Weekday Wrap: New ways to distribute aid in Oregon, plus a turtle test in Polk County

By OPB staff (OPB)
Jan. 3, 2023 8:57 p.m.

Collaboration helps groups reach more Oregonians with more aid dollars

Two relief funds that were started in the wake of disaster have created a new model for distributing aid to Oregonians in need. The Oregon Worker Relief fund and the Climate Change fund have raised and distributed hundreds of millions of dollars in recent years. The former helps undocumented workers who aren’t eligible for government pandemic relief funds, while the latter supplements income lost to extreme events like heat or wildfire. But the money isn’t flowing in or out of one sole organization. Instead, dozens of groups are working to raise awareness and distribute aid in their smaller, individual networks. Members of the coalition are thinking of how they might apply the model elsewhere. (Shannon Sollitt/Statesman Journal)

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Lawyers file wrongful death lawsuit against Crook County deputy

The estate of Nick Rodin, a man shot and killed by a Crook County sheriff’s deputy last year, has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the county and the deputy in federal court. Deputy Steven Hatcher shot and killed Rodin, who had schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, in February south of Prineville. The district attorney determined the following month that Hatcher’s actions were justified. The lawsuit argues Hatcher’s failure to deescalate the situation led to Rodin’s aggressive behavior, which was later used to justify the deputy’s use of force. (Joe Siess/The Bulletin)

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How slow can you go?

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Oregon’s Polk County is putting some of its slowest internet connections to the test. The federal government has a $42.5 billion pot of money in the new infrastructure law devoted to improving rural broadband connectivity, but money will only go to communities that fall below the Federal Communications Commission’s definition of broadband. Falls City and the West Salem hills didn’t make the cut, so Polk County has brought on a nonprofit to test internet speeds in those communities to challenge the agency’s determination. (George Plaven/Capital Press)

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NFT skepticism might have slowed the sale of a Sisters golf course

The proposed sale of the Aspen Lakes Golf Course east of Sisters is on hold. A Salem family formed a company to purchase the golf course, hoping to build a destination resort with everything from a cigar lounge to a dude ranch. They planned to make membership available through the purchase of non-fungible tokens, or NFTs. But the recent collapse of crypto exchange FTX might have spooked potential members from buying NFTs and left the Aspen Lakes purchaser short on capital for the time being. (Bill Bartlett/The Nugget Newspaper)

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It’s barely 2023, and Portland has its first traffic fatality of the year

A driver died early Sunday morning after crashing into parked cars in the Powellhurst-Gilbert neighborhood of Southeast Portland, according to the Portland Police Bureau. The name of the victim has not been released. At least 68 people died in traffic incidents in Portland last year. (Jim Redden/The Portland Tribune)

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