It’s beginning to look a lot like drought season
Drought will worsen or develop in Oregon, Idaho and Washington over the next three months, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s spring outlook issued Thursday. The biblical rainstorms that have soaked California largely missed the Pacific Northwest. Water supply forecasters at NOAA say drought conditions will likely spread throughout the region as normal and below-normal snowpacks begin to melt. About 77% of Oregon and 76% of Idaho remain in drought as of Friday, while just 1% of Washington is in drought. (Don Jenkins/Capital Press)
Whale watchers, assemble
Oregon State Parks will host spring Whale Watch Week in person beginning March 28. Until April 2, people can observe as thousands of gray whales migrate north through Oregon’s waters. Volunteers will be stationed at 17 sites along the Oregon Coast from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. daily to help people spot whales, share information and answer questions. View a map of the official whale watching sites on the Parks Department website. (The Astorian)
Vancouver Farmers Market to see record number of vendors
This year, a record number of vendors — 253 — will join the Vancouver Farmers Market, which opens this weekend. But unlike in previous years, they’ll likely be able to vend into the winter months. With more vendors signed up at the downtown market than there were for all three of Vancouver’s markets last year, the market team is making moves to be open year-round. The market is still working to finalize plans with the city, but the goal is to remain open save for the last two weeks of December before reopening the first Saturday in January. (Sarah Wolf/The Columbian)
Idaho doctors fear abortion laws could deter medical students
Abortion laws are on the minds of students around the country right now who are considering where to train, and later, where to practice medicine. Dr. Angela Bangs, a third-year resident in Boise, last summer attended the biggest family medicine conference in Kansas City, where medical students can learn more about residency programs. Her booth was set up in a big conference hall alongside other Idaho programs. Students, clutching spiral notebooks, would walk up to her table, and without introducing themselves first, ask, pointedly, “What’s the status of abortion and the ability to provide them in your state?” Bangs said more than half the students who asked her questions asked about Idaho’s abortion laws. Others in the medical profession in Idaho worry state laws criminalizing abortion will drive away future doctors, who often practice within 100 miles of where they’re trained. (Rachel Cohen/Boise State Public Radio)
Eugene teacher put on leave after ‘sexual fantasy’ assignment
Eugene School District 4J has put Churchill High School’s health teacher on leave and launched a third-party investigation following parental outrage over a student sexual education assignment. Teacher and varsity football coach Kirk Miller assigned students in his Health 2: Humanity Sexuality class to write a paragraph or short story about a sexual fantasy demonstrating how someone can “show and receive loving, physical affection without having sex.” The assignment was part of the OWL: Our Whole Lives health curriculum, a state-approved program 4J implemented in 2018. At a recent school board meeting, the superintendent and 4J board members denounced the assignment, saying it was not appropriate for students. (Miranda Cyr/The Eugene Register-Guard)
