I’m sorry to bum you out, but, yes, even your recycled plastic puffer is harming the planet. Over the past few years, recycled plastic has started showing up everywhere, from sneakers to garden furniture to kitchenware to clothing, as companies learned to reuse plastic from discarded water bottles. And it’s true that recycled plastic is better than new, petroleum-based plastic. But here’s the thing: Every time you wash or wear that puffer, microscopic particles of plastic are released into the water stream, poisoning fish—and when you finally throw it out, it will not biodegrade. Pangaia, a two-year-old fashion brand focused on material innovation, is on a mission to…
Author: Tony Cooper
For Jana Langhoff and her son Tyler, summer days don’t look drastically different from when school was in session. Tyler, who finished his first-grade year at home like the rest of his Howard Elementary School classmates amid Oregon’s statewide school closure, didn’t thrive while learning from a distance. And the catch-up instruction his school is offering him this summer won’t work much better, since his teacher still must connect with him over a computer instead of face-to-face. Tyler, 6, had been settling into a routine just before the COVID-19 pandemic, but the ensuing restrictions disrupted that rhythm. If you ask his…
With a surge in COVID-19 cases overwhelming public health workers, Jackson County is offering do-it-yourself contact tracing tips for those who test positive for the virus. The county is urging people to contact their close contacts right away. A close contact is someone who has been within 6 feet of a COVID-19 infected person for at least 15 minutes. County contact tracers may not be able to reach out to everyone who tests positive for COVID-19, or there may be a lag due to the high volume of cases. “Call, email, or text close contacts as soon as possible. Timing…
Biden won 56% of votes in the state, so Oregon Democrats chose their slate of electors: the chair and vice chair of the Democratic Party of Oregon, along with the chairs of each congressional district. Yet, despite their positions, not all of the electors support the Electoral College. Three of them even wore face masks saying, “Abolish the Electoral College.” Elector Leigha LaFleur, the Democratic chair of the Third Congressional District, originally hatched the idea to wear the masks. She brought in electors Larry Taylor, of the First Congressional District, and Sean Nikas, of the Fifth Congressional District. “It’s just…
Former South Medford and University of Oregon football standout Brady Breeze’s first instinct was to come home after the Almeda Fire. Breeze had driven down Highway 99 on the way back from Shasta Lake on Monday, September 7. “We literally drove on the street where it all happened, where everything got burned down,” said Breeze. “Then, to come back a week later and see how everything looked. “It was pretty emotional for me because all you could see was chimneys and car frames and just stuff. And you know how many people care about those areas and how many people lost their…
Kaleidoscope Pizzeria & Pub announced this week that it will match donations to ACCESS for its fire relief efforts up to $25,000. ACCESS says that the donations will go toward providing food, housing, energy assistance, and other basic needs to families in Jackson County who were impacted by the Almeda and South Obenchain fires.
Despite grim COVID-19 numbers, districts across southwest Washington and Oregon are working to figure out how and when students can get back to the classroom. Even as case numbers soar, districts say they are looking also at a rising number of students failing classes. Nationally, the numbers are in the 40-50% range of students failing — and that number is being seen in our area, as well. “Is more harm being done than good?” That’s the question many districts are struggling with as more students are failing classes this year when compared to last year. That’s the reality in both Oregon…
A 65-year-old Arizona woman died and her 64-year-old husband was hospitalized with life-threatening injuries after a 4-vehicle crash involving a semi-truck on Highway 97 in Klamath County Monday morning, Oregon State Police said. Karen Goulding, 65, of Antham, Arizona, died in the crash. Her husband David Goulding, 64, was taken from the scene to the hospital by helicopter. The crash happened around 11 a.m. near the intersection with Oregon Highway 58 when a semi driven by a 30-year-old from Atwater, California, braked for vehicles slowing ahead. Due to winter weather conditions, state police said the semi tractor-trailer slid and crossed…
Ivy League schools have decided to cancel the 2021 winter sports season on Thursday, November 12, 2020. The decision comes as the U.S. continues to break new coronavirus case records, setting a new daily record yesterday of more than 145,000 cases. The league which consists of: Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Harvard, Penn, Princeton and Yale, is the first Division One conference to announced the cancellation of its athletic prorgam’s season. “Regrettably, the current trends regarding the transmission of the Covid-19 virus and the subsequent protocols that must be put in place are impeding our strong desire to return to intercollegiate competition…
As the statewide two-week freeze ended on December 2, Jackson County entered precautions under the Extreme Risk guidance. In an effort to slow the spread of COVID-19 in our community, City Hall and the Lausmann Annex will be closed to the public until further notice. While we’re closing public access to our facilities, we aren’t shutting down operations. We will continue to provide essential services to our community. Signage will be posted at all building entrances with contact information. Meetings with City staff will be by appointment only. All Board, Commission and Committee meetings will be held virtually. Continuing Essential Services Essential services…