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, January 4, 2023
Willamette Valley Weather
Eugene Police Seek Help in Hit and Run Pedestrian Crash
A vehicle versus pedestrian crash closed part of Sixth Avenue in Eugene Tuesday evening, and the driver fled the scene, according to Eugene Police Department.
According to EPD, at about 4:17 p.m. on January 3 a 60-year-old woman was hit by a car while crossing Sixth Avenue at Lincoln Street.
Police said the car was described as a black sedan, possibly a Honda Civic. EPD said the car drove away from the scene west on Sixth Avenue, possibly getting onto Interstate 105 eastbound.
Police said the woman was taken via ambulance to a nearby hospital with life-threatening injuries.
Eugene police requested that residents avoid Sixth Avenue between Lincoln Street and Lawrence Street while emergency personnel responded and police investigated. The roadway was reopened just before 6 p.m.
Eugene police are requesting that anyone with information about the collision, especially with in-car footage of the event, contact them at 541-682-5138.
Eugene Woman Charged After Crashing Car Near Ferry Street Bridge
A 44-year-old Eugene woman suspected of driving while intoxicated was charged Tuesday a day after crashing her vehicle at an off-ramp from Ferry Street Bridge, according to Eugene Police.
Police say Cassandra Lee Foster lost control of the vehicle and crashed into signs, bushes, and a utility pole.
Two child passengers were injured in the crash and were taken to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, according to police.
EPD’s Major Collision Investigation team responded to investigate the incident.
Foster is charged with driving under the influence of intoxicants, reckless driving, two counts of assault in the fourth degree, and two counts of recklessly endangering another person. Foster will next appear in court in February.
New Substance Abuse Recovery Center Opens In Eugene
A new peer recovery center has opened in Eugene to provide support to adults seeking recovery from substance abuse.
Restored Connections Peer Center hosted a grand opening of its new drop-in peer recovery center at 146 east 12th Ave. in Eugene on January 2. RCPC said they received over $1 million from the Measure 110 Oversight and Accountability Council to open the drop-in center.
RCPC officials said the center is staffed by trained members of the community who are themselves recovering from substance abuse, and will use their own experiences to help others quit using substances and enter recovery.
“It’s a place for them to be, to get referrals, to talk to somebody who understands what it’s like to suffer from substance use and houselessness to being involved with child welfare and the criminal justice system,” said Stephanie Cameron, the founder and Executive Director of RCPC. “these are all components of people suffering from substance use disorder and trying to get clean and sober.” –
Peer recovery centers like the new RCPC intend to help those dealing with substance abuse by forging connections with others who are or were in the same situation. The RCPC said this type of therapy creates a support system for those in recovery who would otherwise be isolated in society. RCPC officials say the new clinic offers a zero-barrier alternative to those in need who, historically, could not access peer services until they were already engaged in formal clinical services.
According to a study recently published by the Oregon health and Science University, Oregon is 96% under capacity for recovery centers, and needs another 137 to meet the projected need. The same study says Lane County is 100% under capacity.
FOR MORE INFO: https://restoredconnections.org/
Don’t miss your chance for health insurance with financial help for 2023
Jan. 15 is the last day of open enrollment for private health insurance in Oregon’s health insurance marketplace. Open enrollment is the only time when anyone who are not offered insurance from a job or a public program like the Oregon Health Plan or Medicare can enroll in health coverage through OregonHealthCare.gov, often with financial help.
Since open enrollment began on Nov. 1, 2022, more than 138,000 people have enrolled in health insurance for 2023. More than 80 percent of Oregonians who have applied for financial help have been found eligible. These savings reduce the monthly premium to have health insurance. Additional financial help, called cost-sharing reductions, are available for thousands of Oregonians on out-of-pocket costs on Silver-level plans.
“As the cost-of-living soars, health insurance remains consistently attainable for many thanks to the financial help through the Marketplace,” says Chiqui Flowers, director of the Oregon Health Insurance Marketplace. “Health insurance is essential to protect both your health and your financial future, making it one of the most valuable purchases you will make.”
Sorting through health insurance options can be confusing, but there are tools to make the process easier:
- gov offers a quick and easy-to-use window-shopping tool (https://orhim.info/shop) where users can preview which plans and savings are available to them. The tool also allows users to see which plans cover their prescription drugs and are networked with their preferred primary care doctor or preferred hospitals.
- A new tool (https://orhim.info/ESItool) can help you figure out if job-based coverage is considered affordable.
- Free local help can be found from health insurance experts around the state at gov/GetHelp.
Bottom line: we encourage all Oregonians who do not currently have health insurance available to start at OregonHealthCare.gov. There they can see if health insurance offered from a job is considered affordable, preview plans and savings, and find an expert to guide them through the process.
### The Oregon Health Insurance Marketplace, a part of state government, helps people get health insurance when they do not have job-based coverage, and do not qualify for the Oregon Health Plan or another program. The Marketplace is the state-level partner to HealthCare.gov. For more information, go to OregonHealthCare.gov.
Local authorities are reporting a sharp increase in scammer calls to Verizon customers.
The calls state your service is being suspended due to “changes in your account” and to find out more, you can speak to a representative by pressing 1. This connects you to an apparent call center where personal information is “phished” for.
From there, the caller states that you must pay a reconnection fee and additional charges to continue phone service.
Customers Of Verizon are urged to contact the company if you are receiving calls claiming to be from them that do not accurately display the company name on the telephone and urge anyone to never give out personal information unless you’re certain it is Verizon.
Oregon Psilocybin Services begins accepting applications for licenses, worker permits
PORTLAND, Ore. – Oregon Psilocybin Services (OPS) has begun accepting applications for licenses for manufacturers, laboratories, service centers and facilitators.
OPS, located at the Oregon Health Authority’s Public Health Division, has posted information on how to apply for the license types on its website, Oregon.gov/psilocybin. OPS began accepting applications Jan. 2.
Under the Oregon Psilocybin Services Act, or ORS 475A, a client 21 and older may access psilocybin services and will be required to complete a preparation session with a licensed facilitator before participating in an administration session. The client will only access psilocybin at a licensed service center during an administration session. Integration sessions will be made available after administration sessions to further support clients.
Psilocybin products must be cultivated or processed by licensed manufacturers and tested by licensed, accredited testing laboratories before being sold to licensed service centers. Service centers are the only licensee authorized to sell psilocybin products to clients and only for consumption at the licensed service center during administration sessions.
It will take some time for these four license types to become licensed and set up operations. Licensees will determine the cost of their services and the scheduling of clients once they are licensed and open for business.
For the latest updates, subscribe to the Oregon psilocybin Services distribution list at: oregon.gov/psilocybin
Oregon Rent Bill To Have Biggest Impact Yet In 2023 Due To Inflation
An Oregon Senate bill that passed in 2019 focusing on rent increases could have an impact in 2023. For people on fixed incomes, it could be particularly difficult.
Oregon Senate Bill 608, also known as the “No Cause Eviction Protection and Rent Cap” bill, states landlords can increase rent by 7% plus inflation. Because of how bad inflation has been, it could add up to a possible 14.6% increase.
The cap only applies to apartment complexes 15 years and older. Landlords of complexes newer than that can raise rent as much as they want.
“This is the year, 2023, that we’re seeing the higher rent cap because of the inflation,” Molly Heiss with NeighborImpact said. “Senate Bill 608 enacted a 7% plus the west coast consumer price index as the maximum cap rent increases across the state.”
In simpler terms, if you’re paying $1,000 a month for rent, you multiply that by 0.146, you could see a $146 increase to your monthly bill.
Heiss says her biggest concern is for people on fixed income. “They make about $733, $788, maybe $812. Their ideal rent to not be overburdened is $252 per month,” Heiss said.
Heiss says if something doesn’t feel right when it comes your rent, reach out to Legal Aid Services of Oregon.
Experts Say Enjoy The Cheaper Gas While It Lasts
Oregonians are currently enjoying relatively cheap gas following several lengthy stretches of painfully high costs earlier this year. Prices will probably stay low for at least a few more weeks, but people hoping to see the trend continue through the rest of the new year are likely to be disappointed.
The pricing slowdown is mostly driven by reduced demand, according to AAA Idaho spokesman Matthew Conde, in keeping with a seasonal trend that typically makes January the cheapest time at the pump.
“We’ve seen the cold weather, we’ve seen inflation, we’ve seen some things that have kind of stymied day-to-day stuff,” he said. “Yes, the big travel still happened over the holiday. But the day-to-day stuff, people are sort of cinching their belts on.”
Unfortunately, that means the relief is temporary — the same seasonal trends also show that gas prices will likely rebound in the spring as drivers hit the road and fill up more often. At that point, relief would need to come from the supply side, and there’s no indication that it’s forthcoming.
“We haven’t really solved a lot of the supply side issues right now,” Conde said. “OPEC, of course, is still in the middle of large production cuts. Obviously Russian fuel not available anywhere, that’s affected the global market as well.”
Those same supply issues were behind a lot of the price spikes in 2022, starting with a large jump following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in the spring. There was some relief when the price of crude oil fell in the summer, but then another spike in gas prices arrived in the fall.
The price of crude oil is still nearly $80 per barrel, Conde said, and crude oil costs determine about 50-60% of the price of finished gasoline. There’s still a lot of uncertainty in the crude oil market, he added.
“Certainly in this situation where the spigot is largely turned off on Russian oil, everybody knows it, and so there is a degree of understanding,” he said. “But I wouldn’t say that that necessarily leads to stability.”
Oregon prices lower — For the moment, at least, Oregon gas prices are still trending downward. The state’s average price per gallon of regular gas was $3.75 as of Thursday, according to AAA’s price map, down from $4.42 per gallon a month ago.
Portland’s average is slightly higher at $3.87 per gallon, but that’s down from $4.52 per gallon a month ago. The national average is $3.16, down from $3.52 a month ago.
Those prices are likely to hold for the next thee or four weeks, and Conde said he thinks it’s possible that the national average could even dip below $3 per gallon and Oregon’s average could dip below $3.50 during that time period.
“But with that comes the potential right back during the heart of driving season to be looking at $4.50, maybe even $5,” he said, although he added that it’s too soon to know for sure what will happen.
One thing that’s unlikely to change no matter which way the prices trend this year: gas in Oregon is inevitably going to be more expensive than the national average. That’s mostly down to geography — the west coast’s gas has to be trucked farther — but there’s also a lingering pandemic impact.
“A lot of those tanker trucks sat idle, those workers weren’t needed. A lot of them went into e-commerce and other parts of the industry. And so there’s been a little bit of a hiring shortage,” Conde said. “Some of that has been remedied, but you’re still looking at a very strained market as far as the tanker trucks just getting places and making all these deliveries.”
The Arco Am/Pm in Woodburn charges about $3 more than the national average. Drivers complain that prices aren’t posted upfront, but Oregon doesn’t require it.
The Arco Am/Pm in Woodburn charges $6.69 a gallon for regular unleaded gasoline, about $3 more than the statewide average.
“This is crazy. This is absolutely crazy,” explained Chris Lemieux, who had no idea how much he was paying for gas until it was too late. Lemieux’s $90 tank of gas at the Arco in Woodburn on Monday was almost double what he normally pays for gas. “That was our lunch,” said Lemieux. “Pretty messed up.”
Not only do customers complain that petrol prices at Arco am/pm in Woodburn are outrageously high, they don’t even post them on the doorstep. A large banner hangs above the price tag.
In Oregon, gas stations are not required to post signs on the road for passing drivers. Instead they just need to display the prices for each type of fuel at the pump – which the Arco does am/pm in Woodburn.
Records show that in the past two years, 51 consumer complaints have been filed with the Oregon Department of Justice about the Arco station in Woodburn. Of these complaints, most concerned requests to charge an excessive price. The complaints were quickly resolved on record, because in most cases gas stations can charge whatever they want.
“We do not hide or ‘cover up’ our fuel prices and do not attempt to deceive anyone. We are showing our current fuel prices as required by law,” Arco management wrote am/pm in an unsigned letter to the Oregon Department of Justice on Dec. 7. The letter was written in response to a consumer complaint. Attorney Michael Mills, representing Arco am/pm in Woodburn, provided KGW with the letter.
“Our station is a BP Arco (Corporate) franchisee and is charged a much higher price by BP Arco than other Arco stations in the area for the fuel we buy from them,” the letter said. “That makes it necessary for us to charge more than neighboring stations to stay in business. We have repeatedly asked BP Arco to justify this discriminatory pricing to us, but they will not reply. Other Arco stations may have lower prices, but we are not treated the same by BP Arco as other Arco stations.”
It is best for consumers to confirm the price of gas before filling up.
