Willamette Valley News, Monday 11/15 – Springfield Target Evacuated Due To Gas Leak, Two People Arrested After 4 Stolen Bikes Discovered, Missing Man from Pleasant Hill Found Deceased

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

Monday, November 15, 2021

Willamette Valley Weather

Today– Rain between 10am and 2pm, then showers after 2pm. High near 62. Breezy, with a light and variable wind becoming south southwest 12 to 17 mph in the morning. Winds could gust as high as 25 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New precipitation amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.

Tuesday– Mostly sunny, with a high near 49. Light and variable wind.

Wednesday– Widespread frost before 10am. Otherwise, partly sunny, with a high near 50. North wind around 6 mph.

Thursday– Rain likely, mainly after 10am. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 54. Chance of precipitation is 70%.

Friday– Rain likely, mainly before 10am. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 53.

Springfield Target Evacuated Due To Gas Leak

The Target store in Springfield had to evacuate Saturday afternoon because of a gas leak. Fire crews responded around 2:40 p.m.

Officials said a Target employee hit the heaters inside, releasing natural gas in the air. There was minimal damage to the pipe which connected to the heater, they said. No injuries were reported. Firefighters said it took about 30 minutes to make sure everything cleared out.

Target spokesperson Brian Harper-Tibaldo released a statement saying:

“Out of an abundance of caution, our Springfield, Oregon store was briefly evacuated early Saturday afternoon after some guests and team members reported smelling gas. The local fire department responded and traced the odor to a minor technical malfunction, which was quickly resolved. The store reopened within about 30 minutes. We can confirm that no one was injured, and we appreciate local first responders for resolving the situation quickly.”

Two People Arrested At Eugene Homeless Camp After 4 Stolen Bikes Discovered

Eugene Police recovered 4 bicycles stolen from Hutch’s Bike Shop, Four of the 21 bikes were found in the Washington Jefferson Park homeless camp.

Two people were arrested for possession of a stolen bike, but EPD also arrested four other people for other crimes.

There are still a lot of bikes missing from the break-in this week, but this is progress.

EPD says the bikes that they found at the homeless camp are worth about $20,000.

Police are still trying to figure out exactly who broke into Hutch’s Bike Shop and stole all the merchandise.

Bike shop owner Jay Lowe was not available to comment on the developments on Friday.

In the meantime, police are still investigating and looking for the remaining stolen bikes. They say the burglary happened on Tuesday night when someone broke into a side door on the shop.

The 21 bikes were stolen were a variation of BMX, mountain, and electronic assist bikes with a total value of about $100,000.

Even more newsworthy was that Eugene Police arrested four more people for unrelated warrants when they found the bikes.

The park has had plenty of controversy within the community for some time.

No one from Eugene Police was able to go on camera to answer questions about so many arrests at the park, but EPD Chief Chris Skinner says the arrests made for the bike thefts are not about what’s happening at the park.

Instead, he says it just so happens that their investigation led them to the homeless camp.

Pedestrian Struck and Killed by Semi-Truck on I-5 near Albany

An Albany man is dead after getting hit by a semi-truck Saturday evening. The incident took place around 7 p.m. when Oregon State Police troopers responded to a report of a pedestrian vs. semi crash on Interstate-5 near milepost 234 southbound outside Albany.

Daniel Montoya, 39, was observed laying down on the northbound side of Interstate-5 and then began running across the northbound and southbound lanes of Interstate-5, officials said.

They said as Montoya crossed the southbound lanes of travel, he ran in front of a non-involved passenger car that swerved to not hit him. Behind, the passenger vehicle was a 2021 Mack semi-truck driven by Alan Steven, 26, of British Columbia, Canada, who was southbound in the slow lane of Interstate-5 and reportedly could not avoid colliding head-on with Montoya.

Montoya was pronounced deceased at the scene. OSP was assisted at the scene by the Albany Fire Department and the Oregon Department of Transportation. The southbound lanes of Interstate 5 were closed during this investigation.

UPDATE: Missing Man from Pleasant Hill Found Deceased

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We are sad to report that Abdul Lamont was located deceased in a field on a property not far from his residence. 

Medical conditions and exposure are being investigated as possible factors in his death. There appear to be no signs of foul play at this time. 

LCSO Case #21-6369 Lane Co. Sheriff’s Office

Oregon reports 1,811 new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases, 20 new deaths

There are 20 new COVID-19 related deaths in Oregon, raising the state’s death toll to 4,750. Oregon Health Authority reported 1,811 new confirmed and presumptive cases of COVID-19 on Friday bringing the state total to 378,174.

The 1,811 new cases reported today include data recorded by counties for the two-day period between Wednesday, Nov. 10 and Thursday, Nov. 11.

The new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases reported today are in the following counties: Baker (8), Benton (37), Clackamas (203), Clatsop (9), Columbia (26), Coos (11), Crook (9), Curry (3), Deschutes (156), Douglas (85), Gilliam (10), Grant (4), Hood River (5), Jackson (95),  Jefferson (22), Josephine (37), Klamath (71), Lake (11), Lane (155), Lincoln (25), Linn (133), Malheur (2), Marion (101), Morrow (7), Multnomah (274), Polk (31), Sherman (2), Tillamook (12), Umatilla (22), Union (4), Wasco (8), Washington (165) and Yamhill (68).

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State to pause accepting new applications for the Oregon Emergency Rental Assistance Program on December 1

Federal funds for OERAP nearly fully allocated to applicants — State pursuing additional federal, state resources to continue rental assistance

Oregon Housing and Community Services estimates that nearly all the $289 million in federal emergency rental assistance allocated by the U.S. Department of Treasury to the state of Oregon has been requested, and the program will be fully subscribed in the coming weeks. As a result, the state announced today a pause in accepting new applications for the Oregon Emergency Rental Assistance Program (OERAP) for six weeks, starting on Dec. 1, at 11:59 p.m. The pause will ensure the state can keep its commitment to every Oregon renter that applies for assistance until that time. In the intervening weeks, OHCS will work with the Governor’s Office and legislative leaders to pursue solutions at the federal, state, and local levels to continue to help Oregon renters.

The state allocated the federal funding more quickly than many other counties and states. Oregon is currently ranked 7th nationwide in percent of federal emergency rental assistance (ERA1) funds paid or obligated. The U.S. Department of Treasury allocated a total of nearly $360 million to Oregon, in two waves, ERA1 and ERA2. Of that total, $289 was available for rental assistance payments. OHCS estimates that nearly all of the funds for rental assistance have been requested based on applications received to date.

“It is clear the need for emergency rental assistance is far greater than the amount of federal funding available for the program at this time. This pause will allow the agency to advocate for additional federal funding or other resources at the state level, focus on quickly processing applications and assess whether we have adequate funding available to accept new applications,” said OHCS Director Margaret Salazar. 

The OERAP program has provided more than $130 million in emergency rental assistance to more than 19,600 Oregon renters impacted by the pandemic. In addition to the eviction moratorium and the more than $319 million in rental assistance distributed in 2021, the OERAP program has been critical to staving off evictions for nonpayment statewide. The agency acknowledges that despite these measures, renters are still at risk. 

“We continue to be concerned about the many renters who are at risk for experiencing the trauma of eviction. OHCS is working around the clock to continue accelerating payments and we are fighting for more resources for Oregon,” said Salazar.

OHCS will shift the focus to advocating for more federal funding and processing applications currently in the queue. The agency is in the process of formally requesting additional federal funding after the state met a critical benchmark of paying or obligating at least 65% of ERA1 funding by Sept. 30. At the beginning of October, OHCS submitted a letter requesting U.S. Department of Treasury funding and will submit a formal request next week. In addition, Governor Brown and legislative leaders continue to explore potential solutions using alternative state resources while requests for federal funding are pending.

Information for Renters

Anyone who has fallen behind on rent or may get behind on December rent is encouraged to apply for emergency rental assistance right away, but before Dec. 1 at 11:59 p.m. at oregonrentalassistance.org.

After Dec. 1, the agency encourages people to apply for other emergency rental assistance programs across the state to receive the 60-day safe harbor period (90 days in Multnomah County and unincorporated areas of Washington County). Some cities and counties received ERA funding directly from the U.S. Department of Treasury: 

People can also contact 211 or Community Action Agencies in their area.

During the pause, OHCS and local program administrators will continue processing all remaining completed applications quickly, prioritizing those outside the 60-/90-day windows of protection. The agency expects that all completed applications in the queue will be processed and paid as soon as possible.

OHCS will be notifying anyone with an incomplete application to complete their application before that deadline through a series of correspondences.

If a renter has received an eviction notice, they should call 211. If a renter has received a court summons for eviction, they should call the Oregon Law Center’s Eviction Defense Project line (888-585-9638) or send an email to evictiondefense@oregonlawcenter.org to seek legal help. 

Multiple Victims in Shooting in Chiloquin

According to the Klamath County Sheriff’s Office, multiple people were shot in Chiloquin Sunday evening. Few details have been released at this time.

There is an ongoing investigation into an incident in the 900 block of Bronco Lane north of Chiloquin.  There are multiple shooting victims and the suspect is in custody. The Klamath County Major Crime Team has been activated.

Injured OSP Trooper Update, Nov. 15

The Oregon State Police Trooper, who was injured in the police incident on highway 30, has been identified as Trooper John Jeffries. Trooper John Jeffries started with the Oregon State Police in March of 2021, after retiring from the FBI after 20 years of service. Trooper Jeffries is currently duty stationed at the St. Helens worksite.
Trooper Jeffries and his wife have spent the last 25 years in Portland, Oregon where they raised their two sons. Trooper Jeffries has spent his life in service to the public. The Oregon State Police asks that you respect the family’s privacy at this time. We also ask for your prayers for Trooper Jeffries, his family, his friends as well as the entire OSP family.

Two people were hit by vehicles and killed in two separate accidents in Linn and Marion Counties over the weekend

The first crash happened on Friday, November 12, according to Oregon State Police (OSP). At around 9:19 p.m., OSP troopers responded to a crash on I-5 near milepost 254 in Salem involving a car and a woman. According to OSP, the victim, identified as Christina Klug, 26, got out of her boyfriend’s car, which was parked in the median, and walked into a lane of traffic and was hit. Klug was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver remained at the scene and is cooperating with law enforcement.

Then, in Linn County on Nov. 13, troopers responded to an accident involving a man and a semi at around 7:09 p.m.

According to OSP, the accident occurred on I-5 near milepost 234, outside of Albany. The victim, identified as Daniel Montoya, 39, was seen laying down on the northbound side of I-5 before he began running across both the northbound and southbound lanes.
A car not involved in the accident swerved to miss hitting Montoya, but the semi-truck behind that car could not stop in time. It struck Montoya and he was pronounced dead at the scene. 

Forecasters Expect Oregon’s Fastest Job Growth in Bend and Portland Areas

Oregon’s next decade of job growth will likely mirror the last, state forecasters expect, with hiring concentrated in urban areas that increasingly dominate the regional economy.

To a large degree that reflects the urbanization of Oregon’s economy, and of America’s. But it also reflects some lingering effects from COVID-19. Overall, the Oregon Employment Department expects the state will add 300,000 jobs by 2030. That’s roughly 17% growth – a strong pace but down from the robust 21% growth in the last decade.

That growth won’t be distributed equally, though. Oregon’s fastest-growing counties in the Bend and Portland areas will grow by 18%, economists expect. The tri-county Portland area will add more than half of all new Oregon jobs in the coming decade, according to the forecast.

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