Anticipating the overturn of Roe v. Wade, in May Oregon House Majority Leader Julie Fahey (D-West Eugene) and Representative Andrea Valderrama (D-East Portland) met with White House officials and state legislators from California, Washington, Illinois, Maryland, New York and Connecticut to discuss preparations and legislation to protect and expand abortion access.

Now their worst fears are materializing as some states across the country are proposing to ban abortion. Democrat legislators were falling all over themselves rushing to issue statements. Without exception, they all expressed an outrage at this decision to put the power in states to save innocent lives.

Representative Fahey stated: “We are prepared for this moment in Oregon because for the last decade, Oregonians have elected Democratic majorities to our Legislature. During my first term in 2017, I was proud to chief sponsor the Reproductive Health Equity Act (RHEA), one of the strongest abortion access laws in the country. RHEA codified the right to an abortion in state law and made the full range of reproductive health care services more affordable and accessible for all Oregonians. And this year we’ve taken even more action to close existing gaps, expand provider capacity and support for patients traveling to the state for care.”

House Speaker Dan Rayfield offered his conflicting statement after voting to mandate vaccinations. “This decision takes away the ability of Americans to control their own bodies and lives, and turns that power over to politicians. All individuals should have the right to make the most personal and private decisions that affect their lives, their health, and their families.”

Senate Majority Leader Rob Wagner (D-Lake Oswego) stated that “Pro-Choice states like Oregon are now the last line of defense to protect abortion and reproductive health care rights. It’s more important than ever to elect leaders that will protect abortion and reproductive health care. Our Democratic majority is the dividing line.”

Senator Akasha Lawrence Spence (D-Portland) said “The impact of overturning Roe will be felt largely by Black, Indigenous, and Latinx people, youth of color under 25, disabled people, immigrants, people living with low incomes, and people in rural areas— communities who have long faced barriers to abortion access due to systemic barriers and discrimination.”

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As part of a statement for the BIPOC Caucus (Legislative Black, Indigenous, People of Color), Co-Vice Chair Representative Andrea Valderrama (D-Portland) said, “With over 530 abortion restrictions introduced in states this year, fighting to make abortion care accessible to our most directly impacted pregnant people in Oregon and in neighboring states with active bans is a critical step towards dismantling systems of white supremacy and patriarchy.”

Representative Travis Nelson (D-Portland) declared that “At a time when the Black maternal mortality rate is nearly three times higher than the general population, the conservative majority of the Supreme Court is placing their extreme agenda over the lives of communities who already face systemic barriers to critical and essential care.”

Senate President Pro Tempore James Manning (D-Eugene) must have forgot his push for people to vaccinate when he stated, “Abortion bans disproportionately harm Black, Latino, Indigenous, and other people of color. We must continue to develop Oregon’s reproductive health care infrastructure and build on Oregon’s legacy of abortion access to ensure every Oregonian controls their body and their future.”

Senator Kayse Jama (D-Portland) stated, “Not only does this action set our nation back almost 50 years, from abortion to voting rights to gun control to the criminal justice system, this far-right Court has made it increasingly clear that the rights once thought fundamental to our Democracy are merely an illusory set of freedoms that can be removed by the stroke of a pen.”

Senator Deb Patterson (D-Salem), Chair of the Senate Committee on Health Care said, “I remember how terrifying it was for women to seek abortions before Roe v. Wade. We cannot go back.”

Democrat governor candidate, Tina Kotek, also conflicted her actions in the legislature supporting mandatory vaccines by her statement, “Our right to control our own bodies and futures has been gutted. I’m furious. I’m deeply concerned for women around the country.”

Unaffilated candidate Betsy Johnson stated, “I am pro-choice. This is a bedrock issue for me, and frankly, for Oregon. A fundamental right.”

Republican governor candidate Christine Drazan then pointed out that “Despite the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision, Oregon will continue to have among the most extreme abortion laws in the country and around the world. As governor, I will stand up for life by vetoing legislation designed to push Oregon further outside the mainstream.”


--Donna Bleiler

Post Date: 2022-06-26 06:43:34

Last Update: 2022-06-25 17:19:47

Multnomah County District Attorney Mike Schmidt has announced the Multnomah County Commission approved funding for a new pilot program comprised of two attorneys, a victim advocate, and a legal assistant in the 2023 fiscal year.

Multnomah County says that the proposal, called the Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office Access Attorney Program (MAAP), is a values-driven program centering equity, safety, and accountability through local partnerships and on-the-ground community engagement. They say that it seeks to address two key issues: public safety and community trust.

“Revamping how we respond to safety by moving away from a punishment paradigm to care-based supports for individual and community health is my vision of community safety. This proposal can be one tool to help support that shift. And as a local policy maker, I will work in collaboration with community partners to ensure that these types of advancements don’t repeat and maintain historic and current harms from the legal system,” Multnomah County Commissioner Susheela Jayapal stated.

Instead of operating out of police precincts like other neighborhood prosecution programs, MAAP attorneys will co-locate with community-based organizations.

The MAAP pilot will target two key regions in Multnomah County.

Multnomah County states that the ability to co-locate will hinge upon agreements between participating organizations and the DAs office. They say they want to ensure adequate equity and cultural competency training for attorneys prior to setting foot in a community space along with shared values, goals, and performance metrics.

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“MAAP will take attorneys out of the courthouse and put them into the community to help address local safety issues driven by local priorities, incorporating non-carceral solutions such as diversion programs, treatment, and restorative justice where possible, while pursuing accountability for high volume systems users. Putting our prosecutors out in the field also means reducing barriers to the system which often discourages disenfranchised communities from reporting crime in the first place.” DA Mike Schmidt stated.

“Community prosecutors get to know neighborhood residents. They attend community meetings, give presentations at schools and civic group meetings, encourage involvement and—most importantly—listen to what the community needs and then work collaboratively to find solutions.” Congressman Earl Blumenauer, representing Oregon’s 3rd congressional district stated.

MAAP attorneys would be tasked with attending and hosting community events, canvassing neighbors and businesses, and managing caseloads specific to the discrete area they serve.

These attorneys would also "work to lower barriers to success for justice-involved individuals" by delivering access to expungement, fine, and fee reduction to the communities most impacted.

MAAP is an expansion of the existing Strategic Prosecution and Services Unit within the DAs office, which focuses on “high volume systems users” for whom traditional criminal interventions repeatedly fail and who might benefit from a continuum of services and treatment to change their behavior and become contributing members of society.

“We need to completely reimagine how to keep our communities safe. Legal system partners inside communities that don’t rely on hyper-criminalization and instead lead with community engagement and supports to resolve legal system impacts can help fuel that connection. We welcome these types of efforts and will ensure that they make our communities truly safe and healthy,” Unite Oregon’s Executive Director Khanh Le stated.


--Ben Fisher

Post Date: 2022-06-26 06:01:06

Last Update: 2022-06-25 16:19:11

The biggest question facing parents this summer is not whether or not to homeschool, but how to make it happen. It has taken Democrat leadership sixteen years to establish a curriculum around pornography that is causing extreme dislike. It started with the passing of the 2007 Oregon Equality Act making it illegal to discriminate based specifically on the term “sexual orientation.”

Also in 2007, HB 2843 was passed making it a misdemeanor to lure a minor with sexually explicit material to address crimes of pornography predictors. The bill included an “affirmative defense” when the sexually explicit material was furnished, or the viewing was permitted, solely for the purpose of sex education, art education or psychological treatment and was furnished or permitted by the child′s parent or legal guardian, by an educator or treatment provider or by another person acting on behalf of the parent, legal guardian, educator or treatment provider. Little did they know how this would be used in 2022.

Two years later, in 2009, Oregon passed the Human Sexuality Education Law (ORS 336.455), which requires that each school district provide age-appropriate human sexuality education courses in all public elementary and secondary schools. This law also states that information is to be medically accurate, promote abstinence and mutually monogamous relationships and encourage family communication and involvement to help students learn to make responsible decisions.

This later became a step toward student autonomy preventing parent access and the right to know.

HB 4077 (ORS 339.366) was passed in 2012 as the Healthy Teens Relationships Act mandating each school district adopt a policy addressing teen dating violence.

Building on that law, in 2015, SB 856, the Child Sex Abuse Prevention (Erin’s) Law passed, which requires school districts to adopt a child sexual abuse prevention instructional program to help students, teachers and parents in recognizing child abuse (OAR 581-022-1440). These two laws were later used in developing the Comprehensive Sexual Education Act to require recognition of a child’s sexuality of choice as affirmation of their identity.

In 2017, HB 2845 passed on party lines that directed the State Board of Education to adopt ethnic studies standards into existing social studies standards for K-12 with the intent of teaching more robust historical narratives that includes the histories, contributions, and perspectives of traditionally marginalized communities.

The passage of HB 2845 opened the door in 2019 to what Colt Gill, Deputy Superintendent of Public Instruction, called the next step. HB 2023, carried by Senator Sara Gelser Blouin (D-Corvallis/Albany), directed the State Board of Education to ensure that content standards for history, geography, economics, and civics include instruction on the histories, contributions, and perspectives of individuals who are Native American; of African, Asian, Pacific Island, Chicano, Latino or Middle Eastern descent; women; immigrants or refugees; lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender; or have disabilities by school year 2024, but allows instruction prior to the required date. The focus of discussion was on bullying and feeling unsafe of minorities, growing diversity and the equity lens. “Traditionally marginalized communities” took on a new definition mandating classroom instruction on homosexuals, lesbians and transgenders throughout all school subjects that is instigating a pushback.

HB 2023 passed despite testimony from Dr. Bruce Gilley, President of Oregon Association of Scholars warning against politicizing and contributing to the decay of public education. John Oakley Beahrs, retired psychiatry professor stated HB 2023 mandated coercive indoctrination into identity politics under the false guise of liberal education. It “replaces actual history with indoctrination that grossly alters it, and coercively mandates instructing in but one viewpoint – one that’s favored in today’s Oregon, but neither universal nor necessarily in the public interest. In other words, LGBTQ figures are featured because of their sexual preference and gender identity, not their relation to the subject being taught. Because the subject matter is part of every subject, the law implies parents cannot opt their children out.”

A turn of events in 2021, HB 3041 separated the definitions of gender identity and sexual orientation, and adds “gender identity” to all laws referencing sexual orientation amending the 2007 Oregon Equality Act making it illegal to discriminate based on gender identity along with sexual orientation. The bill didn’t get attention outside of LGBTQ activists claiming the law needed clarification to also give gender identity the same protections against discrimination.

Senator Sara Gelser Blouin (D- Corvallis/Albany) defended that bill, “The only thing that this bill does is eliminate an ambiguity and recognize how far we’ve come in terms of really recognizing the importance of identifying gender identity.” It gave way to a sensitivity of being called by a preferred pronoun. Courts have ruled against such requirements.

The stage was set when the State Board of Education in 2016, approved the Comprehensive Sex Education (CSE) creating standards by combining the Human Sexuality Education Law (2009), the Healthy Teen Relationship Act (2012), the Child Sexual Abuse Prevention Law (2015), and taking advantage of other laws. It requires replacing the model of abstinence-only education, failing to recognize a belief system forcing an opt-out method as the only option. However, in order to graduate, the student is still expected to know sexual education. The Board claims “the standards do not promote sexuality or impose a set of values, but they do admit they empower students to recognize, communicate, and advocate for their own health and boundaries.”

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Whether we are at this point by design or ignorance, parents are protesting over the position their elected representatives have put them in.

Conrad Woodall, a forensic psychologist takes the position that adults in schools may be taking advantage of vulnerable minors by teaching them pornography. He points out that the instructions in the classroom are identical to molesters pre-grooming, taking away the innocence of the child.

Woodall says he has statistical evidence that teachers and coaches are molesting students, stating that one molestation case that involved 73 student victims. There seem to be cases in which law enforcement may not prosecute them, so they just move to another school.

Kristin Stevens from Oregon City was recently on Fox News talking about finding 187 pornography books in school libraries. They range from teaching how to masturbate to performing gay sex acts. Some have been banned in other states. She did a FOIA request on who put the books in the library and who paid for them. The response was, “no record.”

The Education Action Committee in Tualatin says the truth about Comprehensive Sex Education is a secret. Parents aren’t permitted to see what their children are seeing in school without their knowledge. They’d be surprised that 10-year-olds can check out books such as one titled "Perfectly Normal" that illustrates group masturbation.

Suzanne Gallagher, Parents’ Rights in Education, confirmed a parent’s experience that in Oregon, if you object to a school talking to your child about their sexual identity, the school can report you to child services and they will remove your child from your home because you aren’t affirming their identity. If you remove them from school, they will still report you. The only recourse is to kidnap your child and flee the state.

Young students seem to be traumatized when told they can change their sex.

Where are public schools getting off track?

Oregon schools are required to teach sexual identity education and provides counseling over confusion.

• Curriculum must include sexual identity in all subjects.
  
  
• Instruction and counseling promotes the child’s identity choice and may provide hormone blockers without parents’ knowledge.
  
  
• Curriculum must recognize different sexual orientations, gender identities and gender expression going far beyond tolerance.
  
  
• Parents or guardians may remove their children from sex education instruction, but opt-out is impossible because it’s the culture and integrated into every subject and graduation requirements.
  
  
• Oregon law requires sex education to be medically accurate crossing the line into pedophilia.
  
  
• Pedophilia is illegal, but they stand behind laws passed that gives schools an obscenity exception.
  
  
• Instructing kids that they have a right to sexual pleasure that only they can decide.
  
  
• Instruction includes words, behaviors and illustrations that parents are unaware.
  
  
• Schools allow teachers to sponsor Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA) clubs using meetings to force school administration to promote a LGBTQ agenda.

American Government was established to be neutral, but Oregon’s education system is anything but neutral or fact based. School board elections are in May 2023.


--Donna Bleiler

Post Date: 2022-06-25 12:55:32

Last Update: 2022-06-25 13:50:16

On June 24, Eugene Police began receiving reports of a group publicizing on social media for people to come to a “Night of Rage” in the wake of an opinion by the Supreme Court of the United States, Dobbs v. Jackson (related to Roe v. Wade). The group’s stated meeting point was Dove Medical Center, 487 E. 11th Avenue, for around 10 p.m..

Due to the potential for property damage toward a business located in Eugene, as well as the general safety and security of the other businesses and residents downtown, Eugene Police monitored the situation.

Around 9:21 p.m. people began arrived to the area wearing all black clothing with masks and hoods. Many also had backpacks that appeared to contain unknown objects. The crowd started growing and moved toward the medical building. Eugene Police’s Mobile Response Team arrived in the area to block the building using its vehicles and officers to surround the building.

The crowd continued to grow and began blocking E. 11th Avenue by standing in the roadway. Some people were observed picking up rocks and several began putting on gas masks. One female had a chemical pump sprayer and she was pumping it up. Additional EPD Patrol resources were then called in.

An officer used a public address system to admonish the group of more than 75 people that they were committing disorderly conduct and were subject to arrest. This had no effect on the crowd and they advanced closer to officers.

Unknown people in the crowd threw smoke bombs at officers along with several filled water bottles. EPD’s Crisis Negotiation Team eventually used their sound truck, which has an LRAD system on their truck, to provide louder volumes to the admonishments so those could be hear over the crowd noise.

Those who remained in the roadway were subject to arrest. The crowd did not comply.

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After the first arrest, the crowd became extremely loud and verbally hostile toward the officers and tried to get through the line.

At this point, EPD called in additional resources including Springfield Police Department and Department of Homeland Security.

The incident forced EPD’s operations to go into what is termed ‘priority calls,’ where much of the rest of the community’s individual calls for service, if they are not immediate life-safety emergencies, to be placed on hold or not responded to. Springfield Police provided mutual aid for priority one calls. At one point, the crowd moved to the roadway at Ferry Street Bridge, which is an essential route for medical and fire personnel to local hospitals. Blocking it creates a dangerous life and safety issue for all residents and visitors to Eugene. Eugene Police provided more admonishments and arrests were made, with people fighting with officers and not complying with lawful orders, leading to inert pepperballs (pepper balls with no chemical munitions) being deployed in a few cases at people’s feet and legs. At that point the crowd size decreased.

Some officers suffered minor injuries during the event, which lasted about five hours.

Arrestsinclude:

• Destiny Aaliyah Woolman, age 20, of Eugene, Harassment
  
  
• Mikayla D'Ann Alexander, age 22, of Roseburg - Disorderly Conduct
  
  
• Brandon Emmanual Caletz, age 24, of Eugene - Disorderly Conduct
  
  
• Rhiannon Elizabeth Clayton, age 19, of Eugene - Disorderly Conduct
  
  
• Rachel Jean Tillman, age 29, of Eugene - Disorderly Conduct
  
  
• Kira Anne Elliott, age 20, of Eugene- Disorderly Conduct
  
  
• Hayden Martin Williams, age 19, of Eugene - Disorderly Conduct
  
  
• Alex Kendahl Woodward Franz, age 18, no address listed - Disorderly Conduct
  
  
• Elijah Gabriel Comer, age 20, no address listed - Disorderly Conduct
  
  
• Orion Timothy Deschamps, age 20, of Eugene - Disorderly Conduct, Escape in the Third Degree, Resisting Arrest

The incident is referred to by EPD as Case 22-09584.


--Ben Fisher

Post Date: 2022-06-25 11:01:46

Last Update: 2022-06-25 11:28:50

The West Coast States have once again united in a dogma that abortion is reproductive freedom. In response to the U.S. Supreme Court’s finalizing their decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, governors of California, Oregon and Washington issued a Multi-State Commitment to defend access to reproductive health care, including abortion and contraceptives, and committed to protecting patients and doctors against efforts by other states to enforce their abortion bans in our states.

Governor Kate Brown commented, “Abortion is health care, and no matter who you are or where you come from, Oregon doesn’t turn away anyone seeking health care. Period. Let me be clear: You cannot ban abortion, you can only ban safe abortions — and this disgraceful Supreme Court decision will undoubtedly put many people’s lives at risk, in addition to stripping away a constitutional right that disproportionately affects women and has been settled law for most of our lifetimes.” She goes on to claim “the fight is not over.”

Oregon House Democrats want to make sure Oregonians know there are strong pro-choice leaders in the Legislature and the Oregon Governor’s office. They are now touting the strongest abortion access laws in the country and have issued a statement titled Fact Sheet: Actions to expand abortion access in Oregon.

The first mentioned fact is that Oregon does not have any of the major types of abortion restrictions—such as waiting periods, mandated parental involvement or limitations on publicly funded abortions—often found in other states.

That’s right parents, your daughter can obtain an abortion and your medical insurance could pay for it without your knowledge.

Now that the Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade, they want Oregonians to know they are committed to further expand access to cover a potential 234% increase in people traveling to the state. A jump from the 9.5% that OHA reports.

What does that mean for Oregon taxpayers? In 2022, Oregon Democrats establish the Reproductive Health Equity Fund, a $15 million bill to expand provider network capacity and address urgent patient care for abortion and practical needs, like travel and lodging, in preparation for an increase of people seeking abortions.

Planned Parenthood promoted the Reproductive Health Equity Fund and has leased medical office space in Ontario, Oregon, on the border of Idaho, to capitalize on Idaho passing a restriction on abortions.

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The number of abortions reported in Oregon in 2020 and 2021 were the lowest of any years that OHA has tracked.

The abortion rate has been declining for decades. In the early 1990s they were at 24,000 and by 2011, they dropped to an estimated 14,000 induced abortions performed each year.

Now, the annual number is less than half of that. Preliminary data from 2021 shows about 6,577 abortions were carried out last year.

But with the predicted increase from outside the state, mostly from Idaho, the annual rate will again more than double at around 15,400.

The new movement in Portland, Stop Having Kids, failed to read the CDC report which details that both births and abortions decreased during the coronavirus pandemic. The abortion rate is certainly more than a religious concern. The birth rate to have a sustainable population is 2.1 per woman. In the U.S. that has dropped to 1.6, the lowest rate on record.


--Donna Bleiler

Post Date: 2022-06-24 16:11:26

Last Update: 2022-06-24 17:03:57

The Deschutes and Ochoco National Forests and Crooked River National Grassland are seeking nominees to fill vacancies on the 15-member Deschutes-Ochoco Resource Advisory Committee (RAC).

RACs are chartered under the Secure Rural Schools & Community Self Determination Act, which was recently extended until 2023. This extension authorizes “Title II” payments for protection, restoration and enhancement of fish and wildlife habitat, and other natural resource objectives on Federal land and adjacent non-Federal lands.

The Forest Service seeks committee members committed to collaboratively working with other interests for the benefit of National Forest System lands. RAC members review proposed projects on or adjacent to national forest lands in Deschutes, Crook, Jefferson, Klamath, Grant, Wheeler and Harney Counties. The RAC then makes recommendations to the Forest Service on which projects should be funded.

Committee members are nominated by the Deschutes and Ochoco National Forests and Crooked River National Grassland and are approved by the Secretary of Agriculture. Members serve a four-year term without compensation, with a time commitment of one or two one-day meetings per year, and travel expenses may be reimbursed.

The makeup of the advisory committee is diverse, with representation from industry, environmental groups, elected officials, forest-user groups, and the public at large.

The Act encourages the representation of minorities, women, and people with disabilities. Members must reside within the state in which the RAC is located, and, preferably, within the RAC boundary. The committee consists of 15 members and each member is assigned to one of three categories:

• Category A represents organized labor, developed outdoor recreation, off-highway vehicle use, commercial recreation activities, energy development interests, the commercial timber industry, and Federal grazing or other land use permits.
• Category B represents nationally recognized environmental organizations, regionally or locally recognized environmental organizations, dispersed recreational activities, archaeological and historical interests.
• Category C represents state, county, or local elected offices, American Indian tribes, school officials or teachers, and the affected public-at-large.

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To be considered for nomination, interested participants should submit the required AD-755 application form, available on the Deschutes National Forest’s website. Letters of support may be added to the application package but are not required. Nominees will be evaluated based on their education, training and experience working within the interest area they represent.

Consideration is also made for their knowledge of the geographic area covered by the RAC, demonstrated commitment to collaborative resource decision-making, and contribution to the balance and diversity of the RAC. Applications are accepted year-round, but to be considered for placement in the next year, applications are requested by September 1, 2022.

For more information you can visit the Deschutes National Forest’s website or email the Deschutes National Forest’s Partnership Program Manager, Alex Enn.


--Ben Fisher

Post Date: 2022-06-23 15:02:22

Last Update: 2022-06-23 15:21:07

TriMet is now adjusting service on 10 bus lines this fall as they reduce service levels based on available workforce. This comes amid the largest operator shortage in their agency's history. Most of the affected lines currently see low ridership anyways.

TriMet is now saying that they took an approach with an eye on preserving service in areas with high concentrations of people with low-incomes and communities of color.

This additional reduced service will take affect starting on September 18, 2022. TriMet hopes to begin adding back the service hours in 2023 if they can get the operator ranks to increase.

“We would much rather be expanding our transit service. But by reducing our service levels, we increase our schedule reliability so riders experience fewer canceled or late buses,” said TriMet General Manager Sam Desue, Jr. “While rebounding from this historic operator shortage will take some time, TriMet is committed to hiring scores of new operators to meet the needs of our community.”

Beginning with the fall service change in September, TriMet will shift, reduce or cancel some service, with a focus on low ridership lines and times.

• Cancel two bus lines: 50-Cedar Mill and 92-South Beaverton Express
  
  
• Reduce service hours on three low-ridership bus lines to only run buses during peak travel time for high school students: 1-Vermont, 18-Hillside and 26-Thurman/NW 18th
  
  
• Weekend service will be canceled on 26-Thurman/NW 82nd Ave
  
  
• Cancel extra weekday rush-hour trips on three bus lines as peak ridership trends have changed: 8-Jackson Park/NE 15th, 9-Powell Boulevard and 72-Killingsworth/82nd Ave
  
  
• Cancel extra trips added during the pandemic for physical distancing on one bus line: 81-Kane/257th
  
  
• Reduce frequency on one low-ridership bus line to hourly service: 82-South Gresham

TriMet will also be making some slight adjustments with the TriMet FX (Frequent Express) bus service launching on Sept. 18. The new service along Division Street will supposedly give riders a faster and more convenient way to travel between Gresham and Downtown Portland.

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Buses on the FX 2-Division line will run every 12 minutes for the majority of the day with only a couple of buses added during commuting hours. The Line 2 is being replaced by the FX 2-Division and the Line 10-Harold St route will still change.

TriMet says they will not be able to add buses during the weekdays as they had once planned.

TriMet released the following statement:

"The trickle-down effects of our operator shortage can cause frustration despite our best efforts. In short: it’s been a challenge to hire and train enough operators to replace those lost to retirement and attrition. And we’re not alone. Because our operator shortage is part of a larger trend affecting transit agencies and industries nationwide, we’ve taken unprecedented actions to recruit and retain the talented workforce on which our riders rely. We’ve bumped up the starting pay to $25.24, boosted our hiring bonus to $7,500 and begun looking outside state lines to bring in new operators. When we do grow our operator ranks and start adding back service, we want to make sure we are serving the needs of our community. With the COVID-19 pandemic changing the way people travel, TriMet has launched Forward Together, a comprehensive service analysis and community engagement effort to determine a better bus system."

--Bruce Armstrong

Post Date: 2022-06-22 12:23:58

Last Update: 2022-06-22 15:50:33

Child care reimbursement rates are increasing for providers caring for children of families who receive support with child care expenses through the Oregon Department of Human Services (ODHS).

ODHS pays child care providers for child care provided to families receiving child care assistance through the Employment Related Day Care (ERDC) and the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) programs.

The new child care reimbursement rates are effective June 1, 2022 and increasing due to the passage of House Bill 4005 of the 2022 Oregon State Legislative Session.

HB 4005 was passed at the request of Representative Karin Power, a Democrat from Portland. It passed through the super-majority Democrat legislature in Oregon by declaration of an emergency.

Representative Power has since said that she will not run again for her position at the state legislature, citing too low of pay.

The average monthly reimbursement rates for full-time care are increasing by:

• 18% for family, friend and neighbor care
• Between 6 and 20% for child care centers
• Between 11 and 25% for licensed home-based care

“For many families the cost of child care can be a barrier to meeting their goals and entering and staying in the workforce,” said Claire Seguin, deputy director of the ODHS Self-Sufficiency Programs. “These reimbursement rate increases will ensure families have equal access to quality child care.”

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“As our child care system continues to struggle with staffing shortages and lack of child care supply, this is an important first step to ensure our child care providers are paid a fair wage,” said Oregon Early Learning System Director Alyssa Chatterjee. “I appreciate the Legislature’s investment in our system.”

Actual child care reimbursement rates vary depending on provider type, child age and what community the provider is in.

A complete list of reimbursement rates can be found online.

ERDC helps eligible families pay for work-related child care expenses, including registration and enrollment fees. ERDC is a subsidy program, which means some families, depending on their income, may be required to pay a copay.


--Bruce Armstrong

Post Date: 2022-06-21 11:47:11

Last Update: 2022-06-21 20:20:09

Oregon’s Governor Brown released a statement on the Western States Scientific Safety Review Workgroup’s unanimous decision to affirm the federal process that the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna Covid vaccines are supposedly safe and effective for children as young as 6 months old.

Governor Brown stated, “This is a long-awaited moment for so many families. With today’s review by leading doctors, pediatricians, and health experts, Oregon parents and children can be confident in the safety and effectiveness of the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines for children as young as 6 months old. It is completely normal for parents and kids to have questions about vaccines––I urge you to reach out to your family doctor, health care provider, or pharmacist and get your questions answered today.”

On Friday, June 17, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized the use of the Moderna two-dose vaccine series and the Pfizer three-dose vaccine series are now available to children as young as 6 months old, and the CDC affirmed that decision on Saturday. The Workgroup reviewed safety and efficacy data for the vaccines and affirmed the federal decisions also on Saturday.

The Oregon Health Authority will inform health care providers that vaccinations for children as young as 6 months old can begin in Oregon as soon as Monday.

The Workgroup concluded that the benefits of completing either vaccine series outweigh any known or likely risks.

Immunization can be expected to reduce the numbers of COVID-19- related serious illnesses, hospitalizations, and deaths in young children while facilitating their participation in normal educational, social and recreational activities.

The Workgroup provided its confirmation to the Governors of California, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington, who assembled the panel of experts passed off as scientists. Expert opinion, while it may be useful, is what philosophers call “appeal to authority,” and not "appeal to science".

Indeed, when controversial policy decisions are at stake, hand-picked experts may be assembled to achieve the desired result. That process is politics, not science.

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The science that they want shoved under the rug is in plain sight for those looking. The Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) data for 5- to 11-year-olds indicates that 117 kids were killed as a result of taking the covid vaccine.

CDC says the COVID-19 vaccine is “safe and effective,” and that “severe reactions are rare.” Is that actually true?

One of the world’s top pathologists and chief pathologist at the University of Heidelberg, Dr. Peter Schirmacher, performed autopsies on 40 people who died within two weeks of receiving the vaccine. Risking his reputation and threats on his family, he reported that a minimum of 30% to 40% died from the vaccine.

German scientists have verified his study with an even higher percentage.

The FDA approved the vaccine anyway, even after Pfizer reports that trials were stopped because the animals kept dying. It certainly should give parents pause before enlisting their children to a trial vaccine.


--Donna Bleiler

Post Date: 2022-06-20 08:26:08

Last Update: 2022-06-20 08:49:01

Oregon Department of Forestry Lead Meteorologist Pete Parsons has released the current Seasonal Climate Forecast which documents the El Niño Southern Oscillation and its impacts on Oregon.

• The March – May 2022 Oceanic Niño Index cooled slightly, to -1.1°C, which keeps it in the moderate La Niña range.
• The ONI is a 3-month running mean and lags real-time sea surface temperatures, which have warmed slightly but still show La Niña.
• NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center thinks La Niña may weaken this summer but continue through the year, which would make three consecutive fall/winters with La Niña (last occurrence 1998-2001).

Parsons notes that this forecast is not associated with NOAA’s CPC nor the official CPC “Three-Month Outlooks.”

• The analogs (1955, 1971, & 1975) are unchanged from last month and are continuing to track current SST patterns well. However, they are rather aged (47-67 years ago) and generated inconsistent weather patterns, which lowers forecast confidence.

• Unusually cool and damp conditions from April through early June slowed the annual melt-off of maintain mountain snowpacks and brought some improvement to the drought conditions.
• The July – September period should be markedly cooler than last year with near or above-average precipitation. However, since this is typically the driest time of year, don’t expect much additional improvement in drought conditions.

--Staff Reports

Post Date: 2022-06-19 11:29:54

Last Update: 2022-06-19 18:52:01

Illegal Marijuana Enforcement Team (IMET) detectives along with Jackson County Sheriff’s Office (JCSO) deputies served a search warrant on a marijuana grow site in rural Eagle Point at 6:45 on Thursday, June 16. The property, located on the 1500 block of Old Dry Creek Road in Eagle Point, contained approximately 12,287 illegal cannabis plants in 32 greenhouses, and 3,000 lbs. of processed black-market marijuana. On the property seven workers were detained, interviewed, and released.

This case was the result of a month-long investigation of an illegal/black market marijuana grow site. There was no licensing for any type of cannabis growing, handling, or processing at this location.

The primary suspect has been identified. Investigators from the Oregon State Police Southwest Region Drug Enforcement Section team, Josephine Marijuana Enforcement Team (JMET) from Josephine County Sheriff’s Office, and Medford Area Drug and Gang Enforcement (MADGE) assisted with the operation.

In addition to the criminal investigation, Jackson County Code Enforcement and Oregon Water Resources Department District 13 Watermasters responded to the scene to conduct independent investigations.

Each agency identified multiple violations that will be addressed by enforcing penalties and fines.

Code Enforcement issued citations totaling $67,000 for unapproved greenhouse structures, unapproved marijuana production, and unpermitted electrical installations.

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Watermasters observed a complex array of water infrastructure. While the property does have water rights conveyed through the Medford Irrigation District canal, well water use for the irrigation of a commercial crop was observed. The well use is not part of the water right.

The unauthorized use of water from the well is subject to both civil and criminal penalties.

While regulatory agencies investigate permitted cannabis operations, IMET is focusing on the black-market marijuana trade in the Rogue Valley. IMET is a multi-agency task force funded by a grant from the Oregon Criminal Justice Commission. The task force includes personnel from JCSO, Medford Police Department, and the Jackson County District Attorney’s Office.

Investigations are open and ongoing with detectives working additional leads. No further information is currently available for release.


--Bruce Armstrong

Post Date: 2022-06-18 13:14:47

Last Update: 2022-06-18 14:46:21

The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality issued a revised penalty to the Port of Morrow for additional violations involving overapplication of wastewater containing nitrogen to agricultural fields in the Lower Umatilla Basin, an area with longstanding groundwater contamination. DEQ issued the original penalty in January. The additional violations increase the fine by $800,000, from $1.3 million to $2.1 million.

The Port of Morrow is one of many sources contributing to nitrate contamination in northern Morrow and Umatilla counties—an area known as the Lower Umatilla Basin Groundwater Management Area. The primary source of contamination in the area (about 70%) is from fertilizer use on irrigated farmland, according to the LUBGWMA Action Plan. Additional contributors are dairy and cattle farms (about 20%), food processing facilities like the Port of Morrow that reuse wastewater to irrigate fields (about 5%), and residential septic systems and other sources (about 5%).

The Port of Morrow collects wastewater from food processors, storage facilities and data centers in its industrial park outside Boardman. The port has a DEQ water quality permit that allows it to use the nitrogen-rich wastewater for irrigation on nearby farms, but the permit includes limits on how much nitrogen can be applied to the farmland and how much nitrate and moisture can be present in soil prior to applications.

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The amended notice cites the port for additional occurrences of applying wastewater containing nitrogen to fields that already had too much existing nitrate or moisture in the soil. Having too much nitrate or moisture in the soil when applying wastewater increases the likelihood of nitrates flowing down into the groundwater rather than remaining in the soil for crops to use.

The port documented additional violations to DEQ in its annual report and in email and phone reports of non-compliance. The additional violations occurred between November 2020 to February 2021 and November 2021 to February 2022.


--Staff Reports

Post Date: 2022-06-17 09:58:43

Last Update: 2022-06-17 11:29:54