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…
Author: Tony Cooper
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…
MEDFORD, Ore. — Oregon Health Authority (OHA) reported 36 more deaths due to COVID-19 in Oregon, raising the state’s death toll to 1,340. OHA also reported 1,542 new confirmed and presumptive cases of COVID-19 today bringing the state total to 101,814. The number of hospitalized patients with COVID-19 across Oregon is 536, which is three fewer than yesterday. There are 104 COVID-19 patients in intensive care unit (ICU) beds, which is seven fewer than yesterday. The new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases reported today are in the following counties: Baker (9), Benton (23), Clackamas (109), Clatsop (5), Columbia (12), Coos…
MEDFORD, Ore. – Luis Berrios-Hayden – an SOU Environmental Science & Policy major, director of the Student Sustainability Center and McNair Scholar – has received the Northwest Association of Educational Opportunity Program’s Scholastic Achievement Award. The NAEOP Scholastic Achievement Award is a $1,500 scholarship given annually to students in the federal TRIO programs who exhibit outstanding scholastic achievement while overcoming barriers to educational success. TRIO is a collection of federal programs that serve students from disadvantaged backgrounds, including low-income, first-generation and those who are otherwise disenfranchised. Coming from a low-income background as a first-generation college student and a second-generation U.S.…
MEDFORD, Ore. – Evren Odcikin, the Associate Artistic Director of Oregon Shakespeare Festival in Ashland, Oregon discusses how OSF dealt with the shutdown due to Covid-19, followed by the Black Lives Matter movement engendered by the murder of George Floyd, and then the September fires which burned parts of Ashland, as well as the nearby towns of Phoenix and Talent. Hosted by Richard Wolinsky. Evren’s latest directorial effort is This Is Who I Am by Amir Nizar Zuabi, a co-production of PlayCo and Woolly Mammoth, in association with OSF and other theatre companies, which is performed and broadcast live from December 5, 2020 through January…
MEDFORD, Ore. – On the evening of the winter solstice, the planets of Jupiter and Saturn will appear so close to each other in the night sky that they will look like a “double planet” in the night sky. This great conjunction, as the planetary alignment of Jupiter and Saturn has come to be known, will be special and very rare. This sight hasn’t been seen in nearly 800 years. The orbits of Jupiter and Saturn align every 20 years. According to NASA, this is because Jupiter orbits the sun every 12 years while Saturn’s orbit takes 30 years. So…
MEDFORD, Ore.- Last night, Medford Police officers attempted to stop a vehicle on Crater Lake Avenue, near Temple Drive. One officer heard what sounded like a gunshot. During the pursuit, a shotgun was thrown from the car. With the assistance of Jackson County Sheriff’s Office, the car was finally spiked and PIT (Pursuit Intervention Technique) in Prospect. Anthony Flores, 34 years old, who is a convicted felon, was arrested on numerous charges. The shotgun was recovered and found to have an obliterated serial number. While the investigation is continuing, officers believe Flores was attempting to hide the shotgun when it accidentally…
MEDFORD, Ore. — Eight people arrested by the Medford Police Department during a recent homeless camp sweep say they plan to sue the city, its police department and Jackson County. Attorney Justin Rosas, who represents the arrestees, called the arrests unconstitutional, disputing the park was ever closed to the public to justify trespassing charges. In a statement, and in tort claims obtained by Oregon Public Broadcasting, Rosas said arrestees were denied medication, harassed and held for hours after posting bail at the Jackson County Jail. The Associated Press has emailed county Sheriff Nathan Sickler seeking comment. Rosas said the lawsuit’s…
OREGON – A group of armed protesters tried to gain entrance into the Oregon State Capitol building on Monday as the legislature was in session to debate COVID-19 regulations and public assistance. Deadline reports that due to COVID precautions, the only people allowed in the building were Salem Police Department officers, state police, lawmakers, some staff, and reporters. Over 100 protesters—who seemed to oppose some policies that would curb the spread of the virus—stormed the building, breaking glass doors and windows, ripping tarps from the front steps, and even engaging in a short standoff with police. Some members of Patriot…