More Cases, More Deaths
After more than a week of silence, the coronavirus pops up again in Lane County. Over the weekend there were 4 new cases confirmed bringing the total to 54. One of the cases was a male in his late teens from outside the Eugene/Springfield area that contracted the virus from an infected family member. Another case outside the Eugene/Springfield area was a woman in her 40’s that was also a household transmission. The other two cases were from the Eugene/Springfield area: a woman in her 50’s and a man in his 70’s. all four cases are considered medically stable and are resting at home. Statewide the number of confirmed cases is 2,680. There were also 5 more deaths attributed to the virus in Oregon. All 5 had underlying medical conditions. Two were from Multnomah County, and one each from Polk, Marion, and Umatilla. Multnomah County has been hit the hardest in the state with 739 reported cases and 46 of the 109 deaths.
State of Emergency Extended
On Friday the Governor announced that she was extending the state of emergency for Oregon until July 6th. the previous order was set to expire on Thursday. Brown says she still sees a threat to public safety from the Coronavirus. While the date is extended, the Oregon Health Authority and county health authorities continue to collect data with the hopes that the July 6th date can be moved up if significant progress against the virus can be made.
Wright Ready to Give 100%
Boomer Wright says he would like to be the district’s representative in November for the seat that Caddy McKeown is vacating. The District 9 representative is calling it quits after 8 years. Wright was a longtime Siuslaw School Teacher and also worked for Sea Lion Caves. Wright says his years as a teacher and administrator has honed the skills he believes are necessary to be a good representative.
“You need to listen to people, you need to show compassion and understanding of what their needs are and then try to work with them to solve those problems.”
Wright says he has thought about the legislature for years, and with his retirement and his wife’s pending retirement, he felt that he could dedicate 100% to the district and serving the communities therein. Wright says there needs to be a diversity of thought in Salem which means representation of the entire state and specifically the Oregon coast.
“It seems to me that the agenda coming from Salem has to do with Portland, one size fits all and that’s not what we need down here.”
Wright is the only republican running for the seat and will not have to face a primary match later this month. Wright will be a guest on this week’s Our Town.
Commissioner Meeting to Look at Phased Reopening of Lane County
The Lane County Board of Commissioners are expected to meet tomorrow and will be presented with a draft plan for reopening Lane County. They are also expected to consider moving forward with a plan to force hotels and motels to accept potential unhoused COVID-19 cases.
Razor Clamming
If you are looking for something to divert your attention, the Oregon Department of Agriculture has deemed razor clamming safe. Biotoxins in the clams are at a safe level from the South Jetty of the Siuslaw River to Coos Bay. The difficulty will be in finding an area accessible. State and county parks are still restricted due to COVID-19.
Phones Still Out
Some businesses and residences in Florence are still dealing with phone and internet outages due to the severing of 5 main trunk lines along Kingwood Street. Services were interrupted on April 23rd when a contractor putting in underground conduit broke through a concrete box cutting 1000’s of individual wires. Century Link crews have been working day and night to reconnect the wires one by one. Service was expected to back on line last Monday, but the date has been moved more than once.
