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Deschutes County Commissioner Tammy Baney and former City of Bend Mayor Bruce Abernethy have invited local elected officials throughout Central Oregon to participate on the Steering Committee for the 10 Year Plan to End Homelessness.

The Steering Committee will meet Friday, May 8, 2009 from 10:00 a.m. – noon at Bend’s Community Center, located at 1036 NE 5th Street to discuss the effort.

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Supported by the US Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH), more than 350 cities and counties across the United States have created regional plans to end homelessness. Recent findings show that the chronic homeless (who comprise only a small portion of the total homeless population) consume a significant portion of community resources like health care and shelter and there may be more cost-effective solutions to this problem. The 10 Year Plan approach encourages local communities to develop a business-like, results-oriented plan to end homelessness by focusing on chronic homelessness, permanent supportive housing, and new ways of addressing the issue.

This initial meeting is to set up a Steering Committee for Central Oregon’s effort, and participants will be joined by Rick Crager, Deputy Director of Oregon Housing and Community Services and Paul Carlson, Interagency Homeless Coordinator for HUD. The Steering Committee will be comprised of local elected officials from cities and counties. Other community partners and housing service providers will be engaged in the formal development of the Plan.

According to Commissioner Baney, “We will never completely wipe out homelessness; however the 10 Year Plan provides a framework for local leaders to develop a comprehensive and strategic approach to address this problem.” Bruce Abernethy notes, “According to the One Night Homeless Count, the number of people that are homeless in Central Oregon is estimated at 2,237. Of this number, 40% are children.” Commissioner Baney stated, “The costs associated with homelessness are both social and economical; by working together we can build a system that leverages resources and provides hope to those in need.”

Wildfires are one of the greatest risks to properties in and around the City of Sisters.

Weed abatement is a key step in reducing the risk anf damage of wildfires.

City law limits heights of weeds to a maximum of 6”. The abatement dates established by the Code fall on May 15th and July 15th.

While it is permissible to mow weeds to achieve the required height, certain types of weeds actually thrive when mowed and should be hand-pulled; most notably the knapweed family.

News Release from: Oregon Dept. of Human Services
H1N1 SWINE INFLUENZA UPDATE: MAY 6, 2009
Posted: May 6th, 2009 2:49 PM

Cases:
As of Wednesday, Oregon public health officials had received confirmation of 45 cases of H1N1 swine flu.

Because the Oregon state public health lab now has the capacity to test in-house for the H1N1 swine flu virus, the up tick in cases today is attributed to rapid testing. Once a specimen is received, it takes the lab approximately 24 hours to test for the influenza virus.

One teenage girl remains hospitalized and continues to recover. The balance of the people are recovering or have recovered at home.

Of the 45 cases, 20 children, nine teens and 16 adults have been confirmed to have H1N1 swine flu. Twenty-one are males and 24 are females. Thirty additional specimens continue to be tested at the Oregon State Public Health Laboratory in Hillsboro.

The 45 cases break out by county as follows:
Clackamas – 1
Lane – 8
Marion – 4
Multnomah – 11
Polk – 16
Umatilla – 2
Washington – 3

New developments:
Epidemiologists with the Oregon Public Health Division continue to track the progression of H1N1 swine flu cases throughout the state, working with hospitals and county health departments.

They have noted and are investigating the root causes of the number of cases confirmed in Polk County.

“In flu outbreaks, it is not unusual to see different areas of impact across the state,” explained Dr. Mel Kohn, head of Oregon’s Public Health Division. “Polk County is one of those areas now, but that may change over time as this outbreak continues.

“We cannot stress enough to Oregonians the importance of continuing to take sensible precautions to protect themselves from the H1N1 swine flu or any other influenza virus by washing hands, covering coughs and sneezes, and avoiding touching your eyes, nose and mouth, and washing your hands again,” he said.

As has been previously noted, the H1N1 swine flu is spread mainly person-to-person through coughing or sneezing by infected people. People infected with the H1N1 swine flu virus may not be symptomatic one to four days following exposure.

Precautions
The Oregon Public Health Division advises that when it comes to protecting yourself, your family and your clients, common sense precautions go a long way in avoiding infection. Use the normal safeguards you would to avoid any respiratory illness:

• Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the garbage after you use it.
• Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze. Alcohol-based hand cleaners also are effective.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth to avoid spreading germs.
• Try to avoid close contact with sick people.
• If you are ill, please stay home to avoid spreading your illness to others.
Three flu-related resources available to the public:
• A comprehensive Web site, www.flu.oregon.gov, is updated daily.
• The public may ask questions of public health professionals by calling the hotline: 1-800-978-3040. The hotline is staffed weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Pacific time.
• E-mail questions may be directed to flu.help@state.or.us.

H1N1 swine influenza symptoms are similar to those for seasonal flu and may include fever greater than 100 degrees F. or 37.8 degrees C.; sore throat; cough; stuffy nose; chills; headache or body aches; fatigue; and in some cases diarrhea and vomiting.

Summit’s Karen Rosch named Mary Hartman Oregon Journalism Teacher of the Year

Summit High School’s newspaper team is making headlines today with word that their news team and advisor are the recipients of prestigious state newspaper awards.

Eye of the Storm newspaper advisor Karen Rosch was named the 2009 Mary Hartman Oregon Journalism Teacher of the Year Award, and NW Scholastic Press named Summit’s Eye of the Storm student newspaper the best in the state.

This is the eleventh year for the Teacher of the Year award and the first time that a recipient has been honored east of the Cascades.

Rosch, a long-time Bend-La Pine Schools newspaper advisor, gives all of the credit for her achievement to her dynamic team of student writers, editors, and photographers who make up the Eye of the Storm newspaper.

“This is an exceptional group of students,” Rosch said. “They bring a diverse perspective to the paper and are enthusiastic about sharing a unique viewpoint about student life at Summit with their peers and our community.”

“I couldn’t be more proud of their efforts and wouldn’t be where I am today without their passion for news,” she adds. “Newspaper writing is a great venue for instilling the importance of creative thinking and the written word.”

Caitlin Young, junior and Editor at Large, says that Rosch has been a great leader and understands that the school newspaper is a critical tool for students to use as they communicate with their peers and community.

“We feel that the Eye of the Storm is important because students need an outlet for expression, she says. “Because a lot of teenagers are unfairly stereotyped, we feel our newspaper is a way for us to show that these stereotypes aren’t always true.”

Junior Jennifer Edwards, Co-Editor and Chief agrees, “The Eye of the Storm is a fantastic paper because we, as the student-staff, greatly care about it.”

“We spend much of our free time working on it, and it’s nice to be recognized for our efforts and the efforts of Ms. Rosch,” she adds.

Dr. Tim Gleason, Dean of the School of Journalism at the University of Oregon, presented Rosch with a plaque and a $500 cash award during a school assembly today.