The Oregon Supreme Court ruled yesterday that limits on campaign contributions are legal in Oregon.
Previously there were no limits whatsoever on how much money donors gave to Oregon political races and ballot initiatives. This gave corporate interests and out of state political organizations outsized power to impact governance in local communities.
The ruling says $500 campaign limits adopted by Multnomah County voters in 2016 do not violate the state constitution, which for 20 years has prevented controls on campaign contributions to political campaigns.The court confirmed that now controls can be put on the unlimited flow of cash into campaigns statewide.
And the Associated Press reports that Gov. Kate Brown will lift the delay on medical procedures.
Hospitals, dentists’ offices and other healthcare providers can resume attending to patients for non-urgent procedures on May 1, and Oregon is expecting QUOTE “extremely large shipments” of protective masks and gowns.
But Oregon, health officials warned they still lack adequate testing capability to isolate pockets of outbreaks of the coronavirus. The governor told reporters at a virtual news conference yesterday that around 8,000 tests are now being conducted weekly and that number will need to more than double.
Eighty three people in Oregon have died from coronavirus as of yesterday, with 2,127 people testing positive for the virus so far.
The Washington POst reports that the US coronavirus death toll climbed past 50,000 today. Just 10 days ago, the number of recorded deaths was 25,000.
The Post has been analyzing data from state health agencies to track every known death in the country. Of the 50,024 confirmed fatalities, the majority have been in New York. But while the state has started to see a decrease in its confirmed daily death counts, other parts of the country are beginning to see a surge.
The Food and Drug Administration warned today that people should not take chloroquine or hydroxychloroquine to treat covid-19 outside of a hospital or formal clinical trial, citing reports of “serious heart rhythm problems.”
Patients who also have other health issues such as heart and kidney disease are likely to be at increased risk of these heart problems when receiving these medicines.
The malaria drugs are not approved for use in covid-19 patients.
In a related story President Trump is facing major criticism after suggesting yesterday that disinfectants could be injected into coronavirus patients’ bodies to kill the virus. Medical professionals and the maker of Lysol responded by urging people not to inject or ingest household cleaning products, which are toxic.
And in Oregon, OPB reports that a nurse who works at the Two Rivers Correctional Facility in Umatilla has had her license suspended because she neglected to care for an inmate at the prison who became paralyzed as a result of untreated health problems.
“Violations included client neglect, failing to follow through with the plan of care, and failing to communicate information regarding a client’s status.”
- KBOO