Willamette Valley News, Thursday 1/12 – Oregon State Pinball Championship Returns to Eugene, A Winning $1 Million Mega Millions Ticket Sold in Eugene

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

Thursday, January 12, 2023

Willamette Valley Weather

Oregon State Pinball Championship Returns to Eugene on January 21st

The Oregon State Pinball Championship returns to Eugene on January 21st. The state’s top 24 pinball players will meet at Blairally Vintage Arcade, competing for $5000 in prize money and a spot at the North American Championship.

This year, a record-breaking eight competitors from Eugene’s Emerald City Pinball League have qualified.

Competitor Sunni Williams said Eugene players have improved through a unique culture of mentorship, as veteran players openly share their strategies with newcomers. Five of the eight Eugene-based players who qualified are doing so for the first time.

Now, they will face top Portland players, including Colin Urban, the reigning North American champion. But Williams said Eugene players have an advantage: they are familiar with the machines being played.

“Blairally is a vintage arcade. So some of the games that are here, there are no other games like that in the state.”

The Oregon State Pinball Championship will be open to spectators all day Saturday, and organizers will run a concurrent tournament that anyone can enter. The following day, Blairally will host the state Women’s Pinball Championship, with Williams as the first seed. MORE INFO: https://www.facebook.com/blairallyarcade

A Winning $1 Million Mega Millions Ticket Sold in Eugene

You might be in luck if you recently bought a Mega Millions lottery ticket in Eugene hoping to win big.

A winning $1 million ticket that matched five of the six winning numbers in Tuesday’s drawing was sold in Eugene on Monday.

The Mega Millions jackpot for Friday’s drawing has climbed to $1.35 billion, the second-largest Mega Millions jackpot in history. The largest Mega Millions prize won in Oregon was $3 million in 2019 when two players won separately.

The winning numbers for Tuesday night’s drawing were 7, 13, 14, 15, 18, Mega Ball: 9 and Megaplier was 3x.

National Trauma Intervention Program Coming To Lane County

Trauma Intervention Programs Inc. (TIP) is a national nonprofit organization working with local public safety officials in Lane County to establish a TIP Lane County Chapter.

TIP Chapter is a group of very well-trained and supervised community volunteers who are called by emergency personnel to tragic scenes to provide support to those who have been affected.

TIP Volunteers are often called to support family members after a sudden death and to support those who have experienced an unexpected crisis in their lives.

“Residents of this community who have just experienced a tragedy should not be alone in what may be the worst few hours of their lives,” according to Mandy Atkission, TIP National CEO. “Our volunteers provide support until the family members and friends of the survivor are able to be there and offer support,” she said.

Captain Doug Mozan from the Eugene Police Department is working closely with the TIP of Lane County program. “When we are able to provide care for those who are experiencing trauma in the moment, we can lessen impacts down the road, and begin healing immediately. We know from experience that people heal faster and experience less disorder from trauma when early intervention occurs. This is why we’re excited to have TIP National volunteers in our community. Currently crisis responders from CAHOOTs assist with grief support on scenes. When TIP responders join our ranks, we’ll have our CAHOOTs resources more available for in-progress crisis intervention.”

Bridget Byfield is the Program Director of the new TIP of Lane County, and she is now recruiting local residents to be TIP Volunteers. “The first step in establishing a TIP Chapter is to recruit volunteers willing to reach out and help their neighbors when tragedy strikes,” said Bridget Byfield, Program Director, TIP of Lane County.  We hope that Lane County residents will respond to our invitation to join TIP,” she said.

The TIP Volunteer Training Academy will begin Thursday, March 2nd, 2023. No experience is necessary and volunteers must pass a background check. To view the training schedule go to http://www.tiplanecounty.org  

To register, please call or email Bridget at: Phone: (503)705-2966 or Email: ridget@tiplanecounty.org“>Bridget@tiplanecounty.org

ODOT Seeks Feedback On Potential Impacts To Perkins Peninsula Park and Fern Ridge Wildlife Area Along Hwy 126 Widening Project

Oregon Department of Transportation is inviting the public to learn about potential impacts to the Perkins Peninsula Park and the Fern Ridge Wildlife Area. — OR 126: Veneta to Eugene NEPA Study

Project area map

As part of completing the environmental studies for the OR Hwy 126 Veneta to Eugene Widening Study, ODOT has evaluated the impacts to the parks in the project area and are asking for public feedback or comments.

The impacts are outlined in the 4(f) de minimis memos prepared by the project team. Please review and let us know if you have questions or comments on our findings.

The public comment period is open now until January 31, 2023 for the following areas:

ODOT says they are exploring options to improve the safety and mobility on OR 126 between Veneta and Eugene. 

This effort is part of an National Environmental Policy Act study. As part of the study, we are looking at the impacts of the recommended solutions from the 2013 Fern Ridge Corridor Plan and how to balance them with the potential benefits to the community. 

Visit the project webpage to learn more!

Have You Seen Richard Doffing?

DOUGLAS COUNTY, Ore. – Late in the morning of January 11, 2023, 73-year-old Richard Doffing drove away from his home in Glendale, Oregon. Richard is driving a white 1992 Ford F350 bearing Oregon license plate SXD561. The pickup has the “Tri-R” logo on both back doors. Richard has advanced dementia and is considered an endangered missing person. It is believed he may be trying to travel to Texas.

Richard is 5’10”, 160 lbs with Hazel eyes and gray hair. He was last seen wearing a dark shirt and blue jeans. 

Deputies along with Search and Rescue crews are actively searching for Richard or his vehicle. There is no current indication as to his direction of travel or possible route. Additionally, Richard does not have a cellular telephone with him. If you have any information concerning the whereabouts of this individual, please contact 9-1-1 and reference Douglas County Sheriff’s Office Case #23-0144.

Limited Time To Apply For Business Funding Grants To Assist Small Businesses Affected By COVID-19

Business Oregon has partnered with the CCD Business Development Corporation to offer $3 million in CDBG-CV Statewide Small Business and Microenterprise Grant Assistance (SBMA).

The program is funded with federal grant funds from the Oregon Community Development Block Grant program CARES Act funding for communities affected by COVID-19.

SBMA grants will be awarded between $2,500 – $30,000 per business. Microenterprises whose owner meets who meet low- and moderate-income (LMI) criteria can qualify for up to $10,000 in grant funding. Small businesses can qualify for $2,500 per LMI employee retained up to $30,000 in funding.

Eligibility Requirements: A microenterprise (five or fewer employees) or small business (more than five employees) that:

  • Was in business prior to March 8, 2019
  • Can document COVID-19 impact (lost revenue, mandated closures, workforce issues, supply complications, etc.)
  • Was generally stable/strong prior to the COVID-19 pandemic
  • Has an owner and/or employees who meet low- and moderate-income (LMI) criteria

Limited time — The program will launch 8 a.m. Monday, Jan. 23, and will close at 5 p.m. Friday, Jan. 27. Applications for this grant program will be processed on a lottery basis.

At the time of application closure, all submitted applications will be randomized and processed. To register and apply, visit www.ccdbusiness.org/oregonsbma.

Technical assistance is available to assist with completing the application process. You may use Google Translate on the application registration and program webpages for non-English languages or please contact CCD Business Development Corporation at 1-888-263-0971 or oregonsbma@ccdbusiness.com for additional assistance.

Video tutorials for both small business and microenterprise applications, including helpful tips, are also available. The link to the YouTube playlist for the video tutorials can be found at on the CCD’s website.

Business Oregon, in partnership with CCD Business Development Corporation, will be hosting two virtual Q&A meetings about this grant opportunity on Friday, January 13 at 10:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. Register for the virtual Q&A meetings using this online form.

The SBMA grant award selections are expected in February 2023 and the funding is expected to be distributed to selected grantees in March 2023.

For more information, visit https://www.oregon.gov/biz/programs/SBMA/Pages/default.aspx

Hwy 101 Landslide Update

An active landslide south of Port Orford that had a sudden 12-foot drop Monday has slowed, according to the Oregon Department of Transportation.

The slide forced the shutdown of several miles of Highway 101 north and south of the slide early Monday.

Matt Noble, communications manager for ODOT, says a contractor is on the scene with staging equipment and materials for building a temporary lane through the collapsed area.

However, Noble says a forecast of steady rain over the coming days could destabilize the slope further, potentially causing the slide to shift again.

ODOT has implemented new drainage features near the slide to drain the anticipated rain water. Noble says it’s unclear how these features will impact the road.

ODOT does not have a timeline for when the road will reopen. http://tripcheck.com

Oregon Set To Receive $400M-$1B In Federal Grants To Increase Broadband Access

Oregon’s Broadband Office is prepared to use federal money to get everyone in the state online. The money is coming from a federal infrastructure bill that was passed in 2021.

According to an audit released by Secretary of State Shemia Fagan, the Oregon Broadband Office will likely be prepared to receive and facilitate upcoming federal infrastructure grant awards.

Fagan says disadvantaged communities should be prioritized, as Oregon stands to get anywhere from $400 million to $1 billion over the next several years to ramp up broadband access.

“This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to make sure that all Oregonians are able to get online. It’s an opportunity to close gaps that have developed in our state where some communities have access, and others do not,” she said.

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