YEAR IN REVIEW
DON’T DRINK AND DRIVE
Page A8-9
Obituaries-A4 • Poll-A4 • Market Place-A6 • Public Notices-A6 • Church News-A7 • Dont Drink & Drive A8-9
Friday, December 27, 2019
The Chief
$1 Vol. 128, No. 33 10 Pages
Serving the Lower Columbia Region since 1891
Oregon child dies from influenza complications JEREMY C. RUARK jruark@countrymedia.net
The Oregon Health Authority reports an Oregon child has died after contracting influenza. “There has been one pediatric flu death so far this season,” Oregon Health Authorities lead communications officer Jonathan Modie told The Chief on Tuesday, Dec. 24. No other details about the child’s death have been released. According to Modie, the OHA doesn’t track adult flu deaths because flu deaths in adults are not nationally notifiable (e.g., required to be reported). A key reason, Modie said, is because seasonal influenza may lead to death from other causes, such as pneumonia, congestive heart failure, or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and it has been recognized for many years that influenza is infrequently listed on death certificates and testing for seasonal influenza infections is usually not done, particularly among the elderly who are at greatest risk of seasonal influenza complications and death. “Some deaths — particularly in the elderly — are associated with secondary complications of seasonal influenza (including bacterial pneumonias),” Modie said. “Influenza virus infection may not be identified in many instances because influenza virus is only detectable for a short period of time and/or many people
Photo: Courtesy
As cases of the flu increase in the state, the Oregon Health Authority is recommending flu shots, and encourages people to take additional steps to protect themselves and their children from the virus.
don’t seek medical care until after the first few days of acute illness.” For these and other reasons, Modie said statistical modeling strategies have been used to estimate seasonal flu-related deaths for many decades. Only counting deaths where influenza was included on a death certificate would be a gross underestimation of seasonal influenza’s true impact.” Modie said the OHA doesn’t
track flu hospitalizations by county, but does monitor influenza-associated hospitalizations in Clackamas, Multnomah and Washington counties, the Tri-County/Portland Metro area, along with reports of emergency department visits for influenza-like illness, positive flu tests as reported to the National Respiratory and Enteric virus Surveillance System, and reported flu outbreaks around the state. Modie
said the information collected gives the OHA a good sense of flu activity around the state. Modie said the timing of flu is unpredictable and can vary from season to season. “Seasonal flu viruses can be detected year-round,” he said. “However, seasonal flu activity often begins as early as October and November and can continue to occur as late as May. Flu activity most
commonly peaks between December and February.” The OHA encourages everyone to take steps to protect your families, co-workers, neighbors and community from the flu. Modie said cases of flu are on the rise across Oregon, but it’s not too late to get vaccinated. Other ways people can help prevent flu: • Stay home from work or school when you are sick and limit contact with others. • Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue out when you are done. • Wash hands with soap and water. Use an alcohol-based hand rub if soap and water are not available. • Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth. • Clean and disinfect surfaces and objects that may have flu germs on them. • Avoid getting coughed and sneezed on. For parents concerned about the health safety of their children, the Center for Disease Control has helpful online tips at https://www. cdc.gov/flu/treatment/caring-forsomeone.htm. To learn more about the 2019-20 flu season, go to the CDC webpage on frequently asked questions at https://bit.ly/33dtWgY. To contact the Oregon Health Authority, call 971-673-2315. To contact the Columbia County Health Department, call 503-397-7210.
Oregon, Columbia County job growth JEREMY C. RUARK jruark@countrymedia.net
Oregon’s unemployment rate dropped to 3.9 percent in November, the lowest on comparable records dating back to 1976, according to Oregon Employment Department economist David Cooke. The October unemployment rate was 4.0 percent, as revised from the originally reported figure of 4.1 percent. In November, Oregon’s unemployment rate dropped below 4 percent for the first time since comparable records dating back to 1976. This puts the rate slightly above the November U.S. rate of 3.5 percent. Oregon’s unemployment rate has been hovering near historical lows of near 4 percent for the past 37 months. Meanwhile, total nonfarm payroll employment shot up by 6,300 jobs in November, following an upwardly revised gain of 6,500 jobs in October. October was revised upward by 2,100 jobs. So far in 2019, monthly employment gains have averaged 2,600 jobs, which is slightly slower than in 2018 when monthly growth averaged 3,000 jobs.
Flip Side “The tight labor market, and perhaps the unusually mild and dry weather in November, seem to have influenced seasonal trends in the major industries,” Cooke said in a release. “Industries that normally shed a lot of workers during the autumn months didn’t cut back as much as normal.” In November, the following industries cut back less than normal, and therefore posted seasonally adjusted job gains: construction (+2,200 jobs), manufacturing (+1,900 jobs), and professional and business services (+1,400 jobs). “On the flip side, the tight labor market may have inhibited certain industries from hiring as many workers as normal in November.,” Cooke said. “Government and retail trade both normally add a substantial number of jobs in November, but each industry hired a few hundred jobs fewer than normal for the month.” Economic forecast According to the most recent Oregon economic and revenue forecast issued by the Oregon Office of Economic Analysis, Oregon’s job growth has slowed to gains seen in the state’s underlying population. The forecast reads in part, “For the eleventh year of expansion, such gains remain solid. Oregon’s slowdown is driven by fewer hirings and a tight labor market,
rather than an increase in layoffs. These dynamics, when combined with ongoing strong income growth keep the outlook intact. As confirmed by recently released Census data, current economic conditions in Oregon have been rarely better. The expansion endures even as risks remain elevated.” Cooke said Oregon’s over-theyear job growth of 1.6 percent closely matched the U.S. job growth of 1.5 percent. Most of Oregon’s major industries have expanded by about two percent since November 2018. The primary exception of an industry growing faster was education and health services, which grew by 9,900 jobs, or 3.3 percent. Conversely, the only major industry that contracted substantially over the past 12 months was retail trade, which cut 1,800 jobs, or -0.9 percent. The Oregon Office of Economic Analysis has issued a shot term economic outlook that reads in part, “Oregon is expected to continue to see healthy job gains – a bit more than 2,000 per month or about two percent over this year and into 2020 – but the state is now past its peak growth rates for this expansion. Importantly, such gains remain strong enough to hold unemployment down and account for ongoing population growth. After these near-term job gains, supply side constraints and longerrun demographic trends weigh on growth to a larger degree. These supply side constraints include a tighter labor market, infrastructure,
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energy costs, capacity utilization and the like. The large wave of retiring Baby Boomers will weigh on job growth rates for the coming decade. There will be enough jobs overall, as the generational churn is hidden underneath the labor market’s surface.” Columbia County Oregon Employment Department regional economist Erik Knodler said Columbia County’s job growth rate tends to follow the general statewide employment trends. “But with a slightly lower growth rate,” he said. “I expect Columbia County employment to grow between .75 percent and 1 percent per year on average.” Columbia County’s November jobless rate was scheduled to be released on Tuesday, Dec. 24. Seasonally adjusted nonfarm payroll employment inched up by 10 jobs in October to 11,480 jobs. Columbia County’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 4.9 percent in October, unchanged from the previous month and essentially unchanged from the year before at 5.0 percent. Columbia County’s October unemployment rate was higher than the statewide rate at 4.1 percent and of the national rate at 3.6 percent. Knodler and the state employment department conducted a survey of employers’ job vacancies. The 2018 report for Northwest Oregon, including Columbia County
found employers reporting that 58 percent of vacancies were difficult to fill. According Knodler’s ‘Help Wanted in Northwest Oregon’ report, Northwest Oregon had roughly 3,400 job vacancies at any given time in 2018. “We surveyed 1,400 private employers with two or more employees.” he said. The employers gave details about each vacancy, including: • Job title • Full - or part-time status • Starting wage of salary • Educational and experience requirements Businesses also identified if their vacancies were difficult to fill and why. Of the top five on that list, the leisure and hospitality sector reported the most vacancies of any industry in 2018, followed by health care and social assistance, manufacturing, retail trade and management, administrative and waste services. Half of all 57,980 job vacancies in 2018 in Oregon were in the Portland Tri-County area at 23,083. Knodler’s report found that 49 percent of all job vacancies in Northwest Oregon in 2018 paid less than $15 per hour, but the average hourly wage offered was $19.23 with 80 percent full time positions and 97 percent permanent positions. “Higher paying vacancies were more likely to require education beyond high school,” Knodler’s report said.
R eview • •
March 15
March 22
Body found on Neer City Rd. identified as Rainier teen
While friends remember Sarah Zuber, investigators seek information from the public in death of 18-year-old
On March 13, 2019 at about 12:04 p.m., the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) received a call from a reporting person that she had located the body of a female on the side of Neer City Rd. in Rainier, Oregon. On Thursday morning, March 14, the CCSO identified the young woman as 18-year-old Sarah Elizabeth Zuber. Multiple units responded to the scene, including investigators from the CCSO, the St. Helens Police Department, Scappoose Police Department and the Oregon State Police. The investigation is ongoing. This is a developing story that will be updated on thechiefnews. com as new information becomes available after press time.
JULIE THOMPSON chronicle1@countrymedia.net
On Wednesday, March 13, the community of Rainier and surrounding areas were rocked by the discovery of 18-year-old Sarah Elizabeth Zuber’s body off of Highway 30 by Neer City Road. Deputies with the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) responded to the discovery of Zuber’s body with fire medics in tow around noon. Other responding units included investigators from the CCSO, St. Helens Police Department, Scappoose Police DeSarah Zuber.
Photo: GoFundMe Page
See ZUBER Page A4