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
Friday, August 19, 2022
Willamette Valley Weather
Lane Co. Sheriff’s Office Warns of Scammers Impersonating Sheriff’s Office Employees
We have received recent reports of a telephone scam in our community.
The scammers commonly identify themselves either verbally, by text or by email as employees of the Lane County Sheriff’s Office. Often times the scammers identify themselves using the names of real Sheriff’s Office employees and provide a fraudulent number for the victim to call back.
When the victim calls the provided number they are directed into a phone tree system that is designed to sound like an official Lane County phone tree. The scammers will then commonly make claims that there are warrants, missed jury duty, or unsettled legal business that involve the victim or someone the victim knows and ask for personal or financial information.
The Lane County Sheriff’s Office will never ask for money, awards, or compensation of any type over the telephone.
If you are contacted by someone claiming to be a Lane County Sheriff’s Office employee and you think you are being scammed, please contact our dispatch center at 541-682-4150 opt. 1. — Lane Co. Sheriff’s Office
Missing Eugene Man Pulled from Willamette River Near Harrisburg
CORVALLIS, Ore. – On August 17, 2022, at approximately 11 a.m., Benton County Sheriff’s Deputies pulled the remains of a Eugene missing person from the Willamette River.
A female was recreating in a canoe, when she located a body on a small island of the river about one mile north of McCartney Park, near Harrisburg.
BCSO Deputies responded and during the course of the investigation were able to identify the remains to be those of 36-year-old Justin Grossman.
According to information provided by the Lane County Sheriff’s Office on May 9, 2022, rescuers from Eugene/Springfield Fire and the Lane County Sheriff’s Office responded to the report of a capsized canoe in the Willamette River on May 7, 2022. Searchers saturated the area but were unable to find Grossman, who had reportedly been camping on an island in the river and was using the canoe to commute to and from it when the boat capsized.
Eugene Police Arrest Man Using His Mailbox To Deliver Drugs
Police say a man was arrested on Wednesday after postal workers tipped off the Eugene Police Department about drugs and money being dropped off in a locked mailbox.
According to the EPD, the local branch of the United States Postal Service contacted police about a locked mailbox on 5973 Helena St. they believed was being used as a “dead drop” for drug deliveries.
Police say the post office told them workers had seen large amounts of cash and suspected counterfeit fentanyl pills in the mailbox between July 19 and August 16. Police say the postal workers were careful not to disturb the evidence and took pictures of the illicit contents of the mailbox.
Eugene police said the mailbox’s address had been featured in several unrelated calls in the last eight months, including vicious dog reports, shots fired and generally suspicious conditions. Additionally, the house is within 1,000 feet of Meadowview Elementary School. The EPD says their investigation led to the execution of a search warrant at the address on August 17 at 11:50 a.m.
Police say they arrested Leon Norman Provost, 55, and seized 987 suspected fentanyl pills, more 16 grams of methamphetamine and more than 19 grams of cocaine. Provost was charged with unlawful delivery of schedule two narcotics within 1,000 feet of a school.
KKNU Eugene Host Bill Barrett Dies
Bill Barrett, the former morning show host at McKenzie River Broadcasting KKNU Eugene, OR (93.3), died on Wednesday afternoon. The Country Radio Hall of Famer celebrated 50 years in radio ahead of his retirement in January 2021. He spent 45 years of morning radio in Eugene, OR, including 25 years where he co-hosted KKNU’s “Barrett, Fox & Berry” morning show.
The show was a three-time winner of the Academy of Country Music’s small-market On-Air Personality of the Year in 2016 and a regular nominee in the Country Music Association’s radio categories, as well.
On Monday evening, former KKNU co-hosts Tim Fox and Tracy Berry revealed that Barrett had been placed in hospice care. “It is with an immensely heavy heart that we share the news that our dearest Bill Barrett is nearing the end of his time,” the Facebook post read.
“Cancer has come calling and the battle is lost. But his overwhelming love for his dear family, and all of you who have supported him in his 45 years of morning radio in Eugene are sustaining him in his final days.”
Berry later shared a tribute to her former colleague Thursday morning. “Good night, sweet prince. We lost our beloved broadcast partner and dear friend, Bill Barrett, yesterday. Miss him like crazy, but so glad he was part of our lives.”
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/E8E050KniOa
As students prepare to head back to school, Oregon state leaders say this year school districts will have control when it comes to COVID-19. That means school districts will decide what mitigation strategies are best based on local COVID conditions.
Right now, the state isn’t recommending universal masking inside schools or quarantines unless you test positive.
Additionally, state leaders said Wednesday there’s no plan to require COVID vaccine for Oregon students, not this year or in the near future.
This comes as the number of daily cases of COVID-19 and hospitalizations have declined in the state since mid-July. Mid-July was the last COVID-19 peak, when the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said 22 of Oregon’s 36 counties were considered to have high levels of COVID-19.
For students, this year will be the most normal start of school in years. More COVID boosters are expected to arrive this fall to better protect against omicron subvariants, but state leaders have no plans to mandate them.
𝗢𝗿𝗲𝗴𝗼𝗻 𝗗𝗲𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗙𝗼𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗕𝘂𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘂 𝗼𝗳 𝗟𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗠𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗢𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹𝘀 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗳𝗶𝗿𝗺 𝗙𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗳𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗙𝗮𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆
Oregon Department of Forestry and Bureau of Land Management officials have confirmed the death of a firefighter on a fire in Josephine County. The incident took place on Thursday, August 18, 2022 and the individual’s name is being withheld pending notification of next of kin.
This is the second firefighter to lose their life on an active blaze this month in Oregon.
No details about the death were released other than that the incident took place on a fire in Josephine County, where both state and federal firefighters are battling multiple lightning-ignited fires from a thunderstorm that hit the area earlier this week.
Our deepest sympathies are with the family, friends and fellow firefighters during this time. The cause is under investigation and more details will be released as they are confirmed.
Political Center Rates Oregon Gubernatorial Race To “Toss-Up” As The Race Sets Up An Unusual Situation With Three Candidates
The University of Virginia’s Center for Politics, a nonpartisan political center, has changed its prediction for Oregon’s three-way gubernatorial race from “leans Democrat” to “toss-up.”
The University of Virginia’s Center for Politics made the announcement Thursday, saying that “despite the state’s blue lean and the fact that Republicans have not won a gubernatorial race there since 1982” when the late Gov. Vic Atiyeh won re-election, it considers the race to be open.
It said the competition among progressive Democrat Tina Kotek, Republican Christine Drazan and nonaffiliated candidate Betsy Johnson, who all served in the state Legislature, had created an unusual dynamic. The center noted that Johnson, though a former Democrat, is “more conservative than most of the members of her former party” and had garnered the support of Nike co-founder Phil Knight, who typically backs Republicans.
“The race sets up an unusual situation where the winner may not need to crack even 40%,” the center said, noting that outgoing Gov. Kate Brown, a Democrat, “is deeply unpopular, and there may be some desire for change in the Beaver State.”
The center said Johnson “would still be the most surprising winner, and Kotek and Drazan both will be working to try to prevent their voters from flocking to her banner. There’s just enough uncertainty here that we’re looking at the race as a toss-up now.”
The other states that the center considers a toss-up in the governor’s race are Arizona, Nevada, Kansas and Wisconsin. Democratic governors are running for re-election in Kansas, Nevada and Wisconsin, while Arizona has an open race in a state where Republicans have held the governorship since 2009.
The Cook Report, which also keeps a close eye on key races nationwide, changed its rating for Oregon’s gubernatorial race on July 22 from “likely Democrat” to “lean Democrat.” Political forecasting site FiveThirtyEight, meanwhile, still gives Kotek better than seven in 10 odds of winning the governorship.
Political analyst John Horvick, senior vice president at DHM Research, a nonpartisan opinion research firm, said little has changed in the race recently to prompt a change of rating.
“I think they’re just catching up with the fact that Betsy Johnson is a real credible candidate that’s got money behind her and that’s going to have an influence on the race,” Horvick said.
In terms of fundraising, Johnson is ahead, according to the Portland Record. She has drawn $10.2 million, including $466,000 to date from Tim Boyle, CEO of Columbia Sportswear, and $1.75 million from Knight. Kotek has raised nearly $6.8 million, followed by $6 million for Drazan.
Voters are also responding to issues, Horvick said. Polling by DHM Research last week which has not yet been released showed that the U.S. Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade, rescinding the constitutional guarantee of abortion rights, is galvanizing some Democrats.
“There is a big change with Democrats and abortion,” Horvick said. “In January, just 1% of Democrats said abortion is the most important issue in the gubernatorial election. Now 16% of Democrats say it’s the most important issue,” Horvick said.
Kotek has long supported abortion rights, including the decision by the Legislature this February to allocate $15 million to help women access abortion care. Drazan opposes abortion but she has said she would follow Oregon’s laws placing no restrictions on abortions. Johnson has also consistently supported abortion rights, though she disapproved of the Legislature giving money to help women from out of state access care.
Nevertheless, Democrats concerned about abortion access seem to think Kotek is a safer choice, Horvick said.
“I really think among those wavering Democrats that they have responded to the issue of abortion and are coming back home,” Horvick said.
He said two-thirds of Oregon voters support abortion rights when asked about abortion in general. But nearly 60% say they would support a ban on abortions in the third trimester except to protect the life of the mother.
“There is more nuance in public opinion than perhaps we’ll see in the next two and half months,” Horvick said.
His recent polling also showed that a majority of Oregon voters place themselves on just to the left of center, which he said is favorable for Johnson.
“Betsy Johnson seems to be getting that message across where she fits ideologically,” Horvick said. “That’s a success and an opportunity for her.”
Jennifer Sitton, Johnson’s communications director, said the rating change was not news.
“The race is a legitimate toss-up,” Sitton wrote in an email. “We believe Kotek would continue to lead Oregon in the wrong direction, and Oregon isn’t going to elect its first anti-choice governor ever. Most of us want to protect abortion rights and clean up our streets. Betsy Johnson is the only candidate who would do both.”
Drazan’s campaign also responding, hopping on the announcement with a tweet: “Oregonians are ready for a new direction and we are ready to turn the page on one-party rule.” Her campaign spokesman John Burke added: “This rating change and the multiple polls showing Christine leading both of her Democrat opponents are proof that she is well-positioned to win and make history this November.”
Katie Wertheimer, Kotek’s communications director, also responded to the rating change. “While Christine Drazan and Betsy Johnson continue to fight over the same conservative special interests, Tina Kotek is gaining momentum across the state,” Wertheimer said in an email. “With so much at stake in November – defending abortion access, preventing gun violence, addressing our homelessness crisis – Tina is the proven probelm-solver that Oregon needs.”
Bend Police Investigate Double Homicide
Bend Police discovered the bodies of two teens inside a garage on the south end of town late Wednesday. Officers were called the home on Mt. Faith Pl just after 11 p.m. when the homeowner reported finding a dead body in the garage. The two victims are from Bend and were identified as Angela Pastorino and Alfredo Hernandez, both 18.
An initial investigation found that on Tuesday, Aug. 16, the victims and 41-year-old Wesley Abel Brady were doing work around the house for the homeowner. While drinking alcohol at the home later that evening, Hernandez and Brady got into a fight, and police say Brady murdered both Pastorino and Hernandez. He then put their bodies in the home’s garage before eventually traveling to a property in Christmas Valley. The victims had been reported missing earlier in the day by a concerned family member.
While police were at the scene, Brady arrived in the area of the home and was detained. He is now at the Deschutes County Jail on charges of Aggravated Murder, Murder in the Second Degree, two counts of Abuse of a Corpse, Sodomy, Sexual Abuse, Strangulation, Tampering With Evicence, Arson and Burglary.
Bend Police applied for and received search warrants for the home on Mount Faith Place, two vehicles and the property in Christmas Valley. The Central Oregon Major Incident Team was activated. The investigation is ongoing.
Tribal Officials Say Two People Were Shot As An Armed Man and Police Exchanged Gunfire At Pendleton Casino
Police stopped a man with a gun at the door of Wildhorse Casino and Resort in Pendleton after he tried to rob the casino in the small northeastern Oregon city of Pendleton, the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation said Wednesday.
A bystander and the suspect were struck by gunfire during the shootout, tribal officials said. Both were taken to a local hospital for treatment. No one else was injured, officials said.
People inside the casino say it was a scary situation. Customers were told there was a gunman in the building and they were evacuated out a back door.
Casino employees say this is the first time they’ve seen an attempted robbery and shooting at the resort. They also say the suspect was someone they’ve seen before in the area.
Officials said Wednesday afternoon that the suspect was in custody and the site was secure. Police from multiple agencies responded, officials said. “We are grateful no one else was physically injured with all that took place,” CEO Gary George said in a statement on Facebook. “Security personnel and Tribal Police were quick to act and the situation was controlled in a swift manner.”
Officials said later Wednesday that the resort and casino were open except for the food court, while the investigation continues.
Deadline Extended To Apply For $2.8 Million In Funding Available To Support Newly Arrived Afghans
The Oregon Department of Human Services (ODHS), Refugee Program is inviting community partners to apply for a portion of $2.8 million in funding that is available to provide services and support to newly arrived Afghans who are eligible for refugee services.
The deadline to apply is Sept. 7 and the application can be found online.
The U.S. Resettlement Program is operated by the U.S. Department of State through contracts with national non-profit organizations called resettlement agencies. These organizations have local affiliate offices throughout the nation.
The ODHS Refugee Program is responsible for some of the services that are outside of the initial resettlement provided by the resettlement agencies. The Refugee Program provides cash, medical, employment, and acculturation services to refugees (and those eligible for refugee services) who are within 60 months of gaining their eligible immigration status.
Since August 2021, nearly 800 Afghan individuals have resettled in Oregon.
The purpose of this request is to ask for applications from culturally and/or linguistically responsive organizations who provide services to immigrants or refugees (and those eligible for refugee services) to increase services and supports.
Funding is available to support:
- Employment services and housing assistance: $1,059,000
- Health and mental health services: $435,000
- Legal services: $641,000
- Youth mentoring: $114,000
- School assistance: $450,000
- Senior services: $105,000
Organizations may express interest in supporting more than one service area. Community organizations are eligible to submit proposals for the funding if the organization can demonstrate they are:
- A culturally and/or linguistically responsive organization
- Community based organization
- Have an office located in the area where services will be coordinated and provided
- Provide services in the languages of the populations that will be served
More information the ODHS Refugee Program can be found online.
About the Oregon Department of Human Services – The mission of the Oregon Department of Human Services is to help Oregonians in their own communities achieve wellbeing and independence through opportunities that protect, empower, respect choice and preserve dignity.
Oregon Geographic Names Board to Consider Variety of Name-Change Proposals at Summer Meeting
The Oregon Geographic Names Board (OGNB) will meet in Eugene this Saturday, August 20, to consider proposals to name or re-name geographic features in five Oregon counties.
Included on the OGNB’s public agenda are four proposals to re-name geographic features that currently have the word “Negro” attached to them. These features include “Negro Knob” in Grant County, “Negro Ridge” in Douglas County, and two separate “Negro Creeks” in Douglas County.
Also on the agenda are proposals to rename a Wasco County summit currently known as “Chinaman Hat,” and a Lane County peak known as “Swastika Mountain.” These name change proposals and the complete meeting agenda can be found on the Oregon Geographic Names Board website.
Geographic names have been documented and standardized in the United States since 1890 when President Benjamin Harrison established the United States Board on Geographic Names (USBGN). Founded in 1908 by executive order of then Oregon Governor George Chamberlain, the OGNB supervises the naming or re-naming of geographic features within the state of Oregon, and makes recommendations to the USBGN, which has final approval authority. The OGNB is comprised of 25 volunteer members appointed by the executive director of the Oregon Historical Society, who serves as permanent secretary to the OGNB.
OGNB meetings are open to the public. The August 20 meeting will begin at 1pm in the Maple Room of the Inn at the 5th, 205 E. 6th Avenue in Eugene. OGNB has also created a toponymic guide and historical tour to the McKenzie River in Lane County, as told through Oregon Geographic Names, 7th Edition, which is available online here —- Oregon Historical Society
Women Missing Since May 1st 2022 between Medford, Grants Pass and Roseburg per Oregon State Police (Jackson, Josephine and Douglas County)
| MAKENNA KENDALL 5/3/2022 |
| ERICA LEE HUTCHINSON 5/26/2022 |
| MARIAH DANIELLE SHARP 6/12/2022 |
| KAITLYN RAE NELSON 6/14/2022 |
| BROOKLYN JOHNS 6/14/2022 |
| DONNA LEPP 6/27/2022 |
| BARBARA DELEPINE 7/4/2022 |
| ****KENDRA MARIE HANKS 7/7/2022 FOUND MURDERED 7/21/2022 |
| CORI BOSHANE MCCANN 7/8/2022 |
| SHYHAILA SMITH 7/12/2022 |
| ALEZAE LILYANNE MARTINEZ 7/13/2022 |
| RAVEN RILEY 7/13/2022 |
| TAHUANA RILEY 7/13/2022 |
| DANIELLE NEWVILLE 7/14/2022 |
| CONNIE LORAINE BOND 7/19/2022 |
| KARIN DAWN RUSSELL 7/19/2022 |
| CHEYENNE SPRINGS 7/19/2022 |
| KAREN ANNETTE SCIORTINO 7/22/2022 |
| MARLENE HICKEY 7/23/2022 |
| MAKAYLA MAY VAUGHT 7/23/2022 |
| WENDY JEAN HAZEN 7/26/2022 |
| SHAHE SOPHIA CATRANIDES 7/27/2022 |
| NAVEAH LEIGH BILYEU 8/1/2022 |
| DEBI ANN HARPER 8/3/2022 |
| CHARLIZE D GIBSON 8/3/2022 |
Women Missing Since May 1st 2022 in Lane County per Oregon State Police
| REISA RAQUEAL SIKEL 5/3/2022 |
| HANNAH MARIE RHOTEN 5/17/2022 |
| MARISSA ALEESA DAMBROSIO 5/18/2022 |
| ISABELLA BROSOWSKEYOUNGBLOOD 6/7/2022 |
| LOUISA DAY AVA 5/28/2022 |
| AMY CHRISTINA SULLIVAN 6/1/2022 |
| NIKKI ELIZABETH ZEREBNY 6/6/2022 |
| SHADOW STAR SEVIGNY 6/17/2022 |
| SHAUNA LEAH HOGAN 6/17/2022 |
| AIRIONNA CHEALSEY RHODES 6/27/2022 |
| KARISSA RENEE ADAMS 7/6/2000 |
| VERONICA ESSYNCE DELERIO 7/6/2022 |
| AUBRIE HANNA STEPHENS 7/10/2022 |
| LARA IVEY STEINMETZ 7/11/2022 |
| SARA LINDSAY SCHAEFER 7/12/2022 |
| ANGELINA MARIE NAZAR 7/16/2022 |
| LUCIA MARTHA PANNIER 7/17/2022 |
| MALINA LINN COATS 7/20/2022 |
| KATHY A VERNACCHIO 7/23/2022 |
| JANE MARIE HOLLIMAN 7/23/2022 |
| ASHLEY MARIE SEELEY 7/27/2022 |
| LILLY ANNE WARMUTH 7/28/2022 |
| MALINA LINN COATS 7/29/2022 |
| JORDYN CLARA GOHL 7/31/2022 |
| QAVAH ALAH TILLILIE 7/31/2022 |
| TALYNN RYLIE MERTZ 8/1/2022 |
| YASINIA CALLISTA GUTIERREZ 8/3/2022 |
As of 8/9/2022, there are now 51women missing between Medford and Eugene. Sadly Kendra Hanks has been found murdered, though that takes her off the list. We send thoughts and prayers to her family as well as the families of all missing people in our area.
51 women missing in just less than 3 1/2 months. That averages out to 15 missing per month. Something needs to be done.
This is just a small compilation of missing women and their pictures in the area. There are of course women missing all over Oregon and men and children missing too. We don’t mean to dismiss that, however, there is an inordinate amount of women who go missing each week and there could possibly be a connection with an anomaly or two here and there. Sadly most of them never get any attention. Family and friends must keep any information going and lead investigations so that they aren’t just forgotten.
https://www.oregon.gov/osp/missing/pages/missingpersons.aspx
https://www.facebook.com/pg/Have-You-Seen-Me-Southern-Oregons-Missing-People-161249961222839/posts/
