The Salem-Keizer School Board work session scheduled for August 24, 2021 has been canceled. Please refer to the following statement released by school board leadership:

It is with deep regret that due to ongoing public safety concerns within our community, the Salem-Keizer School Board meeting for August 24 is canceled. This was to have been an opportunity for the board to hear from staff and students about the amazing partnership between our school district and Chemeketa Community College, including the redesign of our alternative education program. Our goal was to interact with students and staff while seeing the new agriculture complex at Chemeketa. We will reschedule at a time we can accomplish this in person. To the students and staff who prepared for this meeting and to our partners at Chemeketa, we apologize.

We are seeing a continual call in our community to create disruption to our board and our schools with divisiveness that has no place in the lives of our students. At our last board meeting, we witnessed disrespect, racial and transphobic comments, and a disregard for health and safety protocols. We believe our communities of Salem and Keizer are better than this, and board leadership does not want any person to be in an environment where they will not feel safe or welcome.

As a board, we remain highly committed to our goal of getting our students back to school for five days a week of in-person instruction. Getting students in school physically and having them remain in school is our single focus.

Please join us as a community in our commitment to get our students back in school, and support our healthcare workers who are working around the clock taking care of our critically ill community members.

Be safe, mask up, get vaccinated and support the safe return of our students to school!

--Bruce Armstrong

Post Date: 2021-08-19 13:47:58

Last Update: 2021-08-19 14:06:20

Gov. Jay Inslee has announced a vaccination requirement for employees working in K-12, most childcare and early learning, and higher education, as well as an expansion of the statewide mask mandate to all individuals, regardless of vaccination status.

The governor was joined for the announcement by Superintendent of Public Instruction Chris Reykdal and Secretary of Health Dr. Umair A. Shah.

K -12 educators, school staff, coaches, bus drivers, school volunteers and others working in school facilities will have until October 18 to be fully vaccinated as a condition of employment.

The requirement includes public, private and charter schools, and comes as schools across the state prepare to return for the 2021–2022 school year amid rapidly increasing case and hospitalization numbers.

This does not impact students, regardless of age.

“It has been a long pandemic, and our students and teachers have borne their own unique burdens throughout,” Inslee said. “This virus is increasingly impacting young people, and those under the age of 12 still can’t get the vaccine for themselves. We won’t gamble with the health of our children, our educators and school staff, nor the health of the communities they serve.”

Inslee also announced a vaccine requirement for employees in Washington’s higher education institutions, as well as for most childcare and early learning providers who serve children from multiple households.

Read the rest of the story on the Governor Inslee's Medium page.


--Bruce Armstrong

Post Date: 2021-08-19 10:45:04

Last Update: 2021-08-19 10:51:54

The Benton County Board of Commissioners have issued Order #D2021-063. It was issued on August 17, 2021.

Effective immediately, the order requires all individuals ages 5 and above, regardless of vaccination status, to wear face coverings when in indoor public settings and in outdoor public settings where a physical distance of six feet cannot be maintained.

“The health and safety of Benton County residents remains the number one priority,” said Benton County Board chair, Xan Augerot. “We cannot pretend that we live on an island. Individuals from different parts of Oregon and the United States are coming to Benton County to visit and recreate. We needed to take further action to ensure the health and safety of our communities and protect our hospital systems.”

“We’re averaging between three and four ventilated COVID patients in our ICU. When you look at these individuals, you see that they’re critically ill,” said Laura Hennum, CEO of Good Samaritan Regional Medical Regional Medical Center.

You can view the August 17, 2021 Board of Commissioners meeting here. The discussion regarding COVID-19 begins at 7:25.

The Board of Commissioners’ order can be read here.


--Bruce Armstrong

Post Date: 2021-08-19 10:10:02

Last Update: 2021-08-19 10:41:25

As the situation in Afghanistan winds to a chaotic end, several Oregon state Legislators have signed on to a letter addressed to Oregon Governor Kate Brown, "calling for the safe passage for people from Afghanistan who are facing immediate threats to their lives and the lives of their families."

The letter references SB 778, passed in the 2021 session which established within the office of the Governor the Office of Immigrant and Refugee Advancement for the purpose of operating a statewide immigrant and refugee integration strategy. The bill faced only token opposition in the Senate and just 6 no votes in the House.

While few people oppose extending help to the unknown counts of refugees created and yet-to-be created by the chaos in Afghanistan, many see the current refugee system as subject to abuse and being used as a way around the legitimate immigration system.

The letter calls on the Biden administration to lift caps on refugees and then continues, "As a state, we must also take all the necessary steps to be prepared to resettle families when they arrive. Events in Afghanistan echo the departure of the United States from Saigon following the end of the Vietnam War. In 1975, the United States lifted refugee caps to allow more than 125,000 families to resettle in communities across the country."

the letter notes that "the United States has admitted more than three million refugees who have resettled in this country. Though refugees and immigrants have faced and continue to face significant barriers, they continue to demonstrate their dedication to serving the public and they add immense value to our communities.

The letter is signed by

Representative Khanh Pham, HD 46
Senator Kayse Jama, SD 24

Additional signers are,

Speaker Tina Kotek, HD 44
Majority Leader Barbara Smith Warner, HD 45
Rep. Pam Marsh, HD 5
Rep. David Gomberg, HD 10
Rep. Marty Wilde, HD 11
Rep. John Lively, HD 12
Rep. Nancy Nathanson, HD 13
Rep. Julie Fahey, HD 14
Rep. Dan Rayfield, HD 16
Rep. Paul Evans, HD 20
Rep. Teresa Alonso Leon, HD 22
Rep. Courtney Neron, HD 26
Rep. Wlnsvey Campos, HD 28
Rep. Susan McLain, HD 29
Rep. Brad Witt, HD 31
Rep. Maxine Dexter, HD 33
Rep. Ken Helm, HD 34
Rep. Dacia Grayber, HD 35
Rep. Lisa Reynolds, HD 36
Rep. Rachel Prusak, HD 37
Rep. Andrea Salinas, HD 38
Rep. Mark Meek, HD 40
Rep. Karin Power, HD 41
Rep. Rob Nosse, HD 42
Rep. Tawna Sanchez, HD 43
Rep. Andrea Valderrama, HD 47
Rep. Jeff Reardon, HD 48
Rep. Zach Hudson, HD 49
Rep. Ricki Ruiz, HD 50
Rep. Janelle Bynum, HD 51
Rep. Anna Williams, HD 52
Senate President Peter Courtney, SD 11
Majority Leader Rob Wagner, SD 19
Sen. Jeff Golden, SD 3
Sen. Floyd Prozanski, SD 4
Sen. Lee Beyer, SD 6
Sen. James Manning Jr., SD 7
Sen. Sara Gelser Blouin, SD 8
Sen. Deb Patterson, SD 10
Sen. Kate Lieber, SD 14
Sen. Chuck Riley, SD 15
Sen. Elizabeth Steiner Hayward, SD 17
Sen. Ginny Burdick, SD 18
Sen. Kathleen Taylor, SD 21
Sen. Lew Frederick, SD 22
Sen. Michael Dembrow, SD 23
Sen. Chris Gorsek, SD 25
Sen. Tim Knopp, SD 27
Sen. Bill Hansell, SD 29

--Staff Reports

Post Date: 2021-08-19 10:05:04

Last Update: 2021-08-19 10:24:01

Josephine County Sheriff Dave Daniel attributes the increase in cannabis farming in 2021 to increased activity by drug trade organizations in Southern Oregon. Even though hemp and marijuana can be legally grown in Oregon, with it comes an increase in the illegal market. There are reports of water being stolen, land being clear-cut, and threats to residence. It should have got the attention of the Oregon Liquor Control Commission. After all, HB 3000 was passed to bridge the enforcement gap to crack down on illegal growers.

Josephine County Commissioners -- Darin Fowler, Dan DeYoung and Herman Baertschiger, Jr. -- got the message and discovered related issues when performing enforcement operations. They sent a letter to Governor Brown regarding Narco-slavery complete with photos.

Dear Governor Brown,

Narco-slavery occurs when organized criminal networks intimidate, relocate, exploit and abuse their laborers. Unfortunately, one consequence of cannabis legalization has been a tragic surge in narco-slavery. During recent cannabis enforcement operations, Josephine County officials have witnessed the appalling conditions to which laborers in the unsanctioned cannabis industry are subjected. Such conditions include:

• Feces everywhere
• No running water or bathing facilities
• Unrefrigerated food and dangerously unsanitary cooking facilities
• Sleeping in containers stacked three-high
• Living in tents and plywood shanties

Typically, after law enforcement releases these workers from custody they have nowhere to go. We assume that many or most workers eventually get collected by their illicit employers and relocated to the next exploitive operation. The purpose of this letter is to assist you, Director Steve Marks, Commissioner Val Hoyle and your staff in your effort to learn about the extent and severity of this problem. We want to work together with you to end this human tragedy immediately.

In 2017 Josephine County passed Measure 17-81, but when Commissioners attempted an ordinance to effectively ban commercial and medical marijuana on rural residential land of five acres or less, it got backlash from growers. Local growers appealed the ordinance to the Oregon Land Use Board of Appeals, which ruled against the county saying it could not ban pre-existing lawful uses. The county failed on appeal also. In April 2018, the county sued the State of Oregon wanting a federal judge to disqualify cannabis as pre-existing lawful use along with other points. It could have effectively invalidated the state’s cannabis program. However, the judge ruled the county lacked standing to sue the state and it had no justiciable case or controversy exists between the parties.

Josephine County has not turned away from 62% of the county voting to curtail cannabis growing in residential areas. This letter should put growers on notice to clean up their act.


--Donna Bleiler

Post Date: 2021-08-18 18:19:26

Last Update: 2021-08-19 09:15:26

At its meeting on July 21, the Eugene City Council approved the first two Safe Sleep sites at Chase Commons Park and 2nd and Garfield.

These sites will be managed by social service providers and provide a space that homeless people can park their vehicles or sleep in tents.

In addition, the Council approved a request to expand an existing site used for medical respite at the Eugene Service Station, allowing it to serve as an additional Rest Stop location that can serve up to 12 people at any one time.

Following a review of more than 300 locations, vetting dozens of potential sites, and outreach efforts to understand community concerns staff recommended and Council approved the first two Safe Sleep sites.

Chase Commons Park: This City owned property is approximately four acres in size. After initial neighborhood and business outreach, staff have drafted a site plan that will accommodate up to 20 Conestoga huts on a portion of the site.

2nd and Garfield: This property, owned by Lane Transit District (LTD) and located at 310 Garfield Avenue, is approximately five acres and could accommodate both tents and vehicles. Staff are working with local social service providers related to operating this site.

Staff continue to assess other properties for future Safe Sleep sites, including both public and private properties. Sites will continue to be evaluated further by the Planning and Development Department and Public Works to determine suitability for siting and compatibility with public use. Additional sites will come back to City Council for approval as quickly as possible.

On April 28, the City Council approved an ordinance that allows Safe Sleep Sites to accommodate more tents or vehicles than previously allowed by City Code, up to 60 vehicles and 40 tents per site. Currently, the City anticipates the approved Safe Sleep sites will be prepared for use by the end of August. People staying at the two large temporary camps at 13th Avenue and Washington Jefferson Park will be prioritized to move into the new sites once they’re established. People living in their cars in industrial areas supposedly can move into the safe vehicle sites.

Through the City’s partnership with Lane County a number of other actions are also underway, including coordinated outreach efforts, adding permanent supportive housing units, engaging with landlords to increase affordable rental options, expanding rapid rehousing programs, and improving tenancy supports.

These efforts, when implemented together, are intended to make homelessness rare, brief, and non-recurring, according to the City of Eugene.


--Bruce Armstrong

Post Date: 2021-08-18 16:38:29

Last Update: 2021-08-18 16:47:24

Governor Kate Brown has issued a letter to Oregon superintendents, school board members, and education leaders, calling on them to enforce mask mandates for school children around the state.

“Throughout this pandemic, my north star for decisions about our schools has been to do what is best for our students. We know that students’ mental, physical, behavioral, social, and emotional health is best served when they can be in schools for full-time, in-person instruction,” said Governor Brown. “The Delta variant puts this goal at risk. It puts our children’s health and lives at risk. But, by again taking simple and effective precautions, we can still return our children to classrooms full-time this fall.”

The governor issued the letter in response to statements and actions from local school leaders indicating they would ignore state law.

Several school boards have passed or are considering resolutions opposing Oregon’s K-12 indoor mask requirements.

In one school district, a superintendent encouraged parents to make claims on behalf of their children by requesting mask exemptions under the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Governor Brown continued: “Because that’s the thing about masks: they don’t just protect you, they protect everyone around you. Wearing a mask is an act of kindness. By wearing masks, we are teaching our children that they can protect each other in the classroom. That we can all work together to keep each other safe. When I visited classrooms this spring, I saw children who were overjoyed to be with their friends and teachers again."

Those children's smiles could not be seen by the Governor, as they were required to be in masks.

“I have heard much about personal freedom when it comes to masks in school board meetings and on social media. Without the universal wearing of masks in our schools, the Delta variant will spread.”

As with Oregon's previous K-12 mask requirements, the Governor claims that the current indoor mask requirement can be enforced by Oregon OSHA under state law.


--Bruce Armstrong

Post Date: 2021-08-18 16:04:52

Last Update: 2021-08-18 16:21:21

A class action lawsuit is being explored against the State of Oregon by businesses that have been affected by state action to control the COVID-19 outbreak. Free Oregon, founded by former Portland coffee entrepreneur Ben Edtl, is exploring legal and political options.

The possible class action lawsuit, against the State of Oregon, for the statutory “taking” of personal property. Free Oregon has retained the leading civil rights attorneys in our state, that specialize in property rights and plans to force the government to compensate, by law.

"Kate Brown and her cronies at the State of Oregon, used COVID-19 regulations and fear to destroy tens of thousands of small businesses in Oregon. Never before has a government regulated small businesses so arbitrarily and unconstitutionally. Free Oregon and its legal team have determined a path in which to successfully sue the State of Oregon on the basis of a Statutory Taking. In this, we will force the State of Oregon to compensate business owners, by law, and ensure this never happens again in the United States," said Edtl.

Edtl and Free Oregon are looking for businesses which may qualify to join this class action. If COVID regulations hurt or destroyed your business, Edtl is asking you to fill out the application. Free Oregon is seeking small business owners that have experienced the total loss of their business or a significant proportional loss of business value, due to the COVID-19 regulations imposed by Kate Brown and the State of Oregon. According to Edtl, "We are particularly interested in hospitality, personal services, fitness and retail industries, but many others may also qualify to participate."

Edtl describes the timeline of the taking. "In Spring of 2020, we were told “two weeks to flatten the curve.” By June 30th, 2021 Governor Kate Brown held her flimsy press conference at Providence Park to announce the “reopening” of Oregon. By August 13th, 2021 (less than 45 days after her grand “reopening”) the State re-instituted indoor masking as a sure sign we are heading back into lockdowns on small businesses. We must fight back."


--Staff Reports

Post Date: 2021-08-17 13:38:31

Last Update: 2021-08-18 18:19:26

Governor Kate Brown today issued an open letter to Oregon superintendents, school board members, and education leaders, calling on them to take action to ensure Oregon’s K-12 students can return to full-time, in-person instruction in the classroom this year, with minimal disruptions from COVID-19.

“Throughout this pandemic, my north star for decisions about our schools has been to do what is best for our students. We know that students’ mental, physical, behavioral, social, and emotional health is best served when they can be in schools for full-time, in-person instruction,” said Governor Brown. “The Delta variant puts this goal at risk. It puts our children’s health and lives at risk. But, by again taking simple and effective precautions, we can still return our children to classrooms full-time this fall.”

While most Oregon school districts are moving forward with health and safety plans to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 during the upcoming school year, the governor issued the letter in response to troubling statements and actions from local school leaders, and others, indicating they would ignore state law. Several school boards have passed or are considering resolutions opposing Oregon’s K-12 indoor mask requirements. In one school district, a superintendent encouraged parents to make false claims on behalf of their children by requesting mask exemptions under the Americans with Disabilities Act. The governor called on districts to reject taking actions that defy state and federal laws, and to take action to protect students’ health and safety instead.

Governor Brown continued: “Because that’s the thing about masks: they don’t just protect you, they protect everyone around you. Wearing a mask is an act of kindness. By wearing masks, we are teaching our children that they can protect each other in the classroom. That we can all work together to keep each other safe. When I visited classrooms this spring, I saw children who were overjoyed to be with their friends and teachers again. For them, safety protocols were not a burden but a benefit, giving them a reprieve from virtual classrooms and isolation from their peers.

A D V E R T I S E M E N T

A D V E R T I S E M E N T

“I have heard much about personal freedom when it comes to masks in school board meetings and on social media. I have not heard as much said about personal responsibility. As leaders, we have a great responsibility to our students and their futures. One of the sacred, fundamental responsibilities of a school district and its leaders is to keep the children in their care safe. It is up to us to make clear-eyed decisions based on science and fact. Flouting mask requirements will put everything we have worked towards in the last year at risk. Without the universal wearing of masks in our schools, the Delta variant will spread.”

As with Oregon's previous K-12 mask requirements, the current indoor mask requirement can be enforced by Oregon OSHA under state law. The questions is, will parents comply or withdraw their students from schools? That seems to be the trend.


--Donna Bleiler

Post Date: 2021-08-17 12:50:26

Last Update: 2021-08-17 13:38:31

Governor Kate Brown’s latest mask mandate went into effect on the same day she activated 1,500 Oregon National Guard members to assist hospitals. Their deployment begins this Friday. The Governor also issued an extension of her unconstitutional mortgage foreclosure moratorium through the end of the year.

Senator Dennis Linthicum (R-Klamath Falls) issued the following statement:

“The Governor’s decision to activate our brave men and women of the National Guard is little more than COVID kabuki. It reveals her preference for panic theater rather than actually helping the situation.

“The Governor continues to assault our constitutional system of checks and balances while running roughshod over the liberties of Oregonians. Whether it is the mask mandate or the foreclosure moratorium, the Governor lacks legal and constitutional standards for her decisions. Democrats want to perpetuate a sense of panic because they want a permanent pandemic to push socialist policies that could not be implemented without frenzied hysteria.

“The Governor is promoting policies for free housing which has been a long-time progressive agenda item. By a stroke of the pen, the Governor has declared it illegal to be responsible for bills and debts. This government intrusion into private contracts is a violation of longstanding constitutional protections of contracts and individual property rights.

“To make matters worse, Governor Brown’s insistence that we continue to pay people extra not to work is causing a labor shortage throughout the state. Businesses are hiring but can’t find workers because it’s often more lucrative to collect beefed-up unemployment checks. The long-term consequences of these overreaches are predictable and devastating: less housing, higher prices, and high unemployment while jobs are abundant. It’s time for the government to get out of the way and incentivize responsible citizens to get back to work and manage their own lives and housing needs again.

“The pandemic has given the extreme left their utopian dream of totalitarian control. They have declared everyone a victim, housing free, work optional, grades unnecessary, and masks mandatory. It is time for these repugnant and unsound policy initiatives to end!”


--Staff Reports

Post Date: 2021-08-17 10:16:30

Last Update: 2021-08-17 10:22:18

At a time when many forestry experts think that Oregon needs more forest thinning to reduce wildfire risks, a new bill making its way through Congress will make this job more difficult.

S.192, introduced by Oregon Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley, restricts thinning and other forest management activities on three million acres of Oregon's federally-owned lands.

The bill -- known as the ‘River Democracy Act’ -- will add nearly 4,700 miles of Oregon “rivers” to the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System. But most of the waterways in the bill are not even classified as rivers. Many are small creeks and tributaries that don't even carry water year-round, and are overgrown and ripe for wildfire. Yet the bill adds half-mile buffers where thinning and public access will be restricted.

The Wild and Scenic Rivers Act of 1968 was enacted to preserve certain rivers with “outstanding natural, cultural, and recreational values in a free-flowing condition.” The 1968 Act provides a mechanism for robust study and review of proposed waterways to ensure they are eligible and/or suitable for designation. Considering past use and litigation of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, the bill raises a lot of questions about how it will impact future access, private property and water rights and other traditional uses of both public and private land.

Wildfires over the past two years have devastated Oregon's rivers, watersheds and nearby communities. Many experts say that we need to reduce wildfires risks and maintain safe public access.


--Staff Reports

Post Date: 2021-08-17 09:17:26

Last Update: 2021-08-17 09:41:53

In a letter addressed to the Deschutes County Commissioners, Bend Mayor Sally Russell is asking that County leaders ask citizens to mask up.

Though the letter is signed only by herself, Russell uses the first person plural to introduce the letter. "We are writing to you today to urge you to fulfill your roles as public health leaders and join us in informing our community of the imperative need for everyone to wear masks indoors in public spaces or anywhere else the risk of transmitting Covid-19 is high. The recent increase of Covid-19 cases in our community has been substantial and alarming."

Russell cites the infectiousness of the Delta variant as one reason for wanting the mask mandate. "A unique variant of concern appeared in Deschutes County in late June. We agree with their conclusion that this indicates the presence of the Delta variant in our community — a powerful mutation of Covid-19 that has a higher viral load (meaning a greater amount of the virus is present in the nose and mouth) and, accordingly, a much faster infectious period."

She also makes note of hospital capacity in Bend, caused by staffing shortages. "We are acutely aware of St. Charles’ staffing shortages, and we recognize the critical need to support our local health care workers through this time. Beyond that, we also realize our collective responsibility in ensuring that our hospital system is ready and able to deliver care to all of our community members."

"The City of Bend, like the rest of Deschutes County, is exhausted by the continual presence (and disturbing new activity) of this virus. The call to act, though, resounds clearly through the recent public health data. We stand with our County leadership in making a decision that puts the needs of community first and foremost," she concludes


--Staff Reports

Post Date: 2021-08-17 08:51:23

Last Update: 2021-08-17 10:46:05