Willamette Valley News, Friday 12/17 – Update On Crash that Killed Pedestrian, OSU Marching Band Delayed on Snowy I-5 Pass on Way to Bowl Game in LA

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, December 17, 2021

Willamette Valley Weather

Today– Areas of fog before 11am. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with a high near 47. Southeast wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the morning.

Saturday– A 30 percent chance of rain, mainly after 11am. Cloudy, with a high near 48. South wind 6 to 9 mph.

Sunday– Rain. High near 49. South southeast wind 3 to 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New precipitation amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.

Monday– Rain. High near 48. Chance of precipitation is 80%.

Tuesday– Rain likely, mainly before 11am. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 48.

UPDATE: Pedestrian Killed In Crash At Hwy 99 And Prairie Road In Eugene Early Thursday Morning

Police are investigating a fatal crash that left a pedestrian dead early Thursday morning at Highway 99 and Prairie Road in Eugene.

Dispatch logs show firefighters and police were called to the scene just before 5:30 a.m. Dec. 16, 2021.

The crash happened at 5:28 a.m., and the southbound lanes of Highway 99 reopened shortly before 9:30 a.m.

Police said a 40-year-old female pedestrian died in the crash. The driver, a 60-year-old man, remained on the scene and cooperated with police.

The Eugene Police Major Collision Investigation team was called out to investigate the crash. 

The identity of the woman who died has not been released, to allow time for family members to be notified. The crash is still under investigation.

OSU Marching Band Delayed on Snowy I-5 Pass on Way to Bowl Game in LA

Both directions of I-5 are back open after whiteout conditions forced the Oregon Department of Transportation and Caltrans to shut the roadway down which caused major headaches for travelers.

That included Oregon State University’s marching band who were heading to Los Angeles for Saturday’s bowl game.

The delay forced the band to cancel a gig they were supposed to play Thursday night in Santa Monica but their biggest concern was making it in time for the big game on Saturday.

The band is also slated to play in the pep rally Friday at the Chargers/Rams stadium in L.A.

The Oregon State Beavers and Utah State Aggies will meet Saturday night in the first-ever Jimmy Kimmel LA Bowl. Utah State won the Mountain West championship game in its first season under coach Blake Anderson. Oregon State is playing in a bowl for the first time since 2013. 

Heavy snow, blizzard conditions and stuck vehicles prompted the closure of a portion of the West Coast’s major interstate linking California to Oregon as the latest of back-to-back storms pushed through, authorities said.

Recent School Threats On Social Media

The Lane County Sheriff’s Office is aware of recent threats that have been circulating nationwide on social media.  The threats, although not specific or directed to our area, have been towards schools and are primarily being distributed on the social media platform TikTok

All threats are taken very seriously.  The Lane County Sheriff’s Office is monitoring the information and will investigate any threats towards our schools or community.  We are not currently aware of any direct or specific threats towards the schools or community in our area.

Anyone with information regarding a school or community threat is asked to promptly report it to authorities.  The Lane County Sheriff’s Office non-emergency number is 541-682-4150.  School safety information or tips can also be provided to the Safe Oregon tip line at 1-844-472-3367.  If reporting an emergency, please dial 911.    Lane Co. Sheriff’s Office 

Oregon reports 909 new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases, 19 new deaths

PORTLAND, Ore. — There are 19 new COVID-19 related deaths in Oregon, raising the state’s death toll to 5,527, Oregon Health Authority (OHA) reported at 12:01 a.m. today.

OHA reported 909 new confirmed and presumptive cases of COVID-19 as of 12:01 a.m. today, bringing the state total to 404,229.

The new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases reported today are in the following counties: Baker (3), Benton (15), Clackamas (88), Clatsop (17), Columbia (11), Coos (29), Crook (5), Curry (4), Deschutes (60), Douglas (25), Hood River (3), Jackson (67), Jefferson (9), Josephine (25), Klamath (10), Lake (1), Lane (65), Lincoln (16), Linn (36), Malheur (2), Marion (76), Morrow (3), Multnomah (133), Polk (28), Tillamook (10), Umatilla (14), Union (1), Wallowa (1), Wasco (5), Washington (121), and Yamhill (26).

It’s been one year since Oregon started administering the COVID-19 vaccination

Now, 70% of the state has had at least one shot. That’s equal to three million Oregonians.

Here’s how the numbers look now:

  • 73.5% of adult Oregonians are fully vaccinated.
  • 64.1% of the population as a whole is fully vaccinated.

The latest group to become eligible are kids 5 to11 years old. The Kaiser Permanente doctor says the vaccine rate with that age group is a bit concerning. It’s at about 26%. It’s worrisome because when you look at pediatric case rates in Oregon, the 5-to-11-year-old group currently has the highest rate.

The omicron variant is looking to be highly transmissible, and that’s partly why Dr. Dillon says getting vaccinated and boosted is so essential.

Oregon Governor Kate Brown has called a press conference for Noon on Friday to address the state’s ongoing response to COVID-19.

She’s expected to be joined by representatives from the Oregon Health Authority and Oregon Health and Science University. You can watch conference here:

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Family Asks for Help to Find Another Missing Woman in Josephine County

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The family has started a Facebook page and asking for help with searching for Rachael. https://www.facebook.com/rachaelbehnkeSG/

The Grants Pass Police Department said 39-year-old Rachael Behnke was last seen dropping her child off at a Grants Pass school on Friday, December 10. She was reported missing on Monday.

According to investigators, Behnke left her cellphone at home and her current whereabouts are unknown.

Behnke was last seen driving a white 2016 Ford Explorer with Oregon plate 684 MTH. Last known location was at North Middle/Highland Schools area. Please check security cameras and Ring door bells.

Anyone with information regarding Behnke’s whereabouts is asked to call Grants Pass police at 541-450-6260.

Nearly 27,000 Oregon households have received rental assistance relief due to hardship from pandemic

State issues more than $187 million in federal emergency rental assistance 

SALEM, Ore. — Oregon Housing and Community Services (OHCS) announced today that as of Dec. 15, OHCS and local program administrators (LPAs) have paid $187.5 million in federal emergency rental assistance to 26,940 households, up from $170.2 million and 24,705 applicants last week, through the Oregon Emergency Rental Assistance Program (OERAP). 

OERAP continues to be one of the nation’s top-performing programs and is ranked fourth in the nation, up from sixth last week, in the percentage of federal Emergency Rental Assistance (ERA) funds paid out and obligated, as tracked by the National Low Income Housing Coalition.

During today’s media briefing, OHCS announced that with the recent legislation passed, there will be additional funding to continue helping Oregon families. The agency plans on accepting new applications in mid-January. 

There was also important information on the new protections for tenants. Eric McClendon, director of Referral and Information Services at the Oregon State Bar, shared the following:

  • Renters who fall behind on current or future rent now have until June 30, 2022, to apply for rental assistance to access the safe harbor period ending on Sept. 30, 2022. If they apply before June 30, they cannot be evicted before their application is processed. Renters must show their landlord they applied for the program to receive the protections. 
  • The new legislation overrides the previous safe harbor period of 60 days statewide and for some local jurisdictions (except in Multnomah County, unincorporated Washington County, and Lane County when it’s 90 days) that was previously passed by the Oregon Legislature.
  • As a result, tenants have protection from eviction for nonpayment of rent by showing their rental assistance application to their landlord. 

The Oregon State Bar has several programs that can assist with housing issues. Tenants can call 503-684-3763 or email legalhelp@oregonstatebar.org for more information.

Progress and updated numbers  

Through its three-point plan, OHCS and its processing partner, Public Partnerships LLC (PPL), have made significant strides in the past several weeks to speed up application processing. Currently, 257 PPL staff are processing applications. In the past week alone, PPL processed 1,733 applications, far exceeding its target of 1,000. This is in addition to the applications processed by LPAs working across the state to finish paying out ERA 1 funds. 

To date, OHCS and LPAs have: 

  • Paid $187,522,949 to landlords and tenants to help 26,940 Oregon households.
  • Processed and obligated an additional $21.3 million in funds for 2,597 households.
  • Received more than 53,361 completed applications.  

Visit the OERAP dashboard for more data. 

Fred Meyer Employees In Oregon And Washington Ready To Strike Friday Morning

Members of the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 555 union are set to strike against Fred Meyer and Quality Food Centers starting at 6 a.m. Friday if a last-minute deal isn’t reached.

The strike is scheduled to last seven days.

The union represents more than 29,000 workers in Oregon and Washington. Members voted a week ago to authorize a strike, citing what they say are unfair labor practices and salary issues. The two companies are both subsidiaries of The Kroger Co .

“These employers refuse to acknowledge that their worker’s wages are not keeping up with the cost of living, leaving them and their families at risk while providing food for our community,“ UFCW 555 secretary-treasurer Sandy Humphrey said in a news release Dec. 11.

The union has been in negotiations with the companies for a new contract since July. Fred Meyer locations statewide could be impacted.

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