Health officials from Jackson County are reporting 86 new cases of the Coronavirus. This update brings the total reported COVID-19 cases in Jackson County to 4,288. Jackson County public health says right now there are 717 active cases. Saturday, the county reported no new deaths, leaving the total Coronavirus related deaths to 41. Health officials have these recommendations for preventing the spread of Covid-19: • Cover your mouth and nose with a mask. • Avoid close contact and keep 6 feet of distance between yourself and people who do not live in your household. The less people you are around, the…
Author: Tony Cooper
Mosaic Medical, a nonprofit community health center providing quality care for all in Bend, Redmond, Prineville and Madras, was recently awarded $43,000 from the Central Oregon Health Council. The funds will be used to improve communication and language access services for Mosaic patients. The grant funds will be used to purchase video remote interpreting technology and simple communication aid tools at eight of Mosaic’s 15 primary care clinics. This investment will enhance communication and improve access to comprehensive primary care services for patients whose primary language is other than English, and for patients who are deaf, hard of hearing or…
A man was wounded in an officer-involved shooting last night in White City after neighbors complained of a party. Authorities are providing little information about the incident that took place just before 8 pm. According to a press release from the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office, deputies responded to a report of “a disorderly loud party” in the 2500 block of Agate Meadows in White City at around 7:44 pm. According to the department, neighbors had reported a group of more than 25 subjects were inside the house and there were several speeding vehicles leaving the scene as well as other…
The holiday season is right around the corner and the Fremont-Winema National Forest will have Christmas tree permits available starting tomorrow, November 1. Permits cost $5 and are nonrefundable. A maximum of five permits can be purchased and can be used through December 25. The permits are available for purchase from several vendors in Lake and Klamath counties, online through www.Recreation.gov, and by mail from all Fremont-Winema National Forest offices. Each permit is valid to cut one tree and must be secured to the tree in a place visible during transport of the tree from the forest. Permits purchased in…
The Jackson County Board of Commissioners, due to hazardous conditions in the natural, have closed off-trail areas of the Bear Creek Greenway owned by Jackson County. This nine-mile stretch of county-owned land is along the greenway from Ashland to Central Point. Jackson County, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), arborists, and many others fell the trees near the trail to allow the greenway path area’s safe to reopen. The cost to remove hazardous trees throughout the entire area would be extensive and ineligible for State or Federal reimbursement. Instead, Park workers will continue to monitor the burn scar and allow nature to…
Jackson County public health officials are asking people who test positive to inform all of their close contacts right away. At the start of the pandemic, contact tracers from the county would immediately identify and inform people who came in contact with the infected person. Nichole Brickey manages the contact tracers in Jackson County, and she says that because timing is so important, it’s best to leave some responsibility up to the public. “There’s such a backlog of people that tested positive that by the time that the investigation was done and we found out who the contacts were, we…
If you live in Baker County and have tested positive for COVID-19, or spent much time close to someone who contracted the virus, there’s a good chance you’ve talked to LeAnne Bourne. Bourne didn’t expect to spend dozens of hours on the telephone in 2020, asking Baker County residents whether they’d been feeling ill, and dispensing advice about quarantining. But then almost nobody anticipated a pandemic. “I’ve had to adjust to this; it’s a new part of the day,” Bourne said. She has worked as the office manager for the Baker County Health Department for the past three years. But…
Jail security camera footage shows Juan Anthony Sancho handcuffed in a cell after he was brought to the jail while allegedly intoxicated and under charges of resisting arrest. Sancho moved his handcuffs from his back to his front. In the footage he taps on the cell door, backs up, and then three officers rush in, aggressively forcing him to the ground, where deputies “delivered multiple knee strikes” and “kneeled on Plaintiff’s upper back and neck,” according to court filings. According to the court complaint Sancho “briefly lost consciousness from these jailers kneeling on Plaintiff’s neck and pinning him to the…
Many traditional Halloween activities can be high-risk for spreading viruses. Jackson County Public Health has several safer, alternative ways to participate in Halloween this year. If you may have COVID-19 or you may have been exposed to someone with COVID-19, you should not participate in in-person Halloween festivities and should not give out candy to trick-or-treaters. Health officials say it is best to engage in lower-risk activities and limit or avoid activities that carry a higher risk of spreading and contracting COVID-19. During the fall celebrations, it remains critical that everyone wear a mask, maintain a physical distancing and limit close…
The Medford Police Department has asked for help in tracking down a runaway teenager who evaded officers on Tuesday, according to the agency. 15-year-old Natalia Jones ran away from home, though MPD did not specify when. Officers saw her along Highway 62 near the Volkswagen dealership on Tuesday. “She ran from officers and flagged down a random vehicle, who picked her up, not knowing she was running from us,” the agency said. The vehicle that picked Jones up is described as a grey sedan, similar to a Ford Taurus. “If the person who picked her up can please reach out…