

On this day, May 5, 1903, James Beard, US culinary expert, author (Delights & Prejudices), was born in Portland, Ore.
Also on this day, May 5, 1945, A Japanese balloon bomb exploded on Gearhart Mountain in Oregon, killing Mrs. Elsie Mitchell, the pregnant wife of a minister, and five children after they attempted to drag it out the woods in Lakeview, Oregon. The balloon was armed, and exploded soon after they began tampering with it. They became the 1st and only known American civilians to be killed in the continental US during World War II.
Also on this day, May 5, 1945, Bly minister Archie Mitchell, his pregnant wife Elsie, and five children from Mitchell's Sunday school class were on a Saturday morning picnic. Thirteen miles northeast of Bly, or about sixty miles northeast of Klamath Falls, Mitchell parked the car, and Elsie and the children headed to Leonard Creek. Mitchell later remembered: "As I got out of the car to bring the lunch, the others were not far away and called to me they had found something that looked like a balloon. I heard of Japanese balloons so I shouted a warning not to touch it. But just then there was a big explosion. I ran up there--and they were all dead." It was a Japanese balloon bomb. They were 70 feet tall with a 33-foot diameter paper canopy connected to the main device by shroud lines. Balloons inflated with hydrogen followed the jet stream at an altitude of 30,000 feet.
“This is about treating all Oregonian’s health plans equallyâ€
The Oregon Senate passed
SB 699 today with overwhelming bipartisan support. Senator Tim Knopp (R-Bend) authored the legislation and carried it on the Senate floor.
SB 699 would prohibit grandfathered health insurance plans from imposing a preexisting condition exclusion. Under current law, health plans that are older than 2010, are exempt from certain requirements and can refuse coverage to those with preexisting conditions.
“This bill is about treating all Oregonian’s health plans equally,†Senator Knopp said. “Some people’s health coverage is operating under a different set of rules than most Oregonians. We should protect Oregonians with preexisting conditions, regardless of how old their plan is.â€
SB 699 now heads to the House of Representatives for further consideration.
--Staff ReportsPost Date: 2021-04-19 11:49:53 | |