The Oregon Health Authority published new, stricter guidelines this week for scheduling youth sports and other outdoor activities when air quality gets unhealthy.

The agency says the change reflects “increasing scientific evidence” that smoke can harm children’s health at levels lower than previously thought.

The guidance is supposed to help youth-serving organizations, such as schools and athletic leagues, make decisions about participation in outdoor activities amid wildfire smoke and other air pollution events.

The guide relies on the Air Quality Index, the system by which health authorities assign a color—green, yellow, red and so on—to reflect smoke and air pollution at a given place and time.

Now, when the AQI arrives in the yellow (moderate) range, the OHA encourages caution for youth with health conditions participating in short-to-medium-duration activities. This replaced the former guideline which stated: “It’s a good day to be active outside.”

The agency made similar modifications to its “Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups”—or orange—range. On orange days, the OHA now advises all youth to limit activity intensity and consider canceling or moving the event if the intensity cannot be limited. This is a change from the previous guideline, which on orange days focused on participants with health conditions.

Lastly, the “Unhealthy,” or red, classification has been raised to follow the same guidelines as the “Very Unhealthy” and “Hazardous” categories, which now all recommend that outdoor activities be canceled.

Though Portland historically sees few days of air quality in the orange Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups range or worse (only about 3.3 days per year on average), OHA’s tightened guidelines could affect outdoor activities for participants under 18, particularly in the summer months.

Aside from the categorical changes, OHA has widened the range of a “medium-length activity” to be one to four hours, rather than one to two. The agency also added language to its guidelines emphasizing less obvious points of exposure to be aware of, such as walking to school or riding on school buses with the windows down.

“We fully recognize the importance of outdoor time and exercise for the physical and mental health of children and youth,” said Gabriela Goldfarb of OHA’s Public Health Division in a written statement. “We offer this guide to support adults making decisions that balance those needs with the reality that children are more likely to be affected by health threats from smoke, because their airways are still developing and because they breathe more air per pound of body weight than adults.”

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The 2027 recruiting cycle is starting to heat up with the summer upon us. The Oregon Ducks have added a string of new commitments following official visits, and the Ducks’ current list of commitments continues to improve in the rankings.

247Sports unveiled its June rankings update, which saw Oregon commit Rashad Streets bump up to a five-star prospect. The edge rusher from Raleigh, North Carolina, committed to the Ducks back in April as a four-star recruit. Now, Streets is the No. 29 overall player in the 2027 class and No. 7 edge rusher with a fifth star.

“They were one of my first big offers and they stuck with me ever since,” Streets said following his commitment. “They never steered me wrong; they always told me the truth. I never felt like they were trying to sell me something.”

The rankings feature 32 five-star recruits, which 247Sports projects as future first-round NFL draft selections. The 6-foot-5, 230-pound pass rusher has blitzed through the competition in high school. He racked up 15 sacks and 39.5 tackles for loss in his junior season at Millbrook High School. As a sophomore, Streets recorded a staggering 26.5 sacks in 13 games.

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — What began as a routine Facebook Marketplace sale left a Portland man with serious injuries and a warning for others, as police investigate a series of violent crimes linked to online meetups across the area.

The man, who asked not to be identified for safety reasons, said he is still recovering nearly five months after a Jan. 21 encounter in Northeast Portland’s Cully neighborhood.

He told KOIN 6 News he arranged to meet a buyer through Facebook Marketplace to sell an iPhone. Instead, he said the buyer grabbed the phone and ran.

“I just immediately reacted and instinctively started chasing after him,” he said.

The man noted the suspect ran to a waiting getaway car. He chased after the vehicle and reached the front of it before being thrown to the pavement.

“I rolled off the car, and as soon as I hit the pavement and started to stand up, my right leg and knee turned into jello,” he said.

The incident left him with a broken ankle, knee injuries and a concussion. He said these injuries forced him into a wheelchair during part of his recovery and required multiple medical leaves from work.

“That changed my life,” he added.

Despite the injuries, he said he is grateful the outcome was not worse. Further, he’s sharing his experience in light of law enforcement agencies across the Portland area investigating other violent crimes connected to Facebook Marketplace transactions.

Last week, Tualatin police arrested a 20-year-old man accused of firing shots at sellers during a Marketplace meetup involving counterfeit cash. No one was injured.

Days earlier, detectives said a gunman shot and robbed a man during another Marketplace transaction in Northeast Portland.

Police say the two most recent cases are not connected, but the message is the same.

The Portland man said buyers and sellers should meet in highly visible public locations, such as coffee shops, businesses or police stations whenever possible.

Police also recommend meeting in well-lit locations with security cameras, bringing a friend, keeping a cellphone nearby and trusting your instincts if something feels wrong.

The warning comes as more Americans turn to online marketplaces to supplement their income.
According to a recent survey of more than 1,300 Americans conducted by Omnisend, 28% reported having a side hustle.

The survey also found many use platforms such as Facebook Marketplace to help cover bills, pay down debt or boost their income. Facebook Marketplace was among the most popular selling platforms cited by respondents.

Police say thieves often target high-value items such as cars, electronics, phones and designer goods.

Meta, Facebook’s parent company, advises users to cancel transactions immediately and report suspicious activity if something feels unsafe or unusual.

As for the man injured during the January meetup, he hopes the person responsible learns from what happened.

“I would challenge you to learn from this and grow from this and be a better person for that,” he said.