Willamette Valley News, Wednesday 11/9 – Election Results, Governor Race Too Close To Call

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, November 9, 2022

Willamette Valley Weather

Oregon’s Governors Race Between Tina Kotek and Christine Drazen Too Close To Call

Tuesday’s general elections in Oregon resulted in several races that were too close to call.

The delay in decisive results was caused by particularly hotly contested races in normally blue Oregon, extended deadlines for voters to turn in ballots, and a few hiccups during vote counting.

This is the first general election in Oregon in which voters can have their ballots postmarked as late as Election Day and still have them count. The flood of last-minute balloting, along with the number of races that polls showed in a statistical tie, meant there was plenty of uncertainty about winners when voters headed to bed last night.

Closely watched races that remained without a winner Tuesday night are reported to likely be called Wednesday.

Oregon’s most competitive race for governor in a dozen years was one of several tight contests that were too close to call late Tuesday. State measure 114’s gun measure law is also too close to call with 50.7 percent voting yes for the measure and 49.3 percent voting no. 

Tina Kotek, the Democrat, is ahead of Republican Christine Drazan by just over 1 percentage point, and about 650,000 of the state’s projected 1.9 million votes have not been tallied. Kotek appears on track to win with a generous share of ballots that still must be counted in Democrat-dominated Multnomah County.

At 11 p.m., Kotek led with 45.8% of the vote compared to Drazan’s 44.5%. Unaffiliated candidate Betsy Johnson, a former longtime Democratic state lawmaker who ran a well-funded campaign, was in third place with 9% of the vote.  She bowed out gracefully last night: https://www.facebook.com/StateSenatorBetsyJohnson/videos/483169776951124

As of 8:30 am 11/9 — 67% of vote in

US Senate · Ron Wyden wins · 66% reporting · The Associated Press has called the race.

OREGON MEASURE 111: AFFORDABLE HEALTH CARE  NO 50.5%  703,958  YES  49.5%  690,692

OREGON MEASURE 112: REMOVES SLAVERY LANGUAGE   YES 54%  760,065  NO 46%  638,308

OREGON MEASURE 113: LEGISLATURE ABSENCES   YES 68%   954,137  NO   32%   452,097

OREGON MEASURE 114: FIREARMS PERMIT    YES  50%   719,734   NO    50%   710,196

Democrat Val Hoyle declared victory Tuesday evening in the race to represent Oregon’s Fourth Congressional District. Meanwhile, Republican Alek Skarlatos isn’t conceding defeat.

Voters in Oregon’s Fourth Congressional district appear to have chosen Democrat Val Hoyle to replace longtime Congressman Peter DeFazio. Initial returns show Hoyle leading Republican Alek Skarlatos by a margin of 52% to 42%.

LANE COUNTY RESULTS https://results.oregonvotes.gov/ResultsSW.aspx?type=CTYALL&cty=03&map=CTY

DOUGLAS COUNTY RESULTS  https://results.oregonvotes.gov/ResultsSW.aspx?type=CTYALL&cty=07&map=CTY

LINN COUNTY RESULTS https://results.oregonvotes.gov/ResultsSW.aspx?type=CTYALL&cty=14&map=CTY

BENTON COUNTY RESULTS https://results.oregonvotes.gov/ResultsSW.aspx?type=CTYALL&cty=13&map=CTY

You can follow Oregon Election results here: https://results.oregonvotes.gov

Lane County Elections Live Streaming Ballot Processing

In an effort to increase transparency and educate voters on the mail-in ballot process, Lane County Elections is introducing a livestream YouTube channel where residents can watch ballots being processed: www.youtube.com/@Lane_County_OR_Elections.

IN OTHER NEWS:

Police Investigating Body Found In Eugene Storm Drain

Police are investigating after a dead person was found in a storm drain on Tuesday morning.

The body was reportedly found in the morning of November 8th in a storm drain on Minda Drive east of Gilham Road. Several officers from the Eugene Police Department were reported to be in the area around 9:30 a.m. with a giant tarp.

Officials confirmed that one body was pulled from the storm drain, and coroners took the body and will continue the investigation. EPD officials have confirmed the death was the result of an accident and do not suspect criminal activity, but have not yet released the name of the deceased.

Rogue Creamery Awarded Among World’s Best Cheeses Again

Rogue Creamery is a Super Gold medal winner from this year’s The Guild of Fine Food’s World Cheese Awards.

It says 4,434 cheeses from 42 countries were blind-tasted last week in Wales by 250 of the world’s leading cheese experts.  Rogue Creamery says its organic, wine-soaked Bluehorn blue cheese was among the less than 100 cheeses awarded Super Gold medals, “one of only four USA cheeses to receive the distinction this year.”

Rogue Creamery says its Bluehorn Blue cheese is cave-aged for approximately 90 days and each wheel of Bluehorn Blue is soaked in an organic red wine blend.  “Bluehorn is an outstanding addition to a cheese board because of its unique flavors and appearance,” said Rogue Creamery’s Cheese Emissary Marguerite Merritt.  

“We are thrilled to stand proudly beside the world’s leading cheesemakers and to be recognized for this innovative, ultra-creamy, and deliciously fruity blue,” said Merritt.

Rogue Creamery says today it also received a Silver Medal at the 2022 World Cheese Awards for Oregon Blue cheese and Bronze Medals for Crater Lake Blue and Cheese Is Love Extra-Aged Cheddar cheeses.

Rogue Creamery won the competition’s top honor, World Champion Cheese, at the 2019/2020 international cheese competition in Bergamo, Italy, “the first and only time an American-made cheese has ever claimed the title. Following the 2019 win, Rogue River Blue was retired from the competition, though it remains widely regarded as one of the world’s finest cheeses.”

Oregon will receive $1,116,626 in federal grants is coming to Oregon to improve air quality monitoring in communities with environmental and health outcome disparities stemming from pollution.

The awards from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will support projects by Verde in Portland’s Cully neighborhood, the Confederated Tribes of Coos Lower Umpqua & Siuslaw Indians, and the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality’s work to monitor and use collected air quality data to inform actions for improving local air quality across the state.

Award recipients and amounts headed to Oregon:

Oregon Department of Environmental Quality — $498,796 to work with communities, universities, and local and state agencies to co-design an equitable and sustainable community monitoring framework for collaborative action. This framework will be used to empower communities- prioritizing underserved, disadvantaged and overburdened communities- to monitor and leverage the data to inform action that will improve their local air quality.

Verde — $117,830 to collaborate with partners to gather air quality data using air monitors and create actionable community engagement strategies to ameliorate air quality concerns in Portland, Oregon’s Cully neighborhood. Project efforts will result in the development of long-term expertise among the Cully community and unprecedented grassroots involvement in regulatory processes that could significantly improve air quality for Cully residents.

Confederated Tribes of Coos Lower Umpqua & Siuslaw Indians — $500,000 to increase community engagement on outdoor and indoor air quality, and develop a network of air quality monitors. Through the use of reliable and accurate monitoring equipment, the project aims to improve data collection on local air quality and mitigate adverse health impacts due to air pollution exposure.

“Every Oregonian in every community across the state deserves to breathe clean air free from hazardous air pollutants that can lead to cancer, neurological disorders and other serious health impairments,” Oregon Senator Merkley said.

Merkley is chairman of the committee that provides EPA with its funding.

“This EPA funding will go a long way in ensuring communities are able to monitor air quality, collect detailed data on the toxic air pollution, and take meaningful steps to address it,” he said.

“An essential step in reducing air pollution for communities throughout Oregon is to equip them with modern monitoring tools that provide accurate and timely data,” Oregon U.S. Senator Ron Wyden said. “These federal investments in those tools from legislation I worked to pass will make a huge difference for people living and working in these communities. And I’ll keep battling for similar investments that make similar air quality impacts statewide.”

According to Merkley, with over $30 million in Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (IRA) funds and $20 million in American Rescue Plan investments coupled with increases to its annual budget that his committee has provided since becoming chairman of the Interior and Environment Appropriations Subcommittee, EPA has been able to significantly expand its support for projects led by community-based nonprofit organizations, state and local governments, and Tribal governments aimed at improving air quality in communities across the United States, and particularly in communities that are underserved and historically marginalized.

Free Fee Day From the National Forest Service

Veterans Day: Nov. 11 — The fee waiver applies to most Forest Service day-use recreation sites in Oregon and Washington, including many picnic areas, boat launches, trailheads, and visitor centers.

Fees for camping, cabin rentals, or other permits still apply. https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/r6/passes-permits/recreation/?cid=stelprdb5350931

Fees are waived at Forest Service-managed day use sites on the following days:

  • Martin Luther King, Jr. Day – January 17, 2022
  • President’s Day – February 21, 2022
  • National Get Outdoors Day – June 11, 2022
  • National Public Lands Day  – September 24, 2022
  • Veterans Day – November 11, 2022

$1 Million Powerball(R) Ticket Sold in Oregon as Part of Record Jackpot Run

Choosing lottery ticket numbers

Another $1 million Powerball ticket was purchased in Oregon, as the record Powerball jackpot run ended today with a single ticket sold in California worth $2.04 billion. The $1 million ticket sold on November 7, 2022 was purchased in Salem. A $1 million ticket was also sold in Portland on November 2, 2022. 

Since the Powerball jackpot run up to the record jackpot began on August 3, 2022, the Oregon Lottery sold nearly $33 million in tickets. Approximately a third of those sales will be returned to state beneficiaries to support economic development, education, veteran services, state parks and more. 

The retailers who sell lottery tickets also saw more than $2.6 million in added commissions from the boost in ticket sales. That’s not including bonuses from the lower-tier wins. 

Powerball is a multi-state jackpot operated by 44 states, plus the District of Columbia, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. The largest prize won in Oregon was a $340 million jackpot in 2005. 

The Oregon Lottery recommends that you always sign the back of your ticket to ensure you can claim any prize. In the event of winning a jackpot, players should consult with a trusted financial planner or similar professional to develop a plan for their winnings. Players have a year to claim their prize. 

Since the Oregon Lottery began selling tickets on April 25, 1985, it has earned nearly $15 billion for economic development, public education, outdoor school, state parks, veteran services, and watershed enhancements. For more information on the Oregon Lottery visit www.oregonlottery.org

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