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, January 3, 2022
Willamette Valley Weather
Missing OSU Student Found Deceased
Benton County Sheriff’s Office confirms that Klamath Falls native and Oregon State University student Steven Mainwaring was found dead Sunday afternoon near Mary’s Peak, in the coastal range near Corvallis.
After two weeks of searching, deputies responded at 4:54 p.m. to a remote area of Mary’s Peak where volunteers searching reported finding Mainwaring’s Ford Bronco. When deputies arrived, they found Mainwaring’s body near the vehicle. According to BCSO, there is no evidence of criminal activity or foul play.
Mainwaring last spoke to his family Friday, Dec. 16. He was reported missing Sunday, Dec. 18, and his last cellphone activity was pinged off a tower in the Alsea area.
Mainwaring was an engineering student at Oregon State University while also serving as a senior airman first class in the Oregon Air National Guard 173rd Fighter Wing. He attended high school in Klamath County.
Activity on the Help Us Find Steven Mainwaring Facebook page was paused Monday. His father, Gabe Mainwaring, posted a short message late Sunday, Jan. 1. “Thank you to everyone who searched for my son,” Gabe
Mainwaring wrote. “Nothing can be put into words the grief that we feel as family.”
Our thoughts and prayers go out to Steven’s family.
Federal Spending Bill Provides $3.1 Million to Lane County for Critical Public Safety Projects
President Biden signed the 2023 federal “omnibus appropriations” bill, which includes funding for three critical public safety projects in Lane County.
- $176,000 to the Lane County Sheriff’s Office to replace its Dispatch Center consoles. The Sheriff’s Office Dispatch Center is an all-day, every-day operation that provides critical emergency communications services to deputies across Lane County. While the facility is technologically current, the personnel workstations are functionally obsolete. These funds will provide for the first upgrade of the workstations in more than 15 years.
- $1.5 million for equipment and facilities related to the County’s work to develop a behavioral health crisis stabilization center. This funding will be combined with an additional $7 million that the Board of County Commissioners has dedicated to this important project. It will provide a much-needed option for first responders, police agencies, and others when they encounter someone experiencing a behavioral health crisis.
- $1.5 million to help ensure the multi-use facility being considered for the Lane Events Center can be built to “immediate occupancy standard” – meaning the structure would withstand and be immediately occupiable after a Cascadia seismic event. Although Lane County is one of the most populated counties in Oregon, there are few facilities here that can operate as a safe evacuation site for the public after a significant seismic event. This investment would be combined with $7.5 million previously appropriated by the Oregon Legislature for this project. If commissioners do not decide to move ahead with the facility the funding will be returned.
“This funding will help us make progress on an array of significant projects in Lane County,” said Board of County Commissioners Chair Pat Farr. “We owe our lasting thanks to Senator Jeff Merkley, Senator Ron Wyden, and Congressman Peter DeFazio, as well as their staffs, for working to ensure these projects were included.”
Lane County Government is a partner in the United Front, a regional collaboration among public agencies to advocate for federal investment in our community. The projects supported by this funding are the most recent example of the benefits of United Front’s advocacy. Other United Front partners include the cities of Eugene and Springfield, Lane Transit District, Springfield Public Schools, and Willamalane Park and Recreation District.
Officer Involved Shooting- Linn County
On Monday, January 2, 2023, at approximately 11:45 A.M., Oregon State Troopers responded to assist the Linn County Sheriffs’ Department, who was in pursuit of a vehicle. The pursuit terminated within the City of Albany and Oregon State Troopers were involved in an Officer Involved Shooting.
The suspect was transported via ambulance to a local hospital. No law enforcement personnel were physically injured during the incident. The Albany Police Department will be conducting the investigation of the incident. Future releases of information will be made by the Albany Police Department and the Linn County District Attorney’s Office.
Arrest Made in Porter Rd Shooting Incident
On Friday, December 30, 2022 at about 10:00 p.m., Benton County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO) investigators arrested 57- year-old Tina Gonzales-Ross as a result of the ongoing shooting investigation on Porter Road in Blodgett, Oregon.
During the course of the investigation, it was determined probable cause existed to arrest Gonzales-Ross for crimes against a 62-year-old male, of the same residence.
The victim was transported to a local hospital; he later underwent surgery to treat his wounds.
Investigators developed probable cause to arrest Gonzales-Ross for Assault in the First Degree, Unlawful Use of a Weapon, and Attempted Murder. Gonzales-Ross was taken into custody and lodged at the Benton County Jail Friday night.
This investigation remains open and anyone with information is encouraged to contact the Benton County Sheriff’s Office tip line at 541-753-8477 or email entonCoSheriff@co.benton.or.us“>BentonCoSheriff@co.benton.or.us.
BCSO would like to thank the Corvallis Police Department, Albany Police Department, Philomath Police Department and the Benton County District Attorney’s Office for their continued assistance with this investigation.
Oregon Utilities Raise Rates
Your next electricity bill could be anywhere from 7% to 20% higher, depending on your service provider and household electricity usage. Turning on the lights or charging your phone is going to cost a little more for Oregonians this year.
The Oregon Public Utilities Commission (PUC) has approved rate increases for the state’s two largest electric utilities. The new prices for customers of Portland General Electric and Pacific Power went into effect Jan. 1.
With the price of seemingly everything climbing, PUC Chair Megan Decker acknowledged that the rate hikes aren’t going to be welcome news for most customers.
“We recognize that increasing rates at a time when Oregonians are already dealing with high inflation presents challenges for many customers,” she said in a statement. “Unfortunately, fuel cost increases and supply chain delays caused by global events, combined with increasing volatility in regional electricity markets, drive the price for utilities to produce and purchase electricity.”
With the price of seemingly everything climbing, PUC Chair Megan Decker acknowledged that the rate hikes aren’t going to be welcome news for most customers.
“We recognize that increasing rates at a time when Oregonians are already dealing with high inflation presents challenges for many customers,” she said in a statement. “Unfortunately, fuel cost increases and supply chain delays caused by global events, combined with increasing volatility in regional electricity markets, drive the price for utilities to produce and purchase electricity.”
or a typical residential PGE customer using 780 kilowatt hours per month, monthly bills are expected to increase from $114.54 to $122.60, or about 7% more than in 2022.
For customers of Pacific Power using around 900 kilowatt hours per month, bills are expected to increase from $91.89 to $111.34, a jump of more than 20%.
The PUC noted that increases will vary from customer to customer depending on electricity use. Decker also pointed out that both utilities have programs that can provide discounts to low-income households.
PGE offers a bill discount program ranging from 15 to 25% for low-income customers. The discount applies for gross annual household incomes at or below 60% of the State Median Income as of Oct. 2022. A four-person household, for example, would need to make $60,126 or under to qualify. For someone living alone, the income cutoff is $31,266.
Pacific Power has a similar program using the same eligibility criteria as PGE, which offers discounts between 20 and 40%.
There are also bill support programs offered by other agencies, like the Oregon Energy Fund, Oregon Energy Assistance Program, COVID Energy Assistance Program and Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program.
OHA launches Hospital Community Benefit Program, and patient protections
New report shows the collaboration with hospitals creates greater opportunity for financial assistance, consumer rights for people in Oregon
PORTLAND, Ore. – A new Oregon Health Authority (OHA) report highlights the implementation of House Bill 3076, a law the Oregon Legislature enacted in 2019 that requires a percentage of nonprofit hospital funds to be reinvested in communities.
Under HB 3076, OHA established minimum spending requirements for nonprofit hospitals and worked with them to develop policies that offer financial assistance to more patients, including those with income up to 400% of the federal poverty level. The new guidelines also give people in Oregon medical debt protections; under the law, hospitals are prohibited from referring patients to collections prior to screening them for financial assistance eligibility.
“We know medical debt is a major issue for many Oregonians,” said David Baden, chief financial officer at OHA. “New financial assistance policies are now in place that can really make a difference. OHA will continue to work on awareness and compliance to further the goal of greater health equity in our communities.”
To establish the new Hospital Community Benefit Program, OHA began a formal rulemaking process in September 2020. The agency did outreach in all Oregon counties to solicit member applications for the Rules Advisory Committee (RAC), which then established a method for assigning minimum community benefit spending. Throughout the process, OHA partnered with Oregon’s nonprofit hospitals, patient advocates and health care economists. In July 2022, OHA convened a community benefit summit to provide guidance to hospitals during the transition.
The report includes the following key findings:
- Hospital financial assistance policies are largely in alignment with new legal requirements. Hospitals have updated their policies with requirements for minimum levels of financial assistance. Most hospital policies pertaining to medical debt have also been updated to incorporate the added protections against referrals to collection and interest charges.
- Patients continue to experience challenges with accessing financial assistance. While trends related to medical debt and consumer impacts are improving, inequities remain and must be addressed. OHA will continue working to ensure patients are aware of their rights, with a focus on monitoring the compliance of medical debt requirements, ensuring eligible patients are screened for financial assistance, and recommending that applications and processes are simplified.
- All Oregon nonprofit hospitals have accepted their assigned minimum spending requirements for current fiscal years. As of December 2022, all participating hospitals have accepted their spending floors. Despite the program’s start during the COVID-19 pandemic, strong engagement with partners has allowed for a successful launch.
OHA will continue to work closely with hospitals to provide guidance about requirements under HB 3076. Data for the first year of implementation will be released after September 2023. Read the full report here.
11 New Laws in Oregon for 2023
When the clock strikes midnight every New Year immediately there are brand new laws and revisions that go into effect. Below are 11 new Oregon laws that could affect your life.
1) Mandatory Overtime — Senate Bill 1513 won’t allow employers to penalize their tortilla plant workers or bakers if they refuse to work on short notice when overtime is required.
2) Paid Leave — Senate Bill 1515 modified the definition of, “benefit year” for paid family and medical leave insurance programs to begin providing coverage in September of 2023 with full 52-week consecutive weeks of coverage
3) Dental Care — Senate Bill 1538 was created for Oregon’s Health Plan Program which will provide dental care to low-income citizens of the island nations in the Compact of Free Association (Micronesia (FSM) and the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI)) who are residing in Oregon
4) Newborns — Senate Bill 1555 requires that a health benefits plan is available that will reimburse the full cost to providers that deliver in-home nurse visits, which are fully available to all families with an infant in Oregon
5) Noncitizens — Senate Bill 1560 requires the term “alien” no longer be used in official documents as of January 1st and should be replaced by “noncitizen” the wording will be updated by state agencies and the verbiage completely replaced in their rules by July 1st, 2023
6) Sexual Assault Kit — Senate Bill 1574 will now allow the state to include specific injury documentation, evidence collection, and forensic exam history in a sexual assault forensic evidence kit if requested by the victim
7) Settlements — Senate Bill 1586 dives deeper into Oregon’s Workplace Fairness Act so it is now unlawful for an employer to require former employees to enter into an agreement where they would not disclose information about discrimination or harassment
8) Fishing Licenses — House Bill 4072 lowers the cost of a one-day angling and shellfish license and requires certain steelhead anglers to get new validation and harvest cards
9) Restitution — House Bill 4075 will make it easier for crime victims, which will include small businesses that are burglarized and damaged in part by making sure the victims are paid in full before convicted criminals pay court fine fees
10) Traffic Citations — House Bill 4105 appoints “duly authorized traffic enforcement agencies” who aren’t police officers to review photograph evidence at red light cameras including speeding and issue citations
11) Voter Registration — House Bill 4133 makes registering and voting online in Oregon easier by using only the last four digits of their social security number including an image of their signature
Oregon Zoo Gets $2M In Federal Funding To Help Save California Condors
The Oregon Zoo has received $2 million from the federal government to further support the conservation of the California condor, a critically endangered species.
Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden helped secure the funds for the zoo’s Condor Restoration Resiliency Project, and other statewide community programs, through the $1.7 trillion bipartisan year-end spending package passed by the U.S. Senate in December.
“The funding, included in the year-end omnibus bill signed into law by President Biden, will ensure the zoo’s condor recovery efforts can continue uninterrupted,” the Oregon Zoo said.
Part of the funding will reportedly be put toward modernizing the zoo’s offsite Jonsson Center for Wildlife Conservation in rural Clackamas County. Oregon Zoo director Heidi Rahn said that the center, which is the second-largest condor breeding facility in the U.S., has been forced to evacuate its employees numerous times in recent years due to wildfires and power outages caused by winter storms.
“Thanks to Senator Merkley and Wyden’s support for this project, our center will be better equipped to withstand weather-related events, protecting condors and staff so that recovery efforts can continue,” Rahn said. “Each chick hatched at the center is a lifeline for the species.”
The California condor was included in the initial Endangered Species Act in 1973. By 1982, it was estimated that 22 of these birds still existed in the wild. In 1987, the last-remaining condors were captured and cared for by scientists in order to preserve the species.
In 2003, the Oregon Zoo partnered with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s condor recovery effort with the goal of “hatching and releasing as many condors as possible,” the zoo said. Since that time, the species’ population has rebounded to 500, with more than 300 condors existing in the wild.
In 2022, the zoo hatched a record 12 condor chicks . The zoo also released eight condors into the wild, including the three birds used for the Yurok Tribe’s historic reintroduction in Humboldt County, Calif.
The Oregon Zoo’s lead condor keeper Kelli Walker said in August of 2022, that the hatchlings spend at least eight months with their parents and another year in outdoor “pre-release pens” before they are released into the wilds of California and Arizona.
“Some of the chicks are still big fluffy balls of fury,” Walker said. “But they’ll be full-fledged condors before long. Once they’re flying on their own, they’ll practice in larger enclosures until they’re finally ready to soar into the wild.”
74-Year-Old Woman Charged In New Year’s Eve Shooting In Ruch
The suspect in Saturday’s shooting was lodged in the Jackson County Jail Sunday night. The suspect, Cassie Lyn Ryker, 74, of Ruch, has been charged with attempted murder, first-degree assault, and unlawful use of a weapon.
This case is active and ongoing with detectives following additional leads. Further information will come from the Jackson County District Attorney’s office.
Video from Scene: https://vimeo.com/785606117
Original Release: Detectives Investigating Rural Jacksonville Shooting
JCSO Case 22-7579
RUCH, Ore. – Jackson County Sheriff’s Office (JCSO) detectives are investigating a shooting that occurred this afternoon in the 400 block of China Gulch Road in Ruch near Jacksonville, Ore. The suspect is in custody, the victim has been transported to a local hospital and is in stable condition.
At 12:20 p.m. ECSO dispatch received a call for a gunshot victim being transported to the hospital and a potentially armed suspect back at the location of the shooting. JCSO Patrol deputies, SWAT, and the Crisis Negotiations Team (CNT) responded to the address along with nearby Oregon State Police (OSP) troopers. Just after 1 p.m. the suspect was taken into custody without incident. JCSO detectives are on scene investigating the shooting. More information to follow.
Crater Lake National Park Has Moved To a Fully Cashless Fee Collection System
Starting Sunday, January 1, Crater Lake National Park will transition to a fully cashless fee system and only accept mobile or electronic payments for entrance and permit fees.
Acceptable payment forms include credit and debit cards, as well as payment apps on mobile devices.
Passes for Crater Lake National Park can be purchased in advance at Recreation.gov. The America the Beautiful Pass, which is good at all national park sites and other federal land areas, is also available at the USGS Store.
Entrance fees are an important source of revenue used to improve the visitor experience in national parks, including road and facility repairs and maintenance, trail improvements, installation of accessible exhibits, visitor and resource protection services, and more.
Moving to a cashless system allows parks to be better stewards of visitor dollars by reducing the amount of time park staff spend managing cash, increasing the amount of fee revenue available to support critical projects and visitor services, and improving accountability and reducing risk.
