The latest news stories and stories of interest in Eugene-Springfield area and around the state of Oregon from the online digital home of the valley, WillametteValleyMagazine.com.
Monday, September 21, 2020
Willamette Valley Weather
Today Mostly sunny, with a high near 73. Calm wind becoming west 5 to 9 mph in the afternoon. Overnight, cloudy with a low around 55. West wind 6 to 11 mph becoming light west southwest after midnight. Winds could gust as high as 20 mph.
Tuesday Mostly cloudy, with a high near 72. Calm wind becoming west 5 to 7 mph in the afternoon.
Wednesday Rain likely, mainly after 11am. Cloudy, with a high near 73. Breezy, with a south wind 8 to 16 mph, with gusts as high as 28 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible.
Thursday Showers. High near 67. Chance of precipitation is 90%.
Friday Showers likely, mainly after 11am. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 67.
Saturday A slight chance of showers. Mostly sunny, with a high near 72.
Today’s Headlines
COVID-19 has claimed one more life in Oregon, raising the state’s death toll to 526, the Oregon Health Authority reported yesterday.
Oregon Health Authority reported 208 new confirmed and presumptive cases of COVID-19 as of 12:01 a.m. today bringing the state total to 30,801.
Wildfire crews are continuing to make progress on the Holiday farm Fire, which is now an estimated 14% contained. And evacuation levels have been downgraded again. The fire’s perimeter measures more than 260 miles.
Today some residents in those areas can now return to their homes, but it’s going to be difficult because Highway 126 is still closed for 23 miles between Leaburg Dam Road and McKenzie River Drive.
A spokesperson says ODOT is working seven days a week to clear hazards that are making that road unsafe.
“We’re gonna get this accessible as quickly as possible, “ said Angela Beers Seydel, Public Information Officer for ODOT. “But we’re talking about thousands of trees, several miles of guard rail that needs to be replaced a lot of signs are gone, ditches and culverts that are full.”
Beers Seydel says it’s going to be months before the McKenzie Highway reopens, and when it does, access will be restricted. If residents in that area can use alternate routes to get back to their homes, they are welcome to take them. But they still need to have their bags packed and be prepared to leave as per that Level 2 “be set” order.
This fire has destroyed over 900 structures and is still threatening nearly 7,000. While today’s change is a good sign, the Lane County Sheriff says we’re not out of the woods yet. The area stays at a level 2 at this time.
If you live inside the burn zone you can call the Holiday Farm Fire non-emergency hotline at 541-682-3977. For the latest on road closures, go to tripcheck.com.
For this first time since the fire started, air support was used to fight the flames in the Holiday Farm Fire Sunday. Clearer skies allowed five helicopters to do water drops on the northeast portion of the fire near and around HJ Andrews Experimental Forest.
That area of the fire was the primary focus for firefighters on Sunday. However, the rain made it a challenge for firefighters. So far three have been injured because of the weather conditions. Officials at the Incident Command Post in Thurston said the injuries are not life threatening.
Heavy mop-op operations are underway in several areas throughout the fire.
While the terrain, combined with the recent thunderstorm showers, has posed challenges for fire crews to gain direct access to the fire’s edge, they are taking advantage of the cooler weather Sunday to tighten up fire lines and keep the main fire from spreading much further.
Roads remain closed in the fire area and much of the Willamette National Forest and Northwest Oregon District BLM. Wildland fire crews will continue working to improve and increase fire containment using hand crews, fire engines and heavy machinery. Firefighters will be taking advantage of wet weather to clear roads in the Quartz Creek area and will continue to focus on Highway 126.
Investigators have identified the person found dead September 11 in a home inside the permieter of the Holiday Farm Fire. The medical examiner identified the deceased as David Perry, 59, of Vida.
“Perry’s next of kin have been notified,” the Lane County Sheriff’s Office said. “Our thoughts go out to Perry’s family and friends as they grieve.”
The fire broke out on Labor Day and swept down the McKenzie River drainage, fanned by unusual east winds.
For all fire updates in Oregon, click here.
Around the state of Oregon
The State of Oregon Office of the Governor says Oregon Governor Kate Brown is issuing vetoes of several line-item appropriations to preserve funding for Oregon’s emergency wildfire response efforts. The vetoes are also aimed at maintaining a balanced budget.
In total, the Governor’s Office says the vetoes will preserve over 65 million dollars. That will improve the state’s ending balance budget 164.3 million dollars in general funds and 16.7 million dollars in lottery funds.
The Governor also requested that legislators reserve at least 150 million dollars in the state’s emergency fund for upcoming requests related to Oregon fires.
More than 130,000 Oregonians will receive a special mailing this month from the IRS encouraging them to see if they’re eligible to claim an Economic Impact Payment.
The IRS will mail the letters to people who typically aren’t required to file federal income tax returns but may qualify for an Economic Impact Payment. The letter urges recipients to visit the special Non-Filers: Enter Payment Info tool on IRS.gov before the Oct. 15 deadline to register for an Economic Impact Payment.
More than 7 million people nationwide have already used the Non-Filers tool to register for a payment.
This month’s letters, delivered from an IRS address, are being sent to people who haven’t filed a return for either 2018 or 2019. Based on an internal analysis, these are people who don’t typically have a tax return filing requirement because they appear to have income below the filing threshold based on Forms W-2 and 1099 and other third-party statements available to the IRS.
The letter urges the recipient to register at IRS.gov by Oct. 15 in order to receive a payment by the end of the year. Individuals can receive up to $1,200, and married couples can receive up to $2,400. People with qualifying children under age 17 at the end of 2019 can get up to an additional $500 for each qualifying child.
The IRS cautions that receiving a letter is not a guarantee of eligibility. An individual is likely eligible for an Economic Impact Payment if they:
- Are a U.S. citizen or resident alien.
- Have a work-eligible Social Security number.
- Can’t be claimed as a dependent on someone else’s federal income tax return.
For more information on eligibility requirements, see the Economic Impact Payment eligibility FAQ on IRS.gov.
People who are eligible should not wait to receive a letter and should register now. Alternatively, people can wait until next year and claim the recovery rebate credit on their 2020 federal income tax return by filing in 2021.
The Oregon Department of Transportation of Southwest Oregon says Oregon 99 is now open between Medford and Ashland in the Almeda Fire zone.
ODOT says to expect intermittent delays and lane closures as utility and other crews will continue working in the area. ODOT also says to obey all closure and hazard zones that are cordoned-off for public safety.
Flying is tricky due to smoke, temporary flight restrictions over wild fires and on-and-off rain showers, but four Oregon and one Washington Civil Air Patrol aircraft joined the effort to recover from devastating wild fires today.
Working with Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and Oregon Emergency Management (OEM), CAP is tasked with photographing key infrastructure from the air to help assess damage caused by fires that have ravaged almost 1 million acres in the state this year. Air crews composed of a mission pilot, an observer, and an airborne photographer are taking on assignments all over Oregon.
Using high resolution digital cameras, the highly trained CAP aircrews returned more than 151 images to emergency operations supervisors yesterday. Eight sorties were flown yesterday as the smoke started clearing and thundershowers dissipated.
“Conditions were challenging,” said 1st Lt Jonathan Ritchie, a pilot on Friday and Saturday sorties. “Low cloud layers interfered with access to target areas. Some crews could get to their target areas. It was a little bit challenging working around the TFRs (temporary flight restrictions). ATC (air traffic control) was very helpful in keeping us where we needed to be.”
“It is quite satisfying to be a pilot on these missions,” he said. “We do a lot of training to prepare for these kind of things. We have a great staff running the mission base to plan our sorties and keep us safe.”
Oregon CAP aircraft based in Hillsboro, Medford, Redmond, Salem and Vancouver, Wash., participated Friday. They flew assignments for the Beachie Creek Fire, the Riverside Fire, the Brittain Fire, the S. Oberchain Fire, and the Archie Creek Fire.
This is the fourth day of CAP participation. More than 33 CAP volunteers have worked on organizing, flying, and recording activities. In addition, CAP has a couple of highly trained emergency services personnel that are imbedded with the OEM in Salem. They are responding to requests for air support and advising on other inter-agency cooperation.
Flying in the time of Coronavirus adds complications, as members of the aircrew need to follow special procedures to keep each other safe and protect the equipment. You cannot use normal sanitizing wipes on aircraft instruments and surfaces, for instance.
CAP in Oregon has 290 adult volunteers who train vigorously each year to be ready to help in situations like Oregon’s unprecedented onslaught of wild fires that have burned thousands of structures and displaced more Oregonians that any emergency in years. CAP trains to FEMA standards so they can operate jointly with other emergency agencies. CAP also has 247 cadet members, who train in leadership, character development, physical fitness and citizenship. Many of them train in emergency services as well, and participate in ground search and rescue and detecting emergency signals emitted by aircraft in distress.
About Civil Air Patrol
Established in 1941, Civil Air Patrol is the official auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force and as such is a member of its Total Force. In its auxiliary role, CAP operates a fleet of 560 single-engine Cessna aircraft and 1,944 small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (sUAS) and performs about 90% of continental U.S. inland search and rescue missions as tasked by the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center.
Investigators say the suspect in last month’s deadly shooting of a pro-Trump activist in Portland pointed a gun at officers before they shot and killed him. The team investigating the incident says it’s not yet clear whether 48-year-old Michael Reinoehl fired his gun before officers opened fire on him in Lacey, Washington on September 3rd.
Officers from a federal fugitive task force moved in on Reinoehl on the same day that Vice News published an interview in which Reinoehl claims he shot 39-year-old Aaron “Jay” Danielson on August 29th in self-defense because he thought the Patriot Prayer member was going to stab him and a friend. Police found a loaded gun on Danielson’s body along with a baton and a can of bear spray, which witnesses say he used to spray Reinoehl before Reinoehl shot him.
FATAL CRASH HWY 42 – DOUGLAS COUNTY
On Saturday, September 19, 2020 at approximately 9:15 P.M., Oregon State Police Troopers and emergency personnel responded to a two vehicle crash on Hwy 42 near milepost 74.
Preliminary investigation revealed that a Dodge Ram pickup, operated by Dustin Robinson (36) from Sutherlin, was westbound when it went off the road. He struck a Pontiac Grand AM, operated by William McCullough IV (20) from Roseburg, that was at the intersection of Jackie Avenue and Hwy 42.
McCullough IV and his passenger, Mark Ritter (20) from Roseburg, sustained fatal injuries and were pronounced deceased.
Robinson sustained minor injures from the crash.
OSP was assisted by Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, Winston Police Department, Douglas County Fire District 2, ODOT and the Douglas County District Attorney’s Office.
Driving Under the Influence of Intoxicants (Robinson) is being investigated as a possible factor in the crash. Any further information will be released by or with approval from the Douglas County District Attorney’s Office.
FATAL CRASH HWY 20 – LINN COUNTY
On Sunday, September 20, 2020, at approximately 7:10 A.M.,Oregon State Police Troopers and emergency personnel responded to a single vehicle crash on Hwy 20 near milepost 67.
Preliminary investigation revealed that a Nissan Altima, operated by Robert Snyder (60) of Portland, was westbound on Hwy 20 when it went off the road and struck a tree.
Synder sustained fatal injuries and was pronounced deceased.
TWO FOUR TWO FIRE NEAR CHILOQUIN UPDATE
Size: 14,473 Acres Containment: 64%
Firefighters worked throughout the day yesterday extinguishing heat next to the containment line. This is labor intensive work as they dig out stump holes and open up dozer berms to expose buried heat under the dirt. Last night crews continued to patrol for visible hot spots along Highway 97 and Highway 62. Crews worked through the night to extinguish what they could and marked areas they did not get to for the day shift. It will be warmer and drier with light winds over the fire area today. The extended weather forecast shows an increasing chance of precipitation over the fire late this week.
BRATTAIN FIRE UPDATE NEAR PAISLEY
September 21, 2020 @ 9 AM
SIZE: 50,447 acres
CONTAINMENT: 52%
PERSONNEL: 478
Yesterday:
Many more positive developments were made yesterday, especially with mop-up activity. We experienced only moderate fire behavior, with the same creeping and smoldering we have seen for several days, with smoke mostly coming from the interior in the northwest corner of the fire.
Today:
Forest Closure:
From Forest Road 29 southeast to Forest Road 3510 and the 28 Road east, all National Forest System lands and facilities are closed per Forest Closure Order 06-02-03-20-03. Forest Road 3315 is closed; the 28 Road is open.
Firefighting crews continue to operate on a 24-hour schedule and are battling winds, extremely dry conditions and shortages of firefighting resources.
For all fire updates in Oregon, click here.
On September 13, 2020 Oregon State Police Troopers received information that fresh skeletal remains of a bull elk had been discovered on private property between Mt. Richmond Road and Williams Canyon Road.
Evidence at the scene is consistent with a bull elk harvested in the first two weeks of the general archery season.
The person(s) responsible did not have permission to hunt on the property.
The Oregon Hunters Association of Yamhill County has agreed to match the Turn In Poachers (TIP) program reward of $500 for a total reward of $1,000.
The Oregon State Police is requesting that any person with information about this incident contact Oregon State Police Northern Command Center at 1-800-442-0776 or *OSP and leave information for Trooper Tayler Jerome if you are wishing to remain anonymous you may also contact the OSP through the Turn in Poachers line at TIP Hotline: 1-800-452-7888 or TIP E-Mail: TIP@state.or.us (Monitored M-F 8:00AM – 5:00PM)
The TIP program offers preference point rewards for information leading to an arrest or issuance of a citation for the unlawful take/possession or waste of big game mammals.
The TIP program also offers cash rewards for information leading to an arrest or issuance of a citation for the unlawful take/possession or waste of Mountain Sheep, Mountain Goat, Moose, Elk, Deer, Antelope, Bear, Cougar, Wolf, Upland Birds, Waterfowl, and Furbearers. Cash rewards can also be awarded for the unlawful take of Game Fish and Shellfish and for Habitat Destruction.
How to Report a Wildlife and/or Habitat Law Violation or Suspicious Activity:
TIP Hotline: 1-800-452-7888 or *OSP(677)
TIP E-Mail: TIP@state.or.us (Monitored M-F 8:00AM – 5:00PM)
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