Portlanders can apply for $500 virus relief cards
People in Portland struggling financially during the COVID-19 pandemic will be able to try again for a prepaid $500 VISA debit card to cover household expenses.
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St. Charles COVID-19 patient count declines to 41 amid canceled elective surgeries
St. Charles Health System is calling off more elective surgeries and moving some patients from St. Charles Bend to its other hospitals in the region to deal with a jump in COVID-19 patients, Chief Physician Executive Dr. Jeff Absalon said Monday.
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Redmond schools pause limited in-person instruction amid rise in COVID-19 cases
The Redmond School District notified parents Monday that limited in-person instruction will be paused, as of Wednesday, due to the major surge in Deschutes County COVID-19 cases.
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Oregon reports 12 COVID-19 deaths, 1,331 cases; St. Charles at record 49 patients
COVID-19 has claimed 12 more lives in Oregon, raising the state’s death toll to 1,045, and 1,331 new cases, the Oregon Health Authority reported Monday as St. Charles Health System reported a record 49 patients with the virus.
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‘It’s very scary’: Pandemic may cost Silver Lake its only eatery (again)
In the small Lake County town of Silver Lake, owner Maria Leckenby runs the Silver Lake Café And Bar.
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Oregon Health Authority reports 24 more COVID-19 deaths, 1,847 new cases
COVID-19 has claimed 24 more lives in Oregon, raising the state’s death toll to 1,027, along with 1,847 new cases, 112 of them in Central Oregon, the Oregon Health Authority reported Saturday.
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‘Our kids are the sacrifices’: Parents push schools to open
In debates nationwide about opening schools, parents who are unhappy with distance learning are taking increasingly vocal roles in calling for more in-person instruction through grassroots organizing and legal challenges.
Continue ReadingOregon anti-mask doctor’s medical license suspended
The Oregon Medical Board has suspended the license of a doctor who said he refuses to wear a mask in his clinic west of Salem and encouraged others to not wear masks.
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Despite being in ‘extreme’ risk category, some C.O. restaurants push back
While indoor dining remains closed in Deschutes, Jefferson, and Crook counties, three of 25 in the “extreme risk” category due to rising COVID-19 cases, some restaurant owners say they’ve had enough.
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Deschutes County says surge in COVID-19 cases is delaying contact tracing efforts
Deschutes County Health Services is responding to a high volume of COVID-19 cases, which hit a record-high 129 cases on Friday. Due to the increase, case investigation and contact tracing teams are currently not able to contact all residents who test positive within 24 hours.
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Deschutes County reports 129 new COVID-19 cases as counts surge statewide
COVID-19 has claimed a record 30 more lives in Oregon, raising the state’s death toll to 1,003, along with a record 2,176 new cases, pushing that tally past 80,000, the Oregon Health Authority reported Friday. Central Oregon echoed those rising numbers, with 182 new cases.
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Deschutes County Public Library trimming operating hours
Open hours will be reduced at all Deschutes Public Library locations beginning Monday. The reduced hours will remain in effect until further notice, officials said.
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Oregon hits new COVID-19 death, case records; 1,000s of vaccine doses expected soon
Gov. Kate Brown and state health officials had both grim new record COVID-19 death and case counts to share Friday and hopeful news of thousands of doses of the first two vaccines due to arrive in the state this month, pending federal approval.
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New round of COVID-19 relief grants for Deschutes, Jefferson county businesses
The Central Oregon Intergovernmental Council, together with Deschutes and Jefferson counties, are offering another round of grants to Central Oregon small businesses and non-profits negatively impacted by the economic downturn caused by COVID-19.
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‘Freeze’ ends, but C.O. restaurants, patrons still out in the cold
For the first time in two weeks, restaurants in Central Oregon were able to offer outdoor seating Thursday, though the cold weather made it a challenge for some patrons.
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C.O. leaders want schools open; governor’s office says case counts must drop first
Bend city councilors and councilors-elect, Bend-La Pine School Board members and other local officials wrote to Gov. Kate Brown, seeking more testing and K-5 classes restored in a month. But the governor’s office says a surge in COVID-19 cases must ease for that to happen.
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C.O. leaders get COVID-19 update from health officials
The mayors of Bend and Redmond and a Deschutes County commissioner got an update Thursday on the impacts of COVID-19 the region is seeing.
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Oregon may get more initial virus vaccine than first expected
Oregon health officials anticipate receiving at least three times as many initial doses of the COVID-19 vaccine as originally expected.
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Oregon reports 21 more COVID-19 deaths, 1,151 new cases; total nears 80,000
COVID-19 has claimed 21 more lives in Oregon, raising the state’s death toll to 973, along with 1,151 new cases, the Oregon Health Authority reported Thursday.
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Bend councilors reject move to bar enforcement of state attendance caps on churches
Bend city councilors voted 5-2 Wednesday night to reject two colleagues’ proposal to forbid the city spending any money to enforce Gov. Kate Brown’s new restrictions on faith-based gatherings, agreeing with the city attorney that constitutional interpretations are best left to the courts.
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