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, June 6, 2022
Willamette Valley Weather
Springfield Police Find Another Man Deceased During High-Speed Motorcycle Chase
Springfield police said they discovered a deceased man in a truck during a high-speed chase early Monday morning.
A motorcyclist led police on a high-speed chase after fleeing a traffic stop, and now police are investigating to determine if the suspect in the chase is connected to a deceased driver discovered during the pursuit.
Springfield Police report that at around 1:00 a.m. Monday morning, a patrol officer attempted to stop a motorcycle with switched plates near Mohawk Boulevard and Olympic Street. The motorcycle then fled onto Highway 126 and then northbound on I-5, with speeds reaching 120 miles per hour.
Officers ended the pursuit on I-5 near milepost 206, but the motorcycle was seen a short time later parked in front of a truck on the shoulder of I-5 near milepost 211. The suspect fled again as officers pulled up. Officers discovered that the male driver of the truck was deceased.
Police continued to pursue the motorcycle northbound on I-5 to Highway 228 where the suspect turned eastbound. Officers lost sight of the motorcycle near Brownsville due to speed.
Oregon State Police and the Linn County Sheriff’s Office began assisting. Springfield officers continued searching for the suspect while the Oregon State Police began a death investigation of the driver of the truck.
At 2:05 a.m. the Springfield Police Officer found the suspect on Highway 228 near Walnut Road and re-initiated the pursuit. A short time later, the motorcyclist crashed and the suspect, 35-year-old Frank Nelson of Sweet Home, was taken into custody.
Officers are trying to determine if the high-speed chase and the deceased man they found in the truck are related incidents. The man in the truck has not yet been identified
Eugene Man Dies After Crashing Motorcycle Into Trailer On River Road
Lane County Sheriff’s deputies responded to a motorcycle vs. trailer crash in the 93000-block of River Rd. Thursday night, shortly after 10:30.
“The driver of the involved vehicle, 55-year-old Edward Peters of Eugene, was pronounced deceased on scene,” LCSO said.
Investigation revealed that a 1999 Honda motorcycle, driven by Peters, was southbound on River Rd. when it struck a travel trailer being backed into a driveway., the report said.
The driver that was backing the trailer, a 51-year-old Eugene man, was not injured in the crash. “Peters is believed to have been consuming alcohol prior to the crash,” LCSO said.
The Eugene Police Department Closed Down Polk Street & W. 13th Avenue due to a traffic collision
This incident prompted a Eugene Police Major Collision Investigation activation, the police department said.
“During an investigation, Blake Oren Bates, 36, of Eugene, was found to have been driving an Audi A3 and failed to obey a traffic device (red light) at Polk Street and W. 13th Avenue, colliding with a Subaru Forrester,” Eugene PD said.
A utility pole was sheared off its base during the collision, the report said.
A passenger in the Subaru was transported to an area hospital with injuries and then later released.
The driver of the Subaru was admitted for serious, but not life threatening injuries.
“After the crash, Bates left the scene on foot but was contacted by officers a short distance away and then transported to a local hospital for treatment of non-life threatening injuries,” EPD said.
DMV in Dire Need to Fill Job Openings in Your Area
“DMV has been experiencing the same shortage of applicants for job openings as other employers statewide and nationwide,” Joyce said. “The people working at your local DMV live in your community – and could use your help.”
Apply for a job at ODOT today at www.odotjobs.com – select “Department of Transportation” under the Company menu.
OHA’s recent COVID-19 Biweekly Data Report, released Thursday, showed an increase in COVID-19-related cases, hospitalizations and deaths since the previous two-week period: http://ow.ly/Fmbw50JpGCw “The increases we are seeing with COVID-19 cases statewide confirm that the virus is still widespread through Oregon, even though many of us are ready to move on,” said Dr. Paul Cieslak, medical director for communicable diseases and immunizations at OHA.
“With our healthcare partners, we continue to monitor hospitalization numbers that are rising gradually. We anticipate, based on the latest modeling, that hospitalizations will peak around the second week of June and then start to come down.” “Being up to date with your vaccinations and boosters is still your best way to prevent serious disease,” added Dr. Cieslak. “Persons who are at higher risk should make a plan for getting tested and treated quickly should they develop COVID-19 symptoms despite vaccination. Paxlovid and other treatments are now widely available in Oregon with a doctor’s prescription or through test-to-treat sites.” To learn more about COVID-19 treatments and federal Test to Treat sites in Oregon, visit http://ow.ly/l3t950JpGCv.
ODOT Construction Includes Bridge Repair on I-5
Bridge paving begins Monday night, June 6, on Interstate 5, which will affect traffic in some areas with work scheduled to run from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. for four nights, Oregon Department of Transportation reports.
Overnight I-5 travelers should expect single lane traffic south of the Halsey-Brownsville exit next week. Crews are paving a bridge at milepost 210.
One lane will be paved each night. There are two travel lanes in each direction over the bridge. A lane will close at 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. the following morning.
Watch for lane closures and work crews. Oregon State Police will be providing extra coverage in the work zone for safety.
The schedule is subject to change depending on weather conditions.
“This project is part of our commitment to maintain our multi-modal transportation system throughout the state,” ODOT said. For 24/7 road conditions and travel information visit www.tripcheck.com. MORE INFO on PROJECTS: https://www.oregon.gov/odot/projects/pages/default.aspx
Oregon Office of State Fire Marshal Launches Grant Opportunity to Boost Wildfire Response Staffing
SALEM, Ore. – As the heat of summer nears, and the threat of wildfire increases, the Oregon Office of State Fire Marshal (OSFM) is announcing a grant to help bolster capacity at local fire departments across the state.
As part of the OSFM’s Response Ready Oregon Initiative, roughly $4 million is available to local fire districts and departments to bring on additional staff during the 2022 wildfire season. When applying for this grant, local fire agencies can request up to $35,000 to support upstaffing.
This additional funding will increase on-duty capacity throughout the fire season at the local level and allow agencies to mobilize quickly to fires at the local, regional, and state (conflagration) level. Having more on-duty firefighters will help keep fires small before they can impact communities.
“The Office of State Fire Marshal is taking a multipronged approach to combating wildfire in Oregon,” Oregon State Fire Marshal Mariana Ruiz-Temple said, “We’re investing in communities through risk reduction programs and firefighting equipment and people to keep Oregonians protected from wildfire. This grant opportunity will give the Oregon fire service much needed capacity during a critical time of year.”
All 306 of Oregon’s local fire service agencies are eligible for this grant opportunity. For additional information or the grant application please visit https://www.oregon.gov/osp/programs/sfm/Pages/OSFM-Grants.aspx.
Current staff and volunteers would be eligible for additional hours under the grant using the current agency staffing model and pay scale. The application review will begin June 6, 2022. Applications may be considered through August 12, 2022, subject to the availability of funds. Applications will be periodically reviewed during the application window. Funding awards will be distributed on a rolling basis as applications are reviewed and approved.
Funding for this upstaffing grant opportunity was made possible through the Oregon Legislature and Senate Bill 762.
ABOUT RESPONSE READY OREGON
The OSFM’s Response Ready Oregon initiative was created to help bolster capacity and modernize wildfire response within the Oregon Fire Mutual Aid System (OFMAS). The goal of Response Ready Oregon is to attack fires while they are small and keep them out of communities.
Record Number Of Rescues This Season For Mount Hood Rescue Crews
Crews have seen a record number of rescues and recoveries on Mount Hood this season.
Dr. Christopher Van Tilburg said they usually have a few a season; this year, they’ve had eight so far.
Van Tilburg said the increase is due to a few factors. One — more people on the mountain.
“We used to have a mountaineering season that was roughly March through July, but now people are climbing the mountain all year long,” said Van Tilburg.
He also said that means a wide range of experience levels. And experience matters, according to Van Tilburg, especially when it comes to a mountain as complicated as Mount Hood.
Mount Hood has a lot of hazards including crevasses, difficult snow conditions, and falling rocks.
“Preparing for those takes experience. Hopefully, people who are beginners can go guided or a formal course,” said Van Tilburg.
He suggests saying within your limits and never push yourself into an experience you’re not prepared for.
Important Meeting Set For Oregon Coast Residents And Visitors On Wind Farms
Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) invites public comment at Newport meeting
(NEWPORT, OR) – Representatives of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) will be in Newport on Wednesday, June 15th to hear public comment on the areas identified for offshore wind energy development off Oregon’s southern and central coast.
The public meeting will be held at the Best Western Agate Beach Hotel, 3019 North Coast Highway (101) from 8am – Noon. The meeting will be facilitated by Heather Mann, executive director of Midwater Trawlers Cooperative. Any individual who wishes to share a comment for the public record is encouraged to attend.
There have been a number of meetings – including among local residents and local governments – who contend that BOEM is rushing too much and too fast to make a wall of unsightly wind generators off our coasts. The economy of coastal Oregon relies very much on the fishing industry as well as tourism. They want to see a beautiful ocean – not a wall of rotating fans.
Please attend the meeting at Best Western Agate Beach, 8am to to Noon, on Wednesday, June 15th at 3019 North Coast Highway. Our ocean views and fishing industry are worth saving.
BOEM is part of the U.S. Department of Interior and is the agency that manages all offshore development.
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