Wind gusts and heat lead to heat advisories and red flag warnings throughout the region
The National Weather Service has issued numerous red flag warnings across Oregon and in much of Southwest Washington as temperatures hover in the 90s and west winds gust in some areas. A red flag warning indicates that weather conditions are ripe for extreme fire behavior. At the same time, the agency has issued heat advisories throughout much of the state. Several cooling stations have been set up in Portland, Vancouver and throughout Multnomah County to help people survive the heat. (OPB Staff)
It’s getting hot out there, so stay cool and hydrated at one of our temporary cooling stations that provide drinking water and refreshing mist! pic.twitter.com/swZAnWIpC3
— Portland Water Bureau (@portlandwater) July 4, 2023
See Multnomah County cooling resources here.
See Vancouver cooling resources here.
Turnover of principals prompts questions about ‘pattern of departures’ in Medford schools
Employees at South Medford High School wrote a letter to the school board and district superintendent asking about principal turnover after Jeremy Hamasu announced his departure. The reasons behind Hamasu’s departure remain a mystery. He won’t explicitly say why he’s leaving, and nobody asked him to resign. Hamasu had just signed a three-year contract extension on April 5. The letter also expressed concern about Hamasu’s replacement, Jonathan Lyons, who lost his last job as the principal at a high school in Carmel, California. According to an investigation, Lyons hadn’t followed district protocol to investigate a case of possible student-on-student sexual harassment. (Shaun Hall/Rogue Valley Times)
Working for Salem’s public transit operator is getting more dangerous
Current and former drivers, maintenance workers and supervisors for Cherriots, Salem’s public transit provider, said doing their jobs has become increasingly dangerous. They’ve reported being assaulted on buses and at bus stops. They allege Cherriots management hasn’t taken sufficient steps to protect them and the district’s governor-appointed board has overlooked problems. Hallie Marler worked on facilities maintenance for Cherriots when she came to a public Cherriots governing board meeting and reported that she had been assaulted while cleaning a bus stop. Her coworkers said that the lack of support contributed to her death at 57, just six months after speaking at the meeting. (Bill Poehler/Salem Statesman Journal)
Hikers could soon return to Saddle Mountain
Hikers may soon get to take in the sweeping views of Oregon’s North Coast that can be seen along the Saddle Mountain trail. Oregon’s Parks and Recreation Department hopes to reopen the 2.5-mile trail to the 3,288-foot summit in August. Aside from a brief window in 2021, the tallest peak in Clatsop County with one of the region’s popular hiking trails has remained mostly off-limits to the public since the state parks shut it down because of the coronavirus pandemic in the spring of 2020. (Rebecca Norden-Bright/Daily Astorian)
