Willamette Valley News, Tuesday 7/5 – Fireworks Factor in Eugene House Fire, People Banding Together to Help Young Injured Logger’s Family

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

Tuesday, July 5, 2022

Willamette Valley Weather

Fireworks Factor in Eugene House Fire

A house in Eugene is unlivable after a house fire early Tuesday morning, according to fire crews. This happened at 12:48 a.m. Tuesday morning in the 2800 block of Maesner Street in Eugene. Fire crews said everyone made it out of the house uninjured and that the cause of the fire is under investigation. 

People Banding Together to Help Young Injured Logger’s Family

On 6/24/2022 at 6:30 A.M. Parker Price, age 31, was injured while on his job as a logger. He was airlifted to RiverBend Hospital in Springfield. He is now in ICU suffering from severe spinal cord breaks in his neck, internal injuries, multiple broken bones, and a collapsed lung. He is currently on a respirator awaiting his 2nd surgery. They have completed one spinal cord surgery where they have put metal plates in his neck.

He needs a second surgery through the back of his neck to add more metal plates. Unfortunately, on the day of the second surgery, his right lung collapsed and his left lung has pneumonia. He is now hooked up to a breathing tube. We don’t know if he’ll ever get off the breathing tube. If he survives, he will be completely paralyzed below his chest and partially paralyzed in his arms.

This was posted on the Facebook Group page for Oregon Natural Resources Industries: “Young logging family needs their community to unite around them as they get thru an unthinkable tragedy that has left this young logger paralyzed, many broken bones, and on a breathing tube( hopefully temporarily) but that is still undetermined, one lung collapsed and they are nursing the other thru pneumonia. His wife and son, and unborn child are by his side.

I just Spoke to Rachael Price, Parker Prices wife. She couldn’t say thank you enough for the donations on their go fund me. He is currently in surgery. She is holding up. And baby was hungry, she was heading down to the cafeteria. Hopefully after recovery he can breathe without a breathing tube. This will be an 8 hour surgery today. He does have use of an arm, but no hands at this point. So prayers for use of his hands and his lungs are needed. Rachel is praying for all the miracles, and asks that we all do too.

They are from Eugene. I asked how we can help locally. She said when it’s time for him to come home she would like for us to organize helping her do what’s needed to make their home wheel chair accessible. So let me know if your close to Eugene and willing to help. Also, here is their go fund me again. https://www.gofundme.com/…/logging-tragedy-pregnant…

https://www.facebook.com/groups/563318404217575/?multi_permalinks=1136571870225556&ref=share

If you’d like to help, share and donate, this is the GoFundMe link: https://www.gofundme.com/f/logging-tragedy-pregnant-wife-and-son-need-help

PeaceHealth Hospital Struggles With Staff Shortage Cuts Travel Nurse Budget

PeaceHealth hospital in Springfield has begun phasing out travel nurses, resulting in staff shortages that have caused emergency room patients to be boarded in hallways because there aren’t enough nurses on the floors to care for them.

The hiring of travel nursing grew during the pandemic to bolster hospital staff nationwide. But now, Vancouver, Wash.-based PeaceHealth has started cutting their pay rates, forcing the nurses to decide whether they want to leave or work for less.

“For those nurses, it occurred mid-contract,” said Chris Rompala, an RN at Sacred Heart Medical Center at Riverbend.  “After it occurred, some of them were given less than 24 hours to make a decision to either continue with their employment, or to leave and go somewhere else.”

This shortage comes just before Oregon is set to host the World Athletic Championships, expected to have tens of thousands of visitors. 

“Adding that many more people to our community is going to be very taxing on our healthcare system,” Mr. Rompala said. “I know that right now, the plan is to add about 20 travelers. But when we’re fully staffed, we have about 1,400 nurses. So, adding 20 is just a drop in the bucket.”

PeaceHealth, which has operations in Alaska, Oregon and Washington. “We have reduced our reliance on high-cost temporary workers and strengthened our local recruitment efforts. We are working to minimize any impacts to patients, including rescheduling non-critical surgeries, while continuing to meet the health needs of our communities.”

Pedestrian Killed in Veneta After Being Hit By Two Vehicles

A man was struck by two vehicles and killed in Veneta Saturday evening, according to Oregon State Police.

Two vehicles — a Honda Fit driven by a 59-year-old man from Walton and a Ford F-150 driven by a woman from Eugene — turned left from Territorial Road onto Highway 126 at about 7:45 p.m. and struck a man who was crossing the roadway against the crosswalk lights, according to the State Police release.

The pedestrian has not been identified, the news release said. The drivers were not injured.

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Lane County, Oregon, has reported two presumed monkeypox cases after testing from the state public health lab — the second and third presumptive cases reported in Oregon.

Jason Davis, a spokesperson for Lane County Public Health, said an epidemiological link between the first and second case reported in the county — which both were reported Friday — has not been established.

Officials said the first patient is an adult who did not have a travel history in areas with known cases. Lane County noted the test sample has been sent to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for confirmation. The second patient was identified only as an adult residing in Lane County.

Most monkeypox patients experience only fever, body aches, chills and fatigue. People with more serious illness might develop a rash and lesions on the face and hands that can spread to other parts of the body.
The disease is endemic in parts of Africa, where people have been infected through bites from rodents or small animals. It does not usually spread easily among people.

A new COVID-19 forecast for Oregon was scheduled to come out on Friday, but Oregon Health and Science University’s lead forecaster is still working on some new details. He did say he expects COVID to keep spreading through July.

The pandemic has taken some unexpected turns in the past two years, so predicting what to expect in a coming month can be challenging. In fact, it has OHSU’s Peter Graven working into the holiday weekend to get a complete handle on the outlook for July in Oregon. 

The late additions Graven is considering are the Omicron subvariants BA.4 and BA.5, both of which have come on strong in Oregon after initially remaining in the background during prior weeks when BA.2 and BA.2.12.1 were driving most of the state’s cases.

The increased spread has prompted the Centers for Disease Control to raise the COVID-19 transmission risk level to high in most Oregon counties, including Oregon’s most populated places. Klamath County remains in the “high” category range. The Oregon Health Authority’s Dr. Paul Cieslak said he’s not surprised by the CDC’s take.

People in two-thirds of Oregon’s counties should again wear masks indoors and on public transportation, based on a recommendation from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The CDC website shows there are 24 Oregon counties in the “high” COVID community level, meaning they’ve had 200+ new cases per 100,000 people in the last seven days, or they’ve had more than 20 new coronavirus hospital admissions per 100,000 people within a seven-day period.

Oregon’s most populous county, Multnomah, has seen nearly 310 cases per 100,000 over the past week, while in Crook County that rate is over 500.

The federal agency recommends people living in counties with high COVID-19 community level should wear a mask in indoor public settings and get tested if they have symptoms.

People at high risk for severe illness should also take additional precautions along with indoor masking, the CDC said, like staying 6 feet away from others, avoiding crowds and poorly ventilated spaces, and washing their hands often.

The CDC updates its data on Thursdays, with the most recent update happening on June 30.

You can see more on the COVID-19 Community Levels on the CDC’s website.

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Oregon City Man Arrested For Kidnapping Missing Canadian Teenager

A 13-year-old girl who went missing in Edmonton, Canada 10 days ago has been found in Oregon, and an Oregon City man has been arrested in connection with the alleged kidnapping.

Noah Whitefield Madrano, 41, will face charges of child luring in Canada and may face additional charges as the investigation continues, according to a press release from the Edmonton Police Service (EPS).

The press release said the investigation involved multiple other law enforcement agencies in both the United States and Canada, including the FBI.

The teen has been taken to a local hospital for evaluation, EPS said, and police are making arrangements to return her to her family.  It’s been reported that the girl’s parents posted to Facebook that they were on their way to Portland to pick her up.

Oregon City police confirmed officers arrested Madrano on Saturday per a request from the FBI and he is being held in the Clackamas County Jail. According to the jail roster, Madrano faces Oregon state charges of second degree kidnapping, first degree sexual abuse and second degree rape.

The Portland FBI office confirmed Madrano was arrested for allegedly luring the 13-year-old from Canada to the United States, and that the girl was found in Oregon City, but declined to comment further.

Del Taco in Roseburg Burns

Just before 1:30 a.m. Saturday, Roseburg Fire Department personnel responded to a reported commercial structure fire at 2435 NW Stewart Parkway, Del Taco.

Dispatchers received several reports of smoke showing from the roof of the commercial structure that houses Del Taco on Stewart Parkway. Firefighters arrived on scene to find a significant amount of grey smoke coming from the soffits of the roof.

During the fire, a large section of Stewart Parkway was closed for safety reasons. The structure suffered substantial damage and is estimated to be a total loss. No firefighter or civilian injuries were reported.

Oregon Vocational Rehabilitation seeks advisory committee members who want to help people with disabilities achieve employment

(Salem) – Oregon Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) invites Oregonians to apply to serve on a Rules Advisory Committee (RAC) that will update administrative rules governing vocational rehabilitation services.  

Vocational Rehabilitation is a program within the Oregon Department of Human Services (ODHS). VR provides a wide variety of employment services to people with disabilities to get and keep jobs that match their skills, interests and abilities. VR also serves businesses to find ready-to-work applicants with a wide range of skills and abilities and to access work incentive programs that can help businesses save money.  

The Rules Advisory Committee will advise VR on how its rules affect people with disabilities who want to seek, maintain employment and advance in their careers. It will also consider how the rules contribute to equity. VR prioritizes applications from individuals who have experienced barriers to employment related to a disability or know about employment and persons with disabilities. 

More information on the workgroup and how to apply to participate is provided below. 

Committee scope of work 

The VR Rules Advisory Committee gives feedback and recommendations on administrative rules that govern vocational rehabilitation services. Committee members will discuss: 

  • Are the rules clear and understandable? 
  • What impact will the rules have on Vocational Rehabilitation clients? 
  • Rule impact on business, particularly small businesses.  
  • Rule impact on racial equity.  

Timeline and commitment 

The VR Rules Advisory Committee is scheduled to meet on the fourth Monday of each month from 3 to 4 p.m. The committee meets once a month, for an hour. The meeting might be extended depending on the work to be done. Committee members can anticipate spending one to two hours before the meeting to read and review proposed rules. 

How to apply 

Are you interested in being on Vocational Rehabilitation Rules Advisory Committee? You can apply by: 

Applications are accepted year-round.  

### About Vocational Rehabilitation: ODHS Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) assists individuals with disabilities to get and keep a job or advance in their career that matches their skills, interests, and abilities. VR staff work in partnership with the community and businesses to provide services that are individualized to help each eligible person receive services that are essential to their employment success 

DMV Reminds 10 Months Left For Oregonians To Get REAL ID For Air Travel

Oregonians will need more than a standard Oregon driver license or ID card at airport security checkpoints to board a flight within the U.S starting May 3, 2023.  Residents will need a Real ID-compliant driver license or ID card, or a passport or other federally acceptable ID.

We’re now less than 10 months to that deadline.

The Transportation Security Administration has a full list of identity documents it will accept for air travel at TSA.gov.

“A year may sound like a long time, but it isn’t when it comes to issuing secure identification such as driver licenses, ID cards and passports,” said DMV Administrator Amy Joyce.

“It can take weeks to gather the documents you need to qualify for a type of ID that the TSA will accept at airports.”

DMV offices in Oregon and across the country are busy, and the U.S. Department of State has a backlog for passport applications and renewals. As the REAL ID deadline approaches, DMVs and the State Department will get busier.

You can renew your Oregon license or ID card up to 12 months before your expiration date.

If you need to renew between now and May 3, 2023, the Oregon Department of Transportation recommends to do it early and add the Real ID option in order to save you a second trip to DMV or the wait for a passport.

Real ID is optional in Oregon because you may already have a passport, passport card, military ID or other credential for air travel.

However, if you want the Real ID option on your Oregon driver license or ID card, don’t wait until you book a flight.

How do I get the Real ID option in Oregon?

  1. Make sure you have the documents you need to qualify for Real ID. Create your own checklist at Oregon.gov/Realid.
  2. You must apply for Real ID in person. You can visit a DMV office or make an appointment at DMV2U.Oregon.gov.
  3. Bring the documents on your checklist and your current license or ID card, and pay the $30 Real ID fee in addition to the regular issuance, renewal or replacement fee.
  4. Then the process is the same as a standard Oregon card: signature, get your photo taken and receive a paper interim card until your Real ID plastic card arrives in the mail in 5-10 business days. You cannot use the interim card for air travel.

“You may already have the ID you need for air travel,” Joyce said.

“But if you don’t, please act now – get or renew your passport, or add the Real ID option to your Oregon license or ID card. Oregon DMV offices are already very busy, but they will get busier in 2023 because of Real ID.”

Major Fires South of Klamath Falls

Another major fire of the season started Saturday just south of Klamath Falls near Midland. The blaze began near a residence on Cross Road. Moderate to heavy winds then picked up the fire’s momentum, sending it toward homes and structures in the immediate area.

Klamath County Fire District 1, Klamath County Fire District 4, Keno Fire, Merrill Fire, Kingsley Field Fire Department, and the Oregon Department of Forestry. Among others were able to knock down the blaze withn a reasonable amount of time after the blaze was said to have charred about 60 acres, climbing up a steep hillside in the area.

An Oregon Department of Forestry helicopter called to the fire was forced to be grounded for about two hours as lightning and more heavy winds were reported in the area. At the fire’s peak, flames were clearly visible from traffic on Highway 97.

No structures were damaged and no injuries reported. The cause of the fire is under investigation and has not been announced by fire officials.

A little further south, ODF Southwest crews responded to the  Skookum Creek Fire, located about two miles north of the Oregon-California border in the BLM Soda Mountain Wilderness.

ODF ordered in two Type 2 helicopters, and two ODF Type 6 engines, and Medford Crew 10 and CAL FIRE Siskiyou Unit resources responded as well. According to a resident near the area, the fire is located in a remote area, and ODFSW it has been difficult for their firefighters to get access to the area.  

No structures were threatened and while this is expected to be a lightning-caused fire according to officials, ODF Southwest is investigating to confirm or determine the cause.

Local Scholarship Solving Centuries-Old Mystery of the “Beeswax Wreck” off the Oregon Coast Now Available for Free Online

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For centuries, beeswax and Chinese porcelain have washed ashore on Nehalem Spit, on the north Oregon Coast. After years of research in archives around the world in combination with archaeological evidence, scholars were able to point to the Santo Cristo de Burgos, a seventeenth-century Manila galleon owned by the kingdom of Spain, as the mysterious vessel commonly known today as the “Beeswax Wreck.”

On June 16, National Geographic announced that state officials had confirmed the recovery of timbers from the Santo Cristo de Burgos near Manzanita. In summer 2018, the Oregon Historical Society’s (OHS) scholarly journal, the Oregon Historical Quarterly (OHQ), published a ground-breaking special issue on this research, a powerful combination of archaeological and archival evidence solving this centuries-old mystery. In light of the recent discovery of remains from the wreck, OHS has recently made this special issue of OHQ, “Oregon’s Manila Galleon,” available for free online.

“Our understanding of the history of the Beeswax Wreck is because of the knowledge and scholarship shared by dedicated individuals from across disciplines and centuries; everything from Native oral tradition to archival research to maritime archaeology has brought new information to the public about one of Oregon’s most fascinating mysteries,” said Oregon Historical Quarterly Editor Eliza E. Canty-Jones. “With this exciting discovery of timbers from the ship itself, OHS is proud to make this scholarship accessible to all to provide a more complete narrative of this fascinating piece of Oregon history.”

Stories of a very large shipwreck began circulating during the earliest days of Euro- American presence in the Pacific Northwest, as fur traders and explorers learned from Native people that a large ship had long ago wrecked on Nehalem Spit, with survivors and cargo that included beeswax. The stories, shrouded by speculation and often contradictory Euro-American folklore, captivated treasure-hunters who searched for a century and a half on nearby Neahkahnie Mountain and the adjacent beaches. 

The archaeologist-led team of the Beeswax Wreck Project used geology, archaeology, and porcelain analysis, combined with documentation from Spanish archives, to pinpoint the ship’s likely identity. Beeswax stamped with Spanish shippers’ marks confirmed the wreck’s origin, and patterns on Chinese porcelain sherds allowed researchers to narrow the date range. 

The Spanish Manila galleon trade was the first global network, and close to 300 galleons left the Philippines for Acapulco carrying Asian goods during its 250-year span. The Project determined that the Beeswax Wreck was one of two galleons that vanished without a trace: the Santo Cristo de Burgos, which sailed in 1693, or the San Francisco Xavier, which left Manila in 1705. Mapping the location of beeswax deposits allowed Project members to assert with confidence that the ship almost certainly wrecked before the 1700 Cascadia earthquake and tsunami.

Cameron La Follette and her team of archivists then undertook wide-ranging research in the archives of Spain, the Philippines, and Mexico to locate all available information about the Santo Cristo de Burgos of 1693. They discovered the history of the ship’s Captain, Don Bernardo Iñiguez del Bayo; a complete crew and passenger list; and highly important facts about the cargo. Researchers now know that the Santo Cristo de Burgos — which was built at the Solsogón shipyard on Bagato Island in the Philippines — was carrying 2.5 tons of liquid mercury. Public reports at this time do not indicate whether mercury testing has been completed on the recovered timbers. 

After many years of work to solve this multi-century mystery, La Follette’s research team and the Beeswax Wreck Project group published their findings in this special issue of the Oregon Historical Quarterly. La Follette is executive director of Oregon Coast Alliance and lead author on the special issue. By day she advocates for coastal conservation, and by night she writes poetry, which is archived at the University of Oregon’s Special Collections and University Archives. 

The Oregon Historical Quarterly (OHQ) is a peer-reviewed public history journal published by the Oregon Historical Society that brings history about Oregon and the Pacific Northwest to both scholars and general readers. OHQ is one of the largest state historical society journals in the United States and is a recognized and respected source for the history of the Pacific Northwest region. 

The Summer 2018 issue of the Oregon Historical Quarterly is now available to read for free online, and print copies are also available for purchase in the Oregon Historical Society Museum Store for $10. A subscription to OHQ is a benefit of Oregon Historical Society membership. 


About the Oregon Historical Society

For more than a century, the Oregon Historical Society has served as the state’s collective memory, preserving a vast collection of artifacts, photographs, maps, manuscript materials, books, films, and oral histories. Our research library, museum, digital platforms & website (www.ohs.org), educational programming, and historical journal make Oregon’s history open and accessible to all.We exist because history is powerful, and because a history as deep and rich as Oregon’s cannot be contained within a single story or point of view. 

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