Portland metro area homeless services director steps down
As the number of people experiencing homelessness in the Portland metro area is seeing a sharp spike, the Portland-Multnomah County Joint Office of Homeless Services will again have new leadership. After holding the position for six months, the agency’s interim director, Shannon Singleton, is leaving on Nov. 25 to become director of community engagement for the Black-owned government affairs firm Espousal Strategies. County Chair Deborah Kafoury said the agency’s deputy director, Joshua Bates, will become the next interim director. (Max Egener/Portland Tribune)
Brown marmorated stink bug outbreak threatens Oregon crops
It’s unclear if climate change is playing a part in it, but scientists say this year Oregon’s brown marmorated stink bug population is the highest it’s been in years. And for many of the state’s farmers the situation, well, stinks. It has been especially damaging to hazelnut crops, according to Nik Wiman, an Oregon State University assistant professor. The boom has surprised Wiman and others, who say the bug population fluctuates from year to year. Some scientists attribute the spike to a wet spring, others say it’s part of a natural cycle and some say it could get worse if climate change continues unabated. (Sierra Dawn McClain/Capital Press)
H2A visa program explained as Oregon farms struggle to get domestic seasonal workers
Oregon certified roughly 5,000 H2A jobs in 2021. But farmers and H2A recruiters suspect a labor shortage will continue to drive the need for foreign workers in Oregon. The visa program allows agricultural employers to hire temporary, seasonal workers from other countries during peak seasons such as harvest. To qualify for H2A workers, employers must prove they cannot fill open positions with domestic workers. Farmers like Jen Coleman say it provides critical staffing for jobs they cannot otherwise fill. “We can’t get enough domestic workers to work seasonally,” Coleman said. (Shannon Sollitt/Statesman Journal)
Partners thrilled with salmon restoration project outlook
The Bandon Hatchery and Coquille Tribe received some good news following years of dwindling returns when they saw 150 breeding pairs of fall Chinook Salmon this year, making it one the highest returns in nearly two decades. “Last year it was 24 breeding pairs, the year before that it was 3, and then in the neighborhood of 20 for a couple of years prior,” said John Ogan, the assistant executive director for Natural Resources for the Coquille Tribe. (Brian Bull/KLCC)
November storm disrupts apple harvest
The apple harvest in Central and Eastern Washington recently suffered another blow this year when a storm swept across the region over the first weekend of November. Growers had already taken a hit in the spring with unusual cold and stormy weather damaging blossoms and shortening the window for pollination. In some cases, entire orchard blocks reportedly didn’t bloom. According to the Washington State Tree Fruit Association, the crop will weigh in at 99.9 million 40-pound boxes, an 18.3% decrease from the previous year. (Sierra Dawn McClain/Capital Press)
