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, June 15, 2022
Willamette Valley Weather
Fatal Head-On Crash On Jasper Lowell Road
Sheriff Deputies are investigating a two-vehicle crash that occurred in the 37000blk of Jasper Lowell Rd. shortly after 6:30 pm Tuesday evening.
Initial investigation reveals that a white Cadillac was driving eastbound on Jasper Lowell Rd. when it crossed into the oncoming lane for an unknown reason. The Cadillac then struck a westbound Toyota Prius head-on.
The drivers of the Cadillac and Prius were transported to an area hospital with what is believed to be minor injuries. A passenger in the Cadillac died on scene.
The names of the involved are being withheld at this time, pending next of kin notification. Lane Co. Sheriff’s Office
It has rained enough to send water cascading over the spillway at Cottage Grove Dam for the first time since December 1964, according to the Army Corps of Engineers.
The atmospheric river event over the weekend came in a little hotter than we—and pretty much everyone—predicted. At Cottage Grove Dam, water is passing the roughly 80 feet over the spillway for the first time since December 1964. The water level is currently just a few inches above the spillway crest, which is the reason for this “sheeting”/cascading effect you’re looking at in the video on Facebook courtesy of Karissa Ronan.
https://www.facebook.com/PortlandCorps/videos/3678519672375179
Mother Nature pulled a fast one on us, but we’re always ready. We’ve kept a painstakingly close watch on downstream river levels and flow all the way to Portland and are holding onto water as necessary to avoid any chance of flooding downstream. We’ve also amped up our dam safety monitoring, as a precaution, because of the higher water levels behind the dams. Where atmospheric river events hit and how they shift is often difficult to predict. And this one gave us a “double peak” of inflows to Dorena and Cottage Grove reservoirs that we were not expecting. Cottage Grove is currently at 105% full, passing about 2,000 cubic feet/second of water, and functioning exactly as it was designed to. Dorena, also functioning as designed, is passing water as well. The storm is in our rear view, and we are not anticipating any flooding across the Willamette Basin.
Linn County Sheriff’s Office Alerts Public of Emergency Exercise 6/16
Sheriff Michelle Duncan would like to alert the citizens of Harrisburg and surrounding communities that there will be a hazardous materials exercise in downtown Harrisburg the morning of June 16, 2022.
There will be emergency vehicles and first responders in the area participating in the exercise and we wanted the public to be aware of what is going on so that the 9-1-1 systems and non-emergent lines are not tied up with calls regarding this exercise.
There will be a public viewing area at BN park. The Linn County Emergency Operations Center, located at the Linn County Sheriff’s Office, will send out an electronic notification of the exercise to the public, indicating the event and that it is only an exercise. For any additional information, please contact Captain Rich Saalsaa, with Philomath Fire & Rescue and the Mid-Valley LEPC Exercise Director at 541-360-0029. Linn County Sheriff’s Office
Detectives arrest suspect sought in two attempted murder cases in Salem – UPDATE
Kenneth Wayne Felton has been charged in a shooting incident in south Salem. Felton is currently in custody at the Marion County Jail and is being held without bail.
Salem Police responded to reports of gunfire on May 18, 2022 in the 5700 block of Woodside DR SE. Patrol officers found a man in a vehicle with a life-threatening gunshot wound. The victim, Kerry Lynn Johnson, age 54, was transported to Salem Health where he currently remains under care.
Felton was indicted on June 10 on several charges, including attempted murder, for his alleged involvement in the May 18 incident above. Felton was also indicted on several unrelated shootings that occurred in Salem between December 2021 and January 2022.
“The work done by the detectives of our Violent Crimes Unit is impressive. Their skills and dedication to apprehend those who threaten the safety of our community is remarkable, and it speaks to our agency’s commitment to address violent crime in our city,” said Salem Police Chief Trevor Womack of the investigations. Salem Police Department
Lane County Sheriff’s Office Seeking The Public’s Help In Identifying The Human Remains Found Near Lowell
The Lane County Sheriff’s Office is seeking the public’s help in identifying the human remains located recently near W. Boundary Rd. in Lowell. The victim has been identified as an adult female likely between 30 and 50 years of age.
She is believed to have had dark hair and to stand between 5’00” and 5’08” in height. Located with her was a white ‘Huf’ shirt with green stripes (sleeves had been removed) and a light colored shirt with an elephant print on it.
Anyone with information regarding the identity of the involved is asked to contact the Lane County Sheriff’s Office at 541-682-4150 opt. 1. The remains were located on 05/26/22 – The condition of the remains indicate that the victim had likely been deceased for several weeks prior to the discovery of the remains.
Investigators are working with the Oregon State Police Crime Lab to determine the identity of the victim and cause of death. An identity of the deceased has not yet been established. The death is being investigated as suspicious. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Lane County Sheriff’s Office at 541-682-4150 opt. 1.
We want to keep you informed about COVID-19 in Oregon. Data are provisional and change frequently. For more information, including COVID-19 data by county, visit our dashboard: http://ow.ly/p9mQ50JxCeV
People in three Oregon counties should once again begin wearing masks indoors in public and on public transportation, according to recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
COVID-19 community levels are rated “high” in Lane, Douglas and Jackson counties. This means these counties have had 200 or more new COVID-19 cases per 100,000 people in the last 7 days.
In Lane County, the case rate per 100,000 people is 259.38. In Douglas County, it’s 202.74 and in Jackson County, it’s 227.21.
These community levels were calculated on June 9, 2022.
With COVID-19 levels this high, the CDC says anyone at risk for severe illness in these communities should consider taking additional precautions besides simply wearing a mask, like staying 6 feet away from others, avoiding crowds and poorly ventilated spaces, and washing their hands often.
“Anybody who’s trying to prevent themselves from getting it should be aware that this is a time-period of high infection,” said Peter Graven, OSHU data scientist.
The number of COVID-19 cases in Oregon over the last 7-day period for which data is available, June 16-12, is 10,651. That’s a 1.6% decrease from the previous seven days, when the Oregon Health Authority recorded 10,819 cases.
The CDC says so far, 74% of Oregonians are fully vaccinated.
At this point, local health experts don’t expect a bump in the metro area, where there is a higher concentration of people fully vaccinated. There are currently no plans for any across-the-board mask recommendations or requirements.
A Miracle No One Was In The Building Tuesday As The Roof Collapsed At Buoy Beer Company In Astoria
The Buoy Beer Company building in Astoria partially collapsed into the river on Tuesday night just after 6 p.m.
According to Astoria City Manager Brett Estes, there were no injuries. It’s a miracle that no one was reportedly in the building or the water at the time of the collapse. The restaurant was closed on Tuesday.
The brewery said on social media that everyone is safe. The extent of the damage to the building is not yet clear.
City officials are doing a preliminary assessment of the damage before entering the building.
The riverwalk near the building is closed off between 7th and 8th Street and investigation underway.
Murder Suspect Dead After Officer-Involved Shooting In Coos Bay
A suspect in the murder of a Coos Bay woman is dead following an officer-involved shooting, according to the Coos County District Attorney. This happened at 7:34 p.m. Tuesday night at the Global Inn in Coos Bay.
On Tuesday afternoon, officers investigating the murder of Amber Townsend identified Matthew Tyler Mikel, 37, as a potential suspect in the shooting, the district attorney said.
Officers discovered Mikel was staying at the Global Inn and arrived to confront him. The district attorney said an altercation broke out upon confronting Mikel. An officer from the Coos County Sheriff’s Office and an officer from the Coos Bay Police Department fired their handguns during the altercation, hitting Mikel at least once.
Mikel was sent to the hospital and was later declared deceased.
There are multiple agencies working on the investigation including North Bend Police Department, Coquille Police Department, Myrtle Point Police Department, Bandon Police Department, the Confederated Tribal Police, Coquille Tribal Police, Bureau of Land Management Law Enforcement, the Oregon State Police, the Coos County Medical Examiner’s Office, the District Attorney’s Office and detectives from Springfield and Roseburg. Oregon State Police is the lead agency on the case.
Due to Coos County’s officer-involved shooting protocol, the Coos County Sheriff’s Office and Coos Bay Police will not be part of the investigation into this incident.
The Coos County District Attorney said a press briefing is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. Wednesday regarding this incident. This is a developing news story and is under investigation.
Mae Richardson Elementary School In Central Point Breaks Guinness World Record By Setting Up Almost 7,000 Cereal Boxes And Knocking Them Over Like Dominoes
Students helped amass 6,877 boxes of cereal and arranged them in a line that stretched through and around the school before setting off the chain reaction of toppling.
Source: Here Is Oregon
The total was more than the current Guinness World Record for most cereal boxes toppled in a domino fashion. The record of 6,391 boxes was set in 2021 by Long Beach Middle School in New York.
Melody Thueson, who teaches fourth grade at Mae Richardson, said the school was unable to apply for official Guinness World Records recognition because of time constraints.
“Our Community 101 class had to do a service project. That’s one of the requirements for Community 101,” Thueson said. “Our local food bank is ACCESS, and so we thought we’d try to beat the world record. Not thinking we’d actually do it, but we did.” The cereal boxes were donated to ACCESS and should help people with cereal for quite some time.
Congratulations on the amazing feat and for teaching our youth the importance of giving back to the community!
OnPoint Community Credit Union Honors Six Outstanding Athletic and Activity Scholars Across Oregon
Since 2018, OSAA and OnPoint partnered to award $50,500 to 19 students.
Portland, Ore. June 14, 2022—OnPoint Community Credit Union and the Oregon School Activities Association (OSAA) today announced the six graduating seniors who have won scholarships up to $5,000 through the 2022 OnPoint Community Credit Union Scholar Program.
OnPoint and the OSAA’s partnership recognizes graduating Scholar Athletes and Activity Scholars from OSAA member schools with two $5,000 scholarships and four $1,000 scholarships. The two winners of the $5,000 scholarships are Stella Blaha of Cleveland High School and Neel Jain of Westview High School.The four winners of the $1,000 scholarships are Emme Grisa of Gladstone High School, Jackson Lopiano of St. Mary’s School, William Seggerman of Pine Eagle High School, and Johanna Peeters Weem of Forest Grove High School.OnPoint received more than 350 applications from 151 OSAA member schools.
“Oregon’s Class of 2022 faced a year of great obstacles and came out the other side even stronger. This outstanding group of students returned to in-person learning and a full slate of activities without missing a beat, showing a level of adaptability and perseverance that will serve them well in the future,” said Rob Stuart, President and Chief Executive Officer of OnPoint Community Credit Union. “We are proud to partner with the OSAA to honor exceptional students for their hard work, dedication and spirit. This year’s winners inspire us all, and we look forward to seeing them continue to make a difference in their communities.”
OnPoint’s Scholar Program honors graduating Oregon high school seniors who have earned a 3.50 or higher unweighted cumulative grade point average, and have earned a varsity letter in an OSAA-sanctioned sport or competed in an OSAA-sanctioned activity. Winners were selected based on letters of recommendation and personal essays that described their community leadership, classroom success, and how participating in OSAA activities helped them achieve their goals.
“I commend our 2022 scholars for staying committed to their studies and finding ways to give back to their local communities,” said Peter Weber, OSAA Executive Director. “We’re excited to recognize their accomplishments and grateful to OnPoint for partnering with us to honor some of Oregon’s finest high school seniors.”
Winners of the 2022 OnPoint Community Credit Union Scholar Program:
$5,000 Scholarship Winners
- Stella Blaha of Cleveland High School, Portland Public Schools, maintained a perfect academic record in the rigorous International Baccalaureate Diploma program and led her varsity volleyball and basketball teams while grieving the loss of her mother to brain cancer. Her grit inspired Blaha’s basketball coach to create the Stella Blaha Athlete of Character Award, an award that will be given to an athlete each year in her name.
After rival fans sexually harassed her and her volleyball teammates during a match, Blaha successfully advocated for more support from administrators, and her team members agreed to refuse to play if they were sexually harassed.
“I had never considered forfeit as an option; however, my responsibility as a captain showed me that confronting the sexism female athletes face takes precedence over wins and losses,” Blaha said.
As a student in Cleveland’s Mandarin Immersion Program, Blaha voluntarily tutored young students in the program during the pandemic. As a member of the speech and debate team, Blaha mentored novice speakers and debaters. She will attend the University of California, Los Angeles.
- Neel Jain of Westview High School, Beaverton School District, launched PDX Concierge, a free grocery delivery service for the elderly and homebound during the COVID-19 pandemic. The service eventually expanded to more than 100 volunteers serving four Oregon communities.
“PDX Concierge isn’t just a grocery delivery service,” said Jain. “It’s a community built on mutual trust and support, a fulfilling experience for both our teenage volunteers and our elderly clients.”
Selected to serve on the Beaverton School District Superintendent’s Advisory Council, Jain successfully advocated to create a wellness room at Westview to support students’ mental health. He also served as a volunteer soccer coach, vice-chair to the Beaverton Mayor’s Youth Advisory Board, a youth liaison for the Beaverton Committee on Aging, and volunteered at an orphanage over his winter break in India.
Along with playing varsity soccer, Jain maintained a 4.0 unweighted and 4.45 weighted grade-point average and took 10 Advanced Placement courses and other honors coursework. He will attend The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania to study business with a focus on social impact and hopes to start his own socially responsible company.
$1,000 Scholarship Winners
- Emme Grisa of Gladstone High School, Gladstone School District, is a social justice and equity advocate, dancer, actor and musician who maintained a nearly perfect grade-point average. Grisa frequently volunteers through Key Club and National Honor Society and helped organize a Day of Silence to raise awareness about discrimination against the LGBTQ+ community. Diagnosed with Hashimoto’s disease, an autoimmune disorder that impacts how the brain processes information, Grisa has continued to perform well academically. A member of the choir and band, Grisa plans to continue playing the trumpet at the University of Oregon, where she will major in music with a goal of becoming a session player and musician for movies, television and video games.
- Jackson Lopiano of St. Mary’s School in Medford, supported families whose homes were destroyed by the Almeda Fire with Thanksgiving food baskets and clothing donations, and by building Little Free Pantry locations at community churches. Lopiano funded his projects by selling his family’s unneeded clothing online. Lopiano earned a 4.07 cumulative grade-point average while playing tennis for St. Mary’s, taking over a dozen Advanced Placement classes and a college-level multivariate calculus class. Lopiano will attend The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
- William Seggerman of Pine Eagle High School, Pine Eagle School District, earned his spot as valedictorian of his class by making the honor roll seven consecutive semesters while taking 14 college-level classes and earning nearly 50 college credits. Captain of his high school’s football team, Seggerman also wrestled and participated in Future Farmers of America, band, speech and class leadership activities. For his senior project, Seggerman organized and led volunteers to clean and maintain the 10-mile Lake Fork Trail in the Wallowa Whitman National Forest. Seggerman plans to attend the University of Idaho and major in Wildlife and Fishery Biology.
- Johanna Peeters Weem of Forest Grove High School, Forest Grove School District, led her friends to establish the Forest Grove Mayor’s Youth Advisory Council to encourage young people to participate in civic life. As chair of the council, she put her passion for politics to work by proposing legislation to promote citizen engagement, equity and environmental impact. Peeters Weem has taken 16 Advanced Placement classes, earning straight A’s while swimming and running track for her high school. Peeters Weem says she excels “in the distances that are so long no one else wants to do them, because I’ve developed a skill in keeping going when the going gets tough.” She plans to pursue a degree in Environmental Engineering at Oregon State University.
All graduating seniors in the Scholar Program were eligible to apply for a scholarship. The Scholar Program is part of OnPoint’s partnership with OSAA as the title sponsor of the Oregon high school state championships. Visit onpointcu.com/community-giving to learn more about OnPoint’s support of local organizations like OSAA.
ABOUT ONPOINT COMMUNITY CREDIT UNION
OnPoint Community Credit Union is the largest credit union in Oregon, serving over 483,000 members and with assets of $9.3 billion. Founded in 1932, OnPoint Community Credit Union’s membership is available to anyone who lives or works in one of 28 Oregon counties (Benton, Clackamas, Clatsop, Columbia, Coos, Crook, Curry, Deschutes, Douglas, Gilliam, Hood River, Jackson, Jefferson, Josephine, Klamath, Lane, Lincoln, Linn, Marion, Morrow, Multnomah, Polk, Sherman, Tillamook, Wasco, Washington, Wheeler, and Yamhill) and two Washington counties (Skamania and Clark) and their immediate family members. More information is available at www.onpointcu.com or 503-228-7077 or 800-527-3932.
ABOUT THE OREGON SCHOOL ACTIVITIES ASSOCIATION
The Oregon School Activities Association (OSAA) is a private non-profit, board-governed association comprised of 293 member high schools. A member of the National Federation of State High School Associations, the OSAA annually sponsors 113 teams and 426 individual state championships for students competing in 19 interscholastic activities. For more information, www.osaa.org
https://www.facebook.com/pg/Have-You-Seen-Me-Southern-Oregons-Missing-People-161249961222839/posts/