When Ricardo Rodriguez evacuated from the Caldor Fire in early September, he wasn’t sure if he’d ever see his dog again.

New studies from OSU show that compounds in hemp can help in the fight against COVID-19. Discover more here.

BY STEVE LUNDEBERG — OREGON STATE UNIVERSITY

Hemp compounds identified by Oregon State University research via a chemical screening technique invented at OSU show the ability to prevent the virus that causes COVID-19 from entering human cells.

Findings of the study led by Richard van Breemen, a researcher with Oregon State’s Global Hemp Innovation Center, College of Pharmacy and Linus Pauling Institute, were published today in the Journal of Natural Products.

Hemp, known scientifically as Cannabis sativa, is a source of fiber, food and animal feed, and multiple hemp extracts…

On January 12 & 13, OSU Cascades will host free clinics for vaccinations. Find out more here.

BEND, Ore. – Oregon State University-Cascades will host free clinics for COVID-19 vaccinations, boosters and flu shots Jan. 12 and 13 for the campus and Central Oregon communities.

The clinics are open to OSU-Cascades employees and students, and community members, and will take place in the atrium of Edward J. Ray Hall from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Jan. 12 and 3 to 7 p.m. on Jan. 13.

Free one-hour parking will be available to community members in the campus parking lots.

No health insurance is necessary to receive a COVID-19 vaccination or booster, or flu shot.

Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines…

The historic Santiam Ski Lodge is getting a glow up! Read more about the transformation here.

ByDamian Fagan

Located just west of the Hoodoo Ski Bowl at Santiam Pass, the historic Santiam Pass Ski Lodge is garnering the attention it deserves. Built by the Civilian Conservation Corps from July 1939 to February 1940, the lodge has stood empty and deserted since 1986, except for some periodic maintenance by the U.S. Forest Service and wandering rodents. But restoration efforts now underway are breathing new life into the structure, which is listed on the Federal Register of Historic Places and which Restore…

A local coffee roaster is seeing a notable spike in sales.. Find out more here.

In Sisters, Oregon, you can find the early risers inside Sisters Coffee. The family-owned coffee roastery and cafe is often bustling at 6 a.m., filled with skiers and hikers about to start their adventures in the gateway to the Oregon High Desert.

Head roaster Bubba Abbajay is there even earlier, putting the first batch of coffee beans into the roaster by 5 a.m.

Coffee roasting is a sensory experience. Abbajay checks the beans often during the roughly 15-minute roasting process for each 50-pound batch, watching their color change from a pale lime green to a chocolate…

Researchers at Yale University are formulating a novel vaccine against Lyme disease. Keep reading to discover more!

Yale University researchers have developed a novel vaccine that in guinea pigs offers protection against infection by the bacterium that causes Lyme disease and may also combat other tick-borne diseases.

Instead of triggering an immune response against a particular pathogen, the new vaccine prompts a quick response in the skin to components of tick saliva, limiting the amount of time that ticks have to feed upon and infect the host, the study shows.

The vaccine is delivered by the same mRNA technology that has proved so effective against COVID-19.

In the United States, at least 40,000 cases of Lyme disease are…

Snowshoe With a Ranger programs run through March 27th. Find out more here.

Discover Your Forest, the nonprofit partner of the Forest Service in Central Oregon,  will once again be offering winter interpretive programs in collaboration with the Deschutes National Forest and Mt. Bachelor Ski Area.

The programs focus on the ecology, geology, and wildlife of the Cascades, and are led by volunteer rangers ready to interpret the winter landscape.

Snowshoe With a Ranger programs begin December 18, and run through March 27, 2022.

Interested participants can meet at the Forest Service snowshoe hut, located in the parking lot of Mt. Bachelor’s West Village.

Snowshoe tours are offered on weekends and during school breaks except for…

Original article by Central Oregon Daily News

Oregon added 10,000 jobs in November – including several industries that added enough positions to reach all-time highs – according to the state employment department.

The nonfarm payroll additions last month followed a revised gain of 6,400 jobs in October.

In November, gains were largest in leisure and hospitality (+4,100 jobs), construction (+1,800), professional and business services (+1,600), and retail trade (+1,100).

These gains were partially offset by a loss of 1,100 jobs in health care and social assistance.

Several industries added enough jobs to reach all-time highs.

Construction employed 113,800 in November, which was 500 jobs above its prior record reached in February 2020 during the peak of Oregon’s prior economic expansion.

Similarly, wholesale trade, which added 400 jobs in November,…

The Great Barrier Reef was in full bloom! Discover more here.

Oceanographers enjoyed a burst of color and life flowing forth in the annual spawning of coral from the Great Barrier Reef last week.

Taking place after the November full moon, researchers witnessed a banner year that inspired hope for the revitalization of the world’s coral reefs.

At the iconic reef off the coast of Cairns, Queensland, different corals synchronized the release of their sperm and eggs, which look almost like the shaking of a giant snow globe.

The coral offspring floated in waves of vivid pink, purple, or blue, depending on the species—and this year it was uniquely impressive.

“Unbelievably beautiful spawning from last night! The party sure has…