Donations are pouring in for a former Grants Pass Fire Rescue lieutenant who is battling ALS.
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) is commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. Former lieutenant Cory Fox was diagnosed with the disease, following his retirement in 2020.
Fox said he is in a temporary power chair, and has limited mobility in his arms and legs.
Medical costs including transports have been increasing, and the family said its exceeding their means. Since launching a Go-Fund-Me page late Tuesday night, donors have helped raise more than $16,000 – just shy of its $20,000 goal.
Fox was with GPFR over the past 25 years.
“I’ve always been the one to help people,” Fox told NBC5 Wednesday. “Being on this side of it is very humbling and out of the norm for me.”
KOBI-TV NBC 5 Medford
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Fire chiefs from around the West Coast gathered Wednesday to reflect on the 2022 fire season and look ahead to the dangers presented in 2023.
Last year, Southern Oregon and Northern California were spared the worst. Officials say additional rainfall as a result of La Nina helped keep wildfires to a minimum in the Northwest.
"There are complex variables that all impact what the fire weather situation looks like and we try to distill it down to something understandable. It's very useful data not just for fire service professionals to prepare for the upcoming fire season but also for our communities," Western Fire Chiefs Association Interim Deputy Director Bob Horton said.
One factor fire officials say helped is the loosening of COVID restrictions. They say those restrictions led to many people trying to get out to the mountains and wilderness areas for recreation, and thus a lot more accidental fires.
KTVL CBS/CW+ 11 Medford
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As part of an effort to address the growing risk posed by fentanyl, a dangerous synthetic painkiller, Lane County Public Health is launching a campaign to raise awareness.
LCPH announced the launch of the Fentanyl Aware campaign on January 26, saying it was intended to help address the increasing supply and use of fentanyl in Lane County. LCPH says the increased prevalence of the illicit opioid has led to increased calls to 911, more emergency room visits, and deaths. LCPH hopes the campaign will help counteract those effects by promoting knowledge and safety through education.
“Ultimately, we hope the outcome of this campaign is saved lives,” said Lane County Public Health Community Health Analyst and Fentanyl Aware campaign coordinator, Alexander LaVake.
KEZI-TV ABC 9 Eugene
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Thursday marks the anniversary of the last Cascadia earthquake.
State and local officials say it's a good reminder to make sure you're prepared for the next one.
It's been 323 years since that megaquake hit the Oregon Coast on January 26th, 1700.
It had an estimated magnitude of 8.7 to 9.2. Officials say the severe shaking caused the land to drop by about 6 feet.
A tsunami arrived ashore about 15-to-25 minutes later.
While experts can't predict when the next "big one" will occur, they agree the region is overdue for another catastrophic earthquake and tsunami.
Officials encourage everyone to mark tomorrow's anniversary by creating a disaster plan and making sure you're prepared for an emergency.
KMTR-NBC 16 Eugene
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A fire broke out in an operating room at Oregon Health and Science University at some point in December, causing minor injuries to a patient, the hospital confirmed this week.
The fire was quickly extinguished, according to OHSU, but the hospital declined to provide any other specific details about the incident, citing HIPAA patient privacy rules. The incident prompted OHSU to conduct an internal review of what went wrong, according to an OHSU spokeswoman. Federal investigators from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) also investigated the incident several weeks after it happened after receiving an anonymous tip.
According to an OHSU spokeswoman, the federal investigators "assigned the site 'immediate jeopardy' status," which required immediate action to fix the problems.
KGW-TV NBC 8 Portland
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