Jan 4 2021 thru Jan 10 2021

Hummingbirds make great company and are beautiful to watch. Most hummingbirds migrate once the cold weather arrives – but one species remains. “Anna’s Hummingbirds” live in western Oregon year-round.

PORTLAND, OR – January 4, 2021 – As many job sectors in Oregon continue to struggle in an unpredictable economy and the state faces a near 7% unemployment rate, the skilled trades are booming. But the number of skilled trade jobs is far outpacing the supply of qualified workers. Staffing leader PeopleReady’s skilled trades division is aiming to change that, launching a training program to bring more state residents into the skilled trades.

Oregon Health Authority officials have expanded their multilingual Safe + Strong education and outreach campaign with a new theme and materials to help communities find simple, culturally specific information on safely connecting with family and friends this winter.

While it feels good to have 2020 in the rearview mirror, it is important to reflect and remember the losses and lessons this past year has brought us. It was just one year ago that my wife and I were dancing in faux flapper and fedora fashions from the closet at the “Roaring ’20s Disco Dance” held at The Axe & Fiddle on New Year’s Eve 2019. Downtown was vibrant with people and the promise of a new start was in the air.

LORANE – In the summer of 2018, my sister and brother-in-law, Barbara (I call her B.J.) and Dwight Isborn, moved from their beautiful home above Cottage Grove Lake to an equally beautiful home in Redmond, Oregon, where they’ve always wanted to live — out of the rainy winters into the cold-but-sunny, snowy ones. The problem with that is, they left family behind in Lane County and none of us enjoy driving the snowy passes between here and there during the winters.

FLORENCE – California gray whales can live to be 70 years old, can grow to nearly 50 feet and adults can weigh 60,000 pounds. Gray whales can dive 500 feet and are able to stay underwater for 30 minutes or more. Their annual migration covers about 12,000 miles. Photo courtesy of the NOAA Fisheries. The view of the Eastern Pacific is stunning from the Heceta Head Lighthouse and it’s one of the best places to whale watch in Lane County. More information About Heceta Lighthouse can be found at this link.

Need a penny? Take a penny. Have a penny? Leave a penny. Sentiments often seen at convenience stores, usually scrawled on a piece of paper next to a dish with a few pennies, nickels and dimes. Is it just a simple way to help others? Or a step on the slippery slope of socialism? At the other end of the spectrum, there likely are people who prefer the message: “Go earn your own damn penny.” Actually, our options are not one or the other, which seems to be how so much of our world is framed today.

Editor’s note: “Dear Bernard” is a new Chronicle feature that addresses mental-health issues, and is published in partnership with the Center for Community Counseling. Have you ever wondered if you are mentally fit? How has the pandemic affected someone with a mental illness? Are men handling the crisis differently than women? How can I tell if my child is coping well?

SPRINGFIELD – City council is considering an amendment to its charter to fill the mayor vacancy through an election, after residents at Monday’s meeting said they’ve gone too long without a mayor.

County leaders this week delivered a virtual State of the County address on Jan. 4, in which they reflected on the hardships and achievements of 2020, and their high hopes for the new year. “Lane County began the year in solid financial condition with a budget that expanded services and preserved jobs,” commissioner Heather Buch said during the State of the County address. “We also had the highest credit rating in our history and one of the highest available to a local government … Things were good, and then 2020 went sideways.”

For many of us, saying goodbye to our loved ones is the toughest thing we ever face in life. That challenge certainly isn’t made any easier when we can’t fully communicate with those beloved souls, and really share our true feelings, in those final days. Bradley Cook knows what that pain feels like. He’s felt it a few times before, but that doesn’t make it any easier. He and his wife, Kellie, lost Bella, their 14½-year-old Golden Retriever, on Nov. 30. Bella wasn’t just treated pretty much like family. She was family.

COTTAGE GROVE – When a local organization said it could no longer offer shelter for people without homes on sub-freezing winter nights, city officials and residents stepped in. Beds for Freezing Nights – a local non-profit organization that arranged warming centers for individuals and families when the temperature dropped below 29 degrees – alerted Cottage Grove city officials it could not maintain the program this year. Richard Meyers, city manager, wanted to make sure people still had a place to go. The Community Sharing Warming Shelter (CSWS) program was established to fill the need.

It’s a new year with the same focus: coronavirus and vaccinations. County health officials are rolling with the punches as they work to coordinate vaccination distribution, and as long-term care facilities and workplaces continue to be at the center of coronavirus outbreaks locally. With a county population of 378,879, as of Jan. 4, 4,332 people have been vaccinated, with zero having received both shots.

Dec. 25, 1926 – Nov. 27, 2020

March 20, 1927 – Nov. 30, 2020

Oct. 5, 1964 – Dec. 15, 2020

Aug. 2, 1965 – Dec. 21, 2020

June 10, 1933 – Dec. 25, 2020

May 2, 1934 – Dec. 24, 2020