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
Friday, June 11, 2021
Willamette Valley Weather
Today– Rain. High near 68. Southeast wind around 8 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible.
Saturday– A 50 percent chance of rain. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 75. Calm wind becoming west around 5 mph in the afternoon.
Sunday– Rain. High near 74. Calm wind becoming west around 5 mph in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible.
Monday– A chance of rain before 11am, then a chance of showers after 11am. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 74. Chance of precipitation is 40%.
Tuesday– A chance of showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 72.
Oregon reports 370 new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases, 10 new deaths
There are 10 new COVID-19 related deaths in Oregon, raising the state’s death toll to 2,726. The Oregon Health Authority reported 370 new confirmed and presumptive cases of COVID-19 bringing the state total to 204,291.
The new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases reported today are in the following counties: Baker (1), Benton (8), Clackamas (30), Clatsop (1), Columbia (4), Coos (2), Crook (11), Deschutes (85), Douglas (17), Harney (1), Hood River (4), Jackson (15), Jefferson (1), Josephine (8), Klamath (10), Lane (23), Linn (11), Malheur (2), Marion (35), Multnomah (59), Polk (7), Umatilla (8), Union (1), Washington (22) and Yamhill (4).
Vaccinations in Oregon
Today, OHA reported that 27,113 new doses of COVID-19 vaccinations were added to the state immunization registry. Of this total, 11,182 doses were administered on June 9 and 15,931 were administered on previous days but were entered into the vaccine registry on June 9.
The 7-day running average is now 15,761 doses per day.
Oregon has now administered a total of 2,337,634 first and second doses of Pfizer, 1,659,139 first and second doses of Moderna and 153,424 single doses of Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines. As of today, 1,991,717 people have completed a COVID-19 vaccine series. There are 2,303,485 people who have had at least one dose. The number of adult Oregonians needing vaccinations to reach the 70% threshold is 93,234.
Note: OHA is working to determine why CDC’s COVID-19 vaccination update today indicates minimal change. We will have a more complete update tomorrow.
A daily countdown can be found on the OHA website.
Cumulative daily totals can take several days to finalize because providers have 72 hours to report doses administered and technical challenges have caused many providers to lag in their reporting. OHA has been providing technical support to vaccination sites to improve the timeliness of their data entry into the state’s ALERT Immunization Information System (IIS).
To date, 2,861,055 doses of Pfizer, 2,173,680 doses of Moderna and 299,000 doses of Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines have been delivered to sites across Oregon.
These data are preliminary and subject to change.
OHA’s dashboards provide regularly updated vaccination data, and Oregon’s dashboard has been updated today.
COVID-19 hospitalizations
The number of hospitalized patients with COVID-19 across Oregon is 173, which is nine more than yesterday. There are 41 COVID-19 patients in intensive care unit (ICU) beds, which is five more than yesterday.
The total number of COVID-19 positive patient bed-days in the most recent seven days is 1,328, which is a 22.3% decrease from the previous seven days. The peak daily number of beds occupied by COVID-19 positive patients in the most recent seven days is 219.
The total number of patients in hospital beds may fluctuate between report times. The numbers do not reflect admissions per day, nor the length of hospital stay. Staffing limitations are not captured in this data and may further limit bed capacity.
More information about hospital capacity can be found here.
One Community Health: collaboration is key
Tomorrow, One Community Health will be administering Pfizer vaccines in The Dalles while offering free food and live music to all who attend the event. Preventative health manager Gladys Rivera readily admits that Friday’s event is more of a celebration than a formal clinic because Wasco County has almost reached a 65% percent vaccination rate.
Rivera attributes the clinic’s vaccination success to the organization’s great partnership with Oregon Health Authority (OHA), as well as with other community partners, including growers, employers and local businesses.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) deployed three mobile vaccination units throughout Oregon’s rural communities, which have successfully vaccinated more than 2,500 people across the state.
“Collaboration is really the key to make all of this happen,” emphasized Rivera. “It’s relying on all those partners and really sharing the workload.”
You can read more of this story on OHA’s Oregon Vaccine News blog. For more information about tomorrow’s vaccine clinic in The Dalles, contact One Community Health at 541.386.6380.
Oregon Now Just Over 93,000 First Doses Away From 70 Percent Threshold
LOCAL HEADLINES:
Public Hearing On Proposed Fireworks Ban In Parts Of Eugene Set For June 21
The Eugene City Council will hold a public hearing on a proposed ordinance to temporarily ban the use of fireworks south of 18th Avenue and east of Agate Street on June 21 during the 7:30 p.m. meeting.
The council passed a motion May 24 to consider the ban. City Councilor Matt Keating, who represents South Eugene, made the motion; Councilor Randy Groves – the former fire chief – seconded it. The Council voted unanimously to consider the issue.
“The proposed ordinance would prohibit the use of fireworks in this area through the remainder of 2021 and 2022. The sale of fireworks would also be banned in this area in 2022,” according to Eugene-Springfield Fire. “The proposed temporary ban is due to the area’s drought conditions and the potential for wildfires.”
The City has banned fireworks in the past during periods of high fire danger. Eugene already limits legal fireworks to just 4 days per year: December 31 and January 1 for New Year’s and July 3 and July 4 for Independence Day.
Illegal fireworks are always prohibited.
New Traffic Signals Go Live At Beltline/Delta Interchange In Eugene
The traffic signal put up as part of the Delta/Beltline interchange went live Thursday evening.
Officials said the new intersection is for all Delta Highway travelers, who will stop to allow Beltline traffic to turn north. It will also stop southbound Delta drivers when a pedestrian is crossing.
The existing ramp from eastbound Beltline to northbound Delta will be closed to be removed.
The Delta/Beltline Interchange project is now entering its final stages with traffic lights on Delta Highway expected to go live on June 10.
Oregon Department of Transportation workers have been making progress on this project since December 2019.
“We’ve seen accidents on the Southeast loop ramp of people trying to get off and people trying to get on,” ODOT project manager Shane Prohaska said. ODOT officials said the main purpose of the project is to improve safety.
“We have a lot of conflicts, especially right here where people enter Delta Highway and that’s why this ramp is going to go away,” ODOT spokesperson Angela Beers-Sydel said.
Officials also said the reconstruction of the interchange is to account for future population growth.
But the improvements to the interchange won’t have any impact on traffic moving from Delta Highway to River Road, officials said. The Delta Highway to River Road project is in the environmental stages but there’s not enough money to begin work on it, they said.
“Unfortunately, there’s no funding to do the construction. So, what we want to do is get all of the studies ready so when we do find funding, we can move forward,” said Beers-Sydel.
ODOT expects to complete the entire interchange project by August 2021.
Two Arrested After Setting Tent On Fire At Eugene Park
The Eugene Police Department arrested two suspects for Arson following a tent fire at Washington Jefferson Park last week.
Around 12:20 p.m. on June 3, Eugene Police and Eugene-Springfield Fire responded to the tent fire at the park and found that two people had been in the tent at the time of the incident, including a 76-year-old woman who was transported to the hospital with serious injuries from the fire, and a 46-year-old man.
“During the investigation, police determined that the fire had been started intentionally by two suspects, a man and a woman, who were observed yelling from outside the tent at the two occupants before dousing the tent with a liquid and it bursting into flames,” EPD said.
Eugene Police detectives were able to identify the two suspects, Christine Alice Reyes, 43, of Eugene, and Shelby Louis Smith, 26, of Eugene, and on June 9, police located their described motorhome in the area of W. 13th Avenue and Chambers.
Following contact with Reyes and Smith, they were arrested and transported to the Lane County Jail on charges of Assault in the First Degree and Arson in the First Degree.
Eugene Police Trying Out New Restraint Device
A law enforcement device to detain suspects is out on Eugene’s streets. Through June and into the early part of next month, the “BolaWrap” is being used on a pilot basis.
Here’s video – BolaWrap Demonstration: Oregon Police Departments
Sergeant Ryan Molony of the Eugene Police Department, explains: “Basically it’s a Kevlar string, that’s extremely tough to break. It’s got two anchoring steel rods on either end, that stretch out around the side once it’s been deployed so when it hits the subject, it wraps around.
“It doesn’t in essence, incapacitate anybody, but what it does, is it restricts their ability to pull their arms up and move their arms around, or to try and kick, or run away at the time.”
The BolaWrap is seen as a tool for when someone’s having a mental health or drug-related episode, not more potentially combative, violent encounters. The EPD says pilot testing phase for the device ends July 7th.
AROUND the STATE of OREGON
Oregon Auditors Find Billions In Accounting Mistakes
An audit of Oregon’s financial statements and programs found $6.4 billion in accounting errors, all of which were labeled as “unintentional,” the Secretary of State’s Office said.
On Wednesday, the office’s Audits Division released its annual Keeping Oregon Accountable report – a summary of the division’s two largest annual audits. One looks at the state’s financial statements, while the other is a compliance audit of how the state uses federal programs.
“These financial audits are critically important to ensuring our state is properly accounting for the resources entrusted to us by the taxpayers of Oregon and the federal government,” said Secretary of State Shemia Fagan.
In the report, auditors say they identified $6.4 billion in accounting errors. They say the mistakes were unintentional and offered options to correct the errors.
“While there were some steps identified for improvement, I am pleased that Oregon is managing these funds well because they are critical to services Oregonians count on most,” Fagan said
The division also audited dozens of federal programs and agencies, issuing recommendations on their findings.
They questioned whether $5,115,844 in expenditures were appropriately paid with federal funds and issued a clean opinion on 13 of the audited programs, while issuing a qualified opinion for one program, suggesting improvements to the state’s Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program.
You can read the full Keeping Oregon Accountable report on the Secretary of State’s office.
More from the Oregon Secretary of State’s office:
The Secretary of State Audits Division annually audits the State of Oregon’s financial statements and compliance with federal program requirements. The federal government requires these audits for the financial assistance Oregon receives annually. These audits determine whether amounts reported in Oregon’s financial statements are materially correct and adequately supported; evaluate the state’s administration of major federal programs for compliance with applicable laws, rules, and regulations; conclude on whether the Schedule of Expenditures of Federal Awards is fairly presented in relation to the state’s financial statements; and review accounting and compliance control procedures.
Oregon Lawmakers Expel Rep. Mike Nearman Over Capitol Breach
Oregon lawmakers expelled a Republican legislator on Thursday night who let violent, far-right protesters into the Statehouse. Rep. Mike Nearman was the first member of the House to be expelled in its 160-year history. The House voted 59-1 to remove him from the Legislature for disorderly behavior.
At an earlier hearing, Rep. Paul Holvey said Nearman let in protesters who had planned to occupy the Capitol. Some were armed.
Nearman was seen on security video opening a door to protesters on Dec. 21 as lawmakers met in emergency session to deal with economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic.
Protesters barged into the building, which was closed to the public because of coronavirus safety protocols, got into shoving matches with police and sprayed officers with bear spray.
“It’s impossible to overstate the seriousness of the reason we are here today,” Holvey said. “Rep. Nearman enabled armed, violent protesters to enter the Capitol, breaching the security of the Capitol, which was officially closed to the public, and also endangered the authorized staff and legislators inside the building.”
Nearman was unapologetic as he read a statement to the committee.
“The fact is that I exited the building and members of the public entered into the Capitol building, a place they had a right to be — a place the Legislative Assembly had no right to exclude them from,” Nearman said. He said that on the advice of his attorney he would not answer questions.
Hundreds of people provided written testimony to the House Special Committee On December 21, 2020, which is composed of three Democrats and three Republicans.
Some people who testified excoriated Nearman as a seditionist. Others praised him for letting people into the Capitol, saying residents should be allowed to attend even though hearings are livestreamed on video.
“Mike Nearman’s behavior … was abhorrent and anti-democratic,” David Alba said. “Furthermore, by aiding and supporting extremists, he has placed people’s lives in danger. He should be removed from office and he is not fit to represent my district.”
After video emerged in local news reports Friday showing Nearman choreographing how he would let protesters into the Capitol, pinpointing the door he would open for them and disclosing his cellphone number so protesters could text him, all of his House GOP colleagues on Monday strongly recommended he step down.
But Nearman’s supporters said they elected him and the House should not expel him. One supporter suggested those 22 GOP lawmakers be voted out of office.
“We see you compromising Republicans that whittle away at concepts of morality, liberty, and justice to take a knee to the woke mob,” Casey Ocupe said in written testimony. “May your Republican constituents take no mercy on you.”
On Monday, House Speaker Tina Kotek introduced a resolution that would have the House expel Nearman if two-thirds of its members vote in favor. She appointed the committee to consider the matter.
Kotek credited riot police, who finally pushed out the protesters, with preventing a full-scale assault like the one by Trump supporters at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6. She said some were visibly injured and shaken.
Nearman has not responded to numerous requests from The Associated Press for comment. He told a conservative radio talk show that a video presentation he held on Dec. 16 “was me setting up the 21st.” He indicated that his actions were civil disobedience because he objected to the Capitol being closed to the public.
Nearman also faces two misdemeanor criminal charges and has said he will seek a trial by jury.
Gresham Cold Case from 1980 Finally Closed
For four decades, the unsolved murder of Barbara ‘Barbie’ Mae Tucker has baffled police, but now the town of Gresham is relieved knowing her killer is finally behind bars.
19-year-old college student Barbie studied business at Mt Hood Community College in 1980 when she was walking to an evening class.
At the time, witnesses saw a man appear from the bushed and grab Barbie, who was running from a wooded area. No one responded to her cries for help.
The following day, her body was found by her friends in nearby bushes, sexually assaulted and beaten.
The murder shocked the community of 30,000 residents, and the case stood unsolved for 41 years. Recently, the DNA sample left on Barbie’s body was added to a genealogy database by Parabon NanoLabs, and it spit out a name; Robert Plympton.
“Just really happy that there’s some closure. I wish it could’ve happened when my folks were alive, and that would’ve been wonderful, but we have it now, so that’s really good,” said Susan, Barbie’s sister.
57-year-old Plympton was arrested in Troutdale on Tuesday. Records show that Plympton has been convicted for kidnapping twice, three times for fourth-degree assault and has numerous convictions for DUIs and other traffic offences. These convictions would have happened after the murder of Barbie, as Plympton was just 16 years old at the time.
Plympton and his wife, Lisa, were together at the time of the murder in 1980, and she says she’s shocked.
“He’s been clean and sober for the last 25 years,” she said. “This is completely out of character.”
Gresham Police Chief Claudio Grandjean reminds us, “These ‘cold cases’ are not lost or forgotten for our department. Each one represents a person to our officers, and their tragic stories are passed down through the generations in hopes of one day bringing honor to their names and a sense of justice and closure to their cases.”
Anyone who has additional information about this case or other unsolved cases is asked to call Detective Aaron Turnage at 503-618-3136.
Major Disabilities Company Closing Operations In Oregon
An Oregon company is closing its group homes and services for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities after years of state and federal scrutiny for abuse and neglect, state officials said this week.
Advocates and a top state official said Mentor Oregon’s departure will be the largest of its kind in memory, and will likely challenge Oregon’s already-strained disability services system.
The closure means 1,300 people will need of new service providers by Aug. 31. It’s unclear if other case management companies in Oregon have the capacity to take on Mentor’s workload.
“We’re not too focused on ‘why,’ at this point,” Lilia Teninty, director of Oregon Developmental Disability Services, said of Mentor’s abrupt decision to leave. Instead, she said, the state is “focused on continuity” for people receiving services through Mentor.
Mentor Oregon, which is a branch of The Mentor Network, said it’s leaving because of outside factors, including insufficient staff to provide the best possible care.
Spokeswoman Teresa Prego said Mentor Oregon will work tirelessly to help people in their care transition and have access to support to meet their individual needs.
It’s unclear what, if anything, Mentor Oregon’s departure has to do with recent official and public scrutiny.
OSU Selected to Lead NOAA Institute for Marine Research
Oregon State University has been selected to host a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration institute focused on collaborative study of the rapidly changing ocean and expanded demands on its use.
The Cooperative Institute for Marine Ecosystem and Resources Studies, or CIMERS, will focus on four research themes: conservation, protection and restoration of marine resources; marine ecosystems; ocean acoustics; and ocean, coastal and seafloor processes.
The institute will be eligible for up to $37 million in funding over the next five years, with potential for renewal for five more years.
“NOAA’s significant support of this collaborative marine institute underscores Oregon State University’s longstanding contributions in leadership, research and teaching to protect and enhance our oceans,” said OSU Interim President Becky Johnson. “We must accelerate that work due to the extraordinary pressures and changes taking place in our oceans and climate. OSU’s collaborative model of engaging many colleges, academic disciplines and external partners is well-suited to address these issues.”
NOAA supports 20 cooperative institutes in 28 states and the District of Columbia, providing funding to extend basic and applied research beyond the federal agency’s capacity. The institutes also serve as a training ground for future NOAA employees through undergraduate, graduate and post-doctoral education programs that align with NOAA’s mission. FOR MORE INFO: https://today.oregonstate.edu/news/oregon-state-selected-lead-noaa-institute-marine-research