The latest news stories of interest in the Rogue Valley and around the state of Oregon from the digital home of Southern Oregon, Wynne Broadcasting’s RogueValleyMagazine.com
Monday, June 14, 2021
Rogue Valley Weather
Today– Showers likely, mainly before noon. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 76. Calm wind becoming north around 6 mph in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
Tuesday– Mostly sunny, with a high near 79. Calm wind becoming northwest 5 to 8 mph in the afternoon.
Wednesday– Sunny, with a high near 89. Calm wind becoming north northwest around 6 mph in the afternoon.
Thursday– Sunny, with a high near 94.
Friday– Sunny, with a high near 94.
Oregon reports 167 new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases, 1 new death
There is one new COVID-19 related death in Oregon, raising the state’s death toll to 2,730. The Oregon Health Authority reported 167 new confirmed and presumptive cases of COVID-19 bringing the state total to 205,029.
The new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases reported today are in the following counties: Baker (2), Benton (3), Clackamas (25), Columbia (1), Crook (3), Curry (1), Deschutes (13), Douglas (7), Harney (2), Jackson (6), Jefferson (3), Josephine (3), Klamath (2), Lane (5), Linn (9), Marion (14), Morrow (4), Multnomah (51), Polk (4), Union (1), Wallowa (1), Washington (4), Yamhill (3).
Vaccinations in Oregon
Today, OHA reported that 15,381 new doses of COVID-19 vaccinations were added to the state immunization registry. Of this total, 11,398 doses were administered on June 12 and 3,983 were administered on previous days but were entered into the vaccine registry on June 12.
The seven-day running average is now 17,498 doses per day.
Oregon has now administered 2,375,566 first and second doses of Pfizer,1,670,469 first and second doses of Moderna and 156,225 single doses of Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines.
Cumulative daily totals can take several days to finalize because providers have 72 hours to report doses administered and technical challenges have caused many providers to lag in their reporting. OHA has been providing technical support to vaccination sites to improve the timeliness of their data entry into the state’s ALERT Immunization Information System (IIS).
To date, 2,862,225 doses of Pfizer, 2,176,380 doses of Moderna and 299,000 doses of Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines have been delivered to sites across Oregon.
These data are preliminary and subject to change. OHA’s dashboards provide regularly updated vaccination data, and Oregon’s dashboard has been updated today.
COVID-19 hospitalizations
The total number of COVID-19 positive patient bed-days in the most recent seven days is 1,207, which is a 22.4% decrease from the previous seven days. The peak daily number of beds occupied by COVID-19 positive patients in the most recent seven days is 206.
The total number of patients in hospital beds may fluctuate between report times. The numbers do not reflect admissions per day, nor the length of hospital stay. Staffing limitations are not captured in this data and may further limit bed capacity. More information about hospital capacity can be found here.
Josephine County announces death of COVID-19 patient
A Josephine County individual has died from complications relating to a COVID-19 infection.
A 63-year-old man tested positive for COVID-19 May 23 and died June 10 at Asante Rogue Regional Medical Center in Medford. He had underlying conditions.
Josephine County now has a total of 76 COVID-19-related deaths. Of those patients, 75 died from complications relating to COVID-19 infections.
Gov. Brown Defends Plan To Lift Mask Mandate When Oregon Hits Vaccine Benchmark
Gov. Kate Brown acknowledged Friday that ending a statewide mask mandate will place greater risks on already vulnerable people and communities. But during a contentious news conference, she stood firm on her decision to lift the mandate once the state reaches its vaccination goal.
Oregon currently plans to lift most restrictions once 70% of the state’s adults have received at least one COVID-19 vaccination. As of Thursday, 67.2% of eligible adults were vaccinated.
At Friday’s briefing, Brown reiterated that she is “very concerned” about communities and populations that have not yet had sufficient access to the vaccine. Although progress has been made closing the vaccine equity gap, the percentage of people vaccinated varies wildly from county to county — and even ZIP code to ZIP code.
Lane County passed a vaccination milestone this week: Over 65% of its eligible adults have received a first dose. Clackamas County is not far behind, Brown said. Once that benchmark is passed, Lane and Clackamas counties can move into “lower-risk” restrictions. Benton, Deschutes, Hood River, Lincoln, Multnomah and Washington counties are the only other counties to have reached that goal.
That means 29 of Oregon’s 36 counties have not yet reached that particular benchmark. But when the state hits the 70% vaccination rate benchmark, which is expected to happen sometime in the next few weeks, they will also reopen, regardless of vaccination levels and the amount of COVID-19 spreading locally.
“We still have more work to do to ensure all Oregonians are healthy and protected from COVID-19,” Brown said.
Brown announced additional incentives to encourage the vaccine-hesitant to go get their first shot. Anyone who receives their first vaccine dose Friday at the drive-through vaccination site near Portland International Airport will be given a $100 gift card, while supplies last. The same offer will be available Saturday at the mass vaccination clinic at the Oregon Convention Center.
Although many businesses could soon reopen fully, the economic damage from the COVID-19 pandemic still lingers. Brown said she has extended Oregon’s foreclosure moratorium until Sept. 30.
She was unable to extend the eviction moratorium, which will expire at the end of June.
Oregonians currently have until next year to pay off any late rent accrued between April 2020 and June 2021. But all renters will need to pay their July rent, or face eviction. Brown encouraged those who might be unable to pay rent this July to apply for federally-funded rent assistance, through oregonrentalassistance.org.
The number of new COVID-19 cases went down across Oregon for the sixth straight week. Deaths and hospitalizations have also continued to decrease.
Many of the reporters’ questions at Brown’s Friday’s press conference focused on her decision to lift Oregon’s mask mandate once 70% of adults in the state have received their first dose.
When that benchmark is reached, only about half of all individuals in the state will have received their first vaccine dose, and fewer than half will be fully vaccinated. And 16 Oregon counties have yet to give first doses to half of their adult residents. The mask mandate and social distancing measures that have been credited for helping limit disease spread for much of the pandemic will be removed, and it will still be some time before enough people will have been vaccinated to reach herd immunity. That’s the threshold at which enough people have become immune to COVID-19 that it is unlikely to continue spreading.
Although masks do provide some protection to the wearer, they are much better at preventing someone from spreading disease than they are at preventing someone from contracting it. Without a mask mandate, unvaccinated Oregonians will need to trust that the maskless around them have been vaccinated and do not have COVID-19.
Brown and State Epidemiologist Dr. Dean Sidelinger both acknowledged that reopening will increase risk for unvaccinated people — including those who are not willingly in this category.
“I have a friend who is struggling with cancer right now,” Brown said. “They are extremely vulnerable, and they wear a mask because it is their best protection against COVID-19.”
But right now, those individuals are also protected by social distancing measures and masks, which reduce the amount of virus a person exhales. When mask mandates lift, Sidelinger suggested, vulnerable Oregonians might simply choose not to enter crowded indoor spaces with unmasked people. As more grocery stores roll back their mask rules and rely on the honor system, the list of safe indoor spaces continues to shrink.
When asked what steps the Oregon government can take to protect those people, Sidelinger gave a number of suggestions people could take to protect themselves, and requested people wear masks and “be kind to each other, and think about the actions we are taking if we’re not vaccinated,” echoing past pleas for Oregon residents to mask up and socially distance when those safety measures were voluntary, not required by the government.
Brown also acknowledged that those risks will fall primarily on already-vulnerable people and communities.
“We’re not seeing a huge uptake of vaccinations, and I am gravely concerned. What we know is that many of these communities tend to be moth medically and economically vulnerable, and it will be very, very challenging for the health care systems in these local communities 9if COVID-19 spreads rapidly)” Brown said.
When asked if it was equitable to remove masks, which have been a crucial tool that protects the unwillingly unvaccinated from vaccine-hesitant people, Brown stated she was following guidance laid out by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
CDC guidelines currently recommend that unvaccinated people wear masks indoors, and experts have pushed back against the Biden administration’s decision to remove the mask mandates for people who have been fully vaccinated.
When asked at the news conference to explain her decision not to follow this part of the CDC’s guidance, Brown deferred to Sidelinger, who again encouraged people to wear masks.
Brown was pressed further to say if she would permit unvaccinated individuals to not wear masks in most situations indoors. “Honestly, she said, “it will be up to folks who are unvaccinated.”
LOCAL HEADLINES:
Talent Trailer Park Destroyed By Wildfire Finally Getting Some FEMA Trailers
Totem Pole Trailer Park, off Highway 99 in Talent, burned down entirely last fall. After months of planning and weeks of construction, the park now hosts 27 FEMA one-to-three bedroom trailers for wildfire survivors.
Talent Mayor Darby Ayers-Flood says the low-income families who lost their homes were the ones most in need of help.
“Every day is a difficult situation when you live in these kinds of circumstances,” said the mayor. “And when what little you have is ripped away from you, you don’t get back unless your community wraps their arms around you and does everything they can to bring you back.”
Each unit is fully furnished, included with bedding and disposable utensils. There’s a kitchen, bathroom and a built-in fire suppression system with a smoke detector. Some were built to be wheelchair accessible and they all can house multiple people.
Toney Raines, a federal coordinator with FEMA, says site organizers have been working to make move-in as easy as possible.
“All the applicant has to do is walk in with their pots and pans and food, and they can make their first meal,” said Raines. “There are sheets for the beds, there’s pillows, there’s everything they need to get a good night’s sleep in their home.”
The trailers are designed to be temporary housing, but city officials are looking into using the site for more permanent living. Either way, residents at the park will be able to live in the units rent-free until at least March of next year.
Possible Witnesses to Almeda Fire Sought By Ashland Police
The Ashland Police Department is seeking info on two people seen near the start of the Almeda Fire on September 8, 2020. These individuals are not suspects.
Ashland Police would like to interview them as witnesses. Police are asking anyone who may know these people to call Ashland Police Department at 541-488-2211.
Medford Tanker Base Receives New Fire Retardant Tank
In February the U.S. Forest Service awarded a contract to design and build a 16,000-gallon, mobile, retardant mixing tank for the air tanker base at Medford, Oregon. The agency wanted the ability to relocate the tank during the off-season and needed one large enough to refill very large air tankers (VLAT).
The tank contract specified use of carbon steel, top and side access, an integrated axle, and a top walkway with folding railings.
FORTRESS North America, the company that received the contract, delivered the tank/trailer in Medford on May 24 where it was inspected and accepted.
AROUND the STATE of OREGON
High Cost Of Lumber and Building Materials Stalls Rebuilding For Some Oregon Wildfire Survivors
Nine months ago forest fires burned more than a million acres in Oregon last September. While some survivors have begun rebuilding, others simply cannot afford the cost of building materials, which skyrocketed during the pandemic due to supply shortages coupled with high demand.
The skyrocketing prices for building materials made it difficult for many to rebuild after the fires.
At the moment, wood costs three times what it was during the pandemic. Metal, dry well and equipment costs have also increased, according to Josh Lehner, an economist in the state of Oregon.
“You are talking about 25-30% higher construction costs if you build today,” said Lehner.
Lumber prices have nearly quadrupled in the past year and show no signs of stopping. Not just big lumber used for large construction jobs but even the plywood someone might use to build a fence or repair a deck.
The sticker shock you might be feeling is all about supply and demand and a little about COVID-19. The director of purchasing and finance with Renaissance Homes, Marc Hartman, said last January it cost him about $8 for a sheet of plywood. Today, that price is closer to the mid-$40 range. In some cases, it’s costing $20,000-$25,000 dollars or more to build a home with just the high cost of plywood alone.
He said there’s a couple of reasons behind the huge cost. Part of it has to do with the fact more people are purchasing homes, especially with mortgage rates hitting historical lows.
Jeff Reimer is a professor of applied economics at Oregon State University. He said this trend is happening all over the country.
“It just seems to be the strong demand for lumber prices right now by the big home builders but this is a nationwide thing all over really, so the southern United States it’s all over really,” said Reimer.
Along with the demand for new homes, comes the demand for more material. But where does that material come from? Our neighbors to the north: Canada. And those materials are not that easy to get right now.
Reimer said there have been changes in supply from Canada. There is a tariff for some wood and a lot of mills closed in 2019, which has made less available material for parts of the United States.
When COVID-19 hit, some mills in both Canada and the United States were forced to close or even shut down for good. More than a year later, some are just now getting back up and running. That not only impacts builders, but also your bottom line.
Hartman said some of these high prices can’t be sustained forever because the overall cost will eventually slow the construction of housing down. He added, while the demand is still there he doesn’t see the high cost of lumber dropping anytime soon.
“Income is rising, the demand for housing is rising,” he added. “And if you have this shutdown on the supply side of the construction industry, even for a few months, when the demand is behind the eight.”
This means bottlenecks and a lack of availability of building materials.
Oregon Lawmakers Considering New Stimulus Payments For Essential Workers
Oregon lawmakers will consider a proposal to pay essential workers who stayed on the job through the pandemic up to $2,000 in new stimulus payments and a separate $1,200 payment to unemployed Oregonians who return to work in front-line jobs by fall.
Labor leaders and some Democratic lawmakers have been pushing to use money from the latest federal stimulus bill to reward essential workers for their work during COVID-19. The $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan that Congress approved in March authorizes states to spend some of their stimulus money to reward essential workers and get others back on the job. Oregon received $2.6 billion in all.
A proposal being circulated Friday by SEIU Local 503, the largest union representing Oregon state employees, would use $450 million of the state’s share of that stimulus money for the essential worker bonus and the back-to-work incentive.
Here’s how each portion would work:
- The essential worker bonus would be $2,000 for workers whose base pay was less than the state’s average wage in 2019 — roughly $26.50 an hour — or $1,000 for workers earning more than the average but less than 150% of it — around $39.70 an hour. Workers making more than 150% of the state average would receive no bonus.
- Front-line workers who were unemployed during the pandemic but are back on the job for at least four weeks by Oct. 15 would receive $1,200.
The proposed legislation lists 17 categories of eligible job categories, among them health care, law enforcement, education, agriculture, food, energy, transportation, communications, defense, residential shelter work and hygiene products and services.
Workers must have been within 6 feet of the public while on the job or cleaned public facilities. Those who worked remotely would not be eligible.
The legislation is sure to face intense competition for funding as lawmakers hash out budget priorities in the remaining weeks of the legislative session. But Democratic leaders, who control both legislative chambers, have indicated they are open to the idea.
“Legislators are prioritizing bills that help communities impacted by the pandemic. Essential workers are the people hit hardest,” Ben Morris, SEIU spokesman, wrote in an email this week. “So we are hopeful that the essential worker pay proposal will be among the bills that get prioritized.”
Dru Draper, communications director for Senate Republicans, said his caucus will oppose the bill because it leaves in place a $300 weekly unemployment bonus. Some businesses say that federally funded bonus provides an incentive for prospective hires to stay home. The state’s jobless rate remained elevated at 6% in April, even though many small businesses say they’re struggling to find work.
“Other states are using back-to-work payments, too, but generous unemployment benefits must also be addressed in any plan, which this bill does not,” Draper said.
Rep. Rob Nosse, D-southeast Portland, co-authored an opinion piece in The Oregonian last month pitching the value of stimulus money for front-line workers who staffed hospitals and clinics, kept the grocery stores open and continued harvesting food through the pandemic.
“For a lot of those workers, they didn’t actually see any increase in their compensation from their employers,” Nosse said Thursday. “It’s a way to say thank you. And candidly, the other reason to do it is there’s a lot of essential workers that don’t make a very rich living.”
While Nosse said the total payout might be trimmed during the budget process, he said he’s hopeful lawmakers will ultimately reward front-line workers.
“There’s still a chance this is going to happen. I doubt it’s going to be a check worth $2,000,” Nosse said Friday. “This is a pretty big swing.”
Oregon’s Cannabis Market Keeps Trending Upward
Data from the Oregon Liquor Control Commission (OLCC) revealed that the state sold over $105 million in cannabis products in May 2021.
In March and April, the state sold approximately $109 million and $110 million, respectively. Recreational marijuana sales hit a new record high of $110.5 million in April 2021, a 23.5% increase over April 2020 when sales reached $89.7 million.
The figures mark significant gains for Oregon, which saw sales surpass $70 million per month at the start of the pandemic.
The state is known for its mostly smaller vendors and uncapped market. 2021 data from the Portland Business Journal lists cannabis brands Nectar Markets LLC, Golden Leaf Hldgs Ltd (OTC: GLDFF) and Halo Collective Inc (OTC: HCANF) as leaders in statewide employment operating locations.
Golden Leaf CEO Jeff Yapp called Oregon the bellwether state for cannabis.
“It has been and continues to be a leader in product innovation, and the quality of our growing regions making it the primary cultivation market in the country,” said Yapp.
Yapp credited the state’s pro-cannabis congressional team for fighting to advance cannabis reform on the federal level.
Kevin Hogan, president and co-founder of craft brand Oregrown, recognizes the state’s long-running operators as industry examples.
“Mature markets like Oregon have battle-tested operators equipped with the experience and innovative edge necessary to compete in any market,” Hogan said.
In 2019, Oregon State University launched its Global Hemp Innovation Center to advance hemp research.
Hogan said the state’s innovative nature stems from its hyper-competitive market.
“We are at the forefront of product innovation and quality, giving us a competitive advantage over limited-license operators as more states open up and federal legalization occurs.”
Judson Hill, VP of business at cannabis industry licensed lender Bespoke Financial, said the state’s maturity allowed for the formation of solid operators and market leaders.
“These businesses have already had time to prove themselves and thus have proven themselves reliable as an investment,” Hill elaborated.
Hill added that investors should “pick an already established business since they have the luxury of time and knowledge…a profitable operator looking to expand versus a startup opportunity.”
Despite the innovation and a healthy consumption rate among the public, some operators say competition and surpluses continue to cause concern.
The state has long suffered from a surplus of cannabis. Others pushed back on the severity of the situation.
Jesce Horton, CEO of Portland-based cultivation brand LOWD, said that much of the news was sensationalized. He noted that the numbers were based on wet weight, making the surplus appear more substantial.
“When you think about dry cannabis versus wet cannabis, weight can vary, maybe, 5- to 10%,” he said. Horton, a co-founder of the Minority Cannabis Business Association, said the reports limited his company’s ability to secure business and funding at times.
Hill added that the combination of numerous licensed operators and a small population limit the market as well. Oregon ranked 27th in population with 4.2 million citizens, according to 2017 census data.
Damon Bates, a senior strategic business advisor for cannabis consulting firm GPS, compared the state’s market to flash paper, saying it burnt hot and was quickly gone. However, the pandemic led to a market spike and stabilization.
Despite the spike, he believes this year’s investment opportunities lie in discount equipment acquisition and curing, extraction, harvesting and trimming operations.
Oregon Bill Would Require 100% Clean Electricity By 2040
A bill for new requirements for utilities in the state of Oregon for 100% renewable energy or 100% clean electricity commitments is being reviewed.
If it gets through the state legislature, it will be one of the most aggressive timelines in the United States. However, it still gives the utilities nearly 20 years to fully decarbonize.
100% clean electricity by 2040 is ambitious when compared to other laws around the States. However, when looking at how much we need to cut emissions by 2040, that should be more of an average or norm than a leadership position.
Additionally, the bill as it is currently written requires that electric companies such as Portland General Electric and Pacific Power (the state’s two largest utilities) cut their carbon emissions 80% by 2030. An 80% reduction in emissions from a baseline level in just about a decade is a pretty aggressive transition for this sector.
Oregon House Bill 2021 — “Requires DEQ to determine each electric company’s baseline emissions level and, for each retail electricity provider, the amount of emissions reduction necessary to meet the established clean energy targets in the state policy.”
Reports out of Oregon indicate that the legislation is likely to be passed this year. It apparently has 100% opposition from Republicans in the state legislature, but Republicans don’t rule the show there. Its likelihood of passing is reportedly high despite a cap-&-trade bill dying last year as Republicans walked out of session early in order to kill it. This new bill is much narrower. Furthermore, it seems to have the support of the electric utility companies.
According to the DEQ, emissions from electricity accounted for 30% of the state’s greenhouse gas emissions in 2019. The entities regulated under HB 2021 are responsible for the vast majority of that, but some providers are left untouched.
“Several dozen small consumer-owned utilities around the state are not impacted by the bill. Nor is Idaho Power, the state’s smallest investor-owned utility, which was removed from HB 2021 after pressing for an exemption and touting its own decarbonization goals.”