Ardeac Eichner News Today

Grant for Harmonious Living between Farmers and Wildlife June 30, 2021 In an effort to foster the coexistence of agriculture and wildlife, the Benton County Agriculture and Wildlife Protection Program will be offering grants to agricultural operations for the installation of non-lethal wildlife deterrents.  Applicants for the grant are asked to fill out an application form which outlines what livestock or crops they have, what sorts of wildlife they interact with — beavers, nuisance animals ...

Oregon Legislative Aides Unionize Oregon State Capitol at Sunset As of Friday, May 28, Oregon Capitol Legislative employees joined the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 89, making them the first legislative employees in the nation to unionize. As a result of this unionization, Oregon Capitol aides will have more input into how the building runs.  Despite its name, IBEW Local 89 represents a variety of industries in the Pacific Northwest including clerical workers.   Altho...

Recreation Closures Around OR May 24, 2021 After last September’s fire season, this summer’s wilderness recreation opportunities will look a bit different. Many of the recreation areas that will remain closed lie along rivers, as the wildfires hit hardest along those windier corridors.   There are several interactive maps which show the locations of fire closures, such as this Oregon recreation site status map or this US Forest Service emergency closure map. It is worth noting, the oregon...

American Rescue Plan Funds for Oregon Colleges and Students May 18, 2021 As part of the approximately $39.6 billion Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF) announced by the US Department of Education, Oregon institutions will be receiving $400 million.   The funds will be allocated to both public and private institutions. Locally, the plan includes the allocation of $46 million to Oregon State University and $10.7 million to Linn-Benton Community College.   According to the USDE, the...

Wildcat Elementary to Undergo Renovations May 10, 2021 As of the Corvallis Community Development Planning Division’s Order 2021-021, Wildcat Elementary School on Satinwood St. may soon be getting some new construction.   The main elements of the planned construction are the expansion of the school building into what is currently a covered play area on the North side, and the addition of bike racks in the Northern parking lot. The plans show that the covered play area would be reconstructed ...

Oregon Bill May Help Prevent HIV/AIDS May 7, 2021 Although for the past year the world’s mind has been on a new pandemic, there is an older one which still affects many people globally. A new bill proposed in Oregon aims to increase access to preventative medicine by changing requirements for insurance companies.   House Bill 2958 would allow pharmacists to prescribe and administer preventative HIV medicine, and require that insurance cover such a prescription in the same way as one from a ...

CROWN Act Steps Closer to Law May 2, 2021 The Oregon House of Representatives unanimously voted to support a bill which would prohibit public schools and employers from discriminating against people based on hairstyles associated with race.   Similar laws to House Bill 2935, colloquially referred to as the CROWN Act, have been passed in other US states in recent years. According to Rep. Janelle Bynum from Clackamas, “It’s an act of self-love for the Black community to be able to show up a...

Oregon Looks at Dental Therapists for Under Served April 14, 2021 A groundbreaking dentistry bill is being discussed for Oregonians. House Bill 2528 would allow a new kind of dentistry to be practiced in the state: Dental therapy.  With a smaller scope of care than dentists, but larger than dental hygienists, dental therapists would make dental care accessible to a wider variety of communities, including underserved rural and tribal communities.  Proponents of the original bill feel that in...

OSU Researchers: Policy Options Impact Coastal Wellbeing April 13, 2021 A recent study led by Oregon State University researchers suggests that policy decisions related to coastal development will have a greater impact on flooding, erosion and beach access than climate change will.  The study used a modeling program, Envision, to predict and analyse the effects of various variables on coastal communities over the next century, based on data from Tillamook County. Some of these variables incl...

Benton County to Receive $2.3 Million for COVID Response April 5, 2021 In an announcement on March 31, Rep. Peter DeFazio said over $16.1 million in funding from the American Rescue Plan would be given to health centers in Southwestern Oregon, including $2.3 million to Benton County.  The American Rescue Plan provides community health centers with the resources to enhance their COVID-19 response. Health centers that receive funding can use it to expand vaccinations, to test and treat vulnerabl...