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
Monday, June 12, 2023
Willamette Valley Weather
Bear Sightings in the Eugene South Hills Area
Central Lane 911 has had calls coming in from the 31st Avenue and Willamette area advising a bear has been spotted, including jumping into a backyard and being treed by a dog. Oregon State Police has two game wardens in the area and is aware of the sightings.
Bears are native to Oregon and do not normally pose a problem if they are on the fringe of town. Unless a bear is presenting an immediate danger of attacking or has been hit by a vehicle, please do not call 911.
This is a reminder for people in that area to be observant and keep their children and pets close when recreating in natural areas. Eugene has many natural areas and parks that are home to a wide variety of wildlife. These natural areas are one of the many attractive aspects of Eugene.
Deer, squirrels, and birds live in these areas, but there may also be occasional, stray visits from bears, cougars and other predators. Eugene has areas that are close to forested and rural areas where bears and cougars reside. People should always be respectful of the fact that all wildlife is in fact “wild” and should be given a wide berth.
For more information about bears and other wildlife, please contact Oregon State Police and Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.
Here is a link to ODFW pages with information/tips about bears:https://myodfw.com/articles/help-keep-bears-wild
Shooting Suspect in Custody after Shooting at Deputies
The Lane County Sheriff’s Office received information on Tuesday morning that 34-year-old Jason Scott Page was at a residence in the Elmira area. Page is the suspect in the shooting that occurred on McDougal Ln. on 06/03/2023. At approximately 10:06am deputies observed Page as a passenger in a vehicle leaving the involved residence.
Deputies initiated a traffic stop at which time the vehicle pulled into a driveway in the 23000blk of W. Sheffler Rd. and came to a stop. Page exited the vehicle and shot at deputies with a handgun. Deputies returned fire. No one was struck by the gunfire and Page fled on foot.
Deputies caught him in a nearby yard and he was taken into custody. No one was injured during this incident. Page will be lodged at the Lane County Jail. His specific charges are still being determined.
Three Male Teens Cited After Marijuana Cake Incident at Roseburg High School
Three male teens were cited after an incident on the last day of school at Roseburg High School on Thursday morning.
A Roseburg Police report said at 8:15 a.m. an RHS student brought a marijuana cake he had baked to the school in the 400 block of West Harvard Avenue. The cake was given to another student who proceeded to go into a bathroom and hand it out to numerous students. Through an investigation it was determined that there was sufficient cause to cite a third student for possessing the cake.
Two 16-year old males and one 15-year old were cited for unlawful possession of marijuana under the age of 21. Parents were notified when the citations were issued.
One person was jailed and one was cited after a reported assault late Saturday night in Drain.
A Douglas County Sheriff’s Office report said just before 11:00 p.m. a deputy responded to an incident in the 200 block of East D Avenue. A 34-year old man said he and a victim were yelling at one another and were pushing each other. The suspect said he had his newborn baby in his arms when the woman pushed him. That caused the baby to fall but the man caught it before it hit the ground. The man said he gave the baby to a juvenile and pushed the woman with great force, causing her to fall backward onto the porch.
The woman claimed the man pushed her and she fell backwards, hitting her arm on the porch. The deputy observed that her arm was extremely swollen, was black and blue and had a large bump. The woman rated her pain level at an eight out of ten.
The man was charged with fourth-degree assault and was detained without bail. The woman was cited for harassment and was released.
Oregon GOP Walkout Threatens Billions In School Funds and Stalled Hundreds of Bills
Funding for schools, literacy programs and special education teachers in Oregon — a state where 60% of third graders can’t read at grade level — could be jeopardized by a Republican walkout that has stalled hundreds of bills and derailed the Legislature for nearly six weeks.
The standoff over a bill that would expand access to abortion and gender-affirming health care could scuttle much-needed education funding in a year when the stars seemed to align for Oregon’s budget.
Tax revenues have exceeded state economists’ projections, allowing lawmakers to approve a record K-12 budget of $10.2 billion. But the education spending legislation needs a vote from the Senate, which hasn’t been able to conduct business since May 3 because of the GOP boycott, and time is running out, with just two weeks left until the legislative session ends.
“Supporting strong schools and improving student outcomes should be enough to make anyone show up for work,” Democratic state Rep. Courtney Neron, the House Committee on Education chair, said at a recent rally against the walkout. “From early childhood through higher education, our schools and students need us to respond to serious challenges.”
Oregon’s Senate Republican office said in an email that “it is critically important that we make sure education is fully funded.” Republican minority leader Sen. Tim Knopp also said in an email his caucus will return by June 25 to pass “substantially bipartisan” bills and budgets.
But Democrats say waiting until the session’s last day to pass budgets isn’t feasible and school districts need a sense of potential funding by early July to begin planning for the next school year.
“There’s no way that we can pass all the budget bills on June 25,” Democratic state Sen. Michael Dembrow, the Senate Committee on Education chair, said in an email. “Just doing budget bills in both chambers will take several days.”
If lawmakers don’t return soon, Dembrow said he suspects Gov. Tina Kotek “will need to convene a special session at some point to do the budgets.”
As in other states nationwide, reading and math scores plummeted in Oregon following the COVID-19 pandemic. School closures hit young children particularly hard, depriving them of critical in-person instruction needed to learn how to read. About 60% of third graders in Oregon are not proficient in reading or math, according to the latest state assessment results.
In addition to the $10.2 billion K-12 budget, which passed the state House with bipartisan support, the Senate Republican walkout also could derail education bills seeking to shore up pandemic learning losses and tackle the education workforce crisis.
One such bill aims to address shortages of teachers and other school staff, particularly in rural areas, and boost pay for special education teachers. Another would invest $140 million in a new early literacy initiative for children from birth through third grade. The initiative is a centerpiece of Kotek’s agenda.
“This should be an emergency, a wake-up call,” said Gini Pupo-Walker, executive director of nonprofit advocacy group The Education Trust. “It’s unfortunate that those really important bills that could really reshape the way reading is taught and could really transform student experiences with learning are … now being held hostage to a totally separate issue.”
The early literacy bill in particular received more than 150 written public comments. Among other things, the measure would fund tutoring for struggling readers and direct schools to base literacy instruction on science of reading research, which emphasizes the importance of phonics when teaching children how to read.
Anna Ingram in Eugene was among the parents who testified in favor of the bill. She described feeling angry, anxious and hopeless as she saw her son having trouble learning to read. His first-grade teacher provided a list of 200 common words he should memorize. In third grade, he was encouraged to guess words from their first letter and by looking at pictures, she said.
“Actually sounding out the letters in the word was not recommended,” she said in written testimony. “He’s learned to read because I shell out thousands of dollars a year to have him tutored with explicit, systematic instruction.”
Education spending in coming years will be especially critical as one-time federal pandemic funds expire, said Jon Valant, director of the Brown Center on Education Policy at the Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C.
“We have probably more need for thoughtful, smart, careful policymaking in education than we have in generations. This was a bigger hit for U.S. schools than anything in recent memory,” he said of the pandemic.
“When the resources are potentially there, I think it is extremely important that we use them and use them well,” Valant added. “Because the resources are not there forever.” (SOURCE)
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service invites the public to community open houses on potential sea otter recovery efforts in Northern California and Oregon
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) will host 16 public open houses with communities in Northern California and Oregon this June to gather input on the potential reintroduction of sea otters to their historical range. The open houses will provide communities and stakeholders an opportunity to ask questions, share perspectives and speak with Service staff about sea otters and next steps in recovery efforts including the potential reintroduction process – should a proposal move forward.
The southern sea otter, one of three subspecies of sea otter, is listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. As directed by Congress, the Service assessed reintroduction feasibility in 2022. The assessment concluded that reintroduction was biologically feasible and may have significant benefits for a variety of species in the marine ecosystem and expedite the recovery of the threatened southern sea otter.
The assessment also concluded that additional information about how reintroduction would affect stakeholders and local communities was needed before considering the next steps. There is no active proposal to reintroduce sea otters at this time.
The open houses will help the Service gather further information to inform next steps. As the Service considers the possibility of reintroduction, we recognize that community values and issues are critical in this process. Input from the public and key stakeholders, including ocean users, will be a foundational component in establishing next steps including whether or not a potential reintroduction is proposed, as well as ensuring that proposals are crafted in a way that benefits stakeholders and local communities.
The Service aims to be inclusive, thoughtful, and scientifically sound as we consider actions to support sea otters, local communities and ecosystem recovery, now and in the future.
Open houses will be held in the following communities in Oregon and Northern California:
Oregon
Astoria – June 20, 5:30 PM – 8:00 PM Astoria Elks Lodge #180 453 11th St., Astoria, OR 97103
Garibaldi – June 21, 10:30 AM – 1:00 PM Old Mill RV Resort 210 South 3rd St. Garibaldi, OR 97118
Newport – June 21, 5:30 PM – 8:30 PM Newport Recreation Center, Multipurpose Room 225 SE Avery St., Newport, OR 97365
Florence – June 22, 10:30 AM – 1:00 PM, Lane Community College, Florence Center, Room 103 3149 Oak St., Florence, OR 97439
Coos Bay – June 22 5:30 PM – 8:00 PM, Southern Oregon Community College, Empire Hall, Lakeview Rooms E, F, & G 1988 Newmark Ave., Coos Bay, OR 97420
Port Orford – June 23, 11:00 AM – 1:30 PM, Port Orford Library, Large Conference Room 1421 Oregon St., Port Orford, OR 97465
Gold Beach – June 23, 5:00 PM – 8:00 PM, Curry County Library, Meeting Hall 94341 3rd St., Gold Beach, OR 97444
Brookings – June 24, 10:30 AM – 1:00 PM, Coastal Community Center (located inside Coastal Home, Health, and Hospice) 585 5th St., Brookings, OR 97415
California
Crescent City – June 24, 5:30 PM – 8:00 PM, Del Norte Recreation Department, Gymnasium 1005 H St., Crescent City, CA 95531
Arcata – June 25, 12:00 PM – 3:00 PM, Cal Poly Humboldt, College Creek Complex, Great Hall Community Center Building, Room 260, 1 Rossow St., Arcata, CA 95521
Fort Bragg – June 26, 12:00 PM – 3:00 PM, Noyo Center for Marine Science, Discovery Center 338 N Main St., Fort Bragg, CA 95437
Bodega Bay – June 27, 11:00 AM – 1:30 PM, Bodega Bay Community Center 2255 CA-1, Bodega Bay, CA, 94923
Point Reyes Station – June 27, 5:00 PM– 7:30 PM, Point Reyes National Seashore, Bear Valley Visitor Center, Red Barn Classroom 75 Bear Valley Rd., Point Reyes Station, CA 94956
Sausalito – June 28, 10:30 AM – 1:00 PM, Bay Model Visitor Center, Gallery 2100 Bridgeway, Sausalito, CA 94965
San Francisco – June 28, 5:30 PM – 8:30 PM, San Francisco County Fair Building, Auditorium 1199 9th Ave., San Francisco, CA 94122
Emeryville – June 29, 11:00 AM – 2:00 PM, Emeryville Senior Center, Main Hall 4321 Salem St., Emeryville, CA 94608
The Service encourages interested stakeholders and publics to drop in any time during the open houses. Full details and open house information are also available online at www.fws.gov/project/exploring-potential-sea-otter-reintroduction.
### The mission of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is working with others to conserve, protect, and enhance fish, wildlife, plants, and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. For more information on our work and the people who make it happen, visit www.fws.gov.
Marion Co. Dist. Attorney’s Office Reports Child Abuser Receives 40 Months in Prison
On May 26, 2023, a Marion County Jury found Lindsey Hines, 36, guilty of misdemeanor Strangulation, two counts of felony Criminal Mistreatment in the First Degree (causing physical injury to a dependent person), and felony Strangulation. The jury found that these four charges constituted three separate incidents and that three of the charges victimized a child under the age of ten.
Hines represented herself during the three-day jury trial in which the children victims testified. There is no provision under the law that prohibits or restricts a self-represented defendant from cross-examining their victim(s), even children.
On June 6, 2023, Marion County Circuit Court Judge Thomas M. Hart sentenced Lindsey Hines to 40 months in the Oregon Department of Corrections.
Hines has a criminal history that includes Assault in the Fourth Degree constituting Domestic Violence.
The case was tried by Marion County Deputy District Attorney Katharine Semple.
Smithsonian Names Klamath Falls In Top 15 Small Towns To Visit
Klamath Falls is in the spotlight this week after being named one of America’s top 15 small towns to visit in Smithsonian Magazine. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/the-15-best-small-towns-to-visit-in-2023-180982286/
The article, written by travel correspondent Laura Kiniry describes Klamath Falls’ rich history and vibrant downtown.
“From a turn-of-the-20th-century downtown loaded with independent shops … to attractions like the Klamath County Museum, which features a special exhibition commemorating the 150th anniversary of the Modoc War … Klamath offers plenty of cultural opportunities,” the article read.
Kiniry referred to Klamath Falls as a “nature lover’s small town,” noting the usual 300 days of sunshine each year.
“Bird lovers flock to Klamath Falls for its location along the Pacific Flyway,” Kiniry wrote, “attracting more than 350 avian species annually, including … the largest concentration of wintering bald eagles in the lower 48.”
South-centrally located in Oregon, Kiniry listed activities for the outdoor adventurists such as rafting the white-water rapids of the Klamath River and hiking the Tomahawk Trail up Mount McLoughlin.
And come this fall, Moore Park, Upper Klamath Lake and the nearby Crater Lake National Park will serve as prime viewpoints for the next annular solar eclipse Oct. 14.
“[These] will be some of the best places in the U.S. to catch this rare event,” Kiniry wrote.
Staff from the Oregon Coast Aquarium found 25 critically endangered sunflower sea stars in Yaquina Bay
The aquarium says its staff recently went to the bay to look for fish and other creatures when they found one sunflower sea star, then they discovered 24 more.
The aquarium says the largest of the stars was six inches long. They believe it may be the adult that spawned the others, but there’s no way to be certain. Because most of the stars are so young, it may be a good sign of the species recovery.
Fully grown, sunflower sea stars can reach four feet across and have as many as 26 arms. The group included one adult and 24 juveniles. After taking pictures and measuring each one, aquarium staff returned the stars to the seafloor.
Between 2013 and 2017, Sea Star Wasting Syndrome killed 90-percent of the sunflower sea star population and they were surprised to find so many of the sea stars in one location.
Sunflower sea stars start out their lives as free-floating plankton. They’re actually invisible to the human eye. Once they’re fully grown, they can have as many as 26 arms and weigh up to 13 pounds. And they’re fast – they can move up to 10-feet per minute.
The discovery is a big deal because the sunflower sea star’s numbers have gone down significantly in recent years. It’s due in part to an outbreak of what’s known as “sea star wasting syndrome” between 2013 and 2017.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) estimates 90% of the population has died because of the disease.
If you want to see a sunflower sea star, you can go to the Oregon Coast Aquarium. It’s home to three of them, and the largest is four feet wide.
Shore Acres State Park Holiday Lights timed entry and parking reservations available now
The Friends of Shore Acres sponsors the Nov. 23-Dec. 31 event
Coos Bay, Ore—Timed entry and parking reservations for the Holiday Lights event at Shore Acres State Park are now available online. The event runs Nov. 23-Dec. 31, and parking time slots are available for 4:30 p.m., 5:30 p.m., 6:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. daily. A reservation is needed for a vehicle to park at the event and includes entry for everyone inside the car.
“The new entry system launched last year with the support of the Friends of Shore Acres,” says Lee Ricci, park manager for the Sunset Bay Management Unit. “Visitor feedback was overwhelmingly positive, and we’ve worked with the Friends to continue the system this year. Visitors said they appreciated the quick entry into the parking area without waiting in long lines on the road. Plus, the system improved safety for everyone traveling on the Cape Arago Highway, and smoothed out the process overall.”
The Friends of Shore Acres sponsors the annual Holiday Lights, which has delighted visitors since 1987. The event was paused 2020-2021 for visitor safety during the pandemic and resumed in 2022.
The $5 fee for parking and timed entry is the same amount as the normal parking permit price for the park. The fee may be waived if the person making the reservation has one of the following and selects the option during the reservation process:
- 12- or 24-month parking permit;
- special access pass for either the veterans with service-connected disabilities or foster, guardian and adoptive foster parents of Oregon foster children;
- current Oregon State Park camping confirmation that coincides with the date of the event visit;
- or an Oregon Pacific Coast Passport.
Reservations also can be made by calling 800-452-5687. Visitors do not have the option to purchase a parking permit onsite to park.
At entry into the light show, visitors must present a screen shot of the ticket via their smartphone or the printed ticket, as well as the selected pass, permit, or campground confirmation. Park staff asks that visitors have everything ready to show to keep traffic moving.
Although visitors can reserve their timed entry parking spot now, additional time slots will be available later this fall during a seven-day rolling window. Visitors can make reservations on Nov. 16 for visits on Nov. 23, and so on. The rolling window continues through the end of the event Dec. 31.
“We realize that it’s early for many families to make November and December plans and we want people to have an opportunity for spur-of-the-moment visits,” Ricci adds, “We’re holding half the parking sites for that rolling seven-day window to ensure visitors can reserve closer to the event.”
Visit the Oregon State Parks website for 12 and 24-month parking permit and special access pass information. Oregon Pacific Coast Passport information is available at the US Forest Service website.
Lake Oswego Man Hits $8.2 Million Oregon Megabucks Jackpot
Salem, Ore. – Ray Jones of Lake Oswego has been playing Oregon’s Game Megabucks for the past 10 years hoping to hit it big. It happened for the 59-year-old in Wednesday’s drawing, when he matched all six numbers to win the $8.2 million jackpot.
Jones didn’t find out he won until Thursday evening, when he scanned his ticket at a local store and had a clerk confirm it was a winner. They told him he needed to go to the Oregon Lottery office to claim it.
“I was darn well hoping it was the jackpot,” Jones said. “I’m kind of stunned. I don’t know if I’m going to retire. I want to travel. I love to see new cultures.”
Jones works in finance for a banking company and said he would still be going to work on Monday. But he will be using the winnings soon to travel to South Africa and likely other destinations, with his recent past adventures including trips to Uruguay and New Zealand. He also wants to support some local charities with the prize.
The winning ticket was purchased at the 7-Eleven store at 11111 Capitol Highway in Portland.
Oregon’s Game Megabucks has some of the most favorable big prize jackpot game odds in the world. The jackpot resets to $1 million after someone wins.
The Oregon Lottery recommends that you sign the back of your ticket to ensure you can claim any prize. In the event of winning a jackpot, players should consult with a trusted financial planner or similar professional to develop a plan for their winnings. Players have a year to claim their prize.
Since the Oregon Lottery began selling tickets on April 25, 1985, it has earned nearly $15 billion for economic development, public education, outdoor school, state parks, veteran services, and watershed enhancements. For more information on the Oregon Lottery visit www.oregonlottery.org.
