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, February 7, 2022
Willamette Valley Weather
Today– Areas of dense fog before 10am. Otherwise, cloudy, then gradually becoming mostly sunny, with a high near 55. Calm wind becoming northwest around 5 mph in the afternoon.
Tuesday– Areas of fog before 10am. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, then gradually becoming sunny, with a high near 50. Calm wind becoming north around 5 mph in the afternoon.
Wednesday– Mostly sunny, with a high near 51. Calm wind becoming north around 6 mph in the afternoon.
Thursday– Patchy fog before 10am. Otherwise, mostly sunny, with a high near 57.
Friday– Mostly sunny, with a high near 55.
Fire at Lane Forest Products Facility in Eugene
A fire sparked in Eugene at about 9:00 p.m. Friday at Lane Forest Products, a landscaping supply facility and store near Prairie Road and Bushnell Lane.
The fire is still under investigation, though was caught quickly and contained- more information from Eugene Springfield Fire officials pending.
Stand-Off Ends in Arrest in Santa Clara
A man is facing multiple charges after barricading himself inside of a car in the Santa Clara area of Eugene on Sunday. Police said they were initially called to the 3300 block of Paula Court just after 2 p.m. after the suspect had been in a verbal dispute involving family members and then left in his vehicle. He returned at different times with officers responding back multiple times, police said.
Police have identified the suspect as Corey Lister, 27. According to police, the suspect had a violent past and had also made suicidal statements. Multiple units searched for him after he allegedly left the area, but they did not find him.
At about 3:15 p.m., Lister returned to the Paula Court residence in his vehicle, was yelling at one of the residents and officers were called back to the scene, police said. One of the family members was trying to block Lister with another vehicle in the cul-de-sac. The area was put in lock down during the crisis.
When contacted by officers, Lister challenged them to shoot him, police said. There were attempts to de-escalate with Crisis Negotiation Team, but Lister was unable to be contacted as he did not have a phone, according to police. A PA was used and the Eugene Police drone team was deployed to use the drone to speak with Lister and help negotiate the situation into a safer status.
Lister was eventually taken into custody safely with no injuries at about 4:45 p.m., police said. The suspect had reportedly been involved in multiple crimes, police said. Police said no one was injured during the encounter and there is no ongoing threat to the community. Lister is facing multiple charges including first degree burglary and interfering.
Gun Discharged During Springfield Robbery
Around 11:30 a.m. Saturday, Springfield Police officers assisted the Lane County Sheriff’s Office and Oregon State Police with a reported robbery in which a firearm was discharged, the department said on social media.
The incident took place in Lane County’s jurisdiction, and the suspect was safely taken into custody in the area of Kelly Blvd & West M St. in Springfield.
Labor Day 2020 Fire Survivors in FEMA Housing Granted 6 Month Extension
An extension granted by the state gives survivors of the 2020 Labor Day wildfires in Southern Oregon an extra six months of FEMA housing.
FEMA guidelines call for housing assistance only up to 18 months after a declared disaster, giving the survivors of the 2020 fires until mid-March to find new homes.
FEMA spokesperson Paul Corah said finding permanent housing for people is slow going in an area with low housing inventory.
Typically extensions are given in three-month increments, but the severity of the damage in the Rogue Valley prompted the six months. Of 190 units supplied to fire survivor families, 154 are still in use in Jackson County.
Housing programs in Marion, Lane, Lincoln and Linn Counties were given similar extensions.
Residents have been able to stay in the FEMA units while paying only utilities, but those who stay beyond April 1 will start paying a sliding-scale rent.
“FEMA’s working with the survivors about what that scale is. The minimum is $50,” Corah said.Corah said FEMA also has a sales program, allowing residents to purchase the units.
The Oregon wildfire season in 2020 destroyed more than 4,000 homes, killed nine people and tore through 1.1 million acres (445,154 hectares). Almost all the damage occurred over a dramatic 72-hour period. It was a wake-up call for the Pacific Northwest as climate change brings destructive blazes to wet places and urban landscapes.
Oregon reports 4,872 new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases, 33 new deaths
PORTLAND, Ore. — There are 33 new COVID-19-related deaths in Oregon, raising the state’s death toll to 6,214, Oregon Health Authority (OHA) reported Friday afternoon
OHA reported 4,872 new confirmed and presumptive cases of COVID-19 bringing the state total to 654,343.
The new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases reported today are in the following counties: Baker (23), Benton (98), Clackamas (377), Clatsop (25), Columbia (46), Coos (84), Crook (48), Curry (24), Deschutes (258), Douglas (79), Grant (15), Harney (24), Hood River (28), Jackson (240), Jefferson (40), Josephine (129), Klamath (133), Lake (5), Lane (517), Lincoln (120), Linn (262), Malheur (46), Marion (563), Morrow (8), Multnomah (524), Polk (169), Sherman (1), Tillamook (40), Umatilla (107), Union (43), Wallowa (5), Wasco (31), Washington (641) and Yamhill (119).
The University of Oregon extended their booster requirement for students and employees to Friday, March 18. Previously, the deadline was January 31. Another update is the temporary policy that allows instructors the option to request moving courses remotely that are experiencing 20 percent of more COVID-related student absences. This deadline has been extended to Monday, February 14.
Scientists Carefully Monitoring Oregon’s Volcanic Region
In a USGS Hazard Notification statement Monday, Cascades Volcano Observatory announced their scientists have tracked an increased rate of ground uplift in the Three Sisters volcanic region found in the southwest corner of Oregon.
Using satellite radar images and GPS units, USGS scientists have tracked an increased rate of uplift for a 12-mile diameter region, 3 miles west of the South Sister volcano. According to USGS, the data suggests the ground rose 0.9 inches (2.2 cm) from June 2020 to August 2021.
Scott Burns , a geology professor at Portland State University, told Nexstar’s KOIN that while episodes of increased uplift have been observed in this region before, the cause is what local scientists are excited about.
“The Three Sisters area is an area that we’ve been studying for the last 25 years,” Burns explained. “It’s very exciting because magma is moving up underneath the volcano … the last major volcanic eruption in Oregon, which was 2,000 years ago, was right there in that area.”
While the catalyst for the current uplift is unconfirmed, geologists have been able to credit previous soil shifts at the South Sister location to small pulses of magma accumulating approximately 4 miles below the earth’s surface.
According to Burns, increased uplift is not the only thing impacted by the observed magmatic intrusion. “We believe that the magma is rising about four miles below the surface. And, and so associated with that, a lot of times you’ll have very small earthquakes,” Burns said. “In December and in January, we had a series of very small earthquakes, showing that there is some movement of magma. The question is, what type of magma is it going to be, and what type of volcano?”
Before the recent increase, the USGS stated the rate of uplift at the South Sister location had reportedly slowed down since scientists first recognized the phenomenon in the mid-1990s.
“From 1995 to 2020, the area rose approximately 12 inches (30 centimeters) at its center,” USGS stated in a recent release. “Although the current uplift rate is slower than the maximum rate of about 2 inches per year measured in 1999-2000, it is distinctly faster than the rate observed for several years before 2020.”
Despite the excitement, USGS and Burns have said that the public is not in any immediate danger. The volcano status is currently listed as “green,” and there is no sign of an imminent eruption.
“While any magmatic intrusion could eventually lead to a volcanic eruption, an eruption would likely be preceded by detectable and more vigorous earthquakes, ground movement (deformation), and geochemical changes,” stated USGS. “In general, as magma moves upward during an intrusion, it causes continued or accelerated uplift, fractures rock to generate swarms of earthquakes, and releases significant amounts of volcanic gases, such as carbon dioxide. We do not detect any of these signs currently.”
Burns says a team of scientists with Cascades Volcano Observatory will continue to closely monitor uplift at the site and will be ready if a threat is detected.
“We have great maps for the whole Three Sisters area,” Burns explained, “So if [the volcano] does come back to life, we will know which people are going to have to get out of the way and be prepared for it.”
He continued, “The good news is we’re prepared for it … We’re still at ‘green,’ but things are coming back to life now. Mother Nature writes her own history book, so it will be interesting to see what she will come up with this time.”
Seven People Arrested in Salem Area Illegal Marijuana Growing Operation
Police in Keizer said Saturday they have arrested seven people in what they call an extensive illegal marijuana growing operation.
The operation was growing cannabis plants in six houses in residential areas of Salem and Keizer and children were living in two of the homes, the Keizer Police Department said.
Authorities seized 273 1-pound packages of marijuana, with a street value of about $278,000, and 4,085 plants.
The plants, once matured, could have yielded marijuana worth at least $8 million.
All of those arrested were charged with unlawful manufacture of marijuana, unlawful possession of marijuana and attempted delivery of marijuana. They have an initial court appearance March 3.
The arrests stemmed from an investigation that began in October when police were tipped off to possible illegal activity at one of the homes. An investigation found that marijuana was being grown there and at the five other homes, police alleged.
Police seized and destroyed a total of 2,100 pounds of processed marijuana and plant material from the homes.
The price tag for already expensive goods may be going up with a new bill proposed in Oregon.
Lawmakers are currently discussing hundreds of bills, and one of them would tax certain luxury items to help some low-income families.
From a snowmobile to designer clothes and handbags to a firearm– if House Bill 4079 passes, there would be a three percent sales tax on these kinds of items and more.
The money collected would then fund the Oregon Freedom Pilot Program, which is established in the Department of Human Services. The funds would be given to more than 2,000 people who have aged out of the foster youth program.
This includes low-income pregnant women. A recent study from the National Academy of Sciences cites poverty as a risk factor for lower brain activity in infants. Low-income families would receive a monthly stipend of $750 for three years.
If the bill passes, it will go into effect starting Jan. 1, 2023. Currently, Oregon lawmakers are in session and plan to adjourn on March 7.
Bootleg Fire Confirmed Lightning Caused and Cougar Peak Fire Human-Caused
Some people in Klamath and Lake counties have heard rumors that the Bootleg Fire was human-caused. After talking with fire officials, these rumors are false. The Bootleg Fire was caused by lightning in the Fuego Mountain area. A lightning storm occurred in the area about two weeks before the Bootleg Fire was spotted.
The US Forest Service says holdover fires are fairly common and can last for several weeks. Fire investigators even looked at the possibility that the fire was a flare-up from the Fuego Fire but found that the Bootleg Fire’s origin point was too far away.
While the Bootleg Fire has been officially ruled as naturally caused by lightning, there is a fire from last summer that is considered human-caused: the Cougar Peak Fire. Fire investigators are still looking for any leads on who or what caused the Cougar Peak Fire and ask that if you have any information about what started the fire to call 541-947-2151.
Klamath County Sheriff’s Office Asks for Public’s Help in Search For Trucker Suspect
The first real clue to come in on all the missing person cases in the area. Help Klamath Falls Oregon Sheriff Office ID this trucker. He was the last to see this woman alive and could be the key to not only solving this woman’s disappearance but a number of the hundred other women missing in PNW. IF you have any information, please call (541) 883-5130
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/