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VIRUS OUTBREAK OREGON

Oregon COVID-19 Cases Soar, Hospital Beds Fill Up Fast

PORTLAND, Oregon (AP) – COVID-19 cases continue to rise in Oregon, and officials in some counties are seeing the highest hospital admissions figures since the pandemic began. Nationwide hospital admissions related to the coronavirus rose to 379 people on Tuesday. That is 39 more than the day before. KOIN-TV reported Monday that some hospital officials, including those from Oregon Health & Science University, say they are postponing some surgeries that are not urgent. Health officials reported 1,575 newly confirmed and suspected COVID-19 cases on Tuesday. Most of them have been since the beginning of January. About 29% of adults in the state are unvaccinated, and over 102,000 doses of vaccine have been thrown away for non-use.

RULES FOR WILDFIRE SMOKE WORKERS

Oregon has emergency rules to protect workers from smoke

PORTLAND, Oregon (AP) – Oregon has emergency rules in place to protect workers from forest fire smoke and workers who live in work shelters from extreme heat. The Oregonian / OregonLive reports that the rules will go into effect for six months on August 9th. The Oregon Occupational Safety and Health Agency is working on permanent regulations this fall. The agency is also working on permanent standards to protect workers in work housing. The new rules require employers to make every effort to change their working hours or relocate work when air quality reaches 201, which is considered very unhealthy. When workers are exposed to air quality above 201, employers must ensure that workers wear N95 respirators.

WOLF PUP KILLED

State officials kill 2 wolf pups after killing 4 wolves OK’d

SALEM, Oregon (AP) – Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife officials shot dead two wolf pups Sunday after granting ranchers permission to kill up to four un-collared wolves in eastern Oregon. Oregonian / OregonLive reports that the agency said employees shot and killed two Lookout Mountain pack puppies in a helicopter. The state agency previously said it had granted a ranchers permission to kill wolves in Baker County, where officials said the Lookout Mountain pack attacked four cows in the last two weeks of July. Agency spokeswoman Michelle Dennehy said the puppy killing “reduced the pack’s food needs and disrupted the pack’s behavior so that they would not associate cattle with a simple meal.”

AP-US-WESTERN-WILDFIRES

Huge fire in California grows as the state heats up again

GREENVILLE, Calif. (AP) – California’s largest wildfire exploded again after burning in remote mountains for nearly three weeks. Officials warn that hot, dry weather would increase the risk of new fires in much of the state. Firefighters rescued homes in the small community of Greenville near the Plumas National Forest when high winds fueled the Dixie Fire, which grew to over 395 square miles in Plumas and Butte Counties. Dry conditions and strong winds also created dangerous fire conditions in Hawaii on Tuesday. Firefighters took control of the 62 square mile Nation Fire, which evacuated thousands of people over the weekend and destroyed at least two homes on the Big Island.

DEPUTY KILLED MONUMENT

Community honors killed Washington detective

VANCOUVER, Washington (AP) – Hundreds of law enforcement and other vehicles stood at Clark College in Vancouver, Washington on Tuesday for a procession in honor of Clark County Sheriff’s Detective Jeremy Brown, who was shot dead while on surveillance. The Colombian reports that Brown was shot dead on July 23 while sitting in his vehicle in an apartment parking lot. While on duty in the sheriff’s office, Brown served as a correctional and patrol assistant. He worked with the Washington State Department of Corrections and as a reserve officer in the Missoula County Sheriff’s Office in Montana. Several people were arrested in connection with his death.

AP US SEATTLE MAYOR

The Seattle Mayor’s primaries begin the struggle between liberal camps

SEATTLE (AP) – Voters in Seattle’s mayoral election have made a choice of candidates who represent the political divide between leftist residents and more moderate progressives in one of the country’s most liberal cities. Former city council member Bruce Harrell led all early return candidates on Tuesday. Harrell has called for more police officers to be hired to curb the increase in shootings and is backed by the business community. The first two winners of the non-partisan race will qualify for the elections in November. In the parliamentary elections, he is likely to face the President of the City Council, M. Lorena González. González, who finished in second place, criticized Seattle’s police force and called for reform of a department that is under federal supervision.

WILD HORSE ROUNDUPS-DROUGHT

The US is planning 50% more raids on wild horses amid the western drought

RENO, Nevada (AP) – US land managers have begun catching approximately 50% more wild horses than originally planned due to the severe drought in the western US. The emergency raids, which began Sunday and Monday, targeted about 6,000 additional animals, mostly in Nevada, Oregon and Colorado. The Bureau of Land Management says the expanded effort is focused on locations where “chronic overpopulation” of herds has pushed available food and water to the limit. Horse advocates say the emergency raids are being driven by pressure from ranchers who don’t want wild horses to compete with their livestock for limited feed and water. The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association says ranchers voluntarily reduced and switched grazing to state during the drought.

AP US VICTORIA’S SECRET DAMAGE COMPARISON

Oregon: Deal With Victoria’s Secret Owner Ends “Fear”

SALEM, Oregon (AP) – Oregon officials believe a $ 90 million settlement with parent company Victoria’s Secret will put an end to their culture of harassment and fear. As part of the settlement, Victoria’s Secret and Bath & Body Works, owned by L Brands Inc., have each pledged to invest $ 45 million to protect employees from harassment and discrimination and require executives to be accountable for misconduct . The settlement is being made on behalf of the Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund and other shareholders. They alleged the L Brands board of directors failed to investigate former CEO and Chairman Emeritus Leslie Wexner’s links with pedophile Jeffrey Epstein and ignored a corporate culture of sexual harassment.