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
Tuesday, March 8, 2022
Willamette Valley Weather
Today– A 30 percent chance of rain after 10am. Snow level 3000 feet rising to 3500 feet. Cloudy, with a high near 54. Calm wind becoming west 5 to 7 mph in the afternoon.
Wednesday– A 40 percent chance of showers. Areas of fog before 10am. Snow level 2000 feet. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, then gradually becoming sunny, with a high near 51. North wind 3 to 8 mph.
Thursday– Sunny, with a high near 51. Calm wind becoming north around 5 mph in the afternoon.
Friday– Patchy frost before 8am. Otherwise, mostly sunny, with a high near 60.
Saturday– A chance of rain after 10am. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 59.
Police Arrest Suspect In Connection With Dumpster Fires In Downtown Eugene
A man faces accusations he set fire to dumpster bins in downtown Eugene on February 27.
Now police are asking the public for any surveillance video that migh show the suspect.
Officers took Wayne Robert Krebs, 67, into custody Sunday morning at W. 5th Avenue and Jefferson Street for investigation of two counts of Arson in the Second Degree, six counts of Reckless Burning, Theft in the Third Degree, and two warrants.
Eugene Police ask anyone with relevant tips or video of Krebs to contact Detective Chris White at (541) 682-5376 or Cwhite@eugene-or.gov.
Creswell Man Who Murdered Grandmother Sentenced To Life In Prison
The man who murdered his grandmother in Creswell in 2019 was sentenced to prison on Monday.
James Holt, who pleaded guilty to first-degree murder, will serve life in prison without the possibility of parole, according to Assistant District Attorney Robert Lane.
In April 2019, Sally Baldwin, 87, was brutally beaten and sexually assaulted in her Creswell home on Brookhurst Street, where she lived alone, Lane said. Her son reportedly found her alive shortly after the assault, and she was taken to the hospital but died two weeks later due to her injuries.
The Lane County Sheriff’s Office investigated and arrested Holt following the crime. Lane said Holt has a criminal history spanning more than 20 years and 5 states.
The Oregon Public Guardian is accepting applications for those wanting to serve as a volunteer guardian for people residing in Douglas, Klamath, Lane, Jackson, Josephine, and Washington Counties.
The Oregon Public Guardian (OPG) program serves as court-appointed, surrogate decision makers for adults that are incapable of making some or most of the decisions necessary for their basic care and safety. The Oregon Public Guardian is the guardian of last resort and only serves when there is no less restrictive option available for addressing a serious safety risk and no appropriate alternative guardian is available.
Oregon has a very high need for public guardian services. OPG estimates that there are still between 500 and 1,000 adult Oregonians in need of public guardian services. With current resources, OPG has caseload capacity for approximately 160-185 clients.
Trained volunteers will help to increase this capacity. Successful applicants will be trained through evening online classes and supervised training in the field. Those who successfully complete their training will be assigned
guardianship for someone in their community.
Those trained are asked for a commitment of two years volunteering at least 8 hours a month. The trainings are
currently happening via Zoom, so a computer and a good internet connection are needed. If you are interested in attending the evening training, an application process must be completed. FOR MORE INFO: https://www.oltco.org/programs/opg-about-us.html
Oregon reports 1,116 new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases, 35 new deaths
PORTLAND, Ore. — There are 35 new COVID-19-related deaths in Oregon, raising the state’s death toll to 6,743, Oregon Health Authority (OHA) reported at 12:01 a.m. today.
OHA reported 1,116 new confirmed and presumptive cases of COVID-19 as of 12:01 a.m. today, bringing the state total to 697,775.
The 35 new deaths and 1,116 new cases reported today include data recorded by counties for the three-day period between March 4 and March 6.
The new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases reported today are in the following counties: Baker (2), Benton (21), Clackamas (90), Clatsop (9), Columbia (19), Coos (18), Crook (6), Curry (8), Deschutes (63), Douglas (38), Gilliam (1), Grant (13), Harney (1), Hood River (8), Jackson (55), Jefferson (2), Josephine (34), Klamath (15), Lake (1), Lane (103), Lincoln (14), Linn (81), Malheur (5), Marion (66), Morrow (1), Multnomah (220), Polk (13), Tillamook (8), Umatilla (13), Wallowa (6), Wasco (10), Washington (153) and Yamhill (19).
Oregon reported 594 new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases on March 4, 328 new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases on March 5 and 194 new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases on March 6.
Researchers at OHSU and other well-known medical facilities say patients with even a mild case of Covid-19 may experience accelerated aging of the brain and other changes to it, according to a new study.
The study, published Monday in the journal Nature, is believed to be the largest of its kind. It found that the brains of those who had Covid-19 had a greater loss of grey matter and abnormalities in the brain tissue compared with those who didn’t have Covid-19.
Many of those changes were in the area of the brain related to the sense of smell. It is normal for people to lose 0.2% to 0.3% of grey matter every year in the memory-related areas of the brain as they age, but in the study evaluation, patients who had been infected with the coronavirus lost an additional 0.2% to 2% of tissue compared with those who hadn’t been infected.
The authors cautioned that the findings were only of a moment in time but noted that they “raise the possibility
that longer-term consequences of SARS-CoV-2 infection might in time contribute to Alzheimer’s disease or other forms of dementia.”
After historic effort to keep Oregon renters housed during the pandemic, statewide Oregon Emergency Rental Assistance Program to close on March 14
More than $289 million in federal emergency rental assistance paid to more than 40,000 households throughout the pandemic
SALEM, ORE. – Oregon Housing and Community Services (OHCS) announced during a media briefing today that the Oregon Emergency Rental Assistance Program (OERAP) Portal will close and stop accepting new applications on March 14, 2022, at 11:59 p.m. PT. The portal reopened on Jan. 26, 2022, for a limited time after the Oregon State Legislature allocated $100 million to support renters facing eviction. The state had paused accepting new application on Dec. 1, 2021, due to dwindling federal funds.
Due to demonstrated ongoing need and feedback from community and housing stakeholders, OHCS has redirected additional resources to help tenants applying for OERAP. Nearly $13 million in funds have been redirected to more renters applying for assistance. The additional funds will support an estimated 1,900 households. Upon review, applications will be approved for payment or denied, this decision will be made based upon the highest need, not on a first come first served basis.
During this historic crisis, the agency served as a national leader in providing rental assistance to more than 40,500 households, which means that an estimated 104,600 people in households served have been able to stay safely and affordably housed during the pandemic.Only three other states have provided a higher percentage of assistance according to the National Low Income Housing Coalition, ranking Oregon 4th in the nation in the percentage of emergency rental assistance funds paid out and obligated. More than $289 million has been paid in the past nine months.
“The additional resources have allowed OHCS to keep the portal open longer than initially estimated. Oregon renters will have more time. Those who have applied—or will apply for OERAP—will be protected from eviction until their application is processed,” said Jill Smith, interim director of Housing Stabilization at OHCS. “This program was set up as a temporary program to assist the people most impacted by the pandemic and, unfortunately, it will soon be coming to an end.”
Information for renters about portal closure
The OERAP portal will remain open until March 14, 2022, thanks to the additional $13 million. Here’s some important information for renters:
- If a person has previously submitted an application, or began an application, the portal closure will not impact them immediately. Those applications that were previously submitted will still be processed.
- Applicants can continue to log on to the OERAP portal to complete their application or check the status of their finished application. They will be alerted by email as their application advances.
- Anyone who has not applied for OERAP in the past and has fallen behind on rent is encouraged to apply for emergency rental assistance before 11:59 p.m. March 14, 2022, at oregonrentalassistance.org.
One Dead and One Injured on Mount Hood
Crews found one person dead and another with critical injuries on Oregon’s Mount Hood Monday after they were forced to pause rescue efforts over the weekend due to avalanche conditions and deep snow.
The Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office launched a multiteam search-and-rescue mission on Sunday after two people fell around 200 feet in the Leuthold Couloir area of Mount Hood, the agency said in a news release.
Both had initially been injured in the fall, but one of them was able to call 911 using a cellphone and also used a Garmin inReach device to notify an emergency contact something was wrong, according to the sheriff’s office.
A rescue team was deployed, with volunteer rescuers also joining the effort.
The sheriff’s office said rescuers were met with “extremely challenging” conditions, with winds blowing between 50 to 70 mph.
By around 11:40 p.m. Sunday, the first climbing team was able to make it within around 700 feet elevation below the pair, according to the release. The team was ultimately forced to turn back due to heightened avalanche danger in the area.
On Monday, the sheriff’s office said rescuers were finally able to reach the duo, despite Mount Hood seeing at least two natural-release avalanche events that day.
When they reached them, they found that one of them had died.
As rescuers looked to get the second person to safety, the sheriff’s office said they were forced to make “the tough decision to leave the deceased on the mountain, with plans to mount a recovery mission when conditions improve.”
With winds too strong to carry out a chopper rescue, crews carried the second person on foot before using a snowcat to take them to medical personnel staged nearby, according to the release. The rescue effort ended around 7 p.m., and the second person was taken to a hospital for treatment, the sheriff’s office said.
It is unclear what their relationship was to the deceased. The sheriff’s office did not identify either of the victims, but said identification would be forthcoming
The Oregon Music Hall of Fame needs help finding 70 stolen guitars
Officials say the guitars were in storage for the annual fundraiser in October. They were signed by The Monkees, George Clinton, Lucinda Williams, Arlo Guthrie, and Portugal The Man. The fundraiser is for a scholarship program. At least four scholarships are awarded to students in music education. Anyone with information about the guitars should contact Portland Police.
Governor Brown Declares State of Emergency in Klamath Falls Due to Drought
Gov. Brown declared a state of emergency in Klamath County on Monday as southern Oregon faces another dry year in an ongoing drought that shows no sign of letting up. The declaration directs state agencies, including the Oregon Department of Agriculture, Oregon Water Resources Department and the Water Resources Commission, to provide assistance to water users in the region and to seek federal resources to help residents and wildlife.
Snowpack in the Klamath Basin sat at just 60% of normal as of Monday, which prompted the governor to make the
declaration. Central and southern Oregon are entering a third consecutive year of drought, and the state saw its third driest period from October 2019 to September 2021 since records began in the late 1800s, according to Larry O’Neill, a climatologist at Oregon State University.
Klamath County has been particularly hard hit. Some residents have seen wells run dry as groundwater recedes. There have also been contentious fights over how to allocate the water in Upper Klamath Lake, which is desperately needed by farmers, ranchers and two species of endangered fish that are cultural mainstays of Indigenous people in the region.
The highest average price of a gallon of regular gas in Oregon was recorded yesterday. And the end of climbing prices isn’t in sight.
Portland gas prices hit an all-time average high of $4.51 Monday, according to AAA, amid a price spike stemming
from concerns that the United States and European countries would halt oil imports from Russia, one of the world’s largest oil producers. That’s about 50 cents higher than it was a week ago. And it’s $1.50 higher than the average price a year ago, back when regular unleaded cost about $3.01 a gallon.
Oregon’s gas prices are the fourth highest in the nation, AAA says, behind California (where the average price is a
whopping $5.34), as well as Hawaii and Nevada.
Volunteer registration is now open for SOLVE’s April 23rd Oregon Spring Cleanup
The event combines SOLVE IT for Earth Day and the Spring Oregon Beach Cleanup. The two events have removed more than 17-million pounds of litter and over 250-thousand volunteers have taken part in the events. You can sign up at https://www.solveoregon.org/spring-cleanup
Time Change This Weekend
The sun will set at 6:15 p.m. on Saturday, March 12. — Sunset moves to 7:16 p.m. Sunday, March 13.
The hour change is a familiar one: We “spring forward” to daylight saving time in March, just as we “fall back” to Pacific standard time in November.
But it’s a familiar change Oregonians may be excused for thinking they’d putting behind them for good with the passage of a law in 2019 to “lock the clock” on daylight saving time all year round.
Since 1918, most of the United States has made the twice annual switch from standard time to daylight saving time.
State lawmakers passed a bill in June 2019 to keep Oregon on daylight saving time all year. The governor signed it into law a week later.
But you’ll still need to set your clock back an hour this Sunday at 2 a.m. And odds are good that, even after we spring forward again March 13, 2022 – and fall back once more on Nov. 6, 2022.
Even though Senate Bill 320 – which would keep most of Oregon on daylight saving time year-round – took effect January 1, 2020, that key provision – locking the clock on daily saving time – has yet to be triggered.
The bill would keep Oregon on daylight saving time and skip “falling back” in a future November. The portion of Oregon on Mountain Time in the far eastern portions of the state – cities like Ontario and Jordan Valley – would be exempt.
But Oregon lawmakers said the change would only take effect the first November after both Washington and California adopt year-round daylight saving time.
Washington lawmakers passed legislation to do so, and California voters cast ballots directing lawmakers there to do the same. But the law hasn’t been a priority for California lawmakers since it stalled last year in the state senate.
All three states also face one final hurdle: Congress needs to sign off on the deal.
Police Ask for Public’s Help in Search For Victim’s Roommate In Albany Homicide
A 42-year-old woman, the roommate of a 75-year-old man whose death was ruled a homicide, is wanted for questioning in the case, Albany police officials said.
Elvin “Al” Pierce was found dead by officers around 9:10 p.m. Friday after a 911 caller reported a man was unconscious and not breathing. Investigators at that time said the circumstances surrounding his death were suspicious.
APD said Pierce’s roommate, 42-year-old Elizabeth Nicole Tyler Jimenez, wasn’t there at the home when officers found Pierce dead and they don’t know where she is. Authorities did not specifically state whether Jimenez is a suspect or if there are any charges against her.
Pierce’s car, a tan 2004 Buick Park Avenue with Oregon license plate 081FAX, is also missing.
Jimenez, who investigators believe is currently without a job, is described as often visiting local soup kitchens. She also has skills as a masseuse and a seamstress, officials said.
Anyone with information is urged to contact APD at 541-917-7680 or APD Lt. Buck Pearce at 541-917-3209.
JCSO received a call Thursday regarding a vehicle that had been left in the parking lot north of the Gold Hill Sports Park, according to a JCSO press release. Upon arrival, deputies discovered that the vehicle was rented by Walzer. JCSO Search and Rescue responded and completed a search of this area along the Rogue River. Neither Walzer nor any additional clues were located.
This is a busy recreational area which leads authorities to believe Walzer was most likely seen or contacted by someone.
“Walzer was in a silver Nissan pickup truck and most likely had a full-size camera,” the press release reads. “Investigation indicates Walzer may have left his vehicle over a week ago on Friday February 18.”
Walzer is 6’2” 220 lbs with brown hair and brown eyes. He was last seen waring a blueish-gray button up shirt and blue jeans.
If you have any information or have seen Walzer, please contact Sgt. Shawn Richards at 541-774-6800.
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/