OREGON
THURSDAY, JULY 29, 2021
Western wildfi res calm in
cool weather, but losses grow
Gov. Brown signs very
ambitious clean energy bill
By SARA CLINE
The Associated Press/Report for
America
Bootleg Fire Incident Command/Contributed Photo
In this photo provided by the Bootleg Fire Incident Command, trees
burn at the Bootleg Fire in southern Oregon, Sunday, July 25, 2021.
hot air from the Earth’s
surface to the base of the
clouds, creating a tornado,
Rodriguez said.
Neil Lareau, a pro-
fessor of atmospheric sci-
ence at the University of
Nevada, told the newspaper
that extensive tree damage,
scoured road surfaces and
damage to the soil indicate
winds speeds between 111
mph and 135 mph.
“Prior to last year,
there had only been two
well-documented torna-
do-strength vortices gener-
ated by fi res,” said Lareau,
who began studying the
phenomenon after fi re-gen-
erated tornadoes occurred
last fall. “A decade ago, we
could not have even imag-
ined this. But here we are.”
Scientists told the news-
paper that fi re-generated
tornadoes need urgent study
because it’s suspected they
can hurl embers far afi eld
and potentially start new
blazes.
The National Weather
Service confi rmed the tor-
nado but said the agency
wasn’t sure how to cate-
gorize it. That’s because,
unlike a normal tornado
that could travel for miles,
the wind from a fi re tornado
will stop as soon as it gets
too far from the fi re’s heat.
“If they don’t have the
heat from the fi re, then
they don’t have the updraft.
Without the updraft,
it would weaken very
quickly,” said Ryan San-
dler, a meteorologist at the
National Weather Service in
Medford.
Elsewhere, high heat was
expected to return to the
northern Rocky Mountains,
where thick smoke from
many wildfi res drove pollu-
tion readings to unhealthy
levels.
Unhealthy air was
recorded around most of
Montana’s larger cities and
in portions of northern
Wyoming and eastern
Idaho, according to data
from U.S. government air
monitoring stations.
Meanwhile, teams
reviewing damage from the
massive Dixie Fire in the
mountains of Northern Cal-
ifornia have so far counted
36 structures destroyed and
seven damaged in Indian
Falls, said Nick Truax, an
incident commander for
the fi re. It’s unclear if that
fi gure included homes or
smaller buildings. The
assessment was about half
done, Truax said in an
online briefi ng July 26, and
the work depends on fi re
activity.
the worsening eff ects of
climate change. But the
bill, which passed in Ore-
gon’s Senate 16-12 and in
the House 3520, has also
been criticized.
“Hiking Oregonians’
energy costs during an
economic recovery is one
of the dumbest ideas I
have ever heard of,” said
Senate Republican Leader
Fred Girod. “This bill just
adds insult to injury to the
countless Oregonians who
have endured massive
hardship over the last year
and a half.”
Opponents of the
bill say the policy will
increase electric prices for
Oregonians, cause busi-
ness energy costs to sky-
rocket and put strain on
the power grid — pos-
sibly leading to rolling
blackouts.
“This bill accomplishes
nothing for our environ-
ment,” Girod said. “It is
simply a bill to virtue
signal to extreme envi-
ronmentalist groups that
will cause Oregonians to
pay more for less reliable
energy.”
Whether or not the
timeline is attainable is
also uncertain.
“If you go out to 2030,
we think we can hit that,”
Pacifi Corp Senior Vice
President Scott Bolton
told The Oregonian last
month. “We were pretty
clear though, beyond that
we don’t have a plan that
shows we can get there.”
proportionately impacted
by climate change and
pollution.”
The bill requires Port-
land General Electric and
Pacifi c Power to submit
plans to reduce emissions
by 80% from a baseline
amount by 2030, 90% by
2035 and 100% by 2040.
At least 17 other
states and the District of
Columbia have already
adopted similar goals,
according to the Clean
Energy States Alliance.
But offi cials say Ore-
gon’s timeline is the
“strongest electricity
emissions reduction time-
line in the country.”
The deadline is nearer
than nearly every other
state that has adopted
a clean power plan,
including Washington and
California.
“Already, we are seeing
the devastating impacts
of climate change, from
more frequent drought to
more severe wildfi re sea-
sons that put our homes
and our families in jeop-
ardy,” said Rep. Jason
Kropf, D-Bend, who is a
sponsor of the bill. “This
bill will put Oregon on a
pathway for a more envi-
ronmentally sound future
and create economic
opportunity and jobs for
our working families.”
Environmental activ-
ists have called the bill’s
passage a huge victory,
especially as the state and
country continue to see
Plan is among the
most aggressive
in United States
The Associated Press
MEDFORD — Cooler
weather on Tuesday,
July 27, helped calm two
gigantic wildfi res in the
U.S. West, but a tally of
property losses mounted as
authorities got better access
to a remote area of Southern
Oregon where the nation’s
largest blaze is burning.
Authorities were hopeful
that cool temperatures,
increased humidity and
isolated showers will help
them make more progress
against the Bootleg Fire in
Oregon. Crews have it more
than halfway contained
after it scorched 640 square
miles of remote land.
“The mild weather will
have a short-term calming
eff ect on the fi re behavior.
But due to the extremely
dry conditions and fuels,
as the week progresses and
temperatures rise, aggres-
sive fi re behavior is likely to
quickly rebound,” a situa-
tion report said July 27.
The lightning-sparked
fi re has charred more than
413,000 acres and destroyed
161 homes, 247 outbuild-
ings and 342 vehicles in
Klamath and Lake counties,
the report said, cautioning
that the numbers could
increase as fi refi ghters work
through the inner area of
the fi re.
On July 18, a day of
especially extreme fi re
activity, the blaze spawned
a fi re tornado in the Fre-
mont-Winema National
Forest, scientists say. The
phenomenon occurred
when smoke rose nearly
6 miles into the sky and
formed giant clouds, Bruno
Rodriguez, a meteorolo-
gist assigned to the Bootleg
Fire, told the Herald and
News of Klamath Falls.
Those massive clouds,
combined with intense heat
from the fi re, intensifi ed the
updraft and pulled rotating
THE OBSERVER — A7
PORTLAND — Ore-
gon’s clean energy bill,
which sets one of the most
ambitious timelines in
the country for moving
to 100% clean electricity
sources, was signed by
Gov. Kate Brown on
Tuesday, July 27.
The legislation lays out
a timetable for the state’s
two major power com-
panies — Portland Gen-
eral Electric and Pacifi c
Power — to reduce green-
house gas emissions asso-
ciated with electricity sold
to consumers. Addition-
ally, it bans the expan-
sion or new construction
of power plants that burn
fossil fuels and allocates
$50 million in grants for
community-based energy
projects, among other
measures.
“With these policies,
we will create jobs in a
21st-century, clean-energy
economy,” Brown said.
“We will reduce carbon
emissions. And, we will
make sure the economic,
environmental and health
benefi ts of our clean
energy economy reach all
Oregonians, especially
those who have been dis-
Simple ways to maintain memory as you age
Adults confront various age-related side effects as they
transition from middle age to their golden years. Skin may
begin to wrinkle and hair may turn gray, but those are just
the visible side effects of aging. Many additional effects are
unseen, but those changes can have a profound effect on
adults’ quality of life.
According to the Mayo Clinic, various parts of the body are
affected by aging. For example, the cardiovascular system
changes as people grow older. Blood vessels and arteries
stiffen as adults age, forcing the heart to work harder to
pump blood through them.
Though many changes are linked to aging, other changes
commonly associated with aging, such as a decline in
What to expect during a colonoscopy
A colonoscopy is a necessary screening test for the prevention of colorectal cancer. Colorectal cancer is among the common cancers diagnosed in both men and
women each year in the United States, advises Cancer.net. On average, 73 Canadians will be diagnosed with colorectal cancer each day, indicates the Canadian
Cancer Society.
A colonoscopy exam can detect changes or abnormalities in the large intestine and rectum that may eventually develop into cancer. Though colonoscopies
are effective at screening for cancer and catching illnesses at an early, treatable stage, many people are hesitant to undergo the procedure. That may be due to
unfamiliarity with colonoscopies.
Annual colonoscopies are generally recommended for people age 50 and older. Here’s what to expect.
• The day before the colonoscopy you will be asked to fast from solid food and only consume clear liquids. A doctor usually will prescribe a preparatory laxative
product that will help to clean out the bowels.
• You also may need to adjust medications you take under the guidance of your doctor, such as those that thin the blood.
• On the day of the procedure, the medical staff will ask you to get undressed and put on a gown.
• Sedation through pill or IV form is usually given to make the experience more comfortable. Because of this, you will likely need to have a ride home after the
procedure.
• You will be asked to lie on your side with your knees drawn in. A scope will be inserted into the rectum. The scope contains a light and camera, and is long
enough to reach the entire length of the colon. Air or carbon dioxide will be pumped to inflate the colon.
• The Mayo Clinic says the entire procedure may not take long, but it can take up to an hour to recover after sedation.
• After the scope has been removed, there may be some residual abdominal cramping because air has been introduced. It also may feel like you need to have a
bowel movement. Walking can help expel that gas and help you feel better.
Colonoscopies are routine procedures. While it can be mildly uncomfortable due to fasting and the placement of the scope, it is an essential procedure for adults
over 50.
• Let all your senses play a role. HMS reports that the
more senses a person uses to learn something, the more
his or her brain is involved in retaining a memory. HMS
cites one study in which adults were shown a series of
emotionally neutral images that were each presented along
with a smell. Participants were not asked to recall what
they saw, but were later shown a set of images and asked to
indicate which they had previously seen. The participants
had excellent recall for the odor-paired images, and
researchers believe that’s because additional parts of the
brain were activated when participants were asked to use
more than one sense.
Memory loss is not an inevitable side effect of aging,
especially for adults who take steps to maintain their
memories as they age.
M
any people have been asking
if preplanned funeral arrangements are
transferable from one funeral home to
another. The simple answer is yes, they are.
And the process is easy.
It’s important that adults recognize there are many ways they can
protect and sharpen their minds as they age.
memory, reasoning and other thinking skills, are not natural.
The Alzheimer’s Association® notes that dementia is not
a normal part of aging. There are many different types of
dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease, and these are the
result of damage to brain cells that affect a person’s ability
to communicate. That damage is not inevitable, even if it’s
commonly associated with aging.
The Harvard Medical School notes that fleeting memory
problems experienced with aging often reflect normal
changes in the structure and function of the brain. But it’s
important that those changes not be mistaken for dementia,
and it’s equally important that adults recognize there are
many ways they can protect and sharpen their minds as
they age.
• Continue learning. HMS notes that a higher level of
education is associated with improved mental functioning
in old age. The reasons for that are unknown, but experts
theorize that advanced education compels people to remain
mentally active, which in turn helps them maintain a strong
memory. Even aging men and women who are still working
in challenging fields can benefit from pursuing a new hobby
or learning a new skill.
• Use the tools at your disposal. It may seem
counterintuitive to suggest that organizational tools like
planners, maps and lists can help people maintain their
memories. However, HMS notes that expending mental
energy on finding car keys or trying to remember what to
buy at the store makes it harder to learn new and important
things.
Call Loveland
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