MEDFORD, Ore. – As winter settles into communities throughout the Southern Oregon and Northern California region, ending a year that has brought challenges like no other, it’s the arts and humanities programs that continue to provide needed connection and healing. Local organizations that deliver music, theater and visual arts have had to pivot during 2020 in ways never imagined. Many have moved to virtual programming to connect with families and students at home while also working behind-the-scenes to preserve cherished in-person programs so that they can return in the future. To support these programs’ ongoing efforts, PacifiCorp Foundation, a nonprofit…
Author: Tony Cooper
OREGON – A Republican Oregon mayor penned a letter to Gov. Kate Brown blasting the state’s coronavirus orders because “small communities across” the state are “tired of the double standard.” “Neighbors are able to pack into malls and support corporate America, but, for some reason, we can’t sit down and support local business owners along our main street. The double standards have to stop,” Stan Pulliam, the mayor of Sandy, told “America’s Newsroom.” Pulliam’s comments came after Brown extended a state of emergency declaration in Oregon until March 3, 2021. The previous executive order was set to expire on Jan. 2, 2021. Pulliam called…
MEDFORD, Ore. — Jackson County Public Health reports 29 new COVID-19 cases as of 12:01 am on December 24, 2020. Additionally, Jackson County Public Health reports one new COVID-19 death, bringing the total deaths to 64. These updates bring the total reported COVID-19 cases in Jackson County to 5,488. Jackson County’s 64th COVID-19 death is an 85-year-old woman who tested positive on November 10 and died on December 22 at her residence. She had underlying conditions. How the COVID-19 Vaccine Will Be Distributed: COVID-19 vaccines are 95% effective and have undergone rigorous safety testing. Vaccination gives us hope that the…
MEDFORD, Ore. – People are losing it 9 months into the pandemic — no other way to look at it when folks are tearing up food displays in grocery stores, and rollerblading on the interstates in the buff. Ya gotta sees these videos of COVID cabin fever to the max … we’ll start in Medford, Oregon, where a man threw a bunch of food and drinks all over a supermarket before storming out the front door. The guy started slinging 2 liters of soda before tossing chips, and then getting more efficient by just toppling the whole display. His strut…
MEDFORD, Ore. — The Asante Employee RV Park is providing shelter for those displaced by the Almeda and Obenchain Fires. Asante Rogue Regional Medical Center spokesperson Lauren Van Sickle says about 80 employees lost their homes after the fires. “By opening the RV park, it gave them a space that they can go where it was safe and kind of on their own again,” Van Sickle said. There’s room for about 32 RV’s at the park. Van Sickle says about 20 Asante employees are currently staying there. Asante purchased slightly used RV’s for those who need them. Van Sickle says…
MEDFORD, Ore. — The Oregon Legislature passed a bill Monday that will allow restaurants and bars to sell cocktails and mixed drinks for takeout. Management at Tap and Vine say it’s a good option. “I think it’s nice for people that don’t really drink the beer or the wine, and they want to drink a cocktail, they can drink it in the comfort of their own home,” Adam McRill said. McRill says it could be good for business. “It helps sales with the restaurant as well, because alcohol is a little higher priced than, you know, food would be,” McRill…
MEDFORD, Ore. — The first long-term care facility residents and staff in Oregon began receiving COVID-19 vaccinations on Monday. Local facilities like Bonaventure of Medford say they aren’t expecting to receive the vaccine for at least two months. However, director of operations Jeremiah Gray says they’re prepared for its arrival. “Our team can mobilize and we’d be ready to go tomorrow,” Gray said. “So for us, all of our pieces are in place.” Gray says the facility already has a contract with Walgreens as their pharmacy to help with vaccine distribution. He says the vaccine will be given to them…
MEDFORD, Ore. – The Medford School District board passed a resolution Thursday night asking the governor to prioritize bringing all students back to school, starting with students in kindergarten through fifth grade. The resolution says online learning has created significant challenges for low-income students, and it has left many students feeling isolated and depressed. “We want the kids back in school because we recognize the need for kids to be in a brick-and-mortar learning environment for their social-emotional health, their academic learning,” says board chair Jeffrey Kinsella. The state had eased some in-person learning restrictions in late October, but Jackson…
OREGON – In early September, Jacob Lebel was in Clackamas, Oregon preparing to relocate a tannery to his family’s Rose Hills Farms when fire broke out 180 miles away. He was quickly summoned back. Lebel, 23, drove three hours home to defend his farm under banks of yellow clouds that slowly reddened until purple hues overtook the area just north of his farm, then turned to reddish brown, then black. “I’ve never seen anything like it, it was quite an experience. Very eerie,” he said. “It was not even sunset and it was just pitch black.” Oregon suffered its most intense…
MEDFORD, Ore. — Asante is one of the first healthcare providers in the state of Oregon to received a shipment of Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine, but doses will be extremely limited for the near future. Several administrators from Asante held a briefing with members of the press on Thursday, as Asante Rogue Regional Medical Center prepares to begin its first vaccinations for healthcare workers on Friday. Oregon received its first shipment of the Pfizer vaccine on Monday, amounting to 35,100 doses, which are now being distributed to healthcare providers throughout the state. According to Asante, they are one of the first five health…