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, April 4, 2022
Willamette Valley Weather
Today– Showers, with thunderstorms also possible after 2pm. Some of the storms could produce small hail and gusty winds. Snow level 5000 feet lowering to 3000 feet in the afternoon . Steady temperature around 49. Breezy, with a west wind 10 to 16 mph, with gusts as high as 28 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.T
Tuesday– A 30 percent chance of showers before 11am. Snow level 2000 feet rising to 2500 feet. Partly sunny, with a high near 53. Calm wind becoming northwest around 6 mph in the morning.
Wednesday– Areas of frost before 9am. Otherwise, mostly sunny, with a high near 65. North wind 3 to 8 mph.
Thursday– Mostly sunny, with a high near 75.
Friday– Mostly cloudy, with a high near 61.
“SWATTING” Incident In Junction City Jeopardizes Lives And Safety
On Saturday April 2, 2022, at approximately 2:09 PM, the Junction City Police Department received a call from an unknown male stating he just murdered his mother and two younger brothers. The subject stated he was barricaded in his bedroom, was armed with multiple weapons, was not going to go to jail, and indicated he wanted to die. The caller then disconnected. Attempts to recontact the person were unsuccessful. Junction City Police arrived and contained the perimeter of the house by about 2:15 PM.
Assistance was requested from the Lane County Sheriff’s Office and Oregon State Police to secure the home and surrounding area. All responding agencies were prepared to deal with a very violent and tragic situation. While awaiting the arrival of assistance, Junction City Police was able to determine the residence in question was owned by the person of the same name provided by the caller.
Junction City Police was able to make phone contact with the property owner who was not home at the time. Based upon additional information obtained during that call, Junction City Police made an initial determination that the incident was most likely a hoax, or what is now commonly referred to as a “swatting.”
Unfortunately, while the incident was most likely false, officer and citizen safety mandated the approach to the incident be treated as it was reported. With the owner’s permission, officers from all three agencies entered and searched the house. Thankfully a short time later officers confirmed the incident was false.
This type of activity is incredibly dangerous for the public and police officers alike and could ultimately result in the serious injury and/or death of innocent people. Investigation into this incident is continuing. Anyone with information on this incident is requested to call the Junction City Police Department at 541-998-1245. Junction City Police
Fatal Crash on Hwy 126
Police confirm that one person is dead after a crash on Hwy 126 in Eugene Sunday early evening.
This is in the area of West 11th Avenue between Greenhill and North Terry Street.
Highway 126 was closed two miles west of Beltline Highway due to the crash.
Officials said this is single-vehicle crash that happened before 5:30 p.m. Lanes are back open after an extended closure earlier on Sunday. Eugene Police still investigating the crash.
Fatal Crash Highway 138- Douglas County
On April 3, 2022, at approximately 3:13 P.M., a Toyota Tacoma operated by Paul T. Wells (57) of Roseburg was westbound on Highway 138, when for an unknown reason, it crossed over the eastbound lane and then left the roadway. The vehicle hit a tree after going down an embankment. The driver was pronounced deceased at the scene.
OSP was assisted by Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, Forest Services, National Park Ranger, Glide Fire, Umpqua Valley Ambulance, and Reach Air Medical. Oregon State Police
Oregon reports 368 new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases, 3 new deaths
PORTLAND, Ore. — There are three new COVID-19-related deaths in Oregon, raising the state’s death toll to 7,147, Oregon Health Authority (OHA) reported Friday afternoon.
OHA reported 368 new confirmed and presumptive cases of COVID-19 bringing the state total to 704,515.
The new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases reported today are in the following counties: Benton (23), Clackamas (41), Clatsop (4), Columbia (5), Coos (7), Deschutes (13), Douglas (3), Grant (1), Hood River (2), Jackson (5), Jefferson (2), Josephine (3), Klamath (2), Lane (36), Lincoln (5), Linn (7), Malheur (1), Marion (22), Multnomah (124), Tillamook (3), Umatilla (7), Wasco (2), Washington (45) and Yamhill (5).
Friday 4/1 was the last day OHA will distribute a daily media release about COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths (including individual death summaries).
Starting the week of April 4, the cadence of some of OHA’s current COVID-19 reports will change. The COVID-19 vaccination dashboards, the Oregon COVID-19 Case and Testing Counts Statewide dashboard and the Oregon COVID-19 Testing and Outcomes by County dashboard will be published weekly on Wednesdays. The Data Report and Outbreak Report will be published every other week and the Breakthrough Report will be published monthly.
Although OHA will no longer distribute a daily media release, OHA will continue to disseminate news releases about COVID-19 when trends merit widespread information sharing. One example is when new eligibility groups for boosters or vaccinations are announced.
The daily media releases grew out of the urgent need to communicate quickly evolving COVID-19 trends early in the pandemic. The news releases were sent to media partners seven days a week, including holidays, until July 2021, when the agency switched to weekday distribution.
OHA is again adapting to the pandemic as cases and hospitalizations declined following a surge due to Omicron, and members of the public have the knowledge and tools to protect themselves.
Oregon Police Alert Businesses After $1 Million Worth Of Phony Movie Money Was Stolen In Car Break-In And Could Be In Circulation
- $1 million worth of fake “movie money” was stolen from a car in Oregon last week.
- The fake $10, $20, and $100 bills are marked as “For Motion Picture Use Only,” police said.
- Police are warning local businesses about the potential circulation of counterfeit cash.
Police in Oregon on Friday said they are looking for information connected to the incident where someone stole $1 million of phony “movie money” from a car.
According to the Newport, Oregon Police Department, officers responded to the car break-in on Thursday.
The vehicle owner said that the robbers took the fake money “in $10, $20 and $100 denominations” and other items.
Police said that the prop money is marked with the words “For Motion Picture Use Only” and “Copy” on them to indicate that it is not real, but pointed out that it’s “similar to real US currency and similar prop/movie money has created issues for local businesses in the past.”
Authorities issued a warning to businesses and told them to properly identify any currency accepted at their establishment.
“Aside from the obvious print warning that the currency is for Motion Picture Use only, it will also feel different from authentic US currency,” police said.
Group Gathers To Mourn Four People Killed in Crash at Homeless Camp in Salem
Saturday was a very emotional day for those who knew the four people killed last weekend when an alleged drunk driver crashed into a Salem homeless camp.
A driver crashed into a homeless camp early Sunday morning in Salem and hit six people, four of whom died.
The camp where they were killed is gone, cleared by Oregon Department of Transportation in a sweep scheduled prior to the crash. Now, flowers sit at the site of so much pain and sadness.
A small group gathered near the corner of Northeast Front Street and Division in Salem to remember their friends.
“I don’t really have the words for it … here one moment, gone the next. It’s really heartbreaking,” said Brenten C., who knew the victims. “This right here is a tragedy.”
Four crosses show the names of each victim: Jowand Beck, Luke Kagey, Rochelle Zamacona and Joe Posada III.
Four people were killed and two others hurt in the crash at the end of March. Police say a drunk driver careened into the camp around 2 a.m. The accused driver, Enrique Rodriguez, appeared in court Monday.
Prosecutors say Rodriguez’s blood alcohol level was more than three times the legal limit. His charges include four counts of manslaughter in the first degree.
ODOT cleared the camp soon after the crash, and many at the memorial were among those forced to pack up. Homeless advocates say more than a thousand people sleep outside in the Salem area, but the city is short about 500 shelter beds.
The camp cleared by ODOT in Salem this week as part of an ongoing effort to keep people from living close to state roads.
OSP seeking witnesses to a DUII crash on Highway 372- Deschutes County
On April 1, 2022, at approximately 4:45 P.M., Oregon State Police Troopers and emergency personnel responded to a two-vehicle crash on Hwy 372 (Cascade Lakes Hwy) near milepost 7.
Preliminary investigation revealed that an eastbound gray Subaru Crosstrek, operated by Forrest Anton-Erik (23) of Bend, crossed over a double yellow line and collided head-on with a westbound blue Toyota pickup, operated by Catherine Hane (27) of Weaverville, CA.
Hane was transported to an area hospital with serious but non-life-threatening injuries. Anton-Erik was also transported to the hospital with injuries. Anton-Erik’s blood alcohol content was .14% and he was cited in lieu of custody for DUII, Assault III, and Reckless Driving.
This DUII motor vehicle crash occurred within 1 mile of another DUII motor vehicle crash that occurred on August 10, 2021, in which a bicyclist was killed by an intoxicated driver. OSP wants to remind everyone to not drive while impaired. There are many options available to get home safely such as rideshares, public transportation, or designated drivers.
This crash is still under investigation. OSP is seeking public assistance from anyone who might have witnessed this event and they are encouraged to contact OSP at 1-800-452-7888 or OSP (677). Please reference SP22-078481.
OSP was assisted by the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Department, the Oregon Department of Transportation, and Bend Fire & Rescue. Oregon State Police
Oregon Seeks Public Comments on Psilocybin Mushrooms
As the first state to legalize therapeutic use of psilocybin, Oregon has newly proposed rules about the hallucinogen. It’s also inviting public comments about the prospective rules released Friday.
The Oregon Psilocybin Services (OPS) Section at Oregon Health Authority (OHA) released a new set of proposed rules April 1 related to psilocybin products, testing and training programs.
It is inviting public comment about the proposed rules during a public comment period from April 1 to April 22, 2022, when the comment period closes at 5pm.
OHA says that during the public comment period people can supply comments in writing and by e-mailing publichealth.rules@dhsoha.state.or.us, or by participating in one of two virtual public hearings. The first hearing occurs Monday, April 18, 5-7pm, and the second hearing occurs Thursday, April 21, 10am to noon, with Spanish, American Sign Language interpretation, and CART captioning services provided.
OHA is only accepting comments related to the sub-section rules released April 1, which are related to psilocybin products, testing and training programs. A second rulemaking process will occur for the remainder of the rules later this fall.
More information about the public comment period can be found at: https://www.oregon.gov/oha/PH/PREVENTIONWELLNESS/Pages/April-2022-Public-Comment-Period.aspx
Oregon Ballot Measure 109 (M109), also known as the Oregon Psilocybin Services Act, was voted into law by Oregonians in November 2020. M109 directs OHA to license and regulate psilocybin products and psilocybin services.
OHA is in a two-year development period starting January 1, 2021 and ending December 31, 2022 when OHA is building a new Oregon Psilocybin Services (OPS) Section and working with the Oregon Psilocybin Advisory Board and Rules Advisory Committees to establish rules for the production of psilocybin and provision of psilocybin services in the state of Oregon.
For the latest updates, subscribe to the distribution list at: oregon.gov/psilocybin.
Grants Pass Missing Person
The Grants Pass Police Department is seeking assistance from the public in locating 30 year old Noah Baker. Baker was despondent after an argument and left his residence in Grants Pass driving a silver Ford Fiesta with Oregon Plate 671MUR.
Baker is described as a white male adult, 5’09”, 170 lbs, brown hair and blue eyes and was last seen wearing black sweats, black shirt, black shoes and a black hat.
If anyone knows of his whereabouts or sees Baker, please call your local law enforcement agency or the Grants Pass Police at 541-450-6260. Reference case #2022-14203 Grants Pass Police Department
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
https://www.facebook.com/pg/Have-You-Seen-Me-Southern-Oregons-Missing-People-161249961222839/posts/