SPOKANE, Washington, March 16 -- Avista, an energy company, issued the following news release: Following actions taken by our federal government and state governments in Washington, Oregon and Idaho, Avista has elevated its response protocol and taken swift action to continue to mitigate the health and safety risk of the Coronavirus to the Company's employees, customers and contractors. Beginning Wednesday, March 18, all Avista offices will be closed to the public and employees with job functio  more

LA GRANDE, Oregon, March 19 -- Eastern Oregon University issued the following news: A long-time leader in distance learning, Eastern Oregon University will move all on-campus classes to remote-access for spring term. The move comes out of an abundance of caution regarding the spread of COVID-19 in Oregon and around the world. "We are taking these actions for the spring term out of concern for the health of our students, faculty and staff," EOU President Tom Insko said. "Fortunately, EOU is   more

SALEM, Oregon, March 20 -- Gov. Kate Brown, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: Governor Kate Brown announced an executive order directing Oregon's higher education institutions to move their curriculum to online learning, prohibiting in-person classroom interactions through April 28 as a way to prevent transmission of COVID-19. "I know students have worked hard this school year, and we're doing everything we can to help them safely finish their learning. But we're also learning more   more

SALEM, Oregon, March 18 -- Gov. Kate Brown, D-Oregon, issued the following news release on March 17: * * * - New executive order addresses child care for health care providers and first responders, delivery of food assistance to families * * * Governor Kate Brown announced an extension of Oregon's statewide school closure to a total of six weeks, until April 28, and also issued further guidance for Oregon's public schools. This follows on an initial two-week closure of Oregon's schools to en  more

SALEM, Oregon, March 20 -- Gov. Kate Brown, D-Oregon, issued the following statement on March 19: Governor Brown released the following statement about the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's (FERC) approval of the Jordan Cove and Pacific Connector Gas Pipeline and marine export terminal project, which has not completed its state permitting processes: "Given a national and state emergency, in which the federal government and its agencies are unable to fulfill their basic responsibility to k  more

SALEM, Oregon, March 17 -- Gov. Kate Brown, D-Oregon, issued the following statement regarding Oregon's first death due to coronavirus, a veteran in Multnomah County with underlying health conditions: "Although we knew this day would come, it does not make it any easier to learn of the first Oregonian to succumb to this illness -- an honored veteran who served his country to protect the freedoms we all hold dear," said Governor Brown. "The loss of one life to this disease is too many. Already,   more

SALEM, Oregon, March 18 -- The Oregon Public Utility Commission issued the following news release on March 17: The Oregon Public Utility Commission (PUC) has approved the filings by Idaho Power and Pacific Power to modify their rate and service schedules, or tariffs. Today's decisions provide these utilities the needed flexibility to waive late payment fees for customers during the COVID-19 outbreak. Additionally, the PUC chose to take no action on Portland General Electric's (PGE's) similar f  more

PORTLAND, Oregon, March 17 -- Oregon Health and Science University issued the following news release on March 16: * * * - OHSU taking measures to free up space, conserve supplies anticipating a surge of COVID-19 cases * * * Updated: In light of this rapidly changing situation, this post has been updated as of 3 p.m., Monday, March 16. Oregon Health & Science University is preparing to treat a surge of patients who will require hospitalization and intensive care for COVID-19 by reducing surg  more

PORTLAND, Oregon, March 19 -- Oregon Health and Science University issued the following news release on March 18: Oregon Health & Science University is preparing to treat a surge of patients who will require hospitalization and intensive care for COVID-19 by reducing surgeries that can be postponed indefinitely. Reducing surgeries will help to free up space in the hospital while also conserving supplies and personnel. With the growing presence of the novel coronavirus in our community, OHSU e  more

CORVALLIS, Oregon, March 18 [TNSenvironmentresearch] -- Oregon State University issued the following news: Summer streamflow in industrial tree plantations harvested on 40- to 50-year rotations was 50% lower than in century-old forests, data from the long-term Alsea Watershed Study in the Oregon Coast Range showed. The research, led by Oregon State University's Catalina Segura, is an important step toward understanding how intensively managed plantations might influence water supplies originat  more

CORVALLIS, Oregon, March 20 [TNSenvironmentresearch -- Oregon State University issued the following news: Summer streamflow in industrial tree plantations harvested on 40- to 50-year rotations was 50% lower than in century-old forests, data from the long-term Alsea Watershed Study in the Oregon Coast Range showed. The research, led by Oregon State University's Catalina Segura, is an important step toward understanding how intensively managed plantations might influence water supplies originati  more

CORVALLIS, Oregon, March 18 [TNSenergyresearch] -- Oregon State University issued the following news: A serendipitous discovery during research into batteries at Oregon State University holds major implications for inventing new materials with a vast range of scientific and commercial applications, the study's corresponding author says. Many of science's most significant challenges trace to the limits of known available materials, but a phenomenon named "counter-ion insertion" by OSU College o  more