Erin Ross

A view of the sunrise over a snowy Chicago

Ok ok ok Chicago

Over 22.5 hours.

Terrifying. An Associated Press investigation found more than 420 bills attacking longstanding public health protections such as vaccines, milk safety and fluoride have been introduced in statehouses across the US so far this year. Around 30 bills in 12 states have already been enacted or adopted.

It looks like he’ll come in at the third longest speech. I’ve seen folks speculating that he’d go for Booker’s record but I don’t think he ever intended to — it’s just too important of a moment.

I sob

He’s taking the last few minutes of his speech to thank the pages and encourage them toward activism, to thank Senate staff, and security.

It sounds like Merkley will be wrapping up soon — he noted that he’s 20 minutes from his “goal,” which seems to be to surpass Wayne Morse’s speech in length.

That will make this the third longest speech in U.S. Senate History.

(Morse, incidentally, was also an Oregonian.)

Many editors and writers at the Wall Street Journal's Health and Science desk have just been laid off. I've worked closely with many of them; they've done amazing work through difficult circumstances. It's devastating to hear about these cuts at a time when we need science journalism more than ever.

idk if anyone has a betting pool going on how long this speech will be … but my guess is 24:45.

Long enough to beat Strom Thurmond, but respecting Booker’s record.

This is now the fifth longest speech in U.S. senate history.

Would be something if the two longest speeches were held in the same year, in response to the same president’s policies.

taps the evergreen sign

Tbt to that time I spent like 2 hours asking GPT4 how to spell different berries

Level 3 Evacuation orders have been expanded for the fire in Oakridge, Oregon.

The area under evacuation now is larger, geographically, than Oakridge is. Not a lot of people live in this area. It’s wild to see such a large evac area next to a town under none, but that’s weather for you.

Usually, the Northwest’s season is offset from southern California’s. Which is offset from the Southwest’s. These are seasonal jobs. As more and more fires occur early or late (or in JANUARY) this system gets strained. And that can make fires more dangerous.

I understand that fires in small towns like this can seem unimportant compared to fires in California. But for a very small community that is *not* wealthy, they can be devastating.

They also matter because wildland firefighters are a national resource, and are shuffled around with fire seasons.

All to say: it’s the kind of place that can take a long time to come back.

Oakridge is a town that doesn’t have a lot. As the logging industry collapsed, they attempted to pivot to outdoor adventure. Mountain biking caught on, but not enough to support a town. And it’s further from ski mountains and major hikes than other towns. It has a lake, but it isn’t lakeside.

It is currently moving east.

The communities along Highway 58 were the only major canyon communities spared by the 2020 fires. Towns along Highway 22 & Highway 126 (Highway 20 did not burn, but it is also scarcely populated) were wiped off the map.

Even if the fire is quickly contained, until it is folks boating and camping and fishing up NF21 may quickly be trapped, and not know it. The only ways out are through a mess of much less well-developed roads, and can take several hours.

Eugene, OR & Bend OR vacationers heading out for an early weekend: HWY 58 is closed.

One thing that concerns me, in addition to the proximity to Oakridge. This fire is just east of the intersection of Forest Service Road 21 and HWY 58. Many people are up recreating in and around the reservoir and the lakes higher up the road, likely without cell service. NF21 is the *only* road.

This is a very concerning fire popping up near Oakridge. Level 3 evacuation orders are already in effect for the Dunning Road area, and the fire is less than half an hour old. Only one acre, but spotting and vigorous torching. Oakridge is a logging town with one road in and one road out.

Can you believe they’re skipping “Fat Guys in the Woods” for this?

(I’m not joking, that is the regularly scheduled programming for the 11PM PT slot)

HONOLULU (AP) — Tsunami warning sirens blare in Honolulu and people are told to move to higher ground after earthquake off Russia.

Anyway, this is me, 25 feet above sea level. Keep an eye on the warnings in case something *does* happen (tsunamis are complicated!) and stay safe, everyone!

It caused an estimated 40 million in damage. One man, who was on the beach, died.

Don’t go to the beach.

I mean, again, it’s midnight — unlikely folks will be on the beach. But don’t go to the beach. Don’t tend to your boats. Don’t mess around. But don’t panic.

YouTube video by Bryant Anderson Tsunami destroys Crescent City Harbor 3/11/11 (HD)

Waves from that tsunami hit Crescent City, CA. Crescent City is particularly vulnerable to tsunamis, because of local geography.

This is what I mean by “might not cause flooding, but still a big deal.”

m.youtube.com/watch?v=8ltL...

What it MIGHT cause is some real infrastructure damage to docks, boats, etc. Really strong currents. Don’t be on the water. It can still be a big deal.

This was a magnitude 8.7 earthquake. The Tohoku-Oki earthquake was a magnitude 9, so about twice as strong as this one.

This is a watch in WA, OR, and CA — not a warning yet.

IF it hits, it’ll be before midnight, depending on the location. It’ll be low tide, just around -.54 feet. For comparison, high tide today is 7 feet.

More updates from NOAA are incoming, but I would be surprised if this even causes flooding.

YouTube video by Game Theory Does Several Mean Seven? #Survivor46 #JelinskyQuits #Survivor

youtu.be/ZPitk-M4hJw?...