WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 5, 2020 | SILVERTONAPPEAL.COM
PART OF THE USA TODAY NETWORK
Oregon sets new standards to reopen schools
Natalie Pate
Salem Statesman Journal
USA TODAY NETWORK
Oregon Gov. Kate Brown announced new require-
ments Tuesday that must be met by counties before
schools are allowed to resume face-to-face instruction
or hybrid models.
The new, statewide directive applies to both public
and private schools, though higher education institu-
tions and youth correctional facilities have their own
guidelines.
Additionally, Brown is releasing $28 million to pub-
lic schools via the Emergency Education Relief Fund to
pay for things such as mobile hot spots, technology for
distance learning, online curriculum and training.
To resume in-person instruction in any form, coun-
ties must meet the following requirements three
weeks in a row:
h 10 or fewer cases per 100,000 peo-
ple over seven days
h Test positivity of 5% or less over
seven days
That means Marion County needs to
have fewer than 35 cases per week to
open in-person teaching. From July 19
Brown
to 25, the county had 292 cases, accord-
ing to data from the Oregon Health Authority.
Polk County needs to have fewer than nine cases
per week. From July 19 to 25, the county had 43 new
cases. These counties’ estimates are based on popula-
tion statistics from the U.S. Census Bureau.
Brown said many Oregonians — including students
with disabilities, students of color and students living
in low-income households — have already faced dis-
proportionate impacts since schools were closed to in-
person instruction.
“I am absolutely unwilling to lose an entire school
year for kids — a year that could be foundational to the
lifelong opportunities for thousands of Oregon stu-
dents,” Brown said, adding that most districts will re-
turn this fall with comprehensive distance learning
models.
“But, it is also incumbent on all of us, every commu-
nity, to take every measure to slow the spread of this
disease so that we can get our kids back in schools as
soon as possible.”
As for statewide metrics, these must be met three
weeks in a row:
h Test positivity of 5% or less over seven days
Under some conditions, in-person instruction can
resume for K-3 students and remote and rural school
districts with fewer than 100 students, officials wrote
in the new state directive.
“Younger students get the virus at lower rates, get
See SCHOOLS, Page 2A
Sticky the Kitty adds
movie credits to fame
Hikers crossing a bridge at Smith Rock State Park in
Central Oregon on a recent weekend didn’t always
maintain adequate social distancing without
wearing masks.
OREGON PARKS AND RECREATION DEPARTMENT
Seeking
COVID-19
escape
Oregonians crowd outdoors
increasing accidents, garbage
Zach Urness
Salem Statesman Journal
USA TODAY NETWORK
Sticky, the famous cat rescued Oct. 19, 2018 on Silverton Road NE by Chuck Hawley, makes an appearance
at Liberty Elementary School in South Salem. SPECIAL TO THE STATESMAN JOURNAL
Forward This
Capi Lynn
Salem Statesman Journal
USA TODAY NETWORK
A famous feline and his hero human are keeping
their paws crossed that schools reopen this fall so
they can resume their campaign to fight bullying and
promote kindness.
The story of Sticky and Chuck Hawley went viral in
the fall of 2018 — about the rescue of a kitten whose
paws were glued to the pavement of a Salem road —
and they’ve been sharing their heartwarming tale
ever since.
They were ramping up visits to area elementary
schools when the COVID-19 pandemic struck.
“That’s the coolest thing I get to do with (Sticky),”
Hawley said.
And that’s saying a lot because he and Sticky have
added movie credits to their bios since we last
checked in with the Silverton residents. (More on that
in a minute.)
Sticky, to be purrrrr-fectly honest, could take or
leave the school visits. He’s become a bit of a prima
donna, slightly self-centered and a tad-bit tempera-
mental.
“It’s like he knows he’s famous,” Hawley said.
Sticky’s four-legged siblings — three dogs and a cat
— know the pecking order at home.
“He’ll be sitting on one side of the couch and all four
other animals are sitting on the other side,” Hawley
said.
Everyone in the house cuts Sticky some slack be-
cause of where he came from.
He was a month old and weighed 1 pound when
Hawley, on his way to work one morning in October
2018, stopped traffic on Silverton Road NE and peeled
the kitten’s tiny paws from the pavement. Hawley
posted something on Facebook about the chance en-
counter, and news of the rescue spread quickly.
Soon emails and donations were pouring in from
fans all over the world, and Hawley and his wife, Mi-
kee, used the money to launch the Sticky the Kitty
Foundation.
The nonprofit funds projects that promote com-
passion and kindness among animals and humans. In
addition to donations, it relies on sales of Sticky
merchandise, such as coffee mugs, T-shirts and post-
it notes with various photos of the adorable kitten.
Daphne, a miniature pinscher, was an early benefi-
See KITTY, Page 3A
Oregonians’ jobless claims still in adjudication
Claire Withycombe
Salem Statesman Journal
USA TODAY NETWORK
This week will likely be the last that jobless Amer-
icans will see a $600 weekly boost in unemployment
benefits from the federal government.
That amount, approved by Congress to help work-
ers weather pandemic-related job losses in March,
will expire Friday and the amount could be changed in
the coming days on Capitol Hill.
Some federal lawmakers have proposed cutting
that weekly benefit to $200.
The state agency overseeing the distribution of
those benefits, though, expects that any change in the
dollar amount could take weeks to implement.
“Even if the legislation were to pass today and be
signed into law, we would not be able to start making
those payments under the new program next week,”
said David Gerstenfeld, acting Oregon Employment
Department director. “It just takes longer than that to
do the coding.”
Although the agency has made progress on proc-
essing outstanding applications for benefits, Ger-
See BENEFITS, Page 3A
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There are no Little League games to attend, over-
night summer camps to stash the kids or music festi-
vals to let loose and scream “play Free Bird” with
beer-soaked brethren.
Family road trips have been largely put on hold. A
vacation to Florida or British Columbia is off the ta-
ble. Even watching a Blazers game in person is im-
possible without the nuclear codes required to enter
the NBA “Bubble.”
There is, simply put, not much to do this summer
with one major exception: the great outdoors.
In the quest to escape COVID-19, Oregonians are
flooding the state’s beaches, forests and mountains
in unprecedented numbers, say state and federal of-
ficials. And that’s bringing a spike in accidents, mak-
ing campsites scarce and bringing garbage and dam-
age to both parks and forested areas.
“Especially on the Oregon Coast and west of the
Cascades, we’re seeing a level of use well beyond a
normal year,” Oregon Parks and Recreation
Department spokesman Chris Havel said. “It’s like
having the crowds you see for a holiday weekend, ex-
cept all the time.”
Supply and demand
More people outdoors is a good thing, stress rang-
ers. The virus doesn’t spread as effectively outdoors,
and that’s particularly true if people wear masks
where social distancing isn’t possible.
Public lands are for everybody, and this is their
time to shine.
The problem is finding a place for all those people
— many of whom are camping for the first time or
have limited experience. Campgrounds have been
full almost every day during July, including remote
sites normally overlooked.
The problem is supply and demand. At a moment
when COVID-19 is fueling the rush outdoors, there
are less campsites and limited capacity across the
state due to COVID-19 related impacts.
Some sites in the Columbia Gorge remain closed.
Eight state parks are still closed, and other camp-
grounds have reduced capacity. On the Oregon Coast,
getting a campsite at a state park requires booking a
month in advance. Few yurts and cabins are available
for rental. The City of Bend has outright asked people
to stay away.
“Everything is full: campgrounds are full and all of
the good, established, dispersed campsites have also
been full,” said Darren Cross, McKenzie River district
ranger for Willamette National Forest.
“The problem is, people packed up and drove all
the way out here. So what we’re seeing is that people
are creating their own new dispersed sites,” he said.
Cross said they’ve seen a roughly 30 percent in-
crease in “pioneered sites” — meaning people are
clearing brush for a place to put their tent.
“It only takes two to five uses before the vegetation
is denuded and it’s very hard for it to look like the
See OUTDOORS, Page 2A