June 28, 2020

Hand-washing station inventor runs into trouble

In mid-March the Gazette-Times published a story on local gadget guru Niels Nielsen and a do-it-yourself hand-washing machine he was developing in an effort to keep homeless people safe amid the coronavirus.

At that point he only had two prototypes in the field, one in Pioneer Park and the other across the Willamette River in the Orleans Natural Area — both prime camping spots for the homeless.

Nielsen, a retired HP Inc. engineer, kept building and expanding his reach, morphing into the Johnny Appleseed of hand-washing stations. At his peak he had 13 stations sprinkled around Corvallis, on a mixture of public and private property.

But it was the ones on public right-of-way that put Nielsen in the crosshairs of City Hall because his units were discharging gray water into storm drains.

Read more: https://democratherald.com/news/local/hand-washing-station-inventor-runs-into-trouble/article_29236158-707d-5489-bb52-4206b602a6df.html
(Albany Democrat Herald)

June 28, 2020

Brown: Second special session in July or August

SALEM (AP) — Gov. Kate Brown on Saturday said she would call a second special legislative session this summer to fix a state budget wrecked by the economic fallout from the COVID-19 crisis and wants to use coronavirus relief funds to help support the Black community and working people.

Brown spoke after the Oregon Legislature wrapped up the first special session Friday after passing bills, most dealing with police accountability and the coronavirus pandemic.

At a news conference Brown said she would wait to call another special session to see if federal lawmakers approve assistance for local governments.

“States are struggling to balance their budgets because of the economic depression caused by the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Brown, adding that she expected to call lawmakers back to Salem in late July or early August.

Read more: https://democratherald.com/news/state-and-regional/brown-second-special-session-in-july-or-august/article_b0a231f6-8506-5ad6-b138-565e62405940.html
(Albany Democrat Herald)

June 28, 2020

Sweet Home man jailed after balking at court's face mask rule

SWEET HOME — A 30-year-old Sweet Home man said he was charged with contempt of court and arrested for refusing to wear a mask in the Sweet Home Municipal Court Wednesday morning.

John “J.T.” Kulbeth said that in March, he received a traffic citation for failure to stop for a school bus and a citation for harassment. Due to the the closure of local government offices in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, his court date was pushed out several months.

People taking care of court business are cautioned to wear masks by signs posted at the police department, where court is held.

Kulbeth said that when he checked in with Municipal Court staff, he was advised he would need a face mask. There were also free masks on a table.

Read more: https://democratherald.com/news/sh-man-jailed-after-balking-at-courts-face-mask-rule/article_3a5667d1-f5ca-5fa2-b93d-04d0949962fa.html
(Albany Democrat Herald)

June 28, 2020

Cell phone tax sails through Oregon Legislature

Oregon lawmakers capitalized on this week’s special legislative session for a quick vote on new cell phone taxes.

The bill passed the House and Senate on largely party-line votes Friday, with the Democratic supermajorities hurrying the measure through amid a flurry of activity as this week’s brief session wrapped up.

The bill, which now awaits the signature of Gov. Kate Brown, will shift the cost burden for funding rural telecommunications services from the dwindling number of landline phones to include the much larger number of cell phone subscribers.

Backers say it will raise the cost of typical cell phone bills by about $4 a year and raise $5 million for rural broadband. Supporters estimate it will save typical residential landline customers around $11 a year.

Read more: https://www.oregonlive.com/silicon-forest/2020/06/cell-phone-tax-sails-through-oregon-legislature.html

June 28, 2020

Lawmakers pass bill to prevent Oregonians from losing driver's licenses if they can't afford to pay

Black and Native American drivers receive 26% of all driving while suspended charges in Oregon, even though they make up a combined 4% of the population, according to state police statistics.

Lawmakers say that disparity creates a significant disadvantage for people of color who are disproportionately stopped and cited by law enforcement. If a driver is unable to pay a fine, a judge can suspend their license, setting off a compounding cycle of debt that could ensnare a driver for decades.

House Bill 4210 repeals judges’ ability to suspend licenses because of fine and fee debts. The bill passed the Oregon Senate after a brief debate on the floor Friday, one day after it moved through the House largely along party lines Gov. Kate Brown and state lawmakers said a priority during the special session was to pass legislation to address racial inequality. The days-long session followed widespread protests in the wake of Minneapolis police killing George Floyd in late May.

Brown is expected to sign House Bill 4210, along with several other reforms, into law after the special session concludes.

Read more: https://www.oregonlive.com/politics/2020/06/lawmakers-pass-bill-to-prevent-oregonians-from-losing-drivers-licenses-if-they-cant-afford-to-pay-fines.html

June 28, 2020

Oregon Could See 5,000 New COVID-19 Cases a Day by Mid-July if Trends Continue, Researchers Warn

New disease models released today by the Oregon Health Authority warn that daily COVID-19 infections could increase 20-fold by mid-July if trends continue.

The June 25 report from the Institute for Disease Modeling projects that, in a worst-case scenario, Oregon could see as many as 5,030 daily COVID cases by July 16. Even under a moderate scenario, daily cases are expected to rise to 910 cases a day. The current daily average for COVID cases is 180 each day.

Shortly after the models were released, OHA revealed new daily numbers: 250 new COVID cases today, 61 of them in Multnomah County. Those numbers are not records, but are among the highest single-day totals since the pandemic began.

The state's death count surpassed 200, reaching 202 with five new deaths reported today.

Read more: https://www.wweek.com/news/2020/06/26/oregon-could-see-4800-new-covid-cases-a-day-by-mid-july-if-trends-continue-researchers-warn/

June 28, 2020

Trump calls Pritzker, Lightfoot failures on Chicago gun violence; they dismiss as distraction from

Trump calls Pritzker, Lightfoot failures on Chicago gun violence; they dismiss as distraction from his job on COVID


Republican President Donald Trump lashed out Friday night at Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Mayor Lori Lightfoot over Chicago’s gun violence, saying the two had put their “own political interests” ahead of the lives of residents and insisting that “law and order” was needed.

In a letter, Trump also used the violence issue as a jumping off point to attack the state and city for high taxes and burdensome regulations, contending Pritzker and Lightfoot’s “insatiable appetite” for taxes has led people to flee Illinois.

A Pritzker spokeswoman said Trump’s letter was a “press stunt” aimed at serving as a distraction “from his long list of failures, especially his response to the deadly coronavirus and nationwide calls for racial justice.”

And Lightfoot, who delights in blasting Trump, responded with a statement saying she doesn’t “need leadership lessons” from Trump and accusing him of using victims of gun violence to try to score “cheap political points.”

Read more: https://www.chicagotribune.com/politics/ct-donald-trump-chicago-violence-letter-pritzker-lightfoot-20200627-tasm2em2gra6xlg57gvrdpu2se-story.html

June 28, 2020

Coochie Coochie Coo

June 28, 2020

American, United Airlines end social distancing, will book flights to full capacity

American Airlines will start booking flights to full capacity in the coming week, ending any effort to promote social distancing on its planes even as the United States sets records for new reported cases of the coronavirus.

American’s move matches the policy of United Airlines but contrasts sharply with rivals that are limiting bookings to create space between passengers to minimize the risk of contagion.

Henry Harteveldt, a travel analyst with Atmosphere Research Group, said American “is clearly putting its profitability ahead” of the health of passengers and its own employees.

“Packing an airplane 100% full without health testing in place is a risky business decision,” Harteveldt said. “If someone contracts the COVID-19 virus on a 100% full plane, they’re going to sue American Airlines. Just because another airline is doing it doesn’t mean it’s the right business decision.”

Read more: https://chicago.suntimes.com/2020/6/26/21305022/american-united-airlines-end-social-distancing

June 28, 2020

Driving privilege changes, LGBTQ+ history curriculum among Illinois' new laws

Along with the minimum wage increase to $10 an hour, here are some of the several laws that take effect July 1 as the state heads into the 2021 fiscal year.

Among other clean up to the Illinois Vehicle Code, Senate Bill 1786 states that the Illinois Secretary of State will not be allowed to suspend a person’s driver’s license or vehicle registration anymore for failing to pay a fine or penalty on time.

Lawmakers passed the bill last October in the veto session while arguing that a person still has the right to drive to work despite not being able to afford a driving ticket.

Also, two actions were added to the list of reasons for the Illinois Secretary of State to impose a one-year driver’s license suspension in House bills 2383 and 2386.

Read more: https://www.sj-r.com/news/20200627/driving-privilege-changes-lgbtq-history-curriculum-among-illinoisrsquo-new-laws
(Springfield State Journal Register)