Willamette Valley News, Friday 3/3 – Valley River Inn Fire UPDATE: Fire Dept Gives Information on Sprinklers, OHA Seeks Comments on J.H. Baxter Health Consultation Draft

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, March 3, 2023

Willamette Valley Weather

Valley River Inn Fire  UPDATE: Fire Dept. Gives Information on Sprinklers

Caution tape blocks off the entrance of the Valley River Inn and parts are boarded up now after the three-alarm fire evacuated the building and left major damage.

The Eugene Springfield Fire Department confirms that despite not having sprinklers in individual rooms, the Valley River Inn is up to the fire code as they did have them in common areas.

“When that building was constructed in 1973, there weren’t requirements to have sprinklers in the individual occupancies, just the common areas. So think hallways, areas where there might be meetings, convention spaces, things like that, those did have sprinkler systems,” said Eugene Springfield Fire Chief Mike Caven.

Chief Caven said safety regulations update often, and new construction would require sprinklers and fire alarms in each room, which he says would have made a difference in Tuesday’s fire.

“Those rooms that were burning did not have sprinklers activated that could’ve helped us suppress it, causing the fire to grow larger. Sprinklers don’t always put fires all the way out; they still generate smoke,” he said. “There’s still some fire, there’s still work for us to do; but what it does is it stops what we saw on Tuesday from happening, the fire extending beyond the room or area of origin.”

It took over three hours and all the resources the department had to get the fire under control.

“Our crews performed almost flawlessly,” he said. “They worked very hard; we saw them use more air bottles then we’ve ever used before. I mean, it was a tough fire fight.”

While a modern sprinkler system may have helped on Tuesday, Caven said updating safety systems to meet an ever-changing fire code would carry a large price tag.

“When you look at the infrastructure and the total assessed valuation between the cities that we protect, it’s $25 billion, just in their assessed value,” he said. “To think about what it would cost to bring everybody up to code every time the code changes, that would be a tough sell to get through the legislature. As firefighters, we would absolutely love to see every building that has a multiple occupancy having modern fire safety standards, but there is a recognition that the cost would really be a challenge to help make that happen.”

The only time a large-occupancy building like Valley River Inn may be required to bring fire safety systems up to date is if there were a large renovation, according to Caven.

A portion of the roof collapsed into the third floor above where the fire began, and a restoration company was working Tuesday night to board up the sliding glass doors of the rooms near the fire.

The cause of Tuesday’s fire is still under investigation.

——— ORIGINAL REPORT: Valley River Inn Suffers Significant Damage in Tuesday’s Fire

Eugene Springfield Fire responded to a devastating fire at the Valley River Inn Tuesday morning.

Eugene Springfield Fire said the fire was reported at about 11:07 a.m. on February 28. Eugene Springfield Fire responded with all available fire crews and numerous emergency personnel. It took three hours to get the fire under control: At of 2:22 p.m., the fire was under control, Eugene Springfield Fire said. Several fire crews remained on scene to tend to hot spots and the building, and the Fire Marshal’s Office had started their investigation of the fire.

Eugene Springfield Fire said the fire started on the second floor on the south side of the building and quickly spread to the third floor and the attic. The fire was quickly upgraded to a three-alarm fire. Eugene Springfield Fire said the building’s sprinkler system was not activated, but the fire alarm did sound. This allowed for a successful evacuation of the building, with no injuries reported.

The hotel manager said all hotel guests were asked to pack their belongings and leave the building. They were all provided another room at a local hotel in the area. The manager said the hotel will be closed for a couple of weeks until further notice.

Eugene Springfield Fire said the building suffered extensive damage, including a partial roof collapse. The cause of the fire is currently unknown. There were no injuries or deaths reported. 

OHA Seeks Comments on J.H. Baxter Health Consultation Draft

The Environmental Health Assessment Program (EHAP) at Oregon Health Authority (OHA) is releasing a J.H. Baxter & Co. health consultation draft report with summary fact sheets and is accepting public comment on the documents through June 2, 2023.

The documents are available for viewing and download here. The health consultation report outlines OHA’s analysis of community health risks related to industrial pollution caused by J.H. Baxter, a now-closed wood treatment facility in Eugene.

In September 2021 and May 2022, Oregon Department of Environmental Quality and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency collected surface soil samples from residential yards and other areas further from the facility. Both rounds of sampling showed levels of dioxin in soil above health-based screening concentrations in seven residential yards.

Dioxins are environmental pollutants, in this case likely the byproduct of J.H. Baxter’s operations over the past seven decades.

To address community concerns about the health risks of exposure to dioxin, OHA evaluated data from soil taken from residential areas north of the facility and documented its conclusions and recommendations in the health consultation report.

The report concludes that:

  • Soil with dioxin concentrations over 40 parts per trillion (ppt) could harm the health of children younger than 6 who come in contact with bare soil regularly for one year or longer.
  • If backyard chickens live in residential yards where the soil has dioxin levels above 4.7 ppt, it could be harmful to eat eggs laid by those chickens. This health risk is for people of all ages and backgrounds.
  • There is no health risk from exposures shorter than one year.
  • The increased cancer risk from long-term or chronic exposures to dioxins from J.H. Baxter is low.

The public comment period for the health consultation is open now through June 2, 2023. OHA will host a public meeting April 22 at Petersen Barn Community Center in Eugene to answer questions from the public about the health consultation findings; more details about the meeting will be shared in the coming weeks. Comments can be emailed to ehap.info@oha.oregon.gov or mailed to the following address:

Oregon Health Authority – EHAP

800 Oregon St., Suite 640

Portland, OR 97232

For more information, visit EHAP’s J.H. Baxter page.

Eugene Police Say Threat ‘Not Credible’ After Howard Elementary Placed On Lock-Out

 The Eugene Police Department reports that third-party information received by Howard Elementary about an off-campus situation is not credible.

“As part of safety protocols, Howard Elementary was put on lock-out,” EPD said.

EPD and 4J investigated.

“They have since determined there is no credible threat,” EPD said.

Police Seizure Of Drugs, Money, And Guns At North Eugene Home

Eugene Police arrested a 29-year-old man and seized drugs, money, and multiple guns at a home in the 2800 block of Crocker Road on Tuesday after carrying out a search warrant.

Police arrested the man who faces several alleged felony charges. The house has been a “neighborhood nuisance” and had frequent visitors, police said.

During the search, police found:

  • Five handguns, including one that was reported stolen
  • One rifle with a case
  • Ammunition
  • Scales and packaging material
  • About 11 grams of Xanax pills
  • About 112 grams of blue oxycodone pills marked M30 (claimed as fentanyl)
  • About 254 grams of methamphetamine
  • About 23.7 grams of heroin
  • About 82.6 grams of heroin and fentanyl mixture
  • About 93.5 grams of fentanyl powder
  • About 14.6 grams of MDMA
  • About 38 grams of cocaine
  • One stolen bicycle
  • Over $4,000

Linn County Deputies Seize Over 500 Marijuana Plants From Halsey Shop

On February 28, 2023, just after 1:00 p.m., Linn County Deputies served a search warrant in the 1300 block of West 1st Street in Halsey related to an ongoing illegal marijuana operation. 

Late in 2022, deputies began to observe suspicious activity at the location and conducted extra patrol in the area. During those patrols, they performed a traffic stop of a vehicle leaving the location and discovered twenty-six pounds of marijuana in the vehicle. Deputies continued investigating the suspicious activity to confirm the location was associated with the unlawful manufacturing of marijuana. 

In February 2023, deputies obtained enough information to obtain a search warrant for the Halsey location and an additional address in the 1000 block of Nona Avenue in Salem. Deputies requested assistance from the Linn Interagency Narcotics Enforcement (LINE) Team to serve the search warrant in Salem while deputies served the search warrant in Halsey. Between the two locations, deputies seized over 500 marijuana plants, over 40 pounds of processed marijuana, over 2,100 grams of marijuana extracts and other evidence relating to the illegal operation. 

James Weatherly, 63, of Salem, was arrested during the search warrant in Salem and lodged at the Linn County Jail for Unlawful Manufacturing of Marijuana Item – Plants, Unlawful Attempted Delivery of Marijuana – Plants, Unlawful Possession of Marijuana Item – Plants, Unlawful Manufacturing of Marijuana Item – Usable Marijuana, Unlawful Attempted Delivery of Marijuana Item – Usable Marijuana, Unlawful Possession of Marijuana Item – Usable Marijuana, Unlawful Attempted Delivery of Marijuana Item – Extract, Unlawful Possession of Marijuana Item – Extract, and Criminal Conspiracy. 

Detectives Investigate Overnight Shooting in East Salem

On March 2nd, 2023, at shortly after 12:00 a.m., a 911 caller reported hearing gunshots on Embassy Way NE near Satter Drive NE, in the unincorporated area of East Salem. When deputies arrived at the Embassy Court Apartments, they located an adult female in her late teens to early 20’s inside of a vehicle with gunshot wounds. The female was pronounced deceased at the scene.

Detectives from the Marion County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigations Unit were called out to lead the investigation. Investigators are treating this as a homicide investigation until an official cause and manner of death are determined, an autopsy is scheduled for later today. The victim’s identify will not be released until after next of kin notification has been made. 

At this time, no arrests have been made in connection with this investigation. Based upon preliminary information, investigators to not believe there is any outstanding danger to residents in the area. No additional information is available for release due to this being an active investigation.

Investigators are asking anyone with information about this investigation to contact Detective Jason Remmy at 503-566-6931, emmy@co.marion.or.us“>jremmy@co.marion.or.us, or anonymously by texting TIPMCSO and your tip to 847411.

The Marion County Sheriff’s Office is being assisted by the Keizer Police Department, Marion County CRASH team, Marion County District Attorney’s Office, Marion County Medical Examiner’s Office, Oregon State Police, and Salem Police Department.

Governor Kotek Urges Legislature To Give $7.5 Million To Oregon Food Bank As COVID Benefits End

The Oregon Food Bank offers an assortment of food, including frozen vegetables like these beans.

(Courtesy of the Oregon Food Bank)

As hundreds of thousands of Oregonians face a 40% decrease in their food budgets, Gov. Tina Kotek urged the Legislature to give millions to the Oregon Food Bank.

The federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, covers more than 720,000 Oregonians. When the COVID pandemic hit in spring 2020, the federal government increased monthly SNAP benefits, to an average of $450 per household each month.

Find food —- To find food resources go to or call:

The emergency funding ended in February, slicing aid to households receiving benefits to an average of $270 per month. Local food pantries and the Oregon Food Bank, which serves 1,400 free food markets, pantries, meal sites and delivery programs, have been preparing for increased demand .

Kotek, who started her career as an advocate at the Oregon Food Bank, sent a letter to the chairs of the budget-writing Joint Ways and Means Committee this week asking for an immediate $7.5 million allocation to the Oregon Food Bank for food purchasing.

“Without an immediate investment, Oregon Food Bank will be forced to reduce the level of food support it provides to its regional food banks, and local food pantries will be unable to feed Oregonians who need help,” Kotek wrote.

The proposed $7.5 million is included in a 42-page amendment to the Legislature’s “budget rebalance” bill, a wonkish measure the Legislature passes every two years to reconcile the state’s accounts. The bill will be considered by a subcommittee of the budget-writing Joint Ways and Means Committee on Friday and by the full Legislature later this month.

Oregon Food Bank CEO Susannah Morgan told the Capital Chronicle the money would be enough to ensure the nonprofit can purchase enough food through the end of June. The food bank is also anticipating more federal aid later this spring or summer, as the U.S. Department of Agriculture spends $2 billion announced last fall to buy domestically produced food for food banks and school meal programs.

“Part of our hope for the summer would be that the federal commodities will start flowing in at a higher rate again as we are finishing up spending the additional very welcome grant from the state of Oregon,” Morgan said.

The legislative Emergency Board gave the food bank $5 million last September, but that money’s gone. Like consumers who have grappled with higher prices at grocery stores in recent years, the Oregon Food Bank is paying more for food than it did before the COVID pandemic.

“Pre-pandemic, a 40,000-pound truckload of peanut butter, a whole lot of peanut butter, would have cost $32,000,” Morgan said. “It’s now costing us over $40,000.”

Morgan said the food bank hasn’t seen an increase in demand because of the end of expanded SNAP benefits, but that officials expect increases in the second or third week of March. People typically ask for food assistance when SNAP benefits run out part way through the month, she said.

Eighteen states, mostly Republican-run states in the South, Midwest and Mountain West, already opted out of the additional federal funding. Food banks in those states reported a surge in demand when the extra benefits ended.

Morgan said the most important thing Oregonians can do is make sure their friends, family and neighbors know how to find resources at oregonfoodfinder.org . After that, the food bank is seeking monetary donations , which go further than food donations because the food bank buys food by the truckload and can turn $1 into three meals worth of food. Volunteering time at a local food pantry or regional food bank also helps, she said.

“This grant from the state of Oregon is amazing and really will help us get through June,” Morgan said. “The need will not go away in July. Our neighbors will still need help in July.” (SOURCE)

Advocates From Oregon Urge President Biden To Issue An Executive Order Protecting Beavers On Federal Public Lands

 Oregon’s state animal. (Peter Pearsall/U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service)

A group of scientists, nonprofit organizations and advocates from Oregon and around the country have asked President Joe Biden to issue an executive order protecting beavers on federal public lands.

Their letterEditSignwas sent to the White House on Monday, signed by over 200 scientists, wildlife experts and activists. It says beavers are important for fighting climate change, biodiversity loss and water shortages.

Oregon’s state animal, beavers were once common here and across the continent. Scientists estimate that there were as many as 200 million beavers in North America before colonization. Widespread trapping in the 19th century brought beavers to the brink of extinction in many areas, and though they have recovered somewhat, current estimates are around 15 million, a reduction of more than 90%. 

Beavers are natural engineers. They build dams, slowing down and spreading water that would otherwise run off – and that makes them a natural ally for Biden’s climate agenda, said Suzanne Fouty, a retired U.S. Forest Service hydrologist who co-authored the letter. 

“It turns out that wetlands, which beavers are capable of creating very effectively, are a tremendous carbon storage zone,” she told the Capital Chronicle.

Wetland soil can store up to 10 times more carbon than the same amount of forest soil, and up to 35 times more than grassland, the letter said. Carbon in the atmosphere from burning fossil fuels is the primary driver of climate change, and scientists say we have to both reduce our emissions and pull more carbon out of the atmosphere to stabilize the climate. 

Beyond storing carbon, wetlands created and maintained by beavers have been shown to improve water quality, improve and expand fish and wildlife habitat and act as natural firebreaks during wildfires. They also help to mitigate the effects of drought like the one that’s affected the West for several years. 

The letter proposes an executive order with three parts: a near-total ban on beaver trapping on federal public land, a directive to land management agencies to prioritize beaver conservation and funding to federal agencies to expand beaver numbers. It said money should be allocated to the U.S. Forest Service, the federal Fish and Wildlife Service and Bureau of Land Management along with the Civilian Climate Corps, a climate-focused jobs program that was cut from the Inflation Reduction Act to pass the Senate in 2021.

Until now, beaver management has been left mostly to state wildlife agencies, but the letter’s authors claim that these agencies, funded primarily by hunting, trapping and fishing licenses, are more beholden to hunters and trappers than to the public or the wildlife. The letter mentions Oregon as an example of a state which has been unable to adequately protect beavers, noting that attempts at regulation have failed in both the state Legislature and Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission in the last three years.

“Beaver hunting and trapping is open in most states right now,” Adam Bronstein, Director for Oregon and Nevada at the Western Watersheds Project, told the Capital Chronicle. “In a lot of cases, there are no quotas and no seasons.” This means that managers have no way to set sustainable limits on trapping, and scientists have no reliable count of how many beavers are being taken off of public lands.

Many of the co-signers of the letter are Oregonians and leaders of Oregon-based nonprofit organizations, including representatives of several local Audubon societies, the Urban Greenspaces Institute and WaterWatch of Oregon. Professors, retired and active, from both Oregon State University and University of Oregon, joined the effort. Several fishing advocates signed the letter as well, including David Moskowitz from the Conservation Angler and Bob Rees of Northwest Guides and Anglers Association, highlighting the value that beavers can provide to healthy fish habitat.

Bronstein points out that beaver trapping is only one use that actively competes with the other services that wetlands with beavers can provide. In Oregon, fewer than 200 people actively trap and hunt beavers to sell their fur or because some landowners consider them pests. Others hunt them recreationally. “Public lands belong to all Americans, and wildlife is in our collective trust,” says Bronstein. “We want our public lands to provide the greatest benefit to the greatest number of people.”  (SOURCE)

Black Market Stash Found in Jacksonville After Double Murder Of Two Jackson County Cannabis Entrepreneurs In Houston

Law enforcement in Jackson County Oregon discovered an illegal marijuana stash this week on the property of one of two Oregon cannabis entrepreneurs killed earlier this year in Houston.

WW The February 22 story wrote about two Oregon men, Dana Risdal and Jimmy Martin. Police found the bodies of the two men five days apart, but believe both men were shot to death at the townhome where authorities first found Risdal’s body. Officers found 10 pounds of hash oil, 129 pounds of hashish and $36,000 in cash.

Illegal grow found in Jackson County. (Jackson County Sheriff’s Office)

Both men had deep ties to the Oregon cannabis industry, and Martin was a part-owner of Rogue Valley Cannabis, which operates three dispensaries in Southern Oregon. (Friends of Martin said it was recently attempting to sell its portion of the business; it is unclear whether it has ever done so.)

According to the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office, shortly after the double murder, the agency obtained a search warrant for a Jacksonville home that was owned by Martin. Inside they found an indoor grow, 572 marijuana plants, 275 pounds of handpicked marijuana, and two guns.

The authorities arrested and booked a man connected to the operation, whom they identified as Baron Erich Munchausen. (It is unclear whether this is a pseudonym, but Baron Munchausen is the name of a fictional character in a 1700s German novel.)

As WW noted in last week’s story, the overabundance of cannabis flowers and federal prohibition have lured some legal business owners into the black market.

Dana Risdal and James Martin (Photo Source: Risdal’s Instagram)

Friends of Martin, 37, and Riesdal, 35, described them both as big, fun-loving personalities. Ryssdal loved to travel and spend time in Las Vegas, Colorado, and Washington. Martin had a small child.

Based on social media, it appears that their friendship is at least four years old. Based on business registry records, it does not appear that there was any formal business partnership between the two.

“Dana’s superpower was making people feel,” Mike Reeves, a longtime friend and former business partner of Raisdal’s, said earlier this month. “He was the guy in the room everyone was attracted to. He had a laugh that we’ll remember.

Martin’s friend and former business partner, Richard Roth, said: “He lit up every room he ever walked into. He was as at ease meeting Fortune 500 CEOs as he was at a Biggie concert.” Source: www.wweek.com

Experts Gather In Portland To Discuss Offshore Wind Power In Oregon

Sometime in the not-too-distant future, Oregon’s coast could be home to some massive new structures.That wind energy future was the subject of the Northwest Offshore Wind Conference, held over two days this week in downtown Portland, where nearly 300 of the country’s top experts in the field came together to take stock of the process. 

Wind turbines, some close to 1,000 feet tall and capable of producing up to three gigawatts of power, are planned for two areas about 12 miles offshore. There’s a long way to go before the blades start spinning and generating electricity to power Oregon homes, but the decisions being made now will shape what the projects will look like when they are constructed in the years to come. 

“You’ve got national labs, universities, regulators, stakeholders and a fair amount of supply chain folks who are starting to realize there’s enormous opportunity here if they position themselves well,” said Jason Busch, executive director of the Pacific Ocean Energy Trust, a nonprofit that sponsored the conference. Industry leaders say offshore wind development will be a key piece of the puzzle for Oregon to hit 100% renewable energy production in the future.

The process of siting, permitting and constructing offshore wind turbines is not a short one. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management began looking at areas off the west coast several years ago and identified two areas in Oregon waters that would be suitable, off the coast of Coos Bay and Brookings. 

The coast off of southern Oregon and Northern California is known for having some of the highest potential for wind energy production due to strong, reliable and consistent wind.

Bureau of Ocean Energy Management

Federal regulators have been analyzing the two plots, referred to as “call areas,” which encompass more than a million acres, with the intention of identifying the best areas to offer to lease to developers through an auction early in 2024. 

One of those developers is Deep Blue Pacific Wind. Peter Cogswell, government affairs director for the company, said it was more than just wind quality that drew him to Oregon. 

“What makes Oregon unique is that first you have a world-class resource off the Southern Oregon coast,” Cogswell said. “You combine that with Oregon’s historic strong support for clean energy policies and decarbonizing our electric supply, and there’s a lot to like about offshore wind and how it fits into that environment.” 

Offshore wind power will also be a necessary addition to the northwest power generation portfolio as Oregon works toward its goal of 100% renewable energy by 2040. 

“A lot of people like to think of offshore wind as kind of an either/or while comparing it with land-based renewables, but the reality is, is that we need everything,” Cogswell said. “If Oregon is going to achieve its 100% clean energy goals and some of its other decarbonization goals, offshore wind is a critical part of achieving that.”

Offshore wind is already in use around the world, including off of the east coast of the U.S. with more than 6,000 turbines providing clean electricity.  

Wind power on the west coast comes with some unique challenges compared to other areas. East coast turbines can be anchored to the ocean floor in the relatively shallow waters off the eastern seaboard, but the continental shelf off the Oregon coast drops off to deeper waters much more quickly, so the turbines will need to be mounted on floating platforms like at some European installations.

That’s only one of the challenges facing developers hoping to tap into the power of Oregon wind. Large infrastructure upgrades would be needed at the deep water ports in Coos Bay, and high voltage transmission lines would need to be built to bring all that power onshore. 

Wind energy proponents point to all of those challenges as sources for new jobs, but there are other potential hurdles to overcome before offshore wind energy becomes a reality in Oregon.

Fishermen worry that the towers could interfere with their livelihoods. Environmental advocates are concerned that vulnerable marine species could be put further at risk. Tribal groups fear that their cultural resources could be put in jeopardy and that they won’t be given the chance to offer any meaningful input on the siting of the turbines.  

In an op-ed for the publication CalMatters, Frankie Myers, vice chairman of Yurok Tribe, wrote that Indigenous people have often been ignored when outsiders come to extract resources from their lands. 

“Offshore wind presents an opportunity to develop the clean energy America needs,” Myers wrote. “But unless offshore wind truly engages with the Native American tribes that suffered the impacts from previous natural resource extraction, it will be as dirty as the rest of them.”

And all those potential conflicts are one of the reasons that winning the lease auction is just the beginning of a lengthy process. After that, developers will go through a roughly 7-year period of environmental impact studies, site analysis and surveys of the areas where they plan to build. 

That extended period will also provide ample opportunity from all the groups that will potentially be impacted by the development to have input on the process. 

Busch said he hopes that the conference in Portland this week will provide a chance to address the concerns of fishermen, environmentalists and tribal members early in the planning process. 

“We have something called the Oregon Way, and that means that people have to come to the table and have a dialogue and build trust about how we deal with the controversial or difficult decision making,” he said.  (SOURCE)

May be an image of 3 people, child, people standing, outdoors and text that says 'MISSING MELANIE RENEE OWEN Age: 33 Wight/Height: 110 lbs. 5'6 Hair olor: Brown color: Brown Tattoo and piercings: Right side lip pierced with asmall stud. Shaded stars forearm. tree on rightforearm. row ffour hearts near her hand. Brandon" on her ring finger. Hummingbird on backside left houlder. "Haley" the lower back. Last known day seen: The 11th or 12th of February Last known location: Warrenton, OR residence on highway 101 IF SEEN OR HAVE INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT: Deputy Sheriff Brendan Landwehr (503)325-2061 blandwehr@clatsopcounty.gov Case 20230473'
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