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, December 30, 2022
Willamette Valley Weather
This Afternoon Rain. High near 50. South southeast wind 5 to 7 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible. Overnight more rain through 10pm, then a slight chance of showers after 10pm. Patchy fog. Low around 40. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.
Saturday A 50% chance of showers, mainly after 10am. Patchy fog. Otherwise, cloudy, with a high near 47. Light north northwest wind. A 30% percent chance of showers before 10pm. Patchy fog. Snow level 3500 feet lowering to 3000 feet. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with a low around 37. Calm wind.
Sunday, New Year’s Day Patchy fog before noon. Otherwise, partly sunny, with a high near 45. Light and variable wind. Overnight a 30% chance of rain after 4am. Patchy fog before 1am. Snow level 2700 feet. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with a low around 32.
Monday Rain likely, mainly between 10am and 4pm. Snow level 1600 feet rising to 2200 feet in the afternoon. Cloudy, with a high near 43. Chance of precipitation is 70%. Overnight a chance of rain, mainly before 10pm. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 35.
Tuesday A chance of rain, mainly after 10am. Snow level 3100 feet. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 47.
Oregon Ducks Pull Out a Nail-Biting Win in the Holiday Bowl
The Oregon Ducks came from behind in the fourth quarter to wipe out a 10-point deficit against North Carolina to win the 2022 Holiday Bowl 28-27 at Petco Park in San Diego.
Oregon’s Bo Nix found Chase Cota for a six-yard touchdown on fourth down in the final seconds to tie it at 27, but the drama kicked in with a review on the touchdown as Cota was dragged across the line and then Camden Lewis’s extra point hit the upright and amazingly bounced through the goal posts.
Oregon junior Mase Funa was named the game’s defensive MVP after recording seven tackles, one sack, and two tackles for loss. Sophomore running back Bucky Irving was named the game’s offensive MVP after rushing for 149 yards and two touchdowns.
Funa, Irving, and head coach Dan Lanning spoke on the postgame podium as they received their individual awards and the bowl game trophy. Oregon finishes the season 10-3 and looks to compete for the Pac-12 crown next season.
Library Journal Ranks Eugene Public Library Among The Nations Best Libraries
In its 2022 rankings, Library Journal has named Eugene Public Library a “Star Library.” This rating places the library in the top 3% of public libraries nationwide for excellence in cost-effective delivery of key services during fiscal year 2020.
The library has earned a spot in the annual Star Library rankings six previous times.
Within its budget category, the Eugene Public Library’s overall score was comparable to Santa Monica and Salt Lake. In Wi-Fi use, Eugene was third nationally, trailing only Ann Arbor District Library and the San Mateo County Libraries.
Library Journal scores were given to 5,359 public libraries and 258 of them received stars. Washington State had no libraries on the list, while California had 12 and Oregon had nine.
Other Oregon libraries honored for cost-effective service included: Cedar Mill Community Library; Corvallis-Benton County Public Library; Curry Public Library District; Deschutes Public Library District; Garden Home Community Library; Joseph City Library; Multnomah County Library; and Port Orford Public Library.
“All of us at the library work hard to provide the people of Eugene with excellent value for each dollar we’re entrusted with,” Eugene Public Library Director Will O’Hearn said. “This rating confirms that we’re returning a very high level of service on our community’s investment. Compared objectively nationwide, Eugene Public Library stands out as a top performer.”
The Library Journal study, “Index of Public Library Service 2022,” ranked 5,359 qualifying public libraries, evaluating service delivery per capita among libraries with comparable budgets. The 2022 rankings are based on fiscal year 2020 data reported by libraries to the national Institute of Museum and Library Services. The libraries were scored on selected output measures including number of visits, check-outs, program attendance and computer use.
Fiscal year 2020 was a unique period, with the start of the COVID-19 pandemic causing extreme disruptions and changes to daily life, including library services. Still, from July 2019 through June 2020, the library served nearly 800,000 visitors. The library processed more than 1.7 million check-outs of physical items and more than 412,600 online items.
The library’s three locations provided free programs including story times, workshops and performances for all ages with more than 41,000 community members participating. The library’s computers provided more than 109,500 user sessions and the library’s Wi-Fi provided more than 1.7 million user sessions.
For more information, contact Eugene Public Library at 541-682-5450 or eugene-or.gov/library.
After Strong Winds Swept Through The City Tuesday, Eugene’s Urban Forestry Team Addressed Immediate Threats To Public Safety
City crews respond to privately-owned trees when they pose an immediate threat to the public safety in the right-of-way. After the wind event of Dec. 27th, crews are helping with one limb on a house and another on a neighbor’s fence.
Community members are asked to use extreme caution around trees and watch for overhead limbs that could be dangling.
To report hazardous downed trees such as those blocking roadways, please call 9-1-1 in case of emergency or 541-682-4800 on Mondays through Fridays, between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m.
To report downed trees or large branches along streets and in medians please visit our Service Request Page and choose Tree Service Request or call 541-682-4800.
Buzzed Driving is Drunk Driving Awareness Campaign
The weeks leading up to the holiday season are a busy period on America’s roads. To help keep drivers safe, our local law enforcement departments will work with the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) during the national Buzzed Driving Is Drunk Driving drunk-driving-awareness campaign.
If you plan to go out and include alcohol in your celebration, make sure you refrain from driving. Review these facts and spread the word about the dangers of drunk driving.
- During the 2016-2020 December months, more than 4,400 people were killed in drunk-driving-related crashes.
- Drunk male drivers were involved in fatal crashes at a much higher rate (660) in December 2020 compared to female drivers (191).
- Approximately one-third of all traffic crash fatalities in the United States involve drunk drivers (with BACs at or above .08). In 2020, there were 11,654 people killed in drunk-driving crashes.
- Although it’s illegal to drive when impaired by alcohol, in 2020 one person was killed every 45 minutes in a drunk-driving crash on our nation’s roads.
- The rate of alcohol impairment among drivers involved in fatal crashes in 2020 was 3.1 times higher at night than during the day.
Plan for a Safe Celebration
Always remember to plan ahead when you will be celebrating with alcohol. If you plan to drink, make arrangements for a sober driver to take you home. Before you start celebrating this holiday season, look over these safety tips to keep you, your loved ones, and everyone else safe on the road.
- Plan ahead: If you wait until you’ve been drinking to make a smart decision, you might not. Before you have one drink, designate a sober driver who won’t be drinking.
- If it’s your turn to be the designated driver, take your job seriously, and don’t drink.
- If you see a drunk driver on the road, 911 immediately.
- Do you have a friend who is about to drink and drive? Take the keys away and let a sober driver get your friend home safely.
Falling Trees on Oregon Highways During Tuesday’s Windstorm Killed Five People
Five people traveling on Oregon highways Tuesday were killed by trees falling onto the road in the span of four hours, casualties of an intense windstorm that left 200,000 people without power.
The National Weather Service’s Portland office recorded hurricane-force winds along the northern Oregon Coast yesterday afternoon: 86 miles per hour at Cape Perpetua and 74 mph in Manzanita.
Tuesday’s storm system also brought massive waves, high tides and flooding to the region. Wave heights reached 30 feet along the Oregon coast, the National Weather Service said.
The Coastal Range also experienced severe winds, ranging from 50 to 73 mph—tropical storm force.
It was those winds that toppled a “large diameter” tree onto the roof of a Ford F-150 traveling east on U.S. Highway 26 2 miles west of Camp 18 at 11:39 am Tuesday. Three people—the driver, Justin Nolasco Pedraza, 19, of Seaside, and passengers Bonifacio Olvera Nolasco, 41, of Seaside and a 4-year-old girl—were found dead inside the truck, Oregon State Police say.T he deaths in the F-150 were the most horrifying of three incidents Dec. 27 in which people died from trees falling onto the highway in the windstorm.
The investigation of the crash site closed Sunset Highway for five hours Tuesday, police said. “It was determined the tree fell directly onto the Ford F150 roof as it was passing by,” Oregon State Police said in a press release.
Wednesday saw the shoulders of Highway 26 covered in a green carpet of fir branches and needles for much of its Coastal Range stretch.
At about 2 pm, a tree fell onto Interstate 84 near Bonneville Dam and struck the passenger side of an eastbound Dodge Ram, state police said. The passenger in the vehicle, 20-year-old Paula Chamu Sanchez of Baker City, was killed by the tree. The driver, Rick Williams, was transported to a Portland hospital.
About 90 minutes later, a tree fell onto a Peterbilt truck on U.S. Highway 26 in Wasco County. The driver, James Darron Lyda, 53, of Prineville, lost control of the truck and veered off the highway. He was pronounced dead at the scene—the fourth person killed by a tree on U.S. 26 on Tuesday.
Strong winds felled trees and and knocked out power lines across large swaths of the Pacific Northwest on Tuesday, cutting power for more than 160,000 people at certain points. Wind gusts reached 86 mph near Cape Perpetua on Oregon’s central coast and 107 mph near the iconic Timberline Lodge on Mount Hood, said Andy Bryant, a hydrologist with the National Weather Service’s Portland office.
After high winds battered the West Coast Monday night and Tuesday, crews worked through the night to restore power to several homes that were left without electricity due to downed power lines and fallen trees.
Pacific Power said the high wind event on December 27 left almost 50,000 customers without power and affected more than 86,000 in one way or another, but crews were able to restore power to about 14,500 customers. As of 11 a.m. on December 28, there are about 7,500 Pacific Power customers still without power, according to the utility. Pacific Power said about 1,100 of those are in various communities in the Willamette Valley, while another 570 are in Coos Bay. All customers should have their power restored by the morning of December 29 at the latest, according to Pacific Power.
Utility companies have progressively restored power, but more than 30,000 people in Oregon were still affected by outages as of 5 p.m. Wednesday, according to online tracker PowerOutage.
Portland General Electric and Pacific Power — among the utilities reporting the highest number of outages — both said they had hundreds of service crew members, including from out of state, working to assess and repair damage.
Governor Brown Names Two judges to Oregon Supreme Court
Governor Brown has announced five new judicial appointments just days before her time in office ends. Two of those are to the state’s highest court.
Brown named Judge Stephen Bushong and Judge Bronson James to the Oregon Supreme Court.
She also filled vacancies on the court of appeals and the Multnomah County Circuit Court.
Brown has appointed 112 judges, including eight to the Oregon Supreme Court — more than any other Oregon governor.
Here is more on the two new Supreme Court justices, as announced by the governor’s office.
Stephen Bushong, a judge on the Multnomah County Circuit Court since 2008, will fill the Supreme Court vacancy created by the planned retirement of Justice Thomas Balmer. Bushong has served as Multnomah County’s presiding judge and its chief civil judge, and previously litigated civil cases as an attorney at the Miller Nash law firm and as chief trial counsel and attorney-in-charge of the Special Litigation Unit at the Oregon Department of Justice. He received his bachelor’s degree and his law degree from the University of Michigan. Bushong also serves on the Oregon Law Commission and the Uniform Trial Court Rules Committee, and coaches Franklin High School’s “We the People” team.
Bronson James, a judge on the Court of Appeals since 2017, will fill the Supreme Court vacancy created by the planned retirement of Chief Justice Martha Walters. James previously served as a trial judge on the Multnomah County Circuit Court. Prior to his judicial service, he practiced as an appellate public defender in the Oregon Office of Public Defense Services, and represented injured plaintiffs and criminal defendants at his own firm. James is a graduate of Reed College and Lewis & Clark Law School. In addition to his time on the bench, he serves on Oregon’s Ad Hoc Committee on Unconscious Bias and the Judicial Leadership and Education Committee, and coaches mock trial through the Classroom Law Project.
Whale Watch Week Returned In-Person In Oregon Despite High Winds And Waves
Whale Watch Week in Oregon returned in-person for the first time since the pandemic on Wednesday, drawing visitors hoping to catch a glimpse of the annual gray whale migration to the state’s coastline.
By early afternoon, more than 500 people had flocked to the Whale Watching Center in Depoe Bay, where a volunteer equipped with binoculars pointed out whales in the distance. A spokesperson for Oregon State Parks, which organizes the event, described scenes of excited spectators as several were spotted.
“She’s seeing the spray and calling it out,” Stefanie Knowlton told The Associated Press on the phone as she watched the center’s volunteer, the crowd cheering in the background. “There’s just so much energy. You could just really feel that people were ready to come back and watch whales together.”
Volunteers will be at 17 state parks along the coast through Sunday to help people spot the nearly 20,000 gray whales that make the southward journey to Mexico every year.
One of the sites, Cape Meares, was closed Wednesday after strong winds the previous day knocked over trees, Knowlton said.
Oregon State Parks organizes whale-watching events twice a year, in the winter for gray whales’ southern migration and in the spring for their return to northern waters near Alaska.
Oregon’s central coast is also a hot spot for whale-watching from June to mid-November, when the gray whales that remained in the state’s coastal waters during the summer migration come close to shore to feed, according to the agency.
Free Ranger-Guided Hikes at 20 Oregon State Parks On New Year’s Day
Rangers will guide hikes at Oregon state parks on New Year’s Day to kick off 2023. Choose from 24 hikes in 21 parks across the state. All hikes will be guided by a park ranger or volunteer who will share stories about the park’s history, geology, wildlife, and plants.
Known as “First Day Hikes,” the trips typically cover just a few miles and are considered family-friendly.
The tours are free and the $5 day-use parking fee is also being waived on New Year’s Day at every state park that normally requires a fee. A few of the guided hikes do require registration.
Rangers will cover park history, geology, wildlife and plants during the hikes at parks around the state from the high desert to the coast, according to a news release.
“A guided hike is great way to kick off 2023 in the outdoors and begin a new tradition or continue a longstanding family tradition,” said Lisa Sumption, director of the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department. “As our centennial year comes to a close, we’re excited to begin the next 100 years of Oregon State Parks and continue to offer year-round recreation.”
The hikes begin at different times and locations. To get information on each of the different treks, including length, difficulty and whether you need to register, go to https://stateparks.oregon.gov/index.cfm?do=v.feature-article&articleId=263
“Remember to plan for winter weather, dress in layers, wear sturdy shoes, bring water and carry binoculars for viewing wildlife,” the news release said.
Here’s a list of the planned hikes at each state park.
Portland area
- L.L. Stub Stewart State Park: 10 a.m., meet at the Dairy Creek West meeting hall
- Milo McIver State Park: 10 a.m., meet at the Dog Creek Trailhead in the Riverside Day-Use Area.
- Milo McIver State Park: 1 p.m., meet at the Dog Creek Trailhead in the Riverside Day-use Area.
Columbia River Gorge
- Deschutes River State Recreation Area: 11 a.m., meet at the Oregon Trail Kiosk. Registration required.
- Historic Columbia River Highway State Trail: 10 a.m., meet at the Mark O. Hatfield East Trailhead on Rock Creek Road, Mosier. Bring your snowshoes or cross-country skis if there’s snow.
Willamette Valley/West Cascades
- Elijah Bristow State Park, Equestrian Ride: 11 a.m., foot in stirrup at noon, meet at the equestrian parking area for horse riding (bring your own horse).
- Elijah Bristow State Park: 10 a.m., meet at the main parking lot at the end of the park road near group picnic areas.
- Detroit Lake State Park: 11 a.m., meet at the Campground Visitor Center.
- Silver Falls State Park, Historic District Hike: 10 a.m., meet at the South Falls Lodge porch.
- Silver Falls State Park, Geology Hike: 10 a.m., meet at the South Falls Lodge porch.
Oregon Coast
- Bullards Beach State Park: 1 p.m., meet at the amphitheater.
- Fort Stevens State Park: 10 a.m., meet at the main parking lot next to the museum and visitor center.
- Jessie M. Honeyman Memorial State Park: 10 a.m., meet at the Cleawox Lodge.
- Nehalem Bay State Park: 9 a.m., meet at the main parking lot.
- South Beach State Park, South Jetty: 10 a.m., meet at the new Jetty Trailhead, South Jetty Day-use Area.
- Sitka Sedge State Natural Area: 12 p.m., meet at the parking lot.
Southern Oregon
- Collier Memorial State Park: 10 a.m., meet at the Logging Museum parking lot. Call the park office, 541-783-2471 X21 to register by Dec. 30. Leave a message that includes name, contact info and number of people attending.
- TouVelle State Park: 1:30 p.m., meet at the day-use area by Area F at the far end of the park.
- Valley of the Rogue State Park: 10 a.m., meet at the amphitheater fire pit in the program area.
Eastern/Central Oregon
- Cottonwood Canyon State Park: 10 a.m., meet at the Experience Center.
- LaPine State Park: 10 a.m., meet at the Cougar Woods Trailhead. Registration required.
- Smith Rock State Park: 9 a.m., meet at the Welcome Center Yurt. Registration required.
- Tumalo State Park: 1 p.m., meet at the day-use entrance near the fee machine.
