May: Wildfire Awareness Month
The Month of May is Wildfire awareness month. And this year the Oregon Department of forestry is asking you this year to put your Smokey hat on. Is association with Keep Oregon Green and federal, state, tribal, and local fire agencies like Siuslaw Valley fire and rescue ODF wants to remind citizens how quickly a fire can spread and become disastrous. There are 5 new public service announcements that will be airing in the month of May to promote fire safety and encourage individuals to do everything they can to protect their surroundings. Smokey’s hat is the driving force behind Keep Oregon Green’s campaign. In addition to promoting the safety of green spaces throughout the state ODF is also promoting defensible space around your home. Careless fires that were directly started by irresponsible acts in Oregon in 2022 were numbered at 616 and burned over 1200 acres. For more information on wildfire awareness and building defensible space around your home you can contact Siuslaw Valley Fire and Rescue and go to keeporegongreen.org.
Benefit Eligibility
The Oregon Health Authority is in the process of reviewing eligibility for Oregon Health Plan and Medicaid. If you have previously applied for benefits from either plan or are beginning the eligibility process you will likely receive a letter in the coming days. OHA recommends that you update your contact information at Oregon.gov/oha. You can also create an account at benefits.oregon.gov.
Boys and Girls Club Golf
The Boys and Girls Club of Western Lane County’s Fore Kids Golf Tournament is filling up fast and just a few spaces are left. They have also announced that their tickets for their ball drop are now available. Tickets are just $5 for an opportunity to win $1,000 for the closest to the hole or $500 for the ball furthest from the hole. For reserving a spot you can call 902-0304.
Predatory Lending
Predatory lending practices can leave people in a cycle of debt and even drive them into poverty. Legislation in Oregon would strengthen protections for consumers. House Bill 2008 would provide a number of protections for Oregonians. Currently, debt collectors can leave people with as little as 254-dollars per week. Chris Coughlin with Oregon Consumer Justice says the bill would increase this amount substantially.
This will allow Oregonians to make reasonable payments on their debt, while maintaining minimum wage amounts to meet basic needs and protect against the risk of homelessness.”
Coughlin says Oregon has some of the weakest protections against aggressive debt collecting in the country. In a report from December, the National Consumer Law Center gave the state a ‘D’ grade for its laws. Coughlin says the bill also protects people’s bank accounts from seizure in collection cases. H-B 2008 is scheduled for a public hearing in Salem today.
