It's been a tough year. I’m taking it one week at a time. In the past week, watching the season change, I focused on my yard: planting bulbs to bloom in the spring, disconnecting the outdoor hoses from faucets before the freeze, cleaning bird feeders before refilling. In this photo, I caught a seventh goldfinch coming in to chow down on nyjer seed.

I’ve found some good online jigsaw puzzles. I’m planning my night time reading a couple of weeks ahead, reserving books online using my Eugene Public Library account, ready for pick up a few days later. I baked gingerbread; on another night I baked apples stuffed with raisins, sugar, and cinnamon. I brought in the last of the tomatoes to ripen in the garage, and the basil to dry and crumble to use in cooking throughout the year. Instead of buying candy for trick-or-treating, I made another donation to Food for Lane County.

As your state representative I'll add a few more thoughts. All state agencies – ODOT is probably the most visible – continue to adapt processes to mitigate problems and avoid or work off backlogs because of changes in workflow due to restrictions to comply with pandemic response. From renewing professional licenses to applying for a driving license, responding to a court order to applying for extra assistance like food stamps, the business of government is definitely not “business as usual.”

There’s a lot of discussion among my colleagues about what a future legislative session might be like – in person? Or a “virtual” session with virtual hearings? We don't yet have a clear idea how the next legislative assembly will conduct its work, but I’m working on about a dozen bills that I hope the next assembly will consider. (All legislators are entitled to have bills drafted by Legislative Counsel. Legislators who are not returning for the next Legislative Assembly can give bill drafts to other legislators who are elected to the next Assembly.) Wonder what I’m working on? Several topics raised by constituents including cost of long-term care, duplicative work and cost of preparing multiple applications to rent a home or apartment, and cost pressures on community pharmacies. Also proposals for producing more PPE and virus testing supplies, a resilience stockpile for emergencies, search and rescue, and child welfare system reform.

It’s definitely not business as usual for me, either, but my staff and I work every day on the issues already on our plate and the new ones that keep coming in. We appreciate the interns joining the team to help out on specific topics, and say farewell to James who is moving on to a new career. Lindsay and I are holding down the fort in November and December.

"Mask up, Back up, and Wash your hands."

The open enrollment period is happening now for Medicare Advantage and Part D prescription drug plans, from October 15 to December 7. If you want to enroll for the first time, or evaluate or change any part of your current plan, now is the time. The Oregon Senior Health Insurance Benefits Assistance (SHIBA) program is available to help you navigate the different plans and options by phone, email, or web counseling sessions, to help stop the spread of the virus. All Medicare open enrollment information sessions will be held virtually through live and recorded webinars available on SHIBA’s website.

SHIBA counselors can also help navigate the Medicare.gov Plan Finder Tool to enter prescriptions and compare the cost and benefits of individual drug plans, provide enrollment guidance, and answer any other questions related to Medicare benefits. SHIBA’s 2021 Oregon Guide to Medicare Insurance Plans. Find local help by calling 800-722-4134 (toll-free) or visiting SHIBA.Oregon.gov.

Enrollment is always open for the Oregon Health Plan (OHP). If you don’t have health coverage, you can find out if you are eligible. When applying for OHP, you are not required to submit a pay stub to verify income, and federal stimulus payments and increased unemployment payments do not affect eligibility. When it is time to renew OHP benefits, you will be notified. To learn more, you can go to OHP.Oregon.gov and read the summary of OHP benefits and other health coverage options.

OHP explains: “If you fill out an application here, but don’t qualify for OHP, we’ll securely send your application information to HealthCare.gov. At HealthCare.gov, you can shop and enroll in private health insurance and find out if you qualify for tax credits to help pay the cost. Likewise, if you fill out an application at HealthCare.gov, but qualify for OHP, HealthCare.gov will securely send your application information to us and we’ll contact you with more information.”

Use a drop box! October 27 was announced as the last day to mail in your ballot and have some confidence that it would be received by 8 p.m. on Election Day, Tuesday November 3. Drop your ballot off at any of the official drop boxes to make sure your ballot will be received in time. Find your nearest dropbox or use this list of Lane County dropboxes. If your ballot hasn’t arrived in the mail, or have any other issues with your ballot, you can call Lane County Elections at 541-682-4234. Voters with disabilities can find detailed information about accessible voting options here.

Oregon was the first state in the nation to adopt vote by mail, in 2000. Because of heightened concern nationwide about the security of ballots and elections, Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum announced a hotline for concerned voters to call if they are having trouble casting their ballots:

971-673-4111. The AG’s office announced, “Call us for a quick turnaround with your non-emergency questions or concerns. Check out our Oregon Votes 2020! one-pager for valuable voter protection information.”

In Oregon the rate of fraud is six zeroes and a “6” after the decimal point. That is less than one millionth of one percent.

The nonpartisan Oregon Legislative Fiscal Office, which provides research and analysis on the state budget and other legislative issues, recently wrote a report on Oregon’s vote-by-mail system, which has been around in some counties since 1981. It slowly expanded, and then a ballot measure passed in 1998 directed all voting to be conducted by mail.

The report found that between 2000 and 2019, of the 60.9 million ballots cast statewide, including local elections, the Oregon Department of Justice found 38 examples of voter fraud, a rate of .0000006%. The most common forms found were duplicate voting, voting in more than one state, and ballots filled out and signed by another member of the household (not the one whose name appears on the ballot). The Heritage Foundation also found in its review of all known voter fraud cases in the U.S., a rate of .0000007%.

The Oregon Attorney General is warning Oregonians to hang up on unsolicited phone calls that sound like they are from Apple. The Oregon Department of Justice (DOJ) has received several reports of scammers spoofing or impersonating Apple Support. Callers hear someone say that they are with Apple iCloud Security and that their personal information has been compromised - that’s when the scammer tries to get your personal information, asking for your Apple ID password, iCloud credentials or verification codes. “Apple will never ask you for you for your Apple ID password, iCloud credentials or verification codes in order to provide you with support. That’s not how legitimate businesses operate,” said Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum.

If you have been a victim of the Apple Support scam, you can file a complaint with the Oregon DOJ online or call the Oregon Attorney General’s Consumer Hotline at (877) 877-9392.

Because the flu is largely preventable, Oregon Health Authority is encouraging everyone to get a flu shot as soon as possible. Getting the flu vaccine helps prevent flu hospitalizations and deaths, and helps keep hospital space and resources available for COVID-19 patients.

OHA says: Don’t wait to vaccinate: You can protect yourself from the flu by getting a vaccine. To find a flu vaccine clinic use the flu vaccine locator tool. Learn more about seasonal flu and COVID-19 on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website.

The flu vaccine will not cause you to test positive for COVID-19; COVID-19 tests look only for evidence of one virus – the coronavirus that causes COVID-19.

Sadly, Oregon has surpassed 600 deaths from COVID-19. OHA news update October 22: The data is clear and decisive: COVID-19 is more deadly than seasonal influenza. Respiratory viruses also tend to be more severe in older adults, and COVID-19 is particularly so. Another key difference is that there is a vaccine for the flu. The flu vaccine is very effective, even when it isn’t a perfect match for the strain of influenza that’s circulating.

Between October 16 and October 22 the University of Oregon identified and reported 58 positive COVID-19 cases in the UO community. Of those, 11 are students living in the residence halls, and 47 are students living off campus. This is a significant reduction from the 133 positive COVID-19 cases reported the previous week.

UO is working hard to control the spread of COVID-19 on campus, in residence halls, and in off-campus living. Among the measures they are taking is requiring face coverings in outdoor public spaces on campus regardless of whether or not six feet of distance can be maintained. They recommend that a face shield alone should be used only on a very limited basis when wearing a mask or face covering is not feasible. Wearing a face shield alone—without a mask or face covering—increases the potential for transmission of viruses to those in the same room. Mandatory testing continues in residence halls. The testing program has the capacity to include voluntary testing for students living off campus, with a focus on those in large apartment complexes or other congregate housing, such as fraternities and sororities; faculty and employees whose work requires them to be on campus; underserved communities disproportionately impacted by COVID-19; and in some cases, the community at large. The testing team is ramping up capacity to about 4,000 tests per week, which will continue into the fall and winter.

See more on the University’s Prevention plan and Testing, contract tracing, and case management info.

Lane County testing facilities: list of locations, whether you need an appointment, and more about testing

The City of Eugene and Eugene Water & Electric Board (EWEB) are working together to distribute CARES Act funding for utility customers impacted by COVID-19. Licensed childcare providers and non-profit agencies providing direct services to clients impacted by COVID-19 can apply for a utility grant equal to the lesser of $4,000 or the average monthly EWEB bill.

Approved applicants will receive the grant as credit on their EWEB bill. The total funding available for non-profit and childcare providers is $100,000 and will be made available beginning October 2020 until funds have been fully allocated. See more on EWEB's Non-profit and Childcare Provider Assistance page.

Friday, October 30 (7 PM) - Saturday, October 31 (6 AM): crews will close the outside Delta northbound travel lane to complete shoulder widening work.

Sunday, November 1 (10 PM) - Monday, November 2 (6 AM): complete nighttime closure of Delta Highway just south of Beltline Highway to perform temporary paving. Concurrently, three Beltline/Delta Interchange ramps also require closing. Detour signs will guide travelers.

10-Day West side Lane Reductions and Crossover: Delta Highway

Tuesday, November 3 (8 PM) after the ballot deadline: crews will close the outside Delta northbound travel lane and begin work to shift traffic to the east side to build up the roadway for the future new intersection. 9 PM: complete closure of northbound and southbound lanes just south of Beltline to complete the shift of traffic lanes to the highway’s east side, providing one travel lane in each direction. The roadway will reopen to traffic at 5 AM with this single lane crossover configuration. This new layout will remain in place until November 13 (10 PM). Expect increased traffic.

12-Day East side Lane Reductions and Crossover: Delta Highway

Friday, November 13 (10 PM) to Wednesday, November 25 (6 AM) all northbound and southbound traffic will shift over to the west side on Delta Highway with one lane in each direction for crews to finish the roadway build up for the future new intersection. Expect increased traffic.

3-Day Weekend Ramp Closure Beltline Highway to Delta Highway

Friday, November 13 (10 PM) - Monday, November 16 (6 AM): closure of the eastbound Beltline Highway ramp to northbound Delta Highway to build up the roadway to match the new section on Delta Highway.

Detour signs will guide travelers.

For more information on the project, go to the ODOT project website or see a project summary in my April-May enews.

During the recent wildfires, many families called local animal shelters looking to see if lost animals have been found. Greenhill Humane Society in Eugene and Lane County Animal Services worked together to humanely trap and rescue more than 20 cats in evacuated areas during the fires. A senior advisor from the Humane Society who has experience in emergency response even drove out to Lane County from Montana to help the effort.

One story from the effort: “Lily was one such cat. Lily’s owner was grieving because of several personal losses and was afraid her beloved companion was lost forever. The cameras, however, showed Dave that Lily was still in the neighborhood and two days later he succeeded in trapping her.” The responders also set up food and water stations in the community and educated on how to care for displaced animals.

The Humane Society encourages everyone to microchip their pets and include animals in disaster plans and emergency preparations.

In each enewsletter I write about only a few topics among the dozens or hundreds that cross my "virtual desk" each week. For a few minutes away from COVID fatigue and election season anxiety, you might be interested to see a selection of the varied topics collected in one day's report of "top 30 stories" collected by the Oregon State Library.

lunch with Lindsay, pre-COVID

Jenna, constituent services

Lauren, research projects