Portland coffee company cites 'extreme violence and criminal activity' when announcing closure of one of its locations



Coava Coffee Roasters, which has a few locations in Portland, Oregon, has announced that it is closing one of its shops due to a continuous and worsening crime problem that has left the company unable to ensure the safety of its workers and customers.

"The team members at this cafe have been on the front line enduring extreme violence and criminal activity on an almost daily basis for the last few years– crime and violence that is only increasing in frequency and severity. From theft, to physical displays of violence, threats of harm, break-ins, window smashing, and repeated traumatic in-cafe incidents where both staff and patrons feel unsafe," Coava wrote in a social media post.

The company said that it has made extensive efforts to contend with the rampant crime but that like other businesses in the area, it will be forced to shutter as the problems persist.

"We have brought all the resources to bear that we have access to: doubling up on shifts, locking one entrance, de-escalation training, hazard pay, and heightened management oversight. This has proven to not be a temporary situation—and it is not a situation we can manage. Most importantly, it is not a situation where we can thrive. We cannot continue operation here as we cannot ensure the safety of our team and customers. Our neighboring businesses have seen it, too – and we've watched them close one by one over the past few years. Sadly, we now join them," the company explained.

The location will close later this week.

"We have decided to permanently close our downtown Portland cafe (1171 SW Jefferson St) with the last full day of operation being this Thursday, April 13," the company said. "While this is incredibly hard, we know it is the right decision. We're thankful for the many years of patronage and support from our wonderful customers and look forward to serving you at our other Portland locations."


Coava Coffee Roasters: Brewing with a Hario V60 www.youtube.com

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COVID-19 intensive care units start closing down as patient numbers drop



Intensive care units dedicated solely to COVID-19 patients are beginning to shut down as the number of critical coronavirus patients start to dwindle — or, in some cases, go away entirely.

What are the details?

Several U.S. hospitals in recent days have announced the closure of COVID-19 ICU's, celebrating with a cautious optimism over the moves.

On Tuesday, Parkland Hospital in Dallas, Texas, declared that all of its tactical care units (TCUs) dedicated to treating coronavirus patients have been closed, due to lack of patients needing the specialized care.

KDFW-TV noted that "at one point in the pandemic, all of its flex units were opened and full and the hospital was treating hundreds of patients at one time."

Last week, Baxter Regional Medical Center in Mountain Home, Arkansas, announced in a Facebook post that its COVID unit was "officially CLOSED" as of March 12, calling the development "an exciting milestone."

The Associated Press reported that "as cases have declined in the Ozark region, CoxHealth in Springfield [Missouri] was also able to close a COVID-19 ICU that had been added over the summer."

Freeman Hospital West in Joplin, Missouri, decommissioned its COVID-19 unit on March 16, after it "sat empty for the first time since its inception on July 16, 2020," The Joplin Globe reported.

"It's been a crazy ride for sure," chief nursing officer Jeanee Kennedy of Freeman Health System told the newspaper, "but we're happy to see the numbers moving in the right direction and glad to see our community needs shifting away from COVID."

Chief clinical officer for Freeman, Jeff Thompson, added, "We certainly hope this is a permanent move."

According to data from Worldometers.info, active coronavirus cases in the U.S. peaked early this year and have been on a steady decline for weeks.

But the U.S. is not out of the dark on COVID-19, yet. Despite millions being vaccinated by the day, new cases of the virus (and deaths from it) continue.

The New York Times reported that "much of the country continues to report low case totals, including in the West and South, noting that "California is adding around 2,600 cases a day, down from more than 40,000 in early January."

On Thursday, Johns Hopkins University's data showed the U.S. coronavirus cases surpassed 30 million cases in total after more than a year since it hit our shores, with deaths reaching more than 525,000, KOKI-TV reported.