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
Wednesday, December 22, 2021
Willamette Valley Weather
Today– Showers, mainly between 10am and noon, then rain after noon. High near 51. South wind 6 to 11 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible.
Thursday– Showers, mainly before 4pm. Snow level 2500 feet lowering to 2000 feet. Steady temperature around 41. West southwest wind around 8 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible.
Friday– Rain before 10am, then showers and possibly a thunderstorm after 10am. Snow level 2000 feet. High near 42. South southwest wind around 11 mph, with gusts as high as 23 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.
Christmas Day– Showers. Snow level 1500 feet. High near 39. Chance of precipitation is 100%.
Sunday– Snow before 10am, then rain and snow. Snow level rising to 1000 feet. Cloudy, with a high near 38.
If you’re planning to travel the region’s roadways for the holidays, the forecast might be reason enough to rethink your plans. The series of storm systems will continue right through Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Snow levels will lower even further during this time frame, although it doesn’t look like snow levels reach the valley floor until late
Saturday/early Sunday morning. The snow will likely create difficult travel conditions for much of our region right around Christmas and through the weekend.
Candlelight Vigil In Eugene For Homeless Who Died In 2021
Dozens of community members gathered in downtown Eugene Tuesday night to memorialize unhoused individuals who died in the city over the past year.
The event was organized by the Eugene Human Rights Commission. It was the group’s contribution to ‘National Homeless Persons Memorial Day,’ which is an annual acknowledgement of those who’ve died unhoused in cities all over the country.
It falls on Winter Solstice, the longest night of the year, which according to EHRC volunteer Kenneth Neubeck, holds a symbolic value. He said it’s important for everyone to get involved.
“These are our fellow human beings. The only difference between those persons and ourselves is that they had things occur, traumatic things occur in their lives that left them out on the streets and homeless,” Neubeck said.
Heather Sielicki, an organizer for the event, agreed.
“Any of us could actually end up on the streets and a lot of us, we think that there’s a social safety net that’s adequate but in fact, in Lane County it’s not,” Sielicki said. “It should impact everyone because if it happens to you, you’re not going to have anywhere to go either.”
Neubeck said homelessness is a public health issue that should be addressed as such. He said the event was a necessary step to not only honoring the lives the community has lost, but also helping spark the changes needed to get people off of the street in the first place.
“What it all goes back to is a lack of affordable housing and that’s what we really need to be focusing on. Not housing people in parking lots, in tents, but finding permanent places to live, and that’s the goal,” Neubeck said.
People Line Up for Hours at PeaceHealth RiverBend Annex for Vaccine Boosters
The annex is hosting a free walk-in clinic this week. The free clinic comes thanks to a partnership between Lane County Public Health, the Oregon Health Authority and PeaceHealth.
Some spent hours in line at the Annex clinic Tuesday to ensure they’re protected by a booster.
Doors opened at noon on Tuesday for the free walk-in clinic that runs through 7 p.m., but county residents anxious to receive their booster were in line as early as 5:30 Tuesday morning.
One Eugene man said waiting in line is the easy part – but finding a location to be vaccinated was not as simple after several attempts online. “And I probably did that 20 or 30 times. They usually have a 25 mile radius, and I couldn’t find anything. So then I started going in person trying to look for a walk-in. But thankfully, I was able to hear about this.”
Residents who brave the line are able to choose from a the Pfizer, Moderna or Johnson & Johnson booster from noon to 7 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday.
Pediatric vaccine boosters are also available at the free clinic. No appointment is necessary to be seen.
Here’s link to find a vaccination clinic near you: http://getvaccinated.oregon.gov/#/
Oregon reports 999 new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases, 25 new deaths
PORTLAND, Ore. — There are 25 new COVID-19 related deaths in Oregon, raising the state’s death toll to 5,559, Oregon Health Authority (OHA) reported at 12:01 a.m. today.
OHA reported 999 new confirmed and presumptive cases of COVID-19 as of 12:01 a.m. today, bringing the state total to 408,069.
The new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases reported today are in the following counties: Baker (2), Benton (18), Clackamas (84), Clatsop (5), Columbia (9), Coos (25), Crook (12), Curry (4), Deschutes (57), Douglas (27), Gilliam (1), Grant (16), Hood River (7), Jackson (47), Jefferson (4), Josephine (20), Klamath (18), Lake (2), Lane (83), Lincoln (4), Linn (46), Malheur (4), Marion (114), Morrow (4), Multnomah (197), Polk (22), Sherman (1), Tillamook (4), Umatilla (12), Union (9), Wallowa (1), Wasco (7), Washington (105) and Yamhill (28).
Additionally, OHA said the 7-day running average of vaccinations is 19,178, still down a bit from last week. Hospitals continue to be near capacity, with only 9% of adult ICU beds and only 8% of adult non-ICU beds available in the state.
Governor Brown announced Tuesday that she has once again extended the state of emergency declaration in Oregon.
The extension of the emergency declaration comes as the state prepares for a surge in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations brought on by the Omicron variant.
The governor’s office said the emergency declaration is necessary to provide resources for the state’s coronavirus response and recovery efforts. It will remain in effect until June 30, 2022, unless it is rescinded or extended beforehand.
“As Oregon prepares for what could be our worst surge in hospitalizations during this pandemic, I know that this is not the beginning of the new year any of us had hoped for,” Brown said. “Time and again over the last two years, Oregonians have proven that we will stand with each other in our most difficult times. Your actions have saved lives, and it is because we have worked together to keep each other safe that Oregon still has some of the lowest infection and mortality rates in the nation. Please, do your part again––get vaccinated, get your booster shot, and wear a mask.”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention numbers showed nearly a six-fold increase in omicron’s share of infections in only one week. All this while many stores have run out of rapid tests and other places take 2-3 days
Federal health officials reported Monday that Omicron is now the dominant variant of the coronavirus in the United States, accounting for 73% of new infections last week. According to numbers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Omicron is response for an estimated 90% of new infections in the Pacific Northwest.
Earlier this month, Oregon confirmed its first cases of the Omicron variant in Multnomah and Washington counties. Lane County confirmed Monday its first case of the variant.
As the highly transmissible omicron variant spreads across the country, University of Oregon students, faculty, and staff will be required to get a COVID-19 booster shot as soon as they are eligible, school officials announced Monday.
Currently, the university and the state’s six other public universities require COVID-19 vaccinations for those on
campus. As of Monday afternoon, the University of Oregon is the only public university in the state to publicly announce a booster requirement. Individuals who are 16 or older are eligible for a booster shot six months after the second dose of a Pfizer or Moderna vaccine or two months after a Johnson and Johnson/Janssen vaccine.
Details about booster shot deadlines for the University of Oregon will be coming shortly. Last Friday during a news conference, Gov. Kate Brown and state health officials urged Oregonians to get booster shots immediately. Local scientists predict that the state is about three weeks away from a new wave of hospitalizations that could surpass the peak since the start of the pandemic.
OSU Extension Small Farms Program Receives Grants To Strengthen Oregon’s Food Systems
Two projects of Oregon State University Extension’s small farms program have received U.S. Department of Agriculture grants totaling more than $800,000, which officials say they will use to strengthen the viability of Oregon’s small and midscale farms and food businesses.
The OSU Center for Small Farms & Community Food Systems received a $249,511 grant from USDA’s Regional Food Systems Partnerships program to work with eight Oregon food hubs — businesses and nonprofit agencies that manage distribution, marketing, networking and aggregation of locally grown food, Lauren Gwin, associate director of the center, said in a news release.
Food hubs share tools and knowledge to improve long-term sustainability for small and midscale operations while prioritizing values and practices, such as racial equity, climate change resilience and fair labor practices. Hubs connect growers and food makers to markets and provide a framework for collaborative research, training and planning, Gwin said.
Meanwhile, OSU Extension’s Niche Meat Processor Assistance Network received a $591,951 grant to create a stronger mid-tier niche meat supply chain through training, business coaching and peer support, Rebecca Thistlethwaite, director of the network, said in a statement.
The head of Oregon’s agency that’s distributing emergency rental assistance says now is not the time for an audit.
Several lawmakers want an audit of Oregon Housing and Community Services because it’s months behind in getting emergency rent assistance distributed. Director Margaret Salazar said last week an audit would take between five and 15 employees away from their jobs of processing claims to help with the audit.
OHCS has only processed about half of its claims. Around 26-thousand claims remain and they’re processing about 17-hundred per week. Oregon’s eviction moratorium was extended until June to give the agency time.
Oregon DEQ Issues More Than $2.5M In Penalty Fines For Environmental Violations
The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) issued more than $2.5 million worth of penalties in October and November due to various environmental violations.
Fines ranged from $1,100 to $2,105,405, according to the DEQ. Penalties may also include orders requiring specific tasks to prevent ongoing violations or additional environmental harm.
DEQ issued civil penalties to the following organizations:
- Baker County, $7,400, Halfway, asbestos
- Bullseye Glass Co., $6,600, Portland, hazardous waste
- Clean Water Services, $13,200, Tigard, water quality
- Da Yang Seafood Inc., $105,000, Astoria, water quality
- East Side Plating Inc., $21,000, Portland, hazardous waste
- Endura Products Inc., $4,500, Prineville, air quality
- Farm Power Misty Meadow LLC (FPMM), $18,701, Tillamook, air quality
- High-Quality Roofing & Pressure Washing LLC, $24,000, Tigard, water quality
- HP Inc., $1,100, Corvallis, air quality
- Insurance Auto Auctions Inc., $6,701, Portland, stormwater
- Johnny Cat Inc., $4,300, Jacksonville, air quality
- Malarkey Roofing Company, $2,105,405, Portland, air quality
- NIC Industries Inc., $63,600, White City, hazardous waste
- PetroCard Inc., $9,568, Oakland, underground storage tanks
- Sysco Portland Inc., $48,540, Wilsonville, stormwater
- Tortoise Transport Company LLC and TNQ Developmental Employment LLC, $91,929, Klamath Falls, hazardous waste
- Valley Iron and Steel Co. (VISCO), $20,400, Eugene, solid waste
- WOF PNW Threemile Project LLC, $19,500, Boardman, air quality
Malarkey Roofing Company faced the largest fine totaling more than $2 million. Three years ago, the company had been recognized by Time Magazine for their smog-reducing shingles.
According to DEQ officials, organizations or individuals must either pay the fines or file an appeal within 20 days of receiving notice of the penalty.
The Silver Lake area of northern Lake County has been declared an “area of depredating wolf activity” by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.
Once such an area is created, it allows ODFW to operate under a management plan that helps livestock producers “identify the appropriate non-lethal measures which are effective in a given circumstance.” Such an area may include the entire home range of a pack — in this case the Silver Lake wolves — or a portion of the home range.
According to an ODFW timeline, two wolves were documented in the area April 2021. No reproduction was documented during 2020 or 2019, although another gray wolf was documented with a radio-collared female wolf in November 2019. Previously, a single wolf was documented during both the 2018 and 2017 winter counts. Also in 2017, ODFW reported that wolves OR3 and OR28 paired and bred in 2016, which resulted in the birth
of at least one pup.
Portland Sewage Spill in Willamette River
Officials say heavy rain over the weekend filled up Portland’s Big Pipe, sending raw sewage into the Willamette River for about four hours. The Big Pipe is a large storage reservoir that gives the treatment plant more time to process the waste. The Portland Bureau of Environmental Services says you should avoid contact with the Willamette River in downtown Portland through Tuesday. This is the fifth overflow of 2021.
FEMA Sending Funds for Wildfire Recovery in Santiam Canyon
FEMA is sending nearly 50-million dollars to help pay for wildfire recovery in the Santiam Canyon following the 2020 Labor Day fires. ODOT will receive 45-million dollars for the costs of removing debris from commercial properties in Detroit, Gates, Lyons, Mehama, and Mill City. Consumers Power will get five-million dollars to help rebuild power lines in the canyon.
Lloyd Center May Be Saved
It appears Lloyd Center won’t be going away. The real estate company UrbanRenaissance Group is working with the owners of the property, KKR Real Estate Finance, to revitalize the mall. Details of the plan are still being worked out, but it’s expected to include the ice rink, retail, and other creative work spaces.
Greater Idaho Movement on Oregon County Ballots
The number of valid signatures submitted by the Greater Idaho movement is enough to earn a position on the May 2022 ballot, according to Klamath County Clerk Rochelle Long. She assigned the county measure the number 18-121 for the May 2022 election.
By her count, the movement collected 2371 valid signatures, 140% of the required number. The excess signatures indicate enthusiasm in the county for the idea of moving the Oregon/Idaho border so that southern and eastern Oregon will be governed as a part of Idaho instead of Oregon.
The county feels that state officials failed to defend its interests in dealing with the federal government on how Klamath River water was distributed during the drought this year. Local volunteers such as Maria Bradbury and Allen Headley collected hundreds of signatures at rodeos, gun shows, the county fair, and at Casey’s restaurant, which remained open during the lock down, according to the movement’s website greateridaho.org.
The ballot measure, if approved by voters, would create a county board to evaluate benefits to the county of moving the state border. The movement is waiting for the Douglas County Clerk to announce his count of their signatures for a their measure for the Douglas County ballot.
The movement expects three or four counties to vote on its initiatives this May. So far, eight counties have voted for ballot measures submitted by the movement: two in November 2020, five in May 2021, and one in a special election last month.
Oregon and Idaho state legislators have said they will introduce legislation in the next session of each state legislature. Mike McCarter, the leader of the Greater Idaho movement, claims both states stand to gain financially from the border shift, as rural Oregon’s resource-based economy is better suited to Idaho law than Oregon law. Eastern and southern Oregon are like Idaho in the percentage of their vote they give to each political party, he said.
A 17-year-old was reported missing in Salem and detectives say the teen might be the victim of an online catfishing scheme.
Ezra Mayhugh, 17, was last seen on October 15, 2021 after being dropped off in downtown Salem by a friend, the Marion County Sheriff’s Office said. He was reported as a runaway the following day when he did not return home.
Investigators say he might be in Washington or California. They hope to reunite Ezra safely with family members.
He’s described as about 5-foot 11-inches tall, weighing 130 pounds, with blonde hair and brown eyes.
If you have had contact with Mayhugh since October 15 or have other helpful information on his whereabouts, the sheriff’s office asks you to contact Detective M.J. Sphoon at 503-588-6808 or to submit a tip by texting TIPMCSO and your tip to 847411.
https://www.facebook.com/pg/Have-You-Seen-Me-Southern-Oregons-Missing-People-161249961222839/posts/