The I-5 crash highlights an overlooked danger for farmworkers
All seven people killed in the deadly freeway crash near Albany last week were farmworkers. Data from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health indicate “transportation incidents” accounted for the most farmworker deaths nationally in 2020. Forty-six farmworkers in Oregon died in such incidents from 2010 to 2020, making it the second-leading cause of farmworker deaths in the state. Families of the victims of last Thursday’s crash are asking for road safety improvements, said Reyna Lopez, executive director of Oregon farmworker union PCUN. (Shannon Sollitt/Salem Statesman Journal)
Josephine County has authority to evaluate Grants Pass parks for health and safety
Michael Weber, who heads Josephine County’s public health department, said the agency has authority to evaluate the conditions at public parks in Grants Pass. Residents have lodged complaints about homeless camps and trash with the county commissioners. Weber said he’s waiting to see if the Board of Commissioners wants his department to conduct public health surveys of three parks — Tussing, Riverside and Baker — and possibly recommend cleanups or other mediations. (Lisa Dunlap/Grants Pass Daily Courier)
A nonprofit is suing Morrow County and the Boardman fire district over ambulance services
The Morrow County Health District, a nonprofit health care services provider, is suing the county and the Boardman fire district for a move it says jeopardizes public safety. The nonprofit says the county and the fire district broke the law by creating a new special district for ambulance services in Boardman. The lawsuit alleges the fire district “has been engaged in a series of activities principally aimed at disrupting the emergency medical services” the health district provides and has worked to undermine the public trust in the health district. The county called the accusations “baseless and inflammatory.” (Phil Wright/East Oregonian)
Vancouver struggles to recruit and retain police officers
Major labor market shifts in the last decade have contributed to the increase in vacancies in Vancouver and nationwide. The Vancouver Police Department, which is authorized to employ 242 sworn officers, reported 22 vacancies last month, according to department records obtained by The Columbian. Since 2018, when the department reported 25 job openings, the department has averaged 20.33 vacancies in annual employment reports — a jump from the yearly average of 6.05 vacancies between 2000 and 2017. (Carlos Fuentes/The Columbian)
Replacing pipes on the Warm Springs reservation will cost tens of millions
Oregon Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley were in Warm Springs Monday to celebrate $28 million in federal funding they helped secure to build a new water treatment plant on the reservation. But the to-do list to restore and upgrade Warm Springs’ outdated water system remains long and costly. Chico Holliday, public utilities general manager for the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs, said the reservation’s main water lines are in good condition, but branches made of wood, terracotta and other materials are leaky and at risk of failure. Ripping out the pipes and replacing them, which the tribe is doing, will take years and cost tens of millions of dollars. (Michael Kohn/Bend Bulletin)
Related: The cost of clean water in Warm Springs 🚰