2022 - Page 45

 People without air conditioning units or heat pumps often rely on fans when temperatures soar. (Getty Images) By LYNNE TERRY/Oregon Capital Chronicle The Oregon Legislature allocated millions of dollars in February and in 2021 to protect thousands of the state’s residents from extreme weather and smoke-filled air. But that money has yet to help anyone. The Oregon Health Authority, which

Thousands of Oregonians whose homes or businesses were damaged by the 2020 wildfires are eligible for state grants to help protect them from future wildfire damage. The state Department of Consumer and Business Services said Monday it is offering up to $7,500 for a manufactured home or $6,800 for another home or business to pay for renovations that “harden” the

 Linn, Lincoln and 11 other counties have appealed a case over the state’s management of forests and timber revenue to the Oregon Supreme Court.  By MIKE McINALLY/Oregon Capital Chronicle Linn, Lincoln and 11 other counties have asked the Oregon Supreme Court to review a ruling reversing a $1.1 billion verdict in a case over the state’s management of forestland and

ALEX BAUMHARDT/Oregon Capital Chronicle SALEM — Colette Peters, director of Oregon’s prison system, was appointed Tuesday by U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland to lead the federal Bureau of Prisons. In a statement, Garland said Peters is “uniquely qualified to lead the Bureau of Prisons in its efforts to ensure the rehabilitation, health, and safety of incarcerated people, a safe and

 Emerald ash borer tracks in the bark of an ash tree in Minnesota. (Hennepin County Master Gardeners/Flickr) By ALEX BAUMHARDT/Oregon Capital Chronicle A Portland biologist recently found an iridescent bug with the potential to wipe out Oregon’s ash trees, marking the first sighting on the West Coast. The Oregon Department of Agriculture confirmed Monday that emerald ash borers, an invasive

By BRADLEY PARKS/Oregon Public Broadcasting The Oregon Department of Forestry announced Monday that all of its fire districts, which combined cover about 16 million acres, are officially in wildfire season. Heavy and in some cases record-breaking rainfall staved off the start of the season for parts of the state. But with drier, hotter conditions here or on the way statewide,