Flood warning issued for Pacific Northwest
The National Weather Service issued a warning Sunday placing the Portland Metro area, the North Oregon coast and Southwest Washington on flood watch. Heavy rain and wind is expected to sweep through the area and could cause flooding by Monday or Tuesday, according to The Oregonian.
Additionally, a high-wind watch was issued days earlier, warning of gusts up to 70 miles-per-hour hitting the Oregon coast.
Oregon State University develops tiny electronic fitness monitors
Electrical engineering students and staff at Oregon State University have developed a small, inexpensive chip that can monitor vitals such as heart rate, calories used and the number of steps taken throughout the day. The university is seeking to patent the postage stamp-sized device, which is disposable and can be fit on an adhesive bandage, and hopes it will be on the market by mid-2013.
Previously, such devices have typically cost between $55 to $150. OSU’s cost less than 25 cents, according to The Oregonian.
Multnomah County Library system second busiest in nation
PolitiFact Oregon has confirmed that the Portland-area Multnomah County Library system is the second busiest in the nation, second only to the New York Public Library. The Multnomah County Library issues approximately 23,946,498 items per year.
Multnomah County libraries also have the second highest circulation per capita, beat only by Ohio’s Cuyahoga County Public Library.
Wilsonville school for autistic students receives donations after theft
Victory Academy, a Wilsonville school for autistic students, received a donation of 1o iPads, $10,000 and additional gifts after a thief took 10 of the school’s 12 iPads.
The iPads help students communicate their needs and thoughts, and the donations have made a huge difference, the school’s director told The Oregonian.
The thief has not been caught, and there are no current leads on the case, The Oregonian reported.
20 tons of contaminated soil removed from Portland house
The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality is removing 20 tons of contaminated soil left behind by a lead smelter in the 1970s from a home in Southwest Portland, OBP reported. According to the clean-up project manager, the soil around the house contains 150 times the lead that is considered a health hazard.
The soil will be taken to Arlington, a hazardous waste landfill located in Eastern Oregon.@@all links checked@@