How octopus and abalone helped a Pendleton teacher
Pendleton High School science teacher Stacy Hansen said she felt depleted by the COVID-19 pandemic. “I wasn’t sure I was as effective as a teacher, I felt stretched,” Hansen said. “I felt my students’ frustration and my own frustration. I even contemplated moving on from teaching.” Instead, she found a fellowship that let her return to the lab. Hansen spent last summer on the Washington Coast, studying whether ocean acidification changed octopus predation patterns, possibly causing them to drive a stark decline in native abalone populations. Hansen said the experience and bringing her findings into the classroom reignited her love for teaching. (Dakota Castets-Didier/East Oregonian)
Hundreds mourn, honor Meshay Melendez and daughter Layla Stewart in Vancouver
About 300 people gathered Sunday morning in Esther Short Park’s Propstra Square to honor Meshay “Karmen” Melendez and her daughter Layla Stewart, who were found dead in Washougal last week. Speakers remembered the pair for being “so full of energy and life.” No matter how bad of a day, attendees said, Melendez and Layla would wipe away a loved one’s tears and bring a smile to their face. Investigators say the two were last seen on the morning of March 12. The pair was reported missing on March 18. Police have named Melendez’s former boyfriend Kirkland C. Warren a person of interest in the case. (Jessica Prokop/The Columbian)
Silverton fined for sewage violations that endangered Silver Creek wildlife
Oregon environmental regulators have fined the city of Silverton $42,130 for exceeding permitted effluent limits at its wastewater treatment facility, endangering aquatic life in Silver Creek. The state Department of Environmental Quality also cited the city, without imposing a financial penalty, for repeatedly submitting incorrect water testing results. Silverton discharges treated wastewater to the creek, which flows into the Pudding River, and to the Oregon Garden, where it is filtered through the garden’s wetlands and used for irrigation. (Tracy Loew/Salem Statesman Journal)
Wildfire season starts early in Clackamas County
For the first time in agency history, Clackamas Fire had to respond to wildfires in the month of March, with firefighters deploying to several blazes on St. Patrick’s Day weekend. The largest fire burned around 20 acres east of Sandy. Clackamas Fire officials say the early-season wildfires have them concerned that this summer could be busy. They’re advising residents of rural areas in Clackamas County to build defensible space around their homes now, while conditions are more favorable. Parts of Clackamas County were significantly burned in 2020 by the Riverside Fire, which torched nearly 140,000 acres. (Raymond Rendleman/Clackamas Review)
Josephine County resumes posting meetings on YouTube
After a hiatus of more than 20 months, Josephine County Board of Commissioners meetings are once again being broadcast on YouTube. Commissioners abandoned the use of the platform in June 2021 after YouTube took down two videos of county commissioner meetings for what it said was “medical misinformation” about COVID-19 vaccines. Since then, the county has used another service at the cost of about $150 a month rather than be subject to what commissioners viewed as censorship by YouTube. Without fanfare, the county earlier this month again began using YouTube to livestream and archive meetings of the commissioners. (Shaun Hall/The Grants Pass Daily Courier)
