The latest news stories and stories of interest in the Willamette Valley and around the state of Oregon from the online digital home of the valley, WillametteValleyMagazine.com
Thursday, April 30, 2020
Willamette Valley Weather
Today Cloudy, then gradually becoming mostly sunny, with a high near 64. A slight chance of a shower overnight.
Friday Partly sunny, with a high near 68.
Saturday Rain, mainly after 11am. High near 63. Chance of precipitation is 90%.
Sunday Showers likely before 11am, then rain after 11am. Cloudy, with a high near 58.
Monday A chance of showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 62.
Today’s Headlines
Lane County saw no new Covid-19 cases overnight and holds at 50 confirmed cases, 2 deaths.
* At least 3,468 COVID-19 tests conducted for Lane County residents.
Positive test results for area counties is as follows:
Lane County Confirmed Cases: 50, 2 deaths
Linn County Cofirmed Cases: 82, 7 deaths
Benton County Confirmed Cases 29, 5 deaths
Douglas County Confirmed Cases 23, 0 deaths
Oregon health officials on Wednesday reported 61 new cases of COVID-19 and two more deaths in the state of Oregon.
The coronavirus death toll in Oregon is now 101 people. The two people who died were a man and a woman in their 70s, according to the daily update from the Office of Emergency Management. The Oregon Health Authority has not yet released information about the people who died.
Oregon’s 61 new known cases bring the statewide total to 2,446. The amount of active infections is unclear. A total of 54,472 people have been tested with 52,026 tests (95%) coming back negative.
Again, findings are that a majority of those patients who died from the virus had underlying health issues, officials said.
Two people were arrested in Lebanon after police responded to their home for a report of a dead child.
Lebanon Police responded to the home Saturday, March 28, at 860 Park Street. Detectives discovered that the infant’s death was the result of malnutrition and lack of care while in custody of the parents.
The girl was one-and-a-half months old.
Shantell Swiercz and Kristian Lee, the infant’s parents, were taken into custody. Both are charged with first-degree manslaughter.
Swiercz has had multiple prior contacts with the Lebanon Police Department, none of which resulted in criminal charges. Lee has had several arrests for theft, criminal mischief and criminal trespass. The investigation is still ongoing. If you have any information, contact Lebanon Police Detective Chris Miner at 541-258-4314.
Four murdered in Sweet Home. Fire and Police found four victims in a burned-out mobile home, who were either shot or stabbed to death before the trailer was intentionally set on fire, Sweet Home police revealed this afternoon.
A gun, a sharp, blunt force instrument and a torch lighter were found near the bodies, all family members, investigators said.
Firefighters and officers responded to 1530 Tamarack Street on Tuesday just before 7 a.m. The home was engulfed with fire.
After the fire was put out, rescue personnel found the bodies of 63-year-old John Shobert, 41-year-old Tiffany Shobert, 15-year-old Johnathon Shobert, and 2-year-old Charlotte Shobert. All lived at the home.
Police said there was trauma to the bodies not consistent with trauma cased by fire. An initial examination included evidence of gunshot wounds as well as sharp, blunt force trauma.
Autopsies were conducted by the Oregon State Medical Examiner’s Office on Thursday, and causes of death have been determined. That information is being withheld until family members can be contacted and additional investigation can be conducted.
Oregon State Parks will not reopen as soon as expected. The parks will now remain closed beyond May 8 due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Camping and day-use reservations in state parks have been canceled from May 8 through May 25 and officials said more cancelations are likely. Site fees will be refunded. Officials said they understand people need to get outside, but traveling to state parks puts people in rural areas at risk. State parks officials recommend people get outdoors in their own neighborhood.
They ask people to avoid traveling to any popular recreation hotspots.
Farm and ranch families care deeply about the health and wellbeing of their employees, but the new OR-OSHA rules give only 11 days’ notice to make significant changes to farm infrastructure and practices.
Oregon Farm Bureau is concerned that certain rules require changes in agricultural workplaces that are not attainable by farm and ranch families because there are considerable supply chain issues that make complying with these rules impossible. The rules also reduce the amount of available housing for farm employees, including in rural areas where there are no viable alternative lodging options available.
Oregon should be creating more opportunities for shelter and housing at this time, not less. Moreover, farmers and ranchers are already under tremendous economic pressure after years of lower prices received, and now they are facing additional hardship from the pandemic.
Many farms will not survive the cumulative weight of these unattainable rules, which are more burdensome than any set for other sectors of Oregon’s economy.
AROUND THE STATE
The 2020 Fallen Law Enforcement Officer Memorial at DPSST has been closed to the public this year in order to practice social distancing guidelines, due to the current COVID-19 health crisis.
This year’s memorial will be a shortened version of the traditional ceremony, complete with honor guard, bagpiper, bugler and roll call. The ceremony will take place at 1 p.m. on Tuesday, May 5th, 2020.
DPSST plans to video record the ceremony and post it soon afterwards so that family members, co-workers and friends of the fallen know that those who made the ultimate sacrifice are not forgotten. We will share the link as soon as the video is posted.
The State’s memorial honors more than 180 fallen Oregon law enforcement officers who have died in the line of duty since the 1880s. This includes officers from city, county, state, tribal and federal law enforcement agencies who have served as law enforcement officers, corrections officers, and parole and probation officers.
The Oregon Fallen Law Enforcement Officers’ Memorial Ceremony is a significant event that the Department of Public Safety Standards and Training (DPSST) is proud to host each year in partnership with the Oregon Law Enforcement Memorial Fund, Oregon Concerns of Police Survivors (C.O.P.S.), Oregon Fallen Badge Foundation, and Oregon’s various statewide law enforcement associations.
Tuesday, April 28th, an Oregon State Police Trooper conducted a traffic stop on a 2020 Chrysler Van on Interstate 5 northbound near milepost 60.
During the traffic stop the Trooper observed several signs of criminal activity and a search of the vehicle was conducted.
The search revealed two large duffle bags containing approximately 132 pounds of marijuana.
The driver, Bryant Oglen (52) of Wisconsin, stated he had flown into Medford and was driving back home to Wisconsin.
Oglen was cited and released for unlawful import/export of marijuana.
A popular Northwest fishing program is getting a late start this year due to the COVID-19 outbreak. The 2020 Northern Pikeminnow Sport-Reward Fishery will not open on May 1, as originally planned.
The fishery is tentatively scheduled to open May 11, for registered anglers with licenses to fish in the Columbia and Snake rivers. Fishery updates, including possible opening day changes, will be announced on the website, www.pikeminnow.org.
Stay at home orders issued in March by governors in Washington and Oregon closed or limited fishing and limited access to some recreational facilities, including boat ramps. Washington recently reopened many outdoor recreational activities on a limited basis, including opening most fishing seasons and allowing day-use of many boat ramps.
While the lifting of these restrictions is good news for anglers eagerly awaiting the start of the Northern pikeminnow reward fishery program, when it opens anglers will see some changes to registration and turn-in procedures. These changes are intended to protect the health and well-being of program employees and fishing enthusiasts. Program participants should expect additional barriers, signs and floor markers at stations to encourage social distancing.
Anglers will be encouraged not to congregate in groups near registration stations and asked to unload their fish into designated containers.