My Page: Joseph Friedrichs

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H1N1 continues to spread throughout Western states.

Oregon is home to the country’s first reported fatal case of swine flu in a cat.

The cat, a 10-year-old male, died Nov. 7 near Portland.

The Oregon State University Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory examined the dead cat and discovered he carried the H1N1 virus.

While this is the third confirmed case of a cat with H1N1, it is the first fatality in a feline reported nationwide

Where to go? What to do?

It’s no secret there are a number of Oregonians who enjoy smoking marijuana. And while that may be the case, there are millions in the West who don’t enjoy having their water polluted to produce the plant.

An estimated 200,000 marijuana plants were discovered in raids during the Oregon growing and harvest season this year, according to state and federal documents.

And while that number may be staggering, pools filled with chemical fertilizers to grow the plants are a main nerve of concern among state officials and environmentalists. 

Bend visitor claims to be hit by minivan

After being struck by the large motorized vehicle, Gerad Byrne felt as though he was living in southern Florida.

“There’s some pain, yeah,” he said Wednesday morning, just several hours after being hit by a minivan on the streets of Bend.

Byrne, an Irishman presently living in Central Oregon, was walking Wednesday morning near the intersection of Lava Street and Franklin Avenue when the incident occurred. According to Byrne, a turquoise-colored minivan driven by a woman with black hair and who had a crazed looked in her eye struck him while he attempted to cross the street.  Oddly enough, the event occurred approximately 48 hours after Bend was named the second friendliest city for pedestrians in Oregon.

“It happened so quick, ya know,” Byrne said of being hit by the vehicle.

Winter weather arrives to Pacific Northwest

Weather is the topic of many conversations throughout Oregon as the week begins, with massive amounts of snowfall dropping in the Cascades and wind and heavy rain blasting the coast.

“I was planning a trip to Portland to visit some friends but called it off this morning,” Randal Rosbury told me this morning outside of Newport Market. “If I had snow tires, maybe. But it sounds pretty nasty up there.”

And while there’s nothing unusual about snow dropping in the mountains at this time of year, a rare event took place during the weekend in Lincoln City. It was a tornado. And the spinning strand of energy scared the wits out of a collection of Oregonians.

Is that guano we smell?

For the past several days a walnut-sized lump has been throbbing on the top of my skull. This morning when I attempted to shampoo my hair, the scrubbing motion nearly brought me to tears. I can’t wear my blue baseball hat without feeling pain.

The cause of the hideous and horribly painful lump on this writer’s noggin? It came from a sharp-ass rock in a dark-ass cave.

A lava cave, to be precise.

And despite the injury, I encourage everyone to go check out the lava caves in central and eastern Oregon for themselves. Just try not to be an idiot and get hurt yourself hurt, okay?

Alternative Energy

A Central Oregon geothermal project many years in the making continues to heat up following a recent announcement that nearly $30 million will go toward work near Newberry Crater.

Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley announced the Energy Department grants would be coming through for seven Oregon projects. An estimated $25 million will be designated to power-producing technology involving water injected into the earth and about $4.5 million on technology to locate geothermal reservoirs at Newberry, according to Wyden.

“This funding will literally help to bring Oregon’s geothermal energy potential to the surface,” Wyden stated in a released statement. “It will create and sustain jobs improving alternative energy technology to better tap into Oregon’s unique set of renewable energy resources.”

We’ve been covering this story on NewWest.Net for several years, and this is by far the biggest advancement in the project.

Angry citizens left without bikes

Seth Naylor isn’t upset his bicycle was stolen this summer.

“I didn’t have a lock, no,” he said. “It wasn’t that a great of bike, is the funny thing.”

Naylor is among many Central Oregonians who lost their ride this summer. Some of the bikes were worth a lot of money, others had memories and were prized personal possessions. Other bikes were total junkers.

All the same, not everyone is as accepting of the thefts as Naylor.

“It’s just not cool,” said Audra Buamhover, another local resident who lost her bike this summer.

According to Bend city officials and local law enforcement, a “rash” of bike thefts have occurred during the past few months.

Bullet Sourced

NewWest.Net columnist Joseph Friedrichs has spent the past year of his life living in the Twin Cities of Minnesota. His time there was a combination of chaos and education. He was arrested. He crafted some decent articles and exposed some news that needed exposing.

And now he is back to Oregon.

This is his story.

Restaurant Chain Gives Brewery Six Months To Change Title

Wildfire Brewery, Bend’s youngest beer-producing company, recently received notification that the business’s name violates copyright laws and therefore must change its title or head to the courtroom.

Wildfire restaurants - a chain of eateries with locations in Illinois, Minnesota, Virginia and Georgia - sent a letter earlier this month to the owners of Wildfire Brewery informing them that they were in violation of a trademarked title. The letter strongly suggested that the brewery changes its name within six months, said Paul Cook, a co-owner and brewer for Wildfire.

Rather than take the issue to court, Cook said the Bend suds producer opted to change their business name.

“We’re a young company so we decided to raise the white flag,” Cook said. [more]

The People We Meet

As you read this, there’s a young man who is carrying a large, wooden cross toward Missoula. Today, he’s likely somewhere near Bend, wondering if he should cut east to Burns or head north toward Hood River and up to Walla Walla, as I suggested he should do.

This young man’s name is Jake, and he is what he described himself to be as a “traveling believer.”

Jake’s lugging this cross on a small wheel to Missoula because “God provides for you when you’re on foot.”

I asked Jake if it was possible that he was carrying this cross to Missoula because it gives people a reason to approach him, and when in available situations provide him with food.

Jake didn’t go for the notion. [more]

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