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, April 14, 2023
Willamette Valley Weather
Fire at Brenners Furniture Downtown Eugene
Structure fire downtown Eugene @ Brenners Furniture (151 W 8th) please avoid area until emergency responders have cleared the scene. There has been no other information released by authorities yet.
WasteWise Lane County celebrates Food Waste Prevention Week with public event Sunday 4/16
WasteWise Lane County—part of the Lane County Waste Management Division—is hosting a public event at Thinking Tree Spirits (88 Jackson Street, Eugene) on Sunday, April 16, to recognize Food Waste Prevention Week (April 10-16).
The event—called the “Save the Food Celebration”—runs from 12-4 p.m., featuring appearances by Eugene Mayor Lucy Vinis and Burrito Brigade Executive Director Jennifer Denson. It will also showcase organizations leading wasted food prevention efforts locally, a tour of the Thinking Tree Spirits distillery, live music, a trivia game, food, and beverages. Partial proceeds from the event will be donated to Burrito Brigade.
“WasteWise Lane County is partnering with organizations and governments worldwide during Food Waste Prevention Week to help empower residents and businesses to reduce wasted food at home, work, and in communities,” said Lane County Waste Reduction Outreach Coordinator Daniel Hiestand. “While this week reminds us there is much work left to be done to prevent food waste, it also highlights that much of the power to change the wasted food equation is in our hands.”
Leading up to the week, Eugene Mayor Lucy Vinis and Springfield Mayor Sean VanGordon recognized the week with proclamations.
Follow the campaign on WasteWise Lane County’s Facebook and Instagram pages.
About WasteWise Lane County – WasteWise Lane County offers education, tools, and resources that residents, schools, and businesses can use to reduce waste, conserve resources and live more sustainably. Learn more about WasteWise Lane County tips to curb wasted food at www.eatsmartwasteless.tips.
About Food Waste Prevention Week – From education to government agencies to nonprofits, Food Waste Prevention Week represents a variety of stakeholders across the food and environmental education sectors that share a passion for conserving food, saving families money, and supporting a healthier environment. Learn more at www.foodwastepreventionweek.com.
Governor Kotek Signs Oregon CHIPS Act Into Law
Governor Kotek signed Senate Bill 4 – the Oregon CHIPS Act – into law during a ceremonial bill signing April 13 at the Capitol Building in Salem.
Both bills passed the Oregon House and Oregon Senate with bipartisan support last week.
Senate Bill 4 dedicates $190 million to develop a grant and loan program to support semiconductor businesses looking to expand in Oregon, providing the opportunity for significant federal funding support provided by the CHIPS and Science Act that Congress passed and President Biden signed in August 2022.
It also funds $10 million to help communities prepare land for manufacturing sites and $10 million for a University Innovation Research fund that will help public universities secure federal research grants.
The bill allocates $190 million to the Oregon CHIPS Fund to be distributed via grants and loans for: Development and acquisition of a site for semiconductor manufacturing – Semiconductor research and development -Workforce development, including internships and apprenticeships.
An additional $10 million is dedicated to the newly established Industrial Lands Loan Fund for financial assistance to local governments to prepare sites for semiconductor industrial development. The University Innovation Research Fund will also receive $10 million for public universities to leverage federal research grants.
The bill requires that projects funded by OR CHIPS commit to creating permanent, full-time jobs and have a net positive impact on local and state revenues.
Semiconductor research and manufacturing jobs are well-paying, stable careers that often do not require four-year degrees. An estimated 26,000 jobs would be created by a new semiconductor manufacturing facility in Oregon and could generate billions in state GDP, according to supporters of the legislation.
“Oregon has been at the center of the semiconductor industry in the United States for decades,” Kotek said. “This bill is an absolutely essential tool for leading a coordinated effort with the private sector to ensure we can compete for federal funds to expand advanced manufacturing in Oregon. We are poised to lay the foundation for the next generation of innovation and production of semiconductors. I want to thank Senators Sollman and Knopp, and Representatives Bynum and Wallan for championing this bill in the state legislature.”
Oregon Businesses Fined For COVID-19 Safety Rules Still Owe State $800,000
Earlier this month, Oregon Occupational Safety and Health officials ended the last workplace restrictions related to COVID-19. But OSHA is far from being done with the pandemic.
Several dozen citations linger and hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines remain unpaid – just as they did a year ago.
Since March 2020, Oregon OSHA has issued more than 250 COVID-related citations to employers. The citations were based largely on about 32,000 complaints, 16 times more than the agency typically receives in a year. Some citations involved more than one violation, with the total fines close to $1 million.
Oregon OSHA has only collected $100,000, according to the latest agency data. Most of that money stems from violations that weren’t appealed, which accounted for more than two-thirds of the total.
Aaron Corvin, the agency’s spokesman, said before the pandemic, cases could take 18 to 30 months to resolve through the appeals process, which involves referral to an administrative law judge on the Workers’ Compensation Board. If the judge validates the citation and the company doesn’t pay, the case is sent to collections.
Nine cases have gone to collections and three of them involved willful defiance of the law, what the agency calls “willful violations.”
The slow pace of resolutions has a lot to do with the pandemic, Corvin said. In-person hearings stopped, and remote hearings have been held infrequently because of the complexity of certain cases.
“This situation created a backlog of pre-pandemic and COVID-related cases,” Corvin said.
He said the agency and Workers’ Compensation Board are working through the process, with the agency assigning extra staff to deal with the backlog.
“We’re committed to seeing the process through, and we’re going to see how it unfolds,” Corvin said.
Companies that willfully defied COVID restrictions, including restaurants that didn’t close or allowed indoor dining, accounted for about one-fifth of the total citations.
“The majority of the citations were not appealed. Overall there were a high number of willfuls and that penalty amount will be much higher,” Corvin said.
Willful violations account for about 90% of the unpaid fines, totaling $873,000, Corvin said.
Capitol Racquet Sports, Inc., with gyms in Salem and Keizer, was the biggest violator, with five citations in 2020 and 2021. It was fined nearly $200,000 for refusing to close despite an executive order to do so. Those cases are waiting to be resolved by the compensation board.
The second largest total fine, nearly $52,000 levied against Along Came Trudy, a Springfield restaurant, also is pending with the board. It was cited in February and May 2021, mostly for a willful violation.
But Corvin said a few cases involving willful violations recently have been resolved.
Central Christian School in Redmond, cited in February 2022 for refusing to enforce face covering requirements for staff and students, recently settled its case and paid a fine of $8,900, reduced from an initial $10,920.
And Oregon Ice Entertainment in Sherwood, cited in April 2021 for failing to close, also settled with the state, recently paying its $8,900 fine.
Corvin said a few other cases are close to being resolved, but he didn’t name them because they’re not officially wrapped up.
Corvin said complaints have slowed but are still higher than before the pandemic. This year the agency has received about 600 complaints a month compared with 200 in 2019.
“We are still pretty busy in terms of the non-COVID complaints we are seeing,” Corvin said. “That is due to the greater awareness the pandemic generated around Oregon OSHA’s complaint process and workplace safety and health requirements.”
Although face masks are no longer required in the workplace, Oregon OSHA tweaked its work clothing rules to allow employees to wear them if they choose. And in cases in which companies require employees to be masked, the employer must pay for them. (SOURCE)
Klamath County Sheriff’s Office Investigating The Death Of A 14-Year-Old Girl
The Klamath County Sheriff’s Office in southern Oregon is investigating the death of a 14-year-old girl who lived in squalid conditions with her four siblings in the tiny town of Keno.
The girl died late last month despite relatives contacting child protective services multiple times to report neglect and possible abuse. Multiple calls were made to 911 on March 30, the day of the girl’s death.
Heidi Vaughn, a protective services caseworker for Oregon child welfare, told a judge at a hearing earlier this month that the children did not attend school or receive medical care. The parents were abusive and the home was “generally unsafe for any aged child,” she said.
The girl’s maternal grandmother and great aunt said they called the state’s child abuse hotline five times over a four-year period, most recently in August, according to the Oregonian/OregonLive. Jake Sunderland, spokesperson for Oregon’s Department of Human Services, told the news outlet that the agency cannot comment on cases.
Child protective services placed the other four siblings with their paternal grandparents, who said they were unaware of their living conditions because they had not been to the property in a while. The sheriff’s office has not released any other details of the investigation. (SOURCE)
Video Shows Leak In Pacific Ocean Near Cascadia Subduction Zone
A hole in a 600-mile-long fault line has been discovered at the bottom of the Pacific ocean – and it could be the trigger of a magnitude-9 earthquake on the US coast .
Just outside of Oregon, ‘Pythias Oasis’ as it’s been named (after the ancient Greek oracle ), was discovered in 2015, but the new research is concerning.
“This liquid allows plates to move smoothly, but without it, ‘stress can build to create a damaging quake,” researchers from the University of Washington say. Experts are now remaining vigilant around the Cascadia Subduction Zone.
SEE VIDEO HERE: https://www.newsbreak.com/oregon-state/2991261411736-footage-shows-leak-in-pacific-ocean-that-could-unleash-magnitude-9-earthquake
OLCC seeks input on increasing distilled spirits surcharge – Revenue will go to state’s general fund
Written comments may be submitted until June 5, 2023 at 5 PM — Public Action: The Board of Commissioners of the Oregon Liquor & Cannabis Commission will accept written public comment on a possible increase of the current 50-cent surcharge on each bottle of distilled spirits to one dollar per bottle.
The Commissioners will listen to verbal comments on this potential increase at the April 20, 2023 & May 18, 2023 Commission Meeting. — Verbal Comment: In order to offer verbal testimony at the April 20th Commission meeting, please email laura.paul@oregon.gov by April 18, 2023 at 5 pm.
To speak at the May 18th Commission meeting, please email laura.paul@oregon.gov by May 16, 2023 at 5 pm.
Your name will be placed on the agenda for the meeting you ask to speak at.
Written Public Comment: Per OAR 845-015-0138, the Commission shall consider any written or verbal comments before implementing such a price increase.
Written comments can be submitted beginning April 12, 2023 through June 5, 2023 at 5 PM to:
Laura Paul, Executive Assistant
9079 SE McLoughlin Blvd.
Portland, OR 97222
laura.paul@oregon.gov
Commission Action: The Board of Commissioners will vote on the matter at the regularly scheduled June 15th
Commission Meeting.
Background:
• The current $0.50 per bottle ($0.25 per mini bottle) surcharge was recently extended through the 2023-25
biennium. The Commission will be considering an additional $0.50 per bottle surcharge ($0.25 per mini
bottle) for the 2023-25 biennium.
• If the surcharge is increased by an additional $0.50 per bottle ($0.25 per mini bottle), it is forecasted to
generate an additional $45.2 million for the 2023-2025 biennium. Surcharge revenue is distributed to the
State General Fund.
The seven citizen commissioners are the policy-making body of the OLCC. They meet monthly for one day to make decisions on liquor and marijuana licenses, rules, contested case hearings and appointments of liquor store agents. Commission meetings are held every month. Agenda items and meeting information can be obtained on-line at http://www.oregon.gov/OLCC/pages/public_meetings.aspx
## Did you know that in the last two years, the OLCC distributed more than $625 million to Oregon’s General Fund, Cities, Counties, and Drug and Alcohol Abuse Programs? See the distribution of dollars on OLCC’s Website
Bureau of Land Management is hiring 100 interns!
Portland, Ore. — Are you looking to kickstart a career in civil service?
The Bureau of Land Management is hiring 100 interns nationwide in the next few weeks. Come work with us!
Anyone 16 years or older and enrolled or soon to be enrollment in school, don’t miss this opportunity! Interns that successfully complete the program are eligible for positions with the federal government.
If chosen for a role in the Pacific Northwest, interns will help to care for 16.1 million acres of public lands. These locations unfold into a rich tapestry of diverse landscapes, starting where the mighty Columbia River crosses into northeastern Washington from Canada and ending at the lush headwaters of the Chetco River near California. The BLM is charged with sustaining the health, diversity, and productivity of public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.
The American people rely on the BLM to care for their public land, and BLM leaders are committed to building a team that represents all of America.
We are looking for interns in a variety of fields and functions, including:
• Civil Engineering
• Public Affairs
• Information Technology
• Survey
• Administration
• Land Law Examiner
• Natural Resources
• Land Surveyor
• Wildland Fire
• GIS
• Human Resources
• Grant Management
• Contracting
• Budget
• Environment Protection
If more than one looks interesting, don’t hesitate to apply for them all. The opportunity to apply for these internships will close as early as Wednesday, April 19. So, don’t wait!
Anyone interested can find more information the BLM Internship Program here: https://bit.ly/41FGiNt
Or skip that step and apply for internships here: https://bit.ly/43tjCBr
-BLM-
The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land located primarily in 12 western states, including Alaska, on behalf of the American people. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. Our mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of America’s public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.
