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, July 10, 2023
Willamette Valley Weather
Vehicle Rescue by Eugene Springfield Fire on I-5
Eugene Springfield Fire crews responded to a motor vehicle accident on I-5 near I105 westbound at approximately 8:30 AM Friday morning. One individual was trapped in an overturned pickup truck pulling a trailer of vehicles. Crews stabilized the vehicle, evaluated the patient, and utilized multiple extrication tools to remove the roof of the truck. Crews rescued the individual who was then transported to the hospital with life-threatening injuries.
New Details Released About Death of Missing Blue River Man
New details about the death of Shane Sprenger, the Blue River man who went missing in November of 2021 have been released by the Lane County Sheriff’s Office.
The Lane County Sheriff’s Office announced June 27 that partial remains of Sprenger were found.
The Lane County Sheriff’s Office confirmed Friday that his partial remains were found off Quartz Creek Road, which is about five miles southwest of the Blue River Reservoir, where his truck was found in 2021.
Sgt. Tom Speldrich with LCSO said, “We did not locate his entire body, we are still looking for that.”
Losing his home to the Holiday Farm Fire, Sprenger was living in a fifth wheel in Vida working to rebuild his and other homes in the area. The day he went missing, November 2, 2021, he was working as a carpenter on a home in the McKenzie Bridge area. According to his family, he left the job around 10 a.m. and went to his home in Vida, the last place he was seen.
He was officially reported missing three days later, after a friend located his truck near the Blue River Reservoir.
The partial remains were found by a bystander in late 2022 and sent in for testing while a search for the additional remains ensued. LCSO received confirmation the remains were Sprenger’s in June of 2023.
When our newsroom first interviewed Sgt. Speldrich during the initial search in 2021, he said there was no reason to believe Sprenger’s disappearance was suspicious.
On Friday, Speldrich said, “We don’t have any reason to believe that there is foul play involved, but we also don’t have reason to rule it out at this point.”
He says they are still investigating the potential of foul play but there are a lot of aspects to the investigation they need to consider.
“An animal could move remains and for some distance, depending on what kind of animal it could be,” said Sgt. Speldrich. “Also, conditions with rising and lowering water levels could move remains.”
Sgt. Speldrich also said there is a chance Sprenger’s remains washed ashore from the McKenzie River.
Meanwhile, Sprenger’s family released this statement:
It’s been an excruciating year and a half for our family since Shane went missing on November 2, 2021. He was 47 at the time of his disappearance.
We are devastated and our hearts shattered to receive confirmation of his passing. Shane was a gentle soul, a selfless provider, a skilled and trusted carpenter, and the hardest worker we know. He was excepting of everyone and loyal to all that loved him.
His was a senseless death, and there is more to uncover on what transpired the day he went missing. We are eager to see truth and justice prevail. Please contact Lane County Sheriff at 541-682-4150 and reference case #21–6268. Or if you’d rather, you can submit an anonymous tip on crimestoppersoforegon.com Tips submitted to Crime Stoppers of Oregon or 100% secure and untraceable.
More information about Shane’s disappearance can be found on Facebook, “Missing in Blue River Oregon area: Find Shane Sprenger”.
Thank you to everyone who has and continues to work on this case. The support we have received has been incredible and for that we are grateful.
Four Injured and One Fatality from Head-on Crash Involving Three Vehicles on Highway 99W in North Corvallis
On July 6, 2023, at approximately 5:38 pm, Corvallis Police and Corvallis Fire personnel responded to the report of an injury crash north of the intersection of Highway 99W and NW Elks Ave in Corvallis. Investigation determined a Subaru Legacy traveling south on Highway 99W crossed the center lane line causing a head-on collision with a Hyundai Elantra traveling north on Highway 99W.
The driver of the Subaru and only occupant was identified as a 74 year old female, Monmouth resident and she was transported by medics for care. The Hyundai had four occupants. The driver was identified as a female, 32 year old Albany resident and passengers were a 37 year old female, Albany resident, 65 year old female, Prineville resident, and one juvenile.
Both Albany residents and the juvenile were transported by medics for care. The 65 year old female, Prineville resident was pronounced decease on scene by Corvallis Fire Medics. There was a third vehicle involved, which received minor damage. The driver and their passenger were not injured. The Corvallis Police Department and Benton County Sheriff’s Office Major Accident Investigation Team responded to the scene to investigate. All parties involved in the crash are cooperating with the investigation, which is still ongoing.
The highway was closed for approximately 4.5 hours while the Major Accident Investigation Team processed the scene. The Corvallis Police were assisted by the Benton County Sheriff’s Office, Corvallis Fire Department, and ODOT.
Deputies need your help in locating a 16-year-old Female by the name of Alexis Seeley
Deputies with the Marion County Sheriff’s Office are seeking community tips to help locate Alexis Seeley, a 16-year-old female from the Salem area. Seeley was last seen on July 7th, 2023, at approximately midnight. She was reported as a runaway to the Sheriff’s Office the following day after it was discovered she was missing.
Seeley is approximately 5’04” tall, 120lbs, and has black hair with brown eyes. Investigative leads suggest it is possible she may have traveled to California.
Investigators are asking anyone who may have had contact with Seeley since July 8th, 2023, to contact Sergeant M.J. Sphoon at 503-798-8319 or Deputy De La Viesca at 971-372-0408.
White Bird Clinic is expanding the flock and now hiring for multiple positions and departments! It takes a wide range of amazing people to achieve the mission of White Bird Clinic and to be successful in the work that we do. What exactly do we do? Well, for 50 years we have been providing compassionate humanistic healthcare and supportive services to individuals in our community, so everyone receives the care they need.
If you think you possess qualities such as level-headedness, patience, empathy, self-awareness, humor, active listening, and can approach challenging situations in a creative and neutral way then please apply and tell us more by visiting https://www.indeed.com/cmp/White-Bird-Clinic/jobsQuestions? Feel free to reach out by e-mail info@whitebirdclinic.org or by calling 458-239-1162
Statewide Camera Outage Leaves Oregonians Unable to Get ID Photos
A widespread camera system outage in Oregon has rendered residents unable to get new photos for driver’s licenses. The state is unsure when the problem will be resolved.
As reported by Oregon Public Broadcasting, all Oregon Driver and Motor Vehicle Services locations have been unable to take people’s portraits for identification and driver’s licenses since Wednesday afternoon.
“At the moment, we are not performing credential transactions that require a photo to be taken, but we are continuing all other transactions,” says Oregon DMV spokesperson Michelle Godfrey, adding that the DMV does not have an estimated restoration time for the faulty camera system.
Godfrey said early Thursday morning that the third-party vendor in charge of the state’s camera system is working to address the problem.
This is not the first issue that Oregon’s state government has recently experienced. On June 1, the Oregon DMV reported that a third-party vendor was hacked, resulting in the exposure of data records for Oregon’s driver’s licenses, permits, and ID cards.
At the time, the Oregon DMV recommended that anyone with an active Oregon driver’s license, permit, or ID card assume that their personal information was available to malicious actors and take steps to secure their data. The Oregon DMV discovered that about 3.5 million license and ID files were compromised, which comprises around 90% of Oregon’s files.
Godfrey says the new issue with the DMV’s camera system is unrelated to that data breach.
If it is any consolation to the Oregon DMV, it is not the only victim of a statewide camera outage this year. In March, the Colorado Division of Motor Vehicles experienced an outage that took down numerous services, including issuing state licenses and IDs.
A potential solution, allowing people to take their own state ID photos, may not prove too popular with states after officials in Georgia needed to ask people to stop taking naked driver’s license photos.
“Attention, lovely people of the digital era! Please take pictures with your clothes on when submitting them for your Digital Driver’s License and IDs,” the Georgia Department of Driver Services said on Facebook.
Georgia is one of eight states that allows its residents to create digitized ID cards. At least in Georgia’s case, its digital IDs are not a complete replacement for physical identification but can be used as part of a digital wallet to pass through certain TSA checkpoints, including at the busy Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.
Hopefully, the Oregon DMV camera outage will be fixed soon and people can get their pictures taken. Even when fully operational, DMV offices around the U.S. have a bad enough reputation as it is.
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg Visits Portland
U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg visited the Pacific Northwest on Friday, first meeting with Washington state leaders in Washougal to highlight and discuss a railroad crossing elimination grant, and later meeting with Oregon leaders to tour 82nd Avenue and discuss the corridor’s future.
In Washougal, U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell and Congresswoman Marie Gluesenkamp-Perez met with Buttigieg to discuss an intersection the federal government is putting $40.48 million toward fixing. It’s where 40 trains a day cause gridlock for drivers and first responders coming in and out of town.
“So that’s why we’re so glad to be here — to be here to celebrate the $40 million that are going to reconstruct that 32nd street underpass and make for a better life and a better routine all across this area,” said Buttigieg as he addressed stakeholders Friday morning.
Also in attendance was Washougal Mayor David Stuebe, who welcomed Buttigieg.
“What an incredible day for our community and Washougal, this is an epic moment,” Stuebe said.
Soon after, it was across the river to Portland Community College’s Southeast Campus flanked by some of Oregon’s congressional delegation and Oregon Governor Tina Kotek.
U.S. Representative Earl Blumenauer arranged the visit to talk about 82nd Avenue, an old state highway, now under city control and in need of a lot of help. Blumenauer said it’s one of Oregon’s orphaned highways, ripe for transformation.
“Seven miles of opportunity and challenge — and we’re poised now to finally take advantage of that,” said Blumenauer.
Poised for improvements, because of more than $100 million committed by the state and the city of Portland. Buttigieg said it’s something the federal government can get behind financially.
“Ultimately what we’re doing with the federal dollars going out is actually going to be decided at the state and local level, we’re constantly trying to empower state and local government to get things done,” he said.
Following the PCC stop, a bus tour on an all-electric TriMet bus was a chance for officials and community members to show and tell the top transportation official in the country, the dangers of the roadway, the improvements to come, and how federal dollars are needed, as well, to create safety, livability and equity.
Buttigieg liked what he heard. “And seeing everything from this great green bus, which we’re buying more and more for transit agencies across the country, to the corridor that is going to benefit from good policy choices and good investment in the future. This is why transportation matters,” said Buttigieg.
KGW also asked Buttigieg about the federal commitment for a replacement for the Interstate Bridge across the Columbia River. He said he couldn’t talk specifics, but that both states showing a billion-dollar commitment makes the case for federal funding stronger in the grant application process to come. (SOURCE)
Rent Hikes In Oregon Can’t Top 10% As Governor Kotek Signs Bill 611
As of July 6th , landlords cannot increase rent by more than 10% each year. Senate Bill 611 was signed into law by governor Tina Kotek on Thursday.
The bill covers most rental properties in the state, including spaces for manufactured homes, RVs, and floating homes in marinas. The bill brings the rent cap down 4.6% from before it was passed.
Senate Bill 611 limits annual rent increases to either 7% plus inflation or 10%, whichever is lower. It passed the Senate on a 17-8 vote Tuesday, then received 32-18 approval in the House Saturday following a heated discussion. Many of the lawmakers who spoke about the bill Saturday said they themselves are landlords.
More protections for renters were also part of the bill. Landlords must give tenants a valid 90-day written notice before raising rent rates. Rent cannot be raised in the first year of occupation and can only be raised once per year afterwards.
OHA launches data dashboards for injuries, overdoses
Interactive graphs detail state, county, demographic trends
PORTLAND, Ore. – Oregon Health Authority (OHA) has unveiled two interactive data dashboards to help people track state, county and demographic trends in deaths and hospital visits for a range of injuries and overdoses.
The Oregon Injury Prevention Dashboard and the Oregon Overdose Prevention Dashboard, developed by the Injury and Violence Prevention Program at the OHA Public Health Division, improve access to the data among the public, state and local agencies, and community organizations that work to reduce incidence of injuries and deaths from these causes.
“These dashboards make it easy for people to view injury and overdose data,” said Tom Jeanne, M.D., M.P.H., deputy health officer and epidemiologist at OHA’s Public Health Division. “The injury dashboard will help people understand when and why violence, unintended injuries and deaths occur, and the overdose dashboard will help people understand overdose events, deaths and the substances involved in these events.”
On the Injury Prevention Dashboard, mortality, emergency department discharge and hospital discharge data are included on 11 unintentional injury categories, such as assault, drug overdose, falls, firearms and suicide. The Overdose Prevention Dashboard has mortality, emergency department discharge and hospital discharge data on 11 drug categories, such fentanyl, heroin, opioids and stimulants.
Data on both dashboards are aggregated for annual, statewide trends and a four-year average for county-level and demographic trends.
The new dashboards reflect trends that have made headlines in recent months:
- Fatalities for several injury categories are increasing yearly, including assault, drug overdose and firearms.
- Fatalities for most drug categories increased between 2020 and 2021 – only deaths from methadone decreased. Increases are most stark for opioids, stimulants, synthetic opioids and unintentional overdoses.
“What we have seen in firearms injuries and deaths, and in overdoses from fentanyl, methamphetamine and other drugs is alarming,” Jeanne said. “Data dashboards like these help us monitor trends and better anticipate where to direct resources so we can reduce the burden of these injuries on individuals, families, communities and agencies.”
PacificSource Health Plans Ranked No. 7 among Oregon’s Healthiest Large Employers
PacificSource Health Plans was recently ranked No. 7 among large businesses of 1,500-4,999 employees on the Portland Business Journal’s annual list of Healthiest Employers of Oregon.
The annual assessment is scored rubric style with categories that included culture and leadership commitment, foundational components, strategic planning, marketing and communications, programming and interventions, and reporting and analytics. Companies are ranked by the Healthiest Employers Index (HEI), which is assigned to each applicant.
“Being named one of the Healthiest Employers of Oregon is an affirmation of the commitment PacificSource Health Plans has made to support our employees’ health and well-being,” said Sabrina Black, employee well-being program manager for PacificSource Health Plans. “Our well-being program is constantly growing and evolving to help our employees be their best selves, empowering healthy lifestyle behaviors that will serve them at work, at home, and in their community. It’s all connected, and it’s important that our well-being program reflects that.”
PacificSource offers health-promoting tools to support employees wherever they work. This includes a hybrid work model, sit/stand workstations, healthy food offerings and education, access to onsite fitness facilities, company-wide well-being challenges, an online health engagement web portal, complimentary run/walk entry fees, an employee-focused wellness committee, and dedicated employee wellness specialists on staff.
About PacificSource Health Plans: PacificSource Health Plans is an independent, not-for-profit community health plan serving the Northwest. Founded in 1933, PacificSource has local offices throughout Oregon, Idaho, Montana and Washington. The PacificSource family of companies employs more than 1,800 people and serves over 600,000 individuals throughout the Greater Northwest. For more information, visit PacificSource.com.
Medford America’s Best Kids Employee Arrested, Facing 27 Charges
An employee at America’s Best Kids in Medford was arrested on June 23 after he was caught taking pictures of female staff members in a staff changing room.
The Medford Police Department said the employee, Blaine Howitt, is now facing 27 criminal charges. His charges range from encouraging child sex abuse to computer crimes, according to police.
“There are multiple charges per victim…” said Lt. Geoff Kirkpatrick with MPD. “The charges stem from encouraging child sex abuse in the third degree, to invasion of personal privacy, to computer crimes.”
ABK sent out an email on Monday addressing the incident and stated it was working with police on this investigation.
MPD said Howitt was caught taking pictures of female staff members, including some women under the age of 18, in a staff changing room.
“As of now, we don’t believe there are any victims at ABK that we don’t already know about and that we’ve already talked to,” Kirkpatrick said. “This is involving staff members and not clients or children that are clients at ABK.”
This is an ongoing investigation and moving forward, Kirkpatrick said detectives are still going through all of Howitt’s devices, which could take a while.
“We are still working on other aspects of his life and that may take some time to sort through mountains of digital evidence that usually are encased on phones and computers, so that may take some time to work out,” he said.
Howitt was formally arraigned at the Jackson County Courthouse on June 23. His bail was set at $250,000. According to court and jail records, it appears Howitt bailed out of jail. He is due back in court on July 28 for another arraignment and a hearing.
Oregon gas company criticized for using ratepayer money to fight state climate program
Three nonprofit environmental groups are calling out Avista for raising natural gas prices while using ratepayer money on lawyers fighting climate regulations
Oregon’s second largest natural gas provider spent ratepayer funds fighting state climate change regulations while simultaneously attempting to raise rates for customers.
During the last five years, Avista paid lawyers more than $51,000 to fight Oregon’s Climate Protection Program, according to records obtained by three environmental groups critical of the decision. The nonprofits Earthjustice, Sierra Club and Climate Solutions on Friday submitted the records, which showed the money came from an account funded by Avista’s 105,000 ratepayers, to the Oregon Public Utilities Commission. The commission is considering whether to allow the utility to raise residential rates 8% by year’s end.
Avista, along with the state’s two other gas utilities — NW Natural and Cascade Natural — has hired lawyers from San Francisco-based Baker Botts and Reno-based Snell & Wilmer to sue the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality.
The companies are challenging the agency’s authority to regulate greenhouse gasses under the climate program, which mandates a 50% cut in Oregon’s overall greenhouse gas emissions by 2035 and a 90% cut by 2050. At least 26% of that reduction will have to come from the natural gas utilities.
Natural gas is almost entirely methane gas, among the most potent climate-warming greenhouse gasses, which trap heat in the atmosphere contributing to global warming. One-third of global warming today is due to human-caused emissions of methane, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Avista’s senior legal counsel, Greg Hesler, said in an email to the Capital Chronicle that paying lawyers with ratepayer money will benefit those customers.
“We believe it is a prudent expenditure on behalf of our customers, and it is therefore included as a cost to customers in their rates,” he wrote. “Avista does not believe that the Oregon Climate Protection Program (CPP) provides a constructive pathway for reducing emissions, and that it negatively impacts our customers through reduced energy choice, higher costs and decreased reliability.”
The environmental groups disagree. Avista has already raised residential rates 18% since November 2022, an increase the company attributed to global supply and demand issues exacerbated by extreme weather events and Russia’s war on Ukraine.
Greer Ryan, a policy manager at Climate Solutions, said the utilities commission should reject Avista’s request to raise rates again while spending ratepayer money to challenge the state’s keystone climate change mitigation program.
“We hope the commission will agree with us and say it’s inappropriate for gas utilities to charge their customers for political activities, especially for activities that are against the public interest like dismantling landmark climate policies,” she said.
The payments to lawyers are one of many that environmental groups are beginning to challenge from gas companies that are imposing rate hikes on customers. Ryan said Climate Solutions and other groups will continue urging the Oregon Public Utilities Commission to join several other state commissions and agencies that have created rules banning or limiting the use of ratepayer money on political lobbyists and on dues and fees paid to industry trade groups.
“We want the commission to say, ‘In rate-setting situations moving forward, you cannot charge your customers for these expenses,’” Ryan said. (SOURCE)
August Caretaker Needed for Riddle Brothers Ranch
Hines, Ore. – Are you interested in a three-week, paid vacation to Steens Mountain in southeast Oregon? Do you enjoy history, nature, and quaint, remote settings? We have the perfect opportunity for you! The Bureau of Land Management Burns District is looking for a short-term host to fill a caretaker position at Riddle Brothers Ranch from August 7 to 31. Rustic riverside lodging for two included.
“Caretakers are an important part of our ability to serve the public,” said Kyle Wanner, BLM Burns District Assistant Field Manager. At the ranch, caretakers live on site and interact with travelers. They may provide directions, share history of the site and structures, or offer details on nearby recreation activities. Caretakers also keep an eye on the historic buildings and artifacts.
“Whoever lands this unexpected opening is truly lucky. It is a unique and hard to come by experience,” added Wanner.
The Caretaker Cabin rests on the edge of Little Blitzen River. It has a bed, electricity, running water, a refrigerator-freezer, cooking stove with oven, and a cozy front porch. Steps away, you’ll find a vault restroom. The cabin is located one-half mile down the road from another agency building where more food storage and a hot shower can be found. Cellular service is intermittent, but reachable within two miles, and a BLM radio is provided for reliable emergency communication.
The Riddle Brothers Ranch is located about 80 miles from Burns, Oregon, in the heart of Steens Mountain. Caretakers must have the means to receive a stipend electronically and be confident in a remote setting. Light walking on uneven terrain, including stairs and various surface materials, is also required.
For more information or to apply, call Tara Thissell at (541) 573-4400. Learn more about Riddle Brothers Ranch at https://on.doi.gov/3NSh8ac. Browse through photos of the area by visiting https://bit.ly/44p2r3J.
-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.
