Life expectancy among Americans has fallen for the second year in a row as the opioid crisis continues to drive up overall death rates in the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Thursday.
A total of 63,000 people died from drug overdoses in 2016, up 21 percent from 2015, according to the CDC report. Opioid-related overdoses surged 28 percent, killing 42,249 people, mostly in the 25-to-54 age group.
“The escalating growth of opioid deaths is downright frightening – and it’s getting worse,” John Auerbach, chief executive officer of the public health advocacy group Trust for America’s Health, said in a statement.
The increase largely stemmed from the continued escalation of deaths from fentanyl and other synthetic opioids, which jumped to 19,410 in 2016 from 9,580 in 2015 and 5,540 in 2014, according to a TFAH analysis of the report.
Heroin, an illegal opioid, accounted for around 15,500 deaths, and prescription painkillers were involved in about 14,500, TFAH reported.
“These are not simply numbers – these are actual lives,” said Benjamin F. Miller, chief policy officer of Well Being Trust, a non-profit foundation focused on mental health issues. “Seeing the loss of life at this dramatic rate calls for more immediate action.”
President Donald Trump in October declared the opioid crisis a public health emergency, which senior administration officials said would redirect federal resources and loosen regulations to combat abuse of the drugs. However, he stopped short of declaring a national emergency, a move he had promised months before and which would have freed up more federal money.
The surge in overdose deaths has depressed recent gains in U.S. life expectancy, which fell to an average age of 78.6, down 0.1 year from 2015 and marking the first two-year drop since 1962-1963.
Overdose rates rose in 40 states and in Washington, D.C., between 2015 and 2016, with 17 states seeing increases of 25 percent or more, according to the TFAH analysis.
“Every community has been impacted by this crisis,” Auerbach said, adding that the government was not making the investments needed to “turn the tide.”
As the opioid epidemic has worsened, many state attorneys general have sued makers of these drugs as they investigate whether manufacturers and distributors engaged in unlawful marketing behavior.
Reporting by Caroline Humer in New York and Julie Steenhuysen in Chicago; Editing by Lisa Von Ahn and Jonathan Oatis
Confirming iPhone owners’ suspicions that Apple purposefully slows the operation of older phones, Apple says that it does just that — and that slowing down processors makes it easier for old batteries to perform after they’ve begun to lose capacity.
Apple is responding to owners of older phones who have increasingly said they notice slower performance after they upgrade their devices’ software. The difference was highlighted in a recent Reddit post — and it was quantified in a blog post at Geekbench, the processor bench-marking company.
Older phones operate more quickly if they’re using older versions of Apple’s iOS operating system, Geekbench found.
The slowdown affects a range of Apple phones, including the iPhone 7 and iPhone 6S, models that came out in 2016 and 2015, respectively. The company says it plans to apply the same strategy to “other products in the future.”
Smartphones’ lithium-ion batteries lose their pep as they age, but processors remain hungry for quick bursts of power. So, Apple used software to throttle the demand — effectively governing the speed at which the phones can operate.
The situation is prickly: More than 10 years after Apple introduced its first iPhone, the company says it’s trying to deliver the “best experience” to customers by preventing unexpected power-related shutdowns. In addition to addressing aging batteries, the company said it tries to “smooth out” power demand in phones that are operating in cold conditions or that have a low battery charge.
But some customers say the company’s strategy of dealing with the power demand pushes them to replace their older iPhones with newer models.
In the Reddit post that generated intense interest in Apple’s battery strategy earlier this month, a user named TeckFire reported that after noticing that different versions of the iPhone 6 series were running at vastly different speeds, they saw speeds pick up again once the battery on an iPhone 6S was replaced.
That post triggered responses in which other Apple customers wondered whether the battery ploy was also to blame for their older Macbook laptops not working as well as they once had.
Explaining how Apple’s approach could feed suspicions of “planned obsolescence,” John Poole, founder of Geekbench parent Primate Labs, writes, “users may believe that the slow down is due to [central processing unit] performance, instead of battery performance.”
Despite the battery being the reason that Apple is slowing the phones, Poole adds, “This fix will also cause users to think, ‘My phone is slow so I should replace it’ not, ‘My phone is slow so I should replace its battery.’ ”
The discrepancy between processors and batteries runs deep — and it’s increasingly being highlighted, as lithium-ion batteries are recognized as not having much room for improvement. As Kristin Persson, a professor of materials and engineering at University of California, Berkeley, told Marketplace on Thursday morning, lithium-ion batteries are “highly optimized,” and researchers have been working on creating a better battery.
Persson told Marketplace’s Molly Wood:
“So if you compare batteries to, for example, computers, the difference is really that in batteries you have to invent new materials to make them better, whereas in semiconductors, you’re inherently, most of the time, using the same materials and you’re just making them smaller, which is easier.”
Here is Apple’s statement on the battery/CPU issue:
“Our goal is to deliver the best experience for customers, which includes overall performance and prolonging the life of their devices. Lithium-ion batteries become less capable of supplying peak current demands when in cold conditions, have a low battery charge or as they age over time, which can result in the device unexpectedly shutting down to protect its electronic components.
“Last year we released a feature for iPhone 6, iPhone 6s and iPhone SE to smooth out the instantaneous peaks only when needed to prevent the device from unexpectedly shutting down during these conditions. We’ve now extended that feature to iPhone 7 with iOS 11.2, and plan to add support for other products in the future.”
Thursday December 21st at 6:30 PM the Driftwood Public Library will have its annual Winter Solstice Celebration event in the Distad reading Room. Anyone is free to come to the library and enjoy food and acoustic music. There will be librarians mingling and a special story time.
“Driftwood Library Solstice Celebration is a time for the community to come together and celebrate the lengthening of the days.” – Ken “Hobbes” Hobson – Circulation Supervisor
For over a decade, the staff of Driftwood Public Library have been hosting a Winter Solstice event that brings together, musicians and poets (and cookies) from throughout Lincoln County. The community is invited to share in this evening of calm, reflection and good cheer as we welcome the sun back into our lives. The event takes place as close to the actual date of Solstice as we can manage, and is a welcome respite during the Holiday bustle. Many Lincoln City residents have made this event an annual tradition in their Holiday schedule. Please keep an eye on the Current Events page.
Driftwood Public Library will be closed Sunday, December 24th; Monday, December 25th; and Monday, January 1st for the holidays.
Most Americans go their entire lives without exercising any of their local rights. Like the right to be given notice of City Council meetings; the right to attend and participate; and the right to request public records from the municipalities that tax us, regulate us, and police us.
But local participation is the only way local governments can be held accountable. This is the story of one man who tried to hold his local government accountable … and the price he paid. Up next: Mr. Smith Goes to Lincoln City.
Highway 22 is currently closed and motorists traveling between Central Oregon and the Willamette Valley are being urged to take Highway 20 through Sweet Home or Highway 26 through Government Camp.
Over the weekend, OSP Dispatch received several calls of motorists attempting to take Highway 22, but being rerouted by their GPS units onto Forest Service roads near Detroit. One motorist became stuck in the snow and the other ran out of gas. Often these Forest Service Roads are not maintained in the winter and are snow covered. Additionally there is little to no cell coverage in these areas.
In 2006, a tragedy occurred in Josephine County, when the James Kim family followed GPS directions into BLM land during winter conditions. The family became stranded and after two days. James Kim left on foot for help. He was later found deceased due to exposure to the elements. The remaining members of his family were located and rescued.
Travelers are urged to stay on maintained roads and state highways, while navigating the mountain passes. Motorists are also urged to carry with them an emergency kit while traveling. The Oregon Department of Transportation website lists the following items to be carried in your vehicle for safety:
Working flashlight and extra batteries;
Reflective triangles and brightly-colored cloth;
Compass;
First Aid Kit;
Exterior windshield cleaner;
Ice scraper and snow brush;
Wooden stick matches in a waterproof container;
Scissors and string/cord;
Non-perishable, high-energy foods like unsalted canned nuts, dried fruits and hard candy;
Bottled water;
Properly inflated spare tire, wheel wrench and tripod-type jack;
Shovel;
Jumper cables;
Tow and tire chains;
Bag of salt or cat litter; &
Tool kit.
Added items for driving long distances in cold, snowy, and icy conditions:
Gloves
Socks
Cap
Blanket
For more information on the HWY 22 closure, check Oregon Department of Transportation www.tripcheck.com.
Share Your Priorities for the Future of the Community. Lincoln City is getting closer to developing its community vision. Over the last several months, the City has gathered over 1,000 comments from the community. Residents and visitors have shared their ideas for the future. The City in collaboration with a Vision Team made up of members representing community groups is seeking your feedback.
You can participate in a brief online survey, where you can review the ideas and share your priorities. You will also have a chance to share any new ideas that may have been missed during our initial outreach. People who complete the survey will have a chance to win a $100 Visa gift card!
Imagine Lincoln City is a community engagement program with one overarching goal – to create a guiding vision for the way our community looks, feels, and functions over the next twenty years based on input from the people who live, work, play, and visit here.
This project will create a framework for future decision-making, investment, and collaboration. This is our next step in developing the vision, and we need your input!
In the Winter we watch nearly 20,000 gray whales from mid-December through mid-January as they travel south to the warm lagoons of Baja Mexico.
Gray whales are visible from Oregon’s shore nearly year-round, but two weeks every year are special! The winter and spring Whale Watch Weeks along the Oregon coast are recognized as some of the best opportunities to view the annual gray whale migration anywhere in the world.
The Whale Watching Spoken Here® program places volunteers at great whale watching sites during the two official watch weeks. Our official Whale Watch Weeks typically take place between the Christmas Holiday and New Year’s day and during the last week in March. For more than 30 years, our trained volunteers have helped visitors watch whales at sites in three states along the Pacific Northwest coast.
We definitely know whale watching. Learn more about whales at the Whale Watching Center in Depoe Bay year round, or join us at any of our locations during the Whale Watch Weeks for an amazing display of ocean life!
History
In 1978 Don Giles of the Hatfield Marine Science Center in Newport headed out to Yaquina Head Lighthouse with his binoculars and a great idea. Colleagues Bruce Mate and Denise Herzing were counting gray whales migrating past Yaquina Head. They confirmed what Don and others intuitively knew: Gray whale migrations along the Oregon coast peak during two special times of the year. The southbound migration happens during the winter holiday season, and the northbound has one of its two peaks near the end of March.
This knowledge motivated Don to create the Whale Watching Spoken Here® program. Since 1978, it has grown to become one of the most organized onshore whale watching programs in the United States.
Reasons for Success:
Location: Thanks to the 1967 Beach Bill, public access is protected along virtually the entire Oregon coastline. In addition, most of the whale watching locations are located in or near state parks.
Abundant whales: Researchers estimate that 18,000-plus gray whales now live in the eastern north Pacific area. About 30 whales per hour migrate past the Oregon coast during the peak southbound migration. By comparison, six per hour pass by on the northbound trip, but that return trip is spread over four months. Some 200-plus of these whales drop off the migration route and feed along the Oregon coast all summer.
Timing: The migrations peaks coincide nicely with times when many visitors are able to visit the coast. Since the main emphasis is on volunteers meeting and greeting visitors interested in whale watching, Don Giles and another colleague, Bev Lund, coined the phrase, “Whale Watching Spoken Here.”
Volunteers: We have had the joy to work with thousands of volunteers since the programs inception. Today we are thankful to have over 300 active volunteers that make this effort possible.
Lincoln City, Oregon – Monday’s City Council meeting was a great opportunity to show the council just how dangerous the Nelscott Reef Big Wave Pro-Am’s “10 Barrel Warm Up Session” event was. Lincoln City Homepage reporter, Justin Werner, spoke at the council meeting explaining the dangers of not having safety as it concerns the city on city property. The conditions on November 29th were extremely dangerous and there was no safety team on site to speak of that day.
A secret communication from the Pro-Am sent to Lincoln City Homepage illustrating a need for secrecy about launching from Canyon Lake City Park because of not having a permit.
Social media posts and a confidentially submitted Facebook Message shows the Nelscott Reef Big Wave Pro-Am staging their event from Canyon Lake City Park in a dangerous environment with no safety precautions. This would not be a big deal if the Pro-Am event organizers had secured the proper permits to use the city park and carry the proper insurance but the event organizers were told by Ed Dreistadt of the Lincoln City Visitors Convention bureau that they did not need a permit. John Forse, who organizes the Nelscott Reef Big Wave Classic event, has been securing the required permits/insurance for the last thirteen years. Mr. Driestadt has been contacted numerous times to ask him for clarification regarding his statement that permits are not required. Unfortunately, he has not responded to repeated emails and voicemail left for him. At the council meeting the City Manager, Ron Chandler, requested an email with the images so he could take a look at them.
In one of the images taken from the event there are people getting pinned under a huge log. Jon Monroe with Head Stand Photography had this to say about the image:
“There are people getting rolled over by this log, had I not made it up the hill I would have died.”
John Forse with the Nelscott Reef Big Wave Classic was aware of the Pro-Am’s intention to run an event and decided to not call his contest due to safety concerns presented by the Pro-Am.
This is an email Justin Werner sent to the Lincoln City City Council, the Mayor, Police Chief Keith Kilian, Jeremy Ruark of the News Guard, and Rick Beasley of the Newport News Times, five days before this event occurred:
Honorable Mayor and Councilors,
I need your assistance. John Forse asked me to contact you. Mr. Forse is the event organizer of the “Nelscott Reef Big Wave Classic,” which has been held annually in Nelscott since 2005. This year, Mr. Forse has secured the required event permits, OTP permits, insurance, security, parking assistants, etc. as he has done every year.
Unfortunately, three independent sources have told us that VCB Director Ed Dreistadt told the organizers of an event misleadingly called the “Nelscott Reef Big Wave Pro-Am”, that permits are not needed for their event. Since the “Pro-Am” organizers do not even have a OTP permit, as they have has never held an event here before, Mr. Forse is very concerned that if the City allows an unpermitted event to be held, it may be exposing itself to liability, as well as causing security and parking issues. This is especially true if the illicit “Pro-Am” event is held at the same time as Forse’s legitimate event.
I spoke with Police Chief Kilian and he said permits are required and need to be obtained from the City.
I have visited the VCB office several times in the last few weeks, to see Mr. Dreistadt, but he has not been available. I have also left him at least four voicemails, but I have not heard back from him yet.
To protect the City, and the event participants, from possible harm, it is vital that the “Pro Am” organizers, and Mr. Forse, are informed if event and/or OTP permits are required to hold these surfing events, so please let us know what the City’s position is regarding this.
If you mini-golfed or hit in the batting cages at All American Putt N Bat here in Lincoln City, there is bad news for you. Long time owner Dick Davis and his wife LaRena Davis have sold the building to enjoy retirement. This may sadden some of you but you can take solace in the fact that “The Putt” will live on in Sequim, Washington.
An All American Story
Bright blue floors scattered with red white and blue stars lead past games, batting cages, and a baseball store full of hundreds of items.
The Putt Putt course winds through arches to the Oregon Room, and the US Room which has wall-sized original art, including the Constitution, the Bill of Rights and more.
Owner Dick Davis moved to Lincoln City when he was 3 years old and since then his life in Lincoln City has been centered around baseball. He was a four year Letterman at Taft High School and played on a team that went to the state tournament in the 50’s. His coach (Roy Harrington) was voted into the Oregon Baseball Hall of Fame in the late 80’s. Dick coached Little League for years – coaching both his son and grandson.
Dick had a logging business with his brother, but when his brother and business partner became ill, Dick’s logging business ended.
And so in 1966 (at age 59) when a lot of people are aligning their retirement funds, Dick sold the CAT used for logging, took out the mutual funds, mortgaged the house and started over.
I’m Justin Werner. I was the General Manager at Putt N Bat for a couple years and was part of the construction of the 18th hole. It carried the ball up to the rafters via conveyor belt, rolled down a giant 30-foot tube, and flew six feet across the open air over people getting clubs and tokens at the front desk.
If you made it in the target you won a free round of golf. People loved it and would cheer when someone won. I’d let the little kids shoot two or three times and cross my fingers, hoping they would win — they usually did.
18th hole target. If your ball flew through the hole you won a free round of golf.
During my time managing Putt N Bat, I witnessed many family firsts, such as the first hit of a baseball, first hole-in-one and the first time anyone beat Dad.
Putt N Bat was truly unique and made you feel at home. People would come back the next year and make it a family tradition to see who could get the best score at mini-golf or hit the most consecutive softballs.
Some people would stop in to just say hi and sign the guest book because they felt the place made an impact on them. I heard a few stories of how someone learned how to hit in Putt N Bat’s batting cages and went on to get a college scholarship.
Degree of Difficulty
Golfers made the comment: “the course was very challenging,” on more than one occasion. The course got progressively more difficult and golfers would pride themselves on a par outing. Take a look at this video and you’ll get the idea.
We had some real pro golfers come in and they all shot over par and were laughing about the high school kids in front of them scoring better. They said it was a difficult course to putt unless you knew the tricks.
Putt N Bat had History
All over the walls there was art. An entire room was dedicated to United States history and included pictures of all the U.S. Presidents, flags of all 50 states, vital parts of the Constitution & Bill of Rights and a wonderfully painted Statue of Liberty, Liberty Bell and White House.
Kids would golf, look around and learn something. I really enjoyed answering historical questions. There was a kid that could recite all 50 states without looking up at the flags and he was only six.
The Cages
Twenty balls in the cages was only $1.50. Best deal anywhere and you could get an even better deal if you bought 10 tokens.
You could test your major league skills on the 80 mph pitches, or take your time and pummel the slow pitch softballs. Scores of people would come to Putt N Bat and have a great time in the cages.
In the summer, the cages would be packed but we kept it flowing smoothly by making sure balls weren’t stuck. Looking back on those hectic times, I’m proud of how we all pulled it off. Special thanks to Dick Davis for always showing up immediately in an emergency situation. Without him the cages would have broken down.
As general manager, I took it upon myself to “test” the cages anytime there were no customers. I remember cranking up the speed on the fast pitch to the highest setting and making contact on 1 out of 20 balls, and I can still remember how bad my hands hurt after fouling the one off. I’m going to miss that perk of the job.
Some Serious Mini-Golf Moments
The mini-golf was always the main draw. Everyone remembers CJ Olsen’s epic putter stand he did — on-demand — in front of a crowd. In case you missed it here it is:
That was the thing about Putt N Bat. People felt comfortable there. Things like the Putter Stand happened all the time and we all just basked in the goodness of it. Putt N Bat was really a fun place to hang out. We had a large number of local regulars and repeat family golfers who would come to Lincoln City just for us.
One day a bus rolled up full of soccer players. They found us because of our new website and wanted to golf. It got so busy so fast that I still to this day don’t even know what college they were from.
It was a slow day and I was dusting the plants when all of a sudden there’s 40+ people walking all over the golf course. They had so much fun that day! I remember Dick checking out the numbers and saying how cool it was that they found us. We sold half of our ice cream inventory that day.
I had the privilege to host a Little League team that had been in the Little League World Series. A team from Gresham, Oregon made it all the way to Williamsport, PA. They hit in the cages and played some serious mini-golf. They even signed a shirt for us to proudly display.
I’m going to miss the place. Dick and LaRena Davis were the best bosses anyone could ask for. They had wholesome All-American policies in place like veterans and their families play free, and disabled people get whatever they need for whatever they want. That speaks volumes about what kind of people they are and how big of hearts they have. They donated frequently and made the community a better place.
Lincoln City has always been short on fun things to do with kids so the All American Putt N Bat will be missed. It was and always will be a piece of Americana.
If you have an interesting Putt N Bat story to share leave a comment or post something on the Facebook page.
“I wish I had a place to go to like this when I was a kid.”
Winter is a time we should pay close attention to the safety of our pets. Here are some safety tips to follow:
1. Pets that live outdoors should be fed a bit more in the winter because they need the extra calories to stay warm. They also should have fresh water put out a couple of times a day, or consider a special bowl that prevents the water from freezing.
2. If your pet goes outdoors, be aware of the temperature. Pets can get frostbite very easily on the ears, tail and paws.
3. When walking your dog in freezing conditions, check the paws to make sure that ice is not building up between the toes and that salt or gravel from the roads is not irritating the skin.
4. If your dog is a swimmer, keep it on a leash around open water or unstable ice. Hypothermia can set in quickly and the dog may be unable to get out of the water.
5. Before you start your car, ensure no animals have decided to nap in a warm spot under the hood of the vehicle.
6. If decorating for the holidays, keep ornaments out of the reach of your pets. Remember that poinsettias, holly, mistletoe and other plants can be toxic if ingested.
7. Ingesting anti-freeze can be fatal for your dog or cat. It has a sweet taste and even a tiny amount can cause severe kidney damage and even death. If you spill anti-freeze, soak it up immediately. (Clay kitty litter works well and discard the litter once the anti-freeze has been absorbed.)
