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SD public defense duties shift from counties to state; SCOTUS appears skeptical of restricting government communications with social media companies; Trump lawyers say he can't make bond; new scholarships aim to connect class of 2024 to high-demand jobs.

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The SCOTUS weighs government influence on social media, and who groups like the NRA can do business with. Biden signs an executive order to advance women's health research and the White House tells Israel it's responsible for the Gaza humanitarian crisis.

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Midwest regenerative farmers are rethinking chicken production, Medicare Advantage is squeezing the finances of rural hospitals and California's extreme swing from floods to drought has some thinking it's time to turn rural farm parcels into floodplains.

Wildfire Prevention in Sharp Focus Starting This Weekend

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Monday, May 18, 2015   

PORTLAND, Ore. – The wildfire season unofficially starts this week, as more people head for Oregon's scenic places for the summer's first holiday weekend.

In a state with almost 33 million acres of federal land, the agencies that manage it have some advice for hikers and campers.

While many wildfires are lightning-caused, more than 700 in Oregon last year were human-caused. So Jim Whittington, public affairs officer for the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Medford District, says anything individuals can do to prevent trouble will help, which could mean camping without a campfire.

"Places that people may have thought, 'Oh, it's OK to have a fire,' may not be OK this year and probably won't be,” he points out. “Crater Lake, for instance, which typically gets six feet or more of snow, I think they peaked at about three feet. So, that gives you an impression as to what's going on in the high country – and that's the story across Oregon."

The culprits aren't just campfires or cigarettes, but tow-chains dragging on a road can throw sparks, and even the glass from a discarded bottle can magnify the sun's heat.

In short, Whittington says Oregonians can't be too careful outdoors in a year when snowpack levels are 70 to 90 percent below normal.

Bobbie Scopa, an assistant fire director who works with the Forest Service and BLM, says two of the most persistent problems are fireworks and exploding targets for sport-shooters. She reminds people that even having fireworks in a vehicle on federal land is against the law, let alone setting them off.

"It's illegal, and it's dumb, because we'll get an ignition from that, and then folks end up having to pay fire suppression costs,” she explains. “That's something that is non-negotiable for the feds. We are required to bill for suppression costs on forest fires."

Scopa says inter-agency cooperation is key to moving fire crews and equipment quickly, and federal and state agencies in the Northwest have monitored drought conditions and planned all winter for the hot, dry months ahead.




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