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About Appeal tribune. (Silverton, Or.) 1999-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 11, 2021)
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 11, 2021 | SILVERTONAPPEAL.COM PART OF THE USA TODAY NETWORK Marion County offers grants for hiring teens Bill Poehler Salem Statesman Journal USA TODAY NETWORK Hiring a young person for their first job can be difficult for an employer. Beyond the cost of paying their wages, businesses often have to give the youth extensive training and super- vision. According to a study by Pew Re- search Center, teen summer employ- ment in the United States dropped to its lowest level since the Great Reces- sion in 2020 and is currently at one of its lowest levels since the statistic was first tracked in 1948. To help increase the number of op- portunities for young people, Marion County is giving out grants through Willamette Workforce Partnership this year to employers in the county who hire first-time employees ages 14 through 17 from May 1 through Sept. 30. The grants will pay $4 an hour of the youth’s wages for the summer. To ap- ply, go to https://willwp.org/ “It’s difficult for businesses today to be able to afford the wages of youth, and this really gives them a leg up,” Marion County Commissioner Danielle Bethell said. “There are parameters around it, and there is a cap on the pro- gram of $40,000, but it can be expand- ed by the (Board of Commissioners), if we wanted to grow the program.” Marion County's program launched July 23. To be eligible, a company must em- ploy youth between 14 and 17 years of age who are Marion County residents; be based in Marion County; not employ See GRANTS, Page 4A People waiting to buy tickets are reflected in the window of a concession stand during the Marion County Fair. BRIAN HAYES / STATESMAN JOURNAL Wildland firefighters struggle to stay ahead of dozens of fires David Murray Great Falls Tribune USA TODAY NETWORK Crews with Hoffman-Skanska work on the new $2 billion remodel of the roof using salvaged wood product from Freres Lumber Co. at Portland International Airport. BRIAN HAYES/STATESMAN JOURNAL Wildfire-salvaged wood gets new life at Portland International Airport When the 2020 Labor Day wildfires burned 50 miles to the south, destroying more than 3,000 homes and scorching 1.2 million acres of trees, the lin- gering smoke cast the state's largest airport in a haze. Now, as the Portland International Airport takes on an ambitious $2.2 billion makeover that will expand the main terminal and make significant improve- ments, much of the wood for the new roof over the main terminal is coming from wood salvaged from those wildfires. “Being able to do something with it is fantastic,” Portland International Airport spokesperson Kama Simonds said. “To know that we could have a part of that in this project through our partners who care about the land that they come from, care about their business, care about their communities and kind of pulling that all together, it feels both hopeful and helpful.” Something that was the result of one of the most devastating disasters in the state’s history will be- come the gateway to Oregon for millions of people each year. PDX terminal set for expansion Portland International Airport opened in 1941 and the current terminal opened in 1959, though it’s been In a typical year, wildland firefighters would still be gearing up for the core of the fire season, but in a decade characterized by increasingly hotter and dry- er summers, defining what a "typical" fire season is has become a moving target. Oregon's wildfire season started early this year, due to a deepening drought and record-high early summer temperatures. It's the same across nearly all the western United States. “I don’t believe we’ve ever gone to this fire danger level this early on the forest,” Montana Bitterroot Na- tional Forest Service Fire Management Officer Mark Wilson said on July 12. And as the fire danger grows, so has the gap in re- sources. Large wildfires in Oregon, Washington and Idaho are bumping up against the more typical early sum- mer peak fire seasons for Arizona and California. And the fires in all of the states have grown larger in the past decade. That means more large wildfires demanding more resources at the same time. Federal officials haven't increased funding for fighting wildfires, but are allocating a higher percent- age of funds to that work. States in recent years have spent hundreds of millions of dollars each as fire costs have ballooned. And then there's the human resource. The job of a seasonal federal wildland firefighter is dangerous and demanding. Crews are often away See WILDLAND, Page 3A An airplane takes off as crews with Hoffman-Skanska work on the new $2 billion remodel of the roof using salvaged wood product from Freres Lumber Co. at Portland International Airport in Portland, Oregon. BRIAN HAYES / STATESMAN JOURNAL remodeled through the years. It’s the terminal D.B. Cooper passed through in 1971 on his way to his infamous flight, and more than 19 million pass through in a typical year to catch a flight See AIRPORT, Page 4A OSHA sets temporary rules on smoke, heat Dora Totoian Salem Statesman Journal USA TODAY NETWORK Oregon’s workplace safety agency, Oregon OSHA, has released two sets of temporary rules: one to pro- tect workers from wildfire smoke and another to pro- tect farmworkers from high temperatures in agricul- tural labor housing. Both sets of rules go into effect Aug. 9 and remain in place for six months. The agency is also creating permanent rules, antici- pated for this fall, to protect people from wildfire smoke and excessive heat. The temporary smoke rules require employers to train workers on addressing wildfire smoke, try to re- duce smoke exposure if possible, and notify them when the air quality index, or AQI, is greater than 101. They also require employers to make respirators avail- able when the AQI passes 101, require use of respira- tors such as KN-95 masks when the AQI exceeds 201, and require fit-tested respirators when the AQI is greater than 500. The AQI is the Environmental Protection Agency’s index, running from 0 to 500, to measure air pollution and health risks. Members of sensitive groups may ex- perience health issues when the AQI exceeds 101, the See OSHA, Page 4A Vol. 140, No. 34 Online at SilvertonAppeal.com News updates: h Breaking news h Get updates from the Silverton area Photos: h Photo galleries Serving the Silverton Area Since 1880 A Unique Edition of the Statesman Journal QEAJAB-07403y The Roberson Draw Fire as seen from Red Lodge. U.S. FOREST SERVICE