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
Thursday, June 16, 2022
Willamette Valley Weather
Commercial Development and New Traffic Lights Coming to Coburg Road
Officials said that because of new upscale development coming to Coburg Road, a new traffic light is needed to make room for the predicted uptick in traffic in the area and for the safety of pedestrians.
The commercial development will consist of eight spaces; two for restaurants and six for retail and other services, according to the property manager.
Doug Singer with the city of Eugene said before any work begins on the property, developers of the vacant lot will first improve the sidewalks and underground electrical infrastructure.
“We think that’s going to take about four weeks to construct the ADA ramps and do the underground work,” Singer said. “Then later in December, likely the traffic signal will get installed.”
Singer estimates the project will cost about $480,000 dollars, paid by the manager of the property being developed.
The light is expected to be finished by the end of the year so building construction can begin.
Springfield Man Pleads Guilty In 2021 Murder Of His Grandparents
The Lane County District Attorney’s office announced that the man suspected of murdering his grandparents in 2021 pleaded guilty to the charges against him.
The DA’s office says that on May 7, 2021, Eugene police discovered the bodies of Nancy Loucks-Morris, 85, and Gerald Edward Morris, 84, at a home on Green Acres Road and quickly determined that they were murdered. Officials said that later that afternoon detectives had labeled the victims’ grandson, Nicholas Kenneth Borden-Cortez, then 26, as a suspect in the case.
Officials report that police located Borden-Cortez in Springfield and arrested him after a vehicle chase. The DA’s office says that on May 24, 2021, Borden-Cortez was indicted on two charges of first-degree murder.
Borden-Cortez appeared in court Tuesday, June 14th, and pleaded guilty to both counts of first-degree murder. The DA’s office says that he will likely be sentenced on July 13. He is facing life in prison for both crimes.
Lane Community College To Build 24-Court Pickleball Facility
Lane Community College and The Emerald Valley Pickleball Club are joining together to build a new facility on LCC’s campus.
“Pickleball is the fastest growing sport in the United States,” said Eric Wold, President of the Emerald Valley Pickleball Club.
Wold said the two locations where pickleball is played right now — West Moreland Park in Eugene and Meadow Park in Springfield — constantly have lines of people wanting to play.
“We are going to see 24 beautiful state-of-the-art courts. 10 of those, hopefully along the back edge, will be covered which will allow play during all kinds of weather year-round,” Wold said.
Alicia Hays, the president of the Emerald Valley Pickleball Foundation said it was the easy access from Interstate 5 and the big parking lots that made the location perfect.
“I can see the community college teaching pickleball and then having pickleball as an intramural sport,” Hays said.
Lisa Fragala, the board chair of the board of education, said when Wold approached LCC about building the courts on campus, she saw an opportunity for students as well as the community.
“I’ll take a pickleball class, it sounds fun and of course there is the opportunity to put LCC on the map for people,” Fragala said.
The facility is expected cost between $2.5 to $3 million. The money will come from a combination of public and private funds.
Wold says the earliest construction can start is June 1, 2024, with an expected three-month start-to-finish time frame. When it is finished, it’ll be open for everyone of any skill level.
Oregon State Police Remind Motorists It Is Road Construction Season
Oregon State Police are reminding motorists it is the road construction season, and in many cases, that means slowing down when necessary. Construction zones are there to protect our highway workers, so they can also go home at the end of the workday.
BeAlert and #PayAttention
Inattentive driving is the leading cause of work zone crashes. Work Zones can have narrow lanes, closed lanes, closed shoulders, and workers very close to live traffic.
When possible, #MoveOver and #SlowDown for highway workers – Give workers more room between you and them. Obey all speed zone signs. Speeds may be reduced for your safety and the safety of workers.
Orange is Your Clue! OSP says, when you see orange signs, barrels, cones, and barricades – slow down and watch for highway workers. Traffic fines double and sometimes triple in work zones.
ODOT PROJECTS: https://www.oregon.gov/odot/projects/pages/default.aspx — Check TripCheck: https://www.tripcheck.com/
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/cfpe50JyzF2
Climate Change and Youth Mental Health in Oregon
Climate-related stressors, slow progress from leaders and increased awareness of the negative effects of climate change are leading to feelings of hopelessness, anxiety and frustration among young people.The findings, released today in our new report, “Climate Change and Youth Mental Health in Oregon,” also found that youth feel dismissed by adults and older generations in society, angry that not enough is being done to protect their future.“
As climate effects get worse, youth are becoming very worried about their future and the future of their younger siblings,” said Julie Early Sifuentes, M.S., program lead at OHA’s climate and health program and the report’s lead author. “I hope this report gets more conversations going in communities across the state, about how we can join with youth in confronting these crises.”
“Youth have spoken to what they need to move forward, including stronger connections with community, culture and nature, better access to mental health services and participation in policy making,” noted Dr. Meg Cary, M.D., M.P.H., child and adolescent psychiatrist and senior health advisor at OHA, and adviser to the study. To learn more and read the report, visit http://ow.ly/QUSM50JxGY1.
Oregon Housing Stability Council awards funding to build affordable homes in wildfire-affected counties
More than $73 million to fund over 600 affordable homes
SALEM, Ore. — Oregon Housing and Community Services announced awards of more than $73.33 million for the construction of 625 affordable homes in wildfire-affected counties across the state. The Oregon Housing Stability Council (HSC) awarded the latest rounds of program funding during their past meetings. Most of the funding will go toward development of rental housing, and some will go toward homeownership.
These awards will add needed affordable housing supply in the counties of the state affected by wildfires, including the 2020 Labor Day Fires that burned 1 million acres. More than 4,000 homes were destroyed, including more than 1,700 manufactured homes in 20 manufactured home parks.
More than $7 million in funding will go to convert the Talent Mobile Estates into a resident-owned cooperative. The manufactured dwelling park was destroyed during the 2020 Almeda Fire in Jackson County, displacing 89 families. Many of the residents were Latino/a/x families who worked in agriculture and other low-wage service jobs. They have been displaced from their community for the past 20 months. The Phoenix-Talent School District reported that nearly 40% of its students lost their homes to the fire, causing a significant social, emotional and economic disruption. CASA of Oregon will work with its partner, Coalición Fortaleza, to engage residents displaced from the area as they develop the project.
“I’ve been spending a lot of time in Southern Oregon and the Latinx community has been disproportionately affected,” said HSC Councilmember Gerard Sandoval, PhD. “This is a perfect type of project that is needed because it has strong community ties and is resident-owned.”
The council also awarded funding to Marion County to buy 15 acres of land for future development of new affordable homes. The site has the potential to establish a mix of two- to-four-bedroom single-family homes for wildfire survivors, seniors and workforce housing in the Santiam Canyon.
“Currently, we have around 300 households in Marion County who don’t have a place to call home,” said Marion County Commissioner Danielle Bethell. “This $1.7 million is not just going to purchase land; it’s going to give us the opportunity to create affordable, long-term housing that works for this community that was devasted by the wildfires.”
Below is a list of the 10 affordable housing developments awarded funding in Clackamas, Jackson, Marion and Lincoln counties.
| County | Development Name | Total Homes | Source of Funding | Awarded Amount |
| Clackamas | Estacada Apartments | 36 | Rental | $9,720,000 |
| Marion | Gateway Phase 2 | 138 | Rental | $25,175,000 |
| Jackson | Orchard Meadows and Prescott Gardens | 196 | Rental | $9,000,000 |
| Jackson | Summit Gardens | 34 | Rental | $6,060,000 |
| Jackson | Talent Senior Apartments | 22 | Rental | $3,181,400 |
| Lincoln | Wecoma Place | 44 | Rental | $3,927,515 |
| Marion | MacLeay CLT | 24 | Homeownership | $2,760,000 |
| Jackson | New Spirit Village | 42 Affordable, 42 Market | Homeownership | $4,300,000 |
| Jackson | Talent Mobile Estates | 89 | DRR – Acquisition | $7,500,000 |
| Marion | Mill City Homesteads | DRR – Acquisition | $1,706,500 |
Health care providers reimbursed with state funds required to work with certified or qualified health care interpreters starting July 1
New rules reflect bill passed by Oregon Legislature during 2021 session
PORTLAND, Ore. — New rules that go into effect July 1 will require health care providers reimbursed with public funds to work with credentialed health care interpreters qualified or certified by Oregon Health Authority (OHA).
The rules drafted by OHA reflect changes in the requirement for health care interpreting services in Oregon that were made by the state Legislature’s passage of House Bill 2359 during the 2021 session. These new rules will ensure that people for whom English is a second language (those with limited English proficiency) or who use sign language can access high-quality interpreting services so they can receive health care like anyone else in Oregon. This access is critical to achieving the state’s mission of eliminating health inequities by 2030.
In addition to requiring publicly reimbursed health care providers to work with a qualified or certified health care interpreter listed on OHA’s 900-plus-member central registry, the law outlines recordkeeping requirements for health care providers and interpreting service companies when they work with a health care interpreter. Among the requirements are that they document the interpreter’s name, central registry number and language interpreted.
The law also requires health care providers to supply appropriate personal protective equipment, or PPE, at no cost to a health care interpreter for onsite interpreting services. And it directs OHA to develop policies and processes to improve the quality, consistency, availability and affordability of training, and qualification and certification standards, for health care interpreters, as well as accuracy and usability of the OHA central registry.
In addition, OHA – and state boards that license and certify health care professionals – must develop rules to enforce the new requirements for health care interpreting services.
“We are pleased we received participation and input from community partners and pleased that this legislation strengthens and supports language interpretation services in Oregon,” said Leann Johnson, director of the Equity and Inclusion Division at OHA.
Johnson added that the new rules ensure health care providers and interpretation service companies work with best practices in providing health care interpretation services. The rules also will improve access to health care interpreters in rural communities in Oregon, particularly to interpreters capable of interpreting languages of limited diffusion – or spoken by a small population – in those areas.
One of the organizations OHA is partnering with to eliminate barriers that prevent access to health care interpreter services is Pueblo Unido PDX. The Portland-based nonprofit connects individuals with a vulnerable immigration status in the Pacific Northwest with legal, social and Indigenous language interpretation services.
“Pueblo Unido PDX and the Collective of Indigenous Interpreters of Oregon (CIIO) are grateful for the opportunity to collaborate with OHA to identify and address barriers to healthcare interpreter credentialing for Indigenous language interpreters,” said Cam Coval, executive director of Pueblo Unido PDX.
He said OHA’s Equity and Inclusion Division staff actively listened to feedback from Pueblo Unido and CIIO and “did not hesitate to implement our suggested changes, including eliminating the background check requirement and creating an exception to the GED or educational equivalency requirement for health care interpreters.”
Pueblo Unido and CIIO, he said, look forward to continued collaboration with OHA to ensure that required interpreter trainings are offered in Spanish; verify that patients are paired with an interpreter that speaks the correct variation of their Indigenous language; and develop more robust language proficiency evaluation mechanisms to determine that Indigenous language interpreters are indeed proficient in the target language.
House Bill 2359 allows some exceptions for health care providers in working with a health care interpreter, including that:
- The health care provider is proficient in the preferred language of the person with limited English proficiency.
- The person with limited English proficiency has an interpreter they prefer to work with who is not on the central registry.
- The health care provider tried to find an interpreter using the central registry, but no interpreters were available.
OHA has been working closely with Oregon Council on Health Care Interpreters, the Oregon Department of Justice, health systems and other community partners to identify additional changes that reduce costs for health care interpreters associated with inclusion in the OHA central registry and administrative burdens. For example, all OHA central registry application and renewal fees for interpreters have been removed; training is offered for free or at low cost; training and experience requirements have been updated to maintain and improve interpreter quality standards; and an interpreter’s transition from qualified to certified status is now optional rather than required.
Health care providers and interpreting service companies will be given time – one year – to transition to the new requirements for working with OHA central registry interpreters who work remotely. Also, interpreters will no longer need to pass a background check to be included as a qualified or certified interpreter on the OHA central registry.
For more information about HB 2359, OHA’s central registry or health care interpreter services, visit the Health Care Interpreter Program website.
Oregon Adds 6,200 Jobs in May
In Oregon, nonfarm payroll employment grew by 6,200 in May, following gains averaging 6,000 jobs in the prior six months. Monthly gains in May were largest in leisure and hospitality (+3,200 jobs); transportation, warehousing, and utilities (+1,300); wholesale trade (+900); and manufacturing (+800). Construction (-1,100 jobs) was the only major industry that shed a substantial number of jobs.
Over the past 12 months, nonfarm payrolls rose by 82,700 jobs, or 4.4%. Leisure and hospitality accounted for more than a third of these gains, growing by 29,400 jobs, or 17.2%. Private educational services grew by 3,000 jobs, or 9.3%, which was the second fastest growth rate of the major industries. Several industries grew by close to 5% since May 2021, including construction; wholesale trade; professional and business services; and manufacturing. None of the major industries declined a substantial amount over the past 12 months.
Durable goods manufacturing growth accelerated, as the industry added 8,800 jobs, or 6.9%, during the past 12 months. All of its component industries added jobs in that time. Computer and electronic products (+4,200 jobs, or 11.2%) added the bulk of jobs in durable goods manufacturing. Primary metals manufacturing (+800 job, or 12.3%) grew at the fastest rate, while three other component industries each added close to 1,100 jobs—machinery, fabricated metals, and wood products.
Oregon’s unemployment rate edged down to 3.6% in May, from 3.7% in April, reaching its lowest level in more than two years. The rate is close to Oregon’s record low of 3.4%, which occurred in each of the four months of November 2019 through February 2020. The U.S. unemployment rate was 3.6% in both April and May 2022.
Oregon’s rising labor force participation rate is another sign that more people are getting back to work. In May, the participation rate rose to 63.5%, its highest reading in 10 years. This measure of how many people are working or looking for work has risen rapidly since reaching a low of 59.2% in April 2020 during the worst of the COVID recession. Oregon’s labor force participation rate of 63.5% in May was well above the comparable U.S. figure of 62.3%.
Next Press Releases — The Oregon Employment Department plans to release the May county and metropolitan area unemployment rates on Wednesday, June 22, and the next statewide unemployment rate and employment survey data for June on Wednesday, July 20.
Notes: All numbers in the above narrative are seasonally adjusted except for the component industries within durable goods manufacturing.
The Oregon Employment Department and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) work cooperatively to develop and publish monthly Oregon payroll employment and labor force data. The estimates of monthly job gains and losses are based on a survey of businesses. The estimates of unemployment are based on a survey of households and other sources.
The Oregon Employment Department publishes payroll employment estimates that are revised quarterly by using employment counts from employer unemployment insurance tax records. All department publications use this Official Oregon Series data unless noted otherwise. This month’s release incorporates the October, November and December 2021 tax records data. The department continues to make the original nonfarm payroll employment series available; these data are produced by the BLS.
The PDF version of the news release can be found at QualityInfo.org/press-release. To obtain the data in other formats such as in Excel, visit QualityInfo.org, then within the top banner, select Economic Data, then choose LAUS or CES. To request the press release as a Word document, contact the person shown at the top of this press release.
To file a claim for unemployment benefits or get more information about unemployment programs, visit Oregon.gov/employ.
The Oregon Employment Department (OED) is an equal opportunity agency. Everyone has a right to use OED programs and services. OED provides free help. Some examples are: Sign language and spoken language interpreters, written materials in other languages, braille, large print, audio and other formats. If you need help, please call 971-673-6400. TTY users call 711. You can also ask for help at OED_Communications@employ.oregon.gov.
US Geological Survey Reports Series of Tremors off Oregon Coast
A series of rumbles, about 274 miles off the coast of Newport, OR, were traced by geologists between 2:54 and about 7 AM. The largest of them registered 5.6 on the Richter scale, which is just below what’s considered a dangerous stage of 6 and up.
Each year dozens of such mid-range quakes happen all over the earth, but this one perhaps gets extra attention because of the Cascadia Subfault. It’s a huge rift that runs from CA past OR and WA and varies between 80 and 100 miles off the coast. The Cascadia Subfault makes the San Andreas Fault look like a paper cut.
This quake and others were further out than that, there have been some other similar ones over the last 3 years off the Oregon coast. No reports of any large waves of Tsunami activity from officials. Geologists have been closely watching the Pacific Coast because of the Cascadia Subfault.
It’s estimated its last major activity was a couple of hundred years ago, but when it slipped, it sent a large tidal wave to the shore. Evidence of deposits of soil can be found along the Oregon and WA coast by experts who know where to dig, showing layers of soil brought in and stacked by that event.
https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/map/?currentFeatureId=us7000hhik&extent=31.57854,-149.63379&extent=54.34215,-95.66895&listOnlyShown=true
Conservation Groups Sue To Protect Old-Growth Forests
Six environmental groups sued officials of the Biden administration Tuesday, saying a Trump-era rule change that allowed logging of old-growth forests in the Pacific Northwest violates federal laws and was politically motivated.
The Trump administration amended a protection that had been in place since 1994 that prohibited the harvesting of trees 21 inches (53 centimeters) or greater in diameter and instead emphasized maintaining a combination of trees, with trees at least 150 years old prioritized for protection and favoring fire-tolerant species.
The area the rule covers is at least 7 million acres, roughly the size of the state of Maryland, on six national forests in eastern Oregon and southeast Washington state, east of the Cascade Range.
But the lawsuit said the government’s environmental assessment did not adequately address scientific uncertainty surrounding the effectiveness of thinning, especially thinning large trees, for fire risk reduction. The groups said the thinning and logging of large trees “can actually increase fire severity.” The U.S. Forest Service said it doesn’t comment on pending or active lawsuits.
Oregon State Police Fish & Wildlife is seeking public assistance in locating the owner of an SUV- Umatilla County
OSP Fish & Wildlife is seeking public assistance with locating the owner of a light-colored SUV last seen near Hermiston, Oregon, around October of 2021. The vehicle was captured by an OSP Fish & Wildlife Division mobile recording device, but the license plate is unreadable. It is believed the vehicle may reside in the Benton County area of southeast Washington and is connected with a poaching incident nearby.
OSP Fish & Wildlife Division has exhausted all other leads in this case and is now urging anyone with information regarding this case to call the Oregon State Police Tip-line at 1-800-452-7888, OSP (677), or email at TIP@osp.oregon.gov. Please, reference case number SP21-290284.
Report Wildlife and Habitat Law Violators
The Turn In Poachers (TIP) program offers preference points or cash rewards for information leading to an arrest or issuance of a citation, to a suspect, for the unlawful killing of wildlife, and or waste of big game. Cash rewards can also be awarded for turning in people who destroy habitat, illegally obtain licenses/tags, and for the unlawful lending/borrowing of big game tags. Learn more: https://www.oregon.gov/osp/programs/fw/Pages/tip.aspx
https://www.facebook.com/pg/Have-You-Seen-Me-Southern-Oregons-Missing-People-161249961222839/posts/