The latest news stories and stories of interest in the Willamette Valley from the digital home of Southern Oregon, from Wynne Broadcasting’s WillametteValleyMagazine.com
Tuesday, February 22, 2022
Willamette Valley Weather
Today– Patchy frost before 10am. Otherwise, sunny, with a high near 40. North wind 5 to 11 mph, with gusts as high as 18 mph.
Wednesday– Sunny, with a high near 38. North wind 5 to 8 mph.
Thursday– Partly sunny, with a high near 43. Light and variable wind.
Friday– Patchy frost before 10am. Otherwise, sunny, with a high near 47
Saturday– A slight chance of rain after 11am. Snow level 1000 feet rising to 3000 feet in the afternoon. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 52.
Springfield House Destroyed in Early Morning Fire
A Springfield house was destroyed after a fire early Tuesday morning. Eugene Springfield fire crews were called to a house fire in the 1300 block of Kelly Boulevard in Springfield at 5:09 a.m. on Tuesday.
Before fire crews arrived, the two occupants of the house attempted to put out the fire themselves. The two people and their pets made it out of the house without serious injuries.
They were checked on scene for smoke inhalation and refused to be transported to the hospital.
Fire crews said the fire started in the kitchen with a wood stove possibly contributing to the fire. The exact cause of the fire is under investigation.
Truck Convey Joins Funeral Procession for Eugene Teenager
More than 200 truck drivers from across the state gathered in Eugene Monday to say goodbye to a teenage boy who passed away on Valentine’s Day. The truckers formed a convoy during a funeral procession from Eugene to Jefferson City on Highway 54.
Thirteen-year-old Dalton Frank passed away at his home. Dalton loved semi-trucks, so his family invited truck drivers from across the state to have a convoy during Dalton’s funeral.
Dalton’s uncle Carey Frank said the response was overwhelming. Frank said, “I just want to say thank you to all the people during this tragic time for bringing all their trucks out here and supporting Dalton. It’s always been a dream for him to be a part of a convoy. It means a lot to us and the family.”
Frank said his nephew would spend hours working on semi-trucks with his dad and uncle. Dalton was learning how to polish aluminum wheels. Family members said Dalton was a talented artist. Dalton drew amazing pictures of semi-trucks that his family will now cherish.
Many of the truck drivers in Dalton’s convoy never met the truck-loving teenager. Those in the convoy said they always support other truck drivers and their families.
Truck driver Josh Kempland said, “It’s a strong community. There’s a lot of people that put care where they don’t necessarily have to.”
Truck driver Raymond Zimmerman said, “We’re just getting together to have a big truck convoy to show our support. We want to help a guy out.”
Dalton was an eighth-grade student at Eugene grade school and was active in several sports. Family members said Dalton was a country boy who loved living on the farm where he could hunt, fish, and raise animals. However, trucks were his number one passion.
Frank said, “He loved to be around trucks. He loved to be on the farm and hang out with his friends.”
Oregon Health Authority has not released new statistics yet for cases over the weekend and into Monday.
Coronavirus cases has decreased by 40% in the past seven days, state data released shows, returning to early January levels. The Oregon Health Authority counted 16,991 confirmed or presumed infections in the past week, including 4,756 announced Monday for the preceding three days. The highly contagious omicron variant has produced a near-symmetrical rapid spike and fall in the past two months. Average daily cases now stand at 2,427, dramatically below the peak of about 8,200 daily cases from three weeks ago.
Hospitalizations are falling. The number of people hospitalized with a positive coronavirus test stood Monday at 865, down from a high of 1,130 last month.
State officials last week said they would lift indoor mask mandates by March 31 or when hospitalizations hit 400, whichever comes sooner. Oregon appears on track to beat that outside date, with hospitalizations already dropping at a rate more than a week ahead of schedule. Hospitals are relying on help from about 1,300 National Guard members and 1,200 traveling health care workers, state epidemiologist Dr. Dean Sidelinger said at a press conference Friday.
“I anticipate you’ll start to see some redeployment of those staff, some draw-down of those staff, over the next month to month and a half,” Sidelinger said. “And when we get to the end of March, when we predict [COVID] numbers are down, we’re going to see much less outside support in those hospital systems.”
“This is really not the time to stop universal masking in our schools,” Colt Gill, director of the Oregon Department of Education said. “This is a time when omicron can continue to spread rapidly through an indoor setting, when people are spending a lot of time together in close quarters inside a school building.” Voicing how school districts, which at this point can make their own masking rules. “We have a date; it’s named,” Gill said at Friday’s conference. “And our school leaders who are anxious to move away from universal masking know that that can happen on that date.” Gill said the education department is asking school districts to work closely with their local health departments to decide when and where to implement masking starting in April.
Portland Public Schools officials announced Friday afternoon they’re extending distance learning for three middle schools.
Nearly 100 Vehicles Involved in Massive Pileup Crash Along I-84 Between Pendleton and La Grande
— I-84 westbound freeway is now open in eastern Oregon. Good coordination with all responding crews, including law enforcement, fire stations, emergency responders, ODOT and over a half-dozen tow companies helped clear the route enough to open the freeway several hours ahead of earlier estimates. —
On February 21, 2022, at approximately 12:20 P.M., OSP was notified of a motor vehicle crash on Interstate 84 westbound between milepost 229 and 230 involving numerous motor vehicles. Responding officers were notified of additional crashes while they were arriving, and then once on scene, officers could hear crashes occurring behind them.
Initial scene response revealed multiple motor vehicle crashes along an approximately one-mile-long stretch of the road involving passenger cars and commercial motor vehicles. The largest crash is estimated to involve between 15-20 cars and trucks. Early estimation is that as many as 98 vehicles have crashed in the area.
Emergency medical responders from the surrounding areas have dispatched medical and fire personnel to the scene and are actively treating and transporting patients. The total number of the injured person cannot be determined at this time.
The Umatilla County Emergency Operations Center has been activated for this incident.
Uninjured persons who cannot otherwise drive from the scene due to blockage or damaged vehicles are being transported to the Pendleton Convention Center at 1601 Westgate, Pendleton Oregon 97801. Emergency Responders are asking that only persons needing to pick up family members come to that location.
Several agencies are working together to coordinate this large-scale incident.
Interstate 84 is closed westbound from milepost 302-216 and eastbound from 216-265. There was no estimation on when Interstate 84 will reopen. *** Open this morning
Much more work is needed and travelers should expect reduced speeds, crews working near the roadway, lane restrictions near the crash site, and winter conditions along the route. Drive with extra caution.
Restrictions on OR 204 (Tollgate Hwy.) and OR 245 have been lifted. The eastbound freeway was open around midnight.
Conditions can change quickly. Continue checking TripCheck.com for current highway status, or call 511 / 800-977-6368. Outside Oregon, call 503-588-2941.
Democrats Give Republicans $100 Million To Spend As They See Fit In Their Rural Oregon Districts
As Oregon lawmakers begin the final two weeks of this year’s legislative session, they are about to unveil their approach to a unique puzzle: How to spend more than $2.5 billion in surging revenue unplanned for when they passed the state budget last year.
The answer involves hundreds of millions for housing, climate change, mental health, job training, and other pressing needs. But the majority of Democrats are also rolling the dice on an eye-popping olive branch — they are going to give minority Republicans $100 million to spend essentially as they see fit in their rural Oregon districts.
In a move with little precedent, House Speaker Dan Rayfield, D-Corvallis, alerted Republican leaders last week that Democrats were prepared to reserve a notable slice of the state’s budgetary bounty for GOP priorities. Part politics and part pragmatism, the offer would give the minority party far more influence over which projects make it through the crucible of the budgeting process.
“I’ve seen both parties be pretty contentious with one another,” said state Rep. Greg Smith, R-Heppner, one of four lawmakers tasked with creating a plan for the money. “I believe the speaker of the House is saying, ‘Let’s see if there’s a better approach to public policy, one where we can all communicate together.’ It’s refreshing.”
There’s also no guarantee the move will salve the fierce partisanship that has ruled in Salem in recent sessions. Smith said his fellow Republicans were at first opposed to the spending proposal, fearing it was a Democratic ploy. The party is still furious that former House Speaker Tina Kotek, D-Portland, broke a deal to grant Republicans an equal say on new congressional maps last year.
“Initially, there was a perception that this was some sort of buy off,” Smith said of a meeting last week in which House and Senate Republicans discussed the idea. “After initial conversations and once folks had a chance to better understand what this approach was about, I think more folks came along.”
In the days since, GOP members and one rural Democrat have whittled down a list of projects most sorely needed in their districts. Smith led that effort with three other lawmakers: Rep. Mark Owens, R-Crane, Rep. David Gomberg, D-Otis, and Senate Minority Leader Tim Knopp, R-Bend.
The package they have arrived at encompasses dozens of projects stretching from Eastern Oregon to the coast. Smith, for instance, said he would request $1 million to improve each of the seven fairgrounds located in his northeastern Oregon district. A full list of proposed projects had not been released as of Monday morning.
“We’re all committed to make sure that rural Oregon has the things it needs to progress,” said Sen. Elizabeth Steiner Hayward, D-Portland, one of the state’s top budget writers, when asked about the package Monday. “I’ll be honest with you. I think we’re making investments that are more than $100 million.”
Although atypical, the approach by Rayfield isn’t entirely novel. Flush with federal relief money during last year’s session, legislative leaders made the decision — controversial in some circles — to grant each lawmaker millions of dollars to spend in their district as they saw fit.
Lawmakers contacted by OPB all made the case that the new package is a sensible investment to help small communities that often lack the resources to tackle big-ticket infrastructure projects.
“This was a unique opportunity for members to collaborate in order to bring lasting change to the very heart and soul of our state,” Gomberg and Knopp wrote last week in a letter addressed to Rayfield and Senate President Peter Courtney, D-Salem.
But it’s also hard to ignore the possible political implications in a Capitol that has seen bruising battles over the last three years.
Once again this year, Republicans in both chambers are reserving their right to require that bills be read in full before a final vote. That reading requirement is laid out in the state Constitution, but the parties routinely agreed to waive it in the interest of efficiency until it became a popular bargaining chip for Republicans in 2016.
The House hasn’t even attempted a vote to waive the rule this year, meaning each bill is read — either by computer or a clerk — before a vote, eating up precious time in a session that must adjourn by March 7. Republicans have also rarely missed an opportunity to accuse Democrats of overreach that will harm their districts, most often in regard to a bill that would grant overtime pay to farmworkers.
Rayfield’s approach to the tactics suggests a potential shift in sparring at the Capitol. House Democrats under Kotek often accused Republicans of unwarranted obstruction when they forced bill reading. Rayfield, who’s been in the job for less than a month, has instead said the strategy is understandable. His party has held off on caustic media releases.
“I don’t necessarily see it as being obstructionist,” the speaker said in a meeting with reporters earlier this month. “It’s their ability to protest.”
But Rayfield has also suggested that Democrats will be able to move their agenda within this session’s tight timeframe regardless of bill reading. The $100 million allotment for rural projects was presented as a token of good faith, Smith said, rather than a way to purchase GOP cooperation.
“There’s absolutely no strings attached,” Rayfield said Monday. “This is not an exchange for anything. This is about making meaningful change in communities across this state.”
If the spending opportunity is being viewed that way by the House Republican caucus at large, it’s not saying. A spokesman for the caucus, Andrew Fromm, denied in an email that the party was being offered any special influence.
“House Republicans do not have free rein on any spending,” he wrote. “The caucus is aware of proposals submitted by multiple legislators from both parties that would benefit rural Oregon districts.”
Smith, the House Republican budget lead, said this is an approach unlike any he’s seen. He’s just not sure it will help heal relationships in Salem.
“I would hope it moves us a step closer,” he said, adding: “You’re always going to have folks who are skeptical.”
Oregon corporate tax payments jumped an astonishing 46% last year, topping $1 billion for the first time as companies large and small reaped huge profits in the wake of the pandemic.
Oregon collected nearly $1.4 billion in corporate excise taxes, a tax on business income, during 2021. It’s the highest tally on record by a wide margin and another indicator that many businesses came out of the COVID-19 recession in
far better shape than they went into it. State economists disclosed the tax numbers earlier this month, reporting a rosy revenue picture for the state.
While Oregon keeps individual businesses’ tax data confidential, state economist Mark McMullen said industries that performed especially well included warehouse and distribution, automakers, and tech manufacturers.
Oregon’s business taxes have historically been among the lowest in the U.S., according to the Tax Foundation, a national organization that advocates for lower taxes. But Oregon has moved toward the middle of the pack over the past few years, by the Tax Foundation’s reckoning, owing to a new corporate activity tax for schools and changes in the state’s unemployment insurance taxes.
One Dead and Others Injured in Portland Shooting
One woman is dead and five other people are injured following a shooting at a Portland rally for a Black man killed by police in Minneapolis. The shooting happened during the “Justice for Amir Locke” solidarity rally at Normandale Park Saturday night. The Portland Police Department is saying two suspects are in custody.
Three other women and two men were hospitalized for gunshot wounds in addition to the death. Police say they’re having a difficult time putting together what happened because witnesses aren’t talking. Locke was shot to death by a Minneapolis Police Department SWAT officer during the execution of a no-knock search warrant at an apartment on February 2nd.
House Bill Could Give People Behind Bars In Oregon The Right To Vote
People behind bars in Oregon could gain their right to vote. If House Bill 4147 passes, it will allow convicted criminals to register to vote, update voter registration and vote in elections while they are behind bars. This includes inmates in custody of a jail or local and youth correctional facilities.
The inmates and prisoners would receive all election materials, including ballots and voters’ pamphlets. Plus, they would be allowed to vote in each election.
Oregon is currently one of many states where people in prison cannot vote. However, those released from incarceration and on parole can vote in the state. Currently, there is no committee hearing scheduled to meet and discuss the bill, with less than two weeks left of the short session.
Proposed Washington Gas Tax on Oregon Blasted by Governor Brown
Oregon leaders are blasting a new Washington state proposal that would enact a tax on Oregon-bound gasoline. The proposal introduced earlier this month would create a tax of up to six cents per gallon for some fuel being exported from Washington to states with lower gas taxes than Washington’s.
Oregon Governor Kate Brown posted a tweet late last week calling the proposal “unacceptable” and saying she’s discussed the matter with Washington Governor Jay Inslee. Oregon Republican state Representatives Shelly Boshart Davis and David Brock testified against the proposal in the Washington Legislature. Boshart Davis calls the tax proposal “offensive.”
Klamath County Sheriff’s Office Asks for Public’s Help in Search For Trucker Suspect
The first real clue to come in on all the missing person cases in the area. Help Klamath Falls Oregon Sheriff Office ID this trucker. He was the last to see this woman alive and could be the key to not only solving this woman’s disappearance but a number of the hundred other women missing in PNW. IF you have any information, please call (541) 883-5130
A 17-year-old was reported missing in Salem and detectives say the teen might be the victim of an online catfishing scheme.
Ezra Mayhugh, 17, was last seen on October 15, 2021 after being dropped off in downtown Salem by a friend, the Marion County Sheriff’s Office said. He was reported as a runaway the following day when he did not return home.
Investigators say he might be in Washington or California. They hope to reunite Ezra safely with family members.
He’s described as about 5-foot 11-inches tall, weighing 130 pounds, with blonde hair and brown eyes.
If you have had contact with Mayhugh since October 15 or have other helpful information on his whereabouts, the sheriff’s office asks you to contact Detective M.J. Sphoon at 503-588-6808 or to submit a tip by texting TIPMCSO and your tip to 847411.
https://www.facebook.com/pg/Have-You-Seen-Me-Southern-Oregons-Missing-People-161249961222839/posts/