Willamette Valley News, Wednesday 3/9 – Baby Found In Springfield Hotel Room Several Days After Mother Dies Of Drug Overdose, Governor Brown Press Conference Today on World Athletics Championships

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, March 9, 2022

Willamette Valley Weather

Today– A 50 percent chance of showers between noon and 2pm. Snow level 3200 feet lowering to 2500 feet in the afternoon . Cloudy through mid morning, then gradual clearing, with a high near 49. Light and variable wind becoming north northwest 8 to 13 mph in the morning. Winds could gust as high as 22 mph.

Thursday– Areas of frost before 9am. Otherwise, mostly sunny, with a high near 51. Calm wind becoming north northwest 5 to 9 mph in the morning.

Friday– Partly sunny, with a high near 61. Light and variable wind becoming west southwest 5 to 7 mph in the morning.

Saturday– Rain, mainly after 10am. Snow level 3000 feet rising to 4100 feet in the afternoon. High near 55. Chance of precipitation is 80%.

Sunday– A chance of rain. Cloudy, with a high near 55.

Baby Found In Springfield Hotel Room Several Days After Mother Dies Of Drug Overdose

Springfield Police state that a woman died of a heroin overdose in a Springfield hotel room leaving her 6-month-old son alone in the room for four to five days.

The baby was found Monday at about 7 p.m at Quality Inn and Suites, 3550 Gateway Street.

The child was found inside the hotel room in a stroller, police said. The body of the child’s mother was also in the room. 

Kirkpatrick said they used the assistance of Department of Human Services agents who were doing a check on the mother for an unknown reason.

The woman was not scheduled to check out until Wednesday, so it’s possible the two would not have been discovered until at least then had it not been for DHS.

“The child wouldn’t have made it. It was that touch and go. Having been unattended to for four to five days,” Sgt. Pete Kirkpatrick with SPD said, “But we’re lucky that DHS, that things happened how they did.”

He said the child’s lips had turned blue, and they were barely responsive when officers entered the room.

The child was taken to Riverbend Hospital, then flown to a hospital in Portland for treatment. Despite severe dehydration and several other ailments, the child is on the path to a full recovery according to police.

Springfield police said this is an ongoing investigation. The woman placed the privacy sign on the door, which is why housekeeping did not enter the room. It’s unclear if the baby could be heard from outside of the room. A noncriminal amount of heroin and other drug paraphernalia was also found inside of the room.

Umpqua Community College receives $300k in scholarship funds to aid aspiring truck drivers

Umpqua Community College (UCC) received $300,000 in grant funding from Douglas County and the State of Oregon to support truck driver training scholarships. The scholarships result from federal funds received by the state under the American Rescue Plan Act Coronavirus State Fiscal Recovery Fund for special districts and organizations. 

UCC will provide training scholarships for up to 150 entry-level professional truck drivers, preparing them to earn a Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) and enter this high-wage, high-demand field. The truck driving program at Umpqua Community College provides 160 hours of hands-on instruction with options to train over four weeks or ten weekends. 

Students in the program network with local trucking companies and often receive job offers upon completion. The UCC Truck Driving program is an approved training provider for the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and has an average job placement rate of 85%.

“We are excited to enable more students to train and fill the dire need for truck drivers. While the truck driver shortage is not new, supply chain disruptions during the pandemic and surges in demand have made the crisis much more acute,” said Robin VanWinkle, Dean, UCC Community Education & Partnerships, “UCC is working closely with Umpqua Valley Transportation Sector Partnership and workforce agencies to help meet the demand for new drivers.”

It’s estimated that the industry will need more than 1.1 million new drivers by 2026, according to the American Trucking Association (ATA) Driver Shortage Analysis Report (2019). In Oregon, nearly 80% of freight moves by truck, and according to the Southwest Oregon Regional Economist, 96% of all Heavy Tractor-Trailer jobs in Douglas County were difficult to fill. 

About UCC
Nestled in the beautiful North Umpqua River Valley, Umpqua Community College is the regional center for higher education in Douglas County, Oregon. UCC provides high quality college degree programs, workforce development, and community learning opportunities. For more information, please visit us online at www.umpqua.edu.

Governor Brown To Hold Press Conference To Discuss Upcoming World Athletics Championships

Oregon Governor Kate Brown is holding a press conference at 11 a.m. Wednesday to discuss the upcoming World Athletics Championships in Eugene.

WATCH LIVE:

The Governor will be joined by Eugene Mayor Lucy Vinis; Niels De Vos, Chief Executive Director of Oregon 22; Richie Hunter, Vice President of University Communications for the University of Oregon; and Todd Davidson, CEO of Travel Oregon.

The event will be held for the first time on U.S. soil this summer.

Oregon reports 397 new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases, 29 new deaths

PORTLAND, Ore. — There are 29 new COVID-19 related deaths in Oregon, raising the state’s death toll to 6,772, Oregon Health Authority (OHA) reported at 12:01 a.m. today.

OHA reported 397 new confirmed and presumptive cases of COVID-19 as of 12:01 a.m. today, bringing the state total to 698,127.

The new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases reported today are in the following counties: Baker (1), Benton (15), Clackamas (22), Clatsop (2), Columbia (4), Coos (9), Crook (6), Curry (4), Deschutes (24), Douglas (19), Gilliam (1), Grant (8), Jackson (31), Jefferson (6), Josephine (20), Klamath (5), Lake (5), Lane (33), Lincoln (4), Linn (25), Malheur (6), Marion (28), Morrow (2), Multnomah (57), Polk (7), Sherman (1), Tillamook (1), Umatilla (2), Union (4), Wasco (5), Washington (34) and Yamhill (6).

Arrows show that cases increased and hospitalizations have decreased over the previous day. The 7 Day Moving Average shows a decrease.
Illustration of a magnifying glass with coronaviruses with different colored spikes. Text: BA.2 small proportion of COVID-19 cases in the U.S. <1% in OR. BA.2 33% more transmissible than BA.1. Researchers learning, but BA.2 severity doesn't seem to differ from BA.1. Per W.H.O. BA.1 infection seems to offer protection from BA.2 reinfection. Best protection is vaccine, booster if you can, mask in crowded indoor spaces.
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Oregon Residents Only Have Until March 14th to Apply for Rental Assistance Funds

The window to apply for assistance is quickly closing. If you’re an Oregon resident who needs help catching up on overdue rent, you’ll need to get moving before you lose that opportunity — and potentially lose your home.

More than $289 million in rental assistance funds has been paid out to Oregon residents in need of aid. All told, over 40,000 households have gotten assistance — and that help may be making it possible for them to stay in their homes rather than face eviction.

But soon, Oregon’s rental assistance program will end. Renters who haven’t yet requested relief have until 11:59 p.m. on March 14 to submit an application. From there, Oregon’s application portal will close so the state can work on processing existing applications and distributing the remainder of its limited funds.

As of now, the state still needs to process 18,000 applications for rental assistance. But those who haven’t yet applied for help aren’t necessarily going to be bumped to the back of the line. That’s because applications will be approved based on need — not based on order received.

To qualify for rental assistance in Oregon, you must have someone in your household who meets at least one of these qualifications:

  • Been on unemployment due to the pandemic
  • Experienced a loss of income since the start of the pandemic
  • Incurred added expenses due to COVID-19

You may also need to prove you’re at risk of homelessness in the absence of getting assistance. And you’ll need to provide some form of income verification (or a certification of no income) to meet income eligibility requirements.

Applicants can request aid to cover past-due rent payments dating back to March 13, 2020. Applicants may also be eligible for up to three months of future rent.

If you qualify for rental assistance, the state will request approval from your landlord or property manager. If approved, that money will be sent to one of those parties directly, not to you. But even if your landlord or property manager doesn’t accept those funds, you may still be eligible for relief, so it pays to apply for rental assistance if you think you qualify.

Sen. Wyden Leading Charge To End Banks, Credit Card Companies’ Forced Arbitration Rules

U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden is leading a charge to get rid of forced arbitration and lawsuit waivers that banks and financial firms have consumers sign and agree in order to avoid litigation. Wyden is chair of the influential Senate Finance Committee. He is a top sponsor of the Arbitration Fairness for Consumers Act along with U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio. Other Democratic lawmakers and U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vermont, are also co-sponsors of the bill.

Bank, credit card firms, and other companies frequently have customers agree to required arbitration in disputes. The policies help the business avoid class-action lawsuits and other litigation. The rules also help companies avoid turning over emails, communications and other evidence to consumers’ attorneys. The Oregon senator also pointed out that arbitration agreements are often nestled inside lengthy agreements signed by customers.

The federal legislation would prohibit “pre-dispute arbitration agreements and class-action waivers in contracts for consumer financial products or services. Under the legislation, such agreements would be neither valid nor enforceable,” according to the lawmakers.

Airfares and Gasoline Prices Reaching New Highs

As COVID-19 cases drop, mask protocols ease and more Americans venture out to beaches, theme parks and other tourist destinations, travel is bouncing back to levels not seen since the pandemic took hold, industry experts say. The bad news: Airfares and gasoline prices are also reaching highs not seen in years.

AAA of Oregon says Nearly 40% of Americans are planning to travel during spring break, up from the 29% who said they were traveling for spring break 2021, according to a survey commissioned by the vacation rental company Vacasa. The home rental business Vrbo has also reported a nearly 50% increase in demand for vacation homes this
spring, compared with spring of 2021.

Road trippers are not catching a break either. Already-high gasoline prices have been pushed to near-record levels due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which has sent shockwaves through the oil market.

Nationwide, the price of a gallon of gas rose to an average of $3.61, about 90 cents higher than a year earlier, with prices in California climbing to $4.82 per gallon, according to AAA. Oregon had the nation’s fourth-highest gas prices as of Monday.

Doggie Dash will return to Tom McCall Waterfront Park in downtown Portland!

After two years of virtual celebrations, the Oregon Humane Society’s Doggie Dash returns to Waterfront Park this year. Doggie Dash is the largest celebration of people and pets on the West Coast and the biggest fundraiser of the year for the Oregon Humane Society.

It’ll be held Saturday May 14th. Some changes have been made, because of the pandemic. The traditional pancake breakfast has been replaced with individually wrapped items. There will be two Libation Stations, so people can spread out. And there will be more waves of start times. FOR MORE INFO: https://www.oregonhumane.org/get-involved/events/doggiedash/?gclid=CjwKCAiAvaGRBhBlEiwAiY-yMKOJfFEDljPZcima5JdYi8KVXFk5jAQe6n9O26NhuRSJEn1d_mloABoCkH0QAvD_BwE

Oregon Farm Bureau FFA Video Contest

Students can submit videos featuring projects, programs or farm and ranch happenings

The following is a release from the Oregon Farm Bureau

Oregon Farm Bureau (OFB) invites FFA students to participate in its second-annual #GrowingOregon video contest — for a chance to win at least $400!

“This year the winner will earn a generous cash prize for their FFA chapter,” said Anne Marie Moss, OFB communications director.

To participate, FFA members should create a video up to a minute long that features the #GrowingOregon hashtag and something interesting about Oregon agriculture.

Video topic ideas include an overview of an FFA project or program, what’s happening on the farm or ranch, or highlighting an Oregon agricultural product.

Students have until April 30 to submit their videos to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

The contest winner will be determined by which video gets the most likes and views on OFB’s social media platforms by May 31. The winner will receive a cash prize that will be donated to their FFA chapter. The prize amount will be at least $400.

“We can’t wait to see the students’ creativity. There are so many aspects to Oregon agriculture that are fascinating, so the possibilities truly are endless,” said Moss.

For more information about the #GrowingOregon video contest, visit https://oregonfb.org/growingoregon/

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.

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May be an image of 2 people and text that says 'MISSING PERSON VINTAGE 1940 Donald Stockwell Donald Stockwell 80 yrs old, grey hair and beard. Weight 240, height 6 Vehicle: White 2019 GMC door crew cab. Oregon License no, 851LVC Missing from Grants pass Oregon. Last seen in Goldhill Oregon February 3, 2022 If seen contact josephine County Sheriffs Office at (541)474-5123 X3'
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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

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https://www.facebook.com/pg/Have-You-Seen-Me-Southern-Oregons-Missing-People-161249961222839/posts/

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