Protecting Oregon bighorns from deadly bacteria
An outbreak of pneumonia-causing bacteria killed dozens of bighorn sheep in Baker County in 2020. Since then, biologists from the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, with help from the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Reservation, have been working to slow the spread. Biologist Brian Ratliff said the key is finding and removing “chronic shedders,” adult sheep that survive the infection and pass the bacteria onto others. Doing so, Ratliff said, is like solving a murder mystery. (Jayson Jacoby/Baker City Herald)
Vancouver office space is in demand
Demand for office space in Vancouver remains high despite national trends toward fully remote and hybrid work. Downtown Vancouver’s office vacancy rate is around 5.8%, compared to about 11.1% in Portland and 16.2% nationally. “We are seeing good, stable activity,” said Tamara Fuller, senior vice president at Capacity Commercial. “Buildings that are leased are still producing, and they’re meeting their performance.” (Sarah Wolf/The Columbian)
Salem man gets 25 years in crash that killed 4 at homeless encampment
After seven months in the Marion County Jail, Enrique Rodriguez Jr., 25, of Salem was sentenced to 25 years and 10 months in prison after pleading guilty in November to driving drunk and crashing into a homeless encampment north of downtown Salem, killing four people. Rodriguez was charged with four counts of first-degree manslaughter, two counts of second-degree assault, DUI, reckless driving and three counts of recklessly endangering another person. (Whitney Woodworth/Salem Statesman Journal)
Joe Kent to run for 3rd District seat in 2024
Republican Joe Kent announced Wednesday that he would run again for the Southwest Washington congressional seat he lost in November. Kent was largely seen as an extremist candidate aligned with former President Trump. In his announcement, Kent attacked Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, D-Stevenson, who defeated him and flipped the long-held Republican district in November. “We are only beginning to learn who our Democrat Congresswoman Marie Perez really is,” Kent said. “In her first three votes, the moderate mask has fallen off and revealed a woke extremist.” (Lauren Ellenbecker/The Columbian)
Lane Community College to get $500K in federal funds for health care education lab
Lane Community College will receive $500,000 in federal funding to establish a simulation lab that will help train Oregonians to work in health care. The lab’s goal is to efficiently get more students trained and ready to join the health care industry without putting a strain on medical centers who need to provide staff for students. The lab will be a resource for all of the college’s health profession programs as well as area health providers looking to provide their staff with further education. (Tatiana Parafiniuk-Talesnick/The Register-Guard)
