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About Cottage Grove sentinel. (Cottage Grove, Or.) 1909-current | View Entire Issue (May 7, 2020)
S ERVING THE COMMUNITIES OF C OTTAGE G ROVE , C RESWELL , D ORENA , D RAIN , E LKTON , L ORANE AND Y ONCALLA C ottage G rove THURSDAY EDITION | MAY 7, 2020 | $1.00 S entinel VOL VOL. 131 131, NO NO. 18 • Est. 1889 Your L Y Local l N News Delivered D li d Your Y Way: W In I Print. P i t Online. O li On O the th Go! G ! Bundle home & auto to save $$. Look inside for the winners on A10 and A11 Falling through the cracks of COVID-19 One Cottage Grove resident confirmed to have the virus serves as a cautionary tale By Damien Sherwood dsherwood@cgsentinel.com (541) 942-0555 WEATHER (Editor’s note: The name and gender of the affected person in this article has been hidden to protect their identity.) A s someone living with asthma and hay fever, Dana is accustomed to the occasional unwelcome bouts of Mostly cloudy with a high of 74 and a low tonight of 46. Full forecast on A5 coughing, troubled breathing and tightness in the chest. “I thought it was that,” Dana said about the day they called their physician. “I didn’t actually expect the test to come back positive.” On April 11, test results from an urgent care center in Springfield confirmed that Dana, a Cottage Grove resident, had contracted COVID-19. When a case of COVID-19 is confirmed in Oregon, a manda- tory reporting protocol requires physicians notify the local health authority. Upon learning of Dana’s case, Lane County Public Health (LCPH) swiftly contacted Dana and began the process of contact tracing. According to Dana, officials at the agency surmised that it was likely Dana contracted COVID-19 while at their workplace on or be- fore March 21. Ironically, this was the date Dana had resigned from their position as a healthcare work- er at a long-term healthcare facility in Eugene due to the facility’s lack of personal protection equipment (PPE) and a fear of catching the virus. “PPE was in very short supply and, being immunocompromised, See COVID 8A Social distant dancing COMMUNITY — B City golf course in full swing see B1 BETTY KAISER Chatterbox: Surviving sheltering in place see A5 DAMIEN SHERWOOD/COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL G rovers beat cabin fever with a choreographed dance routine on a recent sunny weekend in Bohemia Park. Tuesday, Oregon Governor Kate Brown announced the loosening of some restrictions for recreational areas in the state (See page B1), which could provide area residents with more options for outdoor recreating as spring approaches. • RECORDS Obituaries Official releases A2 ‘Some counties could reopen May 15’ • LORANE NEWS Lane County has meanwhile developed its own reopening blueprint A5 • CLASSIFIEDS Listings and public notices B7-B8 FOLLOW US FOR THE LATEST NEWS : By Damien Sherwood dsherwood@cgsentinel.com After more than a month of lockdown due to COVID-19, cer- tain Oregon counties may soon be eligible to begin a reopening pro- cess, said Gov. Kate Brown during a May 1 press conference. “In certain parts of the state, we see almost zero cases and few hospitalizations,” she said. “It is my hope that some counties or regions could have the ability to begin the process of reopening as soon as May 15.” Since the governor issued her “Stay Home, Save Lives” executive order March 23, Oregonians have been under direction to remain home unless necessary and main- tain social distancing practices in public while many businesses have been forced to close shop or im- plement public health protocols. “Oregonians have taken extraor- dinary actions to keep each other safe during this pandemic,” said Brown. “We’ve all felt the difficult repercussions of those actions — some much more than others, See BROWN 7A /CGSentinel @CGSentinel Local fundraising effort aids Grovers in need By Damien Sherwood 541- 942-3325 ph • 541-942-3328 fax P.O. Box 35, Cottage Grove, OR 97424 dsherwood@cgsentinel.com In the midst of layoffs and wide- spread economic hardship, Health Hub owner Samantha Duncan has established a fundraiser to offer a small reprieve to locals suffering from cash flow problems. “I just saw a lot of people post- ing on Facebook and other plac- es that they had not been able to access unemployment,” said Dun- can. “They weren’t getting calls back, they were waiting and they were pretty strapped for cash. And also the stimulus checks hadn’t come out yet.” While services exist in Cottage Grove for food, housing and util- Emerald Valley Armory, LLC Handguns • Long Rifles Concealed Carry Classes Tues. - Sat. 10-6 147 E. Oregon Ave. Creswell, OR 97426 541-895-2666 ity support, Duncan observed that certain barriers such as mobility have prevented some from access- ing aid and direct cash relief to these community members could be a viable alternative. “People in the community had also been asking me where they OSP investigates I-5 shooting complaint, makes drug bust On Sunday, May 3, at ap- proximately 11:47 p.m., Ore- gon State Police Troopers re- ceived a report from a motorist that he had been shot at while driving on I-5 in northern Douglas County. Th e motorist continued to travel northbound on I-5 for approximately 20 miles (with a fl at tire) before troopers locat- ed him in a rest area in South- ern Lane County. Th e subsequent investiga- tion revealed the driver was under the infl uence of mari- juana and his paranoia led him to believe he had been shot at aft er a tire on his vehicle had a blow out. Troopers located approxi- mately 95 grams of marijuana, marijuana items and $29,790 See OSP 6A See AID 6A Hello, neighbor! Matt Bjornn ChFC RICP, Agent Bus: 541-942-2623 ZZZEMRUQQLQVXUDQFHFRP 1801132 Please stop by and say, “Hi!” I’m looking forward to serving your needs for insurance and ÀQDQFLDOVHUYLFHV+HUHWRKHOSOLIHJRULJKW &$//0(72'$< ® State Farm, Bloomington, IL