Caryn Connoly, left, a Roberts High School teacher, and Courtney Clendening, a Clear Lake Elementary School teacher, load food into a family’s truck at Four Corners Elementary School on March 25, 2020 (Rachel Alexander/Salem Reporter)
NOTE: Salem Reporter is providing free access to its content related to the coronavirus as a community service. Subscriptions help support this.
This digest provides all-in-one-place access to reporting on the novel coronavirus outbreak. A statewide media collaboration is sharing coverage among Oregon’s newspapers and broadcast outlets. Salem Reporter is part of that collaboration.
Question? If you have questions about the outbreak, the disease or other related matters, email [email protected].
State clears way for self-service gasoline across Oregon – for now
Under new rules announced Saturday, Salem drivers can fuel their vehicles on their own as Oregon becomes a self-service state through at least April 11.
Facebook becomes Salem’s top live music venue during the quarantine
Salem musicians connect with fans and make some much-needed cash as the ban on public gatherings stretches on.
As southeast Salem food pantries close, teachers step up to feed families
About 10 Marion Polk Food Share pantries have closed during the COVID-19 pandemic, so the food share has paired up with the Salem-Keizer School District to distribute food out of local schools instead.
FROM AROUND OREGON, THE NORTHWEST:
PORTLAND TRIBUNE: Hundreds of coronavirus-related complaints flood Oregon OSHA
Hundreds of employees have complained that their employers are not following Gov. Kate Brown’s March 23 order closing non-essential businesses and ordering other businesses to enforce social distancing and to allow remote work to slow the spread of COVID-19. Some employees complain that their working conditions simply are not safe due to their facilities, management decisions or a lack of precautions against the coronavirus.
THE OREGONIAN/OREGONLIVE: In “once-in-a-lifetime crisis,” Wyden accomplishes goal of expanding unemployment insurance
Last week, as Congress scrambled to finish a $2.2 trillion coronavirus rescue plan, Sen. Ron Wyden, of Oregon adjourned to one of the private meeting rooms in the Capitol with Sen. Charles Grassley and Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin to negotiate some finance and tax issues. But the Washington, D.C., power trio had to halt the talks before they began. Someone pointed out that they were sitting too close to one another. The room that had for decades hosted similar meetings now was too small.
THE OREGONIAN/OREGONLIVE: Latest round of court restrictions released to address coronavirus threat: Most trials off till after June 1
Oregon’s chief justice late Friday issued the latest round of restrictions on statewide court operations in an ongoing effort to limit the number of people going in and out of courthouses and courtrooms. The limits on trials and other court proceedings and court operations will continue indefinitely, said Chief Justice Martha Walters.
Do you remember how you fell in love? Was it their smile, or their personality or was their eyes. For Carol Bailey, it was her husband Hal’s eyes. They met when they were both enlisted in the Air Force. “His twinkling blue eyes. He walked through, I routed secret messages around the world and Hal worked on the machines that took care of those. He worked on the machines that took care of sending those messages out and he walked through my work site one night, he smiled and 61 years later here I am,” she said laughing.
OPB: Is It Still A Good Idea To Enjoy Oregon’s Outdoors?
Last week, we published an article with recommendations for safe hiking practices in our local forests and parks. Health experts advised that as long as hikers kept a safe, 6-feet distance from others, getting outdoors was not only safe but good medicine. At that time, national forests and state parks in Oregon were encouraging people to visit and enjoy these treasured recreation areas. But in the days since Gov. Kate Brown issued her “Stay Home” order on Monday, the tone and message of these agencies have changed dramatically.
OPB: Coronavirus Halts Home Visits As Census-Takers Prepare To Work From Home
The 2020 census was supposed to break new ground by moving more surveys in the once-a-decade U.S. population count online than ever before. Now, a global pandemic and Gov. Kate Brown’s order telling most Oregonians to stay home is pushing census-takers to get even more innovative than they had planned. Door-to-door visits by official Census Bureau enumerators are on hold for at least a month. Census outreach staff are being trained at home instead of in-person. And advocates are seeking solutions for how to count people in rural areas, tribal communities and places with limited access to the internet.
BEND BULLETIN: DA: Redmond man spat at cop, claimed to have COVID-19
A Redmond man was charged Friday with attempting to infect a Bend Police officer with COVID-19 by spitting, coughing and breathing on him. Daniel Ray Stubblefield is being monitored by medical staff at the Deschutes County jail. He was taken there Monday following an arrest on a warrant at a Bend home, before being transferred to St. Charles Bend.
EAST OREGONIAN: As the state pushes for more COVID-19 transparency, Eastern Oregon counties hold back
Following mounting pressure from media outlets around Oregon, Gov. Kate Brown directed the Oregon Health Authority earlier this week to provide greater transparency about the state’s positive cases of COVID-19 and hospitals’ capacities to treat a potential surge of patients. As a result, 10-year age ranges of individuals who test positive and daily totals of available ventilators, hospital beds and personal protective equipment are now being provided at a statewide level by OHA.
These articles were published by one of more than a dozen news organizations throughout the state sharing their coverage of the novel coronavirus outbreak to help inform Oregonians about this evolving heath issue. Salem Reporter is part of this extraordinary collaboration.
