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
Thursday, February 16, 2023
Willamette Valley Weather
Eugene City Council Approves Building Height Limit Increase In 5th Street Market Area
Eugene’s city council has voted to approve a height limit increase for construction in the 5th Street Market area. The approval fell under the Skinner Butte Height Limitation area, where buildings were previously capped at 70 feet above the ground.
The approval is only limited to a section of the 5th Street Market area, with an “opportunity area” designated between 5th and 6th Avenue, stretching from High Street to Washington. Initially, a request for this height limit increase was submitted last year by Obie Company, hoping to construct two additional apartment complexes within the 5th Street Market area.
The city councilors who voted for the ordinance cited the need for housing in Eugene, and the new apartment complexes are expected to provide over three hundred new units to the downtown area. Despite this approval going through, it doesn’t mean that taller buildings will be commonplace in Eugene, as requests will be handled on a case-by-case basis.
“We are providing dense housing in our downtown core which is a priority, it meets our climate goals because that kind of dense housing is much more energy efficient,” Mayor Vinis said. “And ultimately, it strengthens our tax base which enables us to pay for other services that we need, including affordable housing.”
In January of last year, the city released a five-year plan to address housing in Eugene, called the Housing Implementation Pipeline. The plan dictates the signing of permits to create 6,000 new housing units by 2027, with over 800 affordable housing units included in that plan, with 500 of those units being designated as affordable rental properties.
In January of this year, the city awarded Homes for Good city-owned land at 13th and Chambers, providing space for an 80-unit affordable housing complex.
Lane County Man Charged With Additional Child Sex Crimes
UPDATE 02/16/2023 – Lon ‘Katana’ Coffee charged with additional child sex crimes
Lane County Sheriff’s Office detectives have uncovered additional evidence indicating that Lon Curtis Coffey sexually abused other children in addition to those related to his January 20th arrest. Coffey has remained in the custody of the Lane County Jail since that arrest.
Detectives established probable cause to believe that Coffey sexually abused a child under the age of 12. He has been charged with the crimes of Sex Abuse in the First Degree and Unlawful Sexual Penetration in the First Degree in addition to his original charges of Encouraging Child Sex Abuse.
45-year-old Lon Curtis Coffee frequently goes by the nickname of ‘Katana’. He has most recently lived in the Veneta, Junction City, and Albany areas.
Investigators have reason to believe that there may be additional victims. Please contact Lane County Sheriff’s Office detectives at 541-682-4150 if your child has had contact with Coffey.-
Lane County Sheriff’s Office detectives recently received information from the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force that approximately 30 separate files of child pornography had been uploaded to the internet using the messaging platform ‘Kik’ from a residence in Veneta. Detectives served a search warrant on the house and were able to develop information indicating that a former resident, 45-year-old Lon Curtis Coffey, had uploaded the images.
Detectives additionally learned that approximately two years ago, Coffey had attempted to groom an 11-year-old girl to solicit sex. With permission from the child’s guardian, detectives used the child’s Facebook account to message with the suspect. Within two days of messaging, Coffey stated he wanted to have sex with the now 13-year-old girl and advised he would drive down to the Eugene area from Albany to meet. Detectives confronted Coffey upon his arrival and he was taken into custody.
Coffey admitted to uploading the child pornography from the house in Veneta. He additionally advised he has been involved in child pornography for over 10 years and has exchanged thousands of files.
Please contact Lane County Sheriff’s Office detectives at 541-682-4150 if your child has had contact with Lon Coffey.
Representative Val Hoyle Visits Eugene And Declares More Housing Needed To Solve Homelessness Crisis
Representative Val Hoyle toured two different Safe Sleep Sites in Eugene on Wednesday morning to discuss the ongoing homelessness issue and the need for more housing.
“We currently have a 1.6-percent vacancy rate,” said Rep. Hoyle. “We need middle-income housing, we need low-income housing, we need help and supported assistance to help people who are chronically homeless.”
Hoyle toured the site on Garfield Street, which has nearly 100 people living there. Run by St. Vincent De Paul, the facility includes 84 tents, showers, laundry vouchers, a daily meal and access to case management.
“This is a really good program where the community came together and I’m really impressed with the work that we’re doing because the need is great,” said Rep. Hoyle. This location is one of five Safe Sleep Sites in Eugene, and it has a waitlist of nearly 300 people.
The fifth location at Chase Commons Park has yet to open and remains under construction delays. When it does get up and running, all the locations combined will be able to house roughly 300 people.
Funding for the Safe Sleep Sites is set to expire in summer of 2024. The City of Eugene is seeking additional funding to keep the program running.
“I’m working in a bipartisan way to make sure that we keep this funding happening and that we invest it in the right way at every single level, whether it’s HUD section 8 housing vouchers, investments in programs that can house people, supporting again, the private sector investment in middle income housing. All of it matters, and it’s gonna take you know, many hands to make life work, and we need many hands.”
Lane County’s Human Services division reported over more than 4,800 homeless people within the county as of January. The waiting list for Eugene’s Safe Sleep Sites is close to 1,000 names long. Rep. Hoyle says the area’s vacancy rate is a major factor in the growing number of homeless people.
Eugene Police Seek Tips in Walgreens Armed Robbery Investigation
At 3:46 p.m. on February 9, a caller to 911 reported two males were robbing Walgreens, 1675 Coburg Road. Both males were reportedly armed with handguns and wearing surgical masks.
The case remains under active investigation. If anyone has tips in the case they are asked to call 541-682-5111.
The suspects entered the pharmacy area and robbed the pharmacy of controlled prescription medications. During the robbery, employees and customers in the area were forced to get on the ground.
Both suspects were males with darker skin complexions and reported wearing dark clothing – wearing dark colored jackets, dark grey pants, and masks.
Human Remains Found in 1986 in Josephine County Finally Identified
In June, 1986, the Josephine County Sheriff’s Office responded to the Quartz Creek area regarding human skeletal remains being located on a homeowner’s property.
The homeowner was in the process of putting in a new septic system when the owner discovered the remains in the ground approximately 4 feet deep and notified law enforcement. The homeowner had only owned the property for approximately 10 years.
With the remains, other items were located within the gravesite such as, fabric believed to be from a dress, a worn set of dentures and two rubber implements, believed to be from a walker or crutches.
At that time, law enforcement was unable to identify the decedent and forwarded the remains to the Oregon State Medical Examiner’s Office for further examination and DNA processing. It was believed based on the condition of the remains that the decedent may have been in the ground for approximately 15 to 25 years.
Between 1986 and 2016, the investigation into the identification of the remains was attempted multiple times by detectives and forensic examiners. No leads were ever discovered to help with the identification.
Ultimately, due to the poor condition of the remains, in 2018 the Oregon State Medical Examiner’s Office was awarded a grant allowing the office to send the remains to Parabon NanoLabs for further DNA and genetic genealogy processing. With Parabon NanoLabs assistance, it was discovered that the remains may be of a missing person from 1959 out of the Rogue River area named, Elsie Baker, who went missing under suspicious circumstances.
The circumstances were deemed suspicious after law enforcement learned that family and friends of Elsie Baker had not heard from her for a period of time. Law enforcement responded to Elsie Baker’s home and found her wheelchair but no sign of her. An investigation between 1959 and 1960 was started and numerous individuals were interviewed. It was discovered that Elsie Baker was being treated for cancer and would have needed assistance to leave her home as she was mainly wheelchair bound. It was also discovered that approximately $10,000 was missing from the home. Unfortunately, law enforcement was unable to come up with any leads regarding the missing person case.
In 2022, Parabon NanoLabs suggested that through combining genetic genealogy, DNA Phenotyping and kinship analysis, if the remains were Elsie Baker, she may have a living grandson who was believed to be in the Utah area. If this were true, the grandson would be the closest genetic match and would possibly solve the missing person case, identifying the remains.
Josephine County Detectives contacted the grandson and explained the case and circumstances leading law enforcement to contact him. With consent from the grandson and assistance from Emery County Sheriff’s Office, Utah, the grandson provided an oral DNA swab sample for comparison which was submitted for review. In early January, 2023, Parabon NanoLabs and the Oregon State Medical Examiner’s Office were able to positively identify the decedent as Elsie Baker based on the matching DNA from the grandson.
At the time of this press release, no further details are being released.
OLCC Board Approves Interim Director
The board of Oregon’s alcohol and cannabis regulatory agency OLCC, approved its new interim director at a hearing Wednesday as the criminal investigation into the ousted director moves forward.
Executive director Steve Marks was set to resign at the end of the day Wednesday after an internal investigation found that he and five senior managers diverted rare and expensive whiskey for their own personal use.
Craig Prins, who has been inspector general of the Oregon Department of Corrections, will take over as interim executive director after a unanimous approval vote from the board.
Things got heated during the hearing, and OLCC chairman Paul Rosenbaum expressed his frustration with media inquiries regarding the scandal.
“We have not dodged the press – we follow the rules. We follow our attorneys. We follow what we’re supposed to. So please, dear god stop asking us to make comments on this – it’s inappropriate until now. This is the right forum, this is the right place, this is the right opportunity,” Rosenbaum said.
He went on to say that he knew about the state police investigation into the OLCC director back in September, but that he was told the record was confidential.
Interim Director Prins says he knows he’ll be facing some challenges, but he hopes to restore the trust in the OLCC.
Oregon Bill Would Require Law Enforcement Officers To Have Higher Education
Amid a renewed national focus on police qualifications following the fatal beating of Tyre Nichols, an Oregon lawmaker has introduced a bill that would require law enforcement officers to complete at least two years of higher education.
Police departments have wrestled for years with officer education requirements. Many say that raising them would worsen current staffing shortages and make it harder to recruit candidates from diverse backgrounds. But reform advocates say that continuing education past high school can equip officers with critical life skills that could help improve their interactions with the public.
“You’re learning, you’re reading about other communities, you’re reading about other people, you’re getting a sense of respect for people who you do not know, communities that you do not know,” said Democratic Oregon state Sen. Lew Frederick, the bill’s chief sponsor.
The bill, which was introduced last month, would push back against the recent trend of lowering police hiring standards by requiring two years of higher education for departments with less than 50 officers and a bachelor’s degree for departments with more than 50. It would apply to police, corrections, parole, probation and reserve officers.
The bill would set police education requirements in state law. Generally, these requirements are determined by municipalities or individual departments.
Nationwide, about 80% of police agencies only require a high school or GED diploma, according to a 2016 survey of more than 2,700 agencies by the federal Bureau of Justice Statistics. The number requiring a two-year degree hovers around 10%, while just over 1% require a bachelor’s degree.
Many police agencies that do have college credit requirements waive them if a candidate has military or law enforcement experience. These include departments in major cities, such as New York City, Dallas and Washington, D.C. Tulsa’s police department is among the few requiring a bachelor’s degree.
Many agencies, however, have dropped degree requirements in recent years because of recruitment difficulties stemming partly from a crisis of public trust, according to the Police Executive Research Forum, a Washington-based think tank. Its executive director, Chuck Wexler, said that while many departments may want more educated entry-level officers, they can’t raise the bar when a shrunken hiring pool means they already have less applicants to choose from.
While a college education doesn’t automatically make a good officer, it can help people develop critical thinking and communication skills, Wexler said.
“I think merely requiring a high school degree is hugely inadequate for the complexities associated with a very complicated and important position in America,” he said.
The Portland Police Bureau in Oregon is among the agencies that have struggled to recruit. The city was gripped by months-long protests in 2020 following the racial justice demonstrations sparked by Floyd’s death, and has seen record numbers of homicides the past two years.
The police bureau only requires a high school or GED diploma. But that minimum requirement, it says, doesn’t necessarily result in hiring candidates with less education. While testifying against the Oregon bill on Tuesday, PPB Capt. Greg Pashley said that about 70% of the bureau’s sworn employees have a bachelor’s degree or higher, and that 46% of applicants have a two-year degree or higher.
Echoing other agencies around the country, he also said that requiring college courses excludes lower-income candidates who aren’t able to afford them and makes police forces less diverse. Another hearing for the Oregon bill has yet to be scheduled.
A group of seniors in Brookings are asking Oregon lawmakers to step in and adjust the rent cap increase formula.
The seniors live in a 55 and older mobile home park in Curry County, and all 44 of the spaces rented by a senior received a 14.6% rent increase last month. That is $100 per month increase this year.
“For senior citizens, you don’t expect to work so hard, this group, we have put in a lot of time, effort, research, talking, writing letters,” Robbin McMain said. “We are exhausted, but we are scared enough that we will keep going, we are fighting for our homes.”
The 68-year-old, along with 66-year-old John Canalin and a group of other seniors residing on the coast are advocating for lawmakers to pass Senate Bill 611.
The bill would drop the rate of allowable rent increase to 3% plus the consumer price index with a total maximum increase of 8% per year.
Currently, the law, which was passed in 2019 through Senate Bill 608, allows annual rent increases at 7% plus the consumer price index that adjust each year with inflation.
The group is pleading with lawmakers, including Governor Tina Kotek to change the trajectory rental prices are headed before it is too late.
“If you want to talk about dealing with the homeless issue in the state, this is a way to not add more to it, if they can somehow adjust the rent increases and adjust the eviction reform,” Canalin said.
If the rent cap increase formula is not adjusted, the two said it will lead to more seniors becoming homeless across the state or force them to move and lose the life they have created.
“We are barely getting by this year, but next year could be devastating to many people, things need to be done this year.”
Both, McMain and Canalin, said many of the mobile homes are owned by the individual who rents the space from the park.
They said a majority have added to the manufactured home, including adding porches, garages, and an additional room. All the additions would be lost if the tenants were forced to relocate due to the rent increases.
“We would lose quite a bit of money that we invested in our home to come here,” Canalin said.
One thing the two said would be irreplaceable, is the community they have created during their retirement years.
“We already have a lot of senior citizens who are homeless,” McMain said. “We need to stop the rent increases here or see the consequence all elderly people living in tents, or living with their kids that is then a burden on their children, or going to head and getting rental assistance which is a burden on the state, so all the way around the state is losing, the state is not winning anything, the owners and their profits are going up.” (source: https://ktvl.com/news/local/seniorsmobilehomepark-oregon-lawmakers-adjustrent-capincrease-formula-senatebill611-oregonlaw-rentallaws-housingcrisis-seniorhousing-renterrights-renters)
Free Fishing Weekend This Weekend In Oregon
Make fishing part of your three-day weekend plans. Everyone can fish, clam and crab for free in Oregon on Saturday and Sunday of President’s Day Weekend, Feb. 18-19, 2023.
No fishing/shellfish licenses or tags (including a Combined Angling Tag or Columbia River Basin Endorsement or Two-Rod Validation) are required those two days. Both Oregon residents and nonresidents can fish for free.
All other fishing regulations apply including closures, bag limits and size restrictions. See the Oregon Sport Fishing Regulations for rules and remember to check for any in season regulation changes at the Recreation Report especially for salmon and steelhead fishing. Click on the zone where you want to fish and then click the “Regulation Updates” tab to see the in-season changes.
The Recreation Report is updated weekly and features the best bests for fishing for the upcoming week. For beginners, Easy Angling Oregon is a great guide to getting started fishing in Oregon, and if you live near Portland, Bend, Medford, Roseburg or in Lane County, there are lots of nearby options.
Prefer to crab or clam instead? MyODFW has all the information you need to get started clamming or crabbing. Remember to check ocean conditions and take safety precautions—always clam with a friend and never turn your back on the ocean.
As of Feb. 14, crabbing is open coastside but razor clamming is closed along the entire Oregon coast due to biotoxin levels.
Remember to call the ODA Shellfish safety hotline at 1-800-448-2474 or check their Shellfish page before you go clamming or crabbing. The Oregon Department of Agriculture regularly tests shellfish and closes areas when naturally occurring biotoxins get to levels that make crabs and clams unsafe to eat. MORE INFO: https://myodfw.com/articles/2023-free-fishing-days-and-events
BLM Waives Day Use Fees For Washington’s Birthday
In honor of George Washington’s birthday and to increase recreational access to public land, the Bureau of Land Management is waiving recreation standard amenity and day-use fees for visitors on February 20th.
A release said the BLM is inviting the public to visit unique and diverse natural landscapes and visitor facilities on BLM-managed lands to celebrate the life of the first U.S. President George Washington.
This marks the second of the BLM’s fee-free days of 2023. Fee-free days refer to the waiver of standard amenity fees and day-use fees, such as visitor centers, picnic/day use areas, and National Conservation Land units where fees are charged. Expanded amenity fees and other fees, like group day use, overnight camping, cabin rentals and individual special recreation permits, will remain in effect unless the authorized officer determines it is appropriate to waive them.
MORE INFO: Winter adventure in the Pacific Northwest – Our top locations for recreation in the snow, rain, or ice https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/766c58075f574db2b52f3d2e13b75bb8
