Tech educator

Corey Culp, McKenzie River Community School's computer science teacher, has been named Technology Educator of the Year - along with two other outstanding K-12 Oregon and SW Washington. The award comes with a cash stipend of $1,000 for their classrooms to spend on tech education materials including hardware, software, services, or curriculum.

For forty years, Oregon Technology Awards (OTAs) have celebrated excellence and achievement in the region's technology industry. This year's event will recognize eight companies, three teachers, and one student of the year for their accomplishments, leadership, and commitment to the industry and community. This year's OTAs presented an in-person look at TAO's recent rebrand, which features a new forest green color scheme that draws inspiration from the natural beauty of the region and reflects TAO's maturity, expanded influence, and unwavering commitment to the Pacific Northwest's tech community.

Holiday traffic

The unofficial start to summer will set records this year. AAA projects 43.8 million Americans (13% of the population) will travel 50 miles or more from home this Memorial Day weekend. This is an increase of 4% over 2023 and comes close to matching the record of 44 million travelers in 2005.

About 600,000 Oregonians will travel over the long weekend.

Find all the details, graphics, top destinations, best and worst times to drive, and advice for travelers in the news release.

Road trips will set a record. AAA projects 38.4 million people will travel by car over Memorial Day weekend, the highest number for the holiday since AAA began tracking in 2000.

This will be the most crowded Memorial Day weekend at airports since 2005. 3.51 air travelers are expected over the Memorial Day weekend, an increase of 4.8% over last year and a 9% jump compared to 2019.

The top U.S. destinations are Anaheim, Las Vegas, and Honolulu. Top regional destinations are Bend, Portland, and Eugene.

Fentanyl

A national nonprofit organization released a new program on Tuesday to help families navigate the hazards of fentanyl and prevent deaths of young people as Oregon continues to battle the lethal drug epidemic.

Song for Charlie, a nonprofit focused on raising awareness about fake fentanyl pills, launched The New Drug Talk Oregon, an educational web-based platform with free information about the risks of fentanyl and the dangers of self-medication and experimentation.

The campaign was one of several in Oregon to start on Tuesday and coincided with National Fentanyl Awareness Day. The Oregon Health Authority launched a five-week campaign to educate Oregonians about fentanyl risks, harm reduction strategies like fentanyl test strips, and how to respond to an overdose.

For more information about the educational program for families, visit thenewdrugtalk.org/oregon

oregoncapitalchronicle.com