State wildlife officials are on the hunt for invasive snapping turtles. These prehistoric-looking creatures, native to the eastern part of Canada and the U.S. , have settled into the Tualatin River watershed and been spotted elsewhere, including the Clackamas, Willamette, Columbia, Sandy, Molalla, Pudding and Umpqua rivers and the Columbia Slough. [Read More…]
Author: Lynne Terry - Oregon Capital Chronicle
Oregon Health Authority Director Patrick Allen returns to work after weeks of recovery
Patrick Allen, the director of the Oregon Health Authority, returned to duty this week after a long absence. The agency declined to respond to requests for more information. He was working at his home in Sherwood throughout much of the pandemic. It’s not clear whether he is continuing to work[Read More…]
Oregon Legislature passes bill mandating overtime pay for farmworkers
Oregon is headed towards becoming the eighth state to mandate overtime pay for farmworkers. The pay bill passed its final legislative hurdle on Thursday and heads to Gov. Kate Brown, who appears ready to sign the new requirement into law. That means an estimated 86,000 farmworkers next year will get[Read More…]
Oregon, California, Washington will lift most mask mandates on March 12
In a surprise move, Gov. Kate Brown said Monday that Oregon, Washington and California will jointly lift their indoor mask mandate on March 12. Masks will no longer be required in schools but state officials will recommend they still be used, according to a news release. The joint announcement reflects[Read More…]
Proposal to pay farmworkers overtime overcomes first hurdle in Legislature
A controversial plan to require overtime pay that would affect the 86,000 farmworkers in Oregon advanced on Tuesday along partisan lines. All seven Democrats on the House Committee on Business and Labor voted for House Bill 4002, which would require owners to pay farmworkers time and a half for hours over[Read More…]
Peak of omicron hospitalizations and cases in Oregon is over, forecast says
The surge of people hospitalized or infected with omicron is over, according to the latest forecast from Oregon Health & Science University. The forecast, which influences the policy of the Oregon Health Authority, indicates that Oregon reached its peak, and the number of Oregonians infected or hospitalized has started to[Read More…]
Farmworkers plead for overtime pay as ag industry warns of harmful impacts
Emotional and passionate testimony stretched into the night Tuesday during a legislative hearing on a proposal to require overtime pay for Oregon’s farmworkers. Legislation put forward by two Democratic lawmakers would pay farmworkers time and a half after working 40 hours a week and would include tax credits for companies[Read More…]
Oregon Health Authority will lift indoor mask mandate by end of March
In a sudden turnaround, the Oregon Health Authority announced Monday it will lift the state’s indoor mask requirements by the end of March for indoor places, including schools. The announcement came on the same day that the agency filed a permanent state rule requiring masks indoors in public places with[Read More…]
Oregon soon could be on the mend from the pandemic with an expected drop in cases, officials say
Oregon’s short-term Covid-19 outlook remains bleak, Oregon’s lead epidemiologist said Friday, with hospitals nearing a peak in the demand for hospital beds and case counts skyrocketing. But after that, the situation could improve, according to Dr. Dean Sidelinger, the state epidemiologist. “The omicron variant continues to cut a destructive swath[Read More…]
Want a free Covid-19 test delivered? Households can sign up now
The Biden administration’s effort to distribute free Covid-19 tests nationwide was supposed to start Wednesday. Instead, the government quietly began taking orders on Tuesday. Every household can obtain four free rapid antigen tests by going to CovidTests.gov and clicking through to a U.S. Postal Service site signup sheet and filling out the short form,[Read More…]
