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, February 23, 2023
Willamette Valley Weather
ISSUED: 9:57 AM FEB. 23, 2023 – NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE
…WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY WILL EXPIRE AT 10 AM PST THIS MORNING… Light snow showers will occur through the afternoon today. Accumulations one-half inch or less are expected for the remainder of the day.
Expect Snow And Ice While Traveling In Oregon
A series of winter storms riding down with polar air mass will bring low-elevation snow and very difficult travel conditions to much of the region through the end of the week
ODOT road crews are prepared for snow and work continuously to keep roads clear, but they can’t be everywhere at once. Some roads may have snow or ice longer than in years past. Check Tripcheck.com for the latest on road conditions, chain requirements, and other winter travel information.
Standoff In Springfield Ends With Suspects In Custody
A standoff in Springfield Wednesday prompted schools in the area to go on lockout and an alert to go out to nearby residents to shelter in place.
Law enforcement officials confirm the incident began with a traffic pursuit of the suspect and a woman in the vehicle. The suspect got out of the vehicle and ran inside a residence in the area of 14th and G Streets, where a woman was evacuated from the home.
People were advised to avoid the surrounding area and those living in the area were asked to shelter in place.
In a Facebook post, Springfield Police say, “Area schools are in ’Lockout’ out of an abundance of caution. The incident is not related to any school.”
Just before 2 p.m. Wednesday, Springfield Police reported suspects are in custody and the area is clear.
The Eugene Police Department later said this was an outside agency assist. “Homeland security based out of Seattle, Wash. reached out regarding a suspect,” EPD said. “There was a pursuit, and the vehicle was ditched.” Two people were taken into custody without incident.
Multiple agencies were involved, including Eugene Police Street Crimes Unit, EPD patrol, Lane County Sheriff’s Office, Oregon State Police, Springfield PD, Eugene and Springfield SWAT teams, drones, and EPD K9.
Lockdown at Lane Community College Due to Report of Armed Subject
UPDATE: As of 3:30pm the lockdown at Lane Community College has been lifted. Authorities have determined there to be no credible threat.
Circumstances surrounding the initial report of an armed person on campus are under investigation. –
02/22/2023 – 2:06pm Lane County Sheriff’s deputies are currently on scene at the LCC Main Campus after receiving the report of an armed person on campus.
There have been no reports of shots fired or injuries. Authorities are asking the public to avoid the area until additional information becomes available.
Lane Community College’s main campus lock-down has ended, the college said in an update around 3:30 p.m. Wednesday. “Law enforcement remains on campus,” the college said.
Sgt. Tom Speldrich with the Lane County Sheriff’s Office stated to our news team that there is no ongoing threat at this time.
“Every officer and every deputy and every trooper that responds to a situation like this takes it seriously, because even if we don’t think a threat is real, the consequences of it being real are just astronomical and unbearable to think of,” Speldrich said. “So at this time, we don’t have a plan to relax our response to any type of call like this.”
“Authorities have determined there to be no credible threat,” LCSO said in an update. “Circumstances surrounding the initial report of an armed person on campus are under investigation.”
LCC was closed for the remainder of Wednesday. “Those remaining on campus should gather belongings are exit,” the college said.
Original report: —- Lane County Sheriff’s deputies are currently on scene at the Lane Community College main campus after receiving a report of an armed person on campus, the Sheriff’s Office said just after 2 p.m. Wednesday.
“There have been no reports of shots fired or injuries,” LCSO stated.
Authorities are asking the public to avoid the area until additional information becomes available.
In a social media post, LCC said that Wednesday’s remaining classes have been cancelled.
“Do not come to campus,” the college said. “Those on campus should remain sheltered in place. Do not exit buildings until directed by law enforcement.”
Early Morning Car Crash In Junction City One of Many Due To Icy Conditions
Officials in Junction City are investigating the cause of an early morning car crash. This happened at 3:56 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 23, along Highway 99 near Milliron Road.
The early-morning head-on crash sent three people to the hospital with serious injuries and blocked one southbound lane of the highway Thursday. Junction City Fire sent out a tweet. It said to expect lengthy closures.
Icy roads are to blame for the crash. Several calls came in around the area Thursday morning for crashes due to icy road conditions.
The icy conditions are expected to last into Thursday morning. Drivers are advised to slow down and delay travel if possible.
Rural residents asked to help update Lane County’s Natural Hazard Mitigation Plan by taking survey
Residents who live outside the Eugene-Springfield area are being asked to take a short online survey to help update Lane County’s Natural Hazard Mitigation Plan.
Take the survey at www.LaneCountyOR.gov/mitigation (QR code attached).
Lane County’s Natural Hazard Mitigation Plan is updated every five years. Mitigation means taking action now to reduce our long-term risk from natural hazards. It is our local blueprint to help protect people and property. Updating this plan also makes Lane County and its partners cities eligible for federal grants and funding to help mitigate potential impacts from disasters such as fuels reduction reduces our risk to wildfires.
“Lane County is a beautiful place. There aren’t many counties where you can ski and surf in the same day, but alongside this natural beauty that we all appreciate is a high risk for natural disasters,” said Lane County Emergency Manager Patence Winningham. “We regularly experience flooding, wildfire, severe winter storms, and we are at high risk of significant seismic events – including the major Cascadia earthquake.”
Residents can weigh in on the plan update: Do you think Lane County should focus on fuels reduction? Updating culverts and bridges to withstand flooding? Or something else? Take the short survey to tell us what you think the plan should focus on first.
Paper copies of the survey can be requested by calling 541-682-6967 or emailing licInformation@LaneCountyOR.gov“>PublicInformation@LaneCountyOR.gov.
Oregon Lawmakers Share Details of $200 Million Housing Package
Oregon lawmakers plan to spend nearly $200 million within the next few weeks to address housing and homelessness, describing it as a “down payment” with more to come.
A trio of Democratic lawmakers on Wednesday shared the details of their plan, which also includes new policies to slow evictions and streamline home building permits. A pair of bills – one with policies and one with spending – are expected to pass through House committees Thursday and next week and be ready for a vote on the House floor the second week of March.
“We know our communities need relief now,” said Rep. Maxine Dexter, D-Portland and the chair of the House Committee on Housing and Homelessness. “So we’re making an unprecedented push to take bold and definitive action early in session with the goal of passing this package by mid-March.”
Dexter and her counterpart in the Senate, Portland Democrat Kayse Jama, said they worked closely with Republican colleagues to craft the measure. It includes some Republican priorities, such as a pitch from Sen. Dick Anderson, D-Lincoln City, to provide low-interest loans for developers building homes for middle-income Oregonians.
More money
The housing package includes the $130 million requested by Gov. Tina Kotek earlier this year. Kotek’s request consisted of:
- $54.4 million to help 1,200 homeless individuals or families find new homes.
- $33.6 million for rent assistance and eviction prevention services. The governor’s office estimated this will help keep 8,750 families from losing their homes.
- $23.8 million to add 600 shelter beds statewide. These will be low-barrier beds, meaning that people don’t need to be sober, employed or pass criminal background checks to receive shelter.
- $5 million to Oregon’s nine recognized tribes for their homelessness services.
- $5 million to increase capacity for “culturally responsive organizations” to work toward equitable outcomes for homelessness.
- $2 million for cities and counties to use for sanitation services.
- $1.8 million for the state Office of Emergency Management and Oregon Housing and Community Services to coordinate the state’s handling of the homelessness crisis.
Lawmakers added tens of millions more, including:
- $27 million to address homelessness in 25 rural counties that weren’t included in Kotek’s January emergency order because homelessness has increased at slower rates there than in urban areas.
- $25 million earmarked for homeless youth, to help young people and their families with rent assistance, shelter and mental health or substance abuse treatment.
- $20 million to encourage production of modular homes, which are built in factories and then placed in foundations or stacked to make apartment buildings.
- $5 million in grants for farmers to improve health and safety conditions at farm worker camps.
- $3 million in revolving loans builders can use to pay for predevelopment costs, such as permits and local infrastructure fees, for homes that will be affordable to people earning between 80% and 120% of the median income in their area.
More spending will be coming later in the legislative session, said Rep. David Gomberg, D-Otis and the chair of the budget-writing subcommittee that will handle housing funding. His subcommittee will consider Kotek’s proposed budget, along with any legislative proposals that carry price tags, as it crafts a housing budget for the 2023-25 budget period.
Kotek’s suggested budget includes nearly $3.8 billion for the Oregon Housing and Community Services Department – a slight decrease from the almost $3.9 billion allocated in the last two-year budget, when lawmakers spent $1.5 billion in one-time funds, but nearly double the $1.9 billion the agency received in the 2019-21 budget cycle.
New land use and eviction policies
The package includes major changes to the state’s 50-year-old land use system, shifting to prioritize building housing over “citizen engagement” in decisions about what can be built where. Critics of Oregon’s land use system have long maintained that the state’s laws make building desperately needed housing take too long and cost too much. The state needs to build more than 550,000 new homes over the next 20 years to meet current and expected demand, according to the Oregon Department of Land Conservation and Development.
The measure would require Oregon Housing and Community Services to produce annual housing production targets for each city with at least 10,000 residents, including subsidized and market-rate homes.
From there, the state Department of Land Conservation and Development could take action against cities that fail to build enough homes, including obtaining a judge’s order forcing a city to comply or forcing a city to forfeit grant funds or other state funding.
“We will make sure local governments, special districts and state agencies work together to ensure that we break down barriers and remove red tape that has prevented us from building the housing we need,” Dexter said.
Separately, the proposal would extend eviction timelines for unpaid rent. Landlords can now give 72-hour notices and obtain court judgements against tenants within 25 days of giving that notice. The proposal would give tenants 10-day notices and extend the court timeline, meaning a trial could occur almost two months after a tenant first misses a rent payment.
“We all know that eviction leads to homelessness,” Jama said. “Evicting somebody and putting them on the streets is really, really challenging for all of us and it’s more expensive to be on the streets than being housed.” Source
Marion County Sheriff’s Office looking for help in identifying deceased female found in a Jefferson field
On February 21, 2023, about 4:45pm, deputies from the Sheriff’s Office Enforcement Division, Jefferson Contract, along with detectives from the Criminal Investigations Unit responded to a report of a citizen finding a female, deceased, in a field at the dead-end of Tenth Street in Jefferson, Oregon. The Marion County Medical Examiner’s Office responded to assist.
Wednesday, an autopsy was performed by the State Medical Examiner and the death has been determined to be natural causes. The female found, was a white female, unknown age, 5’3 ½”, 128 pounds, wearing a red tank top, camo colored long sleeve shirt, Green sweatshirt, green sweatpants, and black tennis shoes. She was described as having a brooch attached to the green sweatshirt in the left chest area with a white pearl-looking piece in the middle of it.
We are asking anyone with information on a possible identify for this female to please call Deputy N. Morse, 971-720-0726.
Grants Pass Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Stealing from a Tribal Organization and Illegally Possessing a Firearm
A Grants Pass, Oregon man pleaded guilty and was sentenced to federal prison today for stealing more than $70,000 from the Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Tribe of Indians and illegally possessing a firearm as a convicted felon.
After pleading guilty to one count each of stealing from a Tribal organization and illegally possessing a firearm as a convicted felon, Kevin Lee Jones, 34, was sentenced to 120 months in federal prison and 3 years’ supervised release. Jones was also ordered to pay $74,228 in restitution to the Cow Creek Tribe.
According to court documents, on September 6, 2021, Jones attempted to disguise his identity and stole $74,228 in cash from a business owned by the Cow Creek Tribe in Canyonville, Oregon. Several weeks later, in October 2021, Jones, who has a lengthy criminal history and, as a convicted felon, was prohibited from possessing firearms, was found unresponsive in a car in Grants Pass with a loaded pistol in his waistband. During a later search of his residence, investigators located and seized an M4 rifle with an extended capacity magazine.
On December 14, 2021, Jones was charged by criminal complaint with illegally possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. On December 16, 2021, a federal grand jury in Eugene indicted him on the same charge. Later, on December 29, 2022, he was charged by criminal information with illegally possessing a firearm as a convicted felon and stealing from a Tribal organization.
This case was investigated by the FBI and the Cow Creek Tribal Police Department. It was prosecuted by Jeffrey S. Sweet, Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon, in coordination with Josephine County District Attorney Joshua J. Eastman. https://www.justice.gov/usao-or/pr/grants-pass-man-sentenced-federal-prison-stealing-tribal-organization-and-illegally
Oregon Revenue Forecasts Record $3.9B Kicker To Be Returned To Taxpayers
Oregon’s key economic indicator, the quarterly revenue forecast for March, shows significant revenue growth.
The forecast, released Wednesday, Feb. 22 by the Oregon Department of Administrative Services, states that the unexpected revenue growth in the current biennium has left Oregon with unprecedented balances, followed by a record kicker in 2023-25.
The projected personal kicker is $3.9 billion, which will be credited to taxpayers when they file their returns in 2024.
The projected corporate kicker is $1.5 billion, which will be retained in the General Fund for K-12 educational spending.
“Once the 2023-25 biennium is behind us, Oregon’s major revenue sources are expected to bounce back quickly,” the Forecast Summary reads. “However, growth over the extended horizon will continue to be constrained by demographics, with the baby-boom population cohort earning and spending less.”
The unexpected revenue growth in the current biennium has left Oregon with unprecedented balances, followed by a record kicker in 2023-25. The projected personal kicker is $3.9 billion, which will be credited to taxpayers when they file their returns in 2024. The projected corporate kicker is $1.5 billion, which will be retained in the General Fund for K-12 educational spending. Once the 2023-25 biennium is behind us, Oregon’s major revenue sources are expected to bounce back quickly. However, growth over the extended horizon will continue to be constrained by demographics, with the baby-boom population cohort earning and spending less.
The Oregon Economic Forecast provides information to planners and policy makers in state agencies and private organizations for use in their decision making processes.
The Oregon Revenue Forecast opens the revenue forecasting process to public review. It is the basis for much of the budgeting in state government. The forecast reports are issued four times a year: March, June, September, and December.
Newport Seafood & Wine Festival Starts Thursday
The Newport Seafood & Wine Festival is returning this week, after having to cancel the past two years.
The Newport Seafood & Wine Festival is Newport’s largest annual event. It started in 1977 with the intention to boost the local economy during the slowest time of the year.
Today, the four-day event draws thousands of visitors to Newport during the last full weekend February, boasting over 125 vendors: seafood vendors, craftspeople, and Northwest wineries all under a tented venue adjacent to the Rogue brewery in South Beach.
More than 300 volunteers, a dedicated volunteer committee, and local support from city and county agencies make this annual event possible. Presenting Sponsor Chinook Winds Casino Resort has generously supported the event for the past thirteen years. MORE INFO: Newport Seafood & Wine Festival
