Oregon school districts are building budgets blind
School districts across Oregon have to finalize and adopt new budgets by the end of June. The Republican-led walkout in the state Senate is forcing districts to write those budgets without knowing exactly how much money they’ll have. (Natalie Pate/Oregon Capital Chronicle)
Related: Rising caseloads and uncertain funding threaten services for Oregon’s neediest students
Advocates warn inadequate funding could jeopardize child care for 1,000 families
A study released last month by Oregon State University found a 5% increase in the number of child care slots available from March 2020 to last December. The report found state investments in child care were a big factor in the increase. But advocates are now warning that with inadequate funding for a key employment-related subsidy, more than 1,000 families are at risk of losing the help they need for child care. According to an early childhood advocacy group, The Children’s Institute, the state is also at risk of kicking a thousand families off of the Preschool Promise program. Advocates say with strong revenue projections, the state should increase early childhood spending by close to $300 million dollars. (Rob Manning/OPB)
Salem fruit company issues voluntary recall
Willamette Valley Fruit Company, in Salem, is voluntarily recalling some frozen fruit packages that contain strawberries grown in Mexico. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration says the company issued the recall due to the potential for Hepatitis A contamination. The packages were sold at Walmart stores in Oregon and 31 other states under the Great Value brand, in 40- and 64-ounce packages. Anyone who purchased them is urged to throw the packages away or return them for a refund. A full list of recalled products is available here. (OPB staff)
Santiam Brewing brews AI-generated beer recipe and it’s ... good?
Can a beer recipe generated by artificial intelligence be as good as one created by humans? The owners of Salem’s Santiam Brewing say it can, and they recently crafted a new brew called “Cosmic Haze” from an AI-generated recipe of an East Coast-style IPA. (Em Chan/Salem Statesman-Journal)
Oregon may kick cars out of Lincoln City beaches
The Oregon Parks and Recreation Department has introduced a few proposals to restrict motorized vehicles on two sections of the Lincoln City shoreline. A spokesperson for the department said they’re trying to “keep people and vehicles from mixing on a busy beach.” (Charles Gearing/Salem Statesman Journal)
Related: How Oregonians came to own the state’s beaches 🏖
OHSU gets a million bucks for biofabrication cancer research
A million-dollar pot of money will help researchers at OHSU’s Knight Cancer Institute recreate cancer tissues through advanced 3D printing technology. They’ll get an up-close look at replica tumors to better understand how cancer cells interact with other cell types. (Karla Salinas/The Portland Tribune)
Related: Oregon scientists are 3D printing their way to a healthier future for us all
