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, August 24, 2021
Willamette Valley Weather
Today– Sunny, with a high near 80. Calm wind becoming northwest around 6 mph in the afternoon.
Wednesday– Mostly sunny, with a high near 78. Light and variable wind becoming west northwest around 6 mph in the afternoon.
Thursday– Mostly sunny, with a high near 79. Calm wind becoming north northwest around 6 mph in the afternoon.
Friday– Mostly sunny, with a high near 79.
Saturday– Sunny, with a high near 84.
Firefighter Dies While Working On Gales Fire Near Oakridge
A firefighter died in an accident Monday while working on the Gales Fire in the Middle Fork Complex, according to the Lane County Sheriff’s Office.
Bryan Cutchen, Oakridge city administrator and acting fire chief, said the death is suspected to have been caused by a tree falling on the firefighter. Cutchen said the victim was a young man.
The Lane County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release and Facebook post Monday night that deputies along with partners from numerous other agencies were on scene investigating. Authorities were also working to notify the man’s family, according to the agency. No other injuries were reported.
The man was working on the eastern edge of the Gales Fire at the time of the incident, according to Larry Nickey, deputy incident commander liaison for Pacific Northwest Team 13.
“We don’t have any information we can release right now because of the investigation,” Nickey said on Monday afternoon.
The Gales Fire is within the Middle Fork Complex of fires that started in the Willamette National Forest the week of July 26. More than 500 personnel are working at the complex. The fires are about 9 miles north of Oakridge. They have burned about 24 square miles and have prompted evacuations.
Procession for the Memorial Service for Oregon State Police Sergeant John Burright on I-5 between Albany and Salem This Morning
Governor orders flags lowered to half-staff to honor fallen Oregon State Police Sgt. John Burright
The public is invited to view a procession and memorial service for Oregon State Police (OSP) Sgt. John Burright on Wednesday. He died in May after a 20-year battle with severe injuries after being hit by a car. On Sept. 4, 2001, a vehicle hit Sgt. Burright while he was helping a family in a disabled vehicle on the shoulder of Interstate 5.
Trooper Maria Mignano and Albany Police Department Officer Jason Hoerauf died. The accident left Sgt. Burright with debilitating and career-ending injuries, and he died on May 4, 2021.
The procession on Aug. 25 will start at 10:20 a.m. at the Linn County Fairgrounds in Albany. It will pass the Oregon State Police Albany Patrol Office, where Sgt. Burright spent most of his career. The procession will continue north on Interstate 5 to the Salem Armory for the memorial service.
Drivers should be prepared for road closures and long delays along the procession route, which includes I-5 between Albany and Salem. OSP encourages anyone planning to drive along the procession route between 10 a.m.-12 p.m. to find an alternative route.
UPDATE: Police Make Arrest In Fatal Hit-And-Run
The driver involved in the fatal hit-and-run crash on W. 11th in Eugene over the weekend turned himself in to police Monday morning, according to authorities.
Danny Ray Young, 49, of Springfield has been charged with hit-and-run and driving while suspended after turning himself in, police said.
Authorities also reported that the victim was a 40-year-old woman who had a bicycle at the time of the crash. It is unclear if she was riding the bicycle at the time.
According to officials, Young hit the pedestrian at West 11th Avenue and Olive Street at 8:40 p.m. Sunday. The light-colored, full-size truck then left the area.
Eugene police located the truck that was involved in the crash earlier Monday morning, before Young turned himself in. The Eugene Police Major Collision Investigation Team is still investigating.
Oregon reports 4,701 new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases, 24 new deaths
There are 24 new COVID-19 related deaths in Oregon, raising the state’s death toll to 3,036. The Oregon Health Authority reported 4,701 new confirmed and presumptive cases of COVID-19 bringing the state total to 257,644.
The 4,701 cases reported today include new infections recorded by counties for the 3-day period between Friday, Aug. 20, and Sunday, Aug. 22.
The new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases reported today are in the following counties: Baker (29), Benton (61), Clackamas (366), Clatsop (19), Columbia (80), Coos (66), Crook (19), Curry (61), Deschutes (365), Douglas (398), Gilliam (5), Grant (10), Harney (14), Hood River (14), Jackson (308), Jefferson (34), Josephine (234), Klamath (71), Lane (659), Lincoln (41), Linn (186), Malheur (24), Marion (195), Morrow (29), Multnomah (582), Polk (113), Tillamook (49) Umatilla (69), Union (78), Wallowa (16), Wasco (23), Washington (401), Yamhill (82).
Lane County reported 5 deaths and another 299 new infections on Monday as a surge of new COVID-19 cases continues.
The death toll in Lane County now stands at 186. Statewide, 3,036 people have died as of August 23, according to the Oregon Health Authority.
There are 116 people hospitalized in Lane County as of Monday with COVID-19. Of those, 43 are in the ICU; 22 are on ventilators. Only 52 of the 116 people receiving hospital care in Lane County are from here. The others are from outside of Lane County.
Lane County is considered part of Region 3 in Oregon, which also includes Douglas, Coos and Curry counties.
As of Monday, OHA says there are only 7 more adult ICU beds available across those 4 counties – 7% of the total beds. Ther are 85 non-ICU beds available, roughly 13% of the total beds.
Douglas County reported 136 new cases on Monday. There are currently 78 Douglas County residents hospitalized with COVID-19; of those, 13 are hospitalized outside of the county – including two sent out-of-state for specialized care.
The county said 12 patients are in the ICU at Mercy Medical Center – and 12 are on ventilators. The county noted that 69 of the 78 people in the hospital were not vaccinated against COVID-19. The county’s death toll grew to 116 over the weekend.
Oregon hospital beds filling up — All told, there are only 47 ICU beds available statewide.
There are no open ICU beds in Regions 5 (Josephine and Jackson counties in southern Oregon) and Regions 6 (Hood River, Wasco, Sherman and Gilliam counties).
And even the regions that have hospital beds available for COVID and other patients may be unable to serve those patients.
“Staffing limitations are not captured in this data and may further limit bed capacity,” according to OHA. The Oregon National Guard arrived Monday at Mercy Medical Center in Roseburg and other facilities to help take over non-patient care duties to allow hospital staff to focus on patients.
Hospitals have already postponed elective surgeries to maintain or create space to care for emergency patients. Doctors and public health officials note that delaying elective surgeries will have impacts on people awaiting heart valve replacement – or the removal of a cancerous tumor, for example.
As ICUs fill up with COVID-19 patients, there will be less room available to care for victims of car crashes or people who suffer strokes or heart attacks.
Lane County is calling on residents to resume masking in public outdoors when physical distancing is not possible. Statewide, masks are required in shared indoor spaces.
The county health department said 1,219 people in Lane County are currently known to still be infectious with COVID-19.
Wildfires have burned over 603,132 acres across Oregon and Washington
Nine of the active blazes are in Oregon, while 17 are in Washington. A majority of the fires were sparked by lightning, while a few remain under investigation.
The Ford Corkscrew fire in central Washington has prompted mandatory evacuations northwest of Spokane and damaged 20 buildings. The fire has burnt 15,000 acres since Aug. It was 14% contained as of Friday.
The wildfires still burning in Oregon are nowhere as large as the Bootleg fire, which reached 100% containment after burning for more than a month. It was the third-largest fire in Oregon since 1900, scorching over 400,000 acres and destroying more than 160 homes.
Another day of below seasonal temperatures with improved humidifies on the west side and dry conditions on the east side. There were breezy winds in the Cascade gaps, but most other areas were relatively calm. The northern two thirds of Washington had mostly cloudy skies and light scattered precipitation fell in northwest Washington.
Wildfire smoke blanketed southern Oregon. An inversion this morning resulted in poor humidity recoveries in the mid elevations in the Oregon Cascades and in eastern Oregon. The moderated conditions limited growth on existing large fires.
Temperatures will warm some today, bringing the region to near seasonal normal conditions. As a series of upper-level troughs continue to pass through, near normal temperatures and relative humidities will persist through the week. General winds will be a little breezy in central Oregon this afternoon. A stronger marine push tomorrow will boost breezes through Cascade gaps in the afternoon and bring some light rain mainly over the Cascades and Olympics.
Precipitation chances will retreat to the northern Cascades Thursday, then shift to northeastern Washington Friday. Gap breezes will pick up a bit more Thursday and Friday afternoons, then calm for the weekend. Models still show some differences in details, but it appears an upper level ridge will move across the region over the weekend for a brief warming spell.
Diminished fire danger coupled with seasonable temperature and humidity will keep the potential for new significant fires at or below seasonal normal through the week.
Here are links to be able to see updated info on the larger fires in Oregon:
- Black Butte InciWeb
- Bootleg InciWeb
- Bruler InciWeb
- Bull Complex InciWeb
- Devil’s Knob Complex InciWeb
- Elbow Creek Inciweb
- Fox Fire InciWeb
- Jack Fire InciWeb
- Rough Patch Complex InciWeb
- Middle Fork Complex/Knoll Fire InciWeb
- Skyline Ridge Complex InciWeb
This public lands link is super helpful to check before you head outdoors. The Keep Oregon Green website carries ODF’s public use restrictions. Click the link for up-to-date information:
https://keeporegongreen.org/current-conditions/
Rare Bumblebee Found In Southern Oregon Gets Endangered Species Listing
A rare species of bumblebee unique to Southern Oregon and parts of Northern California will now be recognized for federal protections under the Endangered Species Act by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the agency revealed on Monday.
The Franklin’s bumblebee is believed to reside across Douglas, Jackson, and Josephine counties in Oregon, as well as Siskiyou and Trinity counties in California. This relatively small range makes it one of the most narrowly distributed bumblebee species in the world.
Wildlife officials believe that that the species may still exist in the region, though the last confirmed sighting occurred back in 2006. The U.S. Forest Service cited the Fender’s blue butterfly as an example of a species that was believed extinct for decades but was spotted again in Oregon during 1989. The species has since started to recover.
“Franklin’s bumblebee is one of the rarest in the world, and it will surely tumble into extinction without Endangered Species Act protections,” Quinn Read, Oregon policy director at the Center for Biological Diversity says. “This is a good step for these bumblebees, but the federal failure to protect critical habitat will make recovery an uphill battle. There’s just no way to save species like this unique bumblebee without protecting the places they live.”
“The level of public and interagency engagement in the bumblebee survey efforts has been incredible,” said Glenn Casamassa, the U.S. Forest Service’s Pacific Northwest Regional Forester. “The primary habitat for this bee in Oregon is on the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest. While this species has not been detected there since 2006, our employees continue to work with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on sampling historic and suitable habitats in order to conserve and recover this species. There’s a collective sense of urgency to protect native pollinators, and this effort highlights not only the strength of our interagency partnerships but also the strength of research and citizen science efforts in Southwest Oregon.”
The Franklin’s bumblebee is believed to nest underground in abandoned rodent burrows and other spaces that allow room for shelter and food storage. One colony was discovered in a residential garage in Medford. The USFWS said that the bees have historically been found at elevations between 540 and 7,800 feet, often finding food among the colder climates of alpine flowering plants.
It is of critical importance that a proper scientific investigation is pursued in order to determine the actual status of Franklin’s bumblebee. If its population has indeed reached a critical level, the species will require extensive protection in order to avoid extinction. — https://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/pollinators/pollinator-of-the-month/franklins-bumble-bee.shtml
Conservative Activists Try To Overturn New Oregon Election Laws
Two new laws aimed at expanding voter access in Oregon are under fire from a conservative group that argues the changes will make state elections less secure.
People affiliated with the group Oregonians for Fair Elections have filed referendum petitions that, if successful, would ask voters to approve or reject the new laws next year. To do that, they’d need to collect 74,680 valid signatures in opposition to each bill by Sept. 24, a tight timeline that could be hard to meet as the state struggles with a resurgence of COVID-19.
The first, House Bill 2681, ensured that voters cannot be labeled “inactive” — and so ineligible to automatically receive a ballot — for the sole reason of not voting. It’s an extension of other steps Oregon has taken in recent years.
In 2017, then-Secretary of State Dennis Richardson, a Republican, announced the state would no longer label voters “inactive” if they had not voted for five consecutive years.
Richardson increased that window to 10 years and subsequently announced he wanted to end the practice of labeling voters inactive because they had not voted. Voters can still be labeled “inactive” for other reasons, including not responding when their ballot has been challenged.
Increased Emergency SNAP Benefits Continue in September
Need to know
- Most Oregonians who receive SNAP benefits will receive increased emergency benefits in September
- Find resources to meet your basic needs: Dial 2-1-1, or text your zip code to 898-211, www.211info.org
- Support and resources from the Oregon Department of Human Services
Most Oregonians who receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits will receive emergency allotments in September.
The federal government has approved emergency allotments every month since March 2020. This gives SNAP recipients additional support during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In September, approximately 402,000 SNAP households will receive approximately $65 million in extra food benefits in addition to their regular SNAP benefits.
“We are grateful to have the opportunity to provide emergency benefits to most SNAP households in Oregon,” said Dan Haun, director of the Oregon Department of Human Services (ODHS), Self-Sufficiency Program. “We also know that many Oregonians are still struggling to meet their basic needs due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and we encourage them to contact our partners at 211 and the Oregon Food Bank for support during this difficult time.”
Emergency allotments will be available on Sept. 11 for current SNAP households. New SNAP households will receive the emergency allotments Sept. 30 or Oct. 2.
SNAP recipients do not have to take any action to receive these supplemental benefits as they will be issued directly on their EBT cards.
More information about emergency allotments is available at https://www.oregon.gov/dhs/ASSISTANCE/FOOD-BENEFITS/Pages/About-SNAP.aspx.
Questions about your SNAP benefits should be directed to the ONE Customer Service Center at 1-800-699-9075.
If you are a SNAP household and your income or the number of people in your household has changed, it could impact your benefits. It is important to make sure ODHS has the most up-to-date information.
You can report any changes to your income or household in many ways:
- Online at: ONE.Oregon.gov
- By mail at: ONE Customer Service Center, PO Box 14015, Salem, OR 97309
- By fax at: 503-378-5628
- By phone at: 1-800-699-9075 or TTY 711
Resources to help meet basic needs
- Find a food pantry: foodfinder.oregonfoodbank.org
- Learn about government programs and community resources for older adults and people with disabilities: Aging and Disability Resource Connection of Oregon at 1-855-673-2372 or www.adrcoforegon.org.
- Dial 2-1-1, or text your zip code to 898-211, www.211info.org
- Oregon Department of Human Services Resources
Administered by ODHS, SNAP is a federal program that provides food assistance to approximately 1 million eligible, low-income families and individuals in Oregon, including many older adults and people with disabilities. Oregonians in need can apply for benefits, including SNAP, child care, cash assistance and Medicaid. Learn more at https://govstatus.egov.com/or-dhs-benefits. For local resources in your area, such as food or shelter, please call 2-1-1 or reach out to the state’s Aging and Disability Resource Connection (ADRC) at 1-855-ORE-ADRC or 1-855-673-2372. — Oregon Department of Human Services
OSU Study Finds Tree Rings in Oregon Show Evidence Of A Historic 1700 Quake And Tsunami
The earthquake that struck the west coast of North America on January 26, 1700, is said to be the greatest ever recorded in the “lower 48” states of the United States. A team of experts discovered evidence of this “megathrust” in old trees in Oregon during their research.
The earthquake that struck the Cascadia Subduction Zone in January 1700 was a major one. With a magnitude of 9.0, it not only wreaked havoc and generated landslides in various regions, but it also triggered a tsunami that crossed the Pacific and wreaked havoc on Japan’s Pacific coast.
According to a news release from Oregon State University (OSU), evidence of this historic event has been found in the trees in Washington, so a team of researchers set out to see whether they could find similar evidence in the trees in Oregon.
The researchers gathered core samples of 38 Douglas fir stands that predate the 1700 earthquake in Mike Miller Park in South Beach for the study, which was just published in the journal Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences.
According to OSU, one of the study’s authors, Robert Dziak of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory, said that the majority of the trees date back to 1670, with one dating back to 1650.
The area would have been overwhelmed by up to 10 meters of water during the tsunami, according to “new and revised” simulations. When researchers compared the growth rates of the samples to those of Douglas firs not in the tsunami inundation zone, they discovered that the trees in the tsunami inundation zone had “significantly reduced” growth rates in 1700.
The researchers also compared the South Beach Douglas-fir tree-ring data to two other Douglas-fir datasets from the Oregon Coast Range and western Cascade Mountains, which would have experienced similar climate conditions but not tsunami inundation, in order to better detect tree growth anomalies near 1700 CE. “When compared to these control sites, tree growth in South Beach is much lower in 1700 CE, reaffirming that Douglas-fir growth in South Beach is abnormally low for the region.”
In an OSU news release, Dziak stated, “The tsunami looks to be the event that most affected the trees’ growth that year.”
The researchers speculated that the shaking of the ground, as well as the presence of seawater, may have contributed to the decline in growth. Brief News from Washington Newsday.