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U.S. lawmakers in Oregon urge federal authorities to curb opioid use – Oregon Capital Chronicle

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U.S. lawmakers in Oregon urge federal authorities to curb opioid use – Oregon Capital Chronicle


Oregon teenagers are dying of drug-related causes quicker than in another state, and we have to do extra about it, members of Oregon’s congressional delegations stated Thursday.

U.S. Sens. Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden and Reps. Suzanne Bonamici, Lori Chavez-DeRemer, Earl Blumenauer, Andrea Salinas and Val Hoyle urged U.S. Secretary of Schooling Miguel Cardona in a letter to work with college districts to fight the nation’s rising opioid disaster and substance misuse in colleges.

“If we’re really dedicated to ending the opioid disaster, then we should make sure that our college students, in addition to their dad and mom and lecturers, are outfitted with the entire assets they want, together with entry to naloxone and profitable drug-prevention teaching programs,” they wrote.

Regulation enforcement officers say China is manufacturing illicitly manufactured fentanyl and promoting it to Mexico the place it’s being was capsules that intently resemble prescription oxycodone or benzodiazepines akin to Xanax and bought on the streets. 

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In keeping with the U.S. Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention, from Could 2020 to April 2021 deaths as a result of unintentional overdose surpassed 100,000 for the primary time on file. About 64% of them have been attributed to artificial opioids, together with illicitly manufactured fentanyl, which is 100 instances stronger than morphine. 

In Oregon, fentanyl-related overdose deaths have skyrocketed, growing by 74% from 2019 to 2020, for a complete of 298 fentanyl-related deaths in 2020, state information reveals.

What’s extra, the fee of Oregon youngsters dying as a result of drug-related causes is rising quicker than in another state. Adolescent drug overdose deaths have greater than doubled nationwide since 2019 and greater than tripled in Oregon in the identical time interval. That is largely as a result of proliferation of fentanyl, based on the federal Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention.

Along with their request to work with college districts, the Oregon congressional members need the U.S. Division of Schooling to offer an replace on its progress and to share greatest practices. 

Within the letter, they highlighted Beaverton College District’s “Faux and Deadly” marketing campaign, which  supplies assets for college kids, dad and mom and lecturers on the risks of artificial opioids, in addition to key contacts and hotlines ought to a scholar ingest these medicine. 

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The district has additionally adopted a non-punitive strategy to college students with substance use points, based on a current press launch despatched out by Merkley’s workplace. The district supplies specialists and social staff to every campus to assist college students and households discover the assistance they want.

“College districts can not fake that pretend capsules made out of probably lethal fentanyl usually are not a menace to their college students,” Shellie Bailey-Shah, public communications officer for the Beaverton College District, stated in an announcement shared within the current press launch. “Fentanyl poisonings are a actuality throughout the nation. 

“As educators, we’ve got a duty to tell our college students, dad and mom and workers in regards to the risks,” she added. “I implore college districts to be proactive and never wait till their communities undergo a scholar dying that would have been prevented via training.”

Efforts in Oregon

This federal try to deal with the issue by way of colleges aligns with related efforts in Oregon. 

Earlier this month, state lawmakers progressed Senate Invoice 238 via the Oregon Senate. It’s now scheduled for a public listening to subsequent week with the Home training committee. 

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If handed, the invoice would direct the Oregon Well being Authority, State Board of Schooling and Alcohol and Drug Coverage Fee to collaborate on creating curricula dietary supplements associated to the risks of artificial opioids and legal guidelines that present protections for many who report drug or alcohol use or who search therapy for themselves or others. 

The invoice handed almost unanimously via Oregon’s Senate, with one vote towards and one excused.

Marc Siegel, communications director for the Oregon Division of Schooling, advised the Capital Chronicle the state company is watching the development of the invoice and can be able to assist its implementation. 

In response to Thursday’s letter, Siegel stated, “Our federal delegation and neighborhood leaders are elevating essential considerations, and ODE stands with them in shared concern and dedication.”

Siegel stated the state company is working to deal with the difficulty, for instance, by partnering with the Oregon Well being Authority in 2022 to develop the Fentanyl & Opioid Response Toolkit for Faculties for educators, directors, college nurses, college students and households. 

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The toolkit supplies details about how colleges can create an emergency protocol to manage the opioid reversal drug naloxone, bought beneath the model identify Narcan, and find out how to entry, administer and retailer the opioid overdose prevention remedy, he stated. The proposed insurance policies and procedures outlined within the toolkit are strongly inspired, however they aren’t at the moment required of Oregon colleges. 

“With every younger life misplaced,” Siegel stated, “the affect of the opioid disaster turns into all of the extra private, impactful and actual for all of us and calls on all of us to face and act collectively.”

 

 

 

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Oregon

Powerball ticket worth $328.5 million sold in Oregon

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Powerball ticket worth 8.5 million sold in Oregon


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The first Powerball jackpot of 2025 was sold in Oregon and is worth $328.5 million, according to lottery officials.

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The winner purchased the winning ticket in Beaverton on Thursday, Jan. 17, the Oregon Lottery said. The retail location will not be revealed until a winner has come forward.

The winning numbers for the Saturday drawing were: 14, 31, 35, 64 and 69 and Powerball 23.

The winner has a year to claim their prize, Oregon Lottery spokesperson Melanie Mesaros said. After the winning ticket is presented, “it will take time before a winner can be identified due to security and payment processes.”

Oregon lottery winners, with few exceptions, cannot remain anonymous, Mesaros said.

The winner will have a choice between an annuitized prize of $328.5 million or a lump-sum payment of $146.4 million, according to lottery officials, which are both options before taxes.

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Last year, the largest Powerball prize won in Oregon — a $1.3 billion jackpot — was split between a Portland man, his wife, and friend.

Before Saturday, the most recent Powerball jackpot was sold in December in New York and was worth $256 million.

Powerball is a multi-state jackpot operated by 44 states, plus the District of Columbia, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.

Fernando Cervantes Jr., a news reporter for USA TODAY, contributed to this story.

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Cherrill Crosby is the executive editor of the Statesman Journal and The Register-Guard. Reach her at crosbyc@gannett.com



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Oregon’s Dan Lanning visits 5-star recruit Cantwell, top TE Premer during Midwest run

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Oregon’s Dan Lanning visits 5-star recruit Cantwell, top TE Premer during Midwest run


Oregon head football coach Dan Lanning has been a busy man.

But when you’re the man tasked with running one of the top college football programs in the country, burning jet fuel to shake hands and take photos is a big part of the gig. And Lanning was doing plenty of that last week.

A native of Kansas City, Mo., Lanning returned home last week on a two-day tear recruiting some of the top 2026 prospects in the country.

Lanning’s known stops included Lee’s Summit on Jan. 16, where the Tigers have 2027 interior line prospect Zach Harsha (6-5, 260) and 2028 tight end Max Trillo (6-4, 225).

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He was even busier the following day. He had stops at Raymore-Peculiar, where he visited with and offered four-star uncommitted running back DeZephen Walker (6-0, 205) who is believed to be heavily considering Kansas and Nebraska.

Raymore-Peculiar running back DeZephen Walker

Raymore-Peculiar running back DeZephen Walker. / Photo by David Smith, SBLive

He also headed to Illinois, where he swung by Lincoln-Way East to visit with quarterback Jonas Williams, who agreed with the Ducks on Aug. 3, 2024,

A trip to the Springfield, Mo. area was also on the docket, as Lanning traveled to Nixa High School to again meet with the country’s No. 1 2026 offensive lineman, Jackson Cantwell, on Jan. 16. The 6-8, 315 offensive tackle has offers from just about everyone in the country, though he has spoken highly of Lanning and his relationship with the Ducks coach – making Oregon one of the favorites for his services.

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Cantwell was honored by the Kansas City Chiefs on Jan. 18 during their AFC Divisional playoff game against the Houston Texans after he was selected to represent the Chiefs at the ‘Nike Ones’ showcase during Super Bowl weekend in New Orleans.

Lanning concluded his trip with a little basketball in Hutchinson, Kan., where he watched Great Bend tight end Ian Premer (6-6, 215) – the top tight end in the 2026 class – take on Hutchinson. Premer, a three-sport star in football, basketball and baseball, impressed with 22 points in the game.

The Midwest swing adds to a busy month for Lanning, who also has been spotted with Utah No. 1 athlete Salasi Moa and recently secured a visit with top 2026 quarterback and Nashville native Jared Curtis.

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People with disabilities are extra vulnerable in major disasters like wildfires, says Oregon advocate

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People with disabilities are extra vulnerable in major disasters like wildfires, says Oregon advocate


FILE – Scorched wheelchairs rest outside Cypress Meadows Post-Acute, a nursing home leveled by the Camp Fire on Dec. 4, 2018, in Paradise, Calif. The staff was able to safely evacuate all 91 patients.

Noah Berger / AP

Jake Cornett, Executive Director and CEO of the advocacy group Disability Rights Oregon, says he will forever be haunted by Ashlyn Maddox’s death during the 2021 Oregon heat wave.

The Portland woman, 36, was disabled and living in a group foster home. She was dropped off by a medical transport company, but the company didn’t make sure she made it safely into her air-conditioned home. She ended up wandering around for hours in the heat, and died only 50 feet from safety.

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Cornett says, “These deaths are preventable with the right planning, the right strategy for mitigation, the right preparedness and a response plan that complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act and respects the needs of people with disabilities.”

Jake Cornett, executive director and CEO of Disability Rights Oregon.

Jake Cornett, executive director and CEO of Disability Rights Oregon.

Courtesy of Ramsey Cox

Cornett spoke with “All Things Considered” host Geoff Norcross about Oregon’s ability to help people with disabilities during a natural disaster, such as the deadly wildfires burning in the Los Angeles area.

This conversation has been edited for clarity and length.


Geoff Norcross: If we were to transport those fires in Southern California here, would we see a similar catastrophe for people with disabilities?

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Jake Cornett: Surely, we fear that the same disasters we’ve seen play out in the catastrophes in the lives of people with disabilities in LA would play out right here in Oregon as well. And I don’t think this is just a theoretical question. It’s only a matter of time before we have major wildfires along Highway 20, very close by in Portland and in other major cities throughout our state.

Norcross: What is the obligation of local governments to provide for people with disabilities when disaster strikes? I guess I’m asking if the Americans with Disabilities Act applies here.

Cornett: Absolutely. The Americans with Disabilities Act requires that cities, counties, the state and the federal government are taking into account what the needs are of people with disabilities, and providing accommodations for those needs when engaging in disaster planning.

Norcross: Getting information out to people quickly in a disaster is so critical, especially for something that’s as fast-moving as the LA wildfires. For people who are deaf or blind, can you talk about how that’s extra complicated?

Cornett: Absolutely. You know, emergency response notification systems that happen on your phone are a great tool if you have a phone, or if you have the technology to make your phone provide you the information you need. And that’s particularly important for folks who are blind.

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I think about a blind person who may not have the same visual access to information as others. If police run around your neighborhood and put a notice on your door that says “get out of town, there’s an evacuation order, you’re under wildfire threat,” that notice on your door might not be enough because you can’t access that information.

And this is where cities, counties and the state really have an obligation to adjust to how they communicate so that it’s effective for all people with disabilities.

Norcross: And again, when you say obligation, you mean a legal obligation, not just because it’s the right thing to do.

Cornett: Absolutely. There’s a legal obligation to do that under the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Norcross: Even if an evacuation order gets to affected people quickly, there’s this expectation that most people will get in their car and they will leave. How does that expectation leave people with disabilities in even greater danger?

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Cornett: Yeah, that’s another huge issue for people with disabilities, especially when it happens quickly like the LA fires. People think evacuating is getting in the car, driving quickly away to safety.

But many people with disabilities don’t have access to a car, or they can’t physically drive a vehicle. They’re totally reliant on others to transport them to safety. So just providing that notice is not an adequate way to ensure that we are saving the lives of people with disabilities in the way it needs to be done.

Norcross: Is there an event here in Oregon that you can point to that shows us how situated we are to help people with disabilities when disaster strikes, good or bad?

Cornett: Here in Oregon, we’ve seen hundreds die or have serious injuries because of heat in the past few years. Climate change is real. We live in a warming environment, and it’s having a really disproportionate impact on seniors, on people with disabilities and people with underlying medical conditions.

And I’ll forever be haunted by a story of a 30-something year old woman who was dropped off by a medical transport company, but didn’t wait in their air-conditioned van to make sure that she got inside her home where there was air conditioning. Instead, they took off. She wandered around for hours before dying of heat, just 50 feet from her adult foster home.

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These deaths are preventable with the right planning, the right strategy for mitigation, the right preparedness, and a response plan that complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act and respects the needs of people with disabilities.



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