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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 12, 2022)
Martin Luther King Jr. 2022 Special Edition January 12, 2022 Page 3 INSIDE l OCal n ews More Schools Impacted Surge in COVID brings back distant learning Arts & ENTERTAINMENT page 13-16 C lassified /B ids O piniOn pages 10 page 19 Established 1970 USPS 959 680 4747 NE Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd., Portland, OR 97211 The Portland Observer welcomes freelance submissions. Manuscripts and photographs should be clearly labeled and will be returned if accompanied by a self addressed envelope. All created design display ads become the sole property of the newspaper and cannot be used in other publications or personal usage without the written consent of the general manager, unless the client has purchased the composition of such ad. © 2008 THE PORTLAND OBSERVER. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED, REPRODUCTION IN WHOLE OR IN PART WITHOUT PERMISSION IS PROHIBITED. The Portland Observer--Oregon’s Oldest Multicultural Publication--is a member of the National Newspaper Association--Founded in 1885, and The National Advertising Representative Amalgamated Publishers, Inc, New York, NY, and The West Coast Black Publishers Association PO QR code Publisher: Editor: Mark Washington, Sr. A growing number of schools in Portland and Vancouver re- turned to distance learning this week because of COVID-relat- ed staffing issues impacting the number of teachers available for classroom instruction. Officials say more schools may temporarily move to online instruction as the surge tied to the Omicron variant of the coronavirus continues. Officials said absences and the lack of substitutes continues to cause shortages of teachers, staff, administrators and bus drivers. In the Portland Public School District, Roosevelt, McDan- iel and Cleveland high schools, serving north, northeast and southeast Portland started the week in distance learning. Ock- ley Green Middle School in north Portland and Faubion PK-8 School in northeast Portland also closed on Tuesday to prepare for online instruction for at least the rest of the week. The Parkrose School District said temporary distance learn- A nurse cares for a critically ill patient in the Intensive Care Unit at Oregon Health and Science University. The number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 increased to 692 statewide this week, but hospitalizations were still about 40% below their peak during a summer surge. ing would begin for all students on Wednesday. Parkrose High, Parkrose Middle, plus Prescott, Russell, Sacramento and Shaver elementary schools were impact- ed. Late Monday afternoon, the Vancouver School District also announced some of their schools would include remote learning four days a week for the next three weeks. Oregon health authorities reported Monday that 18,538 new confirmed or presumptive COVID-19 cases were identified over the weekend. The state has a positive test rate of just over 22% as the highly con- tagious omicron variant spreads. The number of people hospital- ized with COVID-19 increased to 692, but hospitalizations were still about 40% below their peak during the summer surge of the delta variant. Eighteen new deaths were an- nounced Monday. With breakthrough infections spreading, healthcare officials said vaccinated Oregonians can flatten the curve by masking and refrain- ing from indoor gatherings. Michael Leighton Office Mngr/Clasfds: Lucinda Baldwin Admin.Coord.: Quayuana Washington Creative Director: Kenya Anderson Office Asst/Sales: Shawntell Washington CALL 503-288-0033 • FAX 503-288-0015• news@portlandobserver.com ads@portlandobserver.com• subscription@portlandobserver.com Postmaster: Send address changes to Portland Observer, PO Box 3137, Portland, OR 97208 Advertise with diversity in The Portland Observer Call 503-288-0033 or email ads@portlandobserver.com Biketown Expands Bicycle Sharing Larger service area means more people will be served Designed to be affordable and accessible, Biketown has expanded its bicycling sharing service area to now include St. Johns in north Portland and far parts of east Port- land, growing operations by nine square miles or by 25 percent. Known for its ubiquitous orange bikes, Monday’s expansion came as Biketown continues to embark on a goal of expanding into areas with a high percentage of commu- nities of color that have been un- derserved by transportation, said officials with Lyft, the operator of the service and the Portland Bureau of Transportation. Biketown’s service area now includes portions or all of Hazel- wood, Mill Park, Parkrose and Parkrose Heights. In North Port- land, the expanded service area brings in the University of Portland and downtown St. Johns. It also includes all or large sections of Portland Transportation Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty announc- es the expansion of the Biketown bicycle sharing service area at a news conference at Knott Park. the Arbor Lodge, Cathedral Park, Kenton, Portsmouth, and Universi- ty Park neighborhoods, providing a much-needed sustainable transpor- tation option for residents, students and visitors. Transportation Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty announced the ex- pansion at a news conference Mon- day at Knott Park, an east Portland gathering space in the Parkrose Heights neighborhood that is now part of the Biketown service area. “This is an exciting milestone in our efforts to ensure everyone has safe, convenient access to biking in Portland,” Hardesty said. “For too long, our East Portland and North Portland neighborhoods have been lacking the city services and con- venient transportation access that the rest of Portland takes for grant- ed. I’m so glad to see PBOT prior- itizing racial equity in expanding access to our bike share system. With the collaboration with pri- vate sector partners like Nike and Lyft, we can continue our efforts to reduce our carbon emissions and make sure everyone has an opportunity to enjoy sustainable transportation options.” For more information, visit biketownpdx.com.
