An overflow audience at the Ashland High School gymnasium Sunday afternoon erupted into thunderous applause as U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Oregon) blasted the “tyrannical” actions of the Trump administration. At the boisterous town hall, with at least 1,000 in attendance, Merkley laid out a stark, apocalyptic critique of President Donald Trump.
Seasonal flu is causing a second peak of illness and hospitalizations in Oregon this month, in what may end up being the worst flu season in the past decade.
After 46 days on strike, nurses at Providence hospitals across Oregon have approved a deal that will see them return to work. The strike, which is one of the largest health care worker labor actions in state history, included thousands of nurses at all eight Providence hospitals in the state, including Medford.
Nurses would be paid more and receive compensation for missing breaks under a tentative agreement reached by Providence Health & Services and the Oregon Nurses Association that could end a six-week-long strike.
Oregon medical researchers and three Democratic members of Oregon’s congressional delegation warned that the Trump administration’s efforts to curtail funding will hamper the ability of the state’s science community to do groundbreaking research that can save lives and advance health care.
Providence Medford Medical Center said Friday that 43 percent of its striking nurses have come back to work amid an historic statewide strike. The nurses union, however, calls the number “unsubstantiated.” About 380 nurses at Providence Medford went on strike Jan. 10 along with nurses at eight other hospitals around the state. In total, nearly 5,000 Oregon Nurses Association-represented nurses remain on strike.
Two more Oregon cats died this month after eating raw cat food that was contaminated with the deadly bird flu virus, prompting Washington state officials to issue a recall. Pet owners should toss or return any containers of Wild Coast’s boneless free range chicken formula, lots 22660 and 22664, with a best by date of December 2025.
The Ashland Community Emergency Response Team will offer training on how to offer basic medical aid, including administering naloxone in case of opioid overdoses, on Wednesday evening, Feb. 12. The training is free and open to the public starting at 6 p.m. at Ashland Fire Station No. 1 at 455 Siskiyou Blvd.
A majority of some 380 striking nurses at Providence Medford Medical Center have rejected the health care system’s latest contract offer, joining thousands of other nurses around the state who remain on strike going into their fifth week. It is the largest healthcare worker strike in Oregon history.
Nurses at seven Providence hospitals across the state have voted to reject a tentative agreement that would have ended a nearly month-long strike. Due to weather conditions since Tuesday, nurses at Providence Medford have until Saturday to finish voting on their proposed deals.
Ask Strider: A reader asks whatever happened to Woody the Puppy Intern? Strider has news! Woody has landed on all four paws with a new gig. And Steve, the Ashland.news crossword editor, has a new canine crossword up for solving. The excitement is pupable!
The Oregon Legislature is meeting this week to consider some major cuts to current spending levels as a large revenue deficit looms. That’s because the state’s tax code automatically replicates new federal tax cuts, including ones passed by Congressional Republicans this summer that will reduce state revenue
Michael O’Looney: Trump and the Texas Legislature are responsible for a partisan power grab that has unleashed bitterness and partisan vindictiveness, all in an effort to subvert an electoral system for partisan ends.
Councilor Bob Kaplan: While the cost of delivering kilowatt-hours to our homes has risen, Ashland Electric has been able to hold our rates steady with just one increase of 5.1% in 2021. I’m sorry to say we’re due for an increase, but fortunately it’s not likely to match recent increases elsewhere.
An estimate for the cost to abate asbestos found in the shuttered Lincoln School recently should be available as early as sometime this week, according to Steve Mitzel, operations director for Ashland School District. The cost to remove asbestos would be separate from the as yet-unknown cost for structural repair.
“We are still here” was the theme for Saturday’s Native American Heritage Celebration at Southern Oregon University, hosted by the SOU Native American Student Union (NASU) and SOU Native Nations Liaison Kenwanicahee (Kenwani) Kravitz (Madesi Bandi, Pit River Nation Winnemem, Nomtipom and Nomsus Bands Northern Wintu).
(It’s free)
