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VIRUS OUTBREAK OREGON
Delta variant has become dominant in Oregon
PORTLAND, Oregon (AP) – With daily COVID-19 cases doubling over the past week, Oregon health officials report that the highly communicable Delta variant has now become the dominant variant of coronavirus in the state. But even if cases are skyrocketing, about 29% of Oregon adults still need to be vaccinated. Health experts warn that this is becoming a “pandemic of the unvaccinated”. Officials released evidence Thursday showing counties with low vaccination rates directly correlate with high infection rates. In places like rural Umatilla County, 43% of the population is partially or fully vaccinated. On Thursday, health officials reported that the county’s coronavirus test positivity rate topped 14%.
WESTERN WILDFIRE
Western forest fires are on the rise, but better weather helps crews
BLY, Oregon (AP) – Lighter winds and better weather helped crews using bulldozers and helicopters to tackle the nation’s largest forest fire in southern Oregon. But gusty winds have driven northern California wildfire into Nevada, resulting in evacuations while flames burn in the west. Oregon’s Bootleg Fire grew to 624 square miles, which is more than half the size of Rhode Island. However, authorities said higher overnight humidity and better conditions allowed crews to improve fire lines. The fire also neared an area burned by an earlier fire on its active southeast flank, raising hopes that a lack of fuel could reduce its spread. Favorable extinguishing weather was forecast again for Thursday.
POLICE CERTIFICATIONS REMOVED
State withdraws police certificates for wrongful arrest
PORTLAND, Oregon (AP) – A state committee has dismissed former West Linn Police Chief Terry Timeus and West Linn Sgt. Tony Reeves of their police records of the illegal arrest of Portland’s Michael Fesser. The Oregonian / OregonLive reports that the state’s Public Safety Standards and Training Committee unanimously voted to accept the lifetime revocations for dishonesty and discriminatory behavior. Timeus opened a theft investigation into Fesser as a favor for a friend. Reeves led the investigation at Timeus’s behest. Timeus’ friend was Eric Benson, Fesser’s boss at A&B Towing in Portland. Benson feared that Fesser, who is black, would file a discrimination complaint against him. The Public Security Committee found that Timeus’ actions “discredited the police profession.”
OREGON LEGISLATIVE DEATH
Oregon State Rep. Gary Leif is dead
SALEM, Ore. (AP) – Oregon Rep. Gary Leif has died. He was 64. House Republican leader Christine Drazan confirmed his death in a statement Thursday. A cause of death was initially unknown. Leif was seven months into his third term as a Republican state representative. His House District 2 includes parts of Douglas, Jackson and Josephine Counties. The representative was previously Douglas County Commissioner. Colleagues from Leif, a Republican, described lawmakers as patient, humble, hardworking, and a mentor.
OFFICER SKIES MAN SETTLEMENT
Portland approves $ 600,000 to end the policeman’s fatal shootout
PORTLAND, Oregon (AP) – Portland City Council approved a payment of $ 600,000 to the family of a man who was shot after a car chase that was later criticized by advisors for violating police guidelines. The Oregonian / OregonLive reports that the payment settled a federal wrongful death lawsuit filed by Terrell Johnson’s mother, Alicia Johnson, who said her son was in a mental crisis when he died and previously suffered from mental health problems. The lawsuit states that he sought medical help but received none. A Multnomah County grand jury found Officer Samson Ajir acted lawfully.
AP-US-VIRUS-OUTBREAK-SMALL-BUSINESS-TOURISM
Small businesses are being lifted by the return of summer tourists
Small businesses in the US that rely on tourism and vacationers say business is recovering as Americans rebook postponed trips and spend free on food, entertainment, and souvenirs. U.S. states and cities have eased many of their restrictions on crowd size and the wearing of masks, a positive sign for companies struggling for more than a year. For one, there are few business travelers and international tourists. And if a surge in the more contagious variant of the coronavirus forces states to re-issue restrictions or bans, progress could be lost.
GUILTY PLEA PROMOTION
Washington man pleads guilty of wire fraud
VANCOUVER, Washington (AP) – A man from Vancouver, Washington pleaded guilty in federal court Wednesday to wire transferring fraud after embezzling more than $ 400,000 from his San Diego, California employer. That’s what the federal prosecutor says. Derick Jonathan Cameron worked as the financial controller for RAL Investment Corp. He admitted he had used his access to the company’s accounting software to write more than 200 unauthorized checks to himself. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California says Cameron is due to be sentenced October 18. He faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
RIVER SURVEY FEDERAL FUND
Federal funds are to monitor sediments in the Cowlitz River
LONGVIEW, Washington (AP) – The Cowlitz River sediment monitoring survey is again federally funded this year and is getting the project back on track after years in which the federal government failed to allocate the money. Congressman Jaime Herrera Beutler says a draft budget included two projects in southwest Washington: sediment monitoring of the lower Cowlitz River and a project to improve navigation on the Columbia River. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has been monitoring how much sediment is still entering local waterways from Mount St. Helens after the 1980 eruption, as it poses a flood hazard to downstream communities.