.st1{fill-rule:evenodd;clip-rule:evenodd;fill:#2a2a2a}By Nik Streng | The Oregonian/OregonLiveA former standout in Oregon’s high school basketball scene is returning to his home state Lincoln alumnus Graham Eikenberry announced that he is committing to Western Oregon University 💯committed to Western Oregon University Basketball @WOU_MBB thank you @Coach_Orton for the Opportunity. pic.twitter.com/yRNf6fgjhs Eikenberry spent last year with The Citadel Eikenberry was a big part of the Cardinals’ run in the 2022-23 season won the Portland Interscholastic League outright and finished third in the Class 6A state tournament The 6-foot-9 center was a second team all-PIL honoree his senior season Eikenberry will be joining a Western Oregon squad that will also have a new head coach. Ryan Orton was hired in April to lead the team that went 5-23 in the 2024-25 season Subscribe to the High School Sports+ newsletter Sign up here to get exclusive news and insights from high school sports editor Nik Streng -- Nik Streng covers high school sports in Oregon. Reach him at nstreng@oregonian.com or @NikStreng Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement, (updated 8/1/2024) and acknowledgement of our Privacy Policy, and Your Privacy Choices and Rights (updated 1/1/2025) © 2025 Advance Local Media LLC. All rights reserved (About Us) The material on this site may not be reproduced except with the prior written permission of Advance Local Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site YouTube's privacy policy is available here and YouTube's terms of service is available here Ad Choices 💯committed to Western Oregon University Basketball @WOU_MBB thank you @Coach_Orton for the Opportunity. pic.twitter.com/yRNf6fgjhs A former Iowa woman who went missing in early April while traveling from Oregon to her parents’ home has been found dead The Harney County Sheriff’s Office in Burns said that volunteer searchers found the body of Kaylee Birt She had been missing since April 4 when she was last seen at a store in Fields was making her way from her home in Klamath Falls She was driving a 2008 Chevrolet Malibu with Oregon license plates The car was found in a remote area of Harney County two days later The search for Birt through a remote area included deputies from several counties and the Oregon State Police horseback riders and a tracking dog were utilized The Sheriff’s Office has not released any information about how Birt died Burns is located about 230 miles east of Klamath Falls in southern Oregon kevin.cole@owh.com, 402-444-1272 Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. The Harney County Sheriff’s Office in Burns, Oregon, said that volunteer searchers found the body of Kaylee Birt, 29, on Saturday. Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device. Account processing issue - the email address may already exist Your account has been registered, and you are now logged in. Invalid password or account does not exist Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password. An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the email address listed on your account. Armstrong Williams takes on the news of the week and asks the questions you want answered. Don’t miss our weekly town hall. Ethics probe fines ex-Oregon Secretary Fagan, OLCC's Marks for misconductby Bobby Corser (KATU) — The Oregon Ethics Commission has reached settlements with former Secretary of State Shemia Fagan and Steve Marks the former Executive Director of the Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission READ MORE | Oregon Ethics Commission votes to investigate Fagan's travel expenses The fines are related to Fagan’s travel inside and outside of Oregon The commission voted 7-0 to investigate Fagan in August 2023. She resigned from the position of Secretary of State in May 2023 due to a scandal surrounding her job as a consultant for La Mota diminishing the limited supply available to the public Oregon Governor Tina Kotek had called for Marks resignation Kotek called the abuse of power “wholly unacceptable.” In May of 2024, Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum announced that the employees of OLCC would not face criminal charges in relation to the scandal The ethics commission will meet this upcoming Friday to finalize the settlements Jared Curtis is set to choose between which multi-million dollar deal and major program he wants on Monday Here's our final prediction: Oregon or Georgia The quarterback position is the most pivotal position in all of sports Nothing will impact wins or loses more than the value and leadership garnered out of the quarterback position Your football program will only go as far as the signal-caller leads them It’s been almost ten years since a “game manager” has won the national title like Jake Coker That helps explain why Oregon and Georgia are both expected to pay north of $2m for high-school prospect and QB that Curtis is set to be the highest-paid member of the 2026 recruiting class wherever he decides With Georgia slightly behind in terms of available resources Sources have even said the Curtis' camp filmed two commitment videos as of Monday morning Oregon offensive coordinator Will Stein seems to have the best relationship with Curtis himself Curtis’s parents seem to favor the Bulldogs It should be noted that Curtis is merely committing on Monday He was originally committed to Georgia as a sophomore he opened things back up because he wanted to take visits as an uncommitted prospect Curtis will be merely verbal agreeing to his NIL deal — a deal compromised of a portion of the projected Rev Share from House v NCAA Curtis's commitment ceremony is set for 5:30 EST PM on Monday You can follow us for future coverage by clicking "Follow" on the top right-hand corner of the page. Also, be sure to like us on Facebook @BulldogMaven & follow us on Twitter at @DawgsDaily BROOKS AUSTINBrooks Austin is a former college football player turned journalist and broadcaster. Follow him on Twitter @BrooksAustinBA The content on this site is for entertainment and educational purposes only Betting and gambling content is intended for individuals 21+ and is based on individual commentators' opinions and not that of Sports Illustrated or its affiliates All picks and predictions are suggestions only and not a guarantee of success or profit If you or someone you know has a gambling problem crisis counseling and referral services can be accessed by calling 1-800-GAMBLER 5-star quarterback Jared Curtis has gone back and forth over the past year but then backing off of that pledge and opening things back up Now he has narrowed it down to the Bulldogs and Ducks and has a commitment date set for May 5.  he was scheduled to host both Georgia OC Mike Bobo and Oregon OC Will Stein for in-home visits on Sunday According to On3's Steve Wiltfong, those in-home visits have been cancelled.  Nashville Christian's Jared Curtis (2) Saul Young/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images says that her son is truly still undecided on where he will end up and is heavily weighing both schools at this point there is a pull to stay close to home and play ball down in Athens but Curtis has also built up a close relationship with Dan Lanning and has a real desire to play for the Ducks.  Curtis has taken several visits to both Oregon and Georgia so there is not a lack of knowledge or familiarity with either program leading up to this decision While both schools would undoubtedly have loved to get an in-home visit on Sunday to try and seal the deal the cancellation likely won't impact things too much in the end.  and is projected to be an instant-impact player at the next level potentially starting as a true freshman wherever he ends up.  If he sticks to his commitment date of May 5 then we will find out where that will be in a matter of days this recruitment has already been long and drawn out it seems as few people would be surprised to see the commitment date pushed back as Curtis works to make one of the biggest decisions of his life 7vs6Michigan State Photo by: Rob Moseley/GoDucks.comDucks Celebrate Outright B1G Title On Senior Day05/04/25 | Softball 3 Oregon capped the regular season with a win Sunday then celebrated its senior class and its conference title three runs and five RBIs for the Riverhawks in their 16-1 win at Madras in a Tri-Valley Conference game There were more than 10,000 votes tallied last week We are accepting Oregon Athlete of the Week nominations To get live updates on your phone — as well as follow your favorite teams and top games — you can download the SBLive Sports app: Download iPhone App | Download Android App DAN BROODDan Brood who might be the very last of the straight-on place-kickers has been covering high school sports in Oregon for more than 30 years winning multiple awards for writing and photography He started working with SBLive Sports in 2021 By Stephen Tsai Editors' Picks celebrated with Xaige Lancaster after scoring Hawaii’s Shunsuke Sakaino forced out Oregon State’s Dallas Macias at second and turned a double play in the seventh inning during Sunday’s game at Les Murakami Stadium celebrated with teammates after his first homer of the season a solo shot in the third inning of Sunday’s game against Oregon State at Les Murakami Stadium Already a Honolulu Star-Advertiser subscriber? Log in now to continue reading a relaxed approach and the promise of smoothies three Hawaii pitchers combined on a three-hit shutout in the Hawaii baseball team’s 5-0 victory over Oregon State on Sunday at Les Murakami Stadium Liam O’Brien and Isaiah Magdaleno mesmerize the seventh-ranked Beavers and help the Rainbow Warriors rebound after losing the first two of this four-game series The 23-pitcher staff also gets to redeem broadcaster Scott Robbs’ promise of providing smoothies for every shutout “Friday night’s game was a wake-up call,” UH pitching coach Keith Zuniga said of the 11-4 setback All we asked them was to come out with the right mentality and get ahead and win counts and put them away when you need to.” and Matthew Miura hit a two-run double in the fourth inning But it was dominant pitching that helped the ’Bows improve to 29-16 First pitch for today’s series finale is 6:35 p.m Boosted by this week’s schedule of strength and conditioning training Walls “was at ease,” according to pitching coach Keith Zuniga Walls was able to find the strike zone with a curveball he was stealing strikes on the outer half of the plate and he was able to get to two strikes,” Zuniga said “He has such a wipe-out slider that when he gets to two strikes he was able to put people away with weak contact.” Walls allowed two hits and two walks while striking out five in five innings After going through OSU’s lineup twice In a road loss to Cal Poly three weeks ago O’Brien walked the four batters he faced in the first inning He then was pulled from the starting rotation But O’Brien pitched two scoreless innings in mid-week game against Chaminade and then did not allow a run in 42⁄3 innings against Cal State Bakersfield a week ago “He’s gotten over the hump,” UH coach Rich Hill said O’Brien mixed a 95-mph fastball with a mid-80s curveball “When his curveball is on and he’s throwing that over the plate he’s extremely tough,” Zuniga said O’Brien said the pitchers were “locked in We tried to get ahead of them with our pitching and let the offense do the rest.” Despite relinquishing a one-out double and walk Magdaleno induced a flyout and groundout to end the game “This team all year has been very resilient after a heart-breaking type of loss and they’ve been steady Eddie after walk-off wins,” Hill said “We come out with the same energy every day Thse guys are great at being wide open and enjoying the game of baseball like they’re 10 years old and playing on the roof of Target.” Palmeira did not play in the first two games of the series but started on Sunday Hill usually pinch hits for the starting catcher early in the game But Palmeira was allowed to bat with one out in the third and UH ahead 1-0 Palmeira pulled a pitch over the fence in left for a 2-0 lead “I believe in myself and I trust the process … and I tried to make the most of my opportunity,” Palmeira said “I took my time (circling the bases) Hill said: “He’s such a great kid and works so hard When he did that in front of the home fans that’s something he’ll remember forever He’s going to have a great next month.” HBA—by Kleinschmt (Nahaku); by DeCremer (Salmon) While it's not every day people see a rattlesnake in Oregon the venomous reptile is common in certain parts of the state Western rattlesnakes are known to inhabit areas of Oregon where the climate is much dryer particularly the desert-like landscapes of the central and eastern parts of the state — places that provide ideal conditions for them to thrive WorldAtlas, an online geography and educational website, recently pointed out the "5 Most Rattlesnake Infested Areas in Oregon," highlighting how the area's habitat attracts the different subspecies of the Western rattlesnake Here are the areas in Oregon where people are more likely to come across a rattlesnake Just outside of La Grande, the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest consists of 2.4 million acres that expands across northeastern Oregon and western Idaho With elevations ranging from 875-9,843 feet over the entire area climate can vary depending on the landscape visitors to the national forest can usually find a habitat where a certain rattlesnake thrives you might stumble upon the Northern Pacific rattlesnake This subspecies of the Western rattlesnake is known as a highly venomous pit-viper While it is among the more passive of the species favoring staying still to avoid being seen it will rattle its tail as a warning and may attack if threatened Smith Rock State Park near Bend in central Oregon is recognized for its dryer climate volcanic rock formations and desert dwelling wildlife such as hawks The Northern Pacific rattlesnake can also be found in this area and sightings are rare in this part of Oregon In 2024, a hiker exploring Smith Rock was reportedly bitten by a rattlesnake and flown to a hospital in Bend to be treated, according to KTVZ News Another subspecies of the Western rattlesnake is the Great Basin rattlesnake that inhabits the barren landscape of the Great Basin in southeastern Oregon More than 200,000 miles of dried sagebrush The Great Basin rattlesnake's long stocky body They are more common to areas below 8,000 feet and are known to hibernate in dens and hide in wide is a popular destination for visitors due to its endless outdoor recreation options high desert climate rattlesnakes like to inhabit Although you're more likely to see a bear or bobcat in this area rattlesnake will come out early to bask in the morning sun but typically seek cooler areas in the afternoons a man stepping out of a boat on the Deschutes River was immediately bitten by a rattlesnake near the water and was given two doses of anti-venom approximately four hours later The desert climate and rocky landscape is perfect for rattlesnakes and other reptiles Rattlesnakes can sometimes be found basking on the roadways and trails or nestled among the fossils in the Painted Hills How many types of rattlesnakes are there?There are more than 40 species of rattlesnakes one of them being the Western rattlesnake found in Oregon The Western rattlesnake has five subspecies including the Northern Pacific rattlesnake, the Great Basin rattlesnake, the Southern Pacific rattlesnake, the Grand Canyon rattlesnake and the Midget Faded rattlesnake, according to educational website A-Z Animals Rattlesnakes are very venomous, and their bite can make a person seriously ill While people are rarely killed by rattlesnakes their bites still have the potential to cause death Anyone suffering a bite should be treated with anti-venom as soon as possible Rattlesnakes generally try to avoid people and will often give a loud warning rattle if someone gets too close People who are bitten are usually done so by accidently stepping too close to an unseen rattlesnake Sometimes, rattlesnakes don't administer venom in their bites. This is known as a "dry bite." About 25% of rattlesnake bites are dry bites according to the United State Forest Service Whether a dry bite occurs, people should always seek medical attention regardless. Snake bites left untreated can lead to organ failure and death within two to three days, according to Healthline should always seek medical help immediately after being bitten people should keep as still as possible and remain calm while ensuring the wounded area stays below heart level Do not restrict blood flow or make incisions Ginnie Sandoval is the Oregon Connect reporter for the Statesman Journal. Sandoval can be reached at GSandoval@gannett.com or on X at @GinnieSandoval. Cinematographer Brandon Swanson had just started the camera on an epic interview setting when something caught my eye “Do you have something on your hand?” I asked Bishop Most of us react when a bee is in our immediate vicinity and almost everyone reacts when one lands on their hand lifting her hand closer to her face to get a better look at the bee crawling across her knuckles Bishop’s low-key, inquisitive approach to things that make the rest of us squirm helps make her a wonderful interpreter of subjects as complicated and abstruse as geology Geologist Ellen Morris Bishop in Hells Canyon in June 2024 and is perhaps best known as the author of “In Search of Ancient Oregon: A Geological and Natural History.” The groundbreaking 2004 book is a survey of the forces that brought what we now know as Oregon up from the depths of a primordial Pacific Ocean. The readable, general audience book won the Oregon Book Award for best nonfiction that year “I was in Portland one evening,” Bishop recalled. “And I was walking past the Schnitz and on the marquee it said, ‘John McPhee tonight,’ and I was a big fan of reading John McPhee’s ‘Basin and Range' and his other books about geology I managed to get one of the last seats in the nosebleed section.” The fact that McPhee had filled the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall for a talk about a book on the grindingly slow processes that formed the landscape of North America blew her mind “This is like a whole sold-out thing!” she marveled Bishop realized there was a big audience that was as curious about the world around them as she was but likely had no geology background. That insight spurred her to write “In Search of Ancient Oregon.” as well as our “Oregon Field Guide” tour through the landscape traces the story of how the land mass we now call Oregon was underwater until fairly recently in geologic terms Some 280 million years ago, a chain of volcanoes formed along the subduction zone at the edge of the Pacific tectonic plate. These island arcs rode along as the Pacific plate migrated north and eastward from their original latitude of modern-day central Mexico The islands eventually collided with the North American plate about 130 million years ago As they were pushed up against the vast new continent some of Oregon’s first dry land took shape in what is now the northeastern corner of the state That a subject as esoteric as plate tectonics became a popular science hit was due in part to Bishop’s evocative and beautiful photography and the Imnaha River canyons in Eastern Oregon “My parents are both artists,” Bishop explained the New York couple’s precocious only child was given free range and learned to feel at home in the wild “We would go for walks in the woods and my parents were always pointing out the colors and the patterns and the different varieties of rocks And so I got interested from an aesthetic point of view.” the iconic mountain of the Wallowa's Eagle Cap Wilderness Like other peaks in the core of the wilderness it is composed of granitic rocks that were generated by the heat of the Wallowa Terrane's ancient collision with present-day Idaho on the North American tectonic plate Bishop developed a rich understanding of composition which she combined with her instinctive fascination with all things mechanical and love of the natural world “To combine the creative thought of art and creative thought of science is a very cool thing,” she said or thought that girls could make good scientists in the 1960s I was pestering the local earth science teacher to let me into his ninth-grade earth science class and he she signed up for a college correspondence course in geology from the University of Arizona and was immediately hooked Bishop found herself as one of only two women majoring in geology “It was a different row to hoe,” Bishop remembered but characterized her male classmates as “welcoming.” “We went off on field trips and had a great time And there would be a much shorter line at the women’s restroom.” Along with teaching gigs at local colleges and managing Eastern Oregon ranches with her late husband David Bishop she found herself in the perfect spot for a lifelong exploration of the region’s diverse and complex landscape and we’re always finding out new things in science,” Bishop explained A close-up look at a stretched rock resulting from the high-heat high-impact collision of the Wallowa Terrane island arc with the North American tectonic plate some 130 million years ago Bishop reveals these ideas in photos of wide landscapes as well as macro examinations of rocks both of which hold clues to Oregon’s earliest origins Bishop hauled a sledgehammer up a hillside just on the Idaho side of the Snake River and whacked off a hunk of green-gray rock she showed us evidence of the geologic process by which Oregon first appeared and it has little white crystals in it and that’s a mineral called plagioclase,” Bishop explained “The composition tells us that this came from an island arc or at least from the same kind of subduction zone process.” That an ordinary-looking rock can reveal a 280-million-year-old story was no surprise to Bishop “They have a superb story to tell if you listen to them with a great deal of patience and fortitude,” Bishop said Those characteristics appeared to still be in active use a good two minutes after the bee landed on Bishop’s hand “It’s a sweat bee,” she concluded after watching the bee work its way across her palm “It’s actually in the wasp family and just having a wonderful time I’ll have a really clean hand when I get home.” Tags: Oregon Field Guide, Science & Environment, Geology, Oregon Stand with OPB and protect independent journalism for everyone Listen to the OPB News live stream (opens new window)Streaming Now Skip the interstate and throttle down to 25 mph: Oregon’s truest story is printed in block letters on its downtown marquees and poured from taps you can reach in a single stroll From river-lapped settlements founded by stern-wheelers to high-desert outposts tiled in ponderosa-pine dust the state’s best main streets read like a rotating flight of IPAs: each pour singular What makes these seven towns exceptional isn’t scale or postcard vistas (though both abound) but the way commerce and deep-running history interlock at curb level: blacksmiths repurposed as vinyl bars Think of this lineup of main streets as a self-guided tasting: seven blocks of Oregon terroir you can sample without ever leaving pavement McMinnville situated in the heart of Oregon's wine country affectionately known as "Oregon’s Favorite Main Street." McMinnville’s agricultural roots are evident in its local wine and culinary offerings making it a gastronomic hub in the Willamette Valley Notable for its significant contributions to Oregon’s aviation history home to the famous Hughes H-4 Hercules "Spruce Goose," anchors the city’s historical and technological appeal offers farm-to-table Italian dishes and a backroom speakeasy for a local wine experience The gallery at Currents Gallery showcases work from local artists adding a cultural depth to the browsing experience visitors can retreat to the historic McMenamins Hotel Oregon which provides a rooftop bar with sweeping views of the valley Hood River is renowned for its dynamic landscape and the corresponding outdoor-centric culture that dominates the area providing every block with striking views of water and windsurfers This street vividly embodies the town’s identity intertwined with a legacy of orchard farming and a reputation as the world's windsurfing capital The town's strategic location has historically served as a pivotal point for timber and fruit trade Pfriem Family Brewers offers award-winning craft beers alongside hearty encapsulating the local love for quality and community which features works primarily from regional artists the Hood River County History Museum provides insights into the rich past of the area from Native American heritage to pioneer settlers Ashland is prominently recognized for its cultural richness anchored by the Oregon Shakespeare Festival Ashland’s Main Street and Lithia Way serve as the cultural spine of the city blending Elizabethan architecture with modern-day amenities This area thrives on a unique blend of arts with Southern Oregon University contributing to its lively atmosphere Visitors to Main Street can explore a variety of attractions The Oregon Cabaret Theatre offers dinner and show-style entertainment with high production values known for its locally-sourced cuisine and inventive cocktails celebrated for artisan pastries and organic coffee Jacksonville stands out from the rest of the entries on our list with its stunning gold rush era architecture The town sprang up in the 1850s following the discovery of gold nearby and has since retained much of its 19th-century charm is lined with brick buildings and wooden boardwalks that echo the sounds and stories of its pioneer past visitors can engage with a variety of specific historical and cultural offerings offers guided tours that depict life in the Victorian era Art aficionados will appreciate the Art Presence Art Center which showcases local artists and hosts art events the Bella Union Restaurant and Saloon offers meals that reflect local flavors in a setting that recalls the saloon culture of the gold rush era The GoodBean Coffee Company presents a modern twist on the traditional serving locally roasted coffees in a historic 19th-century building Sisters captures the essence of a quintessential Western town, with Cascade Avenue presenting a striking visual tableau reminiscent of a classic Western film set. This main street features buildings with false front architecture, which originated during the rapid development of frontier towns in the American West. Sisters is strategically located at the base of the Cascade Mountains combined with local traditions and events like the annual Sisters Rodeo firmly establishes its cultural identity rooted in the historical American frontier Cascade Avenue hosts a variety of unforgettable spots The Sisters Gallery and Frame Shop offers artwork primarily from local artists focusing on Western and Native American themes Dining options include the iconic Sisters Coffee Company a family-owned establishment housed in a rustic cabin-style building which serves locally roasted coffee and homemade pastries For those interested in the local heritage the Sisters Historical Society provides insights into the town’s pioneer past the Clearwater Gallery presents a blend of fine art and custom framing Known as the "Mural City," Silverton's transformation began with the Silverton Mural Society which sought to depict the town's rich history through large-scale public artworks over 30 murals are scattered throughout the town illustrating everything from its settler past to famous locals like Homer Davenport Bistro and Bar offers a cozy atmosphere for breakfast and lunch Silver Falls Brewery provides a taste of local craft beer alongside live music events the Lunaria Gallery presents works from regional artists in monthly exhibitions Coolidge McClaine Park provides a natural retreat with picnic areas and walking paths along Silver Creek is deeply rooted in its cowboy and rodeo culture a distinctive feature that makes its Main Street unforgettable This town is renowned for the Pendleton Round-Up one of the largest and oldest annual rodeo events in the world which fills the streets with a vibrant Western atmosphere every September Main Street reflects this heritage through its architecture and public spaces adorned with bronze statues of bucking broncos and rodeo scenes starting off with Hamley Steakhouse & Saloon which offers a taste of authentic Western dining in a setting that resembles a saloon from the 1900s complete with leather saddles and cowboy artifacts known for producing iconic wool blankets and clothing features a store and offers tours that highlight its history and impact on the town the Pendleton Center for the Arts provides a space for regional artists to showcase their work in a historic Carnegie Library building linger off the interstate and let your odometer mark memories rather than miles Each of these seven main streets is a living tasting room where Oregon’s past and sip deeply; your next revelation is likely painted on a brick That’s Oregon’s promise: discovery at 25 miles an hour photos and original descriptions © 2025 worldatlas.com The body of 29-year-old Kaylee Birt has been found in Oregon confirmed by the Harney County Sheriff's Office on Facebook Birt's family also confirmed the information to 3 News Now The cause of her death is still under investigation at this time Kaylee's family last had contact with her April 4th they found her vehicle and footprints walking off into the wildlife A rancher also told search teams that he saw Birt but she had left before he could get her help we will provide updated information as we learn it Download our apps today for all of our latest coverage. Get the latest news and weather delivered straight to your inbox either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content Children and other sensitive groups in Oregon are facing potential adverse health effects with an air quality map indicating that pollution levels in some parts of the state had reached levels that were "unhealthy for sensitive groups." Health officials emphasize that sensitive groups—including children and people with preexisting respiratory conditions—are at particular risk during periods of poor air quality A spokesperson for the South Coast Air Quality Management District (AQMD) in California told previously told Newsweek that exposure to particle pollution "can cause premature death in people with heart or lung disease and cause respiratory symptoms like coughing and difficulty breathing." the map from AirNow—a partnership of agencies including the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)—indicated that a zone around Baker City as well as an area around the Wood River Valley The Air Quality Index (AQI), developed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), measures air pollution on a scale from 0 to 500: the map indicated the aforementioned areas of Oregon were experiencing particulate matter or ozone pollution levels in the orange range and thus were unhealthy for sensitive groups such as children Professor of pediatric respiratory and environmental medicine Jonathan Grigg previously told Newsweek: "There are vulnerable groups and classically they are children because they've got an extra issue to do with their lungs developing whereas our lungs are not developing as adults "Their trajectory can be deviated so they don't actually achieve their maximum lung function." There are also "very clear links" between inhaling particles and earlier death from both respiratory and cardiovascular diseases Grigg said conditions such as asthma are also exacerbated by exposure to air pollution Air quality maps are regularly updated and will continue to track whether the orange zone persists or dissipates as weather conditions shift Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground Newsweek is committed to journalism that is factual and fair We value your input and encourage you to rate this article Newsletters in your inbox See all (KTVZ) -- The Oregon National Guard held a mobilization ceremony for Soldiers with the 41st Infantry Brigade Combat Team (IBCT) at the Salem Armory Auditorium Approximately 220 Soldiers with the 41st IBCT are preparing to mobilize to the Horn of Africa to join Task Force BATAAN in support of Operation Inherent Resolve.  thanking Soldiers and their families for their commitment and sacrifice.  “I know you will rise to any challenge ahead of you and continue to set the bar high,” Kotek said.  Task Force BATAAN is comprised of Soldiers from Oregon Kenya and Somalia in support of CJTF-HOA and JSOTF-SOM The primary mission will be to conduct security and base defense operations KTVZ NewsChannel 21 is committed to providing a forum for civil and constructive conversation Please keep your comments respectful and relevant. You can review our Community Guidelines by clicking here If you would like to share a story idea, please submit it here 2025 at 2:37 pm PDTAnother top state official is jumping headfirst into the K–12 education accountability conversation that’s gripped the Oregon Legislature this session In a letter to the Oregon Department of Education dated April 25, Oregon Secretary of State Tobias Read followed up on a 2022 systemic risk report by his predecessor, Shemia Fagan The report presented five key risks that “could undermine K–12 system improvement,” and came as the state was in the process of implementing the 2019 Student Success Act a corporate activities tax that boosted state education funding Read asked the department for an update on how it’s addressed those five risks Billions of taxpayer dollars are on the line We have a responsibility to deliver results of which Oregonians can be proud,” Read wrote it could undermine K–12 system improvement.” with large investments such as the corporate activities tax Oregon’s students rank dead last in fourth grade reading and mathematics nationwide when adjusted for demographics The 2022 report recommended: improving performance monitoring and support to districts; greater transparency to the public; scrutinizing district spending; clearer enforceable standards for districts to follow (currently known as Division 22 these regulate everything from curriculum to assessment); and a more streamlined governance structure Tina Kotek has pushed hard for reform to some of these standards with a pair of accountability bills that are moving through the House and Senate executive director of Foundations for a Better Oregon has previously said the systemic risk report was a start to tackling broader questions about accountability in K–12 education She says Kotek’s bills are helping to make it so ODE can have “the clear authority and tools” to overcome some of the risks outlined in the report “The risks outlined in the secretary of state’s audit were always bigger than anything ODE could address on its own under current state law,” Grubbs says Kotek and the Legislature have actually stepped up to the plate.” Read’s foray into the debate could also signal greater political ambitions That a secretary of state would send a proactive follow-up to a report is not all that common A former five-term lawmaker and two-term state treasurer Read ran for governor and lost to Kotek in the primary in 2022 Jeff Merkley’s reelection plans are not yet clear Read called for a meeting with the Education Department and a detailed response says the department is currently preparing an official response to the letter says he is meeting with the department “soon.” “Oregonians expect the secretary to take his role on the State Board of Education seriously and that’s exactly what he’s doing,” Seger says an education policy expert and Oregon education advocate says she thinks the letter could be a turning point for Oregon accountability if ODE uses the opportunity to “align spending with results and finally hold the system to a higher bar.” “We invested more money through the SSA and spent federal relief dollars,” Pitts says “but with the outcomes still flat or dropping it just makes sense to ask whether ODE has created an action plan and followed through on the audit.” Willamette Week’s reporting has concrete impacts that change laws, force action from civic leaders, and drive compromised politicians from public office. Support WW's journalism today. Willamette Week’s reporting has concrete impacts that change laws, force action from civic leaders, and drive compromised politicians from public office. Support WW's journalism today. Oregon lost a lot of talent for this upcoming season but consecutive top 10 classes should have them competing for the Big Ten yet again Oregon would go on to defeat Penn State in the Big Ten Championship game, achieving something not many teams had done: Win the conference in its first season as a member. The dream season came crashing down to earth when, in the Rose Bowl they came across a much more motivated Ohio State team that ran roughshod over them scoring 34 points before the Ducks could even blink The way the season ended overshadowed the type of season Oregon had where they went undefeated and won the conference they’ll have to rely on more of its young talent if they want to repeat the kind of performance they had from a year ago where he ultimately got benched for Ethan Garbers due to his erratic He sat behind Dillon Gabriel after transferring to Oregon and is now ready to take over a much more talented team than the aforementioned Bruins were with a decidedly better offensive line to keep him protected We’ll get to see if the 5-star billing he got in high school can be matched when he’s surrounded with similar talent if his performance at UCLA is an indicator of things to come for the Ducks UIagalelei was a force to be reckoned with last year He got All-Big Ten accolades at season’s end The Ducks might not have a lot of proven talent returning but what they have with Uiagalelei is as close to a guarantee as you can get They are able to do the same things they did in the Big Ten Championship game The Ducks carved the Lions up with quick passes over the middle while Tez Johson is no longer with the team there’s plenty of talent on the roster to make up for that one player A couple of key penalties were also instrumental in digging a massive hole the Lions were never really able to get out of If Oregon takes advantage of key mistakes by Penn State yet again they may be able to repeat the performance from last season The Big Ten Championship game also proved that Oregon had a massive deficiency on defense with few question marks on offense coming into 2025 the Lions can reverse the roles on the Ducks If Penn State is able to stay on the field on offense they could put themselves in position to force the Ducks to play catchup The aforementioned Dante Moore would find himself in this first hostile road environment since the fateful Utah game where he threw multiple pick-sixes The bright lights ( ) and rowdy could could make Moore uncomfortable yet again snowballing everything in Penn State’s favor This story was originally published on LincolnChronicle.org and is used with permission The lawsuit that triggered trail closures across the state and prompted a change in the interpretation of Oregon law reached a conclusion Thursday – six years after a Newport woman broke her leg while using the city’s Ocean to Bay Trail In her 2020 lawsuit against the city of Newport fell and badly fractured her leg a year earlier when crossing a bridge on the trail that leads from her neighborhood to the ocean She argued that she was not using the bridge for recreation but coming back from accessing a recreational area – the beach a 12-member jury ruled in the city of Newport’s favor saying that Fields was using the trail for recreational purposes and that the city was not negligent In 2021 Lincoln County Circuit Judge Marcia Buckley ruled in favor of the city citing the state’s “recreational immunity” law which protects landowners local governments and the state from lawsuits if someone is injured while using their property for recreation Fields appealed the decision to the Oregon Court of Appeals The appeals court’s ruling changed how Oregon’s recreational immunity law is understood and prompted many local governments across the state and along the coast to close their trails to the public The Oregon Legislature, during its short session last year, adopted Senate Bill 1576 that temporarily restored some protections to landowners The bill extended recreational immunity to paths roads and other rights of way that are used to access land used for recreational purposes and explicitly included walking running and biking to be defined as recreational activities The bill’s protections are set to expire in 2026 But there’s a new bill in the current legislative session that would permanently place those protections on Oregon’s outdoor spaces The bill has received support from View the Future a zipline and outdoor aerial park owner in Lincoln City and members of the Corvallis to the Sea partnership along with testimonials from cities recreational groups and nonprofits around the state SB 179 unanimously passed the Senate and is now in the Oregon House The re-trial of Field’s lawsuit began Wednesday in Lincoln County circuit court before Judge Buckley what happens in the courtroom will have little bearing on the changes to the statewide recreational immunity law The $555,000 lawsuit alleges the bridge along the Ocean to Bay Trail was unusually slippery and had improper lighting and signs that made it unreasonably hazardous who was Lincoln County’s deputy director of public health at the time was walking her dogs with friend and coworker back from the beach when she slipped and broke her leg Days later the city put down non-slip coverings on the trail’s six bridges Lawyers made their opening arguments to the jury Wednesday afternoon “This is ultimately a case about responsibility and the law requires them to act reasonably to prevent harming others we’re going to ask you to find that the city did not follow the laws of taking action to prevent harm.” The attorney representing the city argued it was not at fault because of the recreational immunity law and that Fields who used the trail to access the beach and back was using the trail for recreational purposes “They’re trying to distinguish going for a three-hour walk through the woods to the beach by calling it simply a walk … they had this very ambitious goal of walking as many steps as possible and that is why they were getting together on a Saturday morning Fields’ house to walk these dogs for a very long time it was for recreation,” said attorney Aaron Hisel The trial involved testimony from several witnesses including Palma a Newport firefighter who responded to the accident Thanks for visiting The use of software that blocks ads hinders our ability to serve you the content you came here to enjoy We ask that you consider turning off your ad blocker so we can deliver you the best experience possible while you are here Now that the Oregon Ducks' spring football season is over their attention turns to recruiting this offseason as we head into the summer months and coaches get out on the road.  That makes what's ahead even more crucial for the Ducks This next month is going to be incredibly important on the recruiting front with two of Oregon's top prospects in the cycle — 5-star QB Jared Curtis and 5-star OT Jackson Cantwell — set to announce their commitments in the next couple of weeks will decide between Oregon and Georgia on Monday a few commitment flips hurt their standing With both Curtis and Cantwell still on the board 20 class in the nation with just seven commitments Adding either Curtis or Cantwell to the mix would get them up to the No while adding both would skyrocket Oregon up to No and official visits are set to start in June with recruiting really ramping up over the summer months so fans certainly have a reason to be patient as Dan Lanning Marshall Malchow and the rest of the recruiting staff put together their class but when some of the top prospects are coming off of the board and committing to teams other than the Ducks We will hear more starting on Monday with Curtis and then a week later with Cantwell on the 13 Contact/Follow @Ducks_Wire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oregon Ducks news, notes, and opinions. Notifications can be managed in browser preferences. The bodies were found in various waterways including the Willamette River and the Columbia River since April 13 I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Seven bodies have been pulled from the waterways in the area of Portland, Oregon in the past few weeks – but local authorities say it’s not unusual we recovered at least six bodies from our waterways we are at seven,” according to Deputy John Plock a public information officer with the Multnomah County Sheriff's Office He said the number falls within the expected range but added: “It is possible there will be more.” The bodies have been recovered from various waterways including the Willamette River and the Columbia River On Sunday, the Clackamas County Sheriff's Office Marine Unit recovered a body along the Willamette River north of Meldrum Bar Park, who investigators believe may be Marcelus Angelo Rodriguez, according to the sheriff’s office. Rodriguez, a 20-year-old kayaker from Porterville, California, has been missing since April 12 when a witness reported seeing a kayaker in distress and said they saw the man go over the edge of Willamette falls, KGW reported Investigators say that Rodriguez and his family were on vacation in the area and that Rodriguez, who was last seen kayaking, may not have known the falls were there, according to a press release. Just two days later, the blue kayak the man was last seen in was recovered near Elk Rock Island, about 7.5 river miles downstream of Willamette Falls, the sheriff’s office said. The Clackamas County Medical Examiner’s Office is working to determine the identity of the body pulled from the Willamette River on Sunday. At least three of the bodies have been identified, KPTV reported. On April 13, the body of 32-year-old Daniel Alcazar was found in the Willamette River near Swan Island. On April 15, the body of 24-year-old Rachel Mobley was found in the Multnomah Channel. And on April 18, the body of 52-year-old Brandon Williams of Portland was found floating in the Willamette near the St. John’s Bridge. On April 24, a body was recovered from the Columbia River near Hayden Island, and on April 30, another body was recovered in the Willamette River near Terminal 4. Two more bodies, including the one believed to be Rodriguez were found over the weekend. Investigations are continuing to look into how the people found in the river died. It is not currently known whether any of them were victims of crime. Deputy Plock told reporters that there are several factors that contribute to the increased number of recoveries – including warmer water temperatures, which accelerate the natural decomposition process, causing bodies to rise to the surface more quickly. “As the weather improves, more individuals engage in activities on and near the water, such as fishing and boating,” he added. “This increased presence of people leads to a higher likelihood of previously undiscovered remains being observed and reported.” Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies An aerial image shows the Steel Bridge across the Willamette River in Portland, Oregon where several bodies have been recovered in the past month govt and politics"},{"score":0.670968,"label":"/society/crime/personal offense/homicide"},{"score":0.61972,"label":"/law Police say it’s normal","description":"The bodies were found in various waterways Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker Oregon State University students walk past the Student Health Services building in Corvallis (Anibal Ortiz/The Corvallis Gazette-Times via AP) (AP) — A federal judge in Oregon on Monday ordered the U.S government to restore the visa status of two international students and temporarily blocked their deportation from the country District Judge Michael McShane’s 14-day temporary restraining order came in response to lawsuits filed by a student at Oregon State University and another at the University of Oregon following the termination of their visas earlier this month “There has to be some regulations for when it’s appropriate and not appropriate What regulation is ICE following here?” McShane asked representing the federal Department of Homeland Security said it hadn’t had enough time to gather all the information and argued that the students didn’t face irreparable harm as a final agency decision had not been issued that they could challenge administratively The American Civil Liberties Union of Oregon and an immigration law firm filed both lawsuits against the Trump administration arguing the students’ visas were terminated “without any notice or meaningful explanation” to the students or their universities The suits were filed on behalf of Aaron Ortega Gonzalez a 32-year-old citizen of Mexico pursuing a doctoral degree in rangeland ecology at Oregon State University and a 29-year-old British graduate student only identified as Jane Doe who is pursuing two masters degrees at the University of Oregon Students have filed lawsuits in several states Federal judges have granted temporary restraining orders in Georgia shielding students for now from efforts to remove them from the U.S the state ended a trailblazing law decriminalizing possession Drug users in some counties are now in and out of jail Then came the mass arrestsThis article is more than 1 month oldLast year The officers directed four adults to sit on the sidewalk, handcuffing them behind their backs and rifling through their pockets. They were being detained for illegal camping, but the officers were also searching for evidence of drugs. Read more“Love you!” a husband and wife shouted at each other as they were separated to be taken to jail Officer Paul Verling placed one 43-year-old woman in the back of his car while his team tested a confiscated glass pipe for drug residue He told her she could potentially avoid jail if she entered drug treatment The woman said she had been using methamphetamine to cope with homelessness and would be grateful for treatment But once Verling ran her name through the system he discovered she had a warrant for a probation violation “You wanna engage in some rehab when you get out?” he said “I’m glad we had this talk today,” Verling said as he took her out of the car to escort her into a jail enclosure Medford police officers detain a number of people in Medford on 25 February.Welcome to Oregon’s “war on drugs” 2.0 Oregon lawmakers enacted legislation turning low-level drug possession into a more serious crime punishable by up to 180 days in jail The resulting crackdown has led to thousands of arrests statewide in recent months and overworked public defenders tasked with representing them say the drug enforcement has been chaotic and at times brutal While the new policy has appeared to reduce visible drug use in some public spaces who have been most impacted by the police response The new law also marks a stunning reversal of policy for the Pacific north-west state including Black and Indigenous people impacted by criminalization Drug policy reform advocates hoped the first-in-the-nation decriminalization experiment would become a model signed the bill last year recriminalizing possession Implementation of the new law varies widely by county Data reveals some jurisdictions are launching mass arrests while referring very few people to treatment The Medford police department has led the state in drug criminalization – by a lot The city is located in a region near the California border that is one of the more conservative areas of a blue state; more than half of voters in Jackson county, which includes Medford, supported Donald Trump the Medford police force carried out 902 drug possession arrests – more than double the number of cases in Portland (a city with seven times the population) Jackson county has logged 1,170 arrests total an officer on the city’s “livability” team said many police were relieved when drugs were recriminalized The 2020 reform had led to increasing reports of drug use on the streets and growing concern about public intoxication From September through 26 March the Medford police force carried out 902 drug possession arrests.Recriminalization allows him to engage people in hopes of pushing them to treatment “I really don’t want to see someone go to prison … but this gives us the ability to get back into their lives,” he said on a recent patrol through Medford He said the job was most rewarding when seeing someone turn their life around after they’ve been jailed – and when his team arrests dealers potentially “making people sober by making the drugs inaccessible” One of the livability team’s main priorities has been clearing homeless encampments and as Verling drove his patrol car onto a pedestrian greenway there were few visible signs of homelessness ‘OK well it’s a crime to camp here,’” he said The issues of homelessness and drug addiction are deeply intertwined and Verling said he had become adept at spotting signs of drug use and paraphernalia: “Focus on their hands – that will lead you to it.” Oregon’s recriminalization law allows the state’s 36 counties to adopt individualized approaches to deflection Jackson county designed its program so officers could directly hand over arrestees to drug treatment programs instead of jail a collaborative approach meant to get people immediate help without involving the courts aren’t offered this alternative during their arrest while there have been nearly 1,200 possession arrests only 69 people have been referred to deflection One 43-year-old unhoused woman said police were “acting like every person on the street is a drug addict and that she had been arrested four times by Medford’s livability team since October While she was quickly released after her last arrest who asked not to use her name out of fear of police retaliation said she was sleeping in front of a social services center in hopes her partner could easily find her when he gets out “The separation makes me feel like I can’t breathe,” she added but they’re just throwing us in handcuffs and jail.” Hawthorne Park in Medford as livability officers were processing an arrest of an unhoused man who had camped under a bridge officer Elliott Jantzer said the hardest part of the job was “arresting the same person over and over again and seeing no change” “Society is supposed to fix these problems But the criminal justice system is where most people targeted by the new law end up dozens of defendants waited to be arraigned in courtroom 301 of the Jackson county circuit court justice building Some appeared in person in the windowless hearing room others appeared over video from the county jail in Medford saying they needed to get home to take care of children asserting the charges were incorrect or expressing bewilderment about the entire ordeal None of the jailed defendants had lawyers for their cases One man facing a drug possession charge quietly asked for a lawyer but then changed his mind and pleaded guilty The defendants were there on all types of charges but when drug possessions were called for defendants not already in jail the outcome was the same: the defendant didn’t show The scenes laid bare the impact of recriminalization on the state’s criminal system, which for years has struggled with a massive public defender shortage in part due to difficulties recruiting lawyers to the low-salary there were more than 900 defendants in Jackson county alone who Public defender Clint Oborn poses for a portrait in his office in Medford Oregon.“It’s a violation of their constitutional rights,” said Clint Oborn the executive director of the Southern Oregon Public Defender Inc (SOPD) walking back to his office after arraignments “Some people plead guilty and never get an attorney they’re put on a waiting list.” Most clients with drug possession cases who don’t show up to court are unhoused and eventually get jailed on warrants said one of his clients was a senior citizen charged with drug possession in September who refused to plead guilty had to wait five months for a trial and then was jailed for missing a court appearance; another is a defendant who thought they were being hospitalized for a mental health episode but was instead jailed for a drug misdemeanor when officers found paraphernalia said he supported recriminalization because defendants end up supervised by probation officers who hold defendants accountable and connect them to treatment and services And he argued jail can be helpful: “We know with addiction you do have to get a person some clean time for them to be in the right frame of mind to be willing to engage in treatment.” But he also acknowledged that the return of possession arrests had increased his staff’s caseloads The majority of his 18 prosecutors have had to take on these cases and the new law has exacerbated jail overcrowding Many possession cases are resulting in “conditional discharge” where defendants waive their right to a trial or an attorney and are immediately placed on probation but can be jailed again if they lose contact with their officer or commit other violations their probation gets revoked and they return to jail,” said Colin Murphy “It’s the same cycle I saw before we decriminalized If this approach to getting rid of drugs in our community actually worked because we’ve been doing this since the 1970s.” The strategy diverts police away from serious investigations he said: “We’re told law enforcement has very scarce resources I see five cops standing around investigating one unhoused person because she had a baggie in her pocket.” and a shortage of lawyers to represent people the new system has felt pointless to some unhoused people in Medford it’s a fucking scam,” said 34-year-old Nikki sitting early one morning under a bridge in Medford’s Hawthorne Park and she gestured at the flowing creek beside her: “Look at how beautiful this place is.” But she also liked the environment of Medford and a greenway bike path connecting local cities who asked to use a nickname as she talked openly about drug use She said she regularly uses meth and has done stints in rehab that didn’t last She said she had spent time in the county jail when she was picked up on warrants detox in jail is “horror beyond what you can imagine” Incarceration can also increase overdose risks when people are released with lower tolerance Nikki tries to sleep in hidden corners in the woods where police won’t bother her – “out of sight a 30-year-old who had gathered in Hawthorne Park for a weekly potluck lunch for the unhoused homelessness and incarceration and felt the new approach would help few people getting sober: “Until the person truly wants to quit Chris smokes marijuana in Hawthorne Park on 24 February.Nearby said going to jail felt routine to him: “another day in the office.” He heard other countries had safe injection sites which he said seemed like a better way to get people into services than jail time Nikki said one Medford officer recently came up to her while she was sitting by the creek asking “I didn’t even have drugs on me!” She said she was being profiled: “I’ve got two bags Nikki jokingly hummed a Nazi anthem as the vehicle passed adding: “‘livability’ just means they work for everybody but you.” People who do enter deflection in Medford are often taken by officers directly to the Addictions Recovery Center (ARC) one of two treatment providers partnering with police on the program medications; conduct an addiction assessment; and place them in temporary shelter The clients are required to complete ten appointments which can include meetings with counselors or peer support staff at which point the threat of prosecution is erased said roughly half of their participants have successfully completed deflection; some people fail when they become unreachable though his staff works hard to track people down and keep them engaged The ten appointments are just a start to their recovery journey A drug user holds fentanyl test strips given out by Max’s Mission.Of the 69 referrals in the county 26 had failed and 17 remained in the process She emphasized that the program was in its early days and that deflection was just one of many pathways into treatment: “You can’t legislate people into sobriety said he felt deflection was a better path to treatment than the criminal system and that the fact that only some people were succeeding was a good sign: “We didn’t [make it] too easy or too hard said law enforcement viewed recriminalization with deflection as a “compromise – a happy medium” She said deflection was working well due to close partnerships between police and providers noting that Jackson county had a higher success rate than the state average She said it would take time to build law enforcement buy-in as many officers were pleased to have an opportunity to restart arrests because we know drug crime is not just about addiction it leads to theft and disorderly behavior and victimization,” she added it is still easier to get a jail cell than into treatment another drug treatment provider and deflection partner has more than 300 people on its waitlist for residential programs That includes 200 people waiting for a 16-bed program “Many of those 200 people are unhoused with severe substance use disorders who desperately want a treatment bed,” Wolcott said Some people are stuck for more than a year on the waitlist they discover the client has died of an overdose Wolcott personally knows of three people who died while on her treatment waiting list last year As Medford police escalate their crackdown on possession and treatment facilities remain at capacity some advocates are doing their best to keep drug users safe and alive through harm reduction a southern Oregon group founded by a couple whose son died of an overdose in 2013 connecting people to housing and treatment services and giving out tarps Crystal Bilyeu packs wound care kits in advance of outreach on 24 February.Crystal Bilyeu who was helping lead Max’s Mission outreach one recent afternoon said she had reversed 48 overdoses with naloxone The 41-year-old was herself unhoused and struggling with addiction in the early years of the pandemic she would give out cards advertising a “never use alone” hotline people can call while using so that EMS can be alerted if they overdose and she became known as someone who always had naloxone in her backpack The strict anti-camping laws worsened her substance use disorder as she often used drugs to stay awake since sleeping brought the risk of trouble with law enforcement got her a motel room until she could get into treatment Having somewhere stable to sleep made the start of her recovery possible who was eventually hired by the organization now gives out harm reduction supplies to the same communities she used to live with “We meet people where they are at,” she said I’ve been there before and I can help them with an open mind and no judgment.” The presence of someone like Bilyeu can be the difference between life and death stopped in Hawthorne Park to greet another volunteer assisting the unhoused had died of a fentanyl overdose two weeks earlier “I couldn’t stop kissing his head and telling him how much I loved him.” Christy Sexton Christy had just returned from viewing the body of her son Mike who died of a fentanyl overdose.Sexton is unhoused and her son was also struggling with homelessness She described him as “everybody’s friend” and a devoted son: “He made sure every single day that I knew how much he loved me.” She didn’t know the circumstances of his overdose, but wished more people were aware of the state’s Good Samaritan law dictating that people can’t be prosecuted for drug possession if they seek aid for someone overdosing While starting to process the shock of her son’s death she said she was plagued by the thought that someone might have been too scared of police to call 911 – and instead left her son to die “I’ll never understand why my son’s life had to be taken.” Hood River County in Oregon reported three cases of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease a rare human brain disease very similar to "mad cow." Three cases of a mad cow-like disease with a 100% fatality rate have been reported in a single county in Oregon Hood River County is located south of the Columbia River on the Washington-Oregon border Two of the people with the condition have died One case was confirmed by autopsy, while the other two are presumptive, The Oregonian reported told The Oregonian that the presumptive cases can only be confirmed after death by examining brain tissue and cerebrospinal fluid — the clear fluid that surrounds the brain and spinal cord — and she said this process can take months there is no identifiable link between these three cases," the health department added so seeing three CJD cases crop up is statistically unusual Related: Here's how dangerous, deadly prions spread to the brain meaning it's caused by abnormally folded proteins that damage brain tissue; in CJD this causes sponge-like holes to form in the brain The prions also cause normal proteins in the brain to turncoat transforming into prions that then inflict further damage Get the world’s most fascinating discoveries delivered straight to your inbox The most common type of CJD is "sporadic," meaning normal proteins in the brain spontaneously transform into prions for unknown reasons. The next most common type is genetic, triggered by inherited mutations in a gene called PRNP The gene carries instructions to make prion protein (PrP) which is known to be active in the brain but whose normal functions aren't fully understood Some studies suggest the normal version of PrP may help protect neurons from injury and form connections between neurons Another potential source of prions is through medical exposures such as a person getting a transplant or blood transfusion from a donor with CJD —Lab tech develops fatal brain condition after accident with 'mad cow disease' samples —Man dies from extremely rare disease after eating squirrel brains —Alzheimer's is transmissible in extremely rare scenarios The Hood River County Health Department has not announced which type of CJD is likely implicated in the recent cases but Elliott told The Oregonian that they don't think infected cattle are the cause it appears that the three cases aren't linked to one another "The risk of getting CJD is extremely low," the department's statement emphasized The department is conducting an "active and ongoing investigation" of the cases and has partnered with Oregon Health Authority and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention "The health department will continue to monitor the situation and keep you informed of any risk to public health." DisclaimerThis article is for informational purposes only and is not meant to offer medical advice Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name. Diagnostic dilemma: A rash 'migrated' across a man's body from his anus 'Vaccine rejection is as old as vaccines themselves': Science historian Thomas Levenson on the history of germ theory and its deniers What does it take for people to flourish? Global study points to key factors Print A cluster of Creutzfeldt Jakob disease cases have been reported out of Hood River County The disease is caused by misfolded proteins which are also the cause of a disease in deer known as chronic wasting disease.Chronic wasting disease was discovered in deer last year in California and Washington There have been no reports of infected deer in Oregon Health officials in Hood River County are investigating three cases of a rare and fatal brain disease known as Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease Two people have died and a third person is showing symptoms consistent with the disease The disease has been confirmed in one of the deceased through an autopsy; the other two cases are considered probable according to a statement from the Hood River County Health Department All three cases were diagnosed in the last eight months County health officials declined to provide particulars about the individuals there is no identifiable link between these three cases,” a Hood River County statement said The county has a population of about 24,000 Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease is a neurodegenerative disorder caused by misfolded proteins known as prions These prions lead to rapid brain deterioration resulting in severe neurological symptoms and death Although the disease is known for its sporadic occurrence clusters raise concerns among public health officials about potential environmental or dietary exposure according to Hood River County health officials The disease is considered incurable and is always fatal. Roughly 350 cases are diagnosed in the United States every year, according to the National Institutes of Health because the disease takes years to develop any person’s chance of developing the disease is closer to 1 in 5,000 or 6,000 a professor of neurology at UC San Francisco in the Memory and Aging Center The disease is similar to chronic wasting disease, or CWD, which is also a prion-fueled disease, and was detected for the first time in wild deer in California and Washington last year CWD was first reported in 1967, in a captive Colorado deer. It has since spread to deer in 36 states There are no known cases of the disease in Oregon wildlife For decades there has been concern that CWD could move into human populations through the ingestion of contaminated meat That’s because in the 1980s, a prion disease in sheep, known as scrapies — which humans do not seem to get — moved into cows, and soon people throughout the United Kingdom, France and elsewhere were becoming infected with mad cow disease public health officials from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and several states have been paying close attention to clusters of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease — investigating outbreaks to determine whether infected deer They — and researchers from other agencies Geological Survey’s National Wildlife Health Center — also have been monitoring wild deer populations and keeping tabs on hunters who may have been exposed Although widespread geographically throughout the United States and Canada the disease is considered relatively rare in wild populations of deer the emerging-disease coordinator at the USGS wildlife center but it’s hard to find rare events,” he said there are no known incidents of people acquiring a prion disease by consuming deer He said roughly 85% to 90% of Creutzfeldt-Jakob cases are considered sporadic with no identified cause or source of infection the disease appears to be genetically inherited — with some people acquiring mutations associated with the disease there have been a few cases in which sources of infection or contamination have been identified and almost all of them were from a medical mishap Prions are notoriously difficult to inactivate or destroy — withstanding standard sterilization techniques — and can remain intact for months and years on a surface In a small number of cases, he said, people acquired the disease as a result of contaminated and improperly cleaned surgical equipment. In a few other cases, it was acquired by people who used products — such as growth hormone, or who received corneal transplants — derived, inadvertently, from infected cadavers. It’s these proteins’ durability and longevity that have many researchers worried. Studies have shown that deer that harbor the disease can pass the infectious prions to other deer through saliva, blood, urine and feces. “So, if the animal is licking a plant or licking a salt lick, for example, and another animal comes along and licks that plant or salt lick, then that might be a way of spreading the disease,” Geschwind said. In addition, the decomposing body of a deer that died of the disease can infect the surrounding environment where the animal expired — potentially contaminating plants, seeds, fungi and soil, Richardson said. He said not only is there the issue of surface contamination, but also research has shown that the proteins can “be taken up via rootlets and deposited in aerial plant tissues. Whether these plants contribute to chronic wasting disease transmission and what type of risk these plants pose to humans remain open questions.” Geschwind noted that the work done by federal researchers to better understand the disease, provide diagnostic autopsies on presumptive cases, monitor wildlife and investigate clusters has provided a level of protection for the American public, which could be destabilized by proposed cuts to federal agencies. “The idea of cutting government funding of rare disease is very short-sighted, because even though CJD is a rare disease, what we have learned from prion diseases has implications for all neurodegenerative diseases,” he said, noting Alzheimer’s disease, frontotemporal dementia, Parkinson’s disease and multiple system atrophy. “All these diseases act in a prion-like manner in which normal proteins misfold, and those misfolded proteins cause the cells to not work partly and lead to disease,” he said. “But the basic mechanism that we’ve learned from this very rare disease applies to diseases that are thousands of times more common. To get rid of the research? It’d be a very grave mistake.” Susanne Rust is an award-winning investigative reporter specializing in environmental issues. She is based in the Bay Area. World & Nation Science & Medicine Subscribe for unlimited accessSite Map 2025 10 p.m.A framework released Thursday includes a major gas tax hike and a lot more.An ODOT maintenance crew fills potholes on U.S Basic road maintenance is intended to be a key focus on the proposed transportation package in the 2025 session Oregon would raise its gas tax by 20 cents create a new 1% tax on cars sales and require electric vehicles to pay an entirely new “use charge” under a proposal top Democrats say is necessary to maintain the state’s beleaguered roads and bridges an ambitious funding framework unveiled on Thursday would raise more than $1.9 billion in new taxes and fees every two years once fully implemented as a major charge within the package remained undefined D-Forest Grove – described the plan as a restrained approach for raising enough money for road upkeep while modernizing how the state pays for transportation “We’re looking at a substantial problem just to maintain our roads and bridges so of course it’s going to cost a lot,” Gorsek said on Wednesday “But we’ve not asked for the moon in these things.” The long-awaited framework is Democrats’ first attempt to answer a question the Legislature has been puzzling over for years: Where to find new funding for the state’s highway fund as EVs and higher fuel efficiency vehicles eat into gas tax revenues and a handful of large construction projects soar beyond initial cost estimates “We are looking to make sure we are doing fair and equitable funding,” said McLain is a leading Democrat on transportation issues The proposal is the first time lawmakers have seriously grappled with transportation costs since passing a round of tax and fee increases in 2017 The question now becomes how the proposal will be received by the public and other lawmakers Democrats have a three-fifths supermajority in both the House and Senate meaning they can theoretically pass taxes without Republican support GOP lawmakers were getting their first look at the detailed proposal Thursday a Dundee Republican and the Senate’s top Republican on transportation issues stressed that the framework was only the start of a negotiation “We’ve been waiting for the majority party to put their first offer on the table,” Starr told OPB “This is so egregious that to me this isn’t even a starting point,” Boshart Davis said which was loaded with spending on highway mega projects McLain and Gorsek say nearly 90% of the money they hope to raise will go to nuts-and-bolts road preservation and ensuring the Oregon Department of Transportation can carry out essential services such as road striping and staffing DMV offices But there’s also money in the plan that would allow the state to borrow billions of dollars needed to finish major highway projects in Portland’s Rose Quarter and on Interstate 205 Legislators thought they had fully funded those eight years ago but they sit unfinished with price tags far beyond initial estimates This year’s package – dubbed the Oregon Transportation Reinvestment Package Democratic lawmakers say they are looking to raise an additional $1.5 billion every two years from existing taxes and another $486 million via the new 1% tax on vehicle sales They did not offer any notion of how much a new “road usage charge” on EVs fuel-efficient gas vehicles and delivery trucks could yield New money would not be entirely reserved for state projects The state splits most highway fund money with cities and counties counties could expect an extra $510 million every two years and cities would receive $340 million over the same period The funding framework has been a long time coming lawmakers in both parties held a dozen hearings throughout the state to hear what residents and elected officials wanted out of the state’s transportation system McLain and Gorsek say they heard a loud call for more funding for basic services they want more amenities for bike and [pedestrians],” McLain said “So you’re not only increasing [ODOT’s] mission but you’re doing it through ways they told us on the tour that they would prefer.” The funding proposal is also more ambitious than even some well-placed lawmakers seemed to anticipate. Last week, Senate President Rob Wagner, D-Lake Oswego, told reporters this year’s transportation would be smaller than the 2017 bill, which was expected to raise $5.3 billion in its first 10 years “I don’t know what the size is when we walk out of the building,” Wagner said “Is it going to be $5 billion with all the projects and everything I can confidently tell you that’s not the case.” the proposal unveiled Thursday appeared likely to raise well more than $5 billion over the first 10 years though officials said they could not offer an exact estimate Few elements of the package came with distinct revenue estimates McLain and Gorsek stressed their proposal was realistic Tina Kotek’s request for an additional $3.5 billion in transportation funds every two years “The governor’s budget was covering all the wish lists,” McLain said “What we’re trying to do right here is make sure that we’re looking for efficiency that we are looking for ways to make ODOT more streamlined and more [of] what I would consider successful on a wide variety of missions.” Polling shows that everyday costs rate among Oregonians’ top concerns a point Republicans suggested would be a key emphasis as they attempt to rein in the taxing proposal “The Democrats’ tone-deaf proposal throws more money at a system that has repeatedly failed to recognize that its core mission is to provide safe and reliable roads and bridges,” House Republican Leader Christine Drazan “A dozen new taxes and fees is a slap in the face to all Oregonians that simply can’t afford to pay more for less.” Lawmakers looking to sell the package may have to overcome more than just skepticism over increased costs. ODOT has been under increasing scrutiny over rapidly rising project costs along with a major accounting error that overestimated agency revenues by more than $1 billion As a nod to concerns about loose protocols in the agency, Democrats have tapped Starr to lead the way on recommending ways to increase accountability at ODOT The state is currently contracting with a pair of consultants who have until May 31 to finalize a review of agency management “This is looking at getting back to basics which is maintenance and preservation,” said McLain While the ultimate size of a roads package will be subject to negotiations in the session’s remaining three months lawmakers are feeling pressure to raise at least some money Without an additional $354 million in its next budget ODOT says it will be forced reduce staff positions by roughly 1,000 Tags: Politics, Transportation, Taxes, Infrastructure, Oregon Legislature protests drew hundreds of people in Tigard Medford and elsewhere across Oregon on Saturday as part of the national “Hands Off” day of action.Several thousand people took to the streets of Portland on Saturday afternoon as part of a nationwide movement to protest what organizers are calling an “illegal billionaire power grab” by President Donald Trump and Elon Musk protesting President Trump’s administration part of “Hands Off” protests taking place around the country A demonstrator dressed as the Statue of Liberty participates in the "Hands Off!" protests against President Donald Trump at the Washington Monument in Washington "Hands Off" protesters gather at the Universal Plaza in Tigard Protesters at a “Hands Off” rally in Sellwood The Portland protests were part of a nationwide demonstrations Former National Park Service Director Chuck Sams speaks at the “Hands Off” protest in Pendleton Protestors gather at Pendleton City Hall as a part of the Pendleton Hands-Off demonstration in Pendleton takes a photo with a lone Trump supporter counterprotesting the “Hands Off” rally in Madras saying “most people in Jefferson County support the current administration.” "I see it as a direct attack on the least educated and those with the lowest resources,” says Lizzy Wienert of Madras taking part in the “Hands Off” rally in Madras Thousands of protesters descended on Tom McCall Waterfront Park in Portland The Portland protests were part of a nationwide "Hands Off" demonstration Mary Minor speaks while leading the "Hands Off" protest event at Universal Plaza in Tigard "Hands Off" protesters line up at the Westmoreland Park in Southeast Portland Demonstrators march through downtown Pendleton as a part of the “Hands Off” protest in Pendleton to join the national Hands Off demonstrations Brie Gibson and Lacey Headley-Collier hold an American flag upside holds a sign reading "FDT" made by her niece at the Hands Off protest in Bend McPherson said this isn't her first time protesting but she made it out because she wants "to get rid of Elon and Trump." There were several demonstrations in Portland on Saturday. But the largest, at Tom McCall Waterfront Park began at noon and quickly grew to several thousand people said she hopes the large turnout convinces more people to get on the streets and speak out She remembered how large the Women’s March was in 2017 and said Saturday’s march had a similar feeling “I would say this is even larger than that,” Green said “I’m also seeing a lot of people with signs that they’ve probably been holding onto since then and were hoping they didn’t have to bring out again.” The massive crowd marched down Naito Parkway along downtown Portland’s eastern edge chanting and waving a sea of different signs most of which voiced displeasure with the Trump administration The crowd then turned onto the Morrison and Burnside Bridges, closing both to traffic entirely for a brief time The Portland Police Bureau said in social media posts that both bridges eventually reopened to traffic I’m on the Morrison Bridge in Portland where thousands of protesters are marching. The bridge is completely closed to traffic, as people protest President Trump’s administration[image or embed] Organizers of the nationwide “Hands Off” protests Saturday said participants are calling “on Trump and Elon Musk to take their hands off the programs that the middle class and working families rely on.” Demonstrations began in the Portland metro area Saturday morning and continued throughout the day across the state several hundred people marched on both sides of Highway 99 Some protesters told OPB they were concerned about the impact tariffs will have on their life savings Others feared for the future of Social Security and spoke out against recent deportations about 500 people turned out at Westmoreland Park for an early rally Speakers included Portland City Councilor Olivia Clark and Oregon state Rep Related: The job market remains incredibly healthy — but the tariff storm could upend things Gamba said he worried Trump’s policies are designed to destroy the current American system and empower billionaires either to create a fascist or an oligarchic state This is something they’ve been preparing for a long time,” Gamba said holds a sign reading "FDT" made by her niece at the Hands Off protest in Bend McPherson said this isn't her first time protesting but she made it out because she wants "to get rid of Elon and Trump." Hundreds of protestors lined the streets at the intersection known as Peace Corner in Bend who had joined the demonstration in Sisters before heading to Bend on Saturday She called the crowd size in Bend “a show of force.” Many families at the Bend event were protesting together said it was important to show his 11- and 13-year-old kids what protesting looks like Bend resident Jim Bullock said he has lived in the city for 33 years and Saturday’s was the largest crowd he’d ever seen at a protest in Bend Many of the protesters were from the city and its surrounding communities but some traveled from as far away as Medford and Portland The lone counter-protester was a man waving a Trump flag hoping to draw attention to the issues from a different perspective The crowd at Pendleton City Hall Saturday afternoon was also about 200 people Umatilla County Democratic Party Chair Patrick Cahill was among the attendees and said he was “enamored” by the turnout Pendleton and Umatilla County have been Republican strongholds for decades with Trump winning handily in the last three presidential elections But Cahill pointed out the high number of federal workers who live in Eastern Oregon and how they’re affected by the massive cuts to federal spending the City Hall was surrounded by thousands of protesters She said a wide array of issues drove her and her husband to participate National “Hands Off” organizers were estimating that more than 1,000 events would take place in all 50 states and Washington D.C Organizers said they hoped they could turn out hundreds of thousands of people The rallies are organized, in part, by the 50501 Movement, which held similar nationwide events on Feb. 5 and Feb. 17 Elon Musk is leading the Department of Government Efficiency which has attempted to make significant cuts to the federal government While many of those job cuts and government program reductions have been challenged in court they’ve drawn notable ire and a growing protest movement from some Americans Related: Nationwide ‘Hands Off’ protests denounce Trump and Musk’s government downsizing Protests against DOGE and Musk, the CEO of Tesla, have also been taking place at Tesla dealerships across the country the White House said in a statement that “President Trump’s position is clear: he will always protect Social Security the Democrats’ stance is giving Social Security which will bankrupt these programs and crush American seniors.” Demonstrations that have taken place have not widely been marred by property destruction that was associated with protests in Oregon and elsewhere during that first term The Associated Press and reporters Brian Bull and William L Tags: Protests, Oregon, Washington, Trump farmers and tribes say they’re working in concert to restore salmon habitat in the Klamath Basin Klamath tribal member and fish tech Charlie Wright coached dozens of young hatchery spring chinook as she poured them out of a bucket into a tributary of the upper Klamath River in Southern Oregon in November 2023 it’s cold!‘” she said as the fish swam away from the bucket and changed color in their new environment A lot of hope was pouring into the river along with those fish as the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife and the Klamath Tribes entered the beginning stages of starting a new run of spring chinook salmon Those hatchery fish were the very beginning of what could be the first run of spring chinook to survive in the upper Klamath Basin since the early 1900s The country’s largest dam removal project took four dams off the Klamath River in Southern Oregon and Northern California over the past two years A free-flowing river has reemerged where Copco 1 and 2 Painful water conflicts have dragged on for decades in the Klamath Basin bringing renewed hope for salmon restoration it’s going to take a lot more to piece the basin together again Above the former sites, the landscape has been transformed since the river last flowed free. Agriculture has come to dominate the region, bringing water pollution and impaired wetlands. And federal funding for many of the planned habitat restoration projects is frozen A map displaying the four dams along the Klamath River that have been removed In the dams that have not yet been removed which may have been blocked last fall by the first of two dams still remaining in the upper Klamath Basin California Water Science Center / US Geological Survey Two Klamath River dams have not been removed in Southern Oregon, so tribes see challenges for returning fish, which may have been blocked last fall by the first of two dams that still remain That could bring a new dam removal fight – focused on the Keno and Link River dams With Link River Dam crucial to the Klamath Project irrigation system that delivers water to farms in the upper basin more conflicts between tribes and farmers could be in store A reconnected river promises better habitat for struggling salmon runs that used to be among the largest on the West Coast. Last fall, chinook salmon returned to stretches of the river in Southern Oregon they hadn’t seen in over a century But even tribal leaders who fought for dam removal are worried about what comes next for the fish returning to Oregon A fall chinook salmon swims through a tributary of the Klamath River in Oregon in October 2024 But I think about: What are they coming home to?” Jeff Mitchell chairman of the culture and heritage committee for the Klamath Tribes Above the former dam sites, the landscape was transformed for agriculture with hundreds of thousands of acres of lakes and wetlands drained and converted to farmland Keno and Link River dams remain on this stretch of the river to divert water to farms Related: As the Klamath Basin faces another dry year, the effects are far-reaching Last year, thousands of birds died from a bacterial disease called botulism, caused by a lack of water at the Klamath wildlife refuges Mitchell wonders how salmon will survive on this Southern Oregon landscape It’s unclear whether they can even swim past Keno and Link River dams because their fish ladders weren’t built for adult salmon passage “We have a beautiful homeland,” Mitchell said C'waam and koptu are two species of resident suckerfish teetering on the brink of extinction Two dams that weren’t removed in the Klamath Basin still stand in the path of returning salmon Two resident fish populations depend on that lake. The lost river and shortnose suckers – known to the Klamath people as c’waam and koptu – face extinction as they continue to decline and most of their offspring die every year because of poor water quality and degraded habitat Related: C’waam and Koptu: The fish at the center of the Klamath Basin’s water crisis “I’m hoping that we’ll be able to make a home again for salmon,” Mitchell said “but right now we have a tremendous amount of work in front of us to do that.” As the salmon swam back to Oregon for the first time in over a century they returned to a landscape dominated by farms and ranches where water shortages that started long before dam removal have created a world of hurt Scott Seus is a third-generation farmer in Tulelake His grandfather was awarded a homestead here in 1946 as a World War II veteran It was part of a federal program that drained Tule Lake and converted the land to farms “The settlers here are all veterans of World War I or World War II,” Seus said “They were brought here by the government that was trying to get food security and trying to develop areas with irrigated agriculture And so they were asked to do that and they moved their family down here My dad was a month old when he moved here and set up roots.” Many of the original homesteaders put their name into a giant pickle jar from which the government pulled the lucky winners of the newly created farmland “The lake bed that we’re living on is 6 million years of duck manure and tules,” Seus said The Klamath River flows freely through the former Copco 1 Dam site in Northern California in October 2024 after the country's largest dam removal project “And it’s home to some of the richest and most fertile land in the country and raises phenomenal potatoes Water flowed from Upper Klamath Lake to farms and wildlife refuges through a massive irrigation system But fish on both ends of that system were hurting. Suckerfish in Upper Klamath Lake were listed as endangered species in 1988. Coho salmon in the Klamath River were listed as threatened in 1997 The law demanded more water for those fish Conflicts over endangered species came to a head during a severe drought in 2001, when the federal government shut off irrigation water to farmers for the first time. Hundreds gathered to protest, and some tried to force the head gates open to release irrigation water “A lot of the homesteaders were still here And now the slap across the face.’ That was shocking for them the government sent river water back to farmers for irrigation Yurok tribal member Barry McCovey remembers painfully what happened next “The river was really low here in the lower Klamath. … And then we had a pretty big salmon fall salmon run predicted that year,” he said. “We lost upwards of 70,000 adult Chinook that fall The banks of the river were littered with dead fish All you would smell is rotting flesh of salmon.” tribes up and down the Klamath River rallied for dam removal “Some tribal members … they kind of look at their lives as their life before that fish kill and then their life after that fish kill,” McCovey said Tribes and farmers spent years negotiating an agreement to remove dams and guarantee water for farms The four dams ultimately came out because their owner, the utility PacifiCorp, had to find a way for salmon to swim past them – and removal was the cheaper option The dams weren’t used for irrigation or flood control and they made less than 2% of the utility’s electricity – which was easily replaced by existing power plants but it hasn’t changed the amount of water going to farmers “The path that we’ve been going down is less and less water for agriculture,” Seus said “And our town is dying and our community is dying and our farms are dying and our kids are moving away from the farm and they’re not coming back because they don’t see a future here.” farmers and tribes have gone to court to fight for the water both groups were promised But there have not been many wins for farmers and fish populations have continued to decline some farmers are trying something different a group of farmers from the Klamath Drainage District drove down from the Upper Klamath Basin to meet fisheries workers with the Karuk Tribe in Northern California is for fish recovery – so endangered species protections can be lifted and water can flow more freely to farms FILE - Scotty Fenters drives his pickup truck fifth-generation Klamath Basin farmer Scotty Fenters learned he’d be getting less than half of the water he needs to grow a crop he had already planted and it’s extraordinarily frustrating,” he said “That’s because of all the problems that are going on down here to protect fish like this I understand it’s complicated but it doesn’t really work for anybody.” Fenters idled about half of his farmland and joined a growing number of farmers who are adding wetlands to their properties for fish and wildlife we’re spit balling any way we can,” he said and in exchange we can get a little bit more guarantee for water Fenters said he wants to know what he can do sustainably and I know what I’m leaving for my son,” he said as no different than my own crops,” Fenters said “They’re trying to catch their fish as part of their heritage … I want them to succeed as best as possible because their success is my success maybe we can get a little bit of water security again FILE - Karuk Tribe Fisheries Program Manager Toz Soto transfers threatened coho salmon from the Klamath River into buckets in early 2024 The fish were later released into nearby ponds in tributaries of the Klamath River to avoid harsh conditions during dam removal said he could feel the tensions easing as farmers delighted in seeing the young salmon and steelhead swimming in the river after dam removal “I always key to people’s responses and when you pull in a net full of fish and they’re wriggling around in there and they’re all shiny,” he said “You see people’s eyes light up … There’s been this decades-long fight over water I think people are just sick of fighting.” there was no chance of endangered salmon swimming around the farms in the upper Klamath Basin Last fall, salmon were seen at Keno Dam – the first major barrier above the four dams that have now been removed. But the fish still have not been seen above the dam. The state is now studying the feasibility of altering or removing Keno to help salmon swim past said the tribes are agitating for swift action to ensure salmon passage around both Keno and Link River dams “We had a visit with the Bureau of Reclamation and the Fish and Wildlife Service and told them that these fish ladders are inadequate to get the fish around,” he said in a recent interview with OPB Alta Harris, director of the Klamath Tribes’ Ambodat department said even after the country’s largest dam removal project there are still more problems with dams on the Klamath River — and Keno Dam is a big one “We would like to see that dam removed to have a freer river for those fish coming back,” she said salmon were able to swim past the former site in Northern California for the first time in more than 60 years in October 2024 Other tribal members want to see both Keno and Link River dams removed Link River Dam plays a crucial role delivering water to upper basin farms as part of Klamath Project irrigation system So even after the country’s largest dam removal project this basin might face yet another fight to take down more dams Charlie Wright returned to the same creek where she released the hatchery spring chinook in 2023 some of them did make it all the way to the ocean,” she said to see some of them come back in the next few years her four young boys might be able to catch a salmon in that creek above Upper Klamath Lake the path to this Klamath River tributary is a tricky one the creeks in the upper basin would offer great habitat for salmon – at the headwaters of the Klamath River that bubble up from underground springs “We all know the pieces fit together because we all watched it fall apart So we know it can be successful and healthy again Federal funding for public media is under threat Cassandra worked for The Daily Astorian newspaper before joining OPB and launching the Ecotrope environmental news blog. She produced radio and television stories as part of the EarthFix public media collaboration that covered the environment in the Pacific Northwest. \nCassandra is a fellow with the Institutes for Journalism and Natural Resources and the Metcalf Institute for Marine & Environment Reporting. She’s gone out to sea to cover fisheries and marine heat waves and floated down the Klamath, Columbia and Willamette rivers to report on dam removal, sea lions and salmon. She’s ventured into active wildfires and flown over burned forests to investigate post-fire logging.\n Her stories have won awards from the National Academy of Arts and Sciences, the Radio Television Digital News Association and the Society of Professional Journalists. Cassandra grew up in Chicago and holds degrees in journalism from the University of Missouri and the University of Oregon. Department of Education recently told state officials they would not receive nearly $3.5 million in COVID-era congressionally appropriated dollars for improving student reading and math skills.The U.S Department of Education is rescinding nearly $3.5 million in funds already appropriated by Congress to improve Oregon students’ literacy and math skills Students work on reading skills during a summer program at Imlay Elementary School in Hillsboro The Oregon Department of Education announced the cuts on Tuesday, saying they learned in a notification from the feds that the funds were terminated effective March 28 — ten months earlier than anticipated ODE Communications Director Marc Siegel said the state does not have to send any money back to D.C. since the money was supposed to be reimbursed by the feds The state didn’t receive any prospective payments The five programs that are directly affected focus on providing training and resources and creating professional networks for educators The programs were all meant to support teachers, administrators and regional staff, regardless of geographic location, so that students in every county would benefit, Siegel said. The federal order rescinding funds abruptly stops the development of content intended to improve classroom instruction for all of Oregon’s roughly 547,000 students these resources won’t be developed and therefore won’t be available to benefit student learning,” Siegel told OPB “The Oregon Department of Education is in the process of requesting reconsideration of the decision to terminate the funds.” These projects were among many efforts to boost student outcomes especially in math and English language arts which state and national assessments show are an issue Oregon school districts depend on a mix of state and federal dollars Siegel explained that ODE was leveraging this federal funding to develop free resources to improve student learning across the state and provide the kind of resources typically not available to many districts It’s not something an individual district can easily afford with its own state funding Tina Kotek has been clear in her remarks [in the past] that if the federal government does not fulfill its obligation,” he said “the state will need to consider making cuts.” Tags: Education, Government Spending, COVID-19 (KATU) — The Harney County Sheriff's Office announced that remains discovered by volunteer searchers yesterday have been identified as those of Kaylee Birt The family has been notified of the discovery "We have confirmed that the remains discovered by volunteer searchers earlier today have been positively identified as belonging to Kaylee Birt," said the Sheriff's Office in a Facebook post We would like to express our deep appreciation to the dedicated volunteers who worked tirelessly to find Kaylee." The Sheriff's Office had officially suspended the active search and rescue mission for Birt on April 10 "Our thoughts are with her family and friends during this difficult time," said the Sheriff's Office "Kaylee will remain in our hearts and prayers We will continue to do our best to provide closure to Kaylee’s friends and family." No other details have been released at this time There’s a tree killer on the loose in Oregon An invasive green beetle called the emerald ash borer arrived in the Midwest from Asia and it’s killed over 100 million ash trees across the country since it was discovered in 2002 which don’t have any defenses against this invader “They’re basically sitting ducks,” said Wyatt Williams an invasive species specialist for the Oregon Department of Forestry “There’s nothing that can stop emerald ash borer from coming through So far, infestations have been found in Washington, Marion, Yamhill and Clackamas counties A map illustrating the location of two new detections of the emerald ash borer in Yamhill and Marion counties But experts say the beetle will eventually kill the vast majority of ash trees in Oregon which provides valuable shady streamside habitat for salmon and steelhead Officials are urging Oregonians not to move potentially infested firewood long distances, to check for ash trees around their homes and look for signs of beetle infestation they can become hazardous and should be removed before they fall A D-shaped exit hole indicates an emerald ash borer infestation on an ash tree in Forest Grove the funding for many of those efforts is ending and officials aren’t expecting more help from the federal government as beetle infestations spread across Oregon “We’re not able to slow the spread anymore can you find the stumps from those trees?” City of Portland biologist Dominic Maze and his kids took “Oregon Field Guide” to the site in Forest Grove where the three first discovered Oregon’s emerald ash borer beetle invasion pointing down into a grassy area in the middle of the parking lot at Joseph Gale Elementary School Dominic Maze was waiting in that parking lot to pick up his kids from summer camp “I noticed within the parking lot there was a stand of very poor-looking ash trees — really haggard just getting a real sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach.” In his role with the city of Portland’s Bureau of Environmental Services he’d been bracing for the arrival of the emerald ash borer for years He asked his kids to look around for a little green beetle holding up his fingers to show the size of the beetle holding up her fingers to show a much bigger size Their dad settled the debate: “I think it’s probably about halfway between those two estimates,” he said The metallic green beetle is about a half-inch long The heavily infested trees they discovered in 2022 were cut down leaving only stumps in front of the school “And that was the start of what we knew was going to happen,” Dominic Maze said “Emerald ash borer reaching Oregon — a very depressing story that’s about to play out in the Willamette Valley The beetle hasn’t made it to ash trees in the city of Portland yet — as far as we know He’s most worried about the habitat along rivers and creeks where native Oregon ash trees have a unique ability to provide shady streamside habitat and that shade is critical for keeping water cool,” he said All of our salmon species that pass through the city of Portland or rear their young here.” Ash trees are vital to keeping streams and rivers shaded The map shows areas most likely to be impacted by the emerald ash borer When the beetle kills the native Oregon ash trees Invasive species such as Himalayan blackberry and English hawthorn are likely to spring up once they’re gone muckiest organic soil systems in the Willamette Valley,” he said The emerald ash borer represents a forest pest worst case scenario right now — loss of this irreplaceable keystone species — and we’re not gonna see any native trees replace it in most in many settings Last April, dozens of trees infested with emerald ash borer beetles were removed from Forest Grove – and the wood was chipped up or burned to destroy the beetle larvae ash trees infested with the emerald ash borer beetle State agencies coordinated to remove dozens of trees from this neighborhood in Cornelius to slow the spread of the invasive beetle Images via the Oregon Department of Forestry That was just one part of an elaborate strategy to slow the spread of this pest state workers created trap trees by girdling them they send out a distress signal that attracts any beetles nearby and workers with the Oregon Department of Agriculture peeled back the bark to see how many beetle larvae they could find The larvae eat through the wood under the tree bark leaving squiggly lines and sawdust in their wake an emerald ash borer larvae is removed from an ash tree in Saugerties is now in 30 states and has killed hundreds of millions of ash trees an insect survey tech with the Oregon Department of Agriculture followed those lines to their source under the bark of one tree trunk removing a small white worm with tweezers and pointing to the extensive feeding gallery around it as they’re eating through and cutting off the flow of nutrients and water up the tree all that area around the gallery is starting to die.” The larvae feed and spend the winter in pupal chambers inside the tree before turning into beetles and chewing their way out Ash trees will usually die within five years of emerald ash borer beetle infestation The emerald ash borer eats into the bark of ash trees and leaves D-shaped holes an emerald ash borer support specialist with the Oregon Department of Forestry said the state has employed multiple strategies for slowing the spread of the beetle looking for signs of emerald ash borer infestation Officials created a detection ring around the known infestation in Forest Grove creating hundreds of trap trees to identify which direction the beetles were moving At four locations around Forest Grove, the state released parasitoid wasps, which function as a biocontrol but they do have a unique ability to find the emerald ash borer larvae inside the tree bark using their antennae to sense the larval feeding activity The wasps lay their eggs inside the emerald ash borer larvae and the feeding wasp larvae kill the beetle larvae The state also treated hundreds of ash trees with pesticides to protect them from invasion by emerald ash borer beetles short term Last August, another emerald ash borer infestation was discovered near Woodburn in Marion County Max Ragozzino with the Oregon Department of Agriculture checked the trees for beetle damage first noting the number of trees that had branches without leaves Ash trees infested with emerald ash borer beetles were discovered in Marion County in August 2024 “Unfortunately I think this is potentially the heaviest infestation of emerald ash borer in Oregon,” he said “[Emerald ash borer] has probably been here for many years most of these trees are not long for this world.” Ragozzino found splits in the bark of individual trees and multiple D-shaped exit holes he found a beetle that didn’t make it out of the tree He pulled off a chunk of bark that was full of the squiggly lines left behind by feeding beetles “A tree like this can produce easily 100 to 150 emerald ash borers in a year,” he said The tree also had another telltale sign of beetle infestation: fresh branches growing out of the trunk — the last gasp from a dying tree Biologist Laura Trunk has spent her whole career restoring the ash-dominated habitat at Jackson Bottom Wetlands in Hillsboro the 635-acre wildlife preserve is home to thousands of ash trees facing near-certain death “It’s very sad what is coming,” Trunk said “I have spent the last 16 years restoring Jackson Bottom We’ve been removing invasive species for decades and we have built wetlands We have put in a massive amount of effort into bringing this place back And losing the trees is gonna be very difficult we’re gonna have to start the restoration over.” Trunk has an elaborate plan to prepare for the invasion and she’s already started implementing it with pesticide treatments She plans to treat 360 ash trees every few years — including some giant Oregon ash trees that are hundreds of years old — to protect them from the beetle But she can’t treat all of the ash trees on the property because it’s too labor-intensive Oregon will only be able to treat a relatively small number of ash trees The ash borer hasn’t made it to the preserve yet And Trunk’s goal right now is to beat it to the punch She’s opting to kill some of the ash trees on the property – with a crew of arborists – before the beetles can do it Laura Trunk has marked ash trees for removal with red dots as part of her plan to prepare for the invasive emerald ash borer beetle The ash tree shown here in a video still captured in September 2024 will be felled and left on the ground for wildlife habitat like a lot of these trees are gonna be dead.’ As these trees fall … these trees will fall on the trails These trees will be hazardous for people.” prune or treat every ash tree on the property – and she’s planting new species She’s already removed hundreds of ash trees and replaced them with new trees Some of the bigger ash trees will be toppled and left on the ground to provide habitat for ground-dwelling wildlife She’s removing only the tops of other trees leaving them standing as snags for birds to nest in … To lose these trees — it’s devastating.” ”Hopefully by the end of this we’ll have a more stable self-sustaining forested habitat with a lot more species so we don’t go through this again.” There is at least one small glimmer of hope for Oregon’s ash trees They didn’t evolve with emerald ash borer beetles from Asia — so they never developed any defenses against them But at the Dorena Genetic Resource Center scientists Richard Sniezko and Glenn Howe are looking for any ash trees that have natural resistance to the beetle – so they can survive this pest They’re collecting seeds and planting test plots in Cottage Grove “I probably collected 10 or 15,000 seeds from individual trees,” Sniezko said “And when the emerald ash borer moves into this area this will be a test to see if there’s resistance.” They’re hoping to find some survivors that have genetic defenses against the emerald ash borer so the state might not have to say goodbye to Oregon ash forever “Most of our ash currently on the landscape are doomed,” Sniezko said I want to know: Can I solve the problem and get the trees out there for future generations?” Gathering seeds from healthy ash trees is one thing people are doing in the face of this invasion — just in case any of those trees prove to have natural resistance to the emerald ash borer One way everyone can help is by checking ash trees for signs of beetle damage such as D-shaped holes in the bark or dead branches at the top of the tree that aren’t producing leaves Jordan Bartosz with the Oregon Department of Agriculture explains the distinctive leaf pattern of of an ash tree “Right now is a good time to identify if you have an ash tree because they are leafing out right now,” Williams said. “It’s OK if you don’t even know what an ash tree is. We have a guide.” This state map allows people to enter their address to learn what they should be doing now to prepare for the emerald ash borer. Infested trees can be reported to the state on this website Protective pesticide treatments can be injected into ash trees by certified arborists to kill invading beetles for two to three years Williams recommends people consider planting other tree species now and make a long-term plan to remove ash trees so they don’t become dangerous when they get infested and start to die One easy way to slow the spread of the beetle is to avoid moving firewood more than 10 miles Emerald ash borer beetles will only spread 1-4 miles every year on their own but they can spread farther faster if people move them long distance “The number one way it will be spreading around Oregon is through infested wood,” Williams said one thing everyone can do is avoid moving infested wood That’s likely how the beetle got here in the first place Tags: Science & Environment, Agriculture, Trees, Nature ","type":"text"},{"_id":"KCZRI3SCEBFY3OKPWLIXZYX2GE","additional_properties":{},"content":"Protective pesticide treatments can be injected into ash trees by certified arborists to kill invading beetles for two to three years ","type":"text"},{"_id":"IFERPQV3LFBW7EFVJZNI6JNFLI","additional_properties":{},"content":"Williams recommends people consider planting other tree species now and make a long-term plan to remove ash trees so they don’t become dangerous when they get infested and start to die.","type":"text"},{"_id":"6XQBJA7MPVCXPKH5JGSEP6XOPA","additional_properties":{},"content":"One easy way to slow the spread of the beetle is to avoid moving firewood more than 10 miles but they can spread farther faster if people move them long distance.","type":"text"},{"_id":"3YCM7EDNKFGPLHUJCQI4JX34T4","additional_properties":{},"content":"“The number one way it will be spreading around Oregon is through infested wood,” Williams said ","type":"text"},{"_id":"L6DHHX6DDBFLZIGV2ZX5ZAW4GA","additional_properties":{},"content":"As the summer camping season arrives producer and editor for OPB's Science & Environment unit Cassandra worked for The Daily Astorian newspaper before joining OPB and launching the Ecotrope environmental news blog She produced radio and television stories as part of the EarthFix public media collaboration that covered the environment in the Pacific Northwest \nCassandra is a fellow with the Institutes for Journalism and Natural Resources and the Metcalf Institute for Marine & Environment Reporting She’s gone out to sea to cover fisheries and marine heat waves and floated down the Klamath Columbia and Willamette rivers to report on dam removal She’s ventured into active wildfires and flown over burned forests to investigate post-fire logging.\n Her stories have won awards from the National Academy of Arts and Sciences the Radio Television Digital News Association and the Society of Professional Journalists Cassandra grew up in Chicago and holds degrees in journalism from the University of Missouri and the University of Oregon A southern Oregon lawmaker's March 17 speech on the House floor on a bill that restricts book bans has led to an investigation against him under the Legislature's conduct rule Senate Bill 1098 would prohibit teachers schools and school districts from removing books solely because they contain content related to a state-protected class The bill also requires challenges to a book or specific material to be made in writing by someone directly connected to the school What did Oregon Rep. Dwayne Yunker say on the House Floor?Yunker opened his speech by saying a parent from his local school district had protested "The Haters" at a school board meeting after the Three Rivers School District rejected her challenge of the book. The young adult book is about three teenagers who meet at jazz camp and run away to tour, according to the author's website The district that serves portions of Jackson and Josephine counties has received 11 book challenges during the 2024-2025 school year "The Haters" was challenged once and remains available at North Valley High "Before I start reading this section on page 265 I want to highlight the rules on the floor forbidding profane and indecent language but it’s OK for children to use profanities in language in public schools because the book is provided to them in the library,” Yunker said before reading He was stopped for 10 minutes after an objection from Rep to what he described as "lascivious and obscene” language Yunker was allowed to proceed before Mannix objected again leadership reversed their decision and stated Yunker's reading violated decorum He was allowed to continue his speech but asked not to stop reading the book passage It was not appropriate for the House floor and it's important to recognize that," House Republican Leader Christine Drazan "What is on the shelves in our schools today does not meet the standards for this chamber.” Yunker stated he had been informed by the Legislative Equity Office on April 2 that two complaints had been made about his reading from the book He shared a portion of the letter and his response in a three-minute video posted on social media on April 30 ahead of a hearing on SB 1098 Yunker provided a copy of the letter marked "CONFIDENTIAL" to the Statesman Journal It states that one complaint was made by a partisan staff member and another by a nonpartisan staffer who both reported that his comments created a hostile work environment under Rule 27 discrimination and retaliation at the state Capitol The second complainant also reported another remonstrance Yunker made on March 27 against funding for menstrual products in all Oregon student bathrooms Yunker was twice stopped when Democrats raised a "point of order" claim or objection Yunker shared with the Statesman Journal a reply he made to the equity office on April 9 he states he was surprised by the notification of an investigation He reiterated that the material described as creating a hostile work environment is content that some legislators want to prevent parents from shielding their children from in schools He also objected to the complaint about his March 27 speech saying any attempt to censor or punish him for his views would be a violation of his religious freedom "It is my opinion that Democratic legislators have tried to silence me and do not want me to speak on issues of concern of my constituents and my personal biblical beliefs," Yunker said on X According to the Legislative Equity Office website an investigator will interview the complainants respondents and any other relevant individuals The investigator will then write a draft report which is shared with those who made the complaints and Yunker Both will have the opportunity to respond in writing before the report becomes final and is sent to the Legislative Equity officer a hearing is required at the end of the investigation into Yunker's remarks which will then be provided to the Oregon House Conduct Committee for a public hearing to make a determination on whether Rule 27 was violated If it is decided that Yunker violated the conduct rule Expulsion requires a vote from two-thirds of the House members The Senate passed SB 1098 on April 2 on an 18-10 vote with Sen The House Committee on Education heard testimony from Yunker and others during an April 30 public hearing A majority of those testifying supported the bill, stating it was a necessary protection amid increased challenges to remove books over the last two decades The State Library of Oregon said public libraries academic libraries and schools reported challenges to more books and materials between July of 2023 and June of 2024 than at any point since they began collecting data According to their 2024 report, 87% of the 151 challenged items told the story of one or more underrepresented groups. About 66% of challenged materials focused on LGBTQ people and 22% focused on Black, Indigenous or people of color, a report from the Oregon Intellectual Freedom Clearinghouse said Basic Rights Oregon and Oregon School Employees Association provided testimony in support of the bill on April 30 Yunker said during the public hearing that the bill "was about chilling the ability" of school boards and parents to raise concerns about materials in schools He also mentioned his speech on the House floor "I was accused of creating a hostile work environment," Yunker told the committee why is it acceptable for children to hear this stuff?" SB 1098 is scheduled for a work session on May 7 Dianne Lugo covers the Oregon Legislature and equity issues. Reach her at dlugo@statesmanjournal.com on X @DianneLugo or Bluesky @diannelugo.bsky.social. 2025 1 p.m.Queso fundido makes the most of Mexican cheeses like quesos Oaxaca and asadero World-class cheese is all around us in Oregon And while Oregon doesn’t produce the quantity of cheese like Wisconsin, Idaho, or other leading states do today — Oregon punches above its weight class in terms of quality And the production of cheese has also shaped the history of the state Katy Osuna from the Copper & Heat podcast joins us to share the history of cheese in the region and how it became so special Osuna also produced a documentary about cheese for OPB’s Superabundant. Check it out Listen to all episodes of The Evergreen podcast here. Tags: The Evergreen podcast One Oregon Coast beach was named the most dog-friendly beach in the U.S and four others were also ranked in a 2025 report by HomeToGo The online vacation rental marketplace created a list of the top "45 Dog-Friendly Destinations for Shoreline Escapes" in the U.S Manzanita Beach and Lincoln City Beach were all ranked on the list Here's what to know about the beaches and how they were ranked The beach received a total score of 28.64 out of 30 possible points a visitor satisfaction score of 9.23 and an accommodation affordability score of 9.41 "Agate Beach gives leashed dogs room to roam without the usual beach-day bustle," said HomeToGo "It is a great match for travelers looking for serene walks and scenic payoff — long stretches of firm sand Agate Beach was recognized for its wide-open spaces backed by the cliffs along the Yaquina Bay Head While the tide pools at Agate Beach are off-limits to pets HomeToGo noted there are plenty of open areas along the beach for people and their pups to explore How did other Oregon Coast beaches rank as some of the dog-friendliest beaches in the US?In addition to Agate Beach four other Oregon beaches were named on HomeToGo's list of the 45 dog-friendly destinations Pacific City Beach: The beach was ranked the seventh dog friendliest beach in the U.S. receiving a total score of 27.41 out of 30 possible points a visitor satisfaction score of 9.62 and an accommodation affordability score of 9.19 Bandon Beach: The beach was ranked the ninth dog friendliest beach in the U.S. receiving a total score of 27.26 out of 30 possible points a visitor satisfaction score of 9.62 and an accommodation affordability score of 8.94 Manzanita Beach: The beach was ranked the 14th dog friendliest beach in the U.S. receiving a total score of 26.45 out of 30 possible points a visitor satisfaction score of 9.62 and an accommodation affordability score of 8.95 Lincoln City Beach: The beach was ranked the 26th dog friendliest beach in the U.S. receiving a total score of 24.74 out of 30 possible points a visitor satisfaction score of 9.23 and an accommodation affordability score of 8.99 Ginnie Sandoval is the Oregon Connect reporter for the Statesman Journal. Sandoval can be reached at GSandoval@gannett.com or on X at @GinnieSandoval The day after the Trump administration declared its plan to freeze all federal aid Zoe Bradbury DeSurra had an electrician scheduled to come install a $28,000 backup battery power system at her farm on the southern Oregon Coast The installation at Valley Flora Farm was supposed to be reimbursed through a federal grant for rural energy It would have allowed the farm's core infrastructure to keep operating in the event of a power outage When Bradbury DeSurra heard the funding freeze news "That was basically the kickoff to the last two months of huge uncertainty whose organic farm in unincorporated Langlois in Curry County is the only commercial scale produce operation from Brookings to Florence "It's kind of a tenuous and tight moment when you're already working with pretty small profit margins and you spend all that you have or just foot the bill and then don't get paid back," she said Bradbury DeSurra said she had expected to receive three federal grants through the U.S Department of Agriculture: the Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement Program (LFPA) the Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure Grant and the Rural Energy for America Program Although a federal judge blocked the Trump administration's total funding freeze the administration has continued slashing federal programs to reduce government spending Some of the programs Bradbury DeSurra was expecting to receive funding from were cut completely From southern to eastern Oregon and the Willamette Valley farmers like Bradbury DeSurra are facing unexpected financial strain and uncertainty as the programs on which they relied cease Farmers said their operations play a critical role in sustaining their local communities The cuts mean less fresh food for low-income families and stability for the farms and more anxiety for the future "My entire winter got torpedoed," Bradbury DeSurra said "Time I would normally have been spending making improvements when things are a little slower in the field The USDA said in early March it was cutting more than $1 billion in funding for the Local Food for Schools Cooperative Agreement and the LFPA programs for 2025 The money was designed to pay farmers to provide food to schools and food banks An estimated $500 million was also cut from the USDA’s Emergency Food Assistance Program which provides free food to food banks for distribution to low-income people The cuts mean food banks will have less food to distribute to people but they also mean farmers won't receive all the funding they were expecting Farmers said they'd already received money for the LFPA program in 2025 The USDA said it would honor existing agreements but would not carry out a second round of funding for the fiscal year The Oregon Food Bank distributes food to 21 regional food banks in Oregon and southwest Washington There were about 2.6 million visits to Oregon food banks in 2024 According to a United States Department of Agriculture report the percent of people in the United States who don’t have access to enough food rose to 13.5% in 2023 from 12.8% in 2022 “The need is so high,” Oregon Food Bank President Andrea Williams told a state Senate committee in March “We don’t have enough food to distribute for the amount of need that there is.” are co-sponsoring the Honor Farmer Contracts Act It was referred to the Senate Committee on Agriculture 'I don't want to give in'Bea Johnson runs Sunbow Produce in Corvallis with her husband She said feeding families in need with the help of LFPA grants was the highlight of her year The grants allowed them to distribute free food every week at the Philomath Farmers' Market and stock a food pantry at a local community center They also partnered with Linn Benton Food Share to start a Community Supported Agriculture program — essentially a subscription to receive regular boxes of produce from a farm throughout the harvest season — and provided personalized orders to people in need Sunbow Produce will expand its distribution points as other organizations like the Mid-Willamette Valley Trans Support Network have made requests but I was constantly just crying tears of joy on my delivery route just knowing that I was feeding families highly nutritious food and that they were able to participate in this level of nutrition and high quality that they otherwise just wouldn't have access to," Johnson said Business skyrocketed during the COVID-19 pandemic but she said sales tanked when health orders lifted It was like an insurance policy: ensuring that whatever happened with individual sales Sunbow Produce could keep the lights on and pay the crew She said it's important people know LFPA is not a handout — it's a subsidy for small farms We thought we were going to have to shut down our farm," she said Johnson said she's hoping to find other funding streams in the community to continue distributing food to people in need After writing about the funding loss in her newsletter she said some customers reached out offering to sponsor a family to have a CSA She's looking to the community and to organizations that have partnered with the farm to figure out how to continue distributing but I don't want to give in," Johnson said "I want to be able to continue providing this food to the most vulnerable in our community." Federal grant meant security for small eastern Oregon farmKendee Ishida runs New Creations Farms in Adrian in eastern Oregon with her husband She said they received more than $40,000 from the LFPA grant since 2023 Ishida said the LFPA grant gave them confidence they could achieve their goal of feeding and serving their community fresh The farm worked with Ontario Food Bank in 2024 The biggest challenge Ishida is facing without the grant is the loss of security "We don't have the security like we've had the last two years of for sure we have this income coming in to be able to buy the seed or buy the equipment that we may need," Ishida said Ishida said she's hoping the relationships she built with the community thanks to LFPA will continue Ishida said she wants to work with the recently established Adrian Food Pantry and find a way to continue serving the community without the grant "That is where it's going to be sad for me with this funding cut not being able to do the mass amount of produce like we have been the last couple years to the food bank," she said Bradbury DeSurra has operated her farm in Langlois since 2008 It is also the only farm in the area that allows Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program users to use Double Up Food Bucks which allows them to stretch their SNAP dollars twice as far on produce "We're very involved and kind of one of the cornerstones of our local food system down here," she said Valley Flora Farm received about $16,000 per year through LFPA to supply produce to local food banks and that allowed the farm to quadruple the amount of food it sends to them Bradbury DeSurra said about a quarter of the Port Orford community visits the Common Good food bank twice a month and the only fresh produce there comes from Valley Flora Farm and also a place where access to fresh produce is very limited just because we're kind of at the end of the distribution line," she said "What makes its way down here is often in pretty bad shape sad and often pretty expensive for what you're getting." But LFPA wasn't the only grant Bradbury DeSurra was expecting to receive Although she was able to cancel the backup battery installation that would have been reimbursed through the Rural Energy for America Program Bradbury DeSurra had already purchased a tractor with pallet forks and a set of large storage bins to increase the farm's capacity were supposed to be reimbursed through the Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure Grant She made the purchases in October and submitted her paperwork promptly but is unsure if she'll ever get the rest back She was recently notified the funds for her battery installation may have been unfrozen and she initially thought the email was a scam The email invited her to resubmit the application but change it to be "more in line with the administration's priorities," Bradbury DeSurra said cut out anything having to do with DEI or renewable energy," she said do I uncheck the box that says woman-owned business Bradbury DeSurra's battery equipment would serve as a backup system for solar panels on their barn roof so it also doesn't align with the administration's energy preferences She said it seems like the grant funds will still be released but she was relying on the tax credit from installing renewable energy equipment to make the budget pencil out As the Trump administration makes changes to the tax code it's unclear if that will still exist by the end of 2025 "It's really casting a lot of doubts and questions about how to move forward at all with business planning right now," Bradbury DeSurra said "Everything just seems to be spiraling kind of out of control." Isabel Funk covers breaking news and public safety for the Statesman Journal. Funk can be reached at ifunk@statesmanjournal.com or on X at @isabeldfunk There is an election this month in Oregon but some special district races across the state don’t have any candidates Special districts oversee local services like water They're largely made up of elected volunteers who receive limited payment the Executive Director of the Special Districts Association of Oregon Stratton said it’s getting harder to find people to run especially in rural districts with a small pool of people to choose from "The Greatest Generation were extremely involved in all of these issues and giving back to their communities," said Stratton younger generations don't have the same commitment to being involved and giving up their free time over 17% of special district seats up for election have had no candidates file Lincoln County Clerk Amy Southwell said some of those positions are on boards that no longer exist but didn’t follow the county's process to disband There are five open positions for the Cape Foulweather Sanitary District in Lincoln County told KLCC that it dissolved several years ago and liquidated its funds into the nearby Otter Rock Water District Erskine said he felt Cape Foulweather had taken the proper steps to be removed from the ballot He said while a candidate could technically be written in for one of these positions a new board would have no funding or tax base to work with “They’d have a difficult time reaching quorum,” said Erskine the remainder of a board can appoint someone Stratton said if they can’t meet quorum to do so the decision goes to the local county commissioners "It's pretty rare that they can't fill a vacancy," said Stratton "It seems like they're ultimately able to get somebody in the community to come out to volunteer to serve on the board." Stratton said it's a missed opportunity when no one files for a seat He said while the ethics and transparency requirements can be intimidating these roles are a grassroots way of getting involved in local government Elections officials have now started sending out ballots for the upcoming election Hawaii starting pitcher Cooper Walls pitched during the fourth inning against Oregon State on Sunday Hawaii pitcher Liam O’Brien pitched against Oregon State during the sixth inning on Sunday at Les Murakami Stadium Liam O’Brien and Isaiah Magdaleno combined on three-hit shutout in the Hawaii baseball team’s 5-0 victory over seventh-ranked Oregon State on Sunday at Les Murakami Stadium A crowd of 2,733 saw the Rainbow Warriors rebound after losing the first two of this four-game series First pitch for Monday’s series finale is 6:35 p.m 14vs0Michigan State Ducks Claim Share Of Big Ten Title05/03/25 | Softball Oregon softball beat Michigan State in five innings Saturday