e Edition Edition CLEAR 67 • 48 | THURSDAY, AUGUST 20, 2020 | theworldlink.com Follow us online: facebook.com/theworldnewspaper twitter.com/TheWorldLink instagram.com/theworldlink Wall going up at Marshfield ... John Gunther, The World Workers move one section of the new precast concrete wall into place at Marshfield Junior High School on Wednesday. The process of placing the sections of wall, which were brought in by truck, started this week. ... Walls coming down at Myrtle Point The front of the con- demned portion of Myrtle Point High School shown two weeks ago, before workers started tearing down the nearly century-old section of the building. Photo courtesy of Lori Gunther After work over the past two weeks, the columns on the front of the condemned section of Myrtle Point High School were about all that remained of the former school on Tuesday evening. John Gunther, The World Harris accepts Democratic vice president nomination WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) — Kamala Harris accepted the Democratic nomination for vice president on Wednesday, cement- ing her place in history as the first Black woman on a major party ticket and promising she and Joe Biden will rejuvenate a country ravaged by a pandemic and riven by racial and partisan divides. In an address capping the third night of the virtual Democratic National Convention, the Cali- fornia senator evoked the lessons of her late mother, Shyamala Gopalan, a biologist and Indian immigrant, saying she instilled in her a vision of “our nation as a beloved community — where all are welcome, no matter what we look like, where we come from or who we love.” “In this election, we have a chance to change the course of history,” Harris said. “We’re all in this fight.” Mixing a former prosecutor’s polish with the deeply personal, Harris also spoke of her Jamai- can father and getting a ”stroll- er’s eye view” of the civil rights movement as her parents protest- ed in the streets in the 1960s. “There is no vaccine for rac- ism,” Harris said. “We have got to do the work.” Harris addressed a party that has staked its future on bringing together a racially diverse coali- tion of voters. She was preceded in the convention program by Barack Obama, meaning the nation’s first Black president introduced the woman trying to be the first Black person to hold the vice presidency. Obama said Harris was an “ideal partner” for Biden and was “more than prepared for the job.” Harris is a former district attorney and California state attorney general. She promised to speak “truths” to the Amer- ican public. She said she and Biden, who tapped her as his running mate last week, believe in a country where “we may not agree on every detail, but we are united by the fundamental belief that every human being is of infinite worth, deserving of com- passion, dignity and respect.” Democrats hope Harris can galvanize their party’s faith- ful — who are divided between progressive and moderate wings — and win over swing voters still deciding between Biden and Trump. But she also was introducing herself to a national audience that may not have been paying close attention to the race until now. “For somebody with her wealth of background and experience, she’s still fresh. She’s still new,” said Ohio Rep. Marcia Fudge, a former chair of the Congressional Black Cau- cus who endorsed Harris’ 2020 presidential primary run before throwing her support behind Biden in March. Harris spoke at a convention center in Biden’s home state of Delaware that was empty except for socially distanced reporters and a few campaign staffers. She was introduced by her sister, Maya, her niece Meena and Ella Emhoff, her stepdaughter who calls her “Momala.” At the end of her speech, Biden walked out to join her from a distance and both were soon joined by their spouses. In sweeping remarks that touched on the legacy of Black women who paved the way for this moment, Harris noted that this week marks the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amend- ment, which gave women the right to vote. Except that right, Harris said, came much later for most Black women, who helped secure that victory yet were still prohibited from voting. Please see Harris, Page A2 Oregon launches relief check program THE WORLD SALEM — Oregonians facing financial hardship due to the COVID-19 pandemic will be able to apply for a one-time pay- ment of $500. This first-of-its-kind project is a collaboration between the Ore- gon Legislature, Oregon Depart- ment of Administrative Services, Central Willamette Credit Union, Clackamas Federal Credit Union, InRoads Community Credit Union, Old West Federal Credit Union, OnPoint Community Credit Union, Oregon Commu- nity Credit Union, Rogue Credit Union, SELCO Community Credit Union, Umpqua Bank, and Columbia Bank. There are more than 150 lo- cations in all regions of the state where eligible Oregonians will be able to receive relief checks. To be eligible, a person must: • Be a current resident of Ore- gon and 18 years or older. • Be able to prove their iden- tity and that they are an in-state resident. • Attest that they are experi- encing severe financial hardship directly or indirectly due to the Governor’s Stay Home, Save Lives executive orders. • Have earned $4,000/month or less pre-tax prior to their in- come loss due to COVID-19. • Not have received all un- employment payments they are owed. Oregonians who think they may qualify should go to https:// emergencychecks.oregon.gov. The program started Aug. 19. It will direct them to the nearest participating credit union or bank’s website. There they can follow the instructions on how to apply at that location and complete their application. Each applicant must adhere to public health protocols when applying in-person. “While we know these limited funds aren’t enough and won’t allow us to help everyone, we felt it was important to try something,” House Speaker Tina Kotek said. “After months of hearing from increasingly desperate Oregonians who were doing everything right and still not getting the unemployment they were owed, we hope this effort offers a streamlined way for some financial relief. The state is stepping up, and I hope Congress will act soon to provide more support that is desperately needed.” “The Governor’s order pre- vented thousands of COVID-19 cases and saved hundreds of Please see Relief, Page A2
Follow us online: facebook.com/theworldnewspaper twitter.com/TheWorldLink instagram.com/theworldlink
Wall going up at Marshfield ...
John Gunther, The World
Workers move one section of the new precast concrete wall into place at Marshfield Junior High School on Wednesday. The process of placing the sections of wall, which were brought in by truck, started this week.
... Walls coming down at Myrtle Point
The front of the con-demned portion of Myrtle Point High School shown two weeks ago, before workers started tearing down the nearly century-old section of the building.
Photo courtesy of Lori Gunther
After work over the past two weeks, the columns on the front of the condemned section of Myrtle Point High School were about all that remained of the former school on Tuesday evening.
John Gunther, The World
Harris accepts Democratic vice president nominationWILMINGTON, Del. (AP)
— Kamala Harris accepted the Democratic nomination for vice president on Wednesday, cement-ing her place in history as the first Black woman on a major party ticket and promising she and Joe Biden will rejuvenate a country ravaged by a pandemic and riven by racial and partisan divides.
In an address capping the third night of the virtual Democratic National Convention, the Cali-fornia senator evoked the lessons of her late mother, Shyamala Gopalan, a biologist and Indian immigrant, saying she instilled in her a vision of “our nation as a beloved community — where all are welcome, no matter what we look like, where we come from or who we love.”
“In this election, we have a chance to change the course of history,” Harris said. “We’re all in this fight.”
Mixing a former prosecutor’s polish with the deeply personal, Harris also spoke of her Jamai-can father and getting a ”stroll-er’s eye view” of the civil rights movement as her parents protest-ed in the streets in the 1960s.
“There is no vaccine for rac-ism,” Harris said. “We have got to do the work.”
Harris addressed a party that has staked its future on bringing together a racially diverse coali-tion of voters. She was preceded in the convention program by Barack Obama, meaning the nation’s first Black president introduced the woman trying to
be the first Black person to hold the vice presidency. Obama said Harris was an “ideal partner” for Biden and was “more than prepared for the job.”
Harris is a former district attorney and California state attorney general. She promised to speak “truths” to the Amer-ican public. She said she and Biden, who tapped her as his running mate last week, believe in a country where “we may not agree on every detail, but we are united by the fundamental belief that every human being is of infinite worth, deserving of com-passion, dignity and respect.”
Democrats hope Harris can galvanize their party’s faith-ful — who are divided between progressive and moderate wings
— and win over swing voters still deciding between Biden and Trump. But she also was introducing herself to a national audience that may not have been paying close attention to the race until now.
“For somebody with her wealth of background and experience, she’s still fresh. She’s still new,” said Ohio Rep. Marcia Fudge, a former chair of the Congressional Black Cau-cus who endorsed Harris’ 2020 presidential primary run before throwing her support behind Biden in March.
Harris spoke at a convention center in Biden’s home state of Delaware that was empty except for socially distanced reporters and a few campaign staffers. She
was introduced by her sister, Maya, her niece Meena and Ella Emhoff, her stepdaughter who calls her “Momala.” At the end of her speech, Biden walked out to join her from a distance and both were soon joined by their spouses.
In sweeping remarks that touched on the legacy of Black women who paved the way for this moment, Harris noted that this week marks the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amend-ment, which gave women the right to vote. Except that right, Harris said, came much later for most Black women, who helped secure that victory yet were still prohibited from voting.
Please see Harris, Page A2
Oregon launches relief check programThe World
SALEM — Oregonians facing financial hardship due to the COVID-19 pandemic will be able to apply for a one-time pay-ment of $500.
This first-of-its-kind project is a collaboration between the Ore-gon Legislature, Oregon Depart-ment of Administrative Services, Central Willamette Credit Union, Clackamas Federal Credit Union, InRoads Community Credit Union, Old West Federal Credit Union, OnPoint Community Credit Union, Oregon Commu-nity Credit Union, Rogue Credit Union, SELCO Community Credit Union, Umpqua Bank, and Columbia Bank.
There are more than 150 lo-cations in all regions of the state where eligible Oregonians will be able to receive relief checks.
To be eligible, a person must: • Be a current resident of Ore-
gon and 18 years or older.• Be able to prove their iden-
tity and that they are an in-state resident.
• Attest that they are experi-encing severe financial hardship directly or indirectly due to the Governor’s Stay Home, Save Lives executive orders.
• Have earned $4,000/month or less pre-tax prior to their in-come loss due to COVID-19.
• Not have received all un-employment payments they are owed.
Oregonians who think they may qualify should go to https://emergencychecks.oregon.gov. The program started Aug. 19. It will direct them to the nearest participating credit union or bank’s website. There they can follow the instructions on how to apply at that location and complete their application. Each applicant must adhere to public health protocols when applying in-person.
“While we know these limited funds aren’t enough and won’t allow us to help everyone, we felt it was important to try something,” House Speaker Tina Kotek said. “After months of hearing from increasingly desperate Oregonians who were doing everything right and still not getting the unemployment they were owed, we hope this effort offers a streamlined way for some financial relief. The state is stepping up, and I hope Congress will act soon to provide more support that is desperately needed.”
“The Governor’s order pre-vented thousands of COVID-19 cases and saved hundreds of
Please see Relief, Page A2
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Democrats make urging people to vote a focusWILMINGTON, Del. (AP) —
Former President Barack Obama warned that American democracy could falter if President Donald Trump is reelected, a stunning rebuke of his successor that was echoed by Kamala Harris at the Democratic Convention as she embraced her historic role as the first Black woman on a national political ticket.
Obama, himself a barrier breaker as the nation’s first Black president, pleaded with voters Wednesday night to “embrace your own responsibility as citizens — to make sure that the basic tenets of our democracy endure. Because that’s what is at stake right now. Our democracy.”
Throughout their convention, the Democrats have summoned a collective urgency about the dangers of Trump as president. In 2016, they dismissed and sometimes trivialized him. Now they are casting him as an exis-tential threat to the country. The tone signals anew that the fall campaign between Trump and Joe Biden, already expected to be among the most negative of the past half-century, will be filled with rancor and recrimination.
Yet on the third night of the Democrats’ four-day convention, party leaders also sought to put forward a cohesive vision of their values and policy priorities, high-lighting efforts to combat climate change and tighten gun laws. They drew a sharp contrast with Trump, portraying him as cruel in his treatment of immigrants, dis-interested in the nation’s climate crisis and in over his head on virtually all of the nation’s most pressing challenges.
Democrats also demonstrated a hope that Biden, a 77-year-old white man, can revive the coali-tion that helped put Obama into office, with minorities, younger voters and college-educated women blunting Trump’s lock on many white and rural voters.
The evening marked a cel-ebration of the party’s leading women, including remarks from Hillary Clinton, the first woman to become a major ticket presi-dential nominee; House Speaker
Nancy Pelosi and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, who challenged Biden during the primary and is now supporting his campaign.
Harris, a 55-year-old Califor-nia senator and the daughter of Jamaican and Indian immigrants, addressed race and equality in a personal way Biden cannot when he formally accepts his party’s presidential nomination on Thursday.
“There is no vaccine for racism. We have got to do the work,” Harris said, her words emphatic though she was speak-ing in a largely empty arena near Biden’s Delaware home.
“We’ve got to do the work to fulfill the promise of equal justice under law,” she added. “None of us are free until all of us are free.”
Just 75 days before the elec-tion, Biden must energize the disparate factions that make up
the modern Democratic Party — a coalition that spans generation, race and ideology. And this fall voters must deal with concerns over the COVID-19 pandemic that has created health risks for those who want to vote in person — and postal slowdowns for mail-in ballots, which Democrats blame on Trump.
Democrats hope that Harris and Obama in particular can help bridge the divide between those reassured by Biden’s estab-lishment credentials and those craving bolder change.
The pandemic forced Biden’s team to abandon the traditional convention format in favor of an all-virtual affair that has elim-inated much of the pomp and circumstance that typically de-fines political conventions. It was completely silent, for example, as Harris took the stage to make history at the Chase Center in downtown Wilmington. She was
flanked by American flags but no family, and her audience consist-ed of a few dozen reporters and photographers.
After two nights that featured several Republicans, the pro-ceedings on Wednesday empha-sized core Democratic values on areas like climate change and gun violence that particularly resonate with younger voters.
On guns, Biden wants to repeal a law shielding firearm manu-facturers from liability lawsuits, impose universal background checks for purchases and ban the manufacture and sale of assault weapons and high capacity maga-zines. On climate, Biden has pro-posed a $2 trillion plan to invest in clean energy and end carbon emissions from U.S. power plants by 2035, even though his propos-als don’t go as far as activists’ preferred Green New Deal.
Wednesday night, former Arizona Rep. Gabby Giffords
reflected on her own journey of pain and recovery from a severe brain injury nearly a decade after being shot while meeting with constituents. She urged America to support Biden.
“I struggle to speak, but I have not lost my voice,” Giffords said. “Vote, vote, vote.”
It’s Trump’s turn next. The Republican president, who abandoned plans to host his convention in North Carolina and in Florida, is expected to break tradition and accept his nomina-tion from the White House lawn.
In the meantime, he’s seeking to take attention from Biden. Trump will stop near his Dem-ocratic rival’s birthplace of Scranton, Pennsylvania, on Thursday. He’s also participating in a prime-time interview with Fox News Channel host Sean Hannity.
Hillary Clinton, Trump’s 2016 rival, implored Democrats to turn out in larger numbers in Novem-ber to block his reelection.
“For four years, people have said to me, ‘I didn’t realize how dangerous he was.’ ‘I wish I could go back and do it over.’ Or worst, ‘I should have voted,’” said Clinton, the first woman nominated president by a major party. “Well, this can’t be another woulda coulda shoulda election.”
“Vote like our lives and livelihoods are on the line,” she added, “because they are.”
Obama spoke harshly of Trump, too.
“Donald Trump hasn’t grown into the job because he can’t,” Obama said, speaking from the Museum of the American Revo-lution in Philadelphia, a back-drop chosen to reinforce what the former president sees as the dire stakes of the moment.
“I have sat in the Oval Office with both of the men who are running for president,” Obama continued, describing Biden as his brother. “I never expect-ed that my successor would embrace my vision or continue my policies. I did hope, for the sake of our country, that Donald Trump might show some interest in taking the job seriously.”
lives,” Senate President Peter Courtney said. “But it also impacted many peo-ple’s income. With such a huge jump in unemploy-ment, some people are still waiting for their benefits. We know $500 isn’t going to solve all of these prob-lems, but if we can help a family buy groceries for the month, pay for child care, or cover an unexpect-ed repair, it’s worth it.”
On July 14, the Legis-lative Emergency Board allocated $35 million in federal Coronavirus Relief Fund dollars to provide $500 one-time payments to Oregonians who are expe-riencing financial hardship due to COVID-19. The
unique public-private partnership with participat-ing financial institutions will allow approximately 70,000 Oregonians across the state to conveniently access relief funds during a time of great economic uncertainty.
If eligible Oregonians are unable to access the state website, they should call 211 and ask about the Emergency Relief Check Program. 211 is also a useful resource for those who need help with rent/mortgage payments, food assistance, child care, or other COVID-19 related issues.
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ReliefFrom A1
“Without fanfare or recog-nition, they organized, tes-tified, rallied, marched, and fought — not just for their vote, but for a seat at the ta-ble,” Harris said. “We’re not often taught their stories. But as Americans, we all stand on their shoulders.”
Harris also blistered Trump, something she’s expected to do frequently as she campaigns with Biden in the coming months — though in-per-son events may remain impossible as the corona-virus rages. She recalled her days in the courtroom when she would declare “Kamala Harris for the people,” reviving a slogan from her presidential
campaign, while noting, “I know a predator when I see one.” She didn’t mention the president by name then but didn’t spare him later.
“Donald Trump’s failure has cost lives and liveli-hoods,” Harris said. She later added, “Right now, we have a president who turns our tragedies into po-litical weapons. Joe will be a president who turns our challenges into purpose.”
The Biden campaign is hoping Harris can excite young voters and people of color, especially after months of protests over institutional racism and po-lice brutality that swept the country. She’s known for her tough questioning in the Senate, particularly during confirmation hearings of two Trump nominees, Brett Kavanaugh for Supreme
Court justice and William Barr for attorney general. She also caused a stir by broadsiding Biden during a primary debate last summer over his opposition to bus-ing in the 1970s to integrate public schools.
But things didn’t always go smoothly. Harris launched her presidential bid with expectations that she would electrify the field, only to see her campaign struggle to find a consistent message and fizzle months before the first votes were cast.
Some voters are paying particularly close atten-tion to Harris because she could be called upon to step into the role of party standard-bearer as soon as 2024, should Biden — who will be 81 by then — opt not to seek a second term.
HarrisFrom A1
Trump plans to troll Biden near his former homeWASHINGTON (AP) — On
Joe Biden’s big day, President Donald Trump is planning to show up in his rival’s old backyard.
Trump, in what can only be described as piece of campaign trolling, on Thursday afternoon was staging an event just out-side the former vice president’s birthplace in Scranton, Pennsyl-vania, mere hours before Biden formally accepts the Democrat-ic nomination for president.
The political tradition of a presidential candidate lying low during the other party’s convention has eroded over the decades but — to the private delight of Trump’s advisers — the president’s trip looked to be a particularly in-your-face piece of counter-programming designed to rattle an opponent.
The campaign said Trump’s speech would cover “a half-century of Joe Biden failing America.” The event points to the importance of Pennsylvania as a battleground
state — and to the urgency of the president’s effort to close the gap in the polls.
“Joe Biden is hiding and taking voters for granted but the Trump campaign won’t make the same mistake,” said Trump cam-paign spokeswoman Samantha Zager. “Biden’s socialist agenda would kill jobs and hurt families in the Keystone State, which is exactly why he won’t confront voters in his hometown.”
Biden’s speech will come hours later from his Delaware hometown and, as the culmina-tion of the four-day convention, will surely dominate headlines and cable news chyrons. But Trump has offered a robust slate of competing activity, holding multiple in-person events this week meant to draw a contrast with the largely virtual campaign that Biden has conducted during the coronavirus pandemic.
He visited two other battle-grounds — Wisconsin and Ar-izona — as well as Minnesota, one of the few blue states from
2016 that Trump’s team feels like he may have a chance to flip this fall. But Trump’s cam-paign has been warily watching his standing falter in the trio of Rust Belt states that carried him to the presidency in 2016.
The so-called Blue Wall of Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, meant to provide electoral college insurance for Hillary Clinton, instead all broke for Trump by slim margins. He captured Pennsylvania by a mere 44,000 votes four years ago and has since then clashed with the state’s Democratic governor over efforts to reopen its economy.
Many in the Trump campaign have all but written off Michigan, a state battered by the virus, and whose governor has repeatedly fought with the president. But advisers believe Pennsylvania, like Wisconsin, remains in play and could be captured again if the economy continues to rebound.
eEditionEdition
DEAR ABBY: I desperately need to learn how to cope with caring for my mother, who is living with me. We get along most days, however she is very much a “Negative Nancy” on all topics, especially my life.
I have been divorced for more than 10 years, but she digs about my ex and his new wife as often as possible. I have asked her repeatedly to stop, but she flat-out refuses because “he left me in financial ruin.”
Yes, my ex is more financially stable today than when we were married, but I am neither desolate nor destitute. She makes me feel like no matter what I do for her it’s not enough, and before you suggest it, our only option is to live to-gether. Please help salvage my emotional state. -- CHALLENGED IN TEXAS
DEAR CHALLENGED: For the sake of your sanity, you will have to learn to change the way you react to Mommy Dearest, who can’t let go of her grudge or resist stirring the pot. Do you think she does it because she enjoys nee-dling you? Is she bored and has nothing better to talk about?
When she makes negative comments about your ex, don’t take the bait. Ignore her, leave the room or counter by saying something positive about him. (I hope you can come up with some good mate-rial.) And when she complains that you don’t do enough for her, start doing less, which may make you feel less taken for granted.
Understand that you may never please her, and when the quarantine ends, encourage her to spend time at a senior center, volunteering “to help others less fortunate,” or some other activity that will get her out of your house. You should also spend less time with her when you need to.
DEAR ABBY: My late husband and I had a dysfunctional marriage. He died in a car accident in 1995 at the age of 49. I was 44 then.
I did my best to shield my then-teen-age daughter, “Wendy,” from his opiate addiction, suicide attempts, physical abuse and the constant flux of income
because we were on and off welfare. On the flip side of his character, he was funny, super smart, helped anyone who needed help and was loved by everyone.
Little did I know, my husband had been confiding all of my perceived faults with Wendy over the years. Twenty-five years have passed, and she still has re-sidual anger toward me for things I never did back then. It spills out when she judges me or accuses me about issues that happen between us today.
Her father was abusive and neglectful of her, too, but she doesn’t remember it. In her eyes, I was the bad guy in the marriage and he was the good guy and her hero forever.
I don’t know how to heal the ugliness between us. I don’t think it’s productive at this point to tell her how bad her father treated me back then. I continue to love her unconditionally, but it still doesn’t overcome her underlying pain and anger. Was I wrong for hiding everything from her? It’s not fair being thought of unjust-ly. What else can I do? -- FAILING IN FLORIDA
DEAR FAILING: By protecting your daughter from the truth all these years, you have contributed to the situation you find yourself in. Tell your daughter it’s important the two of you get some issues out in the open, and if she agrees, make an appointment for you both with a licensed mental health professional who can facilitate and mediate the long-over-due discussion.
-------------------------------Dear Abby is written by Abigail Van
Buren, also known as Jeanne Phillips, and was founded by her mother, Pauline Phillips. Contact Dear Abby at www.DearAbby.com or P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069.
For everything you need to know about wedding planning, order “How to Have a Lovely Wedding.” Send your name and mailing address, plus check or money order for $8 (U.S. funds) to: Dear Abby, Wedding Booklet, P.O. Box 447, Mount Morris, IL 61054-0447. (Shipping and handling are included in the price.)
DEAR ABBYBy Abigail Van Buren
Long-ago divorce remains source of constant criticism
Oregon reports 11 more COVID-19 deathsOverall, number of cases is trending downward in state
The World
PORTLAND — COVID-19 has claimed 11 more lives in Oregon, raising the state’s death toll to 408, the Oregon Health Authority reported Wednesday.
Oregon Health Authority also reported 203 new confirmed and presumptive cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday, bringing the state total to 23,870.
The new cases are in the following counties: Baker (1), Clackamas (15), Columbia (3), Crook (1), Deschutes (4), Doug-las (1), Hood River (1), Jackson (24), Jefferson (9), Josephine (2), Klamath (1), Lane (5), Linn (3), Malheur (10), Marion (30), Morrow (1), Multnomah (41), Polk (4), Tillamook (1), Umatilla (11), Union (3), Washington (25),
and Yamhill (7).Oregon’s 398th COVID-19
death is a 70-year-old woman in Multnomah County who tested positive on August 7 and died on August 16, at Providence Port-land Medical Center. She had underlying conditions.
Oregon’s 399th COVID-19 death is an 83-year-old woman in Polk County who tested positive on August 4 and died on August 15, in her residence. She had underlying conditions.
Oregon’s 400th COVID-19 death is a 99-year-old woman in Washington County who tested positive on August 10 and died on August 18, in her residence. She had underlying conditions.
Oregon’s 401st COVID-19 death is a 93-year-old woman in Multnomah County who tested positive on August 4 and died on August 9, in her residence. She had underlying conditions.
Oregon’s 402nd COVID-19 death is a 90-year-old woman in Multnomah County who tested
positive on July 25 and died on August 13, at Legacy Meridian Park Medical Center. She had underlying conditions.
Oregon’s 403rd COVID-19 death is a 73-year-old woman in Multnomah County who tested positive on July 16 and died on August 11, in her residence. She had underlying conditions.
Oregon’s 404th COVID-19 death is an 84-year-old man in Clackamas County who tested positive on June 21 and died on August 11, at Providence Willa-mette Falls Medical Center. He had underlying conditions.
Oregon’s 405th COVID-19 death is a 60-year-old man in Multnomah County who tested positive on July 15 and died on August 1, at Adventist Medi-cal Center. He had underlying conditions.
Oregon’s 406th COVID-19 death is an 88-year-old man in Clackamas County who tested positive on July 13 and died on July 25, at Adventist Medical
Center. He had underlying con-ditions.
Oregon’s 407th COVID-19 death is a 94-year-old man in Clackamas County who tested positive on July 30 and died on August 8, at Providence Portland Medical Center. He had underly-ing conditions.
Oregon’s 408th COVID-19 death is an 86-year-old woman in Multnomah who became symp-tomatic on August 10, after close contact with a confirmed case and died on August 14, in her residence. She had underlying conditions.
COVID cases continue downward trend
OHA issued its Weekly Report on Wednesday, which showed during the week of Aug. 10 through Aug. 16, OHA recorded 1,963 new cases of COVID-19 infection — down from last week’s tally of 2,122. In addi-tion, 31 deaths were reported, down from last week’s toll of 39. During that week the percentage
of tests positive was stable at 5.4 percent, while new hospitaliza-tions fell to 115 from 143 last week.
About two-thirds of cases reported contact with a con-firmed case, most commonly from someone in their house-hold. Outbreaks in care facilities and workplaces continue to be reported and investigated by local public health authorities. But a large number of new cases are “sporadic,” meaning that no source for the case was identi-fied.
Stay informed about COVID-19:
Oregon response: The Oregon Health Authority and Oregon Of-fice of Emergency Management lead the state response.
United States response: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention leads the U.S. response.
Global response: The World Health Organization guides the global response.
Curry County is up to 20 total casesThe World
CURRY COUNTY — On Aug. 19, Curry County Public Health received notification of one new case of COVID-19. Notification of this new case came from Curry General Hospital at 3 p.m. The case has been ver-ified and confirmed by the Health Officer after receiv-ing the lab results, according to a press release from Curry County Public Health Ad-ministrator Sherrié Ward.
Public health has made contact with the Curry County resident and the individual is self-isolating and monitoring symptoms at home. Public health learned that this individual had traveled to another state recently and had been exposed to someone who has confirmed COVID-19.
As of Aug. 19, the total verified number of positive cases in Curry County is currently 20, with 14
recovered cases, six active cases, no hospitalizations and no deaths.
Curry County Public Health is investigating all cases to identify any possible contacts and exposures and to isolate and monitor all individuals relevant to the case. Public Health will reach out to anyone suspected of exposure to COVID-19, said the press release.
“Please remember, it is important that we all follow the OHA and CDC guidelines and Governor’s directives about social distancing, wearing facial coverings in public build-ings and protecting your-selves by staying home to slow the spread and save lives,” stated Ward.
Curry County Public Health will only post confirmed positive cases once the official lab results are received, verified and confirmed by the health officer.
California fires threaten thousands of homesVACAVILLE, Calif. (AP) —
Wildfires raged through Northern California on Wednesday, threaten-ing thousands of homes and black-ening the skies near San Francisco as crews struggled to surround them despite steep terrain and blistering heat.
The fires, many caused by lightning and sometimes pushed by strong winds, had burned hun-dreds of thousands of acres as they chewed through brushland, rural areas, canyon country and dense forest to the north, east and south of San Francisco. Fires also carved their way through the wine country and the Sierra Nevada.
In addition to about two doz-en major blazes, small fires kept erupting, though most were quickly stopped.
In central California, a pilot on a water dropping mission in west-ern Fresno County died Wednes-day morning when his helicopter crashed about an hour from New Coalinga Municipal Airport.
The pilot, whose name has not been released, was working with Guardian Helicopters, based in Fillmore, which had a contract with the state fire agency, Cal Fire, to provide emergency services on a call-when-needed basis, said Zoe
Keliher, an investigator with the Na-tional Transportation Safety Board.
Hundreds of fires have erupted since the start of the week as a heat wave accompanied by humid air created a dangerous mix of tri-ple-digit temperatures and thunder-storms that flashed lightning.
California had recorded nearly 11,000 strikes in 72 hours, Gov. Gavin Newsom said Wednesday.
Two fires in Solano County prompted evacuation orders for 8,000 residents near the Russian River Wednesday and residents of Healdsburg, which has a population of about 12,000, were warned late Wednesday night to be ready to flee.
Ash and smoke filled the air in San Francisco from at least seven fires — known as the LNU Light-ning Complex — that had burned more than 100 buildings, including some homes, and threatened 25,000 others in Napa, Sonoma, Lake, Yolo and Solano counties.
Fire officials said there was “ex-treme fire behavior.”
“Fires are making runs in multiple directions and impacting multiple communities. A critically dry airmass is moving over the area bringing strong winds,” a Cal Fire statement said Wednesday night.
Four people had been injured, Cal Fire reported, but didn’t supply details except to say they weren’t firefighters.
Travis Air Force Base ordered non-mission essential personnel to evacuate, officials said.
Residents in nearby Vacaville, a city of about 100,000 located between San Francisco and Sacra-mento, were roused before dawn Wednesday by orders to flee.
Police and firefighters went door-to-door in a frantic scramble to warn residents to evacuate as flames encroached.
Karen Hansen had fled late Tues-day as flames approached her small farm.
“The whole sky was red orange and it was coming over the hill there and it was massive. I’ve never seen anything like it and it only took a few minutes to get here,” she said.
The family fled with some ani-mals but had to leave two beloved horses. They returned Wednesday to find the house and barn destroyed, but Hansen was thrilled to see that her horses had survived.
“I’m not upset about the house. I’m just happy that my horses and animals are alive and my daughter,” she said.
Oregon state fire marshal mobilizes teams to support California effort
OREGON — The Oregon Office of State Fire Marshal is mobilizing Ore-gon fire resources to assist with the response to Cali-fornia wildfires, following the statewide emergency declaration on Aug. 18 by California Gov. Gavin Newsom in response to extreme temperatures and wildfires conditions.
The OSFM has activat-ed its Agency Operations Center and will be send-ing three task forces with equipment and personnel to join firefighting efforts. The task forces were to be mobilized Aug. 19. The mobilized strike teams, comprising 52 personnel, will be sent from Clatsop, Linn and Marion counties.
“The Oregon Fire Service is ready to provide state-to-state assistance to Califor-nia,” said Chief Deputy State Fire Marshal Mariana
Ruiz-Temple. “The Oregon Fire Mutual Aid System (OFMAS) has capacity to respond quickly when the state receives formal re-quests from our neighbors.”
California made the request through the Emer-gency Management Assis-tance Compact, a national state-to-state mutual aid system. The EMAC request is sent directly to the Ore-gon Office of Emergency Management. The requests allow for the OSFM to mo-bilize resources through the OFMAS. The task forces are composed of Oregon’s structural firefighting agencies, which provide structural firefighting and all-hazards assistance.
“The Oregon Fire Mutual Aid System is poised to provide approximately 20 taskforces quickly to areas throughout the state,” said Oregon State Fire Marshal
Jim Walker. “Given our cur-rent weather and fire condi-tions, we remain on standby should Oregon need resourc-es; however, given that we are not currently mobilized on a conflagration and the need in California, we feel confident of our ability to provide assistance to our neighbors in this time.”
Oregon’s structural firefighters mobilized by the OSFM were last sent to California to respond to multiple fires there in late October and November 2019, including the Burris Fire in Mendocino County, the Kincade Fire in Sono-ma County and the Ranch Fire in Tehama County. All told, the OSFM sent 264 members from 68 Ore-gon fire agencies and 92 apparatus. These resources made up 15 strike teams of engines, along with two agency representatives.
Oregon governor declares state of emergencySALEM — Governor
Kate Brown on Wednesday declared a state of emer-gency due to the imminent threat of wildfire across Oregon. Much of the state is now in extreme fire dan-ger, and red flag warnings have been issued for hot, dry, windy conditions and dry thunderstorms.
Oregon has experienced wildfires this season that have resulted in evacua-tions, threatened critical in-frastructure, and destroyed homes and other structures. The extended forecast in Oregon calls for continued warm and dry conditions, resulting in the imminent threat of fire over a broad area of the state. Further-more, Oregon continues to respond to the COVID-19
outbreak, which adds complexity to wildland firefighting and operations to protect the health and safety of firefighters and Oregonians whose homes or businesses may be threatened by wildfire.
“The wildfire season has escalated in Oregon this summer, and fire crews are working in extreme temperatures to keep homes and resources safe during this pandemic,” Governor Brown said. “Given drought conditions and hotter than usual temperatures, Orego-nians should be prepared for an intense wildfire season this summer. I’m committed to making state resources available to ensure crews have the resources they need on
the ground and across the state. I urge the public to use extreme caution and be mindful of fire restrictions to protect the beauty and bounty of our state.”
Pursuant to ORS 401.165 et seq, Governor Brown determined that a threat to life, safety, and property exists due to the imminent threat of wildfire. The Gov-ernor’s declaration autho-rizes the Oregon Depart-ment of Forestry and the Oregon Office of the State Fire Marshal, in coordina-tion with the Oregon Office of Emergency Manage-ment, to utilize personnel, equipment and facilities from other state agencies in order to respond to or mitigate the effects of the wildfire emergency.
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Facebook bans some QAnon groups and accountsOAKLAND, Calif. (AP) —
Facebook said it will restrict the right-wing conspiracy movement QAnon and will no longer rec-ommend that users join groups supporting it, although the com-pany isn’t banning it outright.
Facebook said Wednesday it is banning groups and accounts associated with QAnon as well as a variety of U.S.-based militia and anarchist groups that support violence. But the company will continue to allow people to post material that supports these groups, so long as they don’t violate policies against hate speech, abuse and other provo-cations.
QAnon groups have flourished on Facebook in recent months, and experts say social media has aided the rise of the fringe movement. Twitter announced a similar crackdown recently and TikTok has banned QAnon altogether from its searches, along with related terms such as “WWG1WGA,” shorthand for the group’s motto “Where We Go One, We Go All.”
Google said it has removed tens of thousands of QAnon-re-lated videos from its YouTube service and banned hundreds of channels for violating its policies, but it also does not ban QAnon outright.
The QAnon conspiracy theory is centered on the baseless belief
that President Donald Trump is waging a secret campaign against enemies in the “deep state” and a child sex trafficking ring run by satanic pedophiles and cannibals. For more than two years, followers have pored over tangled clues purportedly posted online by a high-ranking government official known only as “Q.” Some extreme supporters of Trump adhere to the theory, often likened to a cult.
The conspiracy theory emerged in a dark corner of the internet but has recently crept into mainstream politics. Trump has retweeted QAnon-promoting accounts and its followers flock to his rallies wearing clothes and hats with QAnon symbols and slogans.
Last week, Marjorie Tyler Greene, a House candidate who openly supports QAnon, won her Republican primary in Georgia. She’s part of a growing list of candidates who have expressed support for QAnon. Lauren Boebert, another candidate who has expressed support for QA-non, recently upset a five-term congressman in a Republican primary in Colorado.
Facebook said it will only remove groups and accounts outright if they discuss potential violence, including in veiled language. It said it is not ban-ning QAnon outright because
the group does not meet criteria necessary for the platform to designate it a “dangerous organi-zation.” But it is expanding this policy to address the movement because it has “demonstrated significant risks to public safety.”
But experts say this doesn’t go far enough.
“Facebook’s actions today may ultimately come to be viewed as ‘too little, too late,’ said Ethan Porter, a professor of media and public affairs at George Washington University. “It will probably make a dent. But will it solve the problem? Not at all. At this point, the most fervent QAnon believers are not only entrenched on the platform, but likely heading to the halls of Congress. Yet this may give them trouble with new recruits.”
An FBI bulletin last May warned that conspiracy the-ory-driven extremists have become a domestic terrorism threat. The bulletin specifically mentioned QAnon. Earlier last year, the Southern Poverty Law Center warned that the move-ment is becoming increasingly popular with anti-government extremists.
Facebook’s “limited action now is an insufficient one given the long established fact that the group encourages violence, spreads false information that causes real world harm, and
knows how to adapt to continue leveraging the Facebook plat-form,” said Cindy Otis, a former CIA analyst and vice president of analysis at Alethea Group, a company that helps combat disinformation.
Facebook will still restrict the material it doesn’t remove, initially by no longer recom-mending it. For instance, when people join a QAnon group, Facebook will not recommend similar groups to join. Neither will it suggest QAnon references in searches or, in the near future, allow it in ads.
Otis said Facebook’s decision not to actively push users “down the rabbit hole of QAnons” is a good so far as it goes, but still insufficient.
“Keeping only the most imme-diately dangerous content off the platform does little when you’ve already got QAnon believers running (and winning) for Con-gress,” she said.
The social network said it has removed over 790 groups, 100 pages and 1,500 ads tied to QAnon on Facebook and has blocked over 300 hashtags across Facebook and Instagram. There are 1,950 other groups and 440 pages Facebook says it has identified that remain on the platform but face restrictions, along with 10,000 accounts on Instagram.
For militia organizations and those encouraging riots, includ-ing some who may identify as antifa, the company said it has removed over 980 groups, 520 pages and 160 ads from Face-book.
“These movements and groups evolve quickly, and our teams will follow them closely and consult with outside experts so we can continue to enforce our policies against them,” Facebook said.
Social media, including Facebook, has clearly aided QAnon’s rise, even though most Americans have likely never heard of QAnon, at least based on a March report by the Pew Research Center.
“I don’t want to overstate QA-non’s influence among the mass public — it’s widely disliked and widely disbelieved,” Porter said. “But Facebook has helped it net some true believers.”
It’s not clear if any actions the companies are taking now will make up for earlier inaction.
“Clearly, QAnon at times has been dangerous and violent,” Porter said. “But even if that alone isn’t sufficient to ban QA-non — and I’m not sure it should be —the very top of Facebook should think seriously about what kind of public square they have built, and what they want their legacy to be.”
Russian opposition leader in hospital after alleged poisoningMOSCOW (AP) —
Russian opposition politi-cian Alexei Navalny is in a coma and on a ventilator in a hospital intensive care unit after falling ill from suspected poisoning that his allies believe is linked to his political activity.
The 44-year-old foe of Russia’s President Vladi-mir Putin felt unwell on a flight back to Moscow from Tomsk, a city in Siberia, and was taken to a hospital after the plane made an emergen-cy landing in Omsk, Na-valny’s spokeswoman Kira Yarmysh said on Twitter.
She told the Echo Moskvy radio station he must have consumed something from tea he drank at an airport cafe
before boarding the plane early Thursday. During the flight, Navalny started sweating and asked her to talk to him so that he could “focus on a sound of a voice.” He then went to the bathroom and lost consciousness.
“Looks like Putin is doing really badly — was handed some data on protest sentiment growing explosively — if he made the decision to poison Navalny,” the politician’s close ally Vladimir Milov said in a tweet.
Navalny is currently being treated at the Omsk ambulance hospital №1, he is in a coma in grave condition. Doctors at the hospital remain tight-
lipped about his diagnosis. Anatoliy Kalinichenko, deputy chief doctor of the hospital, told report-ers that Navalny was in grave, yet stable condition. Kalinichenko said doctors are considering a variety of diagnosis, including poisoning, but refused to give details, citing a law preventing doctors from disclosing confidential patient information.
State news agency Tass reported that police were not considering deliber-ate poisoning, citing an anonymous source in law enforcement who said “it is not unlikely that he drank or consumed something yesterday himself.”
Yarmysh on Twitter bris-
tled at that suggestion: “Of course. It’s just the tea was bad. This is what the state propaganda is going to do now — yell that there was no deliberate poisoning, he (did something) accidentally, he (did something) himself.”
Navalny’s doctor Yaro-slav Ashikhmin told the independent Meduza outlet that he is trying to arrange his transfer to a clinic in Hanover or Strasbourg, saying that medics in Europe not only can offer better treatment, but also figure out which toxin Na-valny was poisoned with.
Last year, Navalny was rushed to a hospital from prison where he was serv-ing a sentence following an administrative arrest,
with what his team said was suspected poisoning. Doctors then said he had a severe allergic attack and discharged him back to prison the following day.
Navalny’s Foundation for Fighting Corrup-tion has been exposing graft among government officials, including some at the highest level. Last month, he had to shut the foundation after a finan-cially devastating lawsuit from Yevgeny Prigozhin, a businessman with close ties to the Kremlin.
Belarus’ authoritarian President Alexander Lu-kashenko accused Navalny last week of organizing unprecedented mass pro-tests against his re-election
that have rocked Russia’s ex-Soviet neighbor since Aug. 9. He did not, how-ever, provide any evidence and that claim was one of many blaming foreign forces for the unrest.
Like many other opposition politicians in Russia, Navalny has been frequently detained by law enforcement and harassed by pro-Kremlin groups. In 2017, he was attacked by several men who threw antiseptic in his face, dam-aging one eye.
The most prominent member of Russia’s op-position, Navalny cam-paigned to challenge Putin in the 2018 presidential election, but was barred from running.
Speeds on the rise again at IndianapolisDAVE SKRETTAAssociated Press
Mark Miles can close his eyes and still hear the deep, resonant voice of longtime Indianapolis Motor Speedway announcer Tom Carnegie’s voice echoing across the cavernous facility each May as it announced a new track record.
It doesn’t matter much that Carnegie, who came to be known as the “Voice of the Speedway” during 60 years at the track, retired in 2006, five years before his death. His signature calls of “He’s on it!” and “It’s a new track record!” became the soundtrack for thousands of fans who made the pilgrimage to the Brickyard.
“That excitement,” said Miles, the chief executive of IndyCar, “is just part of the brand.”
Yes, speed has always been part of the brand. But even though the 33-car field that will take the green flag in Sunday’s race — postponed from its typi-cal Memorial Day weekend date by the coronavirus pandemic — is the second-fastest in history as a collection, the top speed set by pole sitter Marco Andretti of 231.068 miles per hour (371.87 kilometres per hour) remains well off the record.
Tony Stewart set the pole mark of 233.100 mph in 2006 on a track that had been just resurfaced, while Arie Luyendyk
eclipsed him with the fastest sin-gle lap in speedway history with a mark of 236.986 miles per hour (381.39 kilometres per hour) the following day.
Those records might not be safe too much longer.
IndyCar increased the amount of boost this year to help com-pensate for the weight of the new aeroscreens designed to provide more safety for the driver. That’s a big reason for the increase in speed. But it also follows a long-range plan put in place by IndyCar to slowly build up the kind of speed that has captured the pub-lic’s imagination over the years.
“As long as the progression is managed,” IndyCar president Jay
Frye said Wednesday. “We were smart the other day. Our engine manufacturers started working toward this last fall. Who knows? We just have to be smart moving forward.”
SPEAKING OF ENGINES: IndyCar has long sought to have a third manufacturer join Honda and Chevrolet in providing pow-er plants, and Ferrari’s Mattio Binotto said earlier this year the Italian company synonymous with Formula One was evaluat-ing the opportunity.
Frye declined to address Ferra-ri specifically but acknowledged a third manufacturer could join the fray soon.
“We’ve said for a long time
a third is very important,” Frye said. “We’re having conversations with numerous manufacturers. We’re optimistic. A lot of things have changed and flowed and moved. How that’s going to be navigated is very fluid. But lots of them like what we’re doing. They like the direction we’re going.”
THE PEACOCK IS FLYING: NBC, which took over the Indy 500 from longtime broadcaster ABC last year, has leaned heavi-ly on IndyCar to help fill its live programming space amid the pandemic. The result has been approximately the same number of hours on the network in 2020 as last season, even though IndyCar has run three fewer races to this
NBA: Mavericks pull even in series with ClippersLAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla.
(AP) — Luka Doncic scored 28 points and the Dallas Mavericks put together the pivotal run when he was out to beat the Los Ange-les Clippers 127-114 on Wednes-day night and even the Western Conference playoff series at a game apiece.
Two nights after scoring 42 points in the highest-scoring de-but in postseason history, Doncic played just nine minutes in the second half. He finished with eight rebounds and seven assists.
Kristaps Porzingis added 23 points for the Mavericks. They beat the Clippers for the first time in five meetings this season and earned their first playoff victory since 2016.
Kawhi Leonard had 35 points and 10 rebounds, but Paul George had a mostly miserable performance for the second-seed-ed Clippers. They played without starting guard Patrick Beverley because of a calf injury.
Doncic picked up his fourth foul less than a minute into the third quarter, shaking his finger toward the Dallas bench that he didn’t want to come out.
When he did come out toward the end of the period, Dallas put together a strong stretch of basketball. A finishing 14-4 spurt made it 98-85 entering the fourth, the Mavs pushed the lead to 18 in the final 12 minutes.
Reserves Trey Burke, Seth Curry and Boban Marjanovic were all in double figures for the Mavs, who shot 50% from the field.
George finished 4 for 17 for 14 points.
Game 3 is Friday.JAZZ 124, NUGGETS 105:
Donovan Mitchell scored 21 of his 30 points in a big third quarter and Utah beat Denver
to even the series at a game apiece.
Mitchell was 10 of 14 from the floor. He helped the Jazz break open the game in the third
quarter and increase the lead to 31 in the fourth.
His performance was on the heels of scoring a Jazz play-off-record 57 points in a 135-125
overtime loss in Game 1. Mitch-ell was the focus of Denver’s defense, which helped open up other avenues for teammates.
Jordan Clarkson scored a per-sonal playoff-best 26 points on a day the Jazz shot 51.7% from the floor. They also had 32 assists and hit 20 3-pointers.
Game 3 is Friday.Nuggets rookie Michael Porter
Jr. had 28 points, and Nikola Jokic added 28 points and 11 rebounds.
CELTICS 128, 76ERS 101: Jayson Tatum scored 33 points and Boston beat Philadelphia to take a 2-0 seres lead.
Tatum scored a career playoff high for the second straight game after scoring 32 points in the opener Monday. Kemba Walk-er added 22 points and Jaylen Brown had 20 for the Celtics. Boston shot 51% from the field and committed just seven turn-overs, including two in the first three quarters.
Joel Embiid had 34 points and 10 rebounds for the 76ers, and Josh Richardson added 18 points.
RAPTORS 104, NETS 99: Fred VanVleet had 24 points and 10 assists, Norman Powell had a big game off the bench with 24 points and defending NBA cham-pion Toronto beat Brooklyn to take a 2-0 series lead.
Kyle Lowry had 21 points, nine rebounds and forced a big turnover in the closing seconds for the second seeded Raptors. Garrett Temple led the Nets with 21 points, and Caris LeVert had 16 points and 11 rebounds.
Disney no place like home for top teamsLAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — The
Lakers and Bucks exited practice Wednesday to palm trees around them and sunny skies overhead.
The weather is good at Walt Disney World. The service is great. The setting seems ideal.
For the best NBA teams, it’s anything but.The top-four seeds in each conference should
be playing in their arenas right now, with home-court advantage in the first two games of their playoff series. They’d have their fans screaming during the action and in many cases families waiting at home afterward.
Boy, do some of them miss that at the mo-ment.
“If’s definitely a difference. You can feel it,” Bucks All-Star Khris Middleton said. “There’s times where we really depended on our crowd last year and during the season this year to kind of pull us out of our struggle or whatever it was. And here, there is none of that.
“We have to bring it every single night. We can’t rely on our crowd, our fans to give us that energy. We have to bring it ourselves.”
Milwaukee and Los Angeles, the No. 1 seeds in each conference, both bring 1-0 deficits into their games Thursday. So do the fourth-seeded Indiana Pacers, another “home” team in name only who dropped their opener against Miami.
Everyone at the bubble points out that it’s the same for all of them. They’ve all been on this road trip for more than a month, all dealing with obstacles they never faced in another postsea-son.
But right now it’s more hurting the teams that should be playing in front of rowdy fans, not virtual ones. The celebrities along the sidelines
at Staples Center are part of an atmosphere that can make the Lakers so tough to beat at home, and the passion for basketball in Indiana means the Pacers can always count on a big backing in their arena.
And maybe it would have helped after losing if players could have done the things they like at home, instead of spending much of their time in their rooms on campus. All that time alone may even make it harder to shake off a loss than in a normal situation.
“That’s case by case but personally I don’t think so,” Lakers coach Frank Vogel said. “In the playoffs, guys feel the losses, they enjoy the wins and I don’t think it matters that much that we’re here than elsewhere. So I’m confident in how we’re going to respond.”
If they don’t — and neither the Lakers nor Bucks have played well enough at Disney to make it a sure thing they will — they’ll be halfway to joining the short list of No. 1 seeds to have dropped a seven-game series against a No. 8.
It hasn’t happened since 2012, when Phil-adelphia beat Chicago. That was at the end of another unusual season, shortened to 66 games because of a lockout.
This one, following the suspension because of the coronavirus, is even more challenging.
“Now that we’re in the playoffs, the focus has gone to playoff basketball, that mentality. So I think we’ve been able to adapt to it,” Pacers coach Nate McMillan said. “It’s certainly some-thing we’ve never gone through and hope to not have to go through again, but we’re here like the other teams and I think everybody is making that adjustment.”
NCAA ponders eligibility of fall athletes Reds broadcaster suspended for slur
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Reds broadcaster Thom Brennaman has been suspended from working Cincinnati’s games after using an anti-gay slur on air Wednesday night, prompting the team to apologize for the “horrific, homophobic remark.”
Brennaman used the slur moments after the Fox Sports Ohio feed re-turned from a commercial break before the top of the seventh inning in the first game of a doubleheader at Kansas City. Brennaman did not seem to realize he was already on air. He later apologized.
The Reds took the 56-year-old Brennaman off the broadcast in the fifth inning of the second game.
“The Cincinnati Reds organization is devastated by the horrific, homopho-bic remark made this evening by broadcaster Thom Brennaman,” the team said in a statement. “He was pulled off the air, and effective immedi-ately was suspended from doing Reds broadcasts. We will be addressing our broadcasting team in the
coming days.” “In no way does this
incident represent our players, coaches, orga-nization, or our fans. We share our sincerest apol-ogies to the LGBTQ+ community in Cincinnati, Kansas City, all across this country, and beyond. The Reds embrace a zero-tolerance policy for bias or discrimination of any kind, and we are truly sorry to anyone who has been offended,” it said.
Brennaman opened the fifth inning with an apology spoken directly to camera before handing off play-by-play duties.
“I made a comment earlier tonight that I guess went out over the air that I am deeply ashamed of,” he said. “If I have hurt any-one out there, I can’t tell you how much I say from the bottom of my heart, I am very, very sorry.”
After pausing to announce a home run by Cincinnati’s Nick Castella-nos, Brennaman added: “I don’t know if I’m going to be putting on this headset again” and apologized to the Reds, Fox Sports and his coworkers.
RALPH D. RUSSOAssociated Press
College athletes who play fall sports, including football, will be giv-en a free year of eligibility no matter how much they compete over the next 10 months if an NCAA recommenda-tion is approved later this week.
The NCAA Division I Council voted Wednesday to recommend all athletes whose fall seasons are being altered by the pandemic should get the year of eligibility back. The council also recommended the NCAA should pursue staging fall sports championships during the spring. No recommendation was made for the size of the fields and how they should be picked, which will ultimately determine whether conferences choose to participate.
“We continue to be committed to pro-viding opportunities wherever possible,” said Council chairwoman M. Grace Calhoun, the athletic director at Penn.
Other fall sports include men’s and women’s soccer, volleyball, field hockey and cross country.
And the council approved the Football Oversight Committee’s plan to allow teams not playing in the fall to have 12 hours per week of mandatory activities that include strength and conditioning, meetings and noncontact, unpadded practices.
The proposals need approval by the Division I Board of Directors, which meets Friday. If the board signs off — which is likely — all athletes, whether they play or opt out because of concerns about COVID-19 at any
point during the 2020-21 academic year, will not be docked one of their four years of eligibility.
The NCAA made a similar decision earlier in the year when spring sports had their seasons cut short by the pan-demic. All of those athletes were per-mitted to get an extra year of eligibility, with seniors who wanted to return not counting against roster or scholarship limits for the 2021 seasons.
The same thing will happen for fall sport athletes in 2021-22.
Underclassmen will be guaran-teed a waiver to get back the year of eligibility if they want during their careers, but they will count against roster and scholarship limits.
COVID-19 concerns have led all but six Division I leagues to postpone fall sports, with the hope of making them up in the spring semester.
But even those conferences that are moving toward a fall sports season — including the Southeastern Confer-ence, Big 12 and Atlantic Coast Con-ference — have decreased the number of games scheduled to be played and built in extra time in anticipation of disruptions caused by COVID-19.
The Big Ten and Pac-12 are among the conferences looking into an alternative football season, start-ing maybe as soon as January.
“It’s hard to penalize a guy a sea-son of eligibility for things that aren’t in his control,” California coach Jus-tin Wilcox said before the council’s recommendation was handed down.
“You put him in a difficult spot if you say, ‘OK, are you going to choose to play spring for this many games
and that’ll cost you a year.’ Because then guys are going to say, if it’s four games or three or six or whatever they’re going to do, then they’re going to say, ‘Well, maybe I want to save it and play an entire season in ’21.”
The Mid-American Conference and Mountain West have also postponed fall sports among those in the NCAA’s highest-tier of football. In the sec-ond tier of Division I known as FCS, which has an NCAA playoff, all the conferences have postponed fall sports season. A few schools are scheduled to play nonconference football games.
The 12-hour schedule for football teams not slated to play over the next few months will kick in Monday and run through Oct. 4.
“I don’t agree at all with the 12 hours,” Penn State Franklin said before it was approved. “That makes no sense that other teams are going to be having a season, and we’re only going to get to work with our guys for 12 hours. You’ve got voting from basically all the different conferences, and right now, the only people voting in the best interests of the Big Ten are the people from the Big Ten.”
After several days of public outcry from players and their parents, B ig Ten Commissioner Kevin Warren said in a open letter that a fall season will not be revisited and the con-ference is evaluating winter/spring models for football.
“We are actively planning for the winter and spring seasons for all sports, including the return of football,” Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith said.
