Latest news with #OregonTrail
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Pioneer Day at local school aims to bring history to life
Saint Luke School in the City of Erie brought history to life for students with its fourth annual Pioneer Day. Second graders have been studying Old America, the Oregon Trail, and the expansion. Schools across Erie celebrate Teacher Appreciation Week On Friday, five stations in their gym provided hands-on lessons to enhance what they've heard in the classroom. They cooperated on tasks like building wagons and native american tribe homes. Penn State Behrend turns trash into treasure 'I think it really makes them pay attention in class, so when they come to these activities, they know what we're talking about,' said Maria Wishnok, a second-grade teacher. 'We have the tent station. Behind me, we have the American tribe station. Over there, we have the covered wagon station. Is it better than regular class? Yes, indeed it is!' said Jack Krause, a second-grade student. The students also attempted to navigate a trail and make homemade butter. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Los Angeles Times
06-05-2025
- Business
- Los Angeles Times
L.A.'s 'Create Your City Budget' tool is good for transparency but has one big flaw
Buenos dias. I'm California columnista Gustavo Arellano, writing this here newsletter from Orange County for the next two weeks. Here's what you need to know to start your day. Los Angeles City Controller Kenneth Mejia has revolutionized his historically staid position. He has combined viral know-how, CPA smarts, a millennial's love for self-aggrandizement, a corgi cabinet and a progressive's love to serve the people to demystify the city's byzantine finances. That's why I was excited when Mejia announced a few weeks ago the launch of 'Create Your City Budget,' an app that allows users to, well, create their own L.A. city budget. Because, not sure if you've heard, but L.A.'s financial outlook is a headache worthy of Psyduck. With a projected budget shortfall of nearly $1 billion, Mayor Karen Bass' plan to fix it is pleasing nobody. Layoffs and reduction in services not just expected but have essentially been promised. Expect a lot of negotiations, protests and meetings until we know the final damage in the summer. Mejia's app at least lets people create their own version in the meantime. The top part of 'Create Your City Budget' shows the current proposed allocations broken down by departments complete with a pie chart that allows users to see what percentage of the $6,591,708,935 total a department takes up. (The library's $257 million? 3.89%. LAPD's 1.98 billion? 30.06%.) Below that, widgets allow you to increase or decrease each department's funding to your desire; another pie chart grows and contracts based on your moves. Once users have created the budget of their dreams, they can submit the final amount — but it can't go over $6,591,708,935! — and have it sent to council members in the hopes they can sway pols. City Controller office director of communications Diana Chang told The Times they've received 88 submissions — a good start. The tool is simple to use and easy to understand. It's great to see Mejia try different ways to engage residents about matters far too long the domain of insiders and lobbyists. But 'Create Your City Budget' doesn't go far enough. Mejia is probably too young to have played 'Oregon Trail' in elementary school. The pioneering computer game was supposed to teach my generation about the hardships faced by those who helped to conquer the American West. Players could hunt buffalo, talk to Swedes and slowly make their way across the Great Plains and Rockies with pixelated graphics and old-timey music rendered weirdly futuristic by the Apple II's primitive music card. I had fun playing it, though I couldn't tell you today anything I learned about those pioneer days except one thing: how to budget. Spent all your money in the beginning of your trek? Good luck buying supplies when they run out. Spent too much money on food instead of bullets? Good luck trying to hunt a buffalo with your extra axle. Too cheap to pay a ferry to take you across a deep river so you decided to ford your covered wagon instead? Now your supplies are soaked, silly! 'Oregon Trail' taught young minds the consequences of their decisions really quick (raise of hands, Gen Xers: how many of you digitally died of dysentery?). Mejia's 'Create Your City Budget' app needs to let its users experience the same — the good, the bad and the WTF. What actually happens if every department kicked over $100,000 to El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historical Monument, thereby doubling its $2-million budget? If the DSA dream of defunding the LAPD actually happened? If the L.A. Zoo and Animal Services combined their departments? Allowing people to do the municipal version of rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic doesn't accomplish much if they can't see the ship sink — or, maybe even survive. Hey: if 'Dungeons and Dragons' can help people beat monsters with a 20-sided die, I'm sure Mejia's office can create a role-playing game out of L.A.'s budget worthy of Baron Haussmann — or at least Bloomberg CityLab. Freddy Escobar, center, president of United Firefighters of Los Angeles City, speaks at a news conference. Top LAFD union officers have been suspended The president and two other top officers were suspended Monday after an investigation by the union's parent organization found $800,000 in credit card purchases that were not properly accounted for. A former top officer of the union was also removed from his post earlier this year over allegations that he engaged in financial improprieties involving the union's charity for injured firefighters, including using $5,000 for personal expenses. Don't worry, the weather is turning around This week is kicking off with more showers and cool temperatures, but Southern California will slowly transition into a period of warm, dry weather. 'If you're sick of the cold weather, you'll like this week,' said Ryan Kittell, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Oxnard. More on Trump's call to reopen Alcatraz Trump's call to reopen Alcatraz fell flat with tourists at the prison, who asked: Why and how? What's really behind President Trump's order to reopen Alcatraz as a prison? It's about empowering authorities to act without fear of consequence, columnist Anita Chabria wrote. Speaking of Trump What else is going on L.A. County has declared a Hepatitis A outbreak. Here's what you need to know. An L.A. County firefighter assaulted his neighbor. But his bosses couldn't fire him. Indigenous tribes without federal recognition fiercely opposed a bill that would treat tribes with and without federal recognition differently during land development disputes, prompting the author to pull it. The Manhattan Beach-based footwear company Skechers will be sold to investment firm 3G Capital for $9.4 billion. Three people are dead and nine others are missing after a 'panga-style vessel' overturned in Del Mar early Monday, authorities said. Get unlimited access to the Los Angeles Times. Subscribe here. Overwhelmed by the world? Glennon Doyle says focus on staying human at heart. In 'We Can Do Hard Things,' Glennon Doyle and her co-authors chart a road map to navigate the many difficulties of life. How can we make this newsletter more useful? Send comments to essentialcalifornia@ Going out Staying in — Reader Rocky Booth wrote in 'My mother woke me up and said 'go out an get a job.'' — Reader Alan Michaels wrote 'Met another American who said, 'Come to Japan!'' Email us at essentialcalifornia@ , and your response might appear in the newsletter this week. Show us your favorite place in California! Send us photos you have taken of spots in California that are special — natural or human-made — and tell us why they're important to you. Before and after look at 2900 N. Fair Oaks Ave., Altadena. Today's great photos are from the L.A. Times staff: These before and after photos show Pacific Palisades and Altadena right after the fires, and then post cleanup. Have a great day, from the Essential California team Gustavo Arellano, California columnist Karim Doumar, head of newsletters Check our top stories, topics and the latest articles on
USA Today
04-03-2025
- Health
- USA Today
Dysentery cases on the rise in the Portland area: 40 new cases reported in January alone
Dysentery cases on the rise in the Portland area: 40 new cases reported in January alone Show Caption Hide Caption At least one dead as dozens infected in multi-state measles outbreak A measles outbreak has infected dozens in multiple states, with at least one reported child death in Texas. An uptick in dysentery, the diarrhea-inducing disease often associated with frontier times past, is on the rise in the Portland, Oregon metro area, according to new health data. First reported by local outlets KOIN and The Oregonian, the increase in cases of the contagious gastrointestinal condition was reflected in new health data shared by the Multnomah County Health Department, which reported 40 cases in January. Portland is the county seat of Multnomah. Known best for causing stomach cramps, vomiting, bloody diarrhea and fever - and perhaps for killing off countless characters in the beloved video game "Oregon Trail" – dysentery has been consistently on the rise in the Portland region year-over-year since 2012, officials told KOIN. Data released by the health department showed several spikes in cases between 2017 and 2024, though last year's infection number of 158 in Multnomah County blew past years out of the water. That end-of-the-year number likewise represented a 62-case increase between 2024 and 2023 (96 infections.) The Multnomah County Health Department did not immediately respond to request for comment. Housing is a major factor in the spread, say Portland health officials The dysentery infection currently spreading most prominently among Multnomah County is shigellosis, the most common form of dysentery infection caused by the shigella bacteria. Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that in the U.S., approximately half a million people per year become infected with shigellosis. In the Portland area, health officials said 56% of cases were among people experiencing homelessness and 55% of cases reported methamphetamine and/or opiate usage. The spread is more prominent amongst drug users and men who have sexual contact with other men, as anal contact is more likely to spread the disease via infected fecal particles. The rising rate of people with unstable housing situations in the metro area – and therefore less access to plumbing and other hygiene needs – has likely been a major contributor to the spread, something the city previously tried to address by maintaining public toilets near areas with a high unhoused population. 'Housing is related to nearly all aspects of health, including infectious diseases,' the Multnomah County Health Department told KOIN in a statement. 'Lacking housing creates a context that can increase the risk of multiple kinds of infectious disease. When you don't have housing, it is harder to prevent infectious disease and harder to access care to treat disease compared to if you are housed." Dr. John Townes, medical director for infection prevention and control at Oregon Health & Science University, told The Oregonian the trend can be curbed by simple, increased access to public toilets and handwash stations year-round. 'If you want to stop an outbreak of shigella, you give people toilets and soap and water,' Townes told the outlet. 'And you train them in how to wash their hands.' The local health department is working to provide temporary housing for those who do test positive, both local outlets reported. What is dysentery? Dysentery is a gastrointestinal disease caused by an infection that is most commonly recognized by the trademark symptom of bloody diarrhea. There are two main types, according to the Cleveland Clinic: Amoebic dysentery (amoebiasis), which is caused by a parasite, most commonly one called Entamoeba histolytica. People in the U.S. are more likely to become infected with this form of dysentery if they recently traveled to a country with poorer water sanitation. The second type, Bacillary dysentery, is caused by a bacterial infection and is the most common type of dysentery. Some of the most common bacteria that cause this form of dysentery include shigella, salmonella, campylobacter and E. coli. The most common form is dysentery caused by the shigella bacteria, in which case the infection is called shigellosis. Dysentery of any kind is most commonly spread via the ingestion of food or water that has been handled by an infected person. Because it spreads through trace fecal particles, unwashed hands can often be the culprit for the spread. Symptoms of dysentery Some major symptoms, like diarrhea, are consistent across infection types. Some dysentery symptoms, however, depend on if you have a parasitic or bacterial infection, according to the Cleveland Clinic. Amoebic dysentery Most people who have amoebic dysentery don't have any symptoms, and they can take 2-4 weeks after infection to appear. However, mild symptoms may occur and include: Diarrhea High fever Nausea and vomiting Weight loss Upset stomach In rare cases, an abscess may form as a result of the parasite moving Dehydration Bacillary dysentery Symptoms of bacillary dysentery often occur 1-3 days after infection and may include: Diarrhea containing blood or mucus High fever Nausea and vomiting Painful stomach cramps (abdominal pain) Dehydration In severe cases, it may cause extreme inflammation, widening (dilation) of your large intestine and acute kidney disease. While many of these symptoms may sound relatively common, dysentery is not only highly contagious but can and does result in death. In fact, diarrhoeal disease, which includes dysentery and cholera, is the third leading cause of death in children under 5 worldwide and is responsible for killing around 443,832 children every year, according to the World Health Organization. Most people can recover on their own with basic care like drinking plenty of water within 7-14 days. Certain groups of people are more prone to developing severe cases of dysentery, including: Young children People 50 years of age and older People who have dehydration or malnutrition Dysentery treatment and prevention Practicing good hygiene is the best way to prevent contracting or spreading dysentery. Thoroughly washing your hands with soap and running water after using the bathroom and before and after handling or eating food is the surest way to stay safe. Other ways to prevent dysentery, according to the Cleveland Clinic: Don't share personal items with other people, including toothbrushes, drinking glasses and towels. Don't use water unless you're sure it's sanitized or sterile (free of germs). This includes water for drinking, cooking and brushing your teeth. Stay away from people who have dysentery. Wash all fruits and vegetables with clean running water. Peel them before eating them. Thoroughly cook all food. If you're traveling to an area where dysentery is common, it's also a good idea to avoid ice cubes, fountain drinks, water or soft drinks that aren't in a sealed container and unpasteurized dairy and juice products. If you or a loved one do end up contracting dysentery, you can avoid spreading it to others: Avoid other people. Do not have sexual contact with anyone else. Don't prepare food for other people. Don't swim. Regularly clean toilets, sinks and door handles with disinfecting products. Wash your laundry in hot water at temperatures at least 130°F (60°C). If you end up with an amoebicinfection, a medical professional will prescribe your medication to treat it. Otherwise, supportive care is generally used such as IV fluids for dehydration, antibiotics to assist with infection symptoms, anti-nausea medications and if needed, blood transfusions.
Yahoo
03-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Dysentery cases on the rise in the Portland area: 40 new cases reported in January alone
An uptick in dysentery, the diarrhea-inducing disease often associated with frontier times past, is on the rise in the Portland, Oregon metro area, according to new health data. First reported by local outlets KOIN and The Oregonian, the increase in cases of the contagious gastrointestinal condition was reflected in new health data shared by the Multnomah County Health Department, which reported 40 cases in January. Portland is the county seat of Multnomah. Known best for causing stomach cramps, vomiting, bloody diarrhea and fever - and perhaps for killing off countless characters in the beloved video game "Oregon Trail" – dysentery has been consistently on the rise in the Portland region year-over-year since 2012, officials told KOIN. Data released by the health department showed several spikes in cases between 2017 and 2024, though last year's infection number of 158 in Multnomah County blew past years out of the water. That end-of-the-year number likewise represented a 62-case increase between 2024 and 2023 (96 infections.) The Multnomah County Health Department did not immediately respond to request for comment. The dysentery infection currently spreading most prominently among Multnomah County is shigellosis, the most common form of dysentery infection caused by the shigella bacteria. Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that in the U.S., approximately half a million people per year become infected with shigellosis. In the Portland area, health officials said 56% of cases were among people experiencing homelessness and 55% of cases reported methamphetamine and/or opiate usage. The spread is more prominent amongst drug users and men who have sexual contact with other men, as anal contact is more likely to spread the disease via infected fecal particles. The rising rate of people with unstable housing situations in the metro area – and therefore less access to plumbing and other hygiene needs – has likely been a major contributor to the spread, something the city previously tried to address by maintaining public toilets near areas with a high unhoused population. 'Housing is related to nearly all aspects of health, including infectious diseases,' the Multnomah County Health Department told KOIN in a statement. 'Lacking housing creates a context that can increase the risk of multiple kinds of infectious disease. When you don't have housing, it is harder to prevent infectious disease and harder to access care to treat disease compared to if you are housed." Dr. John Townes, medical director for infection prevention and control at Oregon Health & Science University, told The Oregonian the trend can be curbed by simple, increased access to public toilets and handwash stations year-round. 'If you want to stop an outbreak of shigella, you give people toilets and soap and water,' Townes told the outlet. 'And you train them in how to wash their hands.' The local health department is working to provide temporary housing for those who do test positive, both local outlets reported. Dysentery is a gastrointestinal disease caused by an infection that is most commonly recognized by the trademark symptom of bloody diarrhea. There are two main types, according to the Cleveland Clinic: Amoebic dysentery (amoebiasis), which is caused by a parasite, most commonly one called Entamoeba histolytica. People in the U.S. are more likely to become infected with this form of dysentery if they recently traveled to a country with poorer water sanitation. The second type, Bacillary dysentery, is caused by a bacterial infection and is the most common type of dysentery. Some of the most common bacteria that cause this form of dysentery include shigella, salmonella, campylobacter and E. coli. The most common form is dysentery caused by the shigella bacteria, in which case the infection is called shigellosis. Dysentery of any kind is most commonly spread via the ingestion of food or water that has been handled by an infected person. Because it spreads through trace fecal particles, unwashed hands can often be the culprit for the spread. Some major symptoms, like diarrhea, are consistent across infection types. Some dysentery symptoms, however, depend on if you have a parasitic or bacterial infection, according to the Cleveland Clinic. Most people who have amoebic dysentery don't have any symptoms, and they can take 2-4 weeks after infection to appear. However, mild symptoms may occur and include: Diarrhea High fever Nausea and vomiting Weight loss Upset stomach In rare cases, an abscess may form as a result of the parasite moving Dehydration Symptoms of bacillary dysentery often occur 1-3 days after infection and may include: Diarrhea containing blood or mucus High fever Nausea and vomiting Painful stomach cramps (abdominal pain) Dehydration In severe cases, it may cause extreme inflammation, widening (dilation) of your large intestine and acute kidney disease. While many of these symptoms may sound relatively common, dysentery is not only highly contagious but can and does result in death. In fact, diarrhoeal disease, which includes dysentery and cholera, is the third leading cause of death in children under 5 worldwide and is responsible for killing around 443,832 children every year, according to the World Health Organization. Most people can recover on their own with basic care like drinking plenty of water within 7-14 days. Certain groups of people are more prone to developing severe cases of dysentery, including: Young children People 50 years of age and older People who have dehydration or malnutrition Practicing good hygiene is the best way to prevent contracting or spreading dysentery. Thoroughly washing your hands with soap and running water after using the bathroom and before and after handling or eating food is the surest way to stay safe. Other ways to prevent dysentery, according to the Cleveland Clinic: Don't share personal items with other people, including toothbrushes, drinking glasses and towels. Don't use water unless you're sure it's sanitized or sterile (free of germs). This includes water for drinking, cooking and brushing your teeth. Stay away from people who have dysentery. Wash all fruits and vegetables with clean running water. Peel them before eating them. Thoroughly cook all food. If you're traveling to an area where dysentery is common, it's also a good idea to avoid ice cubes, fountain drinks, water or soft drinks that aren't in a sealed container and unpasteurized dairy and juice products. If you or a loved one do end up contracting dysentery, you can avoid spreading it to others: Avoid other people. Do not have sexual contact with anyone else. Don't prepare food for other people. Don't swim. Regularly clean toilets, sinks and door handles with disinfecting products. Wash your laundry in hot water at temperatures at least 130°F (60°C). If you end up with an amoebicinfection, a medical professional will prescribe your medication to treat it. Otherwise, supportive care is generally used such as IV fluids for dehydration, antibiotics to assist with infection symptoms, anti-nausea medications and if needed, blood transfusions. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Dysentery cases are up in the Portland, Oregon area: Here's why
Yahoo
09-02-2025
- General
- Yahoo
‘To enjoy, not destroy': vandalism escalates at Five Hawks
Five Hawks Elementary School students were among the luckiest in the Prior Lake-Savage Area School District. A few steps behind their school building lay a sprawling outdoor learning center, complete with picnic tables and a gazebo. Over the years the wilderness wonderland – which is open to the community as well – has played host to an array fun and educational activities, including the annual recreation of the Oregon Trail for Five Hawks fifth-graders. Local Scout troops, many containing Five Hawks alumni, have done projects to improve the center – constructing a fire pit and wood storage, a table and steps – and give back to the place that houses so many memories for so many students. Last fall, the luck started to run out for the Five Hawks community. The outdoor learning center has always been a magnet for mischief, according to Five Hawks staff. 'It's escalated in the past few years,' says Dave Ayres, a fifth-grade teacher at the school. Every now and then it would be someone doodling in pencil or pen on the wood that constructs the gazebo. Someone especially brazen might even carve a benign message into the structure. 'It was usually something a custodian could sand off,' recalls Tim Bell, the principal at Five Hawks. Those were glory days compared to the situation now. Anyone taking a stroll through the outdoor learning center can see stones, which are used as seats in the amphitheater, that have been removed from the ground and rolled down the hill. Looking down, visitors can see the absence of wood fencing – placed years ago after the school received a grant in order to stop an erosion problem – once used to line the pathway. That treasured rust-colored gazebo has gotten the worst of it, though; many of the wood boards kicked out, rendering it so unsafe that teachers legally cannot bring their classes there for activities anymore. Visitors brave enough to set into the gazebo can look off the ledge and see cases of beer and cartons of cigarettes – possibly the vandals' detritus. The orange wood in the gazebo is covered with black and powder blue spray-painted messages and drawings, some of which are too vulgar to be reproduced here. 'It's so disheartening,' says Bell. 'It really is because the kids who are running in this neighborhood, they went to Five Hawks,' adds gym teacher Deb Sunderman. Seven years ago, Five Hawks faced a rash of less-intense incidents. The school responded by asking people in the community to report any strange behavior in the heavily wooded area. While police are very responsive, Bell says, the location makes the area hard to patrol. The awareness worked and the vandalism receded. But now it's back. Students and staff have offered ideas to quell the crimes – everything from cameras to Sunderman's suggestion of hanging signs that simply read 'This is for you to enjoy, not destroy.' What if the vandals steal the warnings? 'Laminating paper is a lot cheaper than repairing this,' Bell says. The staff at Five Hawks is clueless as to why the damage is ramping up now. A fourth-grade class at the school has already volunteered to go door-to-door and drop reminders, asking residents to call 911 if they see or hear anything suspicious in those woods. Much of the damage has been reported to the authorities but no one has been caught. The damaged picnic tables – which were 'ripped apart,' Sunderman says – have been cleaned up. Ayres is still planning to bring his students out to the center in early June for the Oregon Trail simulation, though he admits he might have to steer clear of the gazebo and its graphic graffiti. Bell couldn't put a dollar amount on the cost to repair all the damage, with Sunderman adding that it's more an issue of time and effort than of finances. 'If a volunteer would come forward, it would be great,' Bell says as he stands in the gazebo. 'Otherwise, we're going to spend some district or city time putting this back together.' While he's frustrated and somewhat hesitant, the school will rebuild. 'It's not going to stop us,' he says. 'We'll try everything we can.'
