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 21, 2022
Willamette Valley Weather
Washington’s Birthday– Showers, with thunderstorms also possible after 11am. Snow level 1500 feet rising to 2000 feet in the afternoon. High near 42. Southwest wind 5 to 8 mph becoming west northwest in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
Tuesday– Sunny, with a high near 40. North wind 6 to 10 mph.
Wednesday– Sunny, with a high near 38. Northeast wind around 7 mph.
Thursday– Mostly cloudy, with a high near 42.
Friday– Mostly sunny, with a high near 46.
Warming Shelters Activated for the Week Ahead
Below freezing overnight temperatures are forecasted throughout the region, prompting warming shelters to activate over the course of the coming week. Volunteers and donations are needed for all warming centers.
In Eugene and Springfield, Egan Warming Center will activate for Monday, Feb. 21 and will be on standby through Thursday at 4 sites:
- Trinity Church at 440 Maxwell Road, Eugene. Opens at 7:00 p.m.
- EWC Whiteaker at 1509 W. 1st Street, Eugene. Opens at 7:00 p.m.
- Springfield Memorial Building at 765 A Street, Springfield. Opens at 6:00 p.m.
- Youth Site at 1376 Olive Street, Eugene. Opens at 6:00 p.m.
Pets are welcome at each of the Egan sites. For more information on Egan Warming Center visit here.
Juvenile Arrested After Sally Beauty Store Robbery in Springfield
A juvenile was arrested this weekend after authorities received a call from a local business that had been robbed, the Springfield Police Department said.
Just after 7 p.m. Saturday, Springfield officers responded to a reported robbery at Sally Beauty, located at 1948 Marcola Road.
“The victim described being robbed, and the suspect giving her a note describing a homicidal threat,” SPD said. “The victim provided an excellent description to officers who began searching for the suspect who had fled with an undisclosed amount of cash.”
An officer located the suspect about 14 blocks away, police said, and the cash was located on the juvenile.
“Officers also located a realistic looking airsoft gun on the juvenile,” SPD said. He was transported to SERBU where he was lodged for Robbery II.
Springfield Woman Arrested After Stabbing Husband
Springfield officers responded to a reported stabbing in the 500 block of Hamilton Street. around 7:15 p.m. on Friday. Officer Kate Crawford was the first to arrive on scene and met the male victim on the sidewalk, who had a deep stab wound to his chest.
“Luckily Officer Crawford formerly worked for the Springfield Fire Department as an EMT,” SPD said. “She immediately provided life-saving care.”
Additional officers arrived and detained the suspect, 51-year-old Frances Petersen of Springfield, at the house.
The victim was transported to a local hospital where he underwent surgery. “He is expected to survive,” SPD stated.
During the course of the investigation, officers learned the two are married. Detectives were summoned to assist with the investigation.
Frances was later lodged at the Lane County Jail, charged with Assault I and Unlawful Use of a Weapon.
If you or someone you know are the victim of domestic abuse, regardless of severity, SPD strongly encourages you to call them for help: (541) 726-3714.
The Victim Services Division of the Lane County District Attorney’s Office is another resource for victims and families, and can be reached at (541) 682-4523.
Family Asking for Help Locating Missing Springfield Man
Family members of 22-year-old Shawn Leone are asking for help after he disappeared around February 16th.
“Our goal is to reach out to the community to find my son and bring him back home,” said mother Tomika Rentko. “We just want him to be found and as you soon as you spot him, call immediately.”
Miranda Day is Leone’s sister and said he is not dangerous and he is very approachable. “Shawn is a really sweet kid,” said Day. “He may seem confused and might have just been startled when he got off the bus here. He has nothing to him and is wearing the same clothes.”
Rentko and Day said he was last seen getting off the bus at Greyhound bus station and was supposed to take make his way to Lebanon to live with family.
“He sticks around areas there’s a lot of people,” said Day. “He’s more likely to talk to associates at stores and gas stations and restaurants.”
Leone was due back home on Wednesday night but wasn’t seen. Rentko said Leone called her the day before in a brief phone call but she hasn’t heard from him since.
Family members are urging the public to be on the lookout for certain details. Leone reportedly has a tattoo on his hand that says “life goes on.” He also tends to keep his hands on his pocket and may have a faint scar on his upper lip, according to family members.
“When his mental disability came to light a few years ago, it’s been a lot of repeating cycles,” said Day. “A lot of doctors and a lot of search and rescue for him. But this has been the scariest one for us because he doesn’t know this area.”
Anyone with information can call Springfield Police at 541-726-3714
Break-In at Wayback Burgers in Eugene
Wayback Burgers on Division Avenue in Eugene was broken into early Sunday morning and the owner Farhan Khan is seeking the public’s help in identifying a man caught on surveillance footage breaking into their store and allegedly stealing cash from the register.
Khan believes this happened around 5:45 a.m. Sunday morning. “A fellow came up, riding on a bike, he went to the side of the building and he smashed the bottom panel of the window,” said Khan. “He didn’t even smash it, he took the metal piece out and then took the glass out. I don’t know how he did it.”
Khan said it was clear that the target was the cash registers because he didn’t go anywhere else, according to the video.
“The first register wouldn’t open for him,” said Khan. “Then, he tried the second one and got the money out of that.”
He said he is most frustrated about his security alarms not going off, when someone broke in. Khan said he called his security company, ADT, to find out what happened. “I don’t know why it didn’t go off,” said Khan. “I’ve had them for ten years. The only time I really needed it to work, it didn’t work.”
Khan said he spoke with another business owner on Coburg Road that also got broken into. He said the business owner believed it may have been the same suspect based on the description.
Khan describes the suspect as a young man who is balding, wearing a green Under Armour jacket, and black and white Nike shoes. The man also may have been wearing glasses. Khan said he did file a police report and waiting to hear more.
Oregon reports 1,635 new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases, 12 new deaths
PORTLAND, Ore. — There are 12 new COVID-19-related deaths in Oregon, raising the state’s death toll at 6,456, Oregon Health Authority (OHA) reported Friday.
OHA reported 1,635 new confirmed and presumptive cases of COVID-19 bringing the state total to 685,953.
The new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases reported today are in the following counties: Baker (12), Benton (47), Clackamas (103), Clatsop (10), Columbia (21), Coos (29), Crook (12), Curry (8), Deschutes (90), Douglas (64), Harney (9), Hood River (15), Jackson (137), Jefferson (4), Josephine (32), Klamath (49), Lake (4), Lane (191), Lincoln (26), Linn (72), Malheur (10), Marion (137), Morrow (3), Multnomah (251), Polk (43), Sherman (1), Tillamook (16), Umatilla (31), Union (8), Wallowa (2), Wasco (10), Washington (163) and Yamhill (25)
Public Health officials are urging local parents and guardians to have their children vaccinated for COVID-19 as cases of the disease are prevalent among area youth. Between Jan. 28 and Feb. 5, health officials are reporting that at least 58 Josephine County residents under age 11 tested positive for COVID-19, including two children less than a year old.
For residents age 19 and younger, COVID-19 cases reached a high of 254 for the week of Jan. 16-22, up from 21 during the week of Nov. 21-27, 2021.
All people in Oregon age 5 and older are eligible for a free COVID-19 vaccine. Those 12 and older are eligible for boosters five months after an mRNA vaccine (Pfizer or Moderna) or two months after the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. COVID-19 ranks as one of the top 10 causes of death for children ages 5-11, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Oregon And Washington Doctors Cautiously Optimistic As COVID Hospitalizations Drop
Hospitalizations from COVID-19 in Oregon and Washington are declining, in some cases faster than expected, according to experts.
“I’m really encouraged by what I’m seeing,” said Dr. Peter Graven, director of the Oregon Health and Science University Office of Advanced Analytics, who produces a weekly COVID forecast for the state. “We saw a dramatic decline in the last week.”
As of Friday, Oregon Health Authority data showed fewer than 800 patients were in the hospital because of COVID, down from the January peak of 1,130.
“This is great because it relieves a lot of pressure on that critical resource,” Graven said.
State officials want Oregon to reach fewer than 400 COVID-related hospitalizations before relaxing the indoor mask mandate. Previous projections showed that would happen by March 31, which is why officials picked that day as the target to end the mandate.
“It looks like we may get there a couple weeks earlier than that,” Graven said.
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee announced this week his state’s indoor mask mandate will end sooner, on March 21, as long as COVID numbers continue to trend downward.
“We have a responsibility now over the next few weeks,” said Dr. Alan Melnick with Clark County Public Health.
Melnick said maintaining COVID prevention will reduce the risk of another new variant like delta or omicron emerging and triggering a renewed surge in COVID cases.
“Wherever the virus is circulating in the world, it has the opportunity to mutate and form a new variant,” Melnick said.
Oregon has not said if it will match Washington’s earlier date to make masks optional indoors. For the moment, the official word is still that the state will remove the mandate no later than March 31.
Graven does not make those rules, but he said Oregonians are on the right path toward achieving the goal and making COVID more similar to the seasonal flu. He emphasized ongoing prevention efforts will be essential to keeping masks optional:
- Distancing when sick
- Getting vaccinated/boosted against COVID
- Wearing masks in high-risk settings
- Washing hands
“If we can hang tight a little bit longer with some of those key behavior metrics into March, I think we’ll be in good shape,” he said. “Hopefully we won’t have to worry about COVID at all.”
Oregon Lawmakers Have Two Weeks Left – GOP continues to push back on legislation mandating overtime pay for agricultural workers
The clock is ticking for Oregon lawmakers to get bills past the finish line with just over two weeks left in the 35-day short session. This week, many bills cleared their first chamber vote, with legislation related to voting rights, housing, worker compensation, and wildfires moving forward.
The legislature also saw familiar tactics between Republicans and Democrats as the GOP continued to push back on legislation mandating overtime pay for agricultural workers. The House bill to give farmworkers overtime pay is this session’s most controversial bill.
Lawmakers voted along party lines Monday to move the bill out of committee. It will soon go to the House floor for a vote, after a brief pit stop in the House Revenue Committee. Republicans continue to push back against the bill, saying giving employees overtime pay could further burden farm owners.
And, in protest this week, Republicans brought back a tactic they’ve used in previous sessions — a quirk in the Oregon constitution that requires all bills be read in their entirety before any floor votes.
Oregon and Washington Lawmakers Discuss Replacing Interstate Bridge
There’s been talk of replacing the Interstate Bridge for years, but previous attempts between Oregon and Washington failed. The Interstate 5 crossing over the Columbia River turned 105 years old last week.
In the last few years, there’s been a renewed effort to move forward on a replacement for the bridge that provides a critical connection between our two states.
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee signed 28 bills into law Wednesday morning, including a measure that would revive plans to replace the aging Interstate 5 bridge over the Columbia River.
The new law calls for an inventory by the Washington State Department of Transportation of all previous work toward a bridge replacement. That inventory will be due back to the state Legislature in December.
“We see that inventory as really informing our work going forward,” said state Sen. Annette Cleveland, D-Vancouver, who sponsored Senate Bill 5806.
It also sends a message that Washington is ready to restart the process, which in the past has turned divisive.
“We recognize that there are other needs and challenges that must also be discussed and met,” said Cleveland. “But I think it’s monumental that we were able to agree that we need to find a solution first and foremost for replacing that I-5 bridge.”
Disputes over public transportation across the bridge soured the failed Columbia River Crossing project between Oregon and Washington four years ago.
“We still have a lot of work to do,” said Cleveland. “We intend to spend the summer reaching out and looking at where there is agreement.”
And while Washingtonians celebrated the new measure, Oregon lawmakers sent a more muted response.
The I-5 bridge was not included as a potential project in the $8.2 billion transportation package proposal unveiled this week in Salem.
In Washington, a $16 billion infrastructure package for the whole state is now slated to include $1 billion for the Interstate Bridge.
Excessive Electricity Use Triggered Transformer Explosions That Tipped Off Oregon Police to Cannabis Ring
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for Oregon announced Friday the indictment of Fayao “Paul” Rong, a 51-year-old Houston man, on two counts of conspiracy to manufacture and possess cannabis with intent to distribute.
The enormous amount of electricity used by Rong’s indoor cannabis grows tipped off Oregon State Police.
“The Rong organization takedown followed a 14-month investigation by [Oregon State Police] initiated after the agency learned of excessive electricity use at the various properties, which, in several instances, resulted in transformer explosions,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office said in a statement. “Investigators believe that, in a 12-month period beginning August 2020, Rong trafficked more than $13.2 million in black market marijuana.”
Federal prosecutors allege Rong purchased “numerous” houses in Oregon, which he converted into indoor cannabis grow operations, and led an organization that grew, harvested and transported cannabis to states where its possession is not legal. (Prosecutors did not specify which states, or how many, they believe Rong shipped the cannabis to.)
During a raid in September led by Oregon State Police’s Northwest Region Marijuana Team and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, law enforcement executed search warrants on 25 Oregon residences, as well as Rong’s home in Houston. During the investigation, prosecutors allege, they seized more than 33,000 plants, 1,800 pounds of packaged cannabis and nearly $600,000 in cash.
Federal prosecutors in Oregon have asked the court to seize 16 properties worth approximately $6.5 million where they believe drug ring grew cannabis.
Law enforcement arrested Rong in Houston. Following his Feb. 18 appearance in Texas federal court, the judge ordered Rong released from custody pending his appearance in Oregon District Court. He faces life in prison if convicted.
More than a dozen law enforcement agencies—local, state and federal—assisted: the Portland Police Bureau, the Oregon Department of Justice, the Central Oregon Drug Enforcement Team, sheriff’s offices in Multnomah, Linn, Polk, Marion, Clatsop and Yamhill counties, as well as the FBI, the U.S. Marshals Service and the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations unit.
Lawmakers Considering Plan To Give $600 Stimulus Checks To Oregon Families
Oregon Democrats reintroduced a bill that would provide a one-time payment of $600 to low-income workers across the state. The bill which is yet to be passed will focus on 260,000 persons who applied for earned income tax credits on their 2020 tax returns.
The proposed bill would take the place of a different plan introduced earlier this session that would have provided workers with payouts of up to $1,000. Now the one-time payments have been brought down to $600 that’s now estimated to cost the state $180 million.
Rep. Andrea Valderrama, who introduced the new plan said that the original bill was dropped because forcing workers to apply for the money may cause payments to be delayed until 2023 or 2024.
We know that working and low-wage families need this funding now. We know the cost of living is sky-high, the revenue forecast (last week) told us that. Workers need to be able to afford the rising cost of groceries, prescriptions, childcare, and all of those things. Residents who file taxes with an individual taxpayer identification number (ITIN), and without a Social Security number, would also qualify for a payment.
Under the new proposal, as long as they applied for the earned income tax credit on their 2020 state filing, taxpayers would receive a check.
Oregon Seafood Processors To Receive Federal Funds To Help With Pandemic Expenses
Seafood processors in Oregon will soon receive more than $1.5 million in federal funding. The money will go to pay for expenses incurred during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The money is an important step in reimbursing the many costs associated with the pandemic, according to Lori Steele with the West Coast Seafood Processors Association.
“Expenses like equipment, PPE, COVID-19 testing, quarantining, retrofitting the processing facilities,” Steele says. “So the expenses were on the order of millions of dollars.”
The money was secured by U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden. It’s part of a larger investment by the US Department of Agriculture.
Approximately $50 million is going to 24 different states to support the seafood industry. In Oregon, the money will be distributed by the state’s agriculture department.
In Southern Oregon, processors are located in Brookings, Coos Bay and Charleston. California and Washington also received funding from the USDA.
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/