produce the local, weekly restaurant takeout collaboration on 100, five-course dinners for two, each Thursday through the end of March 2021. Each week, Savor The Couve will feature five different restaurants that provide one of the courses each, introducing diners to flavors and restaurants they’ve never visited. ilani is continuing as the presenting sponsor of the series.

Savor The Couve’s initial run for eight weeks beginning in December yielded such positive feedback from restauranteurs, nonprofits, volunteers, diners, and community members, the Chamber and Visit Vancouver USA decided to continue the program to keep funds rolling in for the nonprofits and participating restaurants. 

“As new restrictions pose challenges for local dining establishments, especially during the colder season, Savor The Couve offers a fun, contact-less way for Vancouver foodies to try new flavors around town, while supporting nonprofits in the process!” adds Sarah Cooke, Marketing & Communications Manager at the Chamber. “We’ve received an overwhelming number of positive testimonials from diners, nonprofits, and the restauranteurs. We are proud to continue this program into the Spring.” Among the feedback from the diners in December and January, a new member of the community shared, “This was such a wonderful experience! This was so well-organized, the communication was superb and the pickup was orderly and efficient. And the food was amazing! My husband and I moved up here just before the pandemic, so had very little time to go out and try new places. This was such a great opportunity to support restaurants and try them out! We were thrilled overall and can't wait to order again.”

Each week, five restaurants will collaborate on 100 five-course dinners for two diners, for only $100. $25 of every order purchased, is donated to a different nonprofit organization around the region each week. Participating restaurants and nonprofits are encouraged to gain more visibility by promoting their involvement to their supporters and through their various communication channels. Restaurants and Nonprofits interested in participating in February through March can sign up on VancouverUSA.com/STCSignUp, to confirm their interest. Beginning with the February 4th dinner, each week over the next eight weeks will feature a dining theme, where the restaurants for the week will contribute a theme related course. The five courses each week consist of a theme-related: Adult Beverages for Two (Beer/Wine/Cocktail), Appetizer for Two, Soup or Salad for Two, Two different Entrées with sides, and Dessert for Two: 

• Thursday, Feburary 4: Welcome Back! (Theme TBD)
• Thursday, February 11: “Date Night”
• Thursday, February 18: Women Owned Restaurants
• Thursday, February 25: Traditional Italian
• Thursday, March 4: Asian Fusion
• Thursday, March 11: Authentic Mexican/Southwestern
• Thursday, March 18: Plant-Based (Vegan)
• Thursday, March 25: PNW Inspired

All weeks through March are available for pre-order at VancouverUSA.com/SavorTheCouve. Participating restaurants, menus, and nonprofit details coming soon. Each week, diners who’ve ordered for that week will pick up their Dinner for Two between 5:00 PM – 5:40 PM at Warehouse ‘23’s Event Venue Entrance. Volunteers from the nonprofit that week, as well as Chamber, Visit Vancouver USA, and ilani team members will be organizing take-out bags for quick distribution as cars drive through. Those interested in ordering upcoming Savor the Couve dinners can go to www.VancouverUSA.com/SavorTheCouve to place orders through March 2021. Restaurants and nonprofits looking to collaborate on this series are invited to sign up for their preferred week at www.VancouverUSA.com/STCSignUp.

Program Contacts:

Sarah Cooke, Greater Vancouver Chamber | 360.607.9567; scooke@VancouverUSA.com

Gretchen Fritz, Visit Vancouver USA | 360.798.9299; ggettles@visitvancouverusa.com

John McDonagh, Greater Vancouver Chamber | 360.624.6898; jmcdonagh@vancouverusa.com

Cliff Myers, Visit Vancouver USA |360.750.1553 Ext. 512; cmyers@visitvancouverusa.com 

Director Christopher Wray has named Kieran Ramsey as the special agent in charge of the Portland Field Office. Most recently, Mr. Ramsey served as the director of the FBI Hostage Recovery Fusion Cell in the Counterterrorism Division at FBI Headquarters in Washington, D.C.

Mr. Ramsey joined the FBI as a special agent in 1998 and was assigned to the Seattle Field Office. He worked on a public corruption task force, an organized crime squad, and on the Seattle Joint Terrorism Task Force. Mr. Ramsey also served as the senior leader of Seattle’s Evidence Response Team and deployed to the World Trade Center after 9/11.

In 2005, Mr. Ramsey was promoted to supervisory special agent and worked in the Counterterrorism HUMINT Operations Unit at FBI Headquarters. He served in that position for two years and was promoted to legal attaché in Cairo in 2007. As legat, he served as the principal FBI official for U.S. embassies in Egypt, Sudan, and Libya.

Mr. Ramsey was promoted in 2010 to supervisory senior resident agent of the New Hampshire offices, under the Boston Field Office. In that position, he also directed the New Hampshire Safe Streets Task Force and the New Hampshire Joint Terrorism Task Force. He was promoted in 2013 to assistant special agent in charge of the Boston’s Counterterrorism Branch, and led the Boston Marathon Bombing Task Force to its conclusion.

He was named legal attaché in Rome in 2017, covering Italy, The Holy See, and Malta. Mr. Ramsey was promoted to section chief in 2018, and named the director of the Hostage Recovery Fusion Cell. The interagency HRFC leads the U.S. government’s efforts to recover U.S. national hostages held abroad.

Prior to joining the FBI, Mr. Ramsey was a special agent with the U.S. Customs Service. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Northeastern University in Boston and a master’s degree from Georgetown University in Washington.

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An Oregon Department of Corrections (DOC) adult in custody (AIC) died January 18, 2021. He was incarcerated at Two Rivers Correctional Institution and passed away at a local hospital. He tested positive for COVID-19 and was between 55 and 65 years old. As with all in-custody deaths, the Oregon State Police have been notified, and the Medical Examiner will determine cause of death. Department-wide, this is the thirty-third AIC to die who tested positive for COVID-19.

For more information on COVID-19 cases inside Oregon’s prisons, please visit DOC’s COVID-19 website. The agency is responsible for the care and custody of 13,000 adults in custody who are incarcerated in 14 institutions across the state.

Anyone entering DOC property is required to wear a mask or face covering in any indoor work setting or other indoor premises regardless of distance from others unless they are in a private, individual office not shared by anyone else; or they are actively eating or drinking AND at least six (6) feet of distance can be maintained between other people.

Institutions continue to clean and disinfect numerous times a day. DOC asks AICs to report symptoms of COVID-19 to medical staff. Posters are in all DOC institutions encouraging individuals to maintain proper hygiene and to uphold appropriate social distancing to the extent possible. Health screening processes are in place before staff are allowed to enter facilities. This screening includes a temperature check and a screening questionnaire. Visiting remains closed until further notice.

DOC has begun administering COVID-19 vaccinations – eventually offering to all DOC staff, contractors, Oregon Corrections Enterprises employees, and AICs. Prioritization of vaccines will be determined by guidance from the Oregon Health Authority (OHA), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), and the Governor’s Office.

Prior to the COVID-19 crisis, DOC issued a press release when an AIC passed away. This notification would include the person’s name, county of conviction, sentence length, and date of death. However, no cause of death would be listed because the Medical Examiner makes that determination. In order to balance the desire for transparency with our legal obligation to protect personal health information, we have changed the AIC death notification process when someone dies who has tested positive for COVID-19. DOC is working with the Oregon Health Authority to publish COVID-19 related data and information on the OHA website.

Location: 160 NW 25th Street, Walmart, Newport

Date/Time: January 17th, 2021 @ 1107 Hours

Details: On January 17th, 2021 @ 1107 Hours the Newport Police Department were dispatched to the Newport Walmart on the report of a female subject at the location attempting to assault a store employee with a baseball bat. An Oregon State Trooper was the first to arrive on scene and was able to intervene and stop the suspect.

Investigation revealed that Hannah Lettrell, 30, of McMinnville, had been in the store and had stolen some items. Lettrell had left the business with the stolen merchandise, but had returned a short time later. Walmart security had witnessed Lettrell return and confronted her about the earlier theft. This is when Lettrell brandished a baseball bat and charged at the Walmart security officer, swinging the bat at them and yelling profanities. The Walmart security officer was able to flee away from the suspect.

An Oregon State Trooper, who was in the area at the time, intervened and gave commands to Lettrell to drop the bat. Lettrell threw the bat, then proceeded to yell and scream at responders. She was taken into custody and lodged at the Lincoln County Jail for the following charges;

Hannah Lettrell, 30

• Assault 2 - Attempted
• Unlawful Use of a Weapon
• Menacing
• Disorderly Conduct
• Theft 3

Location: 754 SW Coast Hwy, Newport Bay Motel, Newport

Date/Time: January 17th, 2021 @ 1618 Hours

Details: On January 17th, 2021 @ 1618 Hours the Newport Police Department was dispatched to the Newport Bay Motel on the report of a male subject at the location assaulting another person with a machete.

Officers arrived and contacted Ronald Callihan, 66, of Newport, sitting in his vehicle. Investigation revealed that Callihan was staying at the motel and had prior issues with another tenant there. While the victim was in a common area working on their bicycle, Callihan approached the victim and began swinging a machete wildly at the victim. The victim attempted to get away, but was unable to and was struck in the arm with the machete. Callihan was yelling at the victim and continued to swing the machete at the victim, only stopping the assault when bystanders intervened.

Callihan admitted to the assault and was still very agitated when contacted by officers. He was placed into custody without incident and the machete was seized. The victim refused any medical treatment at the scene.

Callihan was taken into custody and lodged at the Lincoln County Jail for the following charges;

Callihan, Ronald, 66

• Assault 2
• Assault 4
• Unlawful Use of a Weapon
• Harassment
• Menacing
• Disorderly Conduct

Gov. Jay Inslee announced today the state is moving into Phase 1b of the COVID-19 vaccination plan.

Clark and Cowlitz counties will continue to prioritize those who are eligible in Phase 1a for COVID-19 vaccination. Health officials expect both counties will be ready to move to Phase 1b later this week.

In Phase 1a, people who work in health care settings, high-risk first responders, and people who live or work in long-term care facilities are eligible to be vaccinated. County health departments are connecting eligible people to health care facilities with COVID-19 vaccine.

Clark County residents who are eligible to be vaccinated in Phase 1a and need help accessing COVID-19 vaccine can submit a request form on the Clark County Public Health COVID-19 vaccine webpage. Later this week, the form will be updated to begin accepting requests for people who are eligible in Phase 1b.

Cowlitz County residents who are eligible to be vaccinated in Phase 1a and need help accessing vaccine can submit a request to Cowlitz County Health & Human Services by email to askcowlitzhealth@co.cowlitz.wa.us. Additional information is available on the Cowlitz County Health & Human Services COVID-19 Vaccine webpage.

The counties will make an announcement and update their websites when requests for 1b populations are being accepted.

“We know many people in Phase 1b are eager to get vaccinated. We ask for your patience as we finish vaccinating the last of the Phase 1a population,” said Dr. Alan Melnick, health officer for Clark and Cowlitz counties. “We’re working closely with our health care partners to get people vaccinated as quickly as possible.”

Phase 1b

The Washington State Department of Health has outlined who is eligible for vaccination in each phase. Once Clark and Cowlitz counties move to Phase 1b, providers will begin vaccinating those who are eligible in Tier 1 (B1).

Those eligible in the first tier of Phase 1b include:

• All people 65 years and older.
• People 50 years and older who live in multigenerational households.

There are two categories of people who are eligible under the “multigenerational household” definition:

1. People who are 50 and older AND are not able to live independently AND are either:
   • Receiving long-term care from a paid or unpaid caregiver OR
   • Are living with someone who works outside the home
2. People who are 50 and older AND are living with and caring for a grandchild.

No one younger than 50 years is eligible, and no one 50 and older who is caring for a partner, friend or child is eligible.

Clark County Public Health, Cowlitz County Health & Human Services and partners in Southwest Washington continue to explore opportunities for opening community vaccination sites in order to more quickly vaccinate people. Additional information about these efforts will be shared later this week.

The regional effort to establish community vaccination sites is separate from the governor’s announcement today about a vaccination site at the Clark County Fairgrounds. Questions about that site should be directed to the Washington State Department of Health.

For more information about the state COVID-19 vaccine allocation plan, including who is eligible to be vaccinated in Phase 1b, visit the Washington State Department of Health COVID-19 Vaccine webpage. Use the state health department’s Phase Finder tool to determine whether you are eligible for COVID-19 vaccination. Visit www.FindYourPhaseWA.org.

Monday, January 18, 2021-Woodland, WA-During science classes, teachers use labs and experiments to engage students and improve learning by demonstrating concepts in action. However, with Woodland’s high school students learning fully remotely due to the pandemic, Stephanie Marshall, a science teacher at Woodland High School, develops unique ways to involve students in vivid science lab experiments without the ability to attend school in-person.

To make science labs happen remotely, Marshall had to figure out how to involve students with the experiments without being able to conduct the labs themselves. “Labs are such a huge part of the chemistry curriculum that I didn’t want to have students miss out on them during the pandemic,” said Marshall. “I realized that I could walk the students step-by-step with me as I conducted the labs and involve them by having them hypothesize about what would happen before I took another step in the lab, intentionally making a mistake they need to catch, and encourage them to participate the entire time.”

Marshall uses multiple Internet-connected video cameras to teach her classes and conduct the labs. A webcam points at Marshall while she walks students through creating scientific formulas, performing compound formula math, and teaches the lessons and concepts. A second camera, a high-resolution camera typically used to display documents for entire classes to see, closely focuses on the experiments themselves which take place in beakers, test tubes, and Bunsen burners so students can see the chemical reactions taking place close-up and in real-time.

Marshall also makes sure to create extremely vivid and sometimes volatile labs so students can both easily see the experiment remotely and to increase student engagement in the lesson. “Since I am conducting the experiment and not the students, I can perform more advanced experiments than high school students typically would in order to demonstrate the concepts the students are learning while also really engaging them; I try to get some of that ‘wow’ chemistry,” she explained. “In fact, my goal is to light something on fire in a science lab at least once each week; if I don’t, students will actually point out that I haven’t lit anything on fire in a while!”

During the science labs, Marshall directs the students to explain why different reactions happen, focus on making detailed observations, and to hypothesize about potential outcomes before they happen. “Sometimes, I intentionally make mistakes just like students would in-class to test if my students catch the mistake when they work on the assignment,” she said. “If they don’t catch the mistake I made, their results will come out wrong and they’ll need to revisit the lesson, further deepening the learning taking place.”

During an experiment where Marshall mixed chemicals resulting in a variety of outcomes, students wrote detailed notes about the results including the end state of a mixture (gas, liquid or solid), what color reactions could indicate about the product, and, of course, the potential flammability of certain end results. The climax of the lab involved Marshall lighting magnesium on fire with a Bunsen burner resulting in a large and colorful flame. 
  
Remote learning presents incredible challenges for all teachers, particularly for subjects that involve a lot of hands-on work like science and math. “I used to walk around and check on how students were doing with practice problems, correcting mistakes in real-time and specifically helping students who might be struggling with the material,” said Marshall. “Not being able to do that remotely makes a big difference as that guidance can have huge effects on student learning.”

However, remote learning provided Marshall with a few silver linings. “When we’re in class, I can’t do advanced labs all the time – with a classroom filled with 30 kids, I’m not going to light something on fire every day,” she said. “Also, I get to intensely work with small groups of seven kids or less for 30 minutes at a time during remote learning; getting to focus intently with these small groups encourages students to participate because they’re more familiar with one another and more comfortable making guesses or answering questions.”

Ensuring students attend class and engage with the material remain the top priorities for Marshall during remote learning. “Chemistry is cool and I love it, but one of my biggest goals for my students is to truly engage them so they keep coming back and keep learning,” she said. “Even during remote learning, student attendance to my labs is nearly 100% every week which is great because I’m basically putting on a show where they get to learn.”

Learn more about how Woodland Public Schools educates our students and serves the community, by visiting our dedicated news webpage at www.woodlandschools.org/news/wsd 

Stay informed with the latest updates about the eventual transition from remote learning to in-person learning and more about COVID-19 at Woodland Public Schools’ dedicated website: www.woodlandschools.org/covid-hq 

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Portland Ore., January 18, 2021 - SOLVE, Portland Business Alliance, and Portland Lodging Alliance, with the support of Harsch Investment Properties, held a Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service with volunteer litter cleanup projects throughout Portland.

Nearly 400 volunteers attended the cleanup event and collected more than 4,300 pounds of litter and debris from city sidewalks, parks, and business fronts.

This Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service was in conjunction with SOLVE’s Downtown Monthly Portland Volunteer Litter Cleanup Days. Since they began in September, more than 1,500 volunteers have removed over 17,000 pounds of litter.  

The Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service event kicked off from four different locations throughout Portland including Providence Park, The Benson Hotel, Northwest Academy, and Urbanite, located on Southeast Martin Luther King Boulevard. By hosting multiple locations, SOLVE was able to safely accommodate a higher number of volunteers for the cleanup effort.

Volunteers received heavy duty garbage bags, vinyl gloves, a safety vest, and a litter grabber before spreading out to clean the Rose City. Common items found included cigarette butts, disposable masks, and take-out containers. All volunteers were required to wear a mask at all times and maintain social distancing throughout the event.

The next Downtown Volunteer Litter Cleanup Days will be held on February 24 and March 18. Disposal for the Downtown Portland Volunteer Litter Cleanup Days is donated by Central City Concern.

About SOLVE
SOLVE is a statewide non-profit organization that brings Oregonians together to improve our environment and build a legacy of stewardship. Since 1969, the organization has grown from a small, grassroots group to a national model of volunteer action. Today, SOLVE mobilizes and trains tens of thousands of volunteers of all ages across Oregon to clean and restore our neighborhoods and natural areas, and to build a legacy of stewardship for our state. Visit solveoregon.org for more information. 

About Portland Business Alliance
The Portland Business Alliance is greater Portland’s Chamber of Commerce. Our mission is to create opportunity and advance well-being for all who live and work in the greater Portland and SW Washington region. Our vision is a healthy and resilient business ecosystem. Visit PortlandAlliance.com for more information.

PRESS RELEASE

JAN 18, 2020

Re: Clackamas County Commissioner Mark Shull apologizes for his racist, bigoted, xenophobic, and Islamophobic Comments today at the Muslim Educational Trust at 3:00 p.m. in person (by invitation due to space limitation).

You may also view the event virtually by clicking here

Please contact: 

Wajdi Said, President and Co-Founder, Muslim Educational Trust, 503.579.6621  wajdi@metpdx.org 

Ronault LS Catalani (Polo), Founder of the New Portland Foundation 503.984.6310 polo.nwccounsel@icloud.com

Imam Najieb, Muslim Community Center of Portland, 503.475.1955 mccp.officeof.imam@gmail.com

Pastor J.W. Matt Hennessee, Vancouver Avenue First Baptist Church, 503.351.8356 .matth@comcast.net" target="_blank">pastor.matth@comcast.net

Mollie Reavis, Sister of the Holy Names, Institute for Christian Muslim Understanding, 503.285.0634 eavis_m@hotmail.com" target="_blank">reavis_m@hotmail.com

(Portland, OR) “On a day in which we celebrate and honor the legacy of the late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., we seek to address ignorance and bigotry with a strong sense of compassionate resolve that seeks to find healing and reconciliation while holding those in power accountable for their actions. "This is the beginning towards responsible behavior as an elected official”  -- Pastor J.W. Matt Hennessee, Vancouver Avenue First Baptist Church

“Bigotry and xenophobia towards those different is nothing new. The United States removed American citizens of Japanese descent 80 years ago because of bigotry and xenophobia. It begins with words and then translates into actions. Society must continue to get better and learn from history.”  -- Sho Dozono, President of New Portland Foundation.  

Rooted in the Teachings of Prophet Mohammed, Prophet Jesus, and Prophet Moses (peace be upon them all), Muslim Educational Trust (MET), President and Co-founder, Wajdi Said, stated last week in messages to our region’s faith, civil society, and government leaders that pointing out Clackamas County Commissioner Mark Shull’s wrongs and ridding him from our lives, is easy. Hard is maintaining community. Even harder is making community with all those neighbors loving and believing in the man you and I don’t want around anymore. 

Our working theory:

Rising to the daily work of building community and addressing inequity and intolerance that was done by leaders such as Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., el-Hajj Malik el-Shabazz (Malcolm X), Rosa Parks, Mother Teresa, and many other great leaders of the past and today, is difficult but is necessary. 

The goals of the small group now sitting with Commissioner Mark Shull, are less elevated but more practical. Segregating those of us who can’t stand what Mark Shull said, from those of us who agree with him, continues the societally destructive American ruts institutionalized by an era of shoving black families out of white bus seats and lunch counter stools. Last century’s escape clause, “You can always move out,” is no longer acceptable. Likewise, structuring political divides between differing populations will only continue the worldwide spiritual disintegration.  

Our basic outcomes:

For the practical Pacific Northwesterners meeting with Commissioner Shull, in the middle of so much American anger and sorrow, our desired outcomes will be the answers to the questions we put to Commissioner Shull and to ourselves:  

A. How do we stop our societal and our spiritual disintegration, here and now? 

B. What can we ask Commissioner Shull, his family, and community to do, and what can we ask elected officials in all political parties, organizations, citizens wanting to cancel him, to do, for truth and reconciliation. Here and now. 

Three fundamentals are taking form;

1. Apologizing for public harm: Meaning, we need to know what harm is done; what is a public apology; what media are necessary.

2. Convening public conversations on healing: Meaning, how do we have an open conversation; and who must participate.

3. Facilitating educational forums on xenophobia generally, on Islamophobia specifically. Meaning, what and where are effective forums. 

This letter is endorsed by Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon, the Institute for Christian-Muslim Understanding, New Portland Foundation, Arab and Jewish Muslim Dialogue, the Beloved Community Coalition, Oregon Muslim Youth, and by the following Jewish, Christian, Muslim, African American, Latino, Indigenous, and citizens of goodwill:

Imam Najieb, Muslim Community Center of Portland

Mozafar Wanly, President of the Salman Al Farsi Islamic Centner

Bahaa Wanly, President of the Salem Islamic Society

Sho Dozono, President, New Portland Foundation

Hector Hinojosa, Washington County Latino Leader

Ms. Jan Elfers, Executive Director, Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon

Sister Mollie Reavis, Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary

Rabbi Michael Cahana, Congregation Beth Israel

Rabbi David Kosak, Congregation Neveh Shalom

Rabbi Benjamin Barnett, Congregation Havurah Shalom

Imam Abdullah Polovina, Islamic Bosniaks Educational and Cultural Center

Sheikh Mohamed Elebaid, Masjid Lady Khadija

Imam Sharif Abdullahi Mohammad, Masjid Abu Bakr

Shahriar Ahmed, President of Bilal Masjid 

Musse Olol, Somali American Council of Oregon

Jawad Khan, Muslim Educational Trust

Ms. Juwairyah Syed, Oregon Islamic Academy educator

Arif Kareem, Bilal Masjid Trustee

Polo Catalani, Founder of New Portland Foundation 

Allen Oyler, Elder of the Latter Day Saints Beaverton Stake 

Ms. Marwa Mahmood, Oregon Islamic Academy educator

Jahed Sukhun, Palestinian American Leader

Jamal Tarhuni, President Libyan Society of Portland

Pastor Matt Hennessee, Vancouver Avenue First Baptist Church

Wajdi Said, President and Co-Founder, Muslim Educational Trust

Blake Goud, Treasurer, New Portland Foundation

Jack Hanna, New Portland Foundation

Ms. Asena Lawrence, Turkish American Leader

PORTLAND, Ore. — COVID-19 has claimed three more lives in Oregon, raising the state’s death toll to 1,803, Oregon Health Authority reported at 12:01 a.m. today.

OHA reported 666 new confirmed and presumptive cases of COVID-19 as of 12:01 a.m. today, bringing the state total to 133,851.

Vaccinations in Oregon 

Today, OHA is reporting that 11,951 new doses of COVID-19 vaccinations were added to the state immunization registry. Of this total, 8,409 vaccine doses were administered on Jan. 17. 

Oregon has now administered a cumulative total of 216,925 first and second doses of COVID-19 vaccines. All vaccinations occurred at Oregon hospitals, long-term care facilities, emergency medical service (EMS) agencies, urgent care facilities and Local Public Health Authorities (LPHAs). 

To date, 335,075 doses of vaccine 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 342, which is 19 fewer than yesterday. There are 94 COVID-19 patients in intensive care unit (ICU) beds, which is one fewer than yesterday. 

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.

The new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases reported today are in the following counties: Benton (10), Clackamas (57), Columbia (6), Coos (1), Crook (9), Deschutes (51), Douglas (11), Hood River (3), Jackson (40), Jefferson (2), Josephine (9), Lake (1), Lane (81), Lincoln (5), Linn (8), Malheur (4), Marion (79), Morrow (6), Multnomah (140), Polk (9), Umatilla (29), Wasco (10), Washington (87), Yamhill (8).

Oregon’s 1801st COVID-19 death is a 90-year-old woman in Lane County who tested positive Jan. 4 and died Jan. 8 at her residence. She had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 1802nd COVID-19 death is a 55-year-old man in Marion County who tested positive Dec. 27 and died Jan. 16 at Salem Hospital. He had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 1803rd COVID-19 death is a 99-year-old woman in Multnomah County who tested positive Jan. 3 and died Jan. 15 at her residence. She had underlying conditions.

Updated information is available for Oregon’s 1,800th death: Her place of death was confirmed as her residence.

1This includes cases confirmed by diagnostic testing and presumptive cases. Presumptive cases are those without a positive diagnostic test who present COVID-19-like symptoms and had close contact with a confirmed case. County of residence for cases may change as new information becomes available. If changes occur, we will update our counts accordingly.

2For additional details on individuals who have died from COVID-19 in Oregon, please refer to our press releases

ELRs Received 1/17

Total ELRs Received

As the investigation continues into the recent riot in Tigard, we are asking for the public’s help in identifying one of the people involved.

Attached you’ll find surveillance video and still images of a man who broke several windows with a crowbar at the Tigard Police / City Hall complex during the January 7th riot. He is wearing glasses and has curly hair.

Tigard Police are continuing to review evidence and other leads regarding additional subjects who were involved that night. We anticipate further charges will be coming.

If you recognize this man, or have information related to other riot participants, please submit tips by calling 503-718-COPS or emailing tips@tigard-or.gov. You can remain anonymous.

(Newsrooms: the video file is also available for download on our YouTube channel here https://youtu.be/7b76Wo3lfX8)

PORTLAND, Ore. – Kaiser Permanente Northwest has awarded $500,000 to support Portland area programs that address systemic racism and its accompanying trauma on individuals and communities of color. The investment is part of our commitment to help create a better, more equitable future for our members and communities.

The Portland African American Leadership Forum (PAALF) will receive $250,000 for its Black Leadership Academy, and the Urban League of Portland (ULP) will receive $250,000 to support capacity building for integrated community services and programs. Each grant runs for two years.

These grants build on Kaiser Permanente’s national commitment of $25 million announced last year to promote health equity and break the cycle of racism-driven stresses that lead to poor health outcomes. Locally, Kaiser Permanente Northwest invested in Black-owned businesses and nonprofits including rapid response grants, business loans, and professional development to strengthen minority owned businesses in the wake of COVID-19.

"These grants are a tangible extension of Kaiser Permanente’s steadfast commitment to equity, inclusion, and diversity as we work together to support our Northwest communities of color, said Jeff Collins, President Kaiser Foundation Health Plan and Hospitals of the Northwest.“ We know that economic stability plays a major role in health and wellness. And these grants will foster professional development to build a new generation of leaders who will focus on racial justice and move us forward."

Imagine Black Futures Training Program

Imagine Black Futures (formerly known as Portland African America Leadership Forum) will facilitate the African American Leadership Academy, which provides a framework to build a group of transformative Black leaders. The training program addresses personal, cultural, civic and professional needs of emerging Black leaders in Portland. Above all else, the program helps foster leaders who hold a lifelong commitment to fighting for racial justice and creating lasting change in their community.

Urban League of Portland

As the need for support in the Black community grows, the Urban League of Portland is working to expand the way it serves the community. Expansion will focus on how the community is served from a higher volume of short-term and crisis resolution services to longer-term cohort-based wraparound services focused on long-term stability and resilience. Programs include a blend of direct services, organizing, outreach, and advocacy to help eliminate systemic barriers and address personal barriers in an environment free from judgment and stigma.

About Kaiser Permanente

For 75 years, Kaiser Permanente has been committed to shaping the future of health and health care — and helping our members, patients, and communities experience more healthy years. We are recognized as one of America’s leading health care providers and not-for-profit health plans. Since July 21, 1945, Kaiser Permanente’s mission has been to provide high-quality, affordable health care services and to improve the health of our members and the communities we serve. We currently serve 12.4 million members in eight states and the District of Columbia. Care for members and patients is focused on their total health and guided by their personal Permanente Medical Group physicians, specialists and team of caregivers. Our expert and caring medical teams are empowered and supported by industry-leading technology advances and tools for health promotion, disease prevention, state-of-the-art care delivery and world-class chronic disease management. Kaiser Permanente is dedicated to care innovations, clinical research, health education and the support of community health.

An Oregon Department of Corrections (DOC) adult in custody (AIC) died January 17, 2021. He was incarcerated at Two Rivers Correctional Institution and passed away at a local hospital. He tested positive for COVID-19 and was between 55 and 65 years old. As with all in-custody deaths, the Oregon State Police have been notified, and the Medical Examiner will determine cause of death. Department-wide, this is the thirty-second AIC to die who tested positive for COVID-19.

For more information on COVID-19 cases inside Oregon’s prisons, please visit DOC’s COVID-19 website. The agency is responsible for the care and custody of 13,000 adults in custody who are incarcerated in 14 institutions across the state.

Anyone entering DOC property is required to wear a mask or face covering in any indoor work setting or other indoor premises regardless of distance from others unless they are in a private, individual office not shared by anyone else; or they are actively eating or drinking AND at least six (6) feet of distance can be maintained between other people.

Institutions continue to clean and disinfect numerous times a day. DOC asks AICs to report symptoms of COVID-19 to medical staff. Posters are in all DOC institutions encouraging individuals to maintain proper hygiene and to uphold appropriate social distancing to the extent possible. Health screening processes are in place before staff are allowed to enter facilities. This screening includes a temperature check and a screening questionnaire. Visiting remains closed until further notice.

DOC has begun administering COVID-19 vaccinations – eventually offering to all DOC staff, contractors, Oregon Corrections Enterprises employees, and AICs. Prioritization of vaccines will be determined by guidance from the Oregon Health Authority (OHA), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), and the Governor’s Office.

Prior to the COVID-19 crisis, DOC issued a press release when an AIC passed away. This notification would include the person’s name, county of conviction, sentence length, and date of death. However, no cause of death would be listed because the Medical Examiner makes that determination. In order to balance the desire for transparency with our legal obligation to protect personal health information, we have changed the AIC death notification process when someone dies who has tested positive for COVID-19. DOC is working with the Oregon Health Authority to publish COVID-19 related data and information on the OHA website.

Case 21-001216

On January 17, 2021, at about 4:00 p.m. Clackamas County patrol deputies responded to a residence on Old Barn Ln in Damascus to make an arrest on a warrant.  The subject at the location they were attempting to arrest was John Rendenbo who was wanted for a parole violation stemming from an Assault II charge. 

Deputies saw Redenbo at the residence before he went inside and barricaded himself.  Deputies attempted contact with him but they were unsuccessful. 

At about 6 p.m., two people came out of the house.  One of them was identified as Sade Cleora Geraldine Hollis, 29, of Damascus, who had a warrant for Failing to Appear on an Identity Theft charge in Washington County.   

Based on the situation and the seriousness of the criminal charge the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team was consulted and they responded to the scene at about 7 p.m. 

Members of the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Crisis Negotiations Team responded to the scene as well and began attempting communication with Redenbo.  They were initially able to communicate wtih somone inside the residence but Redenbo ignored their attempts to speak with him.

At about 3:30 a.m. SWAT team members were able to take Redenbo into custody without further incident.  John Redenbo, 59, of Damascus was transported to the Clackamas County Jail and booked on a no bail parole violation. 

This was a successful mission where no one injured and the suspect was arrested.

Clackamas County Sheriff's detectives are now investigating possible weapons charges against Redenbo.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Sunday, January 17th

Salem, Ore.-  At approximately 2:21 PM Salem Fire Department responded to a water rescue call in Boat 15 for a  14 ft boat that was stranded without power in the Willamette River near McLane Island (roughly River Marker 83). A family of three and a dog were onboard with only one life vest. During their attempt to row their paddle broke, and they chose to anchor and call for help.

All three people and the dog were safely recovered and brought back to Wallace Marine Park.

As a reminder we ask to ensure every passenger on a boat has a lifejacket that is sized and available to them while on the water, life jackets save lives and should be worn properly.

# # # 

Sunday, January 17, 2021

Salem, Ore. — On January 16, 2021 at approximately 8:15 p.m., Salem Police officers responded to a report of a shots fired call near Savage RD and Ladd AV NE.

When officers arrived, they located a single vehicle crash into a tree. Two victims were found inside the car. One victim was pronounced deceased at the scene. The second victim was transported to the hospital by ambulance to be treated for their injuries. 

Anyone who may have heard or seen anything in the area around the time of the incident is asked to call the Salem Police tips line 503-588-8477.

This is an active investigation, and as such, no further information will be released at this time.

# # #

Jan. 17, 2021

Contact: OHA External Relations, covid19.media@dhsoha.state.or.us" target="_blank">orcovid19.media@dhsoha.state.or.us

Oregon reports 799 new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases, one new death

PORTLAND, Ore. — COVID-19 has claimed one more life in Oregon, raising the state’s death toll to 1,800 the Oregon Health Authority reported at 12:01 a.m. today.

Oregon Health Authority reported 799 new confirmed and presumptive cases of COVID-19 as of 12:01 a.m. today bringing the state total to 133,205.

Vaccinations in Oregon 

Today, OHA reported that 15,784 new doses of COVID-19 vaccinations were added to the state immunization registry. Of this total, 12,781 vaccine doses were administered on Jan. 16.

Based on updated totals, OHA is meeting Gov. Kate Brown’s goal of ensuring 12,000 vaccinations a day. The Governor required the benchmark to be met by the end of the two-week period that began Jan. 4. Today we surpassed 200,000 doses of COVID vaccine administered to Oregonians.

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).

Oregon has now administered a cumulative total of 204,974 first and second doses of COVID-19 vaccines. All vaccinations were administered by Oregon hospitals, long-term care facilities, emergency medical service (EMS) agencies, urgent care facilities and Local Public Health Authorities (LPHAs).

To date, 335,075 doses of vaccine 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 361, which is four fewer than yesterday. There are 95 COVID-19 patients in intensive care unit (ICU) beds, which is three more than yesterday. 

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.

The new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases reported today are in the following counties: Baker (2), Benton (12), Clackamas (66), Clatsop (16), Columbia (10), Coos (5), Crook (6), Curry (6), Deschutes (46), Douglas (11), Gilliam (3), Harney (2), Hood River (3), Jackson (30), Jefferson (15), Josephine (30), Klamath (6), Lake (1), Lane (53), Lincoln (6), Linn (7), Malheur (7), Marion (86), Morrow (5), Multnomah (102), Polk (34), Tillamook (3), Umatilla (57), Union (10), Wasco (8), Washington (131), Yamhill (20).

Oregon’s 1,800th COVID-19 death is a 74-year-old woman in Jackson County who tested positive Dec. 6 and died Dec. 25. Location of death is being confirmed. She had underlying conditions.

1This includes cases confirmed by diagnostic testing and presumptive cases. Presumptive cases are those without a positive diagnostic test who present COVID-19-like symptoms and had close contact with a confirmed case. County of residence for cases may change as new information becomes available. If changes occur, we will update our counts accordingly.

2For additional details on individuals who have died from COVID-19 in Oregon, please refer to our press releases

ELRs Received 1/16

Total ELRs Received

Learn more about COVID-19 vaccinations

To learn more about the COVID-19 vaccine situation in Oregon, visit our webpage, which has a breakdown of distribution and other useful information.

You are subscribed to Oregon Health Authority News Releases. View all OHA news releases. 

On January 15, 2021, at approximately 5:17 pm, Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office Dispatch received a report of a missing person, last seen in the area of Bayshore, Waldport, Oregon. The missing person, identified as Toni L. Goessman, 60, of Waldport, was reported to be last seen walking her dogs approximately 2 hours prior.

The caller, Mr. Goessman, reported Mrs. Goessman had left on a walk with their two Boxer breed dogs. Mr. Goessman became concerned when one of their two dogs returned by itself to their residence, soaking wet.  Mr. Goessman drove around the area, looking for his wife. Mr. Goessman reported Mrs. Goessman regularly goes on walks with their dogs on the beach. Mr. Goessman was unable to search on foot due to limited mobility. Mr. Goessman reported it was out of the ordinary for Mrs. Goessman to be without their dogs.

Lincoln County Sheriff’s deputies responded to the area and conducted a preliminary search. Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue was activated, and additional personnel began searching the area. The U.S. Coast Guard was also notified and their assistance was requested.

At about 10:32 pm, Search and Rescue volunteers discovered Mrs. Goessman, deceased in the surf near the mouth of the Alsea River. Their other dog, “Tango”, described as a brown Boxer with a white chest, was not found. Circumstances surrounding Mrs. Goessman’s death did not appear suspicious.

Mr. Goessman was notified of Mrs. Goessman’s death and Bateman Funeral Home responded to the location. The Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office extends its deepest condolences to the Goessman family and would like to remind members of the public to please use caution when recreating near waterways.

An Oregon Department of Corrections (DOC) adult in custody (AIC) died the evening of January 16, 2021. He was incarcerated at Two Rivers Correctional Institution and passed away at a local hospital. He tested positive for COVID-19 and was between 75 and 85 years old. As with all in-custody deaths, the Oregon State Police have been notified, and the Medical Examiner will determine cause of death. Department-wide, this is the thirty-first AIC to die who tested positive for COVID-19.

For more information on COVID-19 cases inside Oregon’s prisons, please visit DOC’s COVID-19 website. The agency is responsible for the care and custody of 13,000 adults in custody who are incarcerated in 14 institutions across the state.

Anyone entering DOC property is required to wear a mask or face covering in any indoor work setting or other indoor premises regardless of distance from others unless they are in a private, individual office not shared by anyone else; or they are actively eating or drinking AND at least six (6) feet of distance can be maintained between other people. Masks are mandatory at all times in many work areas.

Institutions continue to clean and disinfect numerous times a day. DOC asks AICs to report symptoms of COVID to medical staff. Posters are in all DOC institutions encouraging individuals to maintain proper hygiene and to uphold appropriate social distancing to the extent possible. Health screening processes are in place before staff are allowed to enter facilities. This screening includes a temperature check and a screening questionnaire. Visiting remains closed until further notice.

DOC has begun administering COVID-19 vaccinations – eventually offering to all DOC staff, contractors, Oregon Corrections Enterprises employees, and adults in custody (AICs). Prioritization of vaccines will be determined by guidance from the Oregon Health Authority (OHA), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), and the Governor’s Office.

Prior to the COVID-19 crisis, DOC issued a press release when an AIC passed away. This notification would include the person’s name, county of conviction, sentence length, and date of death. However, no cause of death would be listed because the Medical Examiner makes that determination. In order to balance the desire for transparency with our legal obligation to protect personal health information, we have changed the AIC death notification process when someone dies who has tested positive for COVID-19. DOC is working with the Oregon Health Authority to publish COVID-19 related data and information on the OHA website.

####

Firefighters in Vancouver quickly knocked down a fire with limited access and no available fire hydrants. At 440 AM Sunday morning Vancouver Firefighters were dispatched to 11034 NE 94th ave after a resident called 911 and said her second story was on fire. This was an attached structure to a large rural house. The first fire engine arrived within 7 minutes and found smoke coming from the windows on the second floor. Crews stretched a fire attack handline through the front door and up to the second story where they had zero visibility due to smoke being all the way down to the floor. They were able to knockdown the fire within minutes and then spray water out of a window to "hydraulically ventilate" the space and improve visibility. Hydraulic ventilation pressurizes an environment and forces smoke out of the opening. Initial arriving crews anticipated having no available hydrants so they brought a water tender apparatus that carries 1800 gallons. The home was difficult to access due to being down a long and narrow asphalt driveway. Truck crews had to park far away and carry heavy ladders and equipment up to the scene. 

Two civilians were able to safely evacuate the home but required EMS evaluation by AMR due to smoke inhalation. Those parties  refused transport to the hospital. No other injuries to civilians or firefighters were reported. Red cross was not needed. The Vancouver Fire Chaplain responded to the scene. The Clark County Fire Marshall Office is investigating the cause of the fire. 

(Pictures included)

On January 15, 2021, at approximately 5:52 pm, Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office Dispatch received a 911 call reporting a stabbing that occurred on E Little Albany Loop, Tidewater, Oregon. The reporting party told Dispatch the victim was able to get away from the suspect and seek help from a neighbor. Dispatch received multiple calls during the response including one reporting the suspect’s location.

Lincoln County Sheriff’s deputies responded to the scene and detained Branden Michael Gross, 29, of Tidewater. After Mr. Gross was detained and the scene was secured, medics with Pacific West Ambulance and Central Oregon Coast Fire/Rescue assessed the adult female victim. The victim sustained multiple stab wounds in the midsection which were determined to be non-life-threatening. She was transported to Samaritan Pacific Communities Hospital.

Investigation determined the victim arrived home in the evening and found Mr. Gross upstairs, inside her home. The victim was able to wrestle Mr. Gross out of the residence through the back door while screaming for help.  Mr. Gross turned back toward the residence and entered again through the back door. Another physical struggle ensued, and Mr. Gross stabbed the victim with a knife two times in the area of her abdomen.

Neighbors were alerted to the victim’s screaming and responded to the location to find Mr. Gross and the victim in a physical struggle at the back door. Neighbors intervened and got between the victim and Mr. Gross. During this time, the victim was able to escape and go to a neighbor’s residence and Mr. Gross was able to escape the victim’s residence through the front door.

Mr. Gross was located at a nearby residence and arrested for the crimes of Burglary in the first degree, Unlawful Use of a Weapon and Assault in the second degree with a total bail set at $300,000. He was transported and lodged at the Lincoln County Jail. Investigation revealed the suspect was unknown to the victim. It was reported that Mr. Gross suffers from mental health issues.  

DODSON, Or. – A preliminary report from engineers hired by Multnomah County to assess the hillsides south of Dodson has indicated evacuations are no longer necessary.

Approximately 25 households were urged to evacuate in the early morning hours of Wednesday, January 13, after excessive rain triggered multiple landslides and debris flows in and near the community. One debris flow near the intersection of NE Frontage Road and the Ainsworth State Park exit off I-84 is responsible for sweeping away a local resident while driving home. Recovery operations continue.

In the days following the landslide, evacuation recommendations remained in place over concerns of hillside instability. On Wednesday, state geologists flew over the area and documented the landslide and surrounding area to get a better understanding of the geography and geology. The hillsides south of Dodson were burned by the Eagle Creek Fire in 2017. On Thursday, due to measurable rainfall and ongoing safety concerns, evacuation recommendations remained in place. On Friday, MCEM contracted geologists to perform an additional assessment of the hillsides. It is determined, at this time, it is not believed that there is an imminent threat, or high likelihood, of second debris flow at this location. However, geologists noted that there are inherent risks of living in this area of the Columbia River Gorge, and that risks of debris flow at the site location should be assumed as higher than nominal levels.

The Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office and Emergency Management want to thank the community for their patience and understanding during the challenging time. Multnomah County is committed to ensuring the safety of all residents. The report will be made available to the public once it is finalized. Multnomah County Emergency Management is scheduling a community meeting for area residents. Details of the community meeting will be released at a later date.

Continue to follow the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office on Twitter @MultCoSO for the latest information. We want to acknowledge the many agencies who provided support in this response:

• Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office
• Oregon State Police
• Lake Oswego Fire Department
• Portland Fire & Rescue
• Gresham Fire Department
• Cascade Locks Fire District
• Corbett Fire District
• Oregon Department of Transportation
• Multnomah County Emergency Management

For up-to-date traffic information on Oregon highways, use TripCheck.com.

An Oregon Department of Corrections (DOC) adult in custody (AIC) died January 16, 2021. He was incarcerated at Two Rivers Correctional Institution and passed away at a local hospital. He tested positive for COVID-19 and was between 75 and 85 years old. As with all in-custody deaths, the Oregon State Police have been notified, and the Medical Examiner will determine cause of death. Department-wide, this is the thirtieth AIC to die who tested positive for COVID-19.

For more information on COVID-19 cases inside Oregon’s prisons, please visit DOC’s COVID-19 website. The agency is responsible for the care and custody of 13,000 adults in custody who are incarcerated in 14 institutions across the state.

Anyone entering DOC property is required to wear a mask or face covering in any indoor work setting or other indoor premises regardless of distance from others unless they are in a private, individual office not shared by anyone else; or they are actively eating or drinking AND at least six (6) feet of distance can be maintained between other people. Masks are mandatory at all times in many work areas.

Institutions continue to clean and disinfect numerous times a day. DOC asks AICs to report symptoms of COVID to medical staff. Posters are in all DOC institutions encouraging individuals to maintain proper hygiene and to uphold appropriate social distancing to the extent possible. Health screening processes are in place before staff are allowed to enter facilities. This screening includes a temperature check and a screening questionnaire. Visiting remains closed until further notice.

DOC has begun administering COVID-19 vaccinations – eventually offering to all DOC staff, contractors, Oregon Corrections Enterprises employees, and adults in custody (AICs). Prioritization of vaccines will be determined by guidance from the Oregon Health Authority (OHA), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), and the Governor’s Office.

Prior to the COVID-19 crisis, DOC issued a press release when an AIC passed away. This notification would include the person’s name, county of conviction, sentence length, and date of death. However, no cause of death would be listed because the Medical Examiner makes that determination. In order to balance the desire for transparency with our legal obligation to protect personal health information, we have changed the AIC death notification process when someone dies who has tested positive for COVID-19. DOC is working with the Oregon Health Authority to publish COVID-19 related data and information on the OHA website.

####

Jan. 16, 2021

Contact: OHA External Relations, covid19.media@dhsoha.state.or.us" target="_blank">orcovid19.media@dhsoha.state.or.us

Updated: OHA is meeting the Governor’s vaccination benchmark and ELR tables corrected

Oregon reports 1,173 new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases, 41 new deaths

Portland, Ore. — There are 41 new COVID-19 related deaths in Oregon, raising the state’s death toll to 1,799, the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) reported at 12:01 a.m. today.

Oregon Health Authority reported 1,173 new confirmed and presumptive cases of COVID-19 as of 12:01 a.m. today, bringing the state total to 132,412.

Vaccinations in Oregon

Today, OHA reported that 16,117 new doses of COVID-19 vaccinations were added to the state immunization registry. Of this total, 11,332 vaccine doses were administered on Jan. 15.

Based on updated totals, OHA is meeting Gov. Kate Brown’s goal of ensuring 12,000 vaccinations a day. The Governor required the benchmark to be met by the end of the two-week period that began Jan. 4.

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).

Oregon has now administered a cumulative total of 189,190 first and second doses of COVID-19 vaccines. All vaccinations were administered by Oregon hospitals, long-term care facilities, emergency medical service (EMS) agencies, urgent care facilities and Local Public Health Authorities (LPHAs).

To date, 335,075 doses of vaccine have been delivered to sites across Oregon.

These data are preliminary and subject to change. OHA's dashboards provide regularly updated vaccination data.

COVID-19 hospitalizations

The number of hospitalized patients with COVID-19 across Oregon is 365, which is 22 fewer than yesterday. There are 92 COVID-19 patients in intensive care unit (ICU) beds, which is five fewer than yesterday.

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.

Cases and deaths

The new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases reported today are in the following counties: Baker (15), Benton (27), Clackamas (75), Clatsop (8), Columbia (18), Coos (7), Crook (20), Curry (1), Deschutes (62), Douglas (16), Gilliam (1), Harney (5), Hood River (14), Jackson (56), Jefferson (12), Josephine (18), Klamath (56), Lake (1), Lane (95), Lincoln (12), Linn (37), Malheur (8), Marion (117), Morrow (6), Multnomah (216), Polk (23), Tillamook (5), Umatilla (70), Union (9), Wallowa (2), Wasco (12), Washington (125), Wheeler (1) and Yamhill (23).

Oregon’s 1,759 COVID-19 death is a 32-year-old man in Marion County who died Dec. 30 at his residence. The death certificate listed COVID-19 disease or SARS-CoV-2 as a cause of death or significant condition contributing to death. He had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 1,760 COVID-19 death is a 47-year-old man in Washington County who tested positive on Dec. 9 and died on Jan. 8 at Oregon Health and Sciences University. He had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 1,761 COVID-19 death is an 88-year-old man in Deschutes County who tested positive on Jan. 10 and died on Jan. 13 at St. Charles Medical Center - Bend. He had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 1,762 COVID-19 death is an 86-year-old man in Deschutes County who tested positive on Jan. 3 and died on Jan. 15 at his residence. He had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 1,763 COVID-19 death is a 91-year-old woman in Marion County who tested positive on Dec. 16 and died on Jan. 8 at her residence. She had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 1,764 COVID-19 death is an 89-year-old man in Washington County who tested positive on Dec. 31 and died on Jan. 11 at Tuality Community Hospital. He had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 1,765 COVID-19 death is a 44-year-old man in Josephine County who tested positive on Dec. 22 and died on Jan. 2 at his residence. He had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 1,766 COVID-19 death is a 95-year-old woman in Washington County who tested positive on Jan. 4 and died on Jan. 9 at Legacy Meridian Park Medical Center. She had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 1,767 COVID-19 death is an 89-year-old woman in Clackamas County who tested positive on Dec. 21 and died Jan. 8 at her residence. Presence of underlying conditions is being confirmed.

Oregon’s 1,768 COVID-19 death is a 58-year-old woman in Jackson County who tested positive on Dec. 20 and died on Jan. 14 at Asante Three Rivers Medical Center. She had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 1,769 COVID-19 death is a 69-year-old man in Malheur County who tested positive on Jan. 11 and died on Jan. 14 at St. Alphonsus Regional Medical Center. Presence of underlying conditions is being confirmed.

Oregon’s 1,770 COVID-19 death is an 80-year-old man in Clackamas County who tested positive on Dec. 22 and died on Jan. 5 at his residence. He had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 1,771 COVID-19 death is a 79-year-old man in Marion County who tested positive on Dec. 1 and died on Jan. 1 at his residence. He had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 1,772 COVID-19 death is a 100-year-old woman in Josephine County who tested positive on Jan. 2 and died on Jan. 12 at her residence. Presence of underlying conditions is being confirmed.

Oregon’s 1,773 COVID-19 death is a 92-year-old man in Polk County who tested positive on Dec. 1 and died on Dec. 17 at his residence. He had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 1,774 COVID-19 death is an 89-year-old man in Multnomah County who tested positive on Dec. 15 and died on Dec. 20 at his residence. Presence of underlying conditions is being confirmed.

Oregon’s 1,775 COVID-19 death is a 71-year-old man in Lane County who tested positive on Jan. 6 and died on Jan. 8 at his residence. He had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 1,776 COVID-19 death is an 80-year-old man in Clatsop County who tested positive on Nov. 16 and died on Jan. 3 at his residence. He had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 1,777 COVID-19 death is a 77-year-old woman in Benton County who tested positive on Dec. 10 and died on Dec. 31 at Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center. She had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 1,778 COVID-19 death is an 80-year-old woman in Klamath County who tested positive on Jan. 11 and died on Jan. 14 at her residence. She had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 1,779 COVID-19 death is a 51-year-old man in Clackamas County who tested positive on Nov. 19 and died on Jan. 7 at Oregon Health and Sciences University. Presence of underlying conditions is being confirmed.

Oregon’s 1780th COVID-19 death is an 86-year-old woman in Washington County who tested positive on Nov. 24 and died on Jan. 7 at her residence. Presence of underlying conditions is being confirmed.

Oregon’s 1,781 COVID-19 death is an 88-year-old woman in Multnomah County who tested positive on Dec. 10 and died on Dec. 27 at her residence. She had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 1,782 COVID-19 death is a 61-year-old woman in Linn County who tested positive on Dec. 9 and died on Jan. 10 at Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center. Presence of underlying conditions is being confirmed.

Oregon’s 1,783 COVID-19 death is an 84-year-old woman in Crook County who tested positive on Dec. 8 and died on Dec. 20 at St. Charles Medical Center - Bend. She had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 1,784 COVID-19 death is a 92-year-old man in Marion County who tested positive on Dec. 7 and died on Dec. 20 at his residence He had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 1,785 COVID-19 death is a 56-year-old man in Umatilla County who tested positive on Dec. 16 and died on Dec. 30 at St. Anthony Hospital. He had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 1,786 COVID-19 death is a 58-year-old woman in Deschutes County who tested positive on Dec. 21 and died on Dec. 31 at her residence. She had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 1,787 COVID-19 death is a 94-year-old woman in Polk County who tested positive on Dec. 21 and died on Jan. 14 at her residence. She had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 1,788 COVID-19 death is a 71-year-old woman in Washington County who tested positive on Dec. 25 and died on Jan. 12 at Kaiser Westside Medical Center. Presence of underlying conditions is being confirmed.

Oregon’s 1,789 COVID-19 death is an 86-year-old man in Multnomah County who tested positive on Dec. 28 and died on Jan. 11 at his residence. He had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 1,790 COVID-19 death is a 76-year-old woman in Linn County who tested positive on Dec. 28 and died on Jan. 9 at her residence. She had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 1,791 COVID-19 death is an 80-year-old woman in Klamath County who tested positive on Dec. 29 and died on Jan. 13 at Sky Lakes Medical Center. She had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 1,792 COVID-19 death is an 83-year-old man in Klamath County who tested positive on Dec. 27 and died on Jan. 13 at Sky Lakes Medical Center. He had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 1,793 COVID-19 death is a 78-year-old man in Multnomah County who tested positive on Dec. 14 and died on Jan. 7 at his residence. He had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 1,794 COVID-19 death is a 69-year-old man in Linn County who tested positive on Dec. 23 and died on Jan. 10 at Samaritan Lebanon Community Hospital. He had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 1,795 COVID-19 death is a 78-year-old woman in Coos County who tested positive on Jan. 5 and died on Jan. 15 at Bay Area Hospital. She had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 1,796 COVID-19 death is a 75-year-old man in Linn County who tested positive on Jan. 5 and died on Jan. 8. Location of death and presence of underlying conditions are being confirmed.

Oregon’s 1,797 COVID-19 death is an 86-year-old woman in Klamath County who tested positive on Jan. 4 and died on Jan. 14 at her residence. She had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 1,798 COVID-19 death is a 72-year-old man in Jackson County who died on Jan.  7 at Asante Rogue Regional Medical Center. The death certificate listed COVID-19 disease or SARS-CoV-2 as a cause of death or a significant condition contributing to death. He had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 1,799 COVID-19 death is a 71-year-old man in Marion County who died on Jan. 7 at his residence. The death certificate listed COVID-19 disease or SARS-CoV-2 as a cause of death or a significant condition contributing to death. Presence of underlying conditions is being confirmed.

1This includes cases confirmed by diagnostic testing and presumptive cases. Presumptive cases are those without a positive diagnostic test who present COVID-19-like symptoms and had close contact with a confirmed case. County of residence for cases may change as new information becomes available. If changes occur, we will update our counts accordingly.

2For additional details on individuals who have died from COVID-19 in Oregon, please refer to our press releases.

ELRs Received 1/8 - Corrected

Total ELRs Received - Corrected

Learn more about COVID-19 vaccinations

To learn more about the COVID-19 vaccine situation in Oregon, visit our webpage, which has a breakdown of distribution and other useful information

An Oregon Department of Corrections (DOC) adult in custody (AIC) died January 16, 2021. He was incarcerated at Deer Ridge Correctional Institution and passed away at a local hospital. He tested positive for COVID-19 and was between 55 and 65 years old. As with all in-custody deaths, the Oregon State Police have been notified, and the Medical Examiner will determine cause of death. Department-wide, this is the twenty-ninth AIC to die who tested positive for COVID-19.

For more information on COVID-19 cases inside Oregon’s prisons, please visit DOC’s COVID-19 website. The agency is responsible for the care and custody of 13,000 adults in custody who are incarcerated in 14 institutions across the state.

Anyone entering DOC property is required to wear a mask or face covering in any indoor work setting or other indoor premises regardless of distance from others unless they are in a private, individual office not shared by anyone else; or they are actively eating or drinking AND at least six (6) feet of distance can be maintained between other people. Masks are mandatory at all times in many work areas.

Institutions continue to clean and disinfect numerous times a day. DOC asks AICs to report symptoms of COVID to medical staff. Posters are in all DOC institutions encouraging individuals to maintain proper hygiene and to uphold appropriate social distancing to the extent possible. Health screening processes are in place before staff are allowed to enter facilities. This screening includes a temperature check and a screening questionnaire. Visiting remains closed until further notice.

DOC has begun administering COVID-19 vaccinations – eventually offering to all DOC staff, contractors, Oregon Corrections Enterprises employees, and adults in custody (AICs). Prioritization of vaccines is determined by guidance from the Oregon Health Authority (OHA), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), and the Governor’s Office.

Prior to the COVID-19 crisis, DOC issued a press release when an AIC passed away. This notification would include the person’s name, county of conviction, sentence length, and date of death. However, no cause of death would be listed because the Medical Examiner makes that determination. In order to balance the desire for transparency with our legal obligation to protect personal health information, we have changed the AIC death notification process when someone dies who has tested positive for COVID-19. DOC is working with the Oregon Health Authority to publish COVID-19 related data and information on the OHA website.

####

Jan. 16, 2021

Contact: OHA External Relations, covid19.media@dhsoha.state.or.us" target="_blank">orcovid19.media@dhsoha.state.or.us

Oregon reports 1,173 new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases, 41 new deaths

PORTLAND, Ore. — There are 41 new COVID-19 related deaths in Oregon, raising the state’s death toll to 1,799, the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) reported at 12:01 a.m. today.

Oregon Health Authority reported 1,173 new confirmed and presumptive cases of COVID-19 as of 12:01 a.m. today, bringing the state total to 132,412.

Vaccinations in Oregon

Today, OHA reported that 16,117 new doses of COVID-19 vaccinations were added to the state immunization registry. Of this total, 11,332 vaccine doses were administered on Jan. 15.

Based on updated totals, OHA is close to meeting Gov. Kate Brown’s goal of ensuring 12,000 vaccinations a day. The Governor required the benchmark to be met by the end of the two-week period that began Jan. 4.

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).

Oregon has now administered a cumulative total of 189,190 first and second doses of COVID-19 vaccines. All vaccinations were administered by Oregon hospitals, long-term care facilities, emergency medical service (EMS) agencies, urgent care facilities and Local Public Health Authorities (LPHAs).

To date, 335,075 doses of vaccine have been delivered to sites across Oregon.

These data are preliminary and subject to change. OHA's dashboards provide regularly updated vaccination data.

COVID-19 hospitalizations

The number of hospitalized patients with COVID-19 across Oregon is 365, which is 22 fewer than yesterday. There are 92 COVID-19 patients in intensive care unit (ICU) beds, which is five fewer than yesterday.

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.

Cases and deaths

The new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases reported today are in the following counties: Baker (15), Benton (27), Clackamas (75), Clatsop (8), Columbia (18), Coos (7), Crook (20), Curry (1), Deschutes (62), Douglas (16), Gilliam (1), Harney (5), Hood River (14), Jackson (56), Jefferson (12), Josephine (18), Klamath (56), Lake (1), Lane (95), Lincoln (12), Linn (37), Malheur (8), Marion (117), Morrow (6), Multnomah (216), Polk (23), Tillamook (5), Umatilla (70), Union (9), Wallowa (2), Wasco (12), Washington (125), Wheeler (1) and Yamhill (23).

Oregon’s 1,759 COVID-19 death is a 32-year-old man in Marion County who died Dec. 30 at his residence. The death certificate listed COVID-19 disease or SARS-CoV-2 as a cause of death or significant condition contributing to death. He had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 1,760 COVID-19 death is a 47-year-old man in Washington County who tested positive on Dec. 9 and died on Jan. 8 at Oregon Health and Sciences University. He had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 1,761 COVID-19 death is an 88-year-old man in Deschutes County who tested positive on Jan. 10 and died on Jan. 13 at St. Charles Medical Center - Bend. He had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 1,762 COVID-19 death is an 86-year-old man in Deschutes County who tested positive on Jan. 3 and died on Jan. 15 at his residence. He had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 1,763 COVID-19 death is a 91-year-old woman in Marion County who tested positive on Dec. 16 and died on Jan. 8 at her residence. She had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 1,764 COVID-19 death is an 89-year-old man in Washington County who tested positive on Dec. 31 and died on Jan. 11 at Tuality Community Hospital. He had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 1,765 COVID-19 death is a 44-year-old man in Josephine County who tested positive on Dec. 22 and died on Jan. 2 at his residence. He had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 1,766 COVID-19 death is a 95-year-old woman in Washington County who tested positive on Jan. 4 and died on Jan. 9 at Legacy Meridian Park Medical Center. She had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 1,767 COVID-19 death is an 89-year-old woman in Clackamas County who tested positive on Dec. 21 and died Jan. 8 at her residence. Presence of underlying conditions is being confirmed.

Oregon’s 1,768 COVID-19 death is a 58-year-old woman in Jackson County who tested positive on Dec. 20 and died on Jan. 14 at Asante Three Rivers Medical Center. She had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 1,769 COVID-19 death is a 69-year-old man in Malheur County who tested positive on Jan. 11 and died on Jan. 14 at St. Alphonsus Regional Medical Center. Presence of underlying conditions is being confirmed.

Oregon’s 1,770 COVID-19 death is an 80-year-old man in Clackamas County who tested positive on Dec. 22 and died on Jan. 5 at his residence. He had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 1,771 COVID-19 death is a 79-year-old man in Marion County who tested positive on Dec. 1 and died on Jan. 1 at his residence. He had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 1,772 COVID-19 death is a 100-year-old woman in Josephine County who tested positive on Jan. 2 and died on Jan. 12 at her residence. Presence of underlying conditions is being confirmed.

Oregon’s 1,773 COVID-19 death is a 92-year-old man in Polk County who tested positive on Dec. 1 and died on Dec. 17 at his residence. He had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 1,774 COVID-19 death is an 89-year-old man in Multnomah County who tested positive on Dec. 15 and died on Dec. 20 at his residence. Presence of underlying conditions is being confirmed.

Oregon’s 1,775 COVID-19 death is a 71-year-old man in Lane County who tested positive on Jan. 6 and died on Jan. 8 at his residence. He had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 1,776 COVID-19 death is an 80-year-old man in Clatsop County who tested positive on Nov. 16 and died on Jan. 3 at his residence. He had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 1,777 COVID-19 death is a 77-year-old woman in Benton County who tested positive on Dec. 10 and died on Dec. 31 at Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center. She had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 1,778 COVID-19 death is an 80-year-old woman in Klamath County who tested positive on Jan. 11 and died on Jan. 14 at her residence. She had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 1,779 COVID-19 death is a 51-year-old man in Clackamas County who tested positive on Nov. 19 and died on Jan. 7 at Oregon Health and Sciences University. Presence of underlying conditions is being confirmed.

Oregon’s 1780th COVID-19 death is an 86-year-old woman in Washington County who tested positive on Nov. 24 and died on Jan. 7 at her residence. Presence of underlying conditions is being confirmed.

Oregon’s 1,781 COVID-19 death is an 88-year-old woman in Multnomah County who tested positive on Dec. 10 and died on Dec. 27 at her residence. She had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 1,782 COVID-19 death is a 61-year-old woman in Linn County who tested positive on Dec. 9 and died on Jan. 10 at Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center. Presence of underlying conditions is being confirmed.

Oregon’s 1,783 COVID-19 death is an 84-year-old woman in Crook County who tested positive on Dec. 8 and died on Dec. 20 at St. Charles Medical Center - Bend. She had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 1,784 COVID-19 death is a 92-year-old man in Marion County who tested positive on Dec. 7 and died on Dec. 20 at his residence He had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 1,785 COVID-19 death is a 56-year-old man in Umatilla County who tested positive on Dec. 16 and died on Dec. 30 at St. Anthony Hospital. He had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 1,786 COVID-19 death is a 58-year-old woman in Deschutes County who tested positive on Dec. 21 and died on Dec. 31 at her residence. She had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 1,787 COVID-19 death is a 94-year-old woman in Polk County who tested positive on Dec. 21 and died on Jan. 14 at her residence. She had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 1,788 COVID-19 death is a 71-year-old woman in Washington County who tested positive on Dec. 25 and died on Jan. 12 at Kaiser Westside Medical Center. Presence of underlying conditions is being confirmed.

Oregon’s 1,789 COVID-19 death is an 86-year-old man in Multnomah County who tested positive on Dec. 28 and died on Jan. 11 at his residence. He had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 1,790 COVID-19 death is a 76-year-old woman in Linn County who tested positive on Dec. 28 and died on Jan. 9 at her residence. She had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 1,791 COVID-19 death is an 80-year-old woman in Klamath County who tested positive on Dec. 29 and died on Jan. 13 at Sky Lakes Medical Center. She had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 1,792 COVID-19 death is an 83-year-old man in Klamath County who tested positive on Dec. 27 and died on Jan. 13 at Sky Lakes Medical Center. He had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 1,793 COVID-19 death is a 78-year-old man in Multnomah County who tested positive on Dec. 14 and died on Jan. 7 at his residence. He had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 1,794 COVID-19 death is a 69-year-old man in Linn County who tested positive on Dec. 23 and died on Jan. 10 at Samaritan Lebanon Community Hospital. He had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 1,795 COVID-19 death is a 78-year-old woman in Coos County who tested positive on Jan. 5 and died on Jan. 15 at Bay Area Hospital. She had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 1,796 COVID-19 death is a 75-year-old man in Linn County who tested positive on Jan. 5 and died on Jan. 8. Location of death and presence of underlying conditions are being confirmed.

Oregon’s 1,797 COVID-19 death is an 86-year-old woman in Klamath County who tested positive on Jan. 4 and died on Jan. 14 at her residence. She had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 1,798 COVID-19 death is a 72-year-old man in Jackson County who died on Jan.  7 at Asante Rogue Regional Medical Center. The death certificate listed COVID-19 disease or SARS-CoV-2 as a cause of death or a significant condition contributing to death. He had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 1,799 COVID-19 death is a 71-year-old man in Marion County who died on Jan. 7 at his residence. The death certificate listed COVID-19 disease or SARS-CoV-2 as a cause of death or a significant condition contributing to death. Presence of underlying conditions is being confirmed.

Learn more about COVID-19 vaccinations

To learn more about the COVID-19 vaccine situation in Oregon, visit our webpage, which has a breakdown of distribution and other useful information.

You are subscribed to Oregon Health Authority News Releases. View all OHA news releases. 

An Oregon Department of Corrections (DOC) adult in custody, Daniel R. Clinebell, died the evening of January 15, 2021. Clinebell was incarcerated at Snake River Correctional Institution (SRCI) in Ontario and passed away while on hospice care. As with all in-custody deaths, the Oregon State Police have been notified.

Clinebell entered DOC custody on February 15, 2007, from Marion County with an earliest release date of December 7, 2055. Clinebell was 66 years old.

DOC takes all in-custody deaths seriously. The agency is responsible for the care and custody of approximately 13,000 individuals who are incarcerated in 14 institutions across the state. While crime information is public record, DOC elects to disclose only upon request out of respect for any family or victims.

SRCI is a multi-custody prison in Ontario that houses approximately 3,000 adults in custody. SRCI has multiple special housing units including disciplinary segregation, intensive management, infirmary (with hospice) with 24-hour nursing care, and an administrative segregation unit. SRCI participates in prison industries with Oregon Corrections Enterprises including a contact center, laundry, and sign shop. SRCI specializes in incentive housing, specialized housing, individuals with mental health/medical vulnerabilities, education and trades programs, cognitive and parenting programs, and institution work programs. SRCI opened in 1991 and is the largest correctional institution in the state.

####

Salem, Ore.—During the early morning hours of December 26, 2020, several fires were started at the Salem City Hall which caused an estimated $5,000 in damages.

The fires were started in the basement of the parking structure causing only minor damage. Fires were also set adjacent to offices on the second level. Additionally, several fire extinguishers were stolen and discharged on the outer doors of second floor offices.
One of the fires set in the city hall space near Peace Plaza burned and caused approximately $5,000 damage to an industrial service cable belonging to Howard S. Wright Construction, a company currently working on the library renovations.

Arson investigator, Detective Jeff Gordon, conducted an extensive investigation and identified Scott David Henry, age 37 of Salem, as the suspect. Henry is currently being held on unrelated charges in the Polk County Jail pending his arraignment in Marion County on the following new charges for this case: Second degree arson, first degree criminal mischief and second degree theft.

As this is a pending criminal case, no further information will be released at this time.
# # #

Media Advisory

What: Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service

When: Monday, January 18. Volunteer check-in from 8:45 AM – 9:30 AM.

Where: Four locations throughout Portland, including The Benson Hotel, Providence Park, Northwest Academy, and Urbanite.

Media Crews: Arrive by 9:00 AM at Northwest Academy, 1130 SW Main St, Portland, OR 97205, for strong visuals of volunteers checking-in and removing litter in Portland. 

This event will have plenty of visuals and make for great community packages, VOs and VOSOTS.

Available interviewees will include: 

• Kris Carico, Chief Executive Officer of SOLVE
• Jordan D. Schnitzer, President of Harsch Investment Properties

ABOUT:
SOLVE, Portland Business Alliance, and Portland Lodging Alliance, with support from Harsch Investment Properties, are celebrating the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on January 18 by hosting a Portland Volunteer Litter Cleanup Day.   

This event will take place at four locations throughout Portland, including The Benson Hotel, Northwest Academy, Providence Park, and Urbanite, located at Southeast Taylor and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. Volunteers will receive free cleanup supplies and safety information before fanning out and cleaning along Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and other areas in the city.  

This event is part of SOLVE’s monthly efforts to bring volunteers together to care for the Rose City through the simple act of picking up litter. Since these events began in September, more than 1,200 Portlanders have come together, and removed nearly 15,000 pounds of litter from city sidewalks, business fronts, and green spaces.

This event captures the spirit of Dr. Martin Luther King’s idea of a “beloved community.” Each piece of litter removed not only leaves Portland a cleaner and more welcoming place, but it also instills a sense of pride for the city we all call home.   

SOLVE will be following their COVID-19 Safety Guidelines which includes requiring all volunteers to wear a mask at all times and to maintain social distancing. Disposal for the event is donated by Central City Concern. 

About SOLVE SOLVE is a statewide non-profit organization that brings Oregonians together to improve our environment and build a legacy of stewardship. Since 1969, the organization has grown from a small, grassroots group to a national model of volunteer action. Today, SOLVE mobilizes and trains tens of thousands of volunteers of all ages across Oregon to clean and restore our neighborhoods and natural areas, and to build a legacy of stewardship for our state. Visit solveoregon.org for more information.

About Portland Business Alliance The Portland Business Alliance is greater Portland’s Chamber of Commerce. Our mission is to create opportunity and advance well-being for all who live and work in the greater Portland and SW Washington region. Our vision is a healthy and resilient business ecosystem. Visit PortlandAlliance.com for more information.

Weekend travelers in the Columbia River Gorge should remember that some roads and ramps are still closed, slide dangers remain and to be alert for workers and heavy equipment on Interstate 84 and the Historic Columbia River Highway.  

The continuing closures include:

• I-84 eastbound right lane milepost 34 to 36.
• I-84 exit 35 off-ramps both eastbound and westbound.
• I-84 eastbound exit 41.
• Historic Columbia River Highway between Ainsworth and Bridal Veil.

The ground  in areas remains saturated from recent rains. Travelers should be extra careful, watch for slides and look out for workers and heavy equipment, including trucks and excavators, that will be in the area through the weekend. And observing the highway warning signs, which are updated as needed for conditions, is critical to saying safe.  

Go to TripCheck.com for road cameras and real time highway closure information.

GRESHAM POLICE DEPARTMENT

       1333 NW Eastman Parkway

       Gresham, Oregon 97030

       News Release

Robin Sells, Chief of Police                                      Malaka Kerbs, Public Information Officer                                                                                                                          

UPDATED:  Missing 14-Year-Old returned home

RELEASE DATE:               Jan. 16, 2020  

CONTACT PERSON:         On Duty PIO
CASE NUMBER:                 21-02257
 

Gresham, Ore. – Gresham, Ore. - Missing 14-year-old Brianna Hoard returned home.  Gresham Police wants to thank everyone who shared the posts and helped look for her. No further information is available.

Jan. 15, 2021

Contact: OHA External Relations, covid19.media@dhsoha.state.or.us" target="_blank">orcovid19.media@dhsoha.state.or.us

Testing reveals first case of U.K. variant of COVID-19 in Oregon

PORTLAND, Ore. — Oregon Health Authority has been notified today that a person in Oregon, identified as a Multnomah County resident, has tested positive with the variant COVID-19 virus strain originally detected in the United Kingdom.

This is the first identification in Oregon of the United Kingdom variant strain, also called strain B.1.1.7 or SARS-CoV-2 VOC 202012/01. The individual has no known travel history. Health officials are still investigating the possible sources of infection. The strain has been detected in several states, including California.

“The detection of the first case of this variant strain is a concern, and we have been monitoring movement of this strain,” said Dean Sidelinger, M.D., health officer and state epidemiologist at OHA. “As we learn more about this case and the individual who tested positive for this strain, OHA continues to promote effective public health measures, including wearing masks, maintaining six feet of physical distance, staying home, washing your hands, and avoiding gatherings and travel.”

Information about the characteristics of COVID-19 variants is rapidly emerging, for the U.K. strain and another variant first found in South Africa.

Viruses constantly mutate, and new variants of a virus are expected to occur over time. Multiple variants of the virus that causes COVID-19 have been documented in the United States and globally during this pandemic. Most variants do not change how the virus behaves, and many disappear. 

Scientists are working to learn more about how easily they might spread, and currently there is no evidence that these variants cause more severe illness or increased risk of death, or affect vaccine effectiveness, according to the Centers for the Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Multnomah County public health staff is working tonight and through the weekend to go back over details with this individual related to their isolation plan, contacts and any possible exposures.

“Confirming this strain locally is distressing,” said Multnomah County Health Officer Dr. Jennifer Vines. “Until we have enough vaccine, we must continue using face masks, distancing, and limiting our social interactions.”

The CDC provides case data information in the United States.

Oregonians can continue to work together to prevent more lives being lost to the virus by doing the following:

• Maintain six feet of physical distance;
• Wear a face covering when outside the house;
• Practice good hand hygiene;
• Avoid any gatherings with people you don’t live with;
• If you start to have symptoms — even mild ones — consult with a medical provider quickly to get instructions on how to care for yourself and your household members and also whether to get tested;
• And finally, if you get a call from public health, answer it, and take their advice on how to protect yourself and those around you.

Jan. 15, 2021

Contact: OHA External Relations, covid19.media@dhsoha.state.or.us" target="_blank">orcovid19.media@dhsoha.state.or.us

Updated: Oregon reports 1,037 new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases, 21 new deaths

PORTLAND, Ore. — There are 21 new COVID-19 related deaths in Oregon, raising the state’s death toll to 1,758, the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) reported at 12:01 a.m. today.

Oregon Health Authority reported 1,037 new confirmed and presumptive cases of COVID-19 as of 12:01 a.m. today, bringing the state total to 131,258.

Vaccinations in Oregon

Today, OHA reported that 26,936 new doses of COVID-19 vaccinations were added to the state immunization registry. Of this total, 10,618 vaccine doses were administered on Jan. 14 and 16,318 were administered on previous days but were entered into the vaccine registry on Jan. 14.

Based on updated totals, OHA is meeting Gov. Kate Brown’s goal of ensuring 12,000 vaccinations a day. The Governor required the benchmark to be met by the end of the two-week period that began Jan. 4.

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).

Oregon has now administered a cumulative total of 173,073 first and second doses of COVID-19 vaccines. All vaccinations were administered by Oregon hospitals, long-term care facilities, emergency medical service (EMS) agencies, urgent care facilities and Local Public Health Authorities (LPHAs).

To date, 326,300 doses of vaccine have been delivered to sites across Oregon.

These data are preliminary and subject to change. OHA's dashboards provide regularly updated vaccination data.

COVID-19 hospitalizations

The number of hospitalized patients with COVID-19 across Oregon is 387, which is 28 fewer than yesterday. There are 97 COVID-19 patients in intensive care unit (ICU) beds, which is four fewer than yesterday.

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.

Cases and deaths

The new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases reported today are in the following counties: Baker (2), Benton (21), Clackamas (54), Clatsop (4), Columbia (11), Coos (3), Crook (4), Curry (1), Deschutes (43), Douglas (21), Grant (31), Harney (1), Hood River (4), Jackson (52), Jefferson (14), Josephine (48), Klamath (14), Lake (1), Lane (86), Lincoln (5), Linn (16), Malheur (5), Marion (95), Morrow (5), Multnomah (155), Polk (23), Umatilla (111), Union (7), Wallowa (2), Wasco (14), Washington (141) and Yamhill (43).

Oregon’s 1,738th COVID-19 death is an 85-year-old man in Clackamas County who tested positive on Dec. 31 and died on Jan. 8 at his residence. Presence of underlying conditions is being confirmed.

Oregon’s 1,739th COVID-19 death is an 83-year-old man in Deschutes County who tested positive on Jan. 4 and died on Jan. 13 at his residence. He had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 1,740th COVID-19 death is a 94-year-old woman in Josephine County who tested positive on Dec. 28 and died on Jan. 11 at her residence. Presence of underlying conditions is being confirmed.

Oregon’s 1,741st COVID-19 death is a 68-year-old man in Klamath County who tested positive on Dec. 20 and died on Jan. 7 at Sky Lakes Medical Center. He had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 1,742nd COVID-19 death is a 74-year-old man in Klamath County who tested positive on Dec. 26 and died on Jan. 10 at Sky Lakes Medical Center. He had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 1,743rd COVID-19 death is an 87-year-old woman in Klamath County who tested positive on Dec. 28 and died on Jan. 10 at her residence. She had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 1,744th COVID-19 death is a 77-year-old man in Klamath County who tested positive on Dec. 28 and died on Jan. 11 at his residence. He had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 1,745th COVID-19 death is a 78-year-old man in Morrow County who tested positive on Nov. 13 and died on Nov. 17 at his residence. He had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 1,746th COVID-19 death is an 84-year-old woman in Multnomah County who tested positive on Aug. 28 and died on Oct. 29 at her residence. She had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 1,747th COVID-19 death is a 52-year-old woman in Multnomah County who tested positive on Oct. 14 and died on Nov. 10 at Adventist Medical Center. She had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 1,748th COVID-19 death is an 83-year-old woman in Multnomah County who tested positive on Nov. 9 and died on Nov. 12 at her residence. She had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 1,749th COVID-19 death is a 74-year-old woman in Multnomah County who tested positive on Dec. 17 and died on Jan. 11 at Legacy Mount Hood Medical Center. Presence of underlying conditions is being confirmed.

Oregon’s 1,750th COVID-19 death is a 96-year-old woman in Multnomah County who tested positive on Dec. 25 and died on Jan. 12 at her residence. She had no underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 1,751st COVID-19 death is an 85-year-old woman in Multnomah County who tested positive on Dec. 24 and died on Jan. 9 at her residence. She had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 1,752nd COVID-19 death is a 72-year-old man in Multnomah County who tested positive on Jan. 4 and died on Jan. 12 at Providence Portland Medical Center. Presence of underlying conditions is being confirmed.

Oregon’s 1,753rd COVID-19 death is a 71-year-old man in Multnomah County who tested positive on Jan. 8 and died on Jan. 12 at Kaiser Permanente Sunnyside Medical Center. He had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 1,754th COVID-19 death is a 78-year-old woman in Umatilla County who tested positive on Dec. 17 and died on Jan. 11 at her residence. She had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 1,755th COVID-19 death is an 84-year-old woman in Umatilla County who tested positive on Dec. 21 and died on Dec. 20 at her residence. She had underlying conditions. 

Oregon’s 1,756th COVID-19 death is a 76-year-old man in Yamhill County who tested positive on Jan. 5 and died on Jan. 10 at his residence. He had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 1,757th COVID-19 death is a 79-year-old woman in Curry County who tested positive on Dec. 9 and died on Dec. 18 at her residence. Presence of underlying conditions is being confirmed.

Oregon’s 1,758th COVID-19 death is a 78-year-old man in Harney County who tested positive on Jan. 8 and died on Jan. 8 at his residence. He had underlying conditions.

Learn more about COVID-19 vaccinations

To learn more about the COVID-19 vaccine situation in Oregon, visit our webpage, which has a breakdown of distribution and other useful information.

The January Willamette Intake Facilities (WIF) Board Meeting will be held on Monday, January 26,2021, at 6:00pm.

Location: In compliance with COVID-19 restrictions, meeting access is via conference dial-in only. If you wish to attend remotely, please contact annette.rehms@tvwd.org or call 971-222-5957 for dial-in information by 3:00pm on January 25, 2021. If you wish to address the WIF Board, please request the Public Comment Form and return it 48 hours prior to the day of the meeting.  

The Board meeting agenda packet and additional information regarding the Willamette Intake Facilities are available on the WIF Commission website: 

https://www.tvwd.org/district/page/willamette-intake-facilities-commission-meeting-10

January 15, 2021

PORTLAND, Ore. – Today, Multnomah County District Attorney Mike Schmidt announced that the Multnomah County Grand Jury returned a not true bill in the murder investigation involving 23-year-old Dario Papa-Vincente.

Upon the grand jury’s decision on January 8, 2021, the district attorney’s office filed a motion with the court to have Papa-Vincente released from custody.

This investigation started on October 24, 2020 when the Portland Police Bureau responded to a traffic crash and shooting in the area of Southeast 48th Avenue and Southeast Division Street.

While officers were investigating, they received information about a gunshot victim, later identified as 22-year-old Noah Terry, who arrived at a local hospital by private vehicle. Terry died at the hospital.

The Oregon State Medical Examiner’s Office determined Terry died as a result of a gunshot wound.

A grand jury will issue a “not true bill” when it finds insufficient evidence as a whole to indict a person with a crime.

Under Oregon law, when an indictment endorsed “not a true bill” has been filed with the clerk of the court, the effect is to dismiss the charge, and the charge cannot be again submitted to or inquired of by the grand jury unless the court so orders.

No additional information can be released by the Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office.

This case was investigated by the Portland Police Bureau’s Homicide Detail.

#MCDA#

Media Contact:

Brent Weisberg, Communications Director

Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office

Email: rent.Weisberg@mcda.us">Brent.Weisberg@mcda.us

This afternoon at 1:32pm, Cornelius Firefighters were dispatched to a residential fire in the 1200 block of N Barlow Street. But firefighters were already aware of the fire before being alerted by dispatchers, this is because the fire station is located directly across from the incident location. A student volunteer noticed the smoke from the training room and alerted their captain, by the time the captain looked out the window they saw flames and smoke from the house. As they were making their way to the fire engine, the alerting tones were going off at the same time.

The crew arrived seconds later to find heavy fire coming from the rear porch of the house. They made a quick attack on the flames, but the fire had already spread into the interior of the house. A second arriving crew from Hillsboro attacked the flames that had reached the interior. It took firefighters approximately 30 minutes to extinguish the fire, and another hour searching for hot spots.

The cause of the fire is currently under investigation. The fire has displaced three occupants of the house, they are receiving assistance from the Red Cross.

Cornelius Fire Department was assisted on scene by Forest Grove Fire & Rescue, Gaston Fire District, Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue, Hillsboro Fire & Rescue, Banks Fire District and Washington County Sheriffs Deputies assigned to Cornelius.

Scene Information
Engine - 6
Truck - 1
Chiefs - 3
Investigators - 2

Total Fire Personnel - 35

# # #

PORTLAND, Oregon (January 15, 2021): While looking forward to the year ahead, Sunshine Division and Kaiser Permanente remain aware of the many families and individuals within our community who are in need of food. They have joined together to do something special on this important holiday to help offer healing for our community.

As such, Sunshine Division and Kaiser Permanente are proud to announce their upcoming free food box distribution day in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day on Monday, Jan. 18, 2021.

Kaiser Permanente’s donation of $90,000 will provide 90,000 meals. That equates to 1,000 food boxes delivered through Sunshine Division’s home delivery program, another 1,000 bulk food deliveries to partnering agencies and organizations in the Longview, Vancouver, Clackamas, Cornelius and Salem areas. Plus another 1,000 drive-up food boxes made available for families and individuals needing to safely pick up a food box at the two locations described in further detail below.

“Continuing Dr. King’s vision of giving back and honoring diversity, equity and inclusion is an essential part of Kaiser Permanente’s mission,” said Jeff Collins, President of Kaiser Permanente’s Northwest region. “We know that connecting people who are food insecure with the resources they need to achieve total health is crucial. In a year that has been marked with so much unrest and uncertainty, the role that each of us plays to foster healthy, inclusive communities is more important than ever.”

Volunteers from Kaiser Permanente will also help to home deliver food boxes and place food boxes inside the cars of families and individuals who drive-up to either of the two locations to receive their food box.

"With this $90,000 grant from Kaiser Permanente, we will be able to provide free food to more than 3,000 families and individuals. This partnership is one we are looking forward to expanding in the future," said Kyle Camberg, Executive Director of Sunshine Division. "We share a similar philosophy with Kaiser Permanente in that we believe no one should go hungry. On an important holiday such as this, which honors the amazing legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr., we hope this event offers needed healing within the communities we serve, given the difficult year we have endured."

The safety of Sunshine Division’s clients and Kaiser Permanente volunteers remains a top priority. As such, all food boxes provided at either location will be loaded into client’s cars in a socially distanced manner by Sunshine Division staff and Kaiser Permanente volunteers. Masks will be required to be worn by all parties present in the client’s cars when interacting with staff and volunteers, and masks will be worn at all times while volunteers make deliveries to food box recipients.

Families and individuals in need are invited to come to either Sunshine Division’s North Thompson food pantry location, or Sunshine Division’s vacant Safeway store location, where they run their emergency home delivery program, on Monday, January 18, from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. to receive a free food box; no questions asked.

Sunshine Division’s two locations for drive-by food box pick-up are provided below:

• 687 N. Thompson St. Portland, OR 97227 (N Thompson food pantry location)
• 221 NE 122nd Ave. Portland, OR 97230 (Vacant Safeway store – Sunshine Division’s food delivery program)

The home deliveries and bulk food deliveries have already been claimed.

Media is invited to attend the following event:

What: Food box packing and distribution
When: 11 a.m.-noon on Monday, Jan. 18, 2021
Where: 221 N.E. 122nd Ave. (corner of N.E. 122nd and Glisan St.)

Visuals: Volunteers packing food and loading into cars; vehicles pulling up to get their boxes; Kaiser Permanente President, Jeff Collins, packing food boxes.

ABOUT SUNSHINE DIVISION

Since 1923, Sunshine Division has provided free emergency food and clothing to families and individuals in times of crisis. During the year 2020, at the height of the COVID-19 crisis, Sunshine Division launched their expanded emergency food delivery program. With the help of the Portland Police Bureau, and numerous local supporters, Sunshine Division provided more than 4.8 MILLION meals to over 180,000 households through their two food pantries, home deliveries, and bulk food distribution program. In the new year, Sunshine Division’s ongoing food delivery model continues to help them meet the growing need thousands of local families are experiencing by providing free food so that no goes hungry.  

For more information, please visit: www.sunshinedivision.org

ABOUT KAISER PERMANENTE

For 75 years, Kaiser Permanente has been committed to shaping the future of health and health care — and helping our members, patients, and communities experience more healthy years. We are recognized as one of America’s leading health care providers and not-for-profit health plans. Since July 21, 1945, Kaiser Permanente’s mission has been to provide high-quality, affordable health care services and to improve the health of our members and the communities we serve. We currently serve 12.4 million members in 8 states and the District of Columbia. Care for members and patients is focused on their total health and guided by their personal Permanente Medical Group physicians, specialists, and team of caregivers. Our expert and caring medical teams are empowered and supported by industry-leading technology advances and tools for health promotion, disease prevention, state-of-the-art care delivery, and world-class chronic disease management. Kaiser Permanente is dedicated to care innovations, clinical research, health education, and the support of community health.

For more information, please visit: about.kaiserpermanente.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Marion County Farm Bureau announces the availability of two scholarships for students. 

The Mary Petzel Memorial Scholarship was created in honor of Mary Petzel, the long-time secretary of Marion County Farm Bureau. Mary was recognized for her disciplined approach to all aspects of the Farm Bureau. She also served as a member of the Oregon Farm Bureau Women’s Advisory Council. Her family continues to farm in the Brooks/Gervais area.

The Scott Miller Memorial Scholarship was created in honor of Scott Miller, the fourth generation of his family to farm their land in Woodburn. He farmed row crops and fresh market produce and was on the Marion County Farm Bureau board of directors. He tragically died when the tractor he was driving was rear ended by a vehicle in 2014.

Scholarship applications will be judged by a panel of Marion County Farm Bureau members and judged on accuracy, neatness and organization, financial need, agricultural experience, and GPA.

Scholarships ranging up to $2,500 may be awarded. Award recipients will also receive a one-year supporting membership to the Marion County Farm Bureau.

Applications must be postmarked by May 1. Please see applications for eligibility and instructions.

Applications are available at https://www.marioncofarm.com/

For more information, contact Marion County Farm Bureau at office@marioncofarm.com, 503-877-1999.

###

(Salem, Ore.) - The Oregon Department of Human Services’ Office of Developmental Disabilities Services and Office of Aging and People with Disabilities are seeking public comment regarding the 1915 (k) state plan amendment.

The 1915 (k) State Plan amendment is requesting to:

• Add an acute care hospital as an approved setting in the 1915 (k) State Plan.
• Remove the prohibition of using physical therapists and occupational therapists.
• Allow long-term care community nursing services in settings in which nursing services are currently restricted by rule, contract, or K Plan language.
• Allow two Medicaid home-delivered meals per day.
• Increase local approval limit for electronic devices from $500 to $1,200.
• Update Group Care Homes for Children (GCH) rate methodology.

The proposed 1915 (k) amendment is online at https://www.oregon.gov/dhs/SENIORS-DISABILITIES/DD/Compass/20-xxx-K-plan-draft.pdf.

Print versions of the waiver amendments are posted in local offices:

• Community Developmental Disabilities Programs (http://www.oregon.gov/DHS/SENIORS-DISABILITIES/DD/Pages/county-programs.aspx)
• Developmental Disabilities Support Services Brokerages (https://www.oregon.gov/DHS/SENIORS-DISABILITIES/DD/Pages/Support-Services-Brokerages.aspx).
• Aging and People with Disabilities/Area Agencies on Aging offices (https://www.oregon.gov/dhs/Offices/Pages/Seniors-Disabilities.aspx)
• Print versions may also be obtained from Joli Schroader, ODDS Medicaid Waiver/State Plan Analyst, 503-507-2083, .schroader@dhsoha.state.or.us">joli.r.schroader@dhsoha.state.or.us or from Beth Jackson, APD Medicaid State Plan and Waiver Policy Analyst, eth.Jackson3@dhsoha.state.or.us">Beth.Jackson3@dhsoha.state.or.us

Members of the public are invited to provide any comments, suggestions or questions related to individuals receiving services through the Office of Developmental Disabilities Services to Joli Schroader; Department of Human Services, 500 Summer St. NE, Salem, OR 97301-1079 or .schroader@dhsoha.state.or.us">joli.r.schroader@dhsoha.state.or.us. 

Comments, suggestions or questions related to individuals receiving services through the Office of Aging and People with Disabilities should contact Beth Jackson; Department of Human Services, 500 Summer St. NE, Salem, OR 97301-1079 or  eth.Jackson3@dhsoha.state.or.us">Beth.Jackson3@dhsoha.state.or.us

The deadline for comments is Feb. 17, 2021. Mail responses must be received by this date in order to be considered.

Jan. 15, 2021

Contact: OHA External Relations, covid19.media@dhsoha.state.or.us" target="_blank">orcovid19.media@dhsoha.state.or.us

Oregon reports 1,037 new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases, 21 new deaths

PORTLAND, Ore. — There are 21 new COVID-19 related deaths in Oregon, raising the state’s death toll to 1,758, the Oregon Health Authority reported at 12:01 a.m. today.

Oregon Health Authority reported 1,037 new confirmed and presumptive cases of COVID-19 as of 12:01 a.m. today, bringing the state total to 131,258.

Vaccinations in Oregon

Today, the Oregon Health Authority reported that 26,936 new doses of COVID-19 vaccinations were added to the state immunization registry. Of this total, 10,618 vaccine doses were administered on Jan. 14 and 16,318 were administered on previous days but were entered into the vaccine registry on Jan. 14.

Based on updated totals, the Oregon Health Authority is meeting Gov. Kate Brown’s goal of ensuring 12,000 vaccinations a day. The Governor required the benchmark to be met by the end of the two-week period that began Jan. 4.

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. The Oregon Health Authority 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).

Oregon has now administered a cumulative total of 173,073 first and second doses of COVID-19 vaccines. All vaccinations were administered by Oregon hospitals, long-term care facilities, emergency medical service (EMS) agencies, urgent care facilities and Local Public Health Authorities (LPHAs).

To date, 326,300 doses of vaccine have been delivered to sites across Oregon.

These data are preliminary and subject to change. OHA's dashboards provide regularly updated vaccination data.

Cases and deaths

NOTE: Death details are being reviewed and will be posted in an updated version of this press release.

The new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases reported today are in the following counties: Baker (2), Benton (21), Clackamas (54), Clatsop (4), Columbia (11), Coos (3), Crook (4), Curry (1), Deschutes (43), Douglas (21), Grant (31), Harney (1), Hood River (4), Jackson (52), Jefferson (14), Josephine (48), Klamath (14), Lake (1), Lane (86), Lincoln (5), Linn (16), Malheur (5), Marion (95), Morrow (5), Multnomah (155), Polk (23), Umatilla (111), Union (7), Wallowa (2), Wasco (14), Washington (141) and Yamhill (43).

Learn more about COVID-19 vaccinations

To learn more about the COVID-19 vaccine situation in Oregon, visit our webpage, which has a breakdown of distribution and other useful information.

Following Governor Brown’s decision to postpone the expansion of the group eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine to include educators and those aged 65 and over, OAHHS President and CEO Becky Hultberg issued the following statement:

“When the federal government announced this week that the full reserve of vaccine would be released to states and that Oregon would be offering doses to educators and those aged 65+, we were supportive but skeptical that the supply would meet this massive increase in the number of Oregonians who would become eligible.

Now we all have learned that there will be no increase in the number of vaccine doses delivered to Oregon. We support Governor Brown’s decision to delay the expansion until we can be sure that the doses are in hand to meet this demand.

It is unfortunate that the news on Monday set unrealistic expectations about the available supply of vaccine.

Until more vaccine is delivered, Oregon’s hospitals will continue their work to administer the vaccine to as many members of the Phase 1a group as possible. Many of our hospitals have scheduled large scale vaccination events to continue their progress with the Phase 1a cohort.

From the beginning, the COVID-19 vaccine rollout has been unpredictable. At the 11th hour, hospitals shouldered a huge part of the burden for distribution of the doses, with little outside support. The fact that the playing field keeps changing makes this work even more difficult in the midst of a pandemic, as our overburdened staffs take care of a surge of patients. 

When the COVID-19 vaccines became available, the state of Oregon directed hospitals to administer the first doses to their frontline caregivers and others with patient contact. Many of our hospitals have finished this step. Then in early January hospitals were asked to expand their reach to vaccinate the rest of Phase 1a, and our facilities have leaned into this work.

We are grateful to all of the Oregonians who have worked so hard to help bring us through the pandemic, especially our frontline health care workers. This is a team effort, and Oregon’s hospitals will continue to do whatever it takes to help us beat COVID-19.”

                                                                                                   ###

About OAHHS: Founded in 1934, OAHHS is a statewide, nonprofit trade association that works closely with local and national government leaders, business and citizen coalitions, and other professional health care organizations to enhance and promote community health and to continue improving Oregon’s innovative health care delivery system.

MONMOUTH, Ore. – The Western Oregon University (WOU) Board of Trustees Executive, Governance and Trusteeship Committee (EGTC) on Thursday met to consider language for a new presidential search policy. As part of the discussion, the group affirmed its intention, pending full board approval, to search for an interim president to replace retiring President Rex Fuller.

The committee worked to craft a WOU-specific policy governing presidential searches, a process that previously had been managed through the Oregon University System (OUS). When the state’s seven public universities were made independent in 2015, they were at liberty to create their own presidential hiring policies; this is the first time WOU has needed its own policy as Fuller has been in his position since 2015.

The full Board of Trustees had indicated that a search for an interim president made more sense at this time for a number of reasons. On Thursday, the EGTC drafted guidelines for both interim and regular presidential searches, including potential timelines.

“We want to ensure all constituents are involved in the search for the next long-term WOU president, and we will begin that process in fall 2021,” said Board of Trustees Chair Betty Komp. “The proposed policy will go to the full board at its regular meeting on Feb. 17 with the recommendation of completing an interim hiring process in the next five months.”

Board of Trustees Secretary and University General Counsel Ryan Hagemann underscored that the search for a university president will be transparent, involve voices from across campus, and will include opportunities for constituent participation. The university does not intend to hire a consultation firm if it chooses the interim route, and no candidates have been identified, Hagemann said.

About Western Oregon University

Western Oregon University, founded in 1856 and located in Monmouth, is the state’s oldest public university. Serving approximately 4,500 students, WOU is a mid-sized, NCAA Division II institution with nearly 75 percent of the student population being from Oregon. A significant portion of attendees are members of under-represented groups, veterans or non-traditional students. WOU is Oregon’s campus of choice for those seeking a transformative education in a supportive, student-centered learning community where classes are taught by faculty. Together we succeed.

# # #

Please reference CCSO Case # 21-000170

Last week, deputies and K9 Coda busted an armed robbery in which three suspects stole several pistols and rifles from a Clackamas apartment. All stolen weapons were recovered.

At 12:04 a.m. on Monday, Jan 4, Clackamas County Sheriff's Office deputies responded to the report of a robbery at the Townhomes with a View apartment complex in Clackamas.

Three roommates, ages 19-22, share the apartment. One of the roommates had invited an 18-year-old Salem woman identified as Maci Lee Hamm to visit the apartment.

The roommate who invited Maci Hamm reportedly only knew Hamm via Snapchat -- the two had never met in person.

Ms. Hamm arrived at the apartment unexpectedly in the company of three males, later identified as the robbery suspects:

• Daetrayl Berry, 18, of Salem
• Andrew Scott Luhr, 18, of Salem
• and Emmanuel Petry, 18, of Salem

The roommate was reportedly unaware that Hamm would be accompanied by the three men.

During their visit, Berry, Luhr, and Petry became aware of several firearms at the apartment. The three men decided to steal these firearms in what appears at this writing to be an impromptu home-invasion robbery.

Around midnight -- after Maci Hamm had left the scene in a white sedan -- one of the three suspects picked up one of the pistols belonging to one of the roommates, held it to the head of another of the roommates, and threatened to shoot. Berry, Luhr, and Petry then stole three additional firearms from the residence and fled the location on foot.

After the three suspects left, the victims called 911.

Deputies arrived and quickly located the suspects -- but Berry, Luhr, and Petry did not have any of the stolen firearms on their person.

Deputies detained the suspects and searched the area extensively, with help from K9 Coda. Coda's article search eventually revealed the location of the stolen guns: They were hidden nearly, below a structure, under some leaves.

Four stolen firearms were recovered:

• Two Glock pistols;
• A .22 Ruger bolt-action rifle;
• And an AR-15 rifle.

Deputies also recovered ammunition.

Serial numbers had been scratched off one of the weapons, which are currently being examined as evidence by forensic technicians.

Authorities are following up with Ms. Hamm, but she is not charged with any crime at this writing.

All three suspects were arrested and transported to Clackamas County Jail, where each was charged with the following crimes:

• ROBBERY I | 164.415
• THEFT I - OTHER | 164.055-1
• UNLAWFUL USE OF WEAPON | 166.220
• MENACING-PHYSICAL OR WEAPON | 163.190-1

Bail for each suspect was set at $250,000. Booking photos are attached. Complete booking information can be found at https://web3.clackamas.us/roster/#inmates

ADDITIONAL TIPS SOUGHT: Anyone with information on the criminal activities of Daetrayl Berry, Andrew Scott Luhr, and/or Emmanuel Petry is urged to contact the Sheriff's Office Tip Line — by phone at 503-723-4949 or by using the online email form at https://www.clackamas.us/sheriff/tip . Please reference CCSO Case # 21-000170.

[END]

VANCOUVER, WA—On January 14, 2021, Dr. Casey Cornelius, orthopedist and surgeon, performed the clinic’s first knee replacement surgery in the clinic’s Ambulatory Surgery Center (ASC), which is located in the 87th Avenue clinic. The patient was able to go home the same day to safely and comfortably recover.

Until now, clinic patients only had the option of a hospital joint replacement. Now, healthy, low-risk patients who qualify can have surgery in the morning and sleep in their own bed at night. It’s a “more positive experience for patients,” Dr. Cornelius said.

“I think this is the direction that joint replacement is going,” Dr. Cornelius explained. “A high percentage of patients are young and active and need this. There is a huge demand for it.”

The Vancouver Clinic ASC is equipped with a MAKO™ surgical robot—the same technology used in a hospital setting. The tool allows doctors to place joints precisely, resulting in longer lasting implants and better matches to the patient’s anatomy. This minimally invasive technology also shortens recovery time.

Robotic technology, combined with advances in pain and swelling control, mean that joint replacements have come a long way during the last several years. Offering them in an outpatient setting just makes sense.

“More than 90 percent of patients improve after surgery,” Dr. Cornelius says. “We have a lot of confidence in this.”

Two other clinic doctors join Dr. Cornelius in offering outpatient joint replacements. Dr. Carlos Williams offers hip and knee replacements, and Dr. Christopher Lotufo offers ankle replacements.

“Our first goal is always to provide an excellent care experience for patients,” said Chief Medical Officer Alfred Seekamp. “Making a joint replacement more personal and more comfortable is a natural part of that mission.”

About Vancouver Clinic

Caring for people is our first priority and the driving force behind everything we do. Since 1936, Vancouver Clinic has served the communities of Southwest Washington. With more than 1,200 employees, plus 400 providers, we are also one of the largest employers in the region, and a powerhouse for the local economy. For more information, visit tvc.org.

Expect delays and very slow traffic on I-84, both eastbound and westbound near MP 23.5 due to truck crashes. At least three trucks involved, with concrete barrier pushed into lanes. Traffic is currently moving slowly around crash site with on lane open in EB freeway and only shoulder open in WB freeway. Emegency crews on site. ODOT is working to get area cleaned and vehicles moved. No estimate on fully opening the route. Expect lengthy closure of several hours or more, plus temporary full closures during vehicle removal later today. Use alternate routes if available. Check TripCheck.com or call 511 / 800-977-6368 for update conditions. Outside Oregon call 503-588-2941

On January 14, 2021 just before noon, Oregon City Police received a 911 call from a woman reporting being sexually assaulted while standing in the checkout line at the Dollar Tree store.  The suspect was immediately confronted by the woman and fled the store on foot.  Officers met with the caller and determined a stranger intentionally and maliciously groped her.

Police located the suspect in the neighboring area a short time later and a foot pursuit ensued.  The chase lasted several blocks, during which the suspect ran along railroad tracks, as well as across all lanes of traffic on Interstate-205 in an attempt to escape.  He was ultimately arrested without injury or further incident.  26-year-old Lucas Knight was lodged at the Clackamas County Jail and charged with Sexual Abuse III, Criminal Trespass I, and Disorderly Conduct II.

Reference OCPD case #21-000959.

Jan. 15, 2021 - Salem, Ore. – When most people stop on the way to work, they pick up coffee, tea or a soda. Diana C. of Salem decided to pick up something a little more substantial, a $50,000 Powerball prize. 

“I normally don’t buy tickets,” Dianna said when she claimed her prize, “but I saw that the jackpots were so big, I decided to get $10 of Powerball.” 

Thursday morning, back at work at the Marion County Juvenile Department, she noticed the ticket in her purse and decided to check the numbers. 

“I saw I hit the Powerball, so I knew I won some money,” she said. “When I looked at the other numbers, I almost fainted. I’m not going to lie.” 

She couldn’t contain her excitement and decided to share the news with some co-workers, and then called to make her appointment to claim that prize at the Oregon Lottery that same day. She had hit four out of five numbers and the Powerball on her quick pick ticket.  

“I am going to play some more, the big prize is still out there,” she said. “I am going to use this to pay off some bills and it’s nice to have that peace of mind.” 

Saturday’s Powerball drawing is an estimated $640 million, which would be a $478.7 million cash value. If won, it will be the fifth largest jackpot in Powerball game history and the ninth largest jackpot in U.S. lottery history. This is the highest the Powerball jackpot has been since March 2019, and it’s causing an increase in sales in lottery tickets all around Oregon. 

Diana purchased her winning ticket at the US Market on Cherry Avenue in Keizer. Sam Singh, owner of the store, said that as the jackpots for both Powerball and Mega Millions have been growing, he has seen more and more customers add lottery tickets to their purchases. 

“It’s always this way when the jackpots get this big,” he said. “Having a winner like this will help sales, because they think it could happen to them.” 

Before Diana’s $50,000 win, Singh said the biggest winning ticket he had sold was in the $30,000 to $40,000 range. 

“This is very exciting and I feel great,” he said. “We hope to sell more, and even the big one. My advice to players is to buy more tickets. As much as you play, it increases your chances to win.” 

Since the Oregon Lottery began selling tickets on April 25, 1985, it has earned more than $12 billion for economic development, public education, Outdoor School, state parks, Veteran Services and watershed enhancements. For more information on the Oregon Lottery visit www.oregonlottery.org 

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Salem, Oregon – Relief grants ranging from $1,000 to $5,000 will be awarded to 646 diverse artists across Oregon through an Artist Relief Program created by the Oregon Arts Commission in partnership with Oregon Community Foundation and the James F. and Marion L. Miller Foundation. The awards expend the $1.25 million available for the program.

“Artists are the creative core of our communities and help define who we are. They inspire us to innovate, to learn and grow,” said Brian Rogers, executive director of the Oregon Arts Commission. “We are thankful to be able to provide support as our artists continue to suffer great losses due to the pandemic.

“While the requests far exceeded available funds,” Rogers added, “we hope the awards will help artists sustain their practice until better times arrive. We are extremely grateful to our partners at Oregon Community Foundation and the Miller Foundation for making this program possible.”

A total of 1,158 eligible applications reporting more than $18 million in revenue loss were received. Twenty-nine panelists from around the state served on five discipline-based panels that reviewed and evaluated applications based on published review criteria: professional artistic practice; impact of cancellations and loss of revenue on artistic practice; and need and access to other resources. A geographic distribution model ensured artists were funded in every region of the state. An average of 65% of applications were funded from each of the state’s 12 regions.

“The James F. and Marion L. Miller Foundation has been supporting Oregon artists for two decades through funding the visual, literary and performing arts organizations that employ Oregon’s creative workers,” said Martha Richards, executive director of the Miller Foundation. “In light of the impacts of both the pandemic and 2020 wildfires, we felt it critical to offer our support directly to artists for the first time. Together with our partners in the Artist Relief Program, we hope these grants help our state’s artists through this crisis. Now more than ever, we recognize artists’ vital role in our communities and consider their creativity and contributions as vital to our state’s recovery.”

“The relief applications submitted by working artists across Oregon demonstrated both the deep need and courageous resilience in our arts communities,” added Jerry Tischleder, Oregon Community Foundation’s program officer for arts and culture. “It’s crushing to recognize all that has been lost and I’m humbled that OCF could play a role in mending a portion of the damages. I applaud the review panels across the state who dug in to direct how funds would be allocated – it was hard work that couldn’t have been done without broad community input.”

The awarded artists represent a wide array of artistic disciplines including: Literature (creative non-fiction, fiction, play writing and poetry); dance (including choreography); music (composition and music performance); theatre and performance art; folk and traditional arts; visual arts (crafts, drawing, painting, photography, printmaking, sculpture, mixed media and new media); design arts; and media arts.

See a full list of artist awards by county: https://bit.ly/3nNdfD1

The Oregon Arts Commission provides leadership, funding and arts programs through its grants, special initiatives and services. Nine commissioners, appointed by the Governor, determine arts needs and establish policies for public support of the arts. The Arts Commission became part of Business Oregon (formerly Oregon Economic and Community Development Department) in 1993, in recognition of the expanding role the arts play in the broader social, economic and educational arenas of Oregon communities. In 2003, the Oregon legislature moved the operations of the Oregon Cultural Trust to the Arts Commission, streamlining operations and making use of the Commission’s expertise in grantmaking, arts and cultural information and community cultural development. 

The Arts Commission is supported with general funds appropriated by the Oregon legislature and with federal funds from the National Endowment for the Arts as well as funds from the Oregon Cultural Trust. More information about the Oregon Arts Commission is available online at: www.oregonartscommission.org.

Jan. 15, 2021

(Salem) – Oregon’s workers’ compensation rates remain among the lowest in the nation as shown by the 2020 edition of the Oregon workers’ compensation rate ranking study. This reflects the state’s success in making workplaces safer and keeping costs under control.

The biennial study, released today by the Oregon Department of Consumer and Business Services (DCBS), ranks all 50 states and Washington, D.C., based on premium rates that were in effect Jan. 1, 2020.

Oregon had the seventh least expensive rates in 2020, a slight drop from its ranking in a tie for the sixth least expensive state in 2018, the last time the study was done. Oregon workers’ compensation rates are declining further – an average of 5.6 percent – in 2021, marking eight straight years of declining premiums. In fact, average rates have fallen 48 percent during the 2013 to 2021 time period. Workers’ compensation pays injured workers for lost wages and medical care for job-related injuries.

“Oregon continues to demonstrate that it’s possible to maintain low employer costs while providing strong benefits,” Oregon Gov. Kate Brown said. “We must remain committed to working together to balance worker health, safety, and benefits with employer rates, and to help workers who are injured heal and return to work quickly.”

The study shows New Jersey had the most expensive rates, followed by New York. Meanwhile, the least expensive rates are those of North Dakota. In the west, California’s rates were the fourth most expensive, while Washington’s rates were the 22nd most expensive and Idaho was the 19th most expensive.

Oregon researchers also compared each state’s rates to the national median (that of the 26th ranked state) rate of $1.44 per $100 of payroll. Oregon’s rate of $1.00 is 69 percent of the median.

In order to have a valid comparison between states that have various mixes of industries, the study calculates rates for each state using the same mix of the 50 industries with the highest workers’ compensation claims costs in Oregon.

A summary of the study was posted today; the full report will be published later this year.

Oregon has conducted these studies in even-numbered years since 1986, when Oregon’s rates were among the highest in the nation. The department reports the results to the Oregon Legislature as a performance measure. Oregon’s relatively low rate today underscores the state’s workers’ compensation system reforms and its focus on workplace safety and health. 

Oregon has long taken a comprehensive approach to making workplaces safer, keeping business costs low, and providing strong worker benefits. This approach includes enforcing requirements that employers carry insurance for their workers, keeping medical costs under control, and helping injured workers return to work sooner and minimize the effect on their wages.

“Through collaboration and hard work, Oregon continues to prove we know how to keep workplaces safe and costs down,” said Andrew Stolfi, DCBS director. “DCBS will keep doing its best to hold costs down for businesses and ensure workers are kept safe and receive the benefits they are due.”

Here are some key links for the study and workers’ compensation costs:
• To read a summary of the study, go to https://www.oregon.gov/dcbs/reports/Documents/general/prem-sum/20-2082.pdf.
• Prior years’ summaries and full reports with details of study methods can be found at https://www.oregon.gov/dcbs/reports/protection/Pages/general-wc-system.aspx  
• Information on workers’ compensation costs in Oregon, including a map with these state rate rankings, is at https://www.oregon.gov/dcbs/cost/Pages/index.aspx

Learn about Oregon’s return-to-work programs, workers’ compensation insurance requirements, and more at https://wcd.oregon.gov/Pages/index.aspx

Request a no-cost workplace safety or health consultation, and learn about workplace safety and health requirements and resources at https://osha.oregon.gov/Pages/index.aspx

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The Department of Consumer and Business Services is Oregon’s largest business regulatory and consumer protection agency. Visit www.dcbs.oregon.gov.

Agency builds on efforts to protect sagebrush communities in region using fuel breaks to combat wildfires

BOISE, Idaho – Today, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) released the record of decision for the Fuels Reduction and Rangeland Restoration Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement in the Great Basin. This record of decision provides for treatment of undesired vegetation communities within a 38.5-million-acre potential area that includes portions of California, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, Utah and Washington.

“Finalizing this effort today is the culmination of the President and the Secretary’s historic efforts to meaningfully address wildfire risks across the West,” said Casey Hammond, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Land and Minerals Management. “From creating new administrative tools to completing environmental analyses allowing for strategic rangeland treatments, the Department has actively led the way in reducing fuel loads and the threat of catastrophic wildfires.”

The Fuels Reduction and Rangeland Restoration Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement analyzes the environmental effects of fuels reduction projects, invasive species treatments, and vegetation restoration work within important sagebrush communities. Local BLM District and Field Offices will plan and implement fuels reduction and rangeland restoration projects using manual, chemical and mechanical treatments, including prescribed fire, seeding and targeted grazing.

This record of decision builds on a complementary planning effort – the Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement for Fuel Breaks in the Great Basin – that the BLM completed in April 2020. That document provides for the construction and maintenance of a system of up to 11,000 miles of strategically placed fuel breaks to control wildfires. To date, the BLM has completed over 1,000 miles of fuels breaks as part of this historic effort.

These efforts are part of a larger national wildfire reduction strategy guided by President Trump’s Executive Order 13855 – Promoting Active Management of America’s Forests, Rangelands, and Other Federal Lands to Improve Conditions and Reduce Wildfire Risk, as well as Secretary’s Order 3372 – Reducing Wildfire Risks on Department of the Interior Land through Active Management. Under the leadership of President Trump and Secretary Bernhardt, the BLM significantly reduced hazardous fuel loads in fire-prone areas by treating more than 782,000 acres using a variety of active management vegetation treatments including mechanical, biological, and chemical tools as well as prescribed fire. The Department of the Interior has treated 5.4 million acres of land since 2017 and a ten-year best, 1.5 million acres in Fiscal Year 2020.

Over the last four years, the BLM has accomplished significant fuels management goals. In fiscal year 2017, the BLM fuels program accomplished more than 650,000 acres of fuels treatments; 480,000 of those treatment acres focused on the protection, conservation and restoration of sagebrush ecosystems. In fiscal year 2018, the BLM accomplished 667,000 acres of fuels treatment (53 percent) of the total 1,266,000 acres accomplished by all DOI Bureaus. In fiscal year 2019, the BLM accomplished more than 846,000 acres of fuels treatment (62 percent) of the total 1.3 million acres accomplished by all Department of the Interior bureaus.

Intact sagebrush communities are disappearing within the Great Basin due to the encroachment of pinyon-juniper and increased size and severity of wildfires which typically lead to the spread of invasive annual grasses. Approximately 45 percent of the historic range of sagebrush has been lost. Fuels reduction and rangeland restoration treatments can reduce fire severity, increase sagebrush communities’ resistance to invasive annual grasses and improve their ability to recover after wildfires. The BLM has extensively documented the effectiveness of reducing fuels and performing restoration treatments in the programmatic environmental impact statement.

This record of decision and programmatic environmental impact statement do not authorize specific projects. Local BLM District and Field Offices within the Great Basin will use the programmatic environmental impact statement to comply with National Environmental Policy Act requirements when planning and analyzing specific local fuels reduction and rangeland restoration projects to allow for more rapid implementation.

The BLM made the final programmatic environmental impact statement for Fuels Reduction and Rangeland Restoration in the Great Basin available for public review on Nov. 27, 2020.

An electronic copy of the record of decision, the final programmatic environmental impact statement for Fuels Reduction and Rangeland Restoration in the Great Basin and associated documents are available on the BLM Land Use Planning and NEPA register at https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/122968/570

-BLM-

The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land located primarily in the 11 Western states and Alaska. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. In fiscal year 2018, the diverse activities authorized on BLM-managed lands generated $105 billion in economic output across the country. This economic activity supported 471,000 jobs and contributed substantial revenue to the U.S. Treasury and state governments, mostly through royalties on minerals.

Vancouver, Wash. – Clark County Public Health continues to work with local health care facilities to vaccinate people who are eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. The Washington State Department of Health has prioritized the groups of people to be vaccinated in Phases 1a and 1b.

Clark County and Washington state are currently in Phase 1a. Vaccination for Phase 1b populations has not yet began.

In Phase 1a, people who work in health care settings, high-risk first responders, and people who live or work in long-term care facilities are eligible to be vaccinated. Local facilities have already vaccinated thousands of health care workers and first responders, and pharmacies are vaccinating staff and residents at long-term care facilities through a partnership with the federal government.

People who are eligible to be vaccinated in Phase 1a and need help accessing COVID-19 vaccine can submit a request form on the Public Health website. Public Health is connecting eligible people to local health care facilities with COVID-19 vaccine.

Requests are currently only being considered for those who are eligible in Phase 1a. In the last week and a half, Public Health has received requests from approximately 3,000 individuals and continues to receive several hundred requests per day. Currently, the number of requests for vaccine among the 1a population exceeds the capacity of local health care facilities. Clark County will not begin vaccinating people eligible in Phase 1b until the number of requests from the Phase 1a population begins to decrease.

Public Health will begin accepting requests for Phase 1b as vaccine supply and availability of appointments allow. Public Health will make an announcement and provide an update on its COVID-19 Vaccine webpage when requests for 1b populations are being accepted.

“Public Health and our local health care partners are working to get eligible people vaccinated as quickly as possible,” said Dr. Alan Melnick, Clark County health officer and Public Health director. “We, like many in our community, are eager to see the number of people protected against COVID-19 increase.”

Currently, all COVID-19 vaccines are being administered through a limited number of local health care facilities and pharmacies. Public Health and partners in Southwest Washington are exploring opportunities for opening community vaccination sites in order to more quickly vaccinate people. These efforts are in the early planning stages. Public Health will have more information to share in the coming weeks.

The Washington State Department of Health provides weekly updates on the number of COVID-19 vaccine doses allocated and administered in the state and is expected to publish a dashboard with COVID-19 vaccine data soon.

For additional information about the state COVID-19 vaccine allocation plan, including who is eligible to be vaccinated in Phase 1b, visit the Washington State Department of Health COVID-19 Vaccine webpage.

PORTLAND, Ore.—Billy. J. Williams, U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon, released the following statement on recent political violence:

"Like most Americans, I watched in disgust and anger as radical insurrectionists stormed the U.S. Capitol in a shocking display of political violence. There is no question these violent acts were domestic terrorism aimed at disrupting Congress’ Constitutional duty to certify the electoral victory of President-elect Joe Biden. The Justice Department and U.S. Attorney’s Offices throughout the country are working tirelessly to investigate and prosecute all forms of domestic terrorism including this attack on our government, and those responsible will be brought to justice.

As we approach next week’s inauguration, the threat of similar political violence around the country and here in Oregon remains. Our office is working closely with the FBI, Federal Protective Service, Oregon State Police, Portland Police Bureau, and other local, state, and federal law enforcement partners to identify, investigate, and disrupt anyone intent on engaging in violence here in Oregon.

We need the public’s help to keep our communities safe and protect all Oregonians’ First Amendment rights. We urge you to submit any information you have about real or potential threats of violence at any upcoming demonstrations or events throughout the state. Tips can be submitted directly to the FBI by calling (503) 224-4181 or by visiting tips.fbi.gov.”

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January 15, 2021

PORTLAND, Ore. – Today, Multnomah County District Attorney Mike Schmidt released the following statement:

We continue to be dismayed by the harmful rhetoric we are hearing, and we reject the violence and divisiveness permeating throughout the country. As the presidential inauguration nears, I want to reassure Multnomah County that our public safety system stands ready to confront any violence and property destruction. The safety, security and protection of rights for all individuals remains my top priority. We are working with local, state and federal authorities to prioritize that mission. At the same time, my office will continue to work with law enforcement to identify, investigate and prosecute criminal conduct, including property destruction and violence. No amount of property damage or violence is acceptable. Our public safety system continues to take a critical look at itself to find solutions to the injustice and racism highlighted during months of nightly protests last summer. In addition to next week’s presidential inauguration, on Monday we celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day. I hope everyone uses the holiday as a day of reflection and contemplation. During and after the Civil Rights Movement, our country made incredible progress, but there is so much work left to be done.

Anyone with information about planned criminal activity is urged to contact law enforcement.

People in Oregon can call the FBI at (503) 224-4181 or click here to submit information regarding any potential upcoming violence.

If you know of an immediate emergency, call 9-1-1.

#MCDA#

Media Contact:

Brent Weisberg, Communications Director

Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office

Email: rent.Weisberg@mcda.us">Brent.Weisberg@mcda.us

OREGON CITY - Oregon car enthusiasts lost a treasure last spring when the World of Speed motorsport museum in Wilsonville closed its doors. Though sadly another victim of COVID-19, the World of Speed is leaving a lasting legacy by giving departing gifts to schools and nonprofits across the state. 

With the dissolution of the organization, their board of directors agreed that the museum's assets would be distributed to 501(c)(3) museums and schools allowing World of Speed’s collection to live on for future generations. A total of 51 entities received donations from World of Speed, with Clackamas and Clatsop community colleges splitting the cash funds. Each college received a $375,000 donation through their colleges’ foundations to benefit ongoing education of automotive technology.

In addition to being a world-class motorsport museum, World of Speed’s mission supported education and hosted local high school students in conjunction with Clackamas Community College. Students were taught accredited automotive classes, providing the opportunity to learn skills needed in the automotive industry. 

Both Clackamas Community College, located in the Portland metro area, and Clatsop Community College, located in Astoria, will use their portions of the donation for student scholarships in the colleges’ automotive programs. These scholarships will help pay for tuition, tools for employment, and internships for students seeking career development and technical training.

“This is an amazing gift, and I look forward to awarding many students scholarships in our automotive programs,” John Chang, Clackamas Community College Foundation executive director, said. “Often is it the expense of the tools and supplies that students need that prevent them from completing a program. Removing those barriers for students will help them cross the finish line to graduation and into a living-wage job.”

Clatsop Community College Automotive Instructor Thad Nolan knows how important this is for the automotive program, industry and the community in general. “This will open up more opportunities for students who want to get into an industry that not only is hurting for skilled workers but is an essential part of everyday life, especially in the midst of our current situation. One hears about the frontline workers, the medical professionals, law enforcement, fire and rescue departments, etc., but few realize that without automotive repair professionals, those people wouldn't be driving to work, they wouldn't be coming to help or save you. Without someone maintaining and or fixing their service and personal vehicles, they are just not going to be able to do their jobs,” he stated. 

The colleges also received some physical donations from World of Speed. Clackamas Community College received equipment including four vehicles, laptops, personal protection equipment, as well as automotive equipment and tools. Clatsop Community College received automotive equipment and tool donations.

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Marion County Public Works is hosting a virtual open house for the upcoming Hollywood Drive NE Urban Improvements Project. The virtual open house is set for Jan. 15, 2021, through Feb. 8, 2021 and can be accessed at http://bit.ly/HollywoodDr_OpenHouse. 

Marion County has received a Federal Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) grant to make improvements on Hollywood Drive NE, from Silverton Road NE to 700 feet south of Greenfield Lane NE. Work will include widening both shoulders and constructing sidewalks on both sides of the road to accommodate bike lanes and pedestrian traffic. Approximately 800 linear feet of the project area is located within the City of Salem, which allows the project to connect to existing pedestrian and bicycle facilities. The project will construct a new signalized intersection at Silverton Road and Hollywood Drive, including a left-turn refuge from Hollywood Drive northbound to Silverton Road westbound.

The existing roadway is generally narrow with no bike lanes and only isolated segments of existing sidewalk. This segment of Hollywood Drive is an important connection between a major arterial, McKay High School, parks and residential neighborhoods in northeast Salem. Within the project limits, Hollywood Drive has a high traffic volume along with a high volume of bicyclists and pedestrians. It serves an area that is densely developed with both single-family and multi-family housing.

Construction is expected to begin in the summer of 2022 and be completed in the spring of 2023.

Marion County Public Works will host a Virtual Open House to provide preliminary project information and collect comments and questions regarding the upcoming project.

Topics will include:

• Project Milestones and Schedule
• Preliminary Design Plans
• Right-of-Way Impacts

We look forward to hearing from each of you. If you are unable to use the website, but have questions about the project, please contact Mark Foster, at 503-373-4307 or email mafoster@co.marion.or.us.

If you require special accommodations, please contact Jill Ogden at 503-588-5036.

Usted puede solicitar esta nota en otro idioma, solicitar un traductor, u otras acomodaciones contactando a Maggie Vazquez, o Alan Pennington, al 503-588-5036 lo mínimo de dos días de trabajo antes de la reunión.

All lanes of northbound Interstate 205 are closed at Interstate 84 following a Friday morning crash involving several vehicles. All traffic is being routed onto westbound I-84. The ramp from northbound I-205 to eastbound I-84 is also closed. The closure is expected to continue for several hours. Travelers should expect major delays or take an alternate route.