Central Oregon News and Weather «Bend Bugle

All Oregon DMV offices closed Friday, Nov. 27

Tuesday, November 24th, 2009
Bend Bugle News Reports

SALEM, OREGON – The Oregon DMV headquarters and all DMV field offices throughout the state will be closed on Friday, Nov. 27, as well as Thanksgiving Day itself. The Nov. 27 closure is the second of 10 statewide mandatory unpaid “furlough” days scheduled through June 2011.

However, during these closures, customers still can do business with DMV by mail or online. Online services include most passenger vehicle registration renewals, change of address and notice of sale of your vehicle.

For a complete list of DMV online services go to: www.OregonDMV.com/online.

DMV offices will open on their regularly scheduled day and time after the furlough day. For a complete list of DMV office hours, go to www.OregonDMV.com.

Under Oregon’s cost-saving furlough plan, state employees must take 10 to 14 unpaid days off – depending on their salary level – during the 2009-11 state budgetary period. Ten of those days are statewide closures for offices that do not provide emergency services or require round-the-clock staffing. State employees who are required to take additional unpaid furlough days will schedule them in much the same way they schedule vacation days.

DMV is one of the state agencies that is required to observe the 10 scheduled mandatory closures. The 10 statewide closures are all Fridays, including the day after Thanksgiving in 2009 and 2010. The 10 dates are:

Oct. 16, 2009
Nov. 27, 2009 (day after Thanksgiving)
March 19, 2010
April 16, 2010
June 18, 2010
Aug. 20, 2010
Sept. 17, 2010
Nov. 26, 2010 (day after Thanksgiving)
March 18, 2011
May 20, 2011

For more information about the statewide mandatory unpaid closures, visit the Department of Administrative Services’ Web site at www.Oregon.gov/DAS.

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Caring for yourself and others with the flu

Thursday, October 15th, 2009
Bend Bugle News Reports

SALEM, OREGON – As more people experience flu-like symptoms that could be pandemic H1N1 influenza, Oregon Public Health officials are reminding people of what they can do to protect themselves and others.

“So far, the H1N1 flu is not more serious than regular flu, so if you are sick, stay home to avoid spreading it to others and take good care of yourself,” says Mel Kohn, M.D., Oregon Public Health director. “If you have other conditions that put you at high risk or if symptoms get serious, that’s when you should call your doctor.” (See list of conditions below.*)

Public health officials are asking people to take the guidelines seriously about staying home, says Kohn.

“The issue with this flu is not that it’s more dangerous,” says Kohn. “It’s that few of us have immunity until we get vaccinated. That means high absenteeism in our schools and businesses unless we all take this seriously and do everything we can to stop the spread.”

Kohn reminds people that staying at home when sick means not leaving your residence except to seek medical care in the rare cases that it is necessary. Ill people should avoid normal activities including work, school, travel, shopping, and social and public gatherings. They should stay home for at least 24 hours after fever (over 100 degrees) subsides. While at home, they should get plenty of rest, drink plenty of liquids, cover coughs and sneezes, and watch for warning signs that might indicate the need for medical attention.

Most people will recover completely on their own after a week or so of illness and don’t need to see a doctor.

Some health conditions increase the risk of severe illness from influenza:
* Pregnancy;
* Long-term aspirin therapy in children and adolescents (aged 6 mos.–18 yrs.);
* Chronic lung disease (including asthma), heart, kidney, liver, blood, or metabolic disorders (including diabetes);
* Immuno-suppression (including that caused by medications or HIV);
* Any condition (e.g., cognitive dysfunction, spinal cord injuries, seizures or neuromuscular disorders) that affects respiratory function or handling of respiratory secretions or that increases the risk for aspiration; and
* Residence in a nursing home or other chronic-care facility.

Also, children aged 6-59 months (up to 5 years) and adults aged 65 years and older are considered at increased risk for severe illness from influenza.

People who have severe illness or are at high risk for flu complications should contact a health care provider who will determine whether treatment is needed. If you are directed to see a health care provider, ask if the facility has any special procedures for flu sufferers who visit.

In children, emergency warning signs that need urgent medical attention include:
• Fast breathing or trouble breathing;
• Bluish or gray skin color;
• Not drinking enough fluids;
• Severe or persistent vomiting;
• Not waking up or not interacting;
• So irritable that the child does not want to be held;
• Flu-like symptoms improve but then return with fever and worse cough;
• Fever with a rash.

In adults, emergency warning signs that need urgent medical attention include:
• Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath;
• Pain or pressure in the chest or abdomen;
• Sudden dizziness;
• Confusion;
• Severe or persistent vomiting;
• Flu-like symptoms improve but then return with fever and cough.

People with severe symptoms should call 911 or go to the nearest emergency department.

The Oregon Public Health Division also has provided the following guidelines for people who must care for someone else with H1N1 influenza:

• Check with that person’s health care provider about any special care he or she may need for certain health conditions such as pregnancy, diabetes, heart disease, asthma or emphysema — and to determine if the ill person should take antiviral medication. Antiviral medications can lessen flu-like symptoms and can be helpful for people at high risk but they are not recommended for the general public.

• Treat the flu sufferer with over-the-counter pain and fever relievers such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen, but never give children or teenagers aspirin, which can cause a serious illness called Reye’s Syndrome. Do not give children younger than 4 years of age over-the-counter cold medications without first checking with your health care provider.

• Avoid being face-to-face with the sick person and try to provide good ventilation. Wash hands after touching the sick person and keep surfaces clean. Keep the ill person at home but away from others in the house as much as possible, as least until fever (over 100 degrees) is absent for 24 hours. Make sure the sick person drinks plenty of liquids.

Public health officials do not recommend the use of masks in the community to prevent exposure to H1N1 influenza.

Vaccination is the best way to prevent against H1N1 as well as the seasonal flu. In addition, public health experts continue to advise the public to take basic precautions to help slow the spread of all influenza:
• Wash your hands;
• Cover your cough;
• Stay home if you are sick.

For more information, please visit the Oregon Department of Human Services Web site http://www.flu.oregon.gov or call the Oregon Public Health Flu Hotline: 800-978-3040.

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Deschutes County Seeks Help in Shaping Land Use

Thursday, October 15th, 2009
Bend Bugle News Reports

Deschutes County has prepared a new draft of the Comprehensive Plan for the first time since 1979. Over the next three months, the Deschutes County Community Development Department will host 10 public meetings to discuss the new draft Plan to obtain feedback from County residents.

The Community Plans within the Comprehensive Plan are specific blueprints of how and where growth and development occur and how natural resources will be protected in the unincorporated areas of the County for the next 20 years. The draft Plan is based on public input received over the past year, changes to state law, coordination with other agencies and organizations and in-depth analysis of current conditions and trends.

The County is asking for comments on all aspects of the Plan, from its general themes to specific actions.

The following meeting address specific Community Plans that include growth and development affecting each community. Give your input and learn more about the Community Plan at these October meetings:

Date Tentative Topic Location Time
Oct. 19 Community Plan Terrebonne Grange Hall 6:15 p.m.
Oct. 20 Community Plan Tumalo Community School 6:00 p.m.
Oct. 29 Community Plan Three Sisters 7th Day Adventist School 6:00 p.m.

Note: This schedule is subject to change

Based on public comments received this fall, the draft Plan will be revised in early 2010. Public hearings are expected to begin in spring 2010.

A copy of the draft Comprehensive Plan as well as detailed information about the Planning Commission and community meetings are available at www.deschutes.org/cdd , under “Comprehensive Plan Update.”

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First State Closure Day Happens on Friday

Monday, October 12th, 2009
Bend Bugle News Reports

SALEM, OREGON – Most state offices will close on Friday, and 26,500 state employees will take mandatory, unpaid furloughs on that day, the Oregon Department of Administrative Services (DAS) announced today.

The closure on Oct. 16 is the first of 10 closure dates the state has scheduled over the remainder of the current two-year budget period. Each day of closure will save an estimated $2 million in personnel costs. While the closures will affect both management and non-management employees, most management employees and many non-management employees will take up to four additional days of unpaid furloughs on a floating basis over the remainder of the biennium.

“We apologize for any inconvenience these closures might cause to the public, and we look forward to restoration of a full work schedule for all state agencies when the economy improves,” said DAS Director Scott Harra. “State agencies will do everything possible to minimize any hardship the closures might impose.”

Some workers will stay on the job.

Certain state employees who provide essential services in public safety will remain on the job as usual祐tate Police officers, corrections officers and certain state hospital workers, for example.

The designated closure days will not affect the Oregon University System, state courts or the legislative branch of government. These entities will remain open and will deal with budget reductions in other ways.

Oregon is not alone.

Harra pointed out that Oregon is not alone in using closures and unpaid furloughs. Nearly half the states have found that temporary closures and furloughs are efficient ways to save precious tax dollars while preserving the important functions and services of state government.

Unions, state negotiated which days to close.

Over the past summer, the state’s management team and the unions that represent state workers negotiated an agreement that specifies which days to designate as closure days. The negotiators took into account the need to minimize public inconvenience while keeping critical operations open and functioning.

“By taking this approach, we have avoided the costly and contentious legal battles that some other states have endured when public employees have contested the planned furloughs and closures,” Harra said.

State Web sites offer information on closures.

The Oregon Department of Administrative Services has published information about Friday’s closure and furloughs on the state’s Web site (www.Oregon.gov), along with a schedule of the remaining closure days. Members of the public can also find out which state offices will remain open on the closure days. Harra urged the public to check individual agencies’ Web sites for additional information.

Most agencies and programs will be closed on ten specific days during the biennium. Those closure days are:

2009
Friday, October 16, 2009
Friday, November 27, 2009

2010
Friday, March 19, 2010
Friday, April 16, 2010
Friday, June 18, 2010
Friday, August 20, 2010
Friday, September 17, 2010
Friday, November 26, 2010

2011
Friday, March 18, 2011
Friday, May 20, 2011

The designated closure days will not affect the Oregon University System, state courts or the legislative branch of government.

For a list of agencies affected by the closures, see:

http://www.oregon.gov/furlough_closures.shtml

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Ochoco National Forest Controlled Burn Update

Saturday, October 10th, 2009
Bend Bugle News Reports

PRINEVILLE, OREGON – Forest Service Fuels Specialists from the Ochoco National Forest, with assistance from the Prineville Bureau of Land Management, are continuing with controlled burn projects through the weekend. With wet weather predicted starting as early as Tuesday, fuels specialists are taking full advantage of the current “weather window” and burning while the conditions are favorable.

Mill Creek
The “Rocky,” a 1,500-acre controlled burn, will take several weeks to complete. Fuels specialists have completed approximately 100 acres to date and plan to burn an additional 200 acres over the holiday weekend. The project area is located 14 miles east of Prineville and approximately 3 miles east/northeast of Mill Creek.

Mill Creek residents can expect smoke from the controlled fire to impact nearby Forest Service Roads, particular in the late evening and early morning hours when cool air causes the smoke to settle.

Maury Mountains
The “West Maurys Naturals,” a 1,700-acre controlled burn, is expected to take numerous days to complete. The burn will be completed in multiple blocks, as weather and conditions permit. The project area includes the Newsome, Florida, Sherwood and Friday Creek areas. Fuels specialists have competed 80 acres to date and plan to complete an additional 400 acres in the Sherwood and Newsome Creek areas over the holiday weekend

This weekend, fuels specialists will also work towards completing 50 acres of “Spears,” a 1,700-acre controlled burn near Rocky Butte, and 400 acres of “Zane,” a 1,000-acre controlled burn project located between Big and Little Summit Prairies.

Hunters and other forest visitors are advised to either avoid or use caution if traveling through recently burned areas, as there is potential risk of being hit by fire-weakened timber, rolling debris, or receiving burns from stepping into smoldering stump holes.

The Forest Service adheres to the guidelines of the Oregon Department of Forestry’s Smoke Management Plan prior to conducting controlled burns. To view maps that show the fuels treatments planned on public lands in Central Oregon for fall 2009, visit our website at http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/centraloregon/fires/index.shtml

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Oregon’s Unemployment System Overloaded

Tuesday, October 6th, 2009
Bend Bugle News Reports

SALEM, OREGON – A network system failure at the State Data Center kept the Unemployment Insurance Claims system shut down for 12 hours on Sunday. This has resulted in a backlog of traffic that has overwhelmed the telephone systems that deliver calls to the Employment Department’s call centers.

Employment Department personnel are trying to help the State Data Center and the telephone companies correct the problem. We anticipate that the telephone problems will be resolved by sometime on Wednesday.

In the meantime—

1. Don’t call the Unemployment Insurance call centers today. The reduction in traffic will allow time for the telephone company and the State Data Center to make necessary repairs.

2. If you can, file your continuing claim or new claim online at www.WorkingInOregon.org/ocs. WorkSource Oregon Employment Department offices throughout the state can make a computer available to you, if you don’t have access to one. The online claims system is working, but it is slow due to heavy volume.

3. Oregonians who may be eligible for new Oregon Emergency Benefits will be contacted by Employment Department staff via telephone from locations where we have operating telephone connections. Claimants who do not have current phone numbers in our system should update their address online at www.WorkingInOregon.org/ocs or contact the call centers later in the week.

The current telephone outage will not affect the amount or duration of any eligible claim.

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Controlled Burns Scheduled on the Ochoco National Forest

Tuesday, September 29th, 2009
Bend Bugle News Reports

PRINEVILLE, OREGON -As the fall season brings cooler temperatures and milder weather conditions, fire managers from the Ochoco National Forest are planning to accomplish a total of 8,000 acres of controlled burns over the next six weeks, weather permitting.

The controlled burn projects are located on the Lookout Mountain and Paulina Ranger Districts in the Maury Mountains, Rocky Butte, Deep Creek and the Petersen Point areas.

“We keep a list of projects to choose from and burn in the project area that best fits the burn prescription on any given day,” said Fire Management Officer Kevin Donham.

One of the planned controlled burns will occur in the Mill Creek area. The burn is approximately 1,500 acres in size and will be completed in 100-200 acre blocks each day, taking several weeks to complete. Nearby residents can expect smoke to impact forest roads, especially in the late evening and early morning hours when the cool air causes the smoke to settle. If the smoke gets too heavy and doesn’t clear out during the day, burning will stop until conditions improve.

Hunters and other forest visitors are reminded to either avoid or to be very careful when traveling through recently burned forest areas, as there is danger of being hit by fire-weakened timber or of being burned by accidentally stepping into a stump hole. Hunters can obtain more specific information on the location of planned controlled burn areas on the Ochoco National Forest by visiting the hunter’s booth at Ray’s on the east side of Prineville from Wednesday, September 30 through Friday, October 2, 2009 from 5:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Controlled burning is a tool that fire managers use for a variety of objectives. Burn objectives for the Ochoco National Forest include maintaining forest health by reducing the accumulation of hazardous fuels, reducing the encroachment of western juniper and white fir into ponderosa pine ecosystems and improving wildlife habitat by increasing native grasses, forbs and shrubs.

To view maps of all fuels treatments projects on public lands in Central Oregon (Deschutes & Ochoco National Forests and Prineville Bureau of Land Management) for the fall 2009 season, visit our website at www.fs.fed.us/r6/centraloregon The maps provide a general idea of where projects will be completed. Due to changes in weather and conditions, projects are subject to change on short notice.

Completing controlled burn projects near private property, as in the Mill Creek burn, reduces the risk of high-intensity wildfires. Being proactive in reducing fuels now helps to reduce the intensity of future wildifres, increasing the firefighters’ ability to safely protect homes. Homeowners can do their part by clearing forest fuels and moving wood piles away from homes and structures. Visit the www.firefire.org website for additional information and tips for creating defensible space. For additional information, contact Jeff Bell at (541) 416-6417.

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Bend to Lava Butte: Enforcement Detail on Friday

Tuesday, September 29th, 2009
Bend Bugle News Reports

BEND, OREGON – The Multi Agency Traffic Team will be holding an enforcement detail from the City of Bend to Lava Butte on Friday, October 2, 2009 from 8:00 am until 12:00 pm. The enforcement detail will focus on aggressive drivers who make unsafe lane changes, follow too close, speed and drivers that fail to maintain a safe distance from emergency vehicles.

Date & Time of Incident: Friday, October 2, 2009
Type of Incident: Multi Agency Traffic Team enforcement detail
Location of Incident: City of Bend to Lava Butte

The Multi Agency Traffic Team consists of officers from the Bend, Redmond and Sunriver Police Departments, Oregon State Police, and Deputies from the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office. They will be enforcing violations related aggressive and unsafe driving. These efforts are meant to increase safety and prevent motor vehicle crashes. The goal of the team is to increase traffic safety awareness and compliance, through high visibility enforcement details.

Date/Time Prepared: 9/29/2009
Prepared By: Sergeant Chris Carney

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